The Bar 2015 Edition

[Elliot]

By golly, Trilobyte, a little more hot toddy and spiced rum will do me good, even though I seem to be 99% over my chest-cold.

And you are no doubt correct that various information has been reconfigured a bit on the new website. To say nothing of the fact that I have not done an official Theme Camp since 2007. But I will be close to ready when the opening bell sounds on Wednesday.

Here is an example of the Stuff I'm juggling:
The information on Theme Camp Layout Plans says I must have a 12 foot wide fire-road thru camp.
But the Fuel Storage information says the fire-road must be 20 feet wide.
So... it would be sooo easy to go with the 12', since I have that number in black and white. But the Fuel Storage requirement of 20' supersedes it. Figuring all this Stuff out is good sport!

[lucky420]

Mornig Bar...

[Joeln]

Hey folks - great news! Last night was cold drinks for sure - caipirinhas even.
I have a verbal offer for this new job and it's a 26% raise ....
Only downside is they got burned by their previous person so they made it 90 days temp-to-hire.
Not a big problem as I know I can do what they need. Only pain will be health insurance.

So I'm breaking out the good stuff - Lagavullin for all

[AntiM]

Whoot Joeln! Sounds like a terrific opportunity!

We have snow here. Yay, but not, because that does not look like fluffy powder, that looks wet. Ick. And Larry is out driving in it, right through the thickest commuter traffic. Bumper cars out there.

[Aurelia]

Good Morning Dear Bar

coffee and virtual gorgeous new turquoise boots to you Lucky

Joel, such good news,,I knew you would
caution on healthcareinsurance issue as it is that insurance which is a big one

snowy splendor AntiM

anyone coming to our equinox event ?

xoA

[lucky420]

YAY Joeln!

Careful out there myLarry.

Morning asd!

[^Rhino!]

Congrats Joeln!

[trilobyte]

Elliot, the fire access road info is for giganto-camps as well. If you read all the information on the page, you'll also see that it specifies that emergency access roads are required for camps that are over 150'x150' - it also explains the reason for that. The reason is because the hose on the fire trucks is 250', not counting bends. Well, look at the city map and do the math - with the exception of Esplanade and the big double-wide blocks for villages, Black Rock City doesn't really have any areas where a camp would meet that requirement. From A on back, the streets are only 200' apart, so at no point would a camp placed in that space be any further back than 100' from the street. Now, if you're on the larger side and planning a 200' space (you've seen those camps, they take up the whole block width), then you should plan an access road. But chances are you're already planning an access road, not only for your camp's vehicles but for RV service vehicles. Don't let the conflicting information on the resource guide cause you stress. The info on the questionnaire is all that matters, and you'll have the opportunity to see it soon enough. Should there be a question then, you can always email placement@ for clarification. And remember, there are no bonus points for submitting it on day one, and when you submit your questionnaire has no bearing on whether or not you'll be placed (well, as long as when you submit it is before the deadline for it closing in April).

The resource guide pages have a fair bit of conflicting information, just like all the other parts of the new site (remember, it was just re-done a couple months back) where pages were changed and combined. And yes, that means that there had been conflicting information on different pages of the resource guide on the old site (and likely has been for years). I'd file a ticket or give someone a poke about it, but the day before the forms go live is a busy time for the people on that team. Once the forms go live, they'll have time to review and revise any of the resource guide pages.

Woohoo, Joel, that's great news! Sorry about them having been burned, but that should be pretty smooth sailing for you.

Tuesday's bright and sunny here in the bay. I hope everybody else gets a nice slice of sunshine as well. Cheers!

[robbidobbs]

Good morning Bar!
Coffee is on!
Good job Joein. See about obamacare.

[Ratty]

Just half a cup please gotta run. Here, pour it in my horn.

[robbidobbs]

Good morning Ratty! Do you ever sleep? You just pulled an all nighter the other day and now this. Zircadian rhythms just a suggestion with you?

