Hello and Welcome... What's your name? Tell me about You...

delinquent · Post by **delinquent** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 5:55 am

[quote="Dr. Pyro"]Melbourne to New York City? And then to the Black Rock Desert? You my dear win the Friends of OPEC Award. Might I suggest Melbourne to LAX or SFO, then either fly or take the train to Reno (fly if LAX, train if SFO), and catch a ride from there? That would save you at least 36 extra hours of traveling and who-knows how much more money. We have several campmates, one a wily veteran, coming in from Australia. If you'd like their emails, PM me and I will send it along.[/quote]

Wow. That's a lot of abbreviations. I think I know one of them (Personal Message?)

36 hours driving around in an RV in another country sounds heaps of fun. As for money- I'll have enough of that. If not... I'll figure something else out.

Travelling to Burning Man is the least of my concerns. Looking good, when I arrive, however...

Thanks for the advice. I'll hire a van this week (hopefully ;)) and formulate a semblance of a plan next :)

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 8:02 am

delinquent wrote:
Dr. Pyro wrote:Melbourne to New York City? And then to the Black Rock Desert? You my dear win the Friends of OPEC Award. Might I suggest Melbourne to LAX or SFO, then either fly or take the train to Reno (fly if LAX, train if SFO), and catch a ride from there? That would save you at least 36 extra hours of traveling and who-knows how much more money. We have several campmates, one a wily veteran, coming in from Australia. If you'd like their emails, PM me and I will send it along.
Wow. That's a lot of abbreviations. I think I know one of them (Personal Message?)

36 hours driving around in an RV in another country sounds heaps of fun. As for money- I'll have enough of that. If not... I'll figure something else out.

Travelling to Burning Man is the least of my concerns. Looking good, when I arrive, however...

Thanks for the advice. I'll hire a van this week (hopefully ) and formulate a semblance of a plan next

Pyro = Pyromaniacal
SFO = San Francisco
LAX = Los Angeles
OPEC = Org of Oil Exporting Countries
RV = Recreational Vehicle

Enable bbcode and smilies on your profile.
Everything should work in preview.

I hope you make it here.

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 10:48 am

Ashley, Doc was referring to excessive air travel. Look on a globe or world map, and you will see that it is much shorter from Australia to California than from Australia to New York. And New York is far from Nevada, while California is close. So the only sensible thing to do is fly to Los Angeles or San Francisco, then drive up to Burning Man.

Everyone should have a globe and a large World map -- simple things that deliver a ton of information.

All airports in the world have a three-letter designation. SFO = San Francisco International Airport. LAX = Los Angeles International Airport. SMF = Sacramento Metropolitan Field. (Field is an old term for airport.) Etc.

BRC = Black Rock City -- but you knew that, eh?

TTITD and similar = That Thing In The Desert = The Burning Man Art Festival.

delinquent · Post by **delinquent** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 7:26 pm

Thanks Elliot & the Dr...

Yes, it would be cheaper (and quicker/easier) to travel straight to SFO however I'm meeting a friend in NYC before the road trip to TTITD. At this stage I haven't booked flights so I might end up in the US up to two weeks before the burn, and would like to see more of the united states than just a giant effigy on fire

Obviously travelling direct to NYC isn't ideal but then finding my way to BRC by myself probably wouldn't be either!

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 7:45 pm

All right, I suppose it makes sense then.

replayzero · Post by **replayzero** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:42 am

My name is Richard Buchanan. I am from London in the UK. I am going to be hanging out in San Fran this summer and am happy to be able to attend Burning man festival.

I am a conceptual thinker type, adventurous and generally a creative person.

I try to be positive and optimistic about the world and my life in it.

:)

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:44 am

Welcome, Richard.

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:38 pm

Welcome aboard, Richard. I take it your San Francisco friends are educating you about Burning Man. If not, then be sure you read the Survival Guide and the other first-timer information on the main web page.

So.... Any examples of your artistic/creative work?

magdelyn · Post by **magdelyn** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 2:38 pm

Just because I'm promiscuous, doesn't mean I suck... I live in the San Francisco Bay area. Cute, in a tranny sort of way. I am a fun person. I am bit erratic, but relatively sane.

Sigmund · Post by **Sigmund** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 5:58 am

Hello everyone ! I'm Simon, 29, and I live in Toulouse, France.

I plan to visit the US next summer, and of course I couldn't miss the Burning Man ! I still wonder what I'll be able to bring to all the people there... But hey, I have a whole year to find it out !

Anyway, I'm glad to be part of the community, and I really can't wait meeting new people (and cultures) on this forum, as well as during the Festival !

Post by **Savannah** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 3:53 pm

Simon, bringing your well-prepared self, a good attitude, and no expectations is the best thing a virgin can give the city. There is no obligation to gift. Gifts are given freely, not owed.

