You will skip on the cobblestones in a North End street. An old Italian grandfather with his white shirt and wing tipped shoes will regard you suspiciously. Smile at him and wave. It's not everyday that the universe gives you a kiss.

The trick is to go on living.

You will find much to be grateful for today. Not least, the promise of freedom and the discovery of a well-made Tom Collins.

Sometimes spines are for the breaking, other times they're for the piercing. Folly can lead to a heart leaking blood into the open sea.

You will wake up today and realize that a simple strip of legal paper is a poor price to pay for your soul.

The man stares you into the corner of your morning commute. The express is unforgiving, there is no relief from his gaze as the train sweeps down the upper west side. You wish you had those white earbuds that keep everyone comatose in their mild electronica, minor Beethoven, or Steve Jobs' commencement speech bootlegged from kazaa. Just as you are about say something, he stands. The train stops, the conductor barks over the speakers, "This is 42nd street, Times Square - crossroads of the world. You can transfer here to anywhere."