I'm neither disrespecting her nor her advice. I'm simply restating that I already know that, and that a positive potty experience at Burning Man shouldn't have to depend on whether you followed a kegel regimen so that you can have a bladder of steel and not get scolded for your chosen elimination st...

Those engels look really nice, so I called my husband and asked him whether the department had researched the engels before buying the yetis. He said yes, and that the reason they chose not to buy the engels is that they are made in China, whereas the yeti is made partly in the US and partly in the ...

Okay, first of all, I am fully aware that I don't do enough kegels for my prolapsed bladder. Maybe the cool kids remember to do their daily regimen of them. I have trouble remembering to do my back exercises, much less my bladder exercises. That's not really something that is going to suddenly chang...

The In N Out in Redding is on the east side of I-5, on one of the exits off hwy 44. Hillside or something like that. It's in a very annoying traffic place. Maybe there is another one. 299 between 139 and Redding is a very pretty drive. If you really want to brave the nuttiness that is Redding near I...

I use Banana Boat unscented for babies, spf 30. I have very sensitive skin but I don't tend to burn, even though I'm fair. It's my Aleut genes. As a veteran desert wanderer, I haven't gotten a burn in many years, due to a combination of protective clothing, liberal use of shade, applying sunscreen t...

You got to see Patsy Cline? I'm jealous.

Another great thing about yeti coolers is that you can padlock them. It makes them bear resistant (not bear proof).

That's nice. I grew up with army cots and have never had the urge to sleep on one since.

Some people near me apparently forgot to bring a strainer for their dishwater. Their evap pond was full of rice. It was kind of gross.

Damn, the older I get, the more I realize how naive I am. They really send undercovers into the various camps like that? That's just sad. It's not like there aren't real things they could be doing, like public safety, slowing down the speed demons kicking up dust when they should be parked. Or pursu...

Don't even get me started about assholes at hot springs.

oooh! Those Casitas are cool little trailers.

Hi there! When I decided to go to burning man for the first time in 2011, I started with the First-timers Guide, the Survival Guide, and the preparation page. I then branched out by following suggested links, looked at other people's packing lists, watched Halcyon's fun videos, researched shade clot...

A memory foam topper works great to eliminate that cold air problem with air mattresses. I camp a lot in the dead of winter and never go without my memory foam.

One word of caution about coconut oil. It turns liquid in the heat, so open your jar CAREFULLY if it is very full, or you will slosh it all over everywhere like I did. oops.

I braided my curly hair before I went and it still annoyed me in the wind and dust. I would have gone by one of the haircutting camps but I really didn't want to end up with a mohawk. I did hack it off when I got home. This year I'm cutting it short before i go. I've even thought about buzzing it, b...

As a former college instructor, I think there is great advice here about advance notification, getting books and syllabi ahead of time, and offering to do projects. The majority of your profs and instructors will probably be fine with this, as you have shown them that you are not just blowing off sc...

Oh, and try not to get run over or cause bicycles to crazy-dodge you because you are fixated on chasing a piece of MOOP that somebody dropped. Yes, I was that crazy person zigzagging after that little wrapper blowing in the wind.

Here's something from my neck of the woods to lighten up this conversation.

No problem. My point was just that it wasn't a NEW strategy for me, but simply a variation of things that work for me, and I thought I'd share it in case it worked for somebody else too. And as for people who hover or throw MOOP in the potties, I've found that those people often do the same thing in...

And this was my aging beauty queen costume one halloween.

This is me on party day at the end of a six week field camp.

Thanks for the fun ideas. I shall endeavor to make my ballcap less stupid and more silly.

I don't have a problem with other people's opinions, as long as mine are respected also. As for the poo, that was an emergency, and I hadn't planned to use my pee bucket for that. Portapotties are an absolute must at a big event like BM, and the people who service them do an amazing job, but a perso...

I worked in a mining camp in Alaska one summer, and all of us had "peecans" in our cabin tents, because the bathroom was in the main building and about 50 trillion giant mosquitoes lurked outside. I used a peecan one winter in Alaska too, during a blizzard, because you couldn't even SEE the outhouse...

I was VERY thankful for my pee bucket the last night I was there, because I developed a sudden case of the runs and no way would I have made it to the portapotties a block and a half away. That bucket saved my butt. And being a solo camper, my pee bucket never got full, because I just used it at nig...

I poked around a bit to make sure I'm not repeating something already out there. As a middle aged lady who ALWAYS has to pee, especially in the middle of the night, I have my own little toilet bucket at my camp. If you are planning to have your own pee bucket, I recommend Feline Pine as a great fill...