One thing you wish you had known for your first burn...

[Token]

You mean Andrew Zimmern. I wish I could do a season with him.

Yum.

BTW that's Anthony Bourdain

[C.f.M.]

Ah-no duh!

I can't stand AZ. He is the epitome of awful American tourist.

AB FTW.

[digirati.agent]

I will have plenty. I will post pics next week when I get the first batch assembled!

[almond]

[quote="digirati.agent"]

Ruling of "swell" vs "moop"?[/quote]

I vote swell! But that's not to say that everyone else won't moop up your creative endeavor

[Fire_Moose]

You mean Andrew Zimmern. I wish I could do a season with him.

Yum.

BTW that's Anthony Bourdain

AHAHAHAHHAAH his tiny wang fits behind that bone.

[illy dilly]

Make sure your day goggles also work as night goggles.

Good advice.

I'm a collector, so I bring (among other things) 1 pair dark green/mirrored welders, and 1 pair of clear-lensed goggles. The clear ones make me look cross-eyed. While it's certainly "A Look", it makes me glad that most dust storms seem to be during daylight hours.

I'm thinking of adding a pair with the dark green flip-up lense revealing the clear lense below . . .

Right, and then for extra dramatic effect you can flip up the green lens look somebody in the eye, say something then flip down the lens and walk off.
(flip up)"your mother should be ashamed"(flip down, walk off)

[ygmir]

Make sure your day goggles also work as night goggles.

Good advice.

I'm a collector, so I bring (among other things) 1 pair dark green/mirrored welders, and 1 pair of clear-lensed goggles. The clear ones make me look cross-eyed. While it's certainly "A Look", it makes me glad that most dust storms seem to be during daylight hours.

I'm thinking of adding a pair with the dark green flip-up lense revealing the clear lense below . . .

Right, and then for extra dramatic effect you can flip up the green lens look somebody in the eye, say something then flip down the lens and walk off.
(flip up)"your mother should be ashamed"(flip down, walk off)

you.......are a genius!!!!

[Savannah]

Right, and then for extra dramatic effect you can flip up the green lens look somebody in the eye, say something then flip down the lens and walk off.

(flip up)"your mother should be ashamed"(flip down, walk off)

Not bad. (Knowing my luck, I'd get the person with mommy troubles and they'd burst out crying & I'd have to give them a soothing drink.)

May try:

"Good day, Sir."
*flip down*
*flip up*
"I said 'GOOD DAY'!"

[Savannah]

*hyper forefinger double-post*

[EmilyD]

From pickles to BONErs in less than 10 posts. I love this place! ;-)

[Trishntek]

You mean Andrew Zimmern. I wish I could do a season with him.

Yum.

Maybe I meant Andrew Bordaine,,,,, hmmmm

Anyway Token, you have a vibrant grasp for texture and flavor.

[VeganChoirGirl]

From pickles to BONErs in less than 10 posts. I love this place!

Happy sigh...yeah.

[help]

Carry a small notebook-and write it down. You will be so awestruck for days (life?) that you will promptly forget 99% of the "stuff" you wanted to remember.

Offering to help somebody else set up their camp may be the best way "participate" shortly after arrival.

Don't waste a lot of time in the grocery store looking for the perfect foods-you won't eat 1/2 of what you bring. (It's commonly called the "Playa Diet")

Bring a pair of shoes/boots 1 size larger than you normally wear. 36 hours on your feet, followed by 15 hours of unremitted dancing coupled with huge amounts of water intake = swollen feet.

A compass may be the only way to find home in the dark in a dust storm, and can save a lot of needless steps.

The playa giveth, and the playa taketh away. You will lose some things you wish you hadn't, and find others. Some you will find months later in the pocket of a coat you didn't even know you had, given to you by some kind soul after you passed out in their camp-and they made you keep it. And you'll look down and say, "Damn, I wish I had written down the names of those nice people."

[C.f.M.]

Label everything with your name and camp location.

Give people your address so they can send you mail.

Volunteer with the post office.

Take pre-stamped postcards to send to friends.

[geekster]

One word ... and listen carefully as I will only say it once:

Lip Balm
Lip Balm
Lip Balm

Nothing will make you more miserable out there than not having any lip balm. Get the UV protective because most people don't want to put sunscreen on their lips and sunburned lips are NO fun!

This is my favorite:

http://store.ekusa.com/index.php?main_p ... cts_id=115

[Kitty Dingo]

Don't ride your bike without underwear. If you do, the result might be a painful rash often referred to as "playa butt."

[cablemonkey]

Army-style desert boots. Clean socks every day. Lots of lotion on the feet. Wash them every night. Try not to let your bare feet touch the playa.

Lip balm, which can also be used on your cuticles. My hands always get blasted out there. You can't bring too much lip balm. Makes great gifts/barter swag.

Good goggles. Think industrial supply store here, not Cap'n Froufrou's raveware emporium.

Small notebook and mechanical pencils. My pens all stopped working within hours of being used for the first time.

