I was late for my thesis proposal defense. I went to the City Pool in Ft. Collins and took the elevator to the third floor. I went to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet to pee. I took off my backpack and set it on the floor in front of me, rooting through it for my notes. It felt strange, so I pushed it away from me, underneath the edge of the stall door. It was wobbly and full of something. I nudged it with my toe and realized it was full of toilet water. I emptied it out onto the floor and left to find Dr. Mehra.

I went to a room crowded full of people standing together to hear a band. Bright light shown in from skylights and transom windows placed high in the walls. I wanted to dance, but I saw Dr. Mehra. He was disappointed in me and told me that I had missed logging into the computers on time to meet the rest of the committee. It seemed unfair because he hadn't even told me where we were supposed to meet or at what time. I wanted to give up.