I had to go into the Apple Store yesterday, to retrieve my repaired MacBook Pro, and it was quite the experience. If you ever visit New York City, and want to see a fair and complete cross section of the population, go here. The diversity in such a small space is amazing. It’s almost a bit overwhelming. Really. As much as I wanted to get out of there, it was hard not to stay and just watch. Like watching animals at a zoo, in one pen, interact. Or at least attempt to.

Regardless, I’m glad my computer is repaired and cleaned.

Yup.

I’m back at work. Back at home. And my computer is back (and repaired) at home.

My trip to Montana was, well, pretty fucking amazing. Four solid days of snowboarding. Great food. Even better breweries. Hanging with family. Relaxing. Sleeping late, going to bed early. What a concept! Sitting in a hot spring while watching bison cross the stream only about 200 feet away. Very surreal.

Besides the insane snow, it was Sheri’s birthday. We went to Mint, a local steakhouse. I treated Sheri and everyone else to dinner, and it was more than worth it. The steaks were delicious. So good. This was on top of the appetizers, yes, plural and desserts, yes, again, plural, we had. Later in the week we headed to the Bozone local brewery. We each had a pint, and because Montana laws only allow them to server 48 ounces, they serve what are called growlers. Growlers are 2 liter jugs. Seriously, jugs. You can order 4 jugs (8 liters of beer) and a carrying sack for 80 bucks. It was a steal. Plus, if you bring the jug back, they fill it for 7 bucks!

We ventured to Yellowstone National Park on the last full day there. I think I’ve been, but it’s been ages. And it made the trip worth it in and of itself. The park in the end of winter, early spring is a great time to go. No one else is there. There are plenty of pockets of snow, making spotting wildlife easy. And the animals are even less intimidated by cars and humans. The whole trip through the park definitely keeps your attention.

For myself, however, I think the highlight was riding from a point above 10,000 feet. I started at the top, just over 11,000 feet, and road 2,000 vertical feet in pure powder. I would turn in and out of cloud the whole way down. It was stellar. By the end of the entire run, which I’m sure covered a few miles of terrain, my body was in dire need of a break. But, I had a huge smile on my face, despite all the pain. It was the best run of my life. Hands down. I’m glad I did, and I would like to do it again next season. March is the month to visit.