I Broke Both Arms and A Nurse Helped Me Out [M25/F25]

I’m a very cautious person. Learned how to ride my bike late, always wore a helmet, was never aggressive in sports, etc. But when I turned 25 it was like I hit a second puberty. All of a sudden I wasn’t as fearful.

Maybe it was because I’d been taking better care of my body. I noticed I had more confidence than when I was a kid, always jealous of those to whom machismo came naturally. Lately, I’ve been lifting weights, running, climbing, and mountain biking. Still with a helmet, of course.

Well, my reckless mood caught up to me one afternoon when I flew over the handlebars of my bike and tried to brace myself with my arms. Both are now broken. The bike suffered no damage. Lucky bitch.

It’s been 8 weeks and I’m finally getting use of my hands back, so I needed to type out this story, even though it’s taking me forever to write.

College Drama Class Rehearsal [M21/F21]

This story includes a scene from the play *Uncle Vanya,* by Anton Chekhov, translation by Paul Schmidt, with some injections from me as well. Full credit to a wonderful translation!

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In college I took an acting class. We studied some classic playwrights like Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen, and Miller to name a few.

The class was mostly theatre majors with a few folks who were looking to get out of their comfort zone and had an interest in the text from a literary perspective. I was one of the latter. Theatre was something I enjoyed, but hadn’t been involved in much.

When you think of a theatre major, you might think of a more hipster crowd, a little *out there.* Well, you’d be right. I was pretty much a hipster at the time. There was, however, one girl in the class you’d call preppy. Actually, just straight up WASPy. She was very thin, carried herself with poise, gave off rich-girl vibes, and was very pretty. Usually, this didn’t translate to good acting. Actors tend to be less about being proper and more about being raw, honest, uninhibited. So when I met Kelsey, I figured she’d be a little too stuck up to let loose in a scene.

A Night at a Friend’s [M25/F25] [Cheating}

We were binge watching a show we’d seen all the through too many times to count. Tess fell asleep, taking the whole blanket with her. It was a little past her normal bedtime, but she has tried to rally since we don’t get to see each other very often. Our normal hang was to put on some series, like The Office, and half-watch, catching each other up on everything we could think of since last time we talked. We’d been friends for ages, but weren’t talk-every-day friends. I had moved away and was visiting, crashing for a night on her couch.

Tess and I had met through work years before, getting to know each other as professionals and then as friends too. We were very different people, but had a mutual interest in humanity, psychology, and art that always made for good conversation.

Yes, this was a platonic relationship. I think I knew deep down that we wouldn’t be a good long-term relationship match and since each of us had other romantic intrigue in our lives, it never became a factor for us. This didn’t mean I wasn’t attracted to Tess. She was beautiful. Tall, lithe, glowing skin, green-brown eyes, long hair: elegant.

Stuck in a Room With Sister [M28/F21]

Day 61 of the Experiment:

They’ve been keeping me in and out of isolation–a week on, a week off. When I’m allowed to see other human beings they place me, handcuffed, at a table with other men dressed in white jumpsuits, like me. We are allowed to talk to each other, but not touch. There is always an orderly nearby listening to our conversation and once, when a gentleman commented on our current condition, he was promptly removed and never seen again. We keep talk to a light chit-chat.

I’ve only seen other men in here, so I’m not sure if The Experiment is being conducted on women at all. We’re told the research conducted here will change humanity forever, and that at the end we will be compensated handsomely, but I’m starting to think no amount of money is worth this torture.

We are allowed 2 minutes in the bathroom three times a day, with an orderly standing outside the door which had been outfitted with a portal for total lack of privacy. This means after 61 days, I haven’t been able to touch myself in any way sexual. At night, we are given eight hours of sleep, but a camera is observing us the whole night. Still, I’ve had wet dreams, my body trying desperately to express its inner desire.

Best Yoga Class Ever [M25/F32]

I do yoga at the YMCA, not some fancy hot yoga studio. The Y is just cheaper, honestly. I pay for an unlimited membership which allows me to go to yoga several times a week, basically whenever I’m free. Going to yoga at the Y means I mostly practice with local moms. I love it, actually. In a younger crowd, no one would look twice at me, but amongst the moms and grandmas, I get a lot of attention. And it’s really sweet. We all know each other by name and I even went to high school with some of their kids. It’s a real trip.

Generally, the instructors are closer to my age. They all know me by name as well, a super friendly crowd, and always seem really happy to see me in class.

Since I’m over 6′ and all leg, my hamstrings tend to be very tight, so the instructors help me focus on my flexibility. If I can loosen the tight leg muscles, I’ll have access to more of the poses that most of the women can do with no problem.

Retail Wet Dream [M18/F21/F24]

Middle and high school were rough for me. It’s not that I was bullied, I had friends. It’s not that I had bad grades, I did fine. It’s that I always had a feeling I wasn’t presenting on the outside who I felt I was inside. I was always a little overweight and never found a way of getting myself in shape to feel more confident. And I could never believe that a girl would find me attractive, truly.

Instead of going to college like everyone else in my uppity suburb, I took time off. I thought a big risk would help shake me out of my complacency and malaise. My parents were very skeptical, but because I promised I’d go eventually, they didn’t fight me too hard on it.

A Surprising Connection [M25/F21]

After graduating college, I became a professional musician. Like many young artists, my finances weren’t anything to envy, so I lived at home between out-of-town gigs. Whenever I was home, I’d make a few extra bucks helping out at my old high school music teachers as an extra hand, coaching the kids and getting to hang out as peers with the teachers that taught me so much. I loved this part of the job. Plus, a lot of the kids were super talented and were a joy to work with.

Every Spring, the school would hold a fundraiser concert for the arts where alumni could perform a musical number at an evening cabaret. It was always a little corny, but we did it happily. A few years ago, I got an email from a younger alum, Jess, who was in college now and wanted me to accompany her on a musical number. I remember her being a good singer, though very timid and a little mousy. She had done a musical with my younger sister, Abbi, who was the same age as her. She always seemed scared that she was going to mess up, even though I remember her having her material prepared excellently. I wrote back that I’d love to play for her and to drop off her music at my parent’s house.

A Boat on the Bay [M26/F21/F21]

First time posting, hope the tags are clear! Please let me know if I missed anything. Hope you enjoy.

I was at the beach with my fianceé, Alli; her sister, Claire; and her sister’s friend; Celia. Alli and Claire’s parents have a small beach house in Delaware and whenever we get a free weekend, we enjoy driving up from D.C. This summer, Alli and I found ourselves there several times, often joined by Claire and Alli. When we were all in the house, everyone mostly got along, save for some sibling spats over clothes, loud music, parties, etc.

My finaceé is the smartest person I know and I’m attracted to her mind, her kindness, her humor…she’s the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. But of course, our entwined lives are more complicated than happily ever after. Alli has debilitating chronic illness. I don’t know what our future holds but I know I want her to be my life partner. Being the caregiver of your partner requires mental fortitude, a cool head, and a lot of compassion. I won’t go into detail about how intimate our relationship has been. Lines have been crossed that many couples, if lucky, never have to. But we (almost) always manage to squeeze any joy and humor that we can despite our circumstances.