*waves*

daratheresa · Post by **daratheresa** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 3:36 pm

uh, hi?

i've decided that i am going to make the journey to burning man 2011. i have wanted to go every year for the last ten, but it has always been that i was too busy or did not have enough money or my children were/are too little... it has always been "maybe next year". well, i am sick of letting "next year" pass me by again and again. i am going this time, excuses be damned. yes, my kids are pretty small yet, and it will be different being away from them. no, we can't afford this. yes, i am extremely busy and stressed. but will be so next year, and the year after that, etc. i am going this year no matter what. if i have to sell my kids, so be it! (just joking there. mostly. ;))

i live in the cold, frozen, northern part of new york state, miles and miles away from anything and everything interesting save the military base i live on. it's cold, mundane, and boring. but it's nice, stable, and a great place for now, so i make do. i'll be coming by myself as my husband is out of the country and rather busy for the next year or so, and as fun as i'm sure it would be for my kids this is something i am doing for _me_. the first thing in awhile that i've done just for me, actually, but that's neither here nor there.

i am reading most every guide i can get my hands on regarding burning man. i am pretty intimidated by the whole "pulling everything together and actually doing this" thing, but i will somehow manage it. i may or may not meet up with a friend from the other side of the state to travel, i think i am going to meet up with another friend while there. it's all very vague, though. do any of you have any tips for that? helping to take this from a vague (yet strong) idea to a concrete travelling and happening? i am hesitant to make binding travel plans until i actually have my ticket. are there any military bases anywhere near the area? if i do end up travelling alone i can jet around from base to base pretty efficiently. but that's if i end up going it alone. see what i mean? it's all so... distant and confusing yet. does it coalesce more as the event gets closer?

JStep · Post by **JStep** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 3:46 pm

Hello and welcome from another virgin.

Keep reading all you can online, watch youtube videos, read posts here, search out anything you're wondering about. Once you've exhausted all the online articles you can find, ask questions about whatever you're still unsure of here on ePlaya. By reading a lot here, other people's blogs, the beginners guide, the FAQs on the main website, asking questions of other burners I've met via facebook and the regional groups for my area... I've found I don't really have anything to ask. People I meet give me advice and 9 times out of 10 I already know what they're telling me.

Hope to see you out there! For now... keep reading!

Thecatman · Post by **Thecatman** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 3:49 pm

WELCOME!!

It's always stressed to read and re-read the survival guide.
How are you planning to get to Nevada? Fly? Drive? If you have the time, it'd probably be best to drive, especially if you can hook up with your fiends.
If you do drive, just make sure your vehicle is up to a 6,000 mile round trip.
Others here will throw in their helpful 2cents.

Again, WELCOME!!

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 4:09 pm

Welcome to eplaya!

Post by **Elderberry** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 5:03 pm

Hey there, welcome to eplaya!

JK

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 5:26 pm

Travis AFB, Fairfield, CA is about the closest base where you could expect to get a hop to...but Space A travel is always a PITA if you're on a tight schedule.

Once you get to Travis, then you've got to arrange transportation to BRC...about 280 miles distant. Less hassle to buy a plane ticket to Reno...lots of ride opportunities from RNO...there's even a Burning Man Help Desk at the airport! You can even do some shopping for supplies there.

moonrise · Post by **moonrise** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 5:38 pm

You're a New Yorker, me too, born and raised in NYC until we moved to LA, what a change!

I will probably become known as the Regional mascot, but I can't stress enough to do all the prep stuff mentioned above but also try to sign up for your Regionals email annouce list(s) for New York...they have a regional burn of some sort but you do not have to attend that if your schedule is tight.
I do think you'll find many, many small things you'll be able to get involved with through your regional and perhaps connect with some burners close to your location who you could colaberate with...#1 is be prepared for playa desert conditions...this is paramount. #2 will be all the fun stuff, to put it simply.

Welcome!

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 5:47 pm

Fallon NAS (Naval Air Station) is 60 miles from Reno and 120 miles from the playa...they probably have a shuttle bus to Reno. I think there is also a car rental place on base or if not then in Fallon, NV

oh yeah,
Hola and Hello

daratheresa · Post by **daratheresa** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 6:24 pm

wow. thanks already, everyone. tons of info. you guys are great.

i'll find out for sure at some point in the next few months whether i'll be going alone or meeting up with friends along the way. that will confirm my traveling options one way or another. i would just drive the entire way, but i can't spare that much time. getting my mother to take all three of my kids for an entire week is already turning out to be a chore, ;) actually, this will be the longest that the two younger ones have ever been away from me, so it will be interesting to say the least.

the conditions there don't intimidate me as much as they could; i have access to a lot of top-notch military gear(ie. camelbacks, awesome socks, sleep systems, extreme weather stuff), and my husband has given me a lot of awesome desert clothing from various places in the middle east, between the two i'm at the top for both functionality and awesome style. (i'm also a smartass from time to time, sorry about that...)

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 6:33 pm

daratheresa wrote: i have access to a lot of top-notch military gear

Kick down? We paid for it, might as well pay for it again. Is it cheaper than surplus?

daratheresa · Post by **daratheresa** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 6:42 pm

TomServo wrote:
daratheresa wrote: i have access to a lot of top-notch military gear
Kick down? We paid for it, might as well pay for it again. Is it cheaper than surplus?

a lot of it is just issued, and has to be returned eventually. my husband is active duty infantry so he gets new stuff issued all the time, so i have all last year's stuff of his here to use. i am accountable for it, though, and have to turn it in eventually. but i could bring a bunch of smaller items to make life easier for people... now you have me thinking.

what would be useful?

what we buy we buy at a similar price to surplus. it depends how out-of-date the stuff at the surplus place is, it can sometimes be cheaper.

