based on a true story

Part 58: Anywhere You Go

by cifanic
October 14, 2018February 9, 2021

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash “Moving on up!” The mover said with gusto as he pushed the final stack of boxes off the steel… Read More »Part 58: Anywhere You Go

Part 57: Moving Shapes

by cifanic
June 27, 2018February 9, 2021

I’m moving from Oakland into San Francisco. They say that cells in the human body regenerate so that over a period of seven years we… Read More »Part 57: Moving Shapes

Part 56: Ice Baby

by cifanic
October 19, 2017February 9, 2021

Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash When you make it simple, when you take it all away. The people, the phone calls, the errands and… Read More »Part 56: Ice Baby

Part 55: The Art Of The Segue

by cifanic
August 15, 2017February 9, 2021

Photo by Cristian Georgescu on Unsplash There’s a popular term in the DJ community called “cauliflower ear.” It’s when you wear big headphones –… Read More »Part 55: The Art Of The Segue

Part 54: A Couple Of Years

by cifanic
July 4, 2017February 9, 2021

Photo: Martin Dorsch via Unsplash The cool breeze doesn’t exist anywhere but here. The one that kisses your cheeks and cools your skin. It doesn’t… Read More »Part 54: A Couple Of Years

Part 53: Rock ‘N’ Roll Forever

by cifanic
June 4, 2017February 9, 2021

The last time I visited this club in particular there was snow on the ground. My boyfriend at the time was on the opposite… Read More »Part 53: Rock ‘N’ Roll Forever

Part 52: A Wabi-Sabi Kind Of Life

by cifanic
May 3, 2017February 9, 2021

Photo: James Padolsey via Unsplash And I returned to San Francisco, and it was spring. It was somebody’s spring, at least – I’m not sure… Read More »Part 52: A Wabi-Sabi Kind Of Life

Part 51: Not Exempt

by cifanic
February 15, 2017February 9, 2021

Photo: Daryan Shamkhali via Unsplash What happens when you have the opportunity to live your life to its fullest potential? When your dreams are just in front… Read More »Part 51: Not Exempt

Part 50: The Ghost Story

by cifanic
January 1, 2017February 9, 2021

photo: Elizabeth Tsung, Unsplash If we are lucky, we encounter a great love at some point in life. I met mine in high school. On… Read More »Part 50: The Ghost Story

Part 49: There Must Be Hope

by cifanic
December 17, 2016February 9, 2021

I was born in Cleveland on September 14, 1980. This was back when it was routine for dads to stay in the lobby while the… Read More »Part 49: There Must Be Hope

Part 48: Choose Your Ending

by cifanic
November 2, 2016February 9, 2021

photo credit: HuTui6 I have this new habit of walking around the Los Feliz hills at night. Nearly every evening I get lost until… Read More »Part 48: Choose Your Ending

Part 47: When You See A Warrior In The Wild

by cifanic
October 8, 2016February 9, 2021

Photo: Felix Russell-Saw via Unsplash They may be sitting next to you on the train, or waiting in line behind you at the coffee… Read More »Part 47: When You See A Warrior In The Wild

Part 46: In Preparation For Landing

by cifanic
September 5, 2016June 14, 2019

Photo: Epicurrence via Unsplash Maya Angelou once said “I don’t trust people who don’t love themselves, but say I love you.” My first year and… Read More »Part 46: In Preparation For Landing

Part 45: When Something’s Brewing

by cifanic
September 5, 2016June 14, 2019

Photo: Haifsa Rafique via Unsplash I knew I needed to focus on myself but kept getting distracted. There was a boy, a musician. He performed an… Read More »Part 45: When Something’s Brewing

Part 44: Dear Future Self

by cifanic
August 21, 2016February 9, 2021

Photo Credit: Pineapple Supply “Sometimes you finally get around to hanging the art on the walls and then it’s time for you to leave,” said… Read More »Part 44: Dear Future Self

Part 43: Floating Away

by cifanic
July 21, 2016February 9, 2021

Healdsburg, California at dawn. 6/18/2016 It wasn’t until the balloon was three thousand feet in the air that I started to panic. Everything moving… Read More »Part 43: Floating Away

Part 42: Ms. Borealis

by cifanic
June 2, 2016February 9, 2021

Photo: Carl Jones via Flickr & Creative Commons “The season is over. The last tour runs tonight. Although, it is supposed to rain.” She looked at… Read More »Part 42: Ms. Borealis

Part 41: After We Wake

by cifanic
April 29, 2016February 9, 2021

Photo: Michael Fertig via Unsplash I woke before dawn, incredibly thirsty and desperately needing to go to the bathroom. Whenever I slept somewhere new, I… Read More »Part 41: After We Wake

Part 40: Tick Tock

by cifanic
April 9, 2016February 9, 2021

Photo: Rosan Harmans via Unsplash “You should marry him,” My grandmother said with emphasis on the word him. “Just pick someone already!” I could hear… Read More »Part 40: Tick Tock

Part 39: Start Up Life And The Acceleration Of Self

by cifanic
March 7, 2016February 9, 2021

Photo: Freddie Marriage via Unsplash He hands me his card. “surprise…ologist?” I arch an eyebrow. “Yes!” He replies cheerfully, shifting in his chair and leaning… Read More »Part 39: Start Up Life And The Acceleration Of Self

Nicole C. Lehmann-Haupt is an author and published writer whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in Hypertext Magazine, El Portal, Ignatian Literary Magazine, and Mulberry Literary, among others. In 2021 and 2024, Nicole's work was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She has also contributed to Thrive Global, Yahoo!, Indie Shuffle, and LAist. Driven by a passion for storytelling that resonates across ages, her stories feature misfits, underdogs, and weirdos stumbling upon the extraordinary in an ordinary world. She is currently at work on a short story collection.