My heart is in CA, but the rest of me resides in KS

lbdavid98 · Post by **lbdavid98** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:35 am

I almost didn't post here, but I'm committed to being at Burning Man in 2010--and I want to participate as fully as possible, so I guess that starts here.

I'm a California native, but I've got itchy feet and I can't seem to stay any one place for more than a couple years. I followed those feet to Kansas last April and I'm about to experience my first midwestern winter... (all of my previous residences were in the Southern US spanning from Long Beach, CA to Augusta, GA)

I'm not going through anything life-changing or super exciting... I moved here to write and translate books, but found I still needed a dayjob. The upswing is that I can afford to go to Burning Man finally (it's been on my bucket list since I was an undergraduate--and I don't want to wait anymore).

Mostly right now I'm in search of some community, I know there's a burner group here in Kansas and I'm gonna reach out. But when I get to Blackrock City I want to help do something, so if there's a big art project that needs an ogre (6'5", 310 and built for lumberjacking) I'd love to hear about it.

Oh and I'm an amateur cartoonist who can't draw better'n stick figures. (I can take something drawn and render it in a computer then move it like a puppet) I'm not seeking a plug, but if someone who can draw wants do do something fun we can put our brains together. I dunno if it's permissable to mention that here, if I'm outta line I'm sure someone'll put me on the right path. Thanks!

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:19 am

Welcome! And you will find out this winter why so many wagon trains were pointed west, not east.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:45 am

Ugly Dougly wrote:Welcome! And you will find out this winter why so many wagon trains were pointed west, not east. :)

Not according to Mel Brooks, they weren't!

Oh, the Missouri Burn is called "Gateway" and I hear good things about it.

lbdavid98 · Post by **lbdavid98** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:37 am

[quote="Ugly Dougly"]Welcome! And you will find out this winter why so many wagon trains were pointed west, not east. :)[/quote]

Yeah, I saw my first snowflakes and immediately updated my facebook status to reflect my enthusiasm. Then I saw my first wreck caused by ice on the road and decided to reign in my enthusiasm until I learn how to drive in cold weather. On the flipside, it was the only time I've had to wait in traffic since I moved here--can't say that about Los Angeles.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 12:57 pm

How's the sushi out there, pilgrim?

Surely you have decent Mexican food in beautiful downtown Wichita.

Homiesinheaven · Post by **Homiesinheaven** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 1:28 pm

hi!

you, dear friend, will have no shortage of projects or camps that would LOVE the help of a 6'5", 310 ogre built for lumberjacking. in my opinion the best gift you can give at BM is your time and your help. as the event draws nearer you will see many posts about projects on this board. you can also sign up to volunteer and they will direct you to a place that will use your skills but it's as easy as getting there on the first day and just walking around and seeing who needs help.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 2:59 pm

Bobby Burns wrote:My heart is in the heighlands,
My heart is not here.
My heart is in the highlands
Chasing the deer.

Farewell to the highlands
Farwell to the north
The birthplace of honor
The country of worth

Wherever I wander
wherever I rove
The hills of the highlands
forever I love

My heart is in the heighlands,
My heart is not here.
My heart is in the highlands
Chasing the deer.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 3:37 pm

He'd make a fine barbarian, that's for sure.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 3:43 pm

I'm just scared that I have that memorized.

lbdavid98 · Post by **lbdavid98** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:13 am

Yeah, at first I was worried about the whole gifting thing. It wasn't the expense of preparing a bunch of gifts so much as finding something appropriate that wouldn't be a meaningless trinket. (Not that there's anything wrong with trinkets, just if it doesn't mean anything to me, why should it mean something to you?) I think for year one I'm just going to try and help as many people as I can and see how that goes. Maybe I'll get an idea for next year in the process.

Oh, I haven't tried the sushi. My grandaddy always said, "Don't go to bed with someone crazier than yourself, and avoid seafood if you're more than a days drive from the ocean." The first turned out to be such great advice (considering my own abnormalities) that I never questioned the second. But it only took me four tries to find a real Mexican restaurant.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 9:58 am

The way I heard it was, "don't sleep with someone with more problems than you". And yeah, I tested that thing about the sushi, and it's true.

