Pendants, Swag and Associated Stories

[CyanEssence]

I got one of my favorite pieces of 2015 swag from someone at Camp Hooker.

The story behind it: I was driving my friend's car on Sunday, I was dropping my bike of with BAAAHS, because they were nice enough to offer to bring it to and from the Bay for me (thanks you guys). I overshot their spot a little, got turned around, and a lovely young lady approached my friends station wagon, and I slowed down, thinking she might need a ride somewhere. Instead, she offered me an awesome pendant. Thanks whoever your are, I wear it regularly, and always get compliments.

The BAAAHS/BDV thing is not lost on me either...

[sadie]

I bet the lovely young lady was our very own Vulture Chow!!

[Ratty]

I would guess Vulture Chow. She's a lovely young lady. Plus it sounds like something she would do.

[graidawg]

MY lovely Vulture Chow.

Was it on Sunday? Near bug zapper glory hole?

[VultureChow]

That would be me!

This has completely made my day. Sunday we were sitting on a surplus of tags and I just started chasing down cars. To think a fellow eplayan was one of them. Thank you so much for your story.

[CyanEssence]

VC, that is awesome! I think you may be the first regular eplaya user that I have encountered in person (at least that I know of).

Graidawg, I was driving a car, and never really walked around over there. It may well have been near the legendary bug zapper glory hole, I just don't know. All I know is that I was looking for BAAAHS and Camp Hotel Carpet, and overshot both. Basically, I was lost in the BDV 'hood.

Cool that I got to interact with, let alone get a gift from, someone on eplaya. I had to miss the M&G because I had to work an 8 hour shift that afternoon.

[torrey.smith]

OK, fess up, which of you has one of these, and if so how did you get it?

[Jackass]

I was poking around at decomp looking for those, but alas I never located said penant. I did however get to strike a coin in slow-motion.

[torrey.smith]

My early crew arrived to a slight confusion on placement. We ended up setting up at DUSTFISH Village.

It looks like you need one!

[CyanEssence]

Someone on our team at Arborealis has one of those, he got it from a guy that I have met a few times. I even helped him and a bunch of other people lift a tesla-coil/spool-something-or-other-thing into the back of a box truck at NIMBY. He has a hat with loads of stickers on it, alas, his name eludes me.

I was poking around at decomp looking for those, but alas I never located said penant.

Same here. Part of the "problem" may have been that I immediately began sharing the bottle of Bulleit I brought. I didn't help that as soon as I arrived, DPW started playing "We Built This City" on their soundsystem - how can you not drink whiskey to that? Got a bit sidetracked. I even forgot to bring snacks (which I actually had) over to the park area for Ratty's thing.

My day then turned into a steady stream of conversations, dancing, and sipping bourbon with people I had never met. Once I ran out, I happened upon people I did know. Despite not finding the aforementioned pendant, I had some great interactions, and it all led to a long, strange trip back home, wherein I ended up walking around lost in Potrero Hill for hours after the event (note: I live on what is basically the opposite end of town).


Wow, I guess every pendant does have a story, even some that I don't have myself.

[torrey.smith]

Someone on our team at Arborealis has one of those, he got it from a guy that I have met a few times. I even helped him and a bunch of other people lift a tesla-coil/spool-something-or-other-thing into the back of a box truck at NIMBY. He has a hat with loads of stickers on it, alas, his name eludes me.

The man with the hat... is me

Thanks for your help that day! Here's a short video of it sparking on the Playa.

Here's a long video of the project in general.

[CyanEssence]

Wow, who knew this thread would turn out to be where I find everyone on eplaya that I have met so far IRL?

Sorry VC, turns out torrey.smith was the first eplayan that I unwittingly met.

torrey.smith, happy to help with the heavy lifting. You weren't kidding about the first video being short, and the second long. At least it wasn't the cliched montage set to dubstep Burning Man project type of video. I've got to get over to NIMBY soon. Haven't been back since the burn. I have a couple of burn barrels I wanna make and donate to a group I work with on the playa, so I will be around, eventually. I'll reintroduce myself as Cyan next time we meet.

[CyanEssence]

Ok, here is one that I have often wondered about, especially since I have seen it on other people in pictures. Mine is the one on the far left. I got it after my first burn, from a friend that I made out on the playa. I was told that it was made by some welders, and that some people would be jealous if they knew I had it. That was all I was told.

