PAGE TWO

[^Rhino!]

"You survived a life changing ordeal."

robbi, much as I respect you, I beg to disagree.

You make it sound like US Marine Corps boot camp, where they tear your ass down and build it back up again. The Appalachian Trail in its entirety might be a life-changer. But the Burningman experience?

NO!

It's a great meeting of people in the desert where strange and wonderful things occur when we try to touch each others' hearts, where our minds link in a common pursuit, and synchronistic activities seem to occur almost spontaneously. It's a GREAT place, but not a life-changing ordeal to me.

That was reserved for dragging the truck driver out of the burning truck back in '08 because he had no other way to survive than me stepping in where I was needed. I still have nightmares recalling his screams for help. But I got him out in one piece. I couldn't have lived with myself if I hadn't.

[robbidobbs]

That was certainly a profound experience, one I hope never to come close to. The sentence was never meant to be a pissing contest. "Life changing" can be anything really, it's a matter of scale certainly. Every day is an opportunity to change. It just seems to happen at a different rate or even dimension out there for a great number of people.

What I was thinking whe I wrote that is I was objecting to the people at greeters banging a bell announcing they're no longer a virgin. They have no idea what's in store for them. It takes a week in the desert to learn how much you don't know.

Now mind, I love virgins, they're so enthusiastic, and they are such a blank slate. But honestly, don't you just shake your head at the man you were on your first year compared to now? I do. I was unbelievably naive. I was a fucking idiot, embarrassing myself in so many different ways. The memory still pains me. It was the pain I beat into resolve though.

I experienced my first burn listening to ranger radio, and saw the man fall while I guarded commissary. I could only see the head. But it fell. It was a relief. That experience may have changed me, may have given me a feeling of how vast the city was. And like everyone else who comes away with a larger viewpoint after their first burn, I had ideas.

The following year I learned the joy of doing public speaking in front of Porta potties. I would never again be invisible.

[robbidobbs]

OhAnd that first year on Sunday I ended up in medical w a bag on my arm.
That never has happened again. Now I have Gray tell me to STFU and drink.

[AntiM]

Of for fuck's sake. (not you two, take it to politics, is has the making of a wonderful thread)

But I digress... back to our regular fucking snark: oh for fuck's sake, you can't do that you fucking twerp.

[^Rhino!]

That was certainly a profound experience, one I hope never to come close to. The sentence was never meant to be a pissing contest. "Life changing" can be anything really, it's a matter of scale certainly. Every day is an opportunity to change. It just seems to happen at a different rate or even dimension out there for a great number of people.

What I was thinking whe I wrote that is I was objecting to the people at greeters banging a bell announcing they're no longer a virgin. They have no idea what's in store for them. It takes a week in the desert to learn how much you don't know.

Now mind, I love virgins, they're so enthusiastic, and they are such a blank slate. But honestly, don't you just shake your head at the man you were on your first year compared to now? I do. I was unbelievably naive. I was a fucking idiot, embarrassing myself in so many different ways. The memory still pains me. It was the pain I beat into resolve though.

I experienced my first burn listening to ranger radio, and saw the man fall while I guarded commissary. I could only see the head. But it fell. It was a relief. That experience may have changed me, may have given me a feeling of how vast the city was. And like everyone else who comes away with a larger viewpoint after their first burn, I had ideas.

The following year I learned the joy of doing public speaking in front of Porta potties. I would never again be invisible.

The profound experiences keep coming, so many that I've lost track. I wasn't meaning to harsh on you at all, just giving my considered (and VERY EMPHATIC - - for that I apologize profusely) opinion on what constitutes a life-changing experience.

Clanging the bell never made an impact on me. What did have an impact on me? Seeing art accepted by the community when we ourselves didn't know how it would be accepted. Dancing the electric slide in the dust of the playa, to be followed the following year by a serendipitous meeting with a stage 4 lung cancer patient from the camp that played the song I danced to. Having an entire camp that wrote a thank-you card to me for helping them try to find their campmate who was lost.

And, of course, having one of my favorite playa hottie friends pose with a hand on her hip, looking sultry into my face, and repeating Valeria's line: "Do you wanna live forever?"

Fuck yes, I do. As long as there's a way for me to experience life.

Do not go gently into that good night.....
Rage, rage against the dying of the light." -- Dylan Thomas

[robbidobbs]

Thank you AntiM for moving the thread. At least I think it was you.

[robbidobbs]

Nope it was Trilo.
Thanks Trilo!

[robbidobbs]

And you'll never get the compete Omega Contingency Plan out of us either.
The post hypnotic response is always "we are not a cult".