[LaurenAlixandra]

I love pickles, and they are very easy and cheap to make.

However, my absolute favorite playa food is Salt and Vinegar chips. The vinegar is like a vinegar foot soak for your insides, and the salt is great at replacing lost minerals from pissing clear. Every year I bring like 10 bags and always find myself rationing them at the end of the week.

I really loved having a clean pair of clothes stashed in a ziploc bag. It was wonderful to jump in to those close after the post playa shower.

One of my favorite gifts is flashy blinky lights. This is something that I know people actually need and it's fun too!

One of my other favorite things: A bottle of peppermint oil and a spray bottle can make some super refreshing body& face spray.

[marcher5877]

Lotion

2x the number of socks that you think you will need. I actually went out and brought a new bag of socks and I was the envy of my entire camp.
I traded foot massages with tonic water wash and lotion rub down with my neighbor. HEAVEN!!!!

I will also second the night in Reno with a clean set of clothes. Its amazing how different it feels.

[Service]

I wish I'd known about the dreads you can braid into your hair. It offers the dual jobs of mostly protecting your hair from the dust AND making a fantastically soft pillow. Seriously, the roving wool dreads are like sleeping on god's pillow.

[imperatrixi]

ooooo where do you get those dreads done?

[C.f.M.]

I wish I'd known about the dreads you can braid into your hair. It offers the dual jobs of mostly protecting your hair from the dust AND making a fantastically soft pillow. Seriously, the roving wool dreads are like sleeping on god's pillow.

Probably just do some rolls of felted wood - I know how to make them out of hair, but not wool.

Way too heavy and fussy (see long hair thread) for me.

I pack a pair of socks for each night, didn't have any trouble or need for more than I'd taken.

[LostinReno]

Don't ride your bike without underwear. If you do, the result might be a painful rash often referred to as "playa butt."

We bought some of these the other day... .

[This Woman]

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Thanks for solving a personal mystery. I've had Anti Monkey Butt Powder on my favorites for years, but had forgotten why, what and so on.

[baconqurlyq]

I bought 20 pairs of brand new socks. They're sitting unopened in my closet, waiting for the Man to burn.

I got a six pack of bubbles. Are bubbles a good idea out there?

My husband bought this jar of marinated mushrooms to try out, and I think the saltiness/savoriness of them will be welcome. Unfortunately they are in small glass jars, but maybe we can transfer them to a giant plastic container and they might keep since they're a bit pickled. Am I right about this?

[theCryptofishist]

My husband was pro-bubble. I have absolutely no idea what the party line on bubbles is, it's leaving soap and glycerine--is it to prolong bubble life--on the playa, but in small amounts, and I have no idea how to evaluate that. Is there a hippie eco-bubble? It would be depressing if there were.

Yes on the pickled. Pickling basically works as a preservative by being poisonous enough that no bacteria grow on the cucumber or other veggie. If it gets the Krauts through the winter without contracting scurvey and the Koreans um, Koronating, ditto, who are we to look down on pickling?
Some people mmight bring their tiny jars because they are pretty solid and if they were only brought out in camp and above a tote lid or other surface and not when people were drunk there might not be an accident and even if there were they'd get down there with dustpan and then with a wet sponge to make sure that there are no fragments left.

I have nothing to say on the distasteful subject of socks.

[geekster]

Sunset is your cue to get back to camp for your evening attire. It just so happens that sunset is also the time of a natural lull in activity on the playa. Maybe because everyone is eating/showering/dressing for the evening.

The who, what, where is right, sometimes.

[Eric]

My husband bought this jar of marinated mushrooms to try out, and I think the saltiness/savoriness of them will be welcome.

I love marinated mushrooms! They are a definite tasty-treat on the playa. I usually only bring one jar & eat them Thursday or Friday as a "special" item, though there's no logical reason for limiting myself.

[Bounce530]

Mushrooms, artichokes, green beans, red bell peppers are so easy to make. Here's what I whipped up a couple days ago-
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup oil
two-three garlic cloves
big ol sprinkle of oregano
same size sprinkle thyme
pizza place packet of crushed red pepper
about 3 or 4 good shakes of garlic salt

then I boiled artichokes and green beans, after you could pull the leaves off the chokes run cold water over the chokes and beans, clean the chokes down to the hearts, and toss the beans and chokes in the marinade. Then roast some red peppers, peel off the black stuff and toss those in also, clean the mushrooms and they go in as well.
Tastes just as good as the mini jars from the store.

[CornStar]

First year I went, it was my birthday the first day. I thought, what a great way to start off the week! unfortunately a week is a much longer period of time on the playa than in most other places. Pace yourself is my advise, don't over do it any one night, and if you really want to, wait until saturday.

Also I found "the Petting Zoo" at 5pm Tuesday. I couldn't have been there longer than an hour before I proceeded to run off, leaving my bike behind. And passed out in the passenger seat of our rental van. no fun. watch out for stiff drinks, if you get one consider sharing it with a friend so as to not ruin the rest of your night.