

The Audition
“Are you getting too thin?” the agent asks from a small, windowless room, one of three in the office where beautiful faces hang, poster sized, all beaming, pouting, teasing. The only light is coming from an overhead, commercial grade fluorescent fixture and the walls are partitioned, making it less than halfway to the ceiling. “Too thin?” the model asks, reaching for her Louie Vuitton tote. “Um, I don’t think so. But thank you! I tried on a bathing suit the other day. I was b


Local Brew
“Hel-lo!” sings the barista wearing the red tee shirt, straight, brunette hair, and sporadic ink on both arms as the guy in the black knit cap and white tee shirt walks in on a 72-degree day. Keys dangling from a belt loop on black jeans that are cuffed twice over a pair of black Nike’s. No socks. “Couple things,” he says, walking up the counter, within reach of a clear display tempting you with Apple Cider Donuts and fresh, doughy bagels. “Is it possible to own a business in