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

[peyote2004]

Hi from Ottawa, Ontario!

I'm a wanna-be virgin... lol
I am unable to go to BM this year, so am planning for 2013 to be my Burgin year.

I first heard about Burning Man back in 2004, and every year I try to convince my friends to go. None of them are willing to venture into the desert with me. So... SCREW THEM! I'm going solo.

Unfortunately I can't get the time off this year, so I have to wait until 2013. It gives me lots of time to work out logistics and prepare. I'm an experienced camper, but the playa is a whole new can of worms... or should I say dust.

[ApolloPan]

Salutations, ApolloPan here! First time caller, long time listener- it's been 14 years of solid burns for me, so I figured I'd get on here and join the gossip threads whilst I wait for my STEP ticket to appear. Can't seem to find any info on this year's Temple- could some kind soul point me to a thread or something? Thanks, and may your gods walk with you in a dusty Bali Hai.

[theCryptofishist]

There are rumors that it's a David Best production this year.
Is the temple announced with the rest of the honorarium projects?

[Jondalf]

Mahalo. Jondalf Thrasher signing on. Grew up in Pacifica, CA.  Started building and riding  skateboards and surfboards in 1959. Became local legend.  Graduated Terra Nova High age 16. AttendsUC Berkeley, Full Scholarship, Chemistry, 1968. Early 1969 recruited by CIA for MKULTRA black op as the phrase: "That guy's a real Thrasher." becomes popular surfer argot on NO. CA. beaches. 1971 drops out UCB to become "Quality Contol" for US Gov. LSD Manufacturing: Project Sunshine. Transferred by CIA to Boulder, CO '78. Manager.: AirAmerica CO Distrib. Becomes famous Skateboard designer/builder with Kryptonics Inc. 1980 Skateboarder mag. changes name to Thrasher, Legend assured. Much has occurred since then. Please see:

- myspace.com/547349140
- jondalfopines.blogspot.com
- mtcommunity.org/profile/JohnWilliamThrasherJr

[SmolderDude]

My name is David. I'm a north Texas burner, poet, and general weirdo. I'm the son of a hippie psychologist and stage hypnotist/comedian named JoeKen, who raised me to love, and still hangs around me even though he is dead. Been a skate punk involved with punker communes in Minneapolis in the early 80's. Known most recently for my backmasking hobby. I enjoy Buddhist spirituality, and Burning Dat Silly Man. I've been to Burning Flipside twice, got tix for a third. Never been to that thing in the desert. Trying to move to Austin at the moment.

I'm interested in creating non-authoritarian solutions for the transition from the competition paradigm into the cooperation paradigm. I believe that burners are the wellspring of that shift.

[DocSmiles]

HI I am daniel, doc or smiles either one works. I am from the east bay area and have known about burning man my whole life but never had the money till this year. I have been to decompression if sf before and love the people so now I am going to the playa to get dusty. I will be joined by Megan ( my beauitufl gf) and hope to see you all on the playa. I got lucky this year and landed a job at a animals fx shop so look out for some artsy animal bikes.

[diana1n]

Hi my name is Diana. I am 28 years old and this will be my first Burning Man experience. I am looking to deepen my meditation practice and LET GO. I am so excited to what may be and happy to share and experience something so beautiful as Burning Man with others.

Being that I am new. I am struggling to find a group that is willing to take me under their wing. If anyone is interested in sharing my first time with me do reach out.

I wish you all great health and love. May we all cross paths:)

Love,
D.

[THE WOONAWANGA]

ey!
Hickup Woonawanga (The Wobblin, Bazerk, Azreal, Woony, Wobbz) - take your pick?
... I also often get called Wierd.

Well, I am indeed a wierdo, most willing to get lost, but with a keen sense of (non)direction. [playa lustin']

wild. dance. cocoa. horchata. trees. O's. dirt. heat. fire. eternal internal combustion. bass. bass. bass. Burnin' Bitch!


Fancy meeting you here...


*edited to add:

currently in southeastern washington
2012 will be my 3rd burn (anyone with a ticket please oh please let me know whatever you would like for it! )
in a nutshell: honest, fun, orb of colour, basshead, dance, do handstands, eat chocolate, climb trees, mind excersise, shower, massage, help, inspire, muse, low frequency oscillations, dreadloxxx, wobbiling, making random noises, exploring, letting go, perma-grinning, poking with needles, stretching, seeing your tail wag

[Tumblepot]

Hi guys My name is Deathstroke Regina Chester Jefff Dave Dum Dee Dum Tumblepot, but feel free to call me anything! I'm a tunnelling engineer apprentice from England. Currently a burning man virgin from England, but hope to rectify that this year if I can find my way across the pond. I only heard about BM about a month ago but am so taken with the idea of being part of a giving community and letting my spirit run free I just hope I will be able to make myself useful!! If anyone happens to know any burners who travel from England, could you let me know, as any advice getting there is greatly appreciated! (The website is awesome for information anyway, just nice to ask someone who does it!)
Deathy x x

[funkyjigsaw]

Hi guys My name is Deathstroke Regina Chester Jefff Dave Dum Dee Dum Tumblepot, but feel free to call me anything! I'm a tunnelling engineer apprentice from England. Currently a burning man virgin from England, but hope to rectify that this year if I can find my way across the pond. I only heard about BM about a month ago but am so taken with the idea of being part of a giving community and letting my spirit run free I just hope I will be able to make myself useful!! If anyone happens to know any burners who travel from England, could you let me know, as any advice getting there is greatly appreciated! (The website is awesome for information anyway, just nice to ask someone who does it!)
Deathy x x

Heya! Welcome. Do you have a ticket?

