Today, as I was leaving the acupuncture studio, I got a very strange look from a man I was quite sure I hadn't seen before. I was a little perplexed, since to my knowledge, I looked pretty ordinary. I might have had some marks on my forehead from lying down on the table during my treatment, but it seemed unlikely that anyone would think those marks so odd.

Maybe he just doesn't like the looks of me, I thought to myself as I got into my car. And then I caught a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror. The removal of one of the needles in the back of my head had caused a thin rivulet of blood to trickle down the side of my face and dry there. It didn't hurt at all, but the aesthetic effect was quite striking.

What a missed opportunity, I mused as I drove away. Had I known what I looked like, I would have stared fixedly at the gawking man and slowly, wordlessly raised my arm, pointing a single accusing finger at him.