a big wrench... thrown into my plans for the burn

Ithaca · Post by **Ithaca** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:47 pm

hello everyone,
this is my first time posting to the eplaya
2010 will be my first burn, and i couldnt be more excited. (or anxious)
i had been planning on attending with my significant other and a few other friends, but now i am planning on making the long journey solo. which is a very daunting concept.
the person i was dating, and i, are no longer together and i thought that i should take the opportunity to experience the burn independently. self-reliance.
is this a good idea? if anyone has any advice it would be very welcome.
namaste
Ithaca

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:53 pm

Nothing will prove that you dont need him like being self reliant on the playa. The self confidence you gain through this adventure will change your life!!!!!!!

Post by **Eric** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:03 pm

You may arrive alone, but you'll meet people in no time. Talk to your neighbors, say hi to random folks, you'll be fine.

Kinetik V · Post by **Kinetik V** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:25 pm

Definitely a good idea. Look at it this way, you can cover more ground and see and experience a lot more of Black Rock City on your terms without having to take someone else's interests into account. GO!

And meeting people on the playa WILL NOT BE A PROBLEM. Even some of the most painfully shy people you can imagine have made it to BRC and made great friends. And since you're an eplaya poster now, don't forget to attend the Meet and Greet!

Ithaca · Post by **Ithaca** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:26 pm

what when and where is the Meet and Greet?!

Kinetik V · Post by **Kinetik V** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:34 pm

Ithaca wrote:what when and where is the Meet and Greet?!

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... et&start=0

Always on Thursday...I don't get to go this year but I wish I could. I'm too busy trying to get restarted here in Vegas. But I've been many times and you will meet some great people there. Doc Pyro from Barbie Death Camp hosts it and he's a damn great guy to know.

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 6:13 am

the person i was dating, and i, are no longer together and i thought that i should take the opportunity to experience the burn independently. self-reliance.
is this a good idea?

Yes... this is a good idea. Come find out who you are as a person unhindered. Break ups can be tough, but living with only yourself, and getting to know you is a good exercise in personal growth.

thk127 · Post by **thk127** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:56 am

It seems that Burning Man is just the right prescription... :D

Post by **Elderberry** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:08 am

Hey there, welcome to eplaya!

JK

Post by **Savannah** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:05 am

You'll be fine. Read the guides linked from the home page, prepare like crazy, and come with an open mind. It's normal to be nervous. But it's a friendly place.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:32 am

Depending on when you get to the playa, you might have days before the meet 'n' greet. Now, like these good people say, there will be no problem meeting people anyway. Unless like me you are shy, socially awkward, and always feel like an outsider. So here are some strategies if you cannot make the first step...
1--MOOP: MOOP stands for Material Out Of Place, i.e. garbage, trash, litter, what have you. You're obligated to do at least two hours around the city, as well as leave your camp clean, but here's how to meet people while MOOPing. Grab a bag, wander down the street, pick up litter. People will stop, thank you, give you schwag, offer you food, suddenly you have people coming to you and talking to you and in healthy numbers. YOu'dll be fighting them off iwth a stick.
2--Pick out some friendly camps and hit them your first day. You can pick them off eplaya, off the what, where, when that is issued to you when you stop at Greeter's station, off other internet sites. By "friendly" we mean that members of the camp have set up activities or organized the interactive areas of their camps as places that are pretty low bar in beginning interaction. Take classes, if you like. Do a craft project. Visist the neighborhood bar. usw. (sorry, I like being obscure and german. etc is the english translation.)
3--Most Controversially, go to Center Camp Cafe. Many long time burners strongly object to coffee being sold at the event, and I may even be one of them (I'll have to look at the entrails of a squirrel to figure out what the answer for that is today.) But is is, supposedly, designed to be a place where the interaction is more "normal" ie, buying a cup of coffee, so that newbs don't have to jump over the wall all at once. There are also lectures and performances and plenty to look at, which means possible conversational openings like "I never seen a guy juggle 6 rubber chicken dinners before."
4--Wear, carry, or ride something eye-catchingly artistic. Again, people will come up to you and open up the conversation with a compliment.
5--When you park, just before you unpack and set up camp, go and meet the nieghbors. "Hi, I'm just setting up, this is my first time, is anyone camping here, where are you from, are you going to play loud music, and someone just rode by on his bike wearing only a clown nose and a tutu."
Advantage: Knowing your neighbors, and having them know you means that there will be support like helping you set up, feeding you bacon, discouraging creeps from bothering you and stealing your stuff.
Play your cards right, and by the time of the meet 'n' greet you'll forget about it because you're so busy.

Oh, and bring a covered cup. Sippy cup is cheap easy way to do it. There are people who take advantage of the gen3eral chaos to slip roofies in people's drinks, and without someone to watch your back, you want to have as much protective gear between you and them as possible.

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:55 am

thanks for the great advice fishy (may i call you fishy). Even though i have been reading this board constantly it is nice to see some of these tips all in one place. Thanks again

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:35 am

Everybody calls me Fishy. Saves confusion that way.

MistressSybs · Post by **MistressSybs** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 12:59 pm

That's no wrench!!! That's OPPORTUNITY to explore who you are and to explore burning man on your own terms! We're Birgins too but we've been to a few local burns here in Texas. You'll meet great people in no time flat! Crypto had some awesome advice for striking up conversations... I might use a few of those myself. =)

My only note of caution is, always take care of yourself!