[ygmir]

*wanders in, starts ECM*
Yay Joeln!! happy for you!
HI Lucky, Ratty, Rhino
Hi ASD, robbidobbs
HI AntiM, Trilo,
And all the ships at sea.........best to Yourlarry for a safe day.

Dang this apartment project. all the little details.
I want to make it as nice as I can, so whomever lives there is happy and all....but sure at times feel like taking shortcuts.
But I think it's coming out nice. I put a granite counter in the kitchen, lots of wood trim and shelving and accents, a "torn paper and urethane" counter in the bathroom, came out pretty cool.
Next up is the urethane and paper floor in the bathroom and painting the slab floor

*heads for IBBOD*

[robbidobbs]

Good morning ygmir. That sound very impressive for a rental. Lucky renters.
<rd plops down on the dusty couch and proceeds to make buttons at not even close to one per minute.>

[FIGJAM]

*wanders in, starts ECM*
Yay Joeln!! happy for you!
HI Lucky, Ratty, Rhino
Hi ASD, robbidobbs
HI AntiM, Trilo,
And all the ships at sea.........best to Yourlarry for a safe day.

Dang this apartment project. all the little details.
I want to make it as nice as I can, so whomever lives there is happy and all....but sure at times feel like taking shortcuts.
But I think it's coming out nice. I put a granite counter in the kitchen, lots of wood trim and shelving and accents, a "torn paper and urethane" counter in the bathroom, came out pretty cool.
Next up is the urethane and paper floor in the bathroom and painting the slab floor

*heads for IBBOD*

Urethane on the bathroom floor sounds like it may be slippery when wet if it doesn't have some texture.

Mine is urethane over burlap, so it has some texture to prevent slippage.

[^Rhino!]

Yggy, I'm proud to know you, if you put that kind of pride and care in your work. A good man to have on the crew at any rate.

Problem solving is the course of the day here. Currently working on two engineering soil surveys for my District (it feels strange to say that, 'my District') but I've been the only Central Office Geologist so long that the added responsibilities of my own District seems a little redundant and small when the entire state is mine to oversee anyway. Add to that a specialized problem of a gully formed in loess right next to a major north south route that's threatening the road,contractor oversight, planning for a training course that goes statewide I teach, and the usual budget and inventory whoop-de-do, and I get a full day today.

I got visited by the state DNR yesterday. Not a problem. They wanted MY assistance and guidance. Seems that they're taking a page from USGS and starting a statewide landslide inventory and database. We already have one. So, it's a data sharing sort of thing, and it may work out well for them. Plus, I have a crazy idea that I may be able to talk our own research people into funding for them, but I'm keeping that quiet until I have dollars ready to go their way. It would help them a lot in these days of reduced funding. Plus, we add their expertise and commentary to our own, and it works out pretty strongly for all concerned. Just a dream right now, but dreams become reality through hard work.

And, I get to learn new things in the process. Learning is lifelong and continual, and you get training whereever you can to get better at what you do.

[Elliot]

...
The resource guide pages have a fair bit of conflicting information,...

You are absolutely correct.

Secondary containment of fuel is one example. If someone reads just the Camp Layout page, they may believe they have this covered. But the Fuel Storage page has higher standards.

It will all be fine. I tend to over-build and over-prepare, compared with the average. For example, I use a full sheet of plywood under my bus' engine and transmission to catch drips. It will all be wondermuss!

[Thecatman]

Joeln

[ygmir]

...
The resource guide pages have a fair bit of conflicting information,...

You are absolutely correct.

Secondary containment of fuel is one example. If someone reads just the Camp Layout page, they may believe they have this covered. But the Fuel Storage page has higher standards.

It will all be fine. I tend to over-build and over-prepare, compared with the average. For example, I use a full sheet of plywood under my bus' engine and transmission to catch drips. It will all be wondermuss!

I got some 30 gallon HDPE barrels from a florist, HDPE, will withstand gasoline. They also fit inside a 55 gallon drum, with the top cut off.......thereby creating a dual walled containment system. 30 gallons of gasoline is not so heavy it can't be moved.
How much are you bringing?

