Faces To Go With Names, 2014 Edition

[Savannah]

On playa me -

I like you better on playa

That expression and those double thumbz up just kill me, hahaha!

I wish I had a photo of me doing that in front of a massive conflagration . . . [/wistful]

[Captain Goddammit]

I wish I had a photo of me doing that in front of a massive conflagration . . . [/wistful]

Wanna buy one?

Haha

[*Kat*]

I found this on a thumb drive today...

[Monkeystyle]

sweet top hat, and I think I might have those same goggles

[*Kat*]

The top hat was an incredible lucky find at a flea market. I had been looking for a top hat forever and there was this guy anxious to get rid of his. It's at least 100 years old, I googled the company, turns out they made top hats for the Prussian court & high officials. Back then the people were smaller, so the guy who sold the hat had a lot of men stop by and try it just to find out it was too small for their heads.

The goggles are actually for welding, just replaced the glass with clear lenses and did a few tweaks to keep the dust out. Those always seem to be a work in progress though...

[Monkeystyle]

I'm having the same issue with my goggles. the are between the eye and the nose isn't making great contact for me

[*Kat*]

In 2010, I had only swimming goggles cause those were the only ones who would definitely seal out all of the dust. But they are no good for long time wear cause there is zero airflow...
I first brought these goggles in 2011 and have been tweaking them every year since - from partially shutting vents with hot glue to sewing padded leather pieces for the parts around the eyes & lots of other ideas. I think this year I'll try a very fine mesh over the vents instead of hot glue and I'll have to redo the leather pieces with more padding.

I usually have two sets of goggles with me on the playa - the swimming ones for white outs and the welding ones for normal wear. My eyes are the the biggest issue I've got out there cause I wear contact lenses. Just got fitted for new single use contact lenses last week. I specifically described what I was going to do and what I needed - my optometrist was totally excited and let me try a bunch of different ones.

Maybe this will be the burn I'll finally get a hang on it?

[Aurelia]

love your talk..and your moue

about the "maybe this year I'll get it" attitude
but since the beginning; and the room full of olaya needs..pared down to bins full
I have considered the possibility that maybe I'll die trying

xoA.

[Savannah]

I usually have two sets of goggles with me on the playa - the swimming ones for white outs and the welding ones for normal wear. My eyes are the the biggest issue I've got out there cause I wear contact lenses. Just got fitted for new single use contact lenses last week. I specifically described what I was going to do and what I needed - my optometrist was totally excited and let me try a bunch of different ones.

Maybe this will be the burn I'll finally get a hang on it?

I had a great experience with "Air 0ptix: Night & Day" lenses in 2012. They're designed to be worn for a while without removing or cleaning, and all I did was drop preservative-free tears (as opposed to redness remover) on top of 'em from time to time, and I wore them for a full week without problems. This suited me down to the ground, 'cause I never feel like my hands are clean enough out there to go jamming in my eyes, even though I've done so anyway & have been very lucky overall.

Anyway, something about Air 0ptix Night & Day's construction made it quite possible in a way that would not have worked with my usual lenses (Bausch & L0mb Purevision 2, which I prefer under normal circumstances and have still done pretty well out there . . . but are not daily disposables).

[Monkeystyle]

I've been thinking of getting contact for that out there. mostly I don't want to risk loosing of breaking my glasses and having to do the 29 hour drive home blind. also my goggles wouldn't work

[Jovankat]

One of the things I was most surprised about at my first burn was how comfortable I was not wearing glasses, I usually feel very naked without them. I don't *need* them to see, I just see better and my eyes get less tired with them.

[*Kat*]

Savannah, thanks for the info.
My problem actually is that my eyes are a lot dryer out there - so the single use ones allow me to take them out whenever it gets too bad. But yeah, clean hands are a HUGE issue. This year I'll also try artificial eyedrops. Oh, and carrying my glasses wherever I go, of course, just in case. That reminds me I still got to make a steampunky leather case for the glasses...

[trilobyte]

+100 to getting and using drops. Renu and a couple other companies make them, there's no 'get the red out' or medication of any kind, just a simple solution similar to tears. Check with your optometrist, they may have a recommendation or (better yet) be able to give you a few sample packages, they're great to keep in your hydro pack or whatever bag you plan on carrying with you.

[*Kat*]

Thanks, already have! I'll add this info from my optometrist just cause somebody might browse this later on:
You need special eye drops if you wear contact lenses. Normal eyedrops will prevent the lens from sticking to your eye, the lense will just swim around in the solution on your eye. Eye drops for contact lenses can be used both with and without lenses.

[lucky420]

I have a special hybrid contact for my left eye. It is a soft and hard contact combined in one. I love it! My right eye takes the normal soft contact. I had just about given up being ever to really see much a At all with the left. Glasses won't correct it (funky cornea and have had a transplant).

Thinking I may wear them this year at BRC....

Oh the things I have missed...

