Back in the day in Boulder,

I hung out with Bimbos and rock stars, and threw epic parties.

Transferring junior year from ASU (Arizona State University) to CU Boulder, I found myself welcomed into a big raucous group of girls who called themselves: The Bimbos.

Known for caravanning to CU football games, and throwing fancy formal Christmas parties, they'd become friends freshman year in Hallett Hall, and included my best childhood friend: Julie (a.k.a. Ma Browne, DTJB, or as I like to call her: The Wind (beneath my wings).

The official BIMBO roster:

• Jules from Lakewood (extremely hard-working, owns multiple rental properties)

• Beth from Massachusetts (natural beauty, became a lawyer)

• Sue from Michigan (hiker, skier, now an HR professional)

• Mess from Mass (super chill, became a vet)

• Slaw from Cali (very funny, now a teacher)

• Tara from New York (strong opinions, true New Yorker)

• Hammer from Minnesota (super-smart, never had to study)

• Sometimes Alex from Denver (country-club girl)

• And Sasha, my friend from high school who stayed in the little closet room you had to go through mine to get to.

Half of us lived on the corner of 11th & Euclid in a huge house on The Hill, which is the neighborhood just west of campus, full of smoke shops, bars, restaurants, and college kids.

Nothing beat a spring afternoon in Boulder, sitting on the rooftop deck of Taylor's, taking in the mountain sunshine and three-dollar pitchers of beer, listening to Craig Maierhoffer play the acoustic classics, followed by a night at The Tul, jumping around to House of Pain, and flirting with frat boys.

But everything changed when The Fox Theater opened in 1992, and Boulder's Hill became forever cooler and better, bringing the best live bookings to town, and some of the most advanced sound equipment west of the Mississippi.

The Funky Meters kicked off opening weekend, and I was there all three nights, jivin' and groovin' to the sweet songs of the bayou; weed pipes passed from one railing to the other, all of my friends smiling and nodding in agreement... that this place was the fucking bomb.

When we graduated I wasn't ready to leave Boulder, so I stayed to get my Master's degree in Journalism, and subleased rooms in The Big House to a whole new set of housemates, keeping the suite with fireplace and roof access for myself.

My second set of housemates included:

• Jana (pretty redheaded model from Denver)

• Meredith (hippie skier from Aspen)

• Erica (transfer student from Boston)

• Steve (crane operator from Boston)

• Matt (head of CU program council from Denver)

  • Other people always over:

    • Funny Bunny Alice (from Maine)

    • Sonya the Lounge Act (origin unknown)

    • and Tom C. from New York

Dressed in bell bottoms, skin-tight jumpsuits, and platform shoes, every Thursday we’d line up for 'Disco Inferno' at The Fox, by far the best night of the week. Fever-packed, with everyone doing The Hustle, and performance singing: "I Will Survive" or "Last Dance", we celebrated the 70s under a gigantic silver disco ball... and it was straight up awesome.

Needless to say, my housemates and I were at The Fox a lot, and my (part-time) boyfriend, Keenan, (a model from Cape Cod and also Fox bartender) would come by after mid-day soundcheck to let us know if the band was worth seeing that night.

He'd sit on his bike in the street and yell his favorite nickname for me:

"Yo, Mudslingah! You and yah girls bettah check out the band tonight! They'ah pretty good!"

And that's how we first heard about: Dave Matthews, Maceo Parker, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eek-A-Mouse, The Radiators, and Gallactic .

Of course we never missed a show by our favorite local rock stars, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, and would be glued to the front of the stage for the most incredible guitar riffs, ridiculous harmonica skills, and heart-wrenching lyrics, because as Todd says...

"It's bittersweet, more sweet than bitter - driving far from home on a midnight radio - but it’s alright - rise and fall, and turn the wheel, 'cuz all life is, is really just a circle."

***Side Note:

Todd and I sort of hooked up once (what?!) when my old boss, the legendary Tra-Ling, of Tra-Ling's Oriental Cafe, bought too many rounds of 'mind erasers' at Disco Inferno, and he acted out of character- coming home with us at closing time. Somehow we ended up alone in my room with things heating up nicely, when I totally misunderstood homophones, and looked completely stupid.

On my bed kissing and touching, he said,

"I'm usually so chaste."

But I thought he meant the other version of the word, and had said,

"I'm usually so chased."

So my dumb-ass responded defensively,

Trust me - I'm not chasing you!"

(Which of course made things awkward.)

We still spent the night talking and kissing, but in the morning he decided to pass on breakfast, and I told the humiliating story to my housemates over biscuits and hash browns at Dot's Diner.

Keenan usually brought his coworkers over after last call, (Dallas with the long dreads, Harvey from Houston, and Big Gully the Bouncer) and there'd likely be piles of people gathered in my room; drinking beer, smoking weed, eating Abbo's Pizza, and playing marathon sessions of Sonic the Hedgehog 'til 3 or 4am.

One late night, Gully attempted to 'Roger Rabbit', stiff-leg dancing his massive foot right through my bedroom floor. You could see the couch in the living room below, but we just taped a piece of cardboard over the hole and called it good.

The Big House was known for epic parties, and we'd pay Gully to be our professional bouncer, keeping out the riffraff, and making sure no bottles or keg taps were stolen.

• A few of the more memorable parties include:

  
  

  • Christmas Formal - When we hired legendary street musician Eugene 'Lucky' Hudson to walk around the party blowing his saxophone, and somehow everyone ended up outside. Then Lucky played a strip tease, and a tall skinny guy got naked and log-rolled through the snow right into the legs of our landlord who’d been called for noise complaints.

    
    

  • Halloween Bash - When Jana, Erica, Matt & I dressed up like 'The Wiches of Eastwick & Jack Nicholson Devil’, and in the Cher wig nobody - not even my best friends - could tell it was me. There was dry-ice smoke rolling down the stairs, cobwebs strung across the doors, fake bodies hanging in the trees; and a mob of people trying to get in.

    
    

  • Bimbo Graduation - When we hired 'Bruce & George' a musical duo from Vail, and had six BBQ grills and seven kegs set up in the backyard. A massive rainstorm drove everyone inside, the power went out except where the band had plugged in, and we just kept on dancing in the dark covered in mud.

    
    

  • Une Paille Bleue Pour Boire - When packaging on a random bag of straws printed in French translated to: A Blue Straw for Drinking, and we immediately decided to have a "Blue Straw for Drinking" party. There were fancy blue drinks, blue jello shots, blue food-colored cupcakes, and blue lights on the porch. (Many weeks later, blue straws were still floating in gutters and stuck in shrubs all over the Hill - evidence of a great party.)

    
    

But Boulder has too many stories, so I'll stop there, and give a SHOUT OUT to all the boiiiiizzze!

Love you: The Dude - Dano - Hulky (RIP) - Ginger - The Butt - Herbie Sin-Jon - Kiri bird of prey - LCee - Gebby Neckboy - Strappy Doo - The Giesel (RIP)- Spence - Charlie Lew - Crazy Allen - Smack Boyee - The Marpleator - Ted Shred - Blake the Tipper - O.D. - E-Bar - Phiiiilll - Z'Ank - DK Broiler - Dave - Jace (RIP) - Joe - Loftin - Russ - Beck - (and even Ted Radd)

(Go CU)