hey there!! hi there!! ho there!!

tmby · Post by **tmby** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 9:34 pm

Greetings from San Diego

First time Burner, long time fan here, super excited about heading out to the playa in a couple of weeks and thought, in the flurry of activity preparing for the Burn, that I should check out this venue to connect, learn and laugh from like minded folk.

A bit of background, I'm a middle-aged femme dyke who has heard of the Burn for a decade but didn't go, mostly because of my own head trips and limitations as to whether or not I was "cool enough", despite my love of art, photography, electronic music and the appeal of community and alternative social connections. But during those years I grew more secure in myself as I expanded my horizons and had the opportunity to travel the world. Yet still I felt the call of the desert, so this year I decided to hell with it, I'm going!

A Las Vegas friend of mine whom I met through another social group went to the Burn last year. She took some ashes of a mutal friend of ours, lost to cancer at far too early an age, to the Temple and told me how powerful that was for her. As our social group unraveled due to various reasons, including the breakup of my own relationship, she told me about how she preffered to spend her time with Burners instead and encouraged me to find the local group.

So that's what I did. Long story short, I found the regionals list, joined the local email list and ended up volunteering for the first ever San Diego Burning Man film festival. Through that I made friends who I'm now camping with and I'm sewing for the first time since a teenager, making a tutu and playa coat. Yay!! And what's really blown me away about the Burners I've met is how generous and open and accepting they are, how welcome I was made to feel across the whole range of age, gender and sexuality. And I'm feeling the love right back!! I am truly grateful... oh and did I mention excited!?!?!? Woot!!!

I haven't been gifted a playa name yet, "tmby" is short for tomboy

Cheers!!!

Token · Post by **Token** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 10:50 pm

Welcome, looks like you are adjusting to your new home already.

Don't worry about a playa name. One will eventually find you. Took 3 years before I got mine.

Be warned though, playa names can get strange, you know, like Skidmark, Stinky Pirate, Rug Burn, Uncle Sticky etc.

C.f.M. · Post by **C.f.M.** » Fri Aug 13, 2010 6:04 am

I still don't have one. Who cares?

I like "tmby."

Pronouncing it "tumby."

Post by **Savannah** » Fri Aug 13, 2010 10:20 am

Or the variant Tm-BEI.

Glad you got over the not-cool-enough fears, tmby. I wish you a tremendous time out there.

Post by **Elderberry** » Fri Aug 13, 2010 11:43 am

Hey there, welcome to eplaya!

JK

Ya, took me awhile too...but in a high drunken stupor talking about pies, I somehow became Elderberry--because I'm always the oldest person in our camp!

tmby · Post by **tmby** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:57 pm

hi all, thanks for the welcome

timbee, tumbee... it's all good

I had a fabu weekend decorating my playa bike... yay for red fur and el wire!

Since I'm pressed for time with work deadlines and playa prep I'll most likely lurk these couple off weeks pre-burn, just so much to do. I can't wait!! two weeks form tonight I'll be on playa!!!

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:32 pm

jkisha wrote:--because I'm always the oldest person in our camp!

You wouldn't be the oldest person in my camp! Dude!