One month later...what's happening in your life?

sparkletarte · Post by **sparkletarte** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 11:38 am

So it's been about a month since I got to BRC...a nice timeframe to assess how BM has affected me. Let's see....

After admiring fire dancers for years, and seeing so many at BM, I decided I really wanted to learn. Lo and behold, when I got back I saw an ad for a workshop. I took and I love it. I've discovered that some friends spin and I didn't know they did, so now I have a crew to do it with. I've come to realize that I want to get in touch with more tribal elements of myself and this is a great part of that.

I'm feeling more open with people, just saying whatever I'm feeling (although some people say I do that already, maybe it's just what I'm choosing to say). There's nothing like telling a room full of people about that face-shot shot I got from a dildo on Jupiter that was all creamy coloured, laughing, and having them look at you like you're coocoo, and laughing at you rather than with you. hahaha!

I'm on the internet way less- yay for me! More work is getting done!

I haven't decided if I want to have a kid, because I really, really want to go back to BRC next year, and do lots of other things for me. It doesn't help that over the last month it seems like every second person is telling us that we would be great parents.

I've been more appreciative of my friends, telling them more positive things about themselves. Less taking them for granted, and more loving where I live and the people who live here.

I still haven't done all my laundry, nor have I washed all the dust residue off my truck. I was kind of hoping the week of rain we had would take care of the truck, but no.

I really want to see you people in person. I miss you.

Some friends are putting on an intergalactic space party in a couple weeks. I can't wait to get dressed up!

Tell us about your life!

Larissa · Post by **Larissa** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 11:45 am

Reiki, hoola hooping and some major life decisions. That's about where I'm at for new things in my life. Helping out with a decompression party for my region as well, very excited for that. Staying off the internet as well, hanging out with new playa friends and missing the desert hardcore.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 12:18 pm

Back to work.

Vacation came just in time. Went up to the playa this weekend for cleanup and am now back to work with a whole plate of stuff to do. First thing is to fire up our machine http://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/spear3/
after a small shutdown and then back to makin science.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 12:45 pm

Going through a minor life re-org. Selling, giving away, or throwing away a lot of stuff that at one point I thought I needed but haven't used in ages if ever. My stuff was owning me so I'm trying to turn that around.

I applied to SFSU to finish my degree. Not sure if they'll accept enough of my transfer credits to let me in for the Spring session but I figured I'd give it a shot.

Thinking about projects for next year and what it will take to pull them off.

I also met Mark Pauline the other day, which was cool. Nice guy.

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 12:54 pm

Wow, Badger. Nothing like a little synchrotron radiation experimentation to get one's blood flowing after a burn! Let's get one for BRC!

stuart · Post by **stuart** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:04 pm

thinking about how to to the rig at decom in 3 weeks
working on logo anim at work
thinking about ditching my Sunday soccer league so I can do regional shit during the weekends.
experimenting with Modul8 to see if I can do my installation as a real time interactive kinda thingy.

blond is growing out. Must decide on keeping it. Wife says yes.

Sensei · Post by **Sensei** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:23 pm

stuart wrote:blond is growing out. Must decide on keeping it. Wife says yes.

One yes vote here. The thing is, Sensei is a blond and yet has five (5) sisters - all with straight brown hair. They hate me. And all I wanted was nice straight dark hair 'cause it looks better in a ponytail. I had long curley hair even in grade school - I looked just like little Lord Fauntleroy, ringlets and all. And I was a true platinum blond until jr. high or so; it was weird looking, to say the least.

But now that you've tried it, you know it's true that blondes really do have more fun...

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 4:38 pm

Larry's back in the truck, on the road earning our living. I finally got in to see the surgeon, have surgery scheduled for late October, number four this year. Unrelated to the BC too, just one more thing to get through. Doing very little else, cleaning up one playa thing at a time, taking it very, very easy. Watching my elderly cat waste away, dreading the day I have to decide whether to take him in to the vet to be put down. Not what I would call an entirely productive time in my life, but you do what you can.

I'm ahead on pendants for gifts next year though. And I thought I had a lot of time on my hands earlier this year, ha.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 4:45 pm

Still trying to get my mutant vehicle home from Wadsworth

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 4:45 pm

AntiM wrote: Watching my elderly cat waste away, dreading the day I have to decide whether to take him in to the vet to be put down.

Always difficult. All I can say is focus on quality of life. You know what the cat's like when it's happy. When it aint doing that no more. . . it's time.

AntiM wrote: I'm ahead on pendants for gifts next year though. And I thought I had a lot of time on my hands earlier this year, ha.

