Well? How was your burn?

[DaBomb]

I wanna hear all about it!

[dr.placebo]

My burn was very good. This is not really a surprise, since I've not had a bad year yet on the playa, which counts 8 burns since 1999. As always, I take the trip as a challenge to opening my heart. I learn something about myself every year, although often the lesson is not easily expressed and does not reveal itself until long after the event.

I was busier than ever. I helped build the CLEU Labyrinth (near the Cathedral), which was a minor piece, but our first on the playa. I helped put together and run the BED (Bureau of Erotic Discourse) workshops and worked on the BED potty posters. And I socialized a lot more, camping with the CLEU folks (3:45 and Hope), visiting with Fuckin' Yay camp (3:30 and Chance), and hosting/guiding some friends from Berkeley. I barely had time to do photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dr-placebo/sets/72157594281895721/

I arrived on Monday about 4:00 AM, and I left 8 days later on Tuesday at about 11:00 AM, and it was all too short!

I had my low points, but they were not so low and I expected them. They mostly came up when I felt disconnected, or when I saw people behaving like jerks.

But I also had great, transcendent moments. Dancing at Uchronia, laughing with friends, crying at the Temple, and being broken wide open while experiencing one particular sunrise, when all I could do for several minutes was say "thank you" over and over to whatever fate or being that had brought me to that time and place.

And a deep bow with thanks to all who made this possible. We know who we are.

[Blade]

Ok, so this is sort of disjointed, but that's pretty much how my burn was too, so it works out! <grin>

*********



We had two tires blow out on the way there- same rear tire, which tire on the way home ended up being dangerously low on air and damn near caused another incident! On the way home we also ended up pulling over for a nap at night and waking up in the middle of such a crazy lightning and rain storm that not only was it almost like daylight out, but I *really* thought we were going to be struck! Also: we almost didn't make it through the subsequently flash-flooded areas we drove through after that- a little deeper and we'd have been stuck.


Once we did finally make it there safe and sound, I worked my tushy off (though it seems to have found its way home), I got a ton of sun (though I'm feeling all pale now), and of course I met a gazillion kick-ass people, even though I pretty much never ever left camp (except in a group with other people from my camp).


We're sort of like a cult within a cult at Lamplighter Village, and I love it! <grin>


I'm kinda sad I didn't get out to go find people, art, and events as I'd meant to do, but of course there's no guarantee they'd have been findable even if I'd been looking, so- meh.


Near the end of the event, people were asking why we'd chosen to be there for so long (setup and strike), and by then my boyfriend was telling people "I really don't know. I'm sure if you'd asked me 2 weeks ago I'd have had an answer, but now- I just don't know what I was thinking!" It was a loooong couple of weeks; I can't imagine what it must have been like for the people who had already been there a few weeks when we got there!
Crazy bastards... <grin>

Though: It *was* a great experience, and I always have a particular affinity and respect for the people who bust ass while they're out there.

And: much like any other pain, I'm sure we'll manage to forget just how tired we were and volunteer to do it again next year, just like everyone else who *always* says "I'm NEVER doing that again!" but end up out there every year... :rolleyes:

(Side note: A few days after I got home, I stood up out of a chair and paused, because it felt- starnge, somehow. I realized: I'd expected to feel- and had stood up as though I was- all stiff and sore, so when it *didn't* hurt, it took me by surprise! Also, it was a few days after that when my voice returned. I realized after I got home that there are a ton of people I met who have NO idea what my voice sounds like, because it was gone and I was hoarse as hell for so long!)

Of course, things like the tent zipper breaking the *first day* (though we were able to clip a sheet over the opening), the extra tent a friend was supposed to bring (so we'd have somewhere to put our stuff instead of filling up the sleeping tent) but didn't, the shade structure not really staying very... structural (though: the shade cloth worked *beautifully*- we were able to stay in bed until the afternoon when we weren't working!), and of course: the showers being too damn far away to want to go out there (I'm surprised we didn't asphyxiate in our sleep- probably a good thing the door was broken, after all... ;) ) all made things even a little more tiring than they would have otherwise been.

But:

I didn't get ditched in the desert to find my own way home, my voice came back, I didn't lose my leg to the Sawsall blade, I think all the paint is finally out of my hair, and I've almost entirely stopped coughing, so I say it was a success! <grin>

Now I'm just sad as hell that this year I'm going to miss the SF decomp, where most of my friends are gonna be (having moved to AZ since the last one).

<sigh>

[Blade]

.... maybe *next* year will be the year I finally bring "dress-up clothes," instead of just work clothes!

[Scout]

I have started writing this at least 4 times before, this time I will finish this.

My burn was the best I’ve ever had. I took my best friend who was a virgin. I think his wife is going to take a hit out on me because he has not stopped talking about BM. I got to meet DaBomb which was great! I got an article published in the Friday’s Piss Clear. It was the one about Chai Guy leading the Critical Tits Parade. I loved the white out on Wednesday. I spent 9 hours helping build the Round Cubatron. I spent many hours on the playa playing a game where I would start at a piece of art that I had not seen. I would take it in then, look from that point to see the next piece of art I had not seen then ride to it look at it then look to see what art I had not seen, ride to it. I did this every day for at least a couple of hours. It was cool because I ended up riding all over the playa. I told some narks to get the fuck out of our camp because I was a cop. (It worked, they left)

It took a while for me to discover why I like BM so much. It’s kind of like my “should be” world. BM has stuff that “should be” in my world, like:

The radio stations play good music

There is no money so nobody is trying to sell me anything

There was good sun and better white outs

You can see a naked guy and a guy in a tux dancing in a wind storm and it all is normal.

You get to see the coolest art

You can see a graffiti artist paint the side of something and nobody is there to chase either of you away, in fact it’s encouraged.

While you are celebrating one of your campmates birthday a marching band comes into your camp with a burning tuba and plays happy birthday. (That was so cool)

This list could go on for ever.

Now that I’m back in Seattle I’m going through what I call Post Traumatic Burn Syndrome. Some of you call it Decompression, but its way beyond that. I was not looking for anything at BM. What I found is the world. I got back to my job and asked out loud, “What the FUCK am I doing here?” I’ve worked for 12 years at a biotech company that is falling apart around me. It will be purchased our closed by the end of March, which is what I need to push me out. I am an artist that makes rock jewelry. I started making jewelry to take to BM and it turned into a business. My first show is October 7 and 8. (Just in time, yes!!) I’ve been to BM 4 times. It’s always a great experience, but lord not like this. This year’s burn confirmed in me to concentrate on what I love in life and all the other stuff is bullshit. What do I do now? Isn’t that the fun part.

Scout