A bunch of us drove to Butte to tour the allegedly haunted Dumas Brothel. When I told my mom, she gave a scandalized laugh and asked, “Were the witches even dressed?!” Took me a minute, but I realized she thought we’d gone to a brothel-themed haunted house. But no, there weren’t any naked witches jumping out at us. Just peeling wallpaper and ( Read more... )

I went to a dance class for the first time in my life. A REAL dance class, not Cardio Jam, or whatever gyms call their fitness dance classes. I was apprehensive, especially when I found that the “dance studio” was an unmarked building in an industrial complex. I was worried I was about to dance right into a human-trafficking den. But then I ( Read more... )

The Barn Movie Night singles mixer I went to was not what I expected. Mainly because the barn turned out to be a garden shed with chairs in it. Hardly a romantic venue. There should be shovels and potting soil in there, not aspiring couples ( Read more... )

I woke up to a 48-year-old Catholic gentleman wanting to connect with me on Hinge. He seems…goal-oriented. His profile opener is "I'm convinced that your tits will be in my mouth." He's a high school grad, and his job is "BadAss at Nunya ( Read more... )

Brit and I went to check out the Bumblewood Thicket Fairy Village yesterday. My landlord is jacking up my rent by $200 a month, so the little fairy houses are looking increasingly attractive. Apparently they even have electric lighting this year. It’s rustic, but I could make it work ( Read more... )

Heidi, Michell and I road-tripped to Red Lodge to stay the night, then circled back to Bozeman through Wyoming along the Beartooth Highway. The trip ended up being an inadvertent celebration of all three of us having recently turned 41. We celebrated/lamented our membership with The 41 Club: food sensitivities, various aches and pains, my birthday ( Read more... )

When Laura mentioned that Hank Green was doing an improv comedy show in Bozeman, a bunch of us nerds ran to get tickets. One of my friends had acute appendicitis, and he still showed up for the show. His appendix later ruptured, but I don’t think he regrets prioritizing comedy ( Read more... )

Back in 2014, I was on the CrossFit bandwagon, hurling myself through unforgiving workouts for the joy of the trauma bond camaraderie. For the most part, I enjoyed it, but I didn’t escape unscathed. There was one coach who was seldom there-I think he worked full-time as a P.E. teacher, and he had their usual intolerance for anyone who wasn’t ( Read more... )

My Ladies’ Night group and I did Big Sky’s Lone Peak Expedition Tour this weekend. It involves taking a chairlift, followed by an open-air jeep, and then a gondola up to the summit of the mountain. There are so many heights involved. None of us are acrophobic, but we inexplicably felt the need to discuss the potential peril. For instance, as we set ( Read more... )

I’m uncomfortable with the concept of Before and After pictures. There’s an implication that the Before is somehow wrong and bad, something to be embarrassed about, something that you are better for having changed ( Read more... )