[Fidget]

Clean hands is totally the issue! I usually have wet wipes that are non-alcoholic and non-perfumed (as those make your eyes feel like they are on fire) for when I go to festivals etc. I used to have ones that were made with cucumber or something similar, they were perfect but Ive not been able to find them since. I had stinging eyes for almost the entire week.

[ygmir]

I also make my own boric acid eye wash (check for the formula on line, it made my own). it's soothing in that if the alkaline dust gets too irritating, the acid helps the ph. and if it burns, you can wash with regular eye wash. I save my old contacts all year, and take 12 pairs out with me......sometimes leaving the new pair I go out with, in for a week, then changing and dumping as necessary.

ditto clean hands.........sheesh, tough to do!

[lucky420]

I have this cute lil eye plunger that helps put the contacts in

[ygmir]

I have this cute lil eye plunger that helps put the contacts in

*gets bright idea for "oral care camp"*......................

[^Rhino!]

I have this cute lil eye plunger that helps put the contacts in

*gets bright idea for "oral care camp"*......................

Dude, do you mean "visual care camp?" My eyes are on my face, not in my mouth. Unless you're planning on handing out toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental pics and floss.

It does bring to mind a story (hears groans, but I'll keep it short). A fire spinner in conclave one year hit himself in the eye with a flaming poi while spinning. Refusing medical care, he was finally corralled by his friends to at least "go get some ice" at the first RV they passed on the way back to camp. He banged on the door to get some ice, and a gentleman opened up, and he asked for ice....

"hi there, young man....yes, that does look pretty swollen. Come on in and let me get you some ice. By the way, I'm an opthamologist........"

And another case of on-playa magical serendipity simply happened. Sometimes, the playa provides.....but don't count on it.

[ygmir]

I have this cute lil eye plunger that helps put the contacts in

*gets bright idea for "oral care camp"*......................

Dude, do you mean "visual care camp?" My eyes are on my face, not in my mouth. Unless you're planning on handing out toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental pics and floss.
.

OH Rhino...........you're still so naive and innocent (pats head). My mind goes far afield on the linear logic you show here. Others may have a better way to explain it, but, yes, I mean "oral care" (as refers to "eye plunger and putting contacts in") and no, not handing out toothbrushes, etc.

[Lonesomebri]

I have learned that keeping things and people slightly out of focus is the best course of action for my own happiness.

me2.jpg

[Aurelia]

fun forum growing !!!
xoA.

[^Rhino!]

Quoth the Yggy:

"OH Rhino...........you're still so naive and innocent (pats head). My mind goes far afield on the linear logic you show here. Others may have a better way to explain it, but, yes, I mean "oral care" (as refers to "eye plunger and putting contacts in") and no, not handing out toothbrushes, etc."


He just doesn't know what a "straight man" is in the field of comedy. Yggy probably said, "Albert Pujols" when asked "Who's on first?"

**shakes head sadly**

Dude, is there hope for you?

[shroom]

I have this cute lil eye plunger that helps put the contacts in

I did good with mine. (no plunger needed) My contacts are 30 day wear and I take them out before bed. I made sure to bring a spare pair to the playa. I washed my hands really well before putting them on and taking them off. All went well.

[MacGlenver]

Oh man, I didn't even realize that the dildo was your camelbak mouth piece. Wow. WOW. That's amazing. How does the bite valve work? *cringe*

I pulled the bite valve off the tube, then fed the tube thru the dildo and reattached the bite valve on the other end, so you don't TECHNICALLY suck directly out of the dildo, but it's pretty close

[FlyingMonkey]

I've been thinking of getting contact for that out there. mostly I don't want to risk loosing of breaking my glasses and having to do the 29 hour drive home blind. also my goggles wouldn't work

Not being a contact wearer I cannot attest to this, but when I was deployed to the desert contact wearers were ordered not to wear them. Seems they had a very high incidence of corneal abrasions from the super fine dust getting under the lenses & scratching the cornea. This can be a very serious condition and a possible consideration for any contact wearers going Home. The dust is much finer where I was than it is on the playa to the point where it would sometimes look like fog even in still air, so maybe it is not as big of a concern. YMMV.

[lucky420]

I've been thinking of getting contact for that out there. mostly I don't want to risk loosing of breaking my glasses and having to do the 29 hour drive home blind. also my goggles wouldn't work

Not being a contact wearer I cannot attest to this, but when I was deployed to the desert contact wearers were ordered not to wear them. Seems they had a very high incidence of corneal abrasions from the super fine dust getting under the lenses & scratching the cornea. This can be a very serious condition and a possible consideration for any contact wearers going Home. The dust is much finer where I was than it is on the playa to the point where it would sometimes look like fog even in still air, so maybe it is not as big of a concern. YMMV.

Good advice flying monkey. As someone who's had a corneal transplant I've never worn my contacts on the playa but am going to give it a try. I will of course bring my glasses.

This has been quite the drift. Anyone have a pic to post?

[Joeln]

My cube at work.

[lucky420]

bird mask me.jpg