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 7:05 pm

Useful? Camo netting, compact cooking gear, first aid kits, M-16s, MREs, cots, you name it! Why does the military get all the good stuff?

daratheresa · Post by **daratheresa** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 7:20 pm

TomServo wrote:Useful? Camo netting, compact cooking gear, first aid kits, M-16s, MREs, cots, you name it! Why does the military get all the good stuff?

hmmmm. let me ask around, see who's not using/doesn't need what around here. i could probably get a pretty decent donation. then i'd just have to figure out a way to get it all there...

why does the military get all the good stuff? dunno, but i'm not going to complain about it. best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, they take good care of us.

burner von braun · Post by **burner von braun** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 8:05 pm

Hi daratheresa,

It sounds to me like you're on the right track. Continue reading info; if you are like I was this time last year, I found it hard not to read more! Much of that learning will become instinct, and this allows you to make good choices regardless of how your travel or camp plans evolve over the next few months.

Lots of people come to Burning Man on their own, some even recommend that approach, so if your plans move in that direction, don't be concerned, you'll soon be among 50,000 like-minded people, and it is easy to make new friends, even for shy people (not saying you are shy, but others may be reading this who are)

Enjoy this time while you're learning, it's good
Enjoy knowing that late next summer, you'll be at Burning Man!

bvb

daratheresa · Post by **daratheresa** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 8:08 pm

oh, i am shy. took me days to work up the courage to post a hello here once i decided i wanted to do it. *grins*

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 8:14 pm

not to worry. It took me lurking a while before I posted an intro and I didn't even introduce myself in this thread. I think a lot of newcomers are shy at first.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 8:23 pm

welcome.
a photo, fun or whatever, is neat, too.
Here's where we've all done it.
It's nice to put a face with the name......and, on playa, great to recognize someone.
If you can hot link, so it shows up, that's best.
the links at times not so much.
try not to be red..............chuckling........

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... 067#613067

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 8:23 pm

daratheresa wrote:oh, i am shy. took me days to work up the courage to post a hello here once i decided i wanted to do it. *grins*

And you did! Welcome again! Just take the snark with a grain of salt. If your husbands still in the middle east, come August...just think of it as being their with him. Its desert, dry and weird.

knowmad · Post by **knowmad** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 8:56 pm

Welcome!
looks like yer off to a good start, and quite a few of us in these forums have a military background, comes from our "pull our own weight mentality/culture"
you'll do fine. and while some make a habit of gifting out unsolicited advice.
I offer only these two pearls.
A. Don't go Swimming with Bow legged yahoos.
and
B. If you ever see a Gigantic One Eyed Flaming Green Penis, just smile and wave.

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 9:12 pm

I heard that...

daratheresa · Post by **daratheresa** » Sun Dec 05, 2010 4:59 am

TomServo wrote:If your husbands still in the middle east, come August...just think of it as being their with him. Its desert, dry and weird.

oh, he'll be there. he loves it over there. only spent 8 months stateside this last time before he volunteered to go over again. (technically you're allowed a year home for each year there.) he loves the culture, he loves the people, he's learning to speak both farsi and pashto. to be honest i'm rather jealous that he gets to travel and see the world and i'm stuck at home. though i guess i could skip the whole getting shot at part. and the whole ied part.

but we're planning on travelling to some of the non-war-torn parts of the mid-east in a few years, so the playa should be good practice.

daratheresa · Post by **daratheresa** » Sun Dec 05, 2010 6:11 am

ygmir wrote:welcome.
a photo, fun or whatever, is neat, too.
Here's where we've all done it.
It's nice to put a face with the name......and, on playa, great to recognize someone.
If you can hot link, so it shows up, that's best.
the links at times not so much.
try not to be red..............chuckling........

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... 067#613067

my profile pic is me, will have to do for now.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sun Dec 05, 2010 1:52 pm

I'm looking for some military fleece.
I'm willing to pay anything reasonable.

I have one jacket, but it was the last in my size and there were no pants that fit.
Love the design.

No local milsurp here generally.

FYI, anyone wearing infrared locators, don't put them in a self sensing dryer.
It fools the sensor.

daratheresa · Post by **daratheresa** » Sun Dec 05, 2010 2:29 pm

gyre wrote:I'm looking for some military fleece.
I'm willing to pay anything reasonable.

I have one jacket, but it was the last in my size and there were no pants that fit.
Love the design.

which color? the black? the grey-green?

gyre wrote:FYI, anyone wearing infrared locators, don't put them in a self sensing dryer.
It fools the sensor.

yep. yep it does.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sun Dec 05, 2010 3:17 pm

Either color would be fine.

moonrise · Post by **moonrise** » Sun Dec 05, 2010 8:57 pm

FYI, If you dry fleece in the dryer with heat, it melts it and ruins the "loft" and it doesn't work as well.

Best to tumble it on cold air and hang it to dry.

daratheresa · Post by **daratheresa** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:26 pm

i've been poking around here for a few days, and if this is a sampling of what i might get when i get there, well, i'm sold. in some ways this might end up being less of a pilgrimage and more of a homecoming of sorts...

Da Mule · Post by **Da Mule** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:34 pm

welcome to eplaya, daratheresa

While it's a great place and all, the real thing is even more amazing.

daratheresa · Post by **daratheresa** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:53 pm

Da Mule wrote:welcome to eplaya, daratheresa

While it's a great place and all, the real thing is even more amazing.

why thank you.

and yes, i can only imagine for now, but i'll find out soon enough. i'm figuring this place is a bit of a reflection of it, fractal style...

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:58 pm

safe to assume you're near brownsville then, although right now it's whitesville.

Fortitude!

it's hard to drum up the effort to even go outside sometimes...

oh wait, perhaps some cold Champlain?

*waves*

*waves*

woolworths #1

waves

waves