Space Aliens at the Coffee Shop

This morning, I met my younger brother for coffee at his favorite caffeine hang-out.

It is one of those parts of Phoenix that makes you feel as if you've been transported to Orange County.

You may recall that a number of years ago some cruel wags dubbed a white belt and white shoes combo The Full Cleveland. If you wore just one it was A Half Cleveland.

The men and women in this spot were in Full Southern Californian; a look achieved by draping expensive casual clothing on a great body. These people looked so good that I felt I was encountering an alien race. A superior alien race. Most of them seemed in better physical condition than the people at my gym.

Some - okay, more than some - may have had a little work done. From what I could see, it was money well spent.

I felt like George Gobel.

But being an inveterate people-watcher, I began to wonder what they are really like. It is tempting to dismiss them as superficial yuppies, post-yuppies or refugees from a reality TV series and yet that may be unfair.

Research is needed. I'll ask my brother for a phrase-book.