[GreyCoyote]

Robbi: when he isnt killing humor threads, he is clearly the self-appointed and final arbiter of all life-changing experiences. What he says, goes. Yes, he may not have been there, had any part in it, and only learned about it after the fact, but he will tell you with a straight face that your definition does not fit and you are therefore WRONG. (Then he will tell a less-than-amusing anecdote about something related to rocks or safety and you are expected to pay homage to his wisdom again).

I have found that if you just look at him with polite amusement and smile, he thinks you gave up. Makes him feel smart and gives him a sense of control and belonging. Its his affirmation and lifes goal. Its a useful management tool that buys you time to get away and laugh...

[Ratty]

Where's page three?

[Eric]

looking sultry into my face, and repeating Valeria's line: "Do you wanna live forever?"

Um. That didn't start as a line from a movie, it was lifted from real life & recycled into one.

"For Christ's sake men—come on! Do you want to live forever?" Sgt. Major Daniel Daly, Marine Corps, going "over the top" in the Battle of Belleau Wood during WW1. It's much more impressive of a line when you realize it was shouted by someone running into real machine gun fire, not just someone in front of a movie camera, waiting for the next break to hit up the catering table.

Maybe I should apply to be an airport "know it all"...

[robbidobbs]

Where's page three?

Truly.
I enjoy it when AntiM spanks me.

[AntiM]

How drunk was I?

[tamarakay]

Holy crap. I need to add another jackass to my drawing.

[unjonharley]

music is like candy... You throw the rapper away

[robbidobbs]

It was on fire when I got here.

[Elliot]

music is like candy... You throw the rapper away

UnJon wins the internet today!

[robbidobbs]

Ah but Ygmir should win too for his eloquent poem.

[^Rhino!]

looking sultry into my face, and repeating Valeria's line: "Do you wanna live forever?"

Um. That didn't start as a line from a movie, it was lifted from real life & recycled into one.

"For Christ's sake men—come on! Do you want to live forever?" Sgt. Major Daniel Daly, Marine Corps, going "over the top" in the Battle of Belleau Wood during WW1. It's much more impressive of a line when you realize it was shouted by someone running into real machine gun fire, not just someone in front of a movie camera, waiting for the next break to hit up the catering table.

Maybe I should apply to be an airport "know it all"...

Maybe you should. I didn't know about Sgt. Major Daly. My own grandfather on my mother's side was at Belleau Wood, along with the 2nd Somme during the Ardennes offensive in WWI. Thank you for the information. My grandfather, who I unfortunately never had the chance to meet, died in 1946. His unit was part of the US army's new Ambulance Corps, and took 50% casualties. As a noncombatant carrying a first-aid pack, he didn't carry a gun. Yet, he was the one tasked into going out into no man's land to bring aid and comfort to the wounded. He did it successfully until wounded himself.

[maryanimal]

wow...it's been ages since I've Zippy the Pinhead...thanks simon.

arewefun.gif

[maryanimal]

How many ways are there to make a skirt?

[robbidobbs]

Ah, the sweet & salty scent of thread drift.

[robbidobbs]

That is some epically delusional bad planning. No soup for you!

[moonrise]

Why why why why didn't I listen to the radio? goddammit! I missed it again? wtf!?


Oh, sorry...wrong forum.

[Lonesomebri]

And you'll never get the compete Omega Contingency Plan out of us either.
The post hypnotic response is always "we are not a cult".

Threat3.jpg

[Jovankat]

Oh, sorry...wrong forum.

I keep wanting to post about things I see in /r/BurningMan here...

Ah fuck it I'm going to, they're too ludicrous not to share.

No you cannot vote the BMOrg out, this is not a democracy.

And no I don't think suing the BMOrg because you missed out on tickets is going to work out for you either...

[moonrise]

Heh heh I like you, Jovankat

Might we let 'em know on /r/BurningMan it can be a doom-acracy? Of course, in the interest of being a good participant do-acracy is the correct term!

And law suits...blech. Save those for "gypsy" car accidents, haha!

Oh, sorry...wrong forum.

I keep wanting to post about things I see in /r/BurningMan here...

Ah fuck it I'm going to, they're too ludicrous not to share.

No you cannot vote the BMOrg out, this is not a democracy.

And no I don't think suing the BMOrg because you missed out on tickets is going to work out for you either...

[AntiM]

Oh, sorry...wrong forum.

I keep wanting to post about things I see in /r/BurningMan here...

Ah fuck it I'm going to, they're too ludicrous not to share.

No you cannot vote the BMOrg out, this is not a democracy.

And no I don't think suing the BMOrg because you missed out on tickets is going to work out for you either...

You keep your idiots, we'll keep our fuckos.

[Jovankat]

God they're annoying enough over there, I wouldn't want to have to read their crap here too. My mind is just so boggled by what they're coming out with I needed an outlet. I'm all good now.

[moonrise]

Ditto! hahahaaa!