There was a huge thread about some girl who felt it was within her right to become as trashed as she wanted to be (I guess she blacked out) and true it is your right to do whatever... However as with every group there are a few (very few) bad apples who will take advantage of such a situation - and in her case this might have happened or might not have - when you're that trashed who knows what you agreed to or didn't agree to?

Anyways, hopefully we'll meet you at the meet and greet Thursday night!!!

Lassen Forge · Post by **Lassen Forge** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 2:02 pm

Water. Always have water on you. I usually have a couple nalgene liters - one with water, one with Dragon's piss (potassium/sodium drink, something like Emergen-C) just because. People dehydrate themselves on playa, and the results at best will be an overall crappy feeling lasting a few days... worst, of course, being death, with trips to one of the med stations or Remsa or Reno via Lifeflite somewhere in between.

We also keep a perpetual kooler in the Kantina with Emergen-C - as should (IMO) any kamp that gives a darn about those who are BRC residents. (This message brought to you by the Ministry of Playa Coersion, Bureau of Burner Management)

BY the way - Alcohol will dehydrate you. You should drink 8 oz of water for every 8 oz of booze... no, wait a minute... 8 oz of booze to every ounce of water... um, that's not right... 8 oz WATER to every oz of booze.

If you feel thirsty - you're already dehydrated. Ask any old timer about Pissing Clear - While it's not exactly accurate, you get the idea, dig?

Ithaca · Post by **Ithaca** » Sat Jul 10, 2010 9:48 pm

Fishy,
thank you so much for your reply to my post. all of that information was great and super helpful. stuff i would not have thought of on my own.

bay bridge sue,
i was thinking about the emergen-c...
or what about something like gatorade? is that stuff bad?

cant wait to meet you guys on the playa!

-ithaca

dr.placebo · Post by **dr.placebo** » Sat Jul 10, 2010 10:07 pm

Consider volunteering for something. There's nothing that makes you feel part of it all faster than participating. It's also a great way to meet people. Just don't go crazy and volunteer too much, or you can burn out.

PugRay · Post by **PugRay** » Sat Jul 10, 2010 10:58 pm

To answer your question if I were you I would go with the emergen-c or the Gatorade powder mix and a reusable container. Simplifies leaving no trace.
However, if you like taurine based energy drinks, like many enjoy, there is usually no alternative. It either comes in a can or plastic bottle. I recently spoke with a diabetic who said she had a mix that was safe for her consumption yet it had all the essential components of the energy drinks I enjoy called ZipFizz. I was immediately skeptical of its potency. Anyway I've tried it and have continued. As far as containers go even the nalgene reusable water bottles with the #7 rating made with polycarbonate have been shown to leach bisphenol A. I recommend going with stainless. Although, if you just like the feel of plastic and insist on having a bottle as such, supposedly Camelbak has a new copolyester bottle that's contains no BPA's.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:16 am

Go and enjoy yourself.

jlaux42 · Post by **jlaux42** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 8:36 am

I went solo my second year (2009) and will be doing so again this year. It was a great experience, and camping a bit out in the boonies, I made friends with everyone on my block, so there was plenty of companionship. The flip side is, when you're going alone you need to take care of everything involved in camping at Burning Man yourself. Some things to take seriously as a first-time burner:

Daytime shade -- unless you're in an RV, in which case it's a little more optional but still nice to have. Most tents will be unlivable by mid-to-late morning in direct sunlight.

Water & hydration -- go for the larger size Camelbak, it'll increase your range away from camp

Lighting yourself up for visibility at night -- getting run over by an art car on the deep playa might be a cool way to go, but don't do it.

Real nutritious food -- I like to go Mediterranean, with hummus and tabouli and grapes and the like, or Mexican with materials of yummy burrito-making. Others like bacon.

Foot care -- whether they touch playa or not, my feet and toes always seem to end up destroyed in one way or another by the end of the week, and need to be cleaned, moisturized and sometimes bandaged in some way.

Be one with the survival guide, and you should be fine.

AND HAVE FUN!

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 8:48 am

jlaux42 wrote:I went solo my second year (2009) and will be doing so again this year. It was a great experience, and camping a bit out in the boonies, I made friends with everyone on my block, so there was plenty of companionship. The flip side is, when you're going alone you need to take care of everything involved in camping at Burning Man yourself. Some things to take seriously as a first-time burner:

Daytime shade -- unless you're in an RV, in which case it's a little more optional but still nice to have. Most tents will be unlivable by mid-to-late morning in direct sunlight.

Water & hydration -- go for the larger size Camelbak, it'll increase your range away from camp

Lighting yourself up for visibility at night -- getting run over by an art car on the deep playa might be a cool way to go, but don't do it.

Real nutritious food -- I like to go Mediterranean, with hummus and tabouli and grapes and the like, or Mexican with materials of yummy burrito-making. Others like bacon.

Foot care -- whether they touch playa or not, my feet and toes always seem to end up destroyed in one way or another by the end of the week, and need to be cleaned, moisturized and sometimes bandaged in some way.

Be one with the survival guide, and you should be fine.

AND HAVE FUN!

good advice.......

but (in red)
isn't that analogous to the statement: "others like air to breathe"?

just sayin...........

This Woman · Post by **This Woman** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 12:29 pm

MistressSybs is right about this being an opportunity. It may not feel like it atm, but this unexpected shake up may be the best thing that could have happened pre-burn.

Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and jump. But we will be waiting and wishing you well.

a big wrench... thrown into my plans for the burn

a big wrench... thrown into my plans for the burn

thanks!

Bad is not what's in it perse... it's what it comes in.