My Intro & Request for Ideas

[Blue_Bike]

Greetings,

First, I ask for your forgiveness for the excessive length of this post. As Elderberry has noted, long ago I found forgiveness easier to attain than permission.

I joined ePLAYA last year in preparation for my first burn, but in my hurried search for specific information I didn’t check out the Greeter’s Station and introduce myself. Thinking “better late than never” (akin to the permission thing for me) I am introducing myself to the ePLAYA community belatedly (and have noticed I am not alone in doing so). Also like some others here I chose my screen name in a hurry and it no longer really applies. So this post is my formal introduction as well as a plea for help from this diverse group in choosing a more fitting moniker. I know that crowdsourcing a new name here comes with risk, but risk makes me feel so alive (and I usually greet snark with some humor and grace).

Intro:

So the following bullets outline some fun (or meh) facts about me. They are followed by some screen names I am currently mulling over. I welcome your comments and look forward to meeting as many of you at the 2016 meet and greet at the world renowned BDC.

• My first burn was last year. I had been wanting to be part of TTITD since I learned of it in the late ‘90s. Somewhat regretfully, I let work and life keep me away until 2015. Yet knowing I would eventually go I have read hundreds, maybe thousands, of pages from the BM website over the years in preparation.
• I don’t yet have any “playa name”. Last year I introduced myself to people I met at BRC as “David”, my given first name.
• I am married, but only for another four months when our divorce will be finalized. My wife of 22+ years has been my best friend since 1971. We will remain friends and part of each other’s families forever (he says hopefully). Our interests and priorities have just been diverging for too long now.
• I currently reside adjacent to one of San Diego’s beautiful beaches. But I long for a less crowded place to call home.
• Impulsivity, for better and for worse, seems to be one of my traits. For example, when a friend of ours asked if I would go to TTITD with her last January (and knowing that I would be separating from my wife before long), I not only said yes but I flew across the country and bought a vintage bus conversion to take us there. (The bus is a whole different and continuing story of its own.)
• I am rather shy when meeting new people and often want to reach out but don’t. Realizing that I needed to greatly expand my circle of friends I figured the bus would help me meet all sorts of people (which it has). And BRC is such a super place to make new friends and acquaintances.
• My first burn found me mostly wandering about glassy-eyed, blown away by the scope and scale of that magical place. My reaction surprised me, as I had read so much about it as well as viewed countless photos and hours of video on Burning Man. All of that only partly prepared me for the whole experience. BTW, our friend, an experienced burner who asked if I would go with her and would have served as my “spirit guide” on the playa, had to cancel at the last minute and I ended up giving her daughter a ride there. Her daughter was a burgin like me but she had many friends there that I saw her only a few minutes each day around noon when she would come by the bus to clean up and change costumes. I will definitely reach out and participate more this year!
• I am a bit of thrill seeker and big lover of the great outdoors, having surfed, skied, snowboarded, backpacked, rock climbed, whitewater rafted, rode Harleys, had unprotected sex in risky places, tripped my f’ing brains out, shot guns, blew things up, dabbled in the trade of contraband, worked dangerous jobs, bungee jumped, jumped out of an airplane, run with scissors, etc. Not wanting to taunt fate too much, I have toned it down a little over the years.
• Music helps keep me sane, enjoying a wide variety of types, and I attempt to play a number of different instruments.
• A dear friend gave me an old blue HD Electra Glide Ultra Classic, which was the source of my current moniker “Blue_Bike”. In 2008 when headed to Mexico on it for the Solo Angels’ annual TJ Toy Run, someone ran a light and I hit them hard at about 45 mph. But the head trauma changed my brain function in many ways and led me to being laid off from a stressful job as an overworked construction project manager (that part I am grateful for!). Can’t say that all my family and friends fully appreciate the “new me”, but I sure do. I experience emotion much more now and, strangely, nothing seems to intimidate me anymore.
• Not to get too political here, I consider myself a social liberal and a fiscal conservative (except with my own resources, which I have always enjoyed sharing with others). If you meet me in person be forewarned that you may not want to start a conversation with me about politics, as it can trigger very a long rant seasoned with language so spicy and sharp it can make hard rock miners and sailors blush.
• I have found that in most dealings with others it is better to be kind than to be right.
• I dig the 10 Principles.
• I’m a believer in the whole consent thing, on and off the playa (evidently unlike far too many guys still).