A worthy expenditure.

swampdog · Post by **swampdog** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 4:50 pm

funny you should ask.... I just got back from a business trip to the home office where I spent a lot of time socializing with good friends that I don't see day-to-day. I was so emotionally open, swingin' from the heart. I could just LOOK at people and LISTEN without loading up a bunch of fears and expectations. I had about the best week at the office in a long time.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 5:29 pm

I got my ass in gear and got a vendor's membership and booth at Saturday Market. My first day was this past Saturday, sold one StickHob (the Destrier), which everyone agreed was astounding. I went to the market that morning fairly convinced that I wouldn't even get a booth, but I did it.

Now I'm diving headlong into it. I'll go to the San Francisco Decomp but I'll drive down that night, going to Market the day before

Cleaning house. I'd like to say I'm decluttering but it's advancing slowly. I got all my laundry done today, but I still haven't unpacked the kitchen boxes and there's a few sacks of recyclables waiting impotently to go out to the recycling bins.

Been drinking lots of water and munching on trail mix, still more or less following a Playa diet.

Losing weight hand over fist. I woke up this morning and could see my hipbones in the mirror in Goddess knows how long.

Working on the committee for the Portland Decomp later next month. Making plans to hit Sea-Compression again.

Horse has grown, and gotten gentler. He doesn't try to nip me anymore and hovers protectively over me to shield me from the herd alphas. I'm going back out tomorrow to give him a good groomin' and the last bath of the season (it's getting a mite chilly, even in the days — welcome to autumn

)

PurpleKoosh · Post by **PurpleKoosh** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:01 pm

Went to school today for the first time in fifteen years. It felt so good, I could weep. Some of the class I'm in is reinventing the wheel for me, but some of it will be new material, and it's all in the name of updating my skillset and making me far more marketable than I feel I currently am.

http://www.oicw.org/clerical.html

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:01 pm

I haven't washed every thing yet either, I figure I'll have a lot of time to do that after this Thursday ( my last day at work ). It's a struggle to give a shit about work with the layoff looming. I need to spend some time going threw the achieves for slides to copy for my portfolio.

I've been writing an account of my Burning Man travels complete with pictures I shot my self and from various places on the web. I figured it would be easier to have something to hand people who ask how was Burning Man. It's a lot harder to write about than I thought it would be. There is no way to express what even little things meant to me at the time or how those feelings and impressions are changing with time. At least I can tell people I writing something about it and put off trying to tell them about it till they forgot they asked.

I keep thinking about Mutant Vehicle designs, bike, and costume ideas. I feel a strong need to make something for myself.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:31 pm

I've gotten some encouragement, so I'm currently figuring out how to follow through on my "deejaying classical" idea.

Several factors are in the way, though:

Where would I do it?

I don't know how to do it...

And three, there's a million deejays out there and I'd be competing directly with their soundspace! Which would encroach into mine, and I couldn't overpower them because, quite simply, I don't have the resources to buy a 20,000 watt system.

One way I could get around Point Three above, is to do it during the quieter hours of the day — say, noon to four. Classical music lends itself to quieter soundspaces where the nuances of the performers can be appreciated. This would also free me up to go adventuring at night. Suivant, I could also do it at dawn. I've yet to hear anyone complain about waking up to J.S. Bach, or it would be a nice capper on a nightful of adventures; serve coffee, hot cocoa or tea, Saint-Saens, Grieg, Mozart, Prokofiev, Salieri, Vivaldi, Bach, Yo-Yo Ma, Kennedy, Anne-Sophie Mütter...

I'm pretty sure I could find someone to show me how to work it, as I know a couple deejays.

As for where...maybe in my yurt? Roll up the bed during the day and fling open the doors. The problem with that is the space has an upper limit of fifteen warm bodies in occupancy, and those bodies would have to be <b>very</b> friendly...

samtzu · Post by **samtzu** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 7:11 pm

SHITSHITSHIT... I JUST MADE SOME HABANERO SAUCE AND GOT SOME ON MY FACE!!!!!!
OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWO!!!!! OFF TO THE FUCK! PAGE...

creativehorsegirl · Post by **creativehorsegirl** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 9:29 pm

