i saw santa riding shotgun in a metallic grey lincoln. he wasn’t wearing his hat. –imperial highway, by the brea mall

our cars were parked two spaces away from each other. he, in a white toyota camry, me, in my white acura. i thought i was the only one who had parking lot picnics, but the man was eating his lunch, too — something from mcdonald’s, just across the street. he lifted his burger to his […]

his voice boomed over the racks of socks and stacks of t-shirts. he was doing business in target, where the girls’ section meets women’s footwear. “it’s not that i’m egotistical,” he said, waving his cellphone in the air and pacing violently between aisles, “but i am the boss.” –target

the first thing i noticed when i walked inside is that the floor was clean — and wet. as if somebody had just mopped and forgotten the yellow slippery when wet sign. as i walked out of the stall, in walked a tall woman with a silvery white bob. she was wearing a beige suit […]

sandy* from hong kong served us with a smile. a big smile. a million dollar crest with tartar smile. *name has been changed to protect the innocent. –california pizza kitchen, pasadena

he was wearing an old radiohead t-shirt, pants slightly too short and a crazy black derby. his voice boomed throughout the restaurant and his arms waved wildly about. his face said “all the world’s a stage” and that’s when eric & i figured it out: he was a drama geek. –the back area of the […]

little latino boy scurrying up the street with fists punching through his gray t-shirt, like a nervous habit in the making. –my street by the green awning

a woman in her mid- to late 40s nearly ran me over when i was crossing the street (my light was green, she was making a right at red) and then honked because i was in her way. –corner across the street from my office

i barely saw his eyes over the lamp. he was slumped in the red velvet chair against the orange-sponged walls. he had dark eyes and thick hair that went to his shoulders. he had a beard that went just as long. even his eyebrows were full. parked beside him was a black suitcase on wheels. […]

she had stringy blonde hair and pale, yellowing skin. she was scowling, and it seemed she should never have gotten out of bed that morning. –somewhere between LA and OC