So if you have made it this far, thanks. If that was TMI, fuck your burn (politely smiling). That was the background offered to help me pick a new screen name, and to decide whether or not to speak to me at the meet & greet. The following are some of the names I have been considering:

• Sea Dog – This is one of the names I call our dog, whose whole name is really Cedar.
• September West – Right after August West, the Wharf Rat, who I can identify with.
• Silver Bird Song – After one of my recently favorite old Dead songs and a metal I like for jewelry (could also be Psylver Bird Song as a play on the spelling of a mushroom I used to travel with).
• Solo Angel – After the Mexican moto club that sponsored some bike runs and parties in Mexico I participated in.
• David, Dave, or Davie – My names in defaultia. Could be preceded by San Diego, So Cal, or Bus Boy (have been one, also drive a bus), or followed by 420 (obvious) or Blue (a color I like).
• Delayed Reaction – I am a lifelong procrastinator and seldom in a big rush.
• In the Pink – After my bus.
• Playa Breeze – After my long-winded posting here.

OR

• Anything that might seem appropriate that you think I could live with for a year at least (as Trilo doesn’t want to have to change any one user’s name more often than that).
• Anything relevant name you think would entertain your fellow ePLAYAns (let’s move some popcorn here folks!).

That’s about it brothers and sisters. Please have at it here if you are so inclined. I look forward cogitating on your responses. And I will attach a couple of pics that will provide a bit more color to this post (but not of inside the back of my RV, so as not to Mess up Dr. Pyro's bait for sparkley virgins).

BTW, I just put some 55 gal. barrels and drums up on the Playa Exchange page that need to be gifted to burners in the Seattle area in the next few days. So please alert any burners in the area you know who might need these for their camp. (Mods, please forgive me and delete this if directing to a commerce post is not permitted here.)

[AntiM]

Welcome.

David is good for this year, get some white body paint and a fig leaf and there ya go. Anyway, just let the playa name come to you, don't force it. Took me a few years for mine to settle in.

Beautiful bike. MyLarry has a centennial HD softtail. Unfortunately, he has little time to ride.

You should definitely try to make the meet n greet, see our shiny faces.

[Blue_Bike]

Thanks AntiM.

Wednesday's meet and greet will be the first on my list of happenings to attend this year. My time at BRC and out on the playa last year was one of the most enjoyable mind fucks I have ever experienced. I trust the universe regarding the playa name, "David" worked just fine for me then and I am happy to continue using it there. It is my ePlaya login name that I was thinking about changing in the meantime. Do most ePlaya folks you know use the same name on their ePlaya accounts as they use on the playa? Thanks for the compliment on "Old Blue". I look forward to meeting you at the ePlaya M&G.

[Ratty]

I say wait till you get a playa name. Maybe after a few shots of absinth...at the M&G...We'll think of something. Yes, please use the same name everywhere. I have a devil of a time connecting faces with names.

[Drawingablank]

Welcome. Look forward to seeing you at the M&G.

[Elderberry]

Hey there, welcome to eplaya!

[Blue_Bike]

Drawingablank and Elderberry, Thanks for the welcome! I look forward to meeting you both (and all ePlayans who show up) at the M&G.

Ratty, I am not in any rush for a playa name. But I wanted to update my screen name. And on AntiM's and your suggestion I think I will change my ePlaya screen name to include my first name ("David" is already in use), and just go by David again on the playa. And keeping it simple is an axiom I can live with. Should I end up with a bone-fide playa name at some point, I can change my screen name to match it. And I hear what you are saying about connecting faces with names. The M&G will no doubt be a difficult test of my short term memory. Maybe a little absinthe will relax me just enough to absorb all of the new names and faces so that I won't completely fail that test. BTW, do you have a favorite brand of absinthe? I would like to contribute a bottle to the M&G but don't know a lot about it. I am looking forward to meeting you then.