[gyre]

Heya! Welcome. Do you have a ticket?

He has tunneling ability.

[bkennedy450]

hi, my name is bill, or smucker lee. 66 y.o. male who for one time would like to turn loose and experience some things i've never done. just heard about bm not long ago, sounds like it's really not me, and that's why i want to go!!! NEED TICKET!!! need lots of help really. anybody from n.fl. area? would like to talk to someone who has been.can't quite describe why i really want to go, but i just cannot seem to let it go. willing to help with almost anything but computers, total idiot when it comes to this. any help needed in the medical tents? would someone point the way for me?

[Savannah]

Hi Bill!

I would recommend joining one or more of the Florida Burner email lists and getting to know Burners in your area.
http://regionals.burningman.com/us_fl.html

The best way to get a ticket if you're not currently in the STEP program is to tell all your friends, family and Burner network that you're looking, so they'll think of you when they hear of a chance comment. If you work, apply for your time off now, although you may want a Plan B vacation as well. It also doesn't hurt to make a packing list now, either (see the Survival Guide linked below to get started, or google a Burning Man packing list). As the event approaches, a number of people develop family or job considerations (or get intimidated) and sell their tickets. You never know. It's actually possible for a person to have difficulty selling a ticket in the last week before the event because most people can't just drop everything and go, at that point.

Even if it doesn't work out, you might make local Burner friends and end up knowing quite a lot in time for 2013.

If you have medical skills you might read this and register:
http://www.burningman.com/participate/emergency.html

As a first-timer, you will want to be careful not to overdo it on the volunteerism, however. The climate is harsh, and medical shifts are usually 8 or 12 hours.

[Fawn]

Hello there everyone in eplaya land! My name is Fawn, I am from Bellingham, WA (about an hour and a half north of Seattle). I've posted on here once before, but have never introduced myself. This will be my 3rd year attending Burning Man. I went for the first time in 2008 not knowing what to expect, was of course blow away, overwhelmed and eternally greatful, for the amazing experiences I had that year. Financial hardship made me unable to attend again until 2011, when I went with my then boyfirned, and now husband, for his first time. It was there at Burning Man 2011 that he proposed to me. Something he wasn't planning to do, but our experience there was magical and it was there with all of the stress and cares of the real world put on hold that we found clarity and realized that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We planned on attending Burning Man this year and having our playa wedding exactly one year after my husband proposed, and 6 months after the wedding we just had here. We thought those plans for our dream playa wedding just weren't in the cards this year when we weren't awarded tickets in the lottery. Luckily though, the universe unfolds in mysterious ways and just last week a friend of ours who had 2 tickets said she wasn't able to go and offerend them to us. We were able to help her out by buying her tickets, and she gave us the greatest gift anyone could've given us, 2 tickets home!!! We couldn't be happier, and now we are starting plans on our food cart we will be bringing out! Can't wait to see (and feed) all of your beautiful faces on the playa! <3 <3 <3 Fawn

[catinthefunnyhat]

Welcome, Fawn! What a beautiful story!

[Savannah]

Welcome, Fawn! What a beautiful story!

Indeed!

Welcome, Fawn!

[ranger biteme]

hello!

my name is molly, i live in the bay area. went to bm for the first time in 1999.

started volunteering for the rangers in 2003. my ranger name is ranger biteme (it's funny on the radio - i'm not that snarky - lol)

this year will also volunteer at the airport.

i make costumes and art out of fabric, leather and metal when i am not teaching and stuff to pay the bills

planning to visit SOAK this year, my first regional burn. want to start visiting more regionals.

[Dr Helix]

Hello there everyone in eplaya land! My name is Fawn, I am from Bellingham, WA (about an hour and a half north of Seattle). I've posted on here once before, but have never introduced myself. This will be my 3rd year attending Burning Man. I went for the first time in 2008 not knowing what to expect, was of course blow away, overwhelmed and eternally greatful, for the amazing experiences I had that year. Financial hardship made me unable to attend again until 2011, when I went with my then boyfirned, and now husband, for his first time. It was there at Burning Man 2011 that he proposed to me. Something he wasn't planning to do, but our experience there was magical and it was there with all of the stress and cares of the real world put on hold that we found clarity and realized that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We planned on attending Burning Man this year and having our playa wedding exactly one year after my husband proposed, and 6 months after the wedding we just had here. We thought those plans for our dream playa wedding just weren't in the cards this year when we weren't awarded tickets in the lottery. Luckily though, the universe unfolds in mysterious ways and just last week a friend of ours who had 2 tickets said she wasn't able to go and offerend them to us. We were able to help her out by buying her tickets, and she gave us the greatest gift anyone could've given us, 2 tickets home!!! We couldn't be happier, and now we are starting plans on our food cart we will be bringing out! Can't wait to see (and feed) all of your beautiful faces on the playa! <3 <3 <3 Fawn

Congratulations Fawn! I was married on the playa last fall. If you want to have some fun come to our playa art this fall. It's a giant wedding cake and you can be the topper! See it here:



See you there!

