Greetings from Texas

[Elliot]

I get into Burning Man -- actually, into BRC (Black Rock City) -- with a 40-foot former school bus plus an overloaded trailer.

And I started doing that because somebody told me I "needed" to go.

We do serve water at my camp, but not much of it. Plenty of beer and wine and iced tea, though. Somewhere north of 800 cans of beer this year.

[Skuzzy61]

So when would be okay to get into the line to get into BRC? We want to be in the line early so we can get a good site. Of course, we have no clue what a "good site" is yet.

I know the Wife will want to be wherever the action is. Of course, she is prone to the "sparkly" syndrome. You know the one. The "ohhh...sparkly,...SQUIRREL!" one. I have already warned her she is not going to be able to do everything there is to do at BM, much less see everything there is to see.

Me? Well, I would be happy to park a lounge chair on the side of the road offering cold water and LED flashlights to people passing by. I figure I would meet more people than I could remember doing that.

However, she will want to drag me to every nook and cranny of the site on the first day and then decide what to go back and see. Hehe,...for someone with an extremely good sense of perspective and scale, she can be a hoot. Of course, knowing her and how things happen for her, she will probably be riding all the art cars around from place to place, so much like a bee pollinating her garden.

We have considered signing up for a theme camp, but just going through the list of them at the 2015 BM is taking a long time. My personal goal is to get to know as many of you folks as possible so I can have a toe hold of people I can talk to. It will go a long way to get me passed that awkward silence I bring with me whenever I go into a situation where I do not know anyone. Yes, that is my ulterior motive.

Otherwise, I'll be the nice looking guy standing in a corner, all by myself, watching everyone else do whatever they are doing, wondering, "If I move that matrix and dot product into the list and do with an integer only square root, it could save me some cycles in that iterative calculation. I really do not need this to be exact, as long as it falls within the virtual pixel size. If it doesn't I can always branch to a higher resolution formula. Yes,..that's it.".

[lucky420]

You'll be at Burning Man. Every sites a "good site" and the action is everywhere. Everywhere.

[Skuzzy61]

You'll be at Burning Man. Every sites a "good site" and the action is everywhere. Everywhere.

And therein lies the problem. Ever hung around a tornado? Yeah, that's my Wife. One minute it will be, "let's go do this!", and before we can, "oh,.wait,.....SQUIRREL!"

The playa ain't got nothing on my Wife's ability to exhaust me. Bless her heart.

[FIGJAM]

Sometime you gotta just tell them to go play in the street.

BRC is the best place to do this!!!!!!!

[Skuzzy61]

Isn't that the truth Figjam, isn't that the truth.

If the lady I married comes out to play, then the playa may never be the same again. She is quite a lady. Here's hoping...uh....hoping I can keep up. Yeah, there might be a double entendre there. I figure I better own it before someone else does.

[Elderberry]

Regarding your question about how early you can get in: Not one minute before the gates open. If you arrive too early they put you in "D lot" and you can be stuck there for hours.

http://burningman.org/event/black-rock- ... ture/gate/

[Elliot]

To be really picky -- which I enjoy.... If you arrive too early we put you in the Staging Lot. Otherwise absolutely correct.

The Staging Lot is first-in-last-out, so the too-earlier you arrive, the longer you have to wait there.

[Ratty]

Hi Skuzzy and Wifey. If you become a 'regular' poster here on eplaya then you'll see a lot of BRC addresses being posted a week or two before the event. 'Placement' sends out a notice just before the TTITD, (that thing in the desert), telling the placed camps what their location will be. Also some of us that aren't placed arrive early to work and we know where we will choose to camp. You simply make a little list of your favorite people and come find them right away. It's a great source for getting comfortable in the first days. Plus you can scare up those items you forgot to bring like socks, can opener, wire cutters, zip ties, string, rope, stuffed animals etc...

[Skuzzy61]

So unless we have an early arrival pass, just plan on arriving at the time the gates open and hope for the best. Got it. That's good information right there.

[Skuzzy61]

Okay, I have searched for an answer to this and found nothing (using burning man nickname).

As I understand it, my BM nickname is to be given to me by another burner who has attended BM for 10 years, or more. When does that happen?

[gaminwench]

I don't know about the 10 year thing.