And on the subject of playa names, for me, making up my own seems a bit precocious and like it would lack the meaning and authenticity of one thoughtfully given to me. I don't pretend to have any issue with others choosing their own playa names, as I see BRC and the whole Burning Man experience as an avenue towards self-identification, uninhibited self-expression, and personal growth. (Yes, yes, and of course it really is one hell of a party! As I saw somewhere, "Go for the art, stay for the party.")

[Elderberry]

My partner's name is John. His playa name is Jon.

[gaminwench]

We (usually) have name tags at the MnG, so you needn't worry about matching names with faces.

My screen name and my playa name are not the same.
It was 6 or 7 years before I received my playa name, but the wait was worth it cuz it's purrfect for me.

[lucky420]

I'm under the delusion that everybody looks like their avatar...

[Aurelia]

I love your bike Harley Davidson wide glide is my darlings and I love riding with him because you're cute on it I suggest you just going to be you

I began going to burning man before it was really organized and I went through lots of steps of connection and adapt Tatian now I prefer simple just me but I do have a beautiful new tent

[Blue_Bike]

Elderberry,
John - Jon, that's what I call keeping it simple, and doing that will be particularly helpful for those of us who might be inclined to do some hearty partying at times while on the playa.

gaminwench,
I have the patience to wait for the universe to provide me with the playa name. If we chat at the meet & greet perhaps I will learn yours that fits you purrfectly. The name tags will be a huge help for me. And thinking about it I just may add a fun name tag to my regular playa costumes. Name tags could also be a fun gift idea in general there, if done right, and serve as cool little piece of swag for those I meet while roaming the city or visiting camps who would like one.

lucky420,
Haha. Such a great way in the digital age to keep life full of surprises!

Aurelia,
Thanks for the kind words about my old scooter. Being myself has mostly worked out pretty well so far and worked on the playa last year. The times thatt hasn't worked well it still ended up being important lessons about how to be a better person. I plan to stick with that approach this year. Yet the playa is such a fine place to explore, express, and develop who we really are and who we might want to become without the expectations of the default world to be "normal". As I'm sure you know, society's normal is not always healthy. I hope you make it to BRC this year and that I get a chance to meet you. Especially if you are up for sharing tales of the progression of Burning Man with me from your perspective. BTW, I lived not far from Baker Beach back in the late '70s, near Lincoln Park and the Palace of Legion of Honor.

Everyone,
So I'm still thinking of changing my screen name to include my first name "David", which I will again introduce myself as on the Playa this year (KISS). I really appreciate the great information and guidance I find here on ePlaya! And if I ever find myself feeling blue I can always log on for a good laugh too! Many of you really crack me up. That especially goes for posts that reach the 'Page 2' level. What a great bunch the regular posters here. I am looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible this year. Thanks.

[Sham]

You will always be Blue Bike to us.....

[Blue_Bike]

Sham,

Thank you for your kind words. So maybe I will keep it real simple and leave things as they are (at least for the time being).

Sidebar/minor thread drift 1:
I see you are a mod here, and appreciate your work here (Savannah, Trilo, Eric, Elderberry, AntiM, et. all too!). Not blowing smoke up anyone's rear or wanting to come off as a kiss-ass here (no reason to do that), just wanting to say thanks for the time a few of you have already spent educating me. Also for gently shepherding all the unique and beautiful animals in this zoo, keeping them (us) from totally running amok, stampeding, then having a feeding frenzy and instantly devouring any troll who enters here. (After all, even though it usually gets old very quickly, some of the trolling I have seen here has been fodder for very entertaining replies. Note to self: Check supply of popcorn.)

Sidebar/minor thread drift 2:
And Sham, your post in the "Any regular tickets?" discussion is spot on and would be a helpful improvement.

Note to self: STFU! You ramble on like a nervous coked-up kid! For God's sake, reign it in and limit yourself to a few concise sentences, MAX! (shaking head at myself) Take that energy and a typewriter out to the deep playa, set up a card table under an umbrella, and create poetry and prose to gift anyone passing by who gives a damn. OK? Yeah, Ok. Promise? Yeah, promise.