Hi everyone!
I'm so glad I came to this site again. I thought it would be dead. I went with a bunch of virgins and one vet came for the ride but he really wasn't very helpful. I went with a positive attitude and prepared myself for 3-4 weeks by reading everything, stressing out and taking herbs and even acupuncture. I tried to get in touch with the people I went with and met but people are so busy in their own lives and it kind of depressed me and made me feel like people are just the same and only change temporarily during the burn or maybe it's b/c these are virgin burners and I had alot more energy and this was a spiritual growth for me. I even wrote 2 articles for the paper that were not published.
so, I wanted to heal my hurts and resentments towards others and I gave that during the temple effigy and also wanted to move through my fear of moving to New ork. the why button wasn't working.
I also for some odd reason came back a little more feisty. I already am quite sassy. Except I still need to confront my lazy little brother. I also am able to give again. my dad wanted ice cream at 11pm so I got on my new bike I bought for the burn and rode to the store and bought him ice cream that I put in my cool bike basket. That was fun.
I still haven't finished journaling. I don't know what it is about Bm that makes you yearn for it more. It wasn't like I had major fun b/c some of the women in my camp were major whiners. Then I moved to another camp just so I could see the temple burn and 2 grown men were bitching at each other and they werent' even gay! I yelled at them to stop. That's prettty funny. I can't believe I did that b/c I was trying to be on my best behavior.
I want to keep the BM spirit going as long as possible. Last week, I went to the mind body beyond expo, then to Liberation yoga party then to earlthdance. I had to stay the night b/c it was so dark. I'm like crazy.
I almost spent the night in my car at santa monica overlooking the beach. I use to be picky about pissing whereever. not that I ever did that at BRC, b/c I didn't. I had to piss, so I just pulled up my dress and pissed right there on the grass F(out of site of course.) am I weird or what. I love the freedom. I won't make it a habit. I just need to be free and I guess I could handle camping now. although, next yr. I'm going with veterans or maybe I shall be in NEW YORK finally. thanks for listening.

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 10:06 pm

1) still trying to make a living at my dream job, and it's not happening. (it's not faaaair!)
2) I vacuumed the truck, but still need to wash the interior --it smells like dirt.
3) still decompressing, and it sure isn't easy under my current work situation.
4) working 1 caretaking gig, looking at 2 more coming into the pipeline.
5) trying to get a f/t gig at call center so I can make rent.
6) spending a lot of time alone, healing, thinking, learning. Trying to be a more self-sufficient person, and become better friends with myself.

XS · Post by XS » Tue Sep 28, 2004 12:05 pm

Overwhelmed. Overjoyed..... After a month I'm finally back to what feels like my normal physical state of "well being." Rested. My hands are back to normal. No longer cracked and sore.

My head is still somewhat hazy. There are times I sit here at work and wonder what's happening elsewhere 'on the playa' - sorta like... this is cool but there's something more interesting going on somewhere else. Hard to 'splain.

I'm still in playa dress up - dress down mode. I get home from work and have to put on the playa attire. Haven't cleaned all the dust from everything yet. Doubt that will ever happen.

I am taking considerable personal inventory and realizing my playa name applies to civilian life as well - XS - I still have too much shit. Ordered a big dumpster just to chuck heaps of shit out for the catharsis of it all.

Stuff just taking up space and collecting city dust. Donations of old clothes. Trying to create space for all my BM gear. Feels good to shake it all loose.

Now it's time to take an internal personal inventory. Lot's of other shit to shake loose as well. Feels good my friends.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 1:27 pm

Now it's time to take an internal personal inventory. Lot's of other shit to shake loose as well.

If only it were as easy to throw away internal clutter. I tried calling SSF Scavenger and they said they couldn't pick up my baggage, even on hazardous waste collection day.

atossab · Post by **atossab** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 5:35 pm

1. Joined Headcount to sign up voters
2. Joined Hands on San Diego and Meals on Wheels, drove around feeding seniors.
3. Signed up to teach reading/writing to San Diego adults, training begins November 4th.
4. Finally re-activated LSDAS file, 5 year old LSAT never used and outdated now, starting to save money for the class in January.
5. Saw Crosby Stills and Nash for the first time ever. Awesome.
6. Volunteered to be a greeter for SD Fuego de las Muertos
7. Spent 3 days with best friend who has been in London for 3 years.
8. cleaned up everything but the shoes.
9. looked at my BM pictures like 20 times. Looked at thousands of BM 04 pictures.
10. Decided I'm not coming back unless I have something better than a bar to give, and I'm not camping with old friends - it was inhibiting.
11. Moving a hundred miles an hour, always happens after a Burn. Inspired Inspired Inspired.
12. Drank too much wine trying to calm down.