[Elliot]

Thanks Ygmir, but I have the gasoline figured out. I have a bunch of those sturdy black storage totes, which will each hold two 5-gallon cans. I just need to buy a couple more cans.
But I will be e-mailing you about the 30-gallon barrels -- for water.

[Aurelia]

ooo !
the boys are fire..ing up

very fine indeed

xoA.

[robbidobbs]

Grandfather Clock Merlot.$5 a bottle.
Sure.

[trilobyte]

I don't store lots and lots of fuel, and what amount I do keep at camp are kept in 5-6 gallon gas cans. Participating in the theme camp forum in 2012 I learned a lot about fuel safety and just how horrific it is for the playa when any spills on it, so in the wake of that I started stepping up my efforts. I discovered almost accidentally that pond liners are made out of the kind of material that can withstand a fuel spill (regular tarps can't, and fuel-resistant tarps cost a fortune), and that worked out great since I had a bunch of pieces of pond liner from a waterfall installation I made for some events in SF in 2007. I also built a separate shade structure to serve as our fuel depot (previously the gas cans would live under the side tarps of one of the other structures). My big shocking discovery in the fuel storage department came last year when I realized that the majority of red gas cans that were made and sold before 2009-ish are seriously fucking hazardous. Needless to say, those got replaced before last year's burn. On the upside, that's one less thing to have to mess with for this year. I've got a pile of other infrastructure improvements/re-designs to get to - this is going to be a really great year.

It sure felt like a busy day today, but don't feel like I got as much done as I wanted to. Stuff is coming together for GLC, and stuff is coming together for ePlaya projects, so woohoo for progress. And a couple people said some nice things about some art I was involved in, that gave me the warm and fuzzies. Speaking of warm and fuzzies, a cat keeps coming over and climbing into my lap, then sprawling over my arms to let me know it's time to stop computering... haha. Have a good night, folks!

[robbidobbs]

<robbidobbs with chin in hand just smiles and nods.>
I'm getting drunk.

[Dr. Pyro]

Mornin' campers!

Well, I just beat the odds. I have been accepted to run in the New York City Marathon in November! Only one in eight got in via the lottery. Vulture Chow has been nice enough to pass along several hotels near Manhatten that won't completely break my budget. Now all I have to do is figure out how to get in good enough shape to be able to run 26 miles 385 yards. (42.5 kilometers or thereabouts for those of you from Canada) Oh sure, I've ran 27 marathons in my past, including Boston three times. But the last one I ran was in Calgary (Remi was nice enough to meet me after the race for some "rehydrating") but I can perservere. I know: I'll start off slow, then taper off.

[ygmir]

*wanders in, starts ECM*
yay Doc!!
you are our "Well dressed,pseudo athletic, marginally inebriated, perverted hero"
I toast you!!

*notes Doc training in a tux, even in winter....the dapper guy that he is*

[media]

[trilobyte]

Woohoo, Doc, congratulations!!!! 1 in 8, damn, that thing seems to get harder and harder to be a part of. When I lived in NY someone I knew who participated one year was complaining about how tough it was, but I don't remember it being anywhere near as hard. You've got plenty of time to train, then slack off and get out of shape, then pick things back up and start training again in time for November. Cheers!

[Ratty]

Congrats Doc!! If you want we can put a leash on you and run you around the playa behind a bike or MV. Really. It's no bother. Happy to help.

[Dr. Pyro]

Ratty, that might not be as bad of an idea as you may think. With TTITD "late" this year, and the marathon the earliest it can by (November 1) I will be in the middle of training. I would imagine I'll run 16 miles the day before I leave but will need to get no fewer than two decent runs in while at Burning Man. Might as well make it piece of "performance art", right?

[VultureChow]

Can we mount one of the flamethrowers on the FRONT of one of the MVs?

[Thecatman]

Train on the playa, aprx 3,900' in elevation.
NYC just above sea level