New Burner, sponging her way.

[skittles.loli]

Hello!
My name is Asia and this year will be my first time at Burning Man. My boyfriend went in 2006 so I got a little help I guess, he went with a tribe but this year we're thinking of trying to go ourselves.
I'm 21 and live in Oregon.
I think thats it..

^__^

OH and Happy New Year!
I've said it so much today I can't believe I forgot lol.

[Zulegoona]

welcome to e-playa Skittles.Loli ! Like we tell everybody be sure to read the survival guide over and over and fallow as many of the links on the burning mans main site, you should particularly pay attention to anything about relationships. The Playa has a way of being hard on them if you don’t talk about stuff first, set limits, make agreements and nail down what you expect from each other.

Be sure to stop by the Booby bar

[skittles.loli]

Yes, I have the list that my boyfriend had in 2006, but once I get past this whole new years hubub I'm going to sit down and get that survival guide.
I love planning for events or times (I just finished the floor plan for my dream house).

Stupid question: Whats the Bobby Bar?

I'm going to get some sleep for now. Thanks for the welcome!
^__^

[gyre]

Merry New Year!

\ (>_<) /

[Zulegoona]

The Booby Bar is a theme camp I am a part of one of the terminal city ( village ) theme camps. we are a free bar in two big domes with nipples on top.


I have to warn you about expectations. You can plan, anticipate, dream about organize things and so on but once you go through those gates you need to leave all your expectations on the outside. don’t expect to see things don’t expect to met certain people, don’t expect to have things go as you planed. expectations only set you up for disappointment, and can get in the way of flowing with things as they come to you ....

[Elderberry]

Welcome to eplaya and Happy New Year to you too!

JK

[skittles.loli]

The Booby Bar is a theme camp I am a part of one of the terminal city ( village ) theme camps. we are a free bar in two big domes with nipples on top.


I have to warn you about expectations. You can plan, anticipate, dream about organize things and so on but once you go through those gates you need to leave all your expectations on the outside. don’t expect to see things don’t expect to met certain people, don’t expect to have things go as you planed. expectations only set you up for disappointment, and can get in the way of flowing with things as they come to you ....

BOOBY Bar, I see it now, I thought it said Bobby bar (good thing I went to sleep huh).
That sounds awesome I'll be sure to stop by.

You make a good point on expectations. I honestly don't know what I expect to see or experience, I only have ideas from what my boyfriend has told me.
I just have expectations on things to bring and not to bring, where the tickets are, how much food to buy, etc... unless I shouldn't do that either?

All advice is welcome!

Happy new year to jkisha and gyre! (well to everyone but you know.)

[Sail Man]

Welcome to eplaya Skittles, Zulegoona gave you some good advice about the survival guide. There are also a wealth of info at some good websites relating to the burn, here's one for example:

http://www.cieux.com/bm/bmtoc.html

There are many others. Spend time checking them out. Even though your BF has been and has told you about it, it wont be quite like he described when you get there, beyond expectations really. Know what your getting into, and be ready for the unexpected. Get ready for a surrealistically good time

[Zulegoona]

Being prepared to provide for all your needs is a good thing it’s part of the core principles, self reliance. Do read things on e-playa and the main website about the conditions from very hot dry sometimes windy days with hours of white out dust storms to freezing cold nights.

You need to think about drinking enough water ( most of us don’t ever consider it in our regular lives) just sleeping can so dehydrate you , your morning routine should include drinking more water than you can imagine with an electrolyte supplement just to insure you won’t run into problems later in the day.

The dust so many of us wax poetic about is very alkali and in combination with the dry heat can cause your feet and sometimes your hands to crack and bleed swell and hurt, so moisturizer, and vinegar or some other acid in water to rinse off in is a good idea.

You’ll be walking and riding a bike more than usual and for some reason the dust makes getting blisters a lot easier than normal even a comfortable old pair of shoes can cause blisters so be vigilant about foot care, and have mole skin and Band-Aids on hand. It’s a good idea to have a full first aid kit on hand, along with sunscreen . It’s a real drag to have all that great stuff going on around you and having getting to it be so painful you can’t enjoy it.

Your time on the playa will be hyperreal and surreal at the same time, and it only happens once a year don’t waste the experience by getting to drunk or mind altered to be able to appreciate it. In any case it’s a good idea to give yourself a day or more to adjust to the environment including the things going on around you before you try to enhance the experience.

Sleep is a good thing. cherish it and make time for it, sleeping during the day is difficult because it gets so hot in a tent or shelter.

[Zulegoona]

Another thing that can’t get mentioned enough; The port-o-potties are one of the few tangible things your ticket price buys . It’s a long ways out there and it costs a lot to provide and service them and it isn’t a fun job, but without them the event couldn’t take place. By putting anything in one besides single ply toilet paper and human waste you jeopardize the ability to have Burning Man. Even a simple small thing like a baby wipe or a tampon can clog the sucker-outer filter of one of the trucks and cause the hose to explode it’s happened in the past and a person was injured. literally some nasty shit. Be prepared to pack out or in appropriate cases burn what you bring in.