Homiesinheaven · Post by **Homiesinheaven** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:11 am

no disrespect to your grandpa but unless you're talking about actual sleeping "Don't go to bed with someone crazier than yourself" is a load of hooey. everyone knows that crazy girls are the best sex! there must a report in a science journal somewhere cause it's fact.

lbdavid98 · Post by **lbdavid98** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 11:23 am

Well with modern logistic capabilities (and freezing) you can get decent seafood almost anywhere I suppose, I just only crave it when I know I'm someplace I can get it especially fresh. Fisherman's Warf in Monterey CA comes to mind... As for the quotation, I've heard it a number of different ways--I suppose at its heart it's just a reminder not to let more trouble into your home than you're equipped to handle.

Funny story about the crazy woman my grandfather actually married: (Skip if you hate anecdotes) I was recently allowed to read a letter written to my father during the Vietnam war, about a particularly virulent Christmas at home. Shots were fired in the dining room, and no one was hurt, but police arrived and confiscated all the weapons, save Grandma's suicide gun which was hidden under her pillow.

There's actually a police report to accompany the letter, my mom keeps everything bless her heart, and I've often toyed with the idea of adapting it to some sort of fiction (a play perhaps?)... Grandma passed away before I had a chance to meet her, of natural causes, but no one ever took that gun away from her. I guess she liked knowing she was on this earth of her own choosing!

lbdavid98 · Post by **lbdavid98** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 11:32 am

Homiesinheaven wrote:no disrespect to your grandpa but unless you're talking about actual sleeping "Don't go to bed with someone crazier than yourself" is a load of hooey. everyone knows that crazy girls are the best sex! there must a report in a science journal somewhere cause it's fact.

Yeah, but you have to sleep sometime! And it's a lot more restful when you have reason to believe you'll wake up with all of your bits intact. Plus, my level of insanity allows a pretty healthy threshold for deviance.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 1:04 pm

lbdavid98 wrote:
Oh, I haven't tried the sushi. My grandaddy always said, "Don't go to bed with someone crazier than yourself,

I just assumed you weren't talking about women with that one.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 1:09 pm

Some women are followed by the sound of ticking, or of the sulfur smell of a burning fuse. They seem real peaceful.

I try to be like that myself, since some folks find it exciting.

Ivory Bill · Post by **Ivory Bill** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 7:37 pm

I grew up in KS and now live in Wisconsin. You got nothing to fear from the winters.

Plenty to fear, but not the winter.

lbdavid98 · Post by **lbdavid98** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 11:59 pm

I dunno, 4 degrees is pretty scary for a Californian. I spent thirty minutes making my car safe to drive last night (had to clear off the snow, scrape off the ice, unfreeze the wipers, and defrost--was almost 20 minutes late to work!) Plus everytime it snows I see cars off the road in ditches, or turned around the wrong way on the freeway. Mostly I'm afraid of ice though... I'm getting tired of seeing the traction control alarms every time I drive up the hill towards the highway.

Post by **Sham** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 5:11 am

Welcome David and good luck making your way to BRC for 2010. Start gathering your stuff now, August is just around the corner.

Good luck learning to drive on the snow and ice. Almost everything you have to do is the opposite of what you have learned. For instance, if you are on the highway and the car in front of you skids on the ice, you tend to push down on the brake HARD and also go into a skid. An exerienced winter driver would take their foot off the gas and manuever around the skidding car without locking the wheels. At very worst case in a situation like that, you could control hitting the other car with your bumper if you DON'T lock your wheels, and not skidding sideways into it.

In deep snow, keep those tires moving and make sure you keep the rear end fishtailing to a minimum. If you stop in deep snow, you will not get started again. Keep rolling along at a steady, even speed. Try to slightly INCREASE your speed up hills.

Leave plenty of room between the car in front of you and try NEVER to break your traction in both starting and stopping.

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 9:40 am

everyone knows that crazy girls are the best sex!

i can indeed, confirm this.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 9:46 am

Simon of the Playa wrote:
everyone knows that crazy girls are the best sex!

i can indeed, confirm this.

I'll second that

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:10 am

neat or sloppy?

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:14 am

brazillian, first or second..........

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 12:34 pm

it's all about the trim, i suppose.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 1:01 pm

a milk mustache and a hungry cat will do.............

Post by **mdmf007** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 2:45 pm

Simon of the Playa wrote:neat or sloppy?

First one - then the other.

lbdavid98 · Post by **lbdavid98** » Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:16 am

Simon of the Playa wrote:
everyone knows that crazy girls are the best sex!

i can indeed, confirm this.

Well it helps to be a bit unstable yourself, widens the range of women that still satisfy my grandpappy's advice, and all but ensures that when you don't follow it you regret it. (maybe not that night, but soon... and for the rest of your life? mmMmmmm Casablanca)