But, if you are handy, walk around the city with a pair of work gloves (they pack small!) and look for a few people who might be struggling w/ set-up. Assistance is a great gift.

If you are artistic, handmade burning man necklaces or other jewelry is popular. An image of the man and year are a recurring theme, but one could get considerably more original than that. There is no standard.

If you are neither handy nor artistic, small LED lights on lanyards go over well at the potties at night.

Or serve drinks. And so on.

Don't bring trinkets or random things that mean nothing to you, or anything that shreds, or is easily destroyed into small pieces.

Sigmund · Post by **Sigmund** » Sun Jun 26, 2011 12:37 am

Thanks for the advice, Savannah. Fact is that I'm not handy at all ; I love to help, but when it comes to construction works, I have two left hands. But I still can do my part ! I'll try to find something artistic and that respects the desert, Moop-friendly.... I guess coming at BM is also a way to discover the surprising things I can do, when I thought I couldn't do it or wouldn't have thought of it ! (is my grammar OK ? I have a few doubts)

Post by **AntiM** » Sun Jun 26, 2011 6:30 am

Bring a little trash bag and pick up MOOP! Simple and very helpful.

I used to teach ESL, so I feel I can give advice on English. Your grammar is not bad, but yes, it could use a bit of fine tuning. "Coming at" Burning Man has a different meaning than "coming to" Burning Man. The first indicates you are already there and in the act of coming; the second, that you are arriving.

And yes, you will find new aspects of your abilities whil ein the desert!

Sigmund · Post by **Sigmund** » Sun Jun 26, 2011 8:02 am

Hrmmm... Yeah, right, sorry about that... I guess I was a little bit tired yesterday night when I wrote this post... Or maybe I had something in mind I didn't want to say (freudian slip, as would note graidawg).

Anyway, how foolish I am, to write "coming at BM" when we all perfectly know that unexpected sex NEVER happens in BM ! It's just like drugs : I read so many stories and threads about how it really works here (it's not a place where you take drugs in the open air, cops make busts every year, etc.) that EVEN if I had wanted to, I'm now completely clean. I dust off all these birgins illusions.

Now I see the light.

jasonjoy · Post by **jasonjoy** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 3:49 pm

My name is Jason and I'm 25. I grew up on the East Coast but came out to California for college and have loved being here ever since! I live in SF and work in technology. I'm looking forward to this summer and perhaps doing my first BM. I haven't gotten tickets yet because I want to go with other people and I'm not sure if my group of friends are all going to take the leap. But reading the forums is definitely making it more interesting...

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 5:58 pm

Don't wait for your friends. There's plenty to do by yourself and people are pretty friendly in BRC (not me, I'm sorta surly at the best of times, oh well...) and it's not good to deny yourself if people are being twits about it.

MyDearFriend · Post by **MyDearFriend** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:27 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:Don't wait for your friends. There's plenty to do by yourself and people are pretty friendly in BRC (not me, I'm sorta surly at the best of times, oh well...) and it's not good to deny yourself if people are being twits about it.

Quoted for emphasis.

Don't wait.

You have friends here At Home already.

Take the leap of faith; you can do this.

bacterium · Post by **bacterium** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 12:12 am

My name is Joel, I'm 24 and from Wisconsin. Not gonna make it this year, but planning on next year. I love the idea of being self-reliant. I've done lots of camping, but not so much in the desert. I am extremely shy, and hoping I can spend the next year trying to work that out, as well as preparing for what will hopefully be the best time of me life.

Mr.Coffee · Post by **Mr.Coffee** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 1:59 pm

Hey all,

I've been lurking here for a couple of months now, primarily working through the back-log of posts (aka: Figjam's summer session on how to build cool shit). Anyway, It finally occurred to me that, Since I'm ACTUALLY GOING TO MAKE IT THIS YEAR! (woohoo!), I should probably introduce myself.

So, yeah, the name is Rhys, I'm freshly 30, a touring sound engineer for a living (Spamalot currently).
As of right now, I keep an apartment in Chattanooga, where my friend Chuck and I will be departing from. We're shooting for a three day drive to Reno, and then burning man after the last decent night's sleep either of us will get for a week. I'm jazzed to be heading out this year, I've wanted to go since I read the wired article back in '96. but this year, finances and scheduling gave me a wide berth on either end of the event, so I figured "if not now, when?". Actually got goosebumps when I ordered the tickets, so yeah, looking forward to, well, whatever.

I hope to see you guys out there, If it's half as much fun doing as it has been reading, It should prove to be a blast.

-Rhys

Elorrum · Post by **Elorrum** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 7:34 pm

Welcome All!