[Artemis]

Welcome skittles

[Sail Man]

To expand on Zulegoona's suggestion of vinegar for the feet etc, consider adding acidic foods to your menu to combat the problem from the inside out, i.e. tomatos and pickles.

[Ugly Dougly]

Hey I gotta know about the sponge. What you got planned for that?

[skittles.loli]

@ugly dougly
Its more of a cheezy refrence to my desire for info. I like to throw myself into projects so I'm currently soaking up any information I can possibly get, hence the sponge refrence.
It'd probably be cool to work that into the theme tho huh.

@Zulegoona and Sail Man
I never even considered things like that, see thats why I got you guys!
Pickles are awesome anyway so I'll keep all of that in mind (I'm going to need a bigger notebook for all this lol).
Thanks for the info guys! ^__^

[gyre]

Bring dust goggles that work and fit.

Besides the humidity, there is altitude.
If you don't live insanely high, acclimation is a factor.
If you can go to altitude sooner and begin the process, you will have more energy during the week and dehydration is less likely too.
It isn't mandatory, but if it's convenient, a good idea.
And there seem to be some interesting things at altitude, like the Yellowstone caldera and so on.
Pyramid Lake is nice too.

[skittles.loli]

No I don't live insanely high, so thats a good thing for me to consider. I've been on mountains before tho.
Would it just help to go to places like that throughout the year or something?

[gyre]

I don't know if it would help, but it wouldn't hurt.
There doesn't seem to be much agreement on what it takes to trigger the process.
Research on use of chambers has been disappointing.
I have had success with spending a night or two at altitude and then back down and later up again, but this was at 8,000 to 14,000 feet.
It takes six weeks to fully acclimate, but even a few days or a week makes a difference in your energy levels.
Personally, I think oxygen supplements (at minimal levels) during sleeping would speed the process or at least avoid issues.
Decreased oxygen intake at night is what brings on most issues and is tied to dehydration problems too.

The playa is at 4000+ so it isn't as difficult as some places, but it will affect your rest and everything else if you push yourself out there.
I find a huge difference in a week of time out there before the event.

The Olympic Center says to stop ALL caffeine 3 days before you start acclimating.
It is about fluid issues.
Don't use more until afterwards.

And they tell me not to run more than a half mile my first day at high altitude, not really an issue.

Spending any time at the same altitude or higher in the the week or so before should help.
I don't know how long it takes to lose the blood cells gained in acclimation.

[skittles.loli]

I'll try and keep that in mind.
Man, 3 days without caffeine, that would be a challenge.
I guess It'd be a good time to see if theres a placebo effect to coffee or whatever lol.

[gyre]

Three days before altitude and during too, for best results.
I used to get coffee and just smell it at breakfast.
You may need to taper off if you get a headache the first day.
Use just enough to ease the headache.

I found I only missed the psychological rituals when I quit.
If you drink enough every day all stimulant effect is lost after a time anyway.

[skittles.loli]

Yeah, I usually have one cup or so a day, one day I completely forgot to drink coffee and I was almost passed out with a migraine after 3pm. I was just fine after the coffee tho.
That's a good idea tho, wean myself off over time.

Dangit, I was going to say something else and I forgot what it was....

[Sail Man]

Yeah, I usually have one cup or so a day, one day I completely forgot to drink coffee and I was almost passed out with a migraine after 3pm. I was just fine after the coffee tho.
That's a good idea tho, wean myself off over time.

Dangit, I was going to say something else and I forgot what it was....

Were you going to say that maybe this is as good as anytime to make the switch to decaf?

[skittles.loli]

LOL perhaps, but I still need something to help me get through the day be it coffee, tea or an energy drink, my hours are a bit sporadic for my energy levels, and I try and get at least 7 hours of sleep. So if I give up coffee I'd just work on something else at this point in time.
Are there teas that give you energy that I could switch to that might give me more variety than Mate and Green?
I also wonder how they make coffee decaf... (going to look into it tho).

However I am skeptical to how much my body truly needs the caffeine, sometimes I wonder if its just all in my head, so trying decaf might be to my advantage.

[Elderberry]

I don't think I could ever give up coffee--nor would I want to, I enjoy it too much--with real cream too!!! It about the only vice I have left. (Oh, except for drugs and sex.)

On the playa I start every day brewing a whole pot of coffee and probably drink most of it myself, though it is there for anyone who wants it; I drink tons of water and fruit juice and make sure I have at least one electrolite drink per day. I didn't think the electrolites were so important until I got leg cramps so bad I was wrything in pain. Since adding the electrolites, no more cramps.

JK

[gyre]

Did you know that even a morphine drip won't ease a caffeine headache?

