NONFICTION

Ross Eldridge. "Tea and Therapy."

It is my habit, for better or worse, to hurry home from occasions and experiences that are interesting to me and to scribble hand-written notes on the subject and to write up conversations word-for-word.

Mark Kettlekamp. "Rants From An IT Professional (Wannabe)"

"What kind of fucking idiots do they take us for?

...Take for instance today’s ad promising me wealth beyond my imagination (a $50 gift card…) if I answered a question asking which animal had four legs. Yes that’s right, a question based on your visual ability, which if you are using the Internet, means you’ve got a damn good chance. I smell a scam!"

FICTION

Shelley Ontis. "The Art of Truth ."

"She cocked a hip on the corner of my desk like it was her spot all along and how dare I not keep it dusted and smart for the next time she chose to plant her caboose. She said, "You the detective, or you just keepin' his chair warm?"

She had a smoky voice, a voice that spoke of late nights, hard liquor, harder men and the occasional hard candy. So I says, "Who's askin'?"

Rob Rosen. "Costco High." 

"If you’re on a diet, don’t go to Costco stoned."

Wayne Scheer. "Zen and the Art of House Painting."

"Will you teach me to paint a house?" I asked Dade Smith.

"Exterior or interior?"

I was young. All was possible. "Both," I said.