It's not a leap where you have to imagine yourself in the door of an airplane. Just a camping trip with a few added necessaries you can't take lightly. Read the survival guide, get familiar with the Burning Man site, loads of good info there. Check out Phil and Louise's Civilized Explorer Burning Man pages, they've amassed tons of good information and links, stories, gear trials etc. http://www.cieux.com/bm/bmtoc.html

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 7:16 pm

Mr.Coffee wrote:(Spamalot currently)

Shit. I'm going to lose what little cool I"ve got by being impressed...

Post by **Elderberry** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 7:56 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:
Mr.Coffee wrote:(Spamalot currently)
Shit. I'm going to lose what little cool I"ve got by being impressed...

You've got an overabundance of cool Fishy, who you trying to kid?

Mr.Coffee · Post by **Mr.Coffee** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 8:03 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:
Mr.Coffee wrote:(Spamalot currently)
Shit. I'm going to lose what little cool I"ve got by being impressed...

No worries, man. It just sounds impressive, same busy schedule as everybody who does theatre. Though I suppose I could offer my services to the sound art camps, I may not be much to look at, but I can pick up heavy things...

waxpraxis · Post by **waxpraxis** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:59 am

Hi all - I'm Branden aka waxpraxis. I've been told by friends for YEARS that should go to Burning Man, but alas I never listened. Finally, a couple of weeks ago I attended a regional burn (Lakes of Fire) and suddenly GOT IT. I grew up in a very arts and crafts centered family (hell, my parents smelted and cast their own wedding rings!) so going to Lakes of Fire really did feel like coming home. It was weird, it was wonderful, and people made amazing things and had a blast doing so!

After LoF I knew I really wanted to finally attend Burning Man - as soon as possible! So with surprisingly little effort I managed to convince my wife that we should celebrate our 10th anniversary on the playa.

In "real life" I'm the co-owner of a small software company that focuses on interactive media. (We did the real-time data visualization avatar for IBM Watson when it competed on Jeopardy earlier this year). Besides that I'm a woodworker, electronics tinkerer, and CNC machining enthusiast (right now all I have is a 19" x 19" x 4" 3-axis desktop mill, but plans are in place for a bigger one next year!). Most importantly though, my wife and I are the parents of two awesomely inquisitive little boys. Lately they've been obsessed with making and playing board games (the CNC mill has come in handy for making pieces!)

marinachka11 · Post by **marinachka11** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 2:59 pm

helloooo all,

this is Marina, 29 yr old dog groomer from Jersey

and I want this year to be my first year at Burning Man, but I have no friends who are willing to go and I dont have a license so I cant rent a van to get there and use as storage for food/water so I have almost given up :/
I dont know what I can possibly do in order to go.
I usually back pack on my own through different countries but never needed a car before. Help?

Mattthevagabond · Post by **Mattthevagabond** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:30 pm

So hey, the names Matt! I'm 21, broke, and don't have a college degree set in mind as of yet, but I intend on heading to Burning Man in spite of this. I'd like to come into this with an open mind and more or less embracing as much of the chaos as I can, but as a self-titled greenhorn I must ask if there's any tips I may be missing out tips that aren't already covered in the first timers guide. Help please?

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:53 pm

Mattthevagabond wrote:So hey, the names Matt! I'm 21, broke, and don't have a college degree set in mind as of yet, but I intend on heading to Burning Man in spite of this. I'd like to come into this with an open mind and more or less embracing as much of the chaos as I can, but as a self-titled greenhorn I must ask if there's any tips I may be missing out tips that aren't already covered in the first timers guide. Help please?

Welcome Matt, gotta be more specific on what your looking for tip wise.

Food?
Hydration?
Shelter?
Costumes?
Getting Laid?

Talk to us man

Post by **Savannah** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:18 pm

Mattthevagabond wrote:So hey, the names Matt! I'm 21, broke, and don't have a college degree set in mind as of yet, but I intend on heading to Burning Man in spite of this. I'd like to come into this with an open mind and more or less embracing as much of the chaos as I can, but as a self-titled greenhorn I must ask if there's any tips I may be missing out tips that aren't already covered in the first timers guide. Help please?

Hey Matt!

Look at the Q&A Tips & Tricks forum, and start reading down the list to figure out what you don't know. And when you finally ask a specific question, try to make sure it's not covered in a real obvious place like the First Timer's Guide or page one of the Survival Guide, or people will mock you a little for claiming to have done the required reading.

P.S. There is not actually a lot of "how to get laid" advice here, no matter what Sail Man says. (It's a TRAAAP.)

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:27 pm

You use a tarp to make a traap to get laid?

Post by **Savannah** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:32 pm

FIGJAM wrote:You use a tarp to make a traap to get laid?

. . . It's true.

Hello and Welcome... What's your name? Tell me about You...

Hello

They call me Magdelyn....

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