That's what made me decide caffeine was having more effect on me than I liked.

And it is kind of nice to not have to quest for mysterious porta potty placements in the dark, quite so often.

The good news is that once you lose your tolerance for caffeine, decaff will give you the same buzz as caffcaff.
Soft drinks only have caffeine as an additive, but coffee is never fully decaff.
There is always some level in the decaff, sometimes quite a lot.

[theCryptofishist]

Stupid question: Whats the Bobby Bar?

It's where the policemen go to drink pints of ale.


Duh.


One stupid question deserves another.

Is your boyfriend named Beer?

[Sail Man]

Is your boyfriend named Beer?

I'm having a friend over right now, her names Corona, she's a limey

[skittles.loli]

Is your boyfriend named Beer?

No, is yours?

[motskyroonmatick]

I quit drinking all soda drinks(except the occasional rum and coke)at the burn cause of a kidney stone. Since quitting-- I feel that my energy level is more consistent throughout the day and I don't experience energy crashes either. I never have drank coffee. FYI I know --my loss.

My first year on playa I noticed a period of adjustment to the dryness, heat and possibly the altitude as well. Each year since then I have noticed less and less need to adjust until this last year when there seemed to be no adjustment needed at all.
If your getting used to the playa follows the same path as my first year you will feel it for about two days. In those first two days I drank a boatload of water as my body got used to the humidity and heat. As I adjusted to the conditions and felt physically more comfortable my need for fluid intake dropped to 3/4 of what it had been before. These are my observations.
Always carry water even at night. I really like hydration packs cause they don't bang against your legs when riding a bike and you can groove to the music in them. They usually have room for other stuff that can be handy like a snack or whatever.
Bring those remedies that you know will work for head aches and such at home. They will most likely help you out on playa too.

[skittles.loli]

Did you know that even a morphine drip won't ease a caffeine headache?

No I didn't.
But then again I just need a cup of coffee to ease a caffeine headache.

That's what made me decide caffeine was having more effect on me than I liked.

And it is kind of nice to not have to quest for mysterious porta potty placements in the dark, quite so often.

The good news is that once you lose your tolerance for caffeine, decaff will give you the same buzz as caffcaff.
Soft drinks only have caffeine as an additive, but coffee is never fully decaff.
There is always some level in the decaff, sometimes quite a lot.

See I've never understood drinking coffee without caffeine... that's like smoking a cigarette without any nicotine (IMHO).

See I don't drink the old stuff, coffee starts to go bad once it gets cold, anyone who drinks coffee after its cooled off (and, gods forbid, reheated) is probably asking to go on a porto-quest lol.

I quit drinking all soda drinks(except the occasional rum and coke)at the burn cause of a kidney stone. Since quitting-- I feel that my energy level is more consistent throughout the day and I don't experience energy crashes either. I never have drank coffee. FYI I know --my loss.

Nah, not your loss (I'm not sure why someone would presume I'd even say something like that...).

I don't drink soda much at all either, I work at a natural foods store tho so I get the natural sodas that are basically carbonated juice, which is super yummy when I can afford it!
I'll probably wean myself off coffee for the event and become a tea addict or something, I'm much more worried about water and food than coffee.
Either way it only takes a week or so for me to adjust to no coffee, so I don't even need to worry about the whole coffee thing till August anyway.

I'm glad to hear or your adjustment to the playa, people keep trying to speak negative to me at work so its nice to hear that adjustment can be done.

BTW! Rum and coke is the greatest drink in the world! If you haven't, try root beer or dr pepper instead of coke, its good too.
^__^

[motskyroonmatick]

I quit drinking all soda drinks(except the occasional rum and coke)at the burn cause of a kidney stone. Since quitting-- I feel that my energy level is more consistent throughout the day and I don't experience energy crashes either. I never have drank coffee. FYI I know --my loss.

Nah, not your loss (I'm not sure why someone would presume I'd even say something like that...).

My comments were general in nature to contribute to this thread. The FYI was not pointed at you but more of an aside to the coffee lovers who in good nature like to point out that a life with out coffee is unimaginable.

I have found the people who have the greatest difficulty feeling comfortable on the playa are the ones who are really overdoing it in some manner. Too much mind altering substance of one or another makes the conditions harder to bear. If you start to feel grumpy drink a liter of water. A bad mood, frustration or irritability often are the first signs of dehydration.

The elevation of the playa is about the same as the the mountain passes leading over to central oregon and roughly about the same as the central oregon high desert plateau. If you have spent any time near Bend that is roughly what the altitude is like. I think the dryness is the biggest factor to overcome. Being well rested before the event although nearly impossible to pull off would really help.
Don't worry about it. Plan for it yes! Worry about it? No.

Edit--My latest favorite is Tequila and Coke. It is better with more top shelf liquor but once you get past the idea of the drink it is actually quite good.