Let the fun begin

sticks101 · Post by **sticks101** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:39 am

Hey this is kevin from Colorado and i go by the name sticks, Mainly because i glow stick and the name just seems to have stuck around. This year will be my first at burning man, i'm extremely resillient to weather after living in australia in the outback for 2 years, these conditions will just seem homey =P

Figure i'd post in here first since thats what it says to do, hope to see you all there and i'm looking forward to it with trepidation.

Post by **Elderberry** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:41 am

Hey there, welcome to eplaya!

JK

sticks101 · Post by **sticks101** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:28 pm

now heres a question i meant to ask with my opening post but was extremely strapped for time before work. How the heck to do you all convince people to go with you, are they just good friends etc or do most virgin burners meet experianced burners elsewhere and go with them.

I admit i'm a little un nerved to think about heading out into the middle of the desert without a single person i know being around. I've done similar stuff before, since i go to almost every rave i go to alone, but i dunno maybe its just an idle concern, but any input would be helpful on this front.

dr.placebo · Post by **dr.placebo** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:48 pm

I went solo in 1999, and my isolation lasted all of 10 minutes. As soon as I got there there was a huge wind and dust storm, and my neighbors and I combined camps (more obstruction = less trouble with the wind). Good people are not rare at all on the playa.

I believe that if you are prepared for the conditions and at least average on making friends that you will do fine solo. Check out Stag Camp or Lamplighter's (see the boards).

Of course, if you want to convince current friends to go then show them the pictures, the YouTube clips, and maybe the various DVDs. If they don't get sucked in then maybe it's not for them, so you can try someone else.

In any case, read the stuff on the Burning Man site and scan the boards and you should be ready enough. Bring an open heart and you will soon have close to 50,000 friends.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:05 pm

Figure out what your interests are, or might be, because you may not know yet and then find camps and other groups that have the same interests. Or go on potty patrol with Robbidobbs.
Really there are all sorts of interest sub-groups at the burn. Environmentalists, kite-flyers, contraptioneers, disaster relief, fire-spinning ("poi"), steampunks, people who set up scavenger hunts, people who dance the Hokey Pokey, ravers, ranters, bead stringers, potters.
And that's maybe 1.84 percent of the possibilities.
So if you find a place to camp, or decide to camp by yourself, you should get six to ten people you've chatted with on line that you want to meet. get the name of their camp and address if they have one and reconcile yourself to the fact that you wont be able to find half of them and half of the half you do find will be too tired, drugged, busy, hungry to really talk to you, but you will find plenty of other people and things to keep you busy entertained amazed.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 3:13 am

sticks101 wrote:now heres a question i meant to ask with my opening post but was extremely strapped for time before work. How the heck to do you all convince people to go with you, are they just good friends etc or do most virgin burners meet experianced burners elsewhere and go with them.

I admit i'm a little un nerved to think about heading out into the middle of the desert without a single person i know being around. I've done similar stuff before, since i go to almost every rave i go to alone, but i dunno maybe its just an idle concern, but any input would be helpful on this front.

I doubt I can allay any nervousness, but you don't need to worry about it.
If you can talk to people, just go and do that.
They aren't all friendly.
Just keep going.

No one can tell who is going to be a burner.
It is very mystifying sometimes.

I am somewhat educating someone about it, five minutes every year or so.
Today I told them that whatever they think they are looking for out there, they will change their mind when they get there.
What do I know?
It wasn't true for me.

I have actually offered to concierge their camping arrangements, because of their schedule.
I can't say why.
I think some people belong out there.

For me, the only question was, is burning man burny enough for me.

Just go.
Ask any questions and get to know us and chances are, you won't see even one of us the whole time when you get there.

sticks101 · Post by **sticks101** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:33 am

SUprisingly many of these stories have helped to allay my nervousness a bit, i think i'm more excited then anything at this point, In truth i geuss that would be true about all burner virgins, Especially those going it on there own first out, I will try to take in as much as possible, but heh, ya never know

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 12:33 pm

Sticks, welcome to eplaya. If you can hack the outback not the steakhouse one though you can hack the playa. Everybody before me has given you good advice. How they were able to do that I'll never figure out

Dont just invite friends to come with you because you think they'll groove on the burn, let them discover for themselves that they are interested and want to take the plunge into dusty nirvana. Cuz if you drag them out there and they are miserable....your liable to become moop, or worse, stuck in the suction hose of a blue palace truck.

I'm sorry, I didnt notice where you were from. Maybe you have a good regional presence in your area, meet and greets etc. e-mail lists? yahoo or google groups? Even if you go alone, I guarantee you that when you drive out of Gerlach and start seeing the dust blowing over the playa ahead, you will get so geeked your liable to wet yourself

Anti-Hero · Post by **Anti-Hero** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:48 pm

Whats up kevin from Colorado....... what part of Colorado are you in?

sticks101 · Post by **sticks101** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:39 pm

As to local meet and greets i have yet to be able to contact anyone from my area, i sent 3 emails a while back, and got a message saying that they will message me back, then never did for 4 months straight. So messaged them back and never heard back from them after that.

I'm from the denver area, i've lived here for quiet a few years now.

As to my friends it wasn't so much they didn't want to go it was more that they were a bit apprehensive about the whole idea of going out there for a prolonged period of time. I definatly want them to want to go, but i would have loved to have them along, and know at least my brother would have liked to gone.

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 12:06 pm

Denver has a pretty active BM scene. Go to www.Coloradoburners.com. There is an older Yahoo group that's a little more active though without the bells and whistles. Search in Yahoo Groups for Colorado-BM.

The White Owl Bar is owned by Burners as is The Thin Man on 17th street. Hope to see ya around!