I love this piece, and I have a great story from my first year, but I won't share it on the boards - it'll have to wait for an in person conversation. There is nothing unsavory or illegal about it, rather, it is just too personal to describe here.

Back to the piece. Does anyone know where these came from? The image on the right is Adrian Robert's picture from the front of Burning Man Live: 13 Years of Piss Clear - Black Rock City's Alternative Newspaper. The one in the middle is Jerri Manthey, apparently a cast member from the TV show Survivor (I wasn't much into TV during those years), on the cover of Playboy wearing the piece (this image is from Piss Clear, but you can see it is not just a prank photo by searching for that cover elsewhere online).

I cherish this piece, especially because it, to me, represents my initiation into Burning Man culture.

[theCryptofishist]

That would be me!

This has completely made my day. Sunday we were sitting on a surplus of tags and I just started chasing down cars. To think a fellow eplayan was one of them. Thank you so much for your story.

*ahm* I might be able to take one off your hands... maybe.

[CyanEssence]

Seriously, I know I could find some people who would love those.

[arcteryx]

First Burn, 2010, first gift


Some from this year

[CyanEssence]

That is awesome that we both got that same pendant as our first gift at our first burn. Granted, I did get a sticker and other "gifts" like people helping me with getting acculturated instead of writing me off and all that, but that was my first pendant.

So what are some cool stories behind those pendants? Crazy interactions that led to the person giving them to you, etc?

[SimonJester]

These are some of my favorite pieces of swag this year. The little metal man was some tire popping moop in deep playa.
It caught my eye in the dust one morning and I wasn't about to let his pointy bits make me walk all the way back to town.

The BRC15 key was given to us by our neighbors at the GSR. They told us if we showed it to a bartender we could get a free drink.

I don't remember where the wooden nickel came from. It might have been a necklace at some point. It made for a good size reference in the photo.

Of the two tickets the one in the middle is a magnet. Someone from the Arrow Bar gave us that. The one on the left is just a stub to compare it with.
They turned out really well and he gave us tips for how to get them made.

Last is the honorable mention given to me by the man who won burning man this year. He told me I came in a close second along with everyone else.
He was wearing a dress made of the things if I remember right.

I've also got a bike bell that I used while walking, a gimp on a necklace, tons of blinky lights, a love potion, some stickers, and a couple glass vials filled with playa dust.
My favorite sticker has to be a decal of the city layout. I've got it across my steel water bottle that I managed to hold onto through the entire week.

[danibel]

First Burn, 2010, first gift

Though I believe there may be more than one version of these floating around... mine came from Aaron at ZonerHill. He lives in the city and makes steel and stone jewelry. I wore mine for three years straight, then the cord ripped and I haven't replaced it. Now my little man lives in my purse and goes everywhere with me.

[Ratty]

My first year I received a great little man ingeniously made from black cord. I loved that stupid thing. This year at the burn my campmate from Canada had one like it on her pack as a zipper pull. I was floored. It's a handmade thing. Turns out when I gave her my old pack it came with it. Now my little man lives up North and we visit once a year.

[AntiM]

My first pendant was a Submit to the Chicken one from the Petermans in 2001. It is still on my hat.

Because of the Home, I am now gifted a lot of swag, and it is all very cool. I love every piece, but end up with far too much. Some of it ends up in the Gifting Box, better to share than to hoarde. But I have some very special pieces I cannot give up. My brother made a silver man for me, with a tiny block rock ring to hang on the chain. I'll need to do a photo shoot ....

[torrey.smith]

Here's a pendant I just made along with Shane "Saw" Sischo as a gift to the Artumnal Gathering auction to support Burning Man Arts:



Link to auction

[Savannah]

First Burn, 2010, first gift

Though I believe there may be more than one version of these floating around... mine came from Aaron at ZonerHill. He lives in the city and makes steel and stone jewelry. I wore mine for three years straight, then the cord ripped and I haven't replaced it. Now my little man lives in my purse and goes everywhere with me.

I'm guessing there is indeed more than one version . . . mine is virtually identical, but came from the Department of Spontaneous Combustion in 2008.