[MarmotWA]

Hello lovely Burners! This here is Marmot, from Seattle. This year will be my sixth burn in a row. I have been involved with theme camps the last 2 years (Discopolis in 2010 and Conception in 2011). Conception is going to be at Burning Man again this year, and we are oh-so-thematic as it turns out.

I was lucky enough to get a ticket in the lottery. Most of my camp mates from last year did not however, and the directed ticketing did not pan out for us. I had such great time organizing and getting Conception off the ground, it gave a whole new dimension to the burn for me, and I love it. As it stands now, we don't have enough people to do what we wanted to do. So, I'm trying to maintain enthusiasm and I need some of that good ol burner spirit laid upon me. It should be a very interesting year.

hugs y'all,
Marmot

[Savannah]

Hugs, Marmot! Welcome to the board.

[MarmotWA]

thanks, Savannah, nice to be here!!

[Firstx]

My name is CJ and this is my first BM trip. I'm going alone and need to find a camp. I live in Florida but have heard there are good camps in Cali and I'm there a lot for work (San Diego and LA). Please help. Any advice on where to start would be great!

[huong413]

Hi!

My name is Huong and I'm from San Francisco. I'm a virgin and doing my research now. Getting totally psyched!

Look forward to meeting some cool people!

[theCryptofishist]

CJ
This is probably the densest collection of information on joining a camp, but I'd like to suggest that you do it alone on your first trip. First off, you won't be alone for very long, neighbors in BRC are quite friendly. Second, going with a camp means giving up part of your freedom to help your camp do its thing. You might want to be free, once you see what BRC is.

[xypher]

Hello All!!
My name is Ben and I live in Knoxville, TN. I'm 22 years old and this will be my first time going to burning man and I'm really looking forward to it.
I've been wanting to go for the past couple years but not had the funds for it. but for Christmas this past year my family said that they would help pay my way.
i was going to go with my mom just to have someone to go with but she's changed her mind recently and now it looks like ill be going alone.

I'd like to go with someone though mainly because I've never driven 2,000+ miles alone and would feel more comfortable if i had a road buddy with me.
Is there anyone else that needs a road buddy?? it'll be an awesome trip i promise! ^.^

[gyre]

More like 5000 miles from there.

I'm in Memphis.

[xypher]

More like 5000 miles from there.

I'm in Memphis.

Oh cool. I've been through Memphis a couple times. its pretty nifty. i was only thinking about going one way when i was posting milage-ness. but still 5,000+ miles alone is kind-of a daunting thought for me.

[gyre]

What's weird is that Sf is the same distance as reno from here.

I recommend the I-80 route.

[Savannah]

Hello All!!
My name is Ben and I live in Knoxville, TN. I'm 22 years old and this will be my first time going to burning man and I'm really looking forward to it.
I've been wanting to go for the past couple years but not had the funds for it. but for Christmas this past year my family said that they would help pay my way.
i was going to go with my mom just to have someone to go with but she's changed her mind recently and now it looks like ill be going alone.

I'd like to go with someone though mainly because I've never driven 2,000+ miles alone and would feel more comfortable if i had a road buddy with me.
Is there anyone else that needs a road buddy?? it'll be an awesome trip i promise! ^.^

Hey Ben! You're probably gonna make someone's year if you can split a ride with them. I had some timid years when I missed the Burn 'cause getting there seemed insurmountably difficult (probably wasn't, but it was enough to keep me home).

I don't think the rideshare board is LIVE yet, because I tried an experimental test-search for the busy Burner state of CA and came up empty handed even when I selected "Offer a Ride", but it will be open soon enough. Try this link in June, and keep visiting ePlaya and networking; you are likely to find someone in Knoxville or (even more likely) in a city you'll be driving through.

http://rideshare.burningman.com/ridesha ... -man-2012/

Also, join your regional group if you haven't, and meet some like-minded people . . . (note that there seems to be a Memphis group too). And look for Tennessee Burners on Facebook.
http://regionals.burningman.com/us_tn.html

Final note: if you drive an average sedan it's gonna be packed pretty tight with two people + gear + water. Go with someone practical.

[xypher]

Thanks Savannah!
That's really helpful info. Everyone around here keeps saying that I should just suck it up and fly but its not that appealing to me, and I don't see the adventure in flying.
Anywho, I'll definitely try the ride-share site when its LIVE and keep looking.

Thanks again!