Fairly new to all this...

[betsymartine]

Well..OK, not new to reading yearly about the event, the ideas, watching video after video...
New to actually, hopefully, participating in person.
Signed up for a few volunteer opportunities, pre/during/post event....and hope to venture out on the desert for the first time this year.

So, just a basic introduction... Hi!
Empty nester with WAY too much time on her hands at the moment. Found that I think more and more about all "this" , and the need to figure out who I am in the process.
hhmmm...I need coffee. Probably check back later & do some more reading.
Hope you all are having a beautiful beginning to your new year.

[Sham]

Welcome to eplaya and the dusty world of Burning Man.
It seems like you've done a lot of reading and looking.
I would HIGHLY suggest that your first year on the playa, that you go light on the volunteering. There is so much to see and do, and oodles of people to meet, that the your schedule might get in the way of exploring.
I hope you read up on the ticket information. That can get a little hectic.
Good luck with all your preparation and hopefully we'll see you in the dust.

[cryoguy]

Hi Betsy – We (wife and I) went for the first time this year, in fact this time last year we had only a vague idea of BM was, with the encouragement of a veteran burner co-worker we started to researched the event, the more we looked into it the more we wanted to go. This was after the main sale, so we signed up for the STEP sale which did not yield success, skipped the OMG sale and bought the $1200.00 “VIP” tickets which buys you absolutely nothing extra.

We pulled three shifts at arctica ice sales, it was hard work but a total hoot, bonus was we worked in a nice cool place, very hot 2017 was, upside was a few very brief dust storms and a little rain.

Virgins no more, we now have second year fever and looking forward to 2018, which most likely will be a completely different experience from 2017.

I recommend going for it.
Good luck in your planning and prep work, hope to see ya there!

[Elderberry]

Hey there, welcome to ePlaya!

[betsymartine]

Welcome to eplaya and the dusty world of Burning Man.
It seems like you've done a lot of reading and looking.
I would HIGHLY suggest that your first year on the playa, that you go light on the volunteering. There is so much to see and do, and oodles of people to meet, that the your schedule might get in the way of exploring.
I hope you read up on the ticket information. That can get a little hectic.
Good luck with all your preparation and hopefully we'll see you in the dust.

Thanks!
Already started prep work. Will be converting my little trailer into a personal space, I think.
Either that or car camping
Reading up on that, seems a viable option......now to wait for ticket sales!

[Elliot]

Welcome aboard, Betsymartine!
One thing you ought to do now, is sign up for Jack Rabbit Speaks, which is the official e-mail newsletter. All important information is published there (at random intervals, as needed).

Next... what are your interests? Any kind of art? What sort of stuff might you want to try, art or otherwise?
And so on and so on.

Read the Survival Guide, and then read it again. And the other First Timer info. And read here on ePlaya.

[AntiM]

Welcome! What drew you to Burning Man at first? Which expectation do you expect to have shattered and rebuilt anew?

[betsymartine]

Welcome aboard, Betsymartine!
One thing you ought to do now, is sign up for Jack Rabbit Speaks, which is the official e-mail newsletter. All important information is published there (at random intervals, as needed).

Next... what are your interests? Any kind of art? What sort of stuff might you want to try, art or otherwise?
And so on and so on.

Read the Survival Guide, and then read it again. And the other First Timer info. And read here on ePlaya.

Will definitely sign up for the newsletter, and thanks for the warm welcome!
As far as interests go. ...well, I don't know?
That may sound odd to some people...
But I have buried myself in work & Family for 25 + years. I've been "mom" forever....I've lost myself over the years.
I'm not an artist...I don't think? Lol. I'm probably more in the "otherwise" category. But, opening myself up to new experiences every day!

[betsymartine]

Hey there, welcome to ePlaya!

Thanks!

[betsymartine]

Welcome! What drew you to Burning Man at first? Which expectation do you expect to have shattered and rebuilt anew?

Hi!
I don't know what first drew me specifically.
I've read articles through the years. Catch videos here and there. And the more I look at this experience, the bigger the desire to be a part of it grows.
As odd as it sounds, it reminds me so much of my teen years growing up in the reno punk scene.
Maybe recapturing part of my youth is a draw, or just rediscovering a new me....I can't tell.

I have no concrete expectations. My heart and mind are open to new experiences. Shouldn't that be how we live life?

[Elliot]

... ...the desire to be a part of it... ...

Betsymartine, it seems you are doing it right -- since you did NOT say "...desire to go and see it."

Many camps could benefit from having a den mother.

Precious few humans are NOT artists. And in BRC, the definition of art is almost... uh... indefinite.

Carry on.
.