memoir

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 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

Part 38: The Brighter Side

by cifanic
February 2, 2016February 9, 2021

Photo: kazuend via Unsplash The exterior is in motion; insides slowly grow. Don’t get me wrong, it’s uncomfortable as all hell. Actually – it sucks.… Read More »Part 38: The Brighter Side

Part 35: A Liminal State

by cifanic
November 3, 2015February 9, 2021

Photo: By Greg Rakozy via Unsplash It was December and the first time visiting San Francisco in years. I was flown out for a job interview… Read More »Part 35: A Liminal State

Part 30: 6 Months To The Day

by cifanic
July 20, 2015February 9, 2021

Photo Credit: Michael Berwin You can go back to the places you once loved. Sometimes they’re same, yet you never will be. The blemished white… Read More »Part 30: 6 Months To The Day

Part 29: Arguments With Kitchen Magnets

by cifanic
July 9, 2015February 9, 2021

You stare at it. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” For a millisecond I think it says jeans.… Read More »Part 29: Arguments With Kitchen Magnets

Part 27: Wildflowers

by cifanic
April 28, 2015February 9, 2021

Photo: Drake Beach in Point Reyes, CA Is it cracking open, or is it breaking? I rub the place over my chest as I stare… Read More »Part 27: Wildflowers

Part 24: Let It Be.

by cifanic
January 28, 2015February 9, 2021

photo: keys by Hoder Slanger Bill Withers — Let It Be (opens an in-browser Spotify link) Everything I could think of was in flux, and I had to… Read More »Part 24: Let It Be.

Part 22: Dating, In The City That Never Sleeps.

by cifanic
January 8, 2015February 9, 2021

My therapist predicted I’d date three guys at once. He said that I’d stay out late and fall out of cabs. “It’s a natural reaction… Read More »Part 22: Dating, In The City That Never Sleeps.

Part 20: That Time (We Almost Had Once)

by cifanic
January 5, 2015February 9, 2021

At first, it aches. It hurts like someone removed an organ and your body simply cannot do without. There’s a hole in your chest where… Read More »Part 20: That Time (We Almost Had Once)

Part 15: New Job, Same City

by cifanic
August 21, 2014February 9, 2021

Photo by Jay Wennington, courtesy of Unsplash. I received news that my job was about to end due to a “fiscal exit” from the big… Read More »Part 15: New Job, Same City

Part 14: Nearly Home

by cifanic
June 15, 2014June 14, 2019

The flight was bumpy as a massive drencher pummeled the west coast. I landed at John Wayne for the first time ever, a small airport… Read More »Part 14: Nearly Home

Part 13: We Live Here Now.

by cifanic
April 8, 2014June 14, 2019

Approximately one year ago today, we drove across a bridge. His Dad and Uncle arrived from New Jersey in a truck, into which we loaded… Read More »Part 13: We Live Here Now.

Part 12: Twenty Takes And The Pursuit Of Great

by cifanic
February 19, 2014February 9, 2021

You think you can. I mean, in theory, if you can conceive of something it can be done and relatively easily enough at that. Right?… Read More »Part 12: Twenty Takes And The Pursuit Of Great

Part 11: Ready To Start

by cifanic
January 5, 2014June 14, 2019

For my friends in LA. You know who you are. Like most stories that take place in Los Angeles, this one begins on wheels. The… Read More »Part 11: Ready To Start

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.