Thanks, I needed that !

stickysunset · Post by **stickysunset** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 7:41 pm

the startling difference between the happy playa folks and the sad/mean/mad masses out here is becoming less noticeable now....

i cleaned the exterior of truck, but not interior....i like seeing playa dust on the dash.

i wear 3 necklaces everyday all year long...and a ga-jillion in late august!

this was my 4th burn....i'm happier and more free than ever before.

life is good....we're all alive and free, hey.

sticky

Blonde Iguana · Post by **Blonde Iguana** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 6:20 am

Cleared the cobwebs from my studio and started painting again...

hai-tigger · Post by **hai-tigger** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 6:36 am

Burning man affected me in a myriad of ways- been much more focussed on the local tribe & family and not on the world thats falling apart, imagining more art things to create that demonstrate a deeper connection that all things share, i.e. cymatic installations, HAD SOME CRAZY DREAMS - lots of 'em on the playa, been an avid follower of Joyism! and have been spreading the sweet juicy jam that is joyism all over everybody, been spending more time increasing my good health....
....been creating Ley Lines in downtown detroit with organite, started a t-shirt company, planning on Rieki/massage school to use the healing talents my mother gave me - (anyone know a good school in Seattle?), planning on moving to Seattle in a year or so. (DEEP BREATH) and so much more....I'm on fire over here.

hai-tigger · Post by **hai-tigger** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 6:38 am

.....i'm also wearing 3-4 necklaces and dressing much more colorfuly....

birdbrain · Post by **birdbrain** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 10:26 am

On the physical plane, I'm letting go of more and more things. Even though this was my 1st burn, I camp a lot and after every trip I'm able to let go of more stuff. This seems magnified after Burning.....Since the more I let go of causes a vacuum, more energy flows and on the creative plane I'm doing new colorful things w/ my knitting and watercolors.

Also, I don't feel as much need to defend myself from judgemental people or to try to change anyone's mind about anything. They want to judge me, let 'em. The trick is not to judge them back. Not quite there yet at least in the political realm! Still loathe certain individuals!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well,...trying to see what about those I judge is in me that I hate so much...Hmmm. Levitation feels easier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And to all many a great burn...

thinkcooper · Post by **thinkcooper** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 11:11 am

1. Updated my resume to get out of the trapped feeling I've been going through at work, it's a great gig, just too far to travel, with too little reward for the sacrifices.
2. Seeing my 14 year old step daughter fall in love with a sweet kid her age, and noticing her holding hands, kissing and snuggling a lot. She's heard the cautions before from us, at school and from her own research, but it looks like it's our last chance before it happens to deliver a pitch on the subject of safe sex.
3. Been seeing the loving glow in my wife's eyes a lot lately.
4. Looking for a bus or RV to detail out as a future BM chill space
5. Scouring the web trying to design a vehicle that would replicate a giant elephant walking.
6. Looking for a decent plasma cutter and Stick/TIG for metal projects, have some TIG'd aluminum projects in mind, and some heavier structural needs for stick.
7. Been checking out the great photo galleries of this year's burn, found pics of my wife, some of our camp mates, and lots of art we missed.
8. Connecting with as many people we met on playa as possible, digging them up on the web, sending out email, follow with phone calls- it feels like detective work sometimes, but it's produced some great results so far.
9. Trying to get out and do more of post burn events, like the mousetrap, to keep the underground art drive alive.
10. Spent a whole week after the brun cleaning every last tool, tent stake and tarp. I swear there's a plume of playa dust in the Monterey Bay from all the SCruz based burners doing the same thing.
11. Wondering what the hell happens to all the art cars between burns.

mowgli · Post by **mowgli** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 2:29 pm

Like everyone else I'm missing BRC in a big way. My first year and I'm very impressed and inspired.

I was kind of depressed and happy at the same time for a week after returning and then got over the depressed part. Is that normal?

The return home was cushioned by a 5000 pound RHINO named Bender. He is the latest addition to one of my favourite places and my place of work, Safari West in Santa Roasa, Ca. What a good lookin boi.

Jones for the Playa and the smiles . Peace kids.

burning tent · Post by **burning tent** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 3:07 pm

Well, big things are coming down the pike for burning tent (not my real name). The dog and I have finally decided to tie the knot.

What? I kid ... not that she isn't hot.

The real big thing is I finally came up with an answer to my exhaustive research. I don't know, it was just an epiphany, a bolt out of the blue. It hit me with such clarity though that I felt scared.

Are you ready for it?

All right then, I hope you are seated and have taken a deep breath.

Here goes ...

BM = BLM

Huh-huh?? A kick in the nads or thereabouts. It shocked me too. The placement of the "L" between the "B" and the "M" cornfuzed me for some time. Ha ... ha ... time is what I had plenty of though and the secret could not allude me forever.

Right then ... so I go now.

skypilot · Post by **skypilot** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 8:50 pm

:D work, physical fitness test, range qualification, promoted and transferred to swing shift....closing on a new house, my first. life was simpler as a youth. also completed backround questionnaire for a security clearance-put down burning man as a hobby...no word back on that one yet.

One month later...what's happening in your life?

One month later...what's happening in your life?

one month later

How Burning man affected me as a virgin burner.

What am I doing with my life???

Got to shake it all loose!

my happy place is the playa

oh and yeah...

a month later...

What's happening in my life?