I do know that after 6 years on the playa, my playa name appeared!

I think it's just something that happens organically; don't worry about it, just let it come!

[Skuzzy61]

Thank you gaminwench. By the way, does that tag mean you are a gamer? What games? Er,..uh....hmmmm...just read what I asked and not sure if it is implied I am referring to computer games.

[gaminwench]

No, gaminwench is an old handle from the RenFaire; gamin(e) is french for waif-like, and wench is, well .

Definitely NOT a gamer of any sort, although this is a common take on the moniker.

My playa name is YAY! .

[Skuzzy61]

My Wife is a wench. It's a good thing. At least in our house it is.

How did you get YAY! for a nickname?

[gaminwench]

My default name rhymes with YAY! .
I am also a pfluffer, which means that during build and strike, it's my task to keep the workers happy.
I come around with water, treats, protein, electrolytes, hugs, pickles, encouragement, problem solving; all in order to keep the crew on their game during the looong dusty work days.
As a result, folks are frequently quite happy to see me.

It was a natural evolution; I really can't believe that it took 6 years to happen!
(although, in all fairness, in the theme camp I was with for those years, no one went by playa names).

[Skuzzy61]

Sooooo, you are one of the people we owe a big thanks to.

If we ever get a chance to meet you there, we owe you a hug. If, of course, it is alright with you.

[Savannah]

Yes, I am 61 (could not get the naem Skuzzy, for some reason), she is 8 years younger, but I am not gonna tell you how old she is. She would kill me.

The Wife does not want anything to do with a camelback. She says it leeches poison into the water. LOL! We are getting ready to spend a week in a location where we might actually die and she is worried about chemical leeching and its long term effects.

Make sure you don't tell her about the health hazards of the playa dust.

BTW I don't like carrying a camelback either, but it has nothing to do with leeching poisons

I have done my best to warn her about the alkali dust. She figures if she needs water (and she will), it will come to her. Sort of. Her life works that way. She is just one of those when she needs something it just seems to happen for her. I figure we will be riding along and some studly nude guy will be standing there waiting for her to drink his water.

Errr . . . don't let her count on water coming to her. Asking someone for water is okay if you really need it--and hopefully they have some if you do--but it's not a good default choice.

I'm not a camelback person either. I'll drink from one, but I don't like wearing them. Get her a nice stainless steel canteen, 32 oz or more, and bring juiceboxes and canned drinks to pop into your backpacks, and some elecrolytes. It's true that beverages materialize regularly, but a lot of them are alcoholic ones, and it's really easy to dehydrate on those, especially with the altitude. (Frankly, you can do everything right and there's still a risk of dehydration, so she'll really want to be proactive about carrying water in some way).

Welcome, Skuzzy61!

[Skuzzy61]

Thank you Savannah.

Don't worry, I 'll make sure she stays hydrated. See how that works? It came to her. hehe.

We have always been pretty good at being self-reliant. Also stubborn, hard headed, redundant, independent...

[Savannah]

Thank you Savannah.

Don't worry, I 'll make sure she stays hydrated. See how that works? It came to her. hehe.

Good! I had a feeling you were the First Line of Defense.

Just thought I'd make sure.

[Skuzzy61]

She is an insanely creative and intelligent lady, but she has never been in the desert before. I have.

This is what we do best, together. Shore up our individual short comings. We are not a lot alike, but we fit together like a couple of complex puzzle pieces. Together, we are a force to be reckoned with. It is a hoot!

[Savannah]

She is an insanely creative and intelligent lady, but she has never been in the desert before. I have.

This is what we do best, together. Shore up our individual short comings. We are not a lot alike, but we fit together like a couple of complex puzzle pieces. Together, we are a force to be reckoned with. It is a hoot!

There will almost certainly be an ePlaya Meet & Greet for the folks of this forum--stay tuned to the happenings online here, and you & the missus can come meet up with a lot of us at the Burn for a warmly riotous potluck supper. It's typically Wednesday of the event at 6ish, at the renowned Barbie Death Camp & Wine Bistro.

[Skuzzy61]

It's on the calendar! Well,...providing we get tickets to BM. First things, first.

[novarae]

Hi Scuzzy61! I'm from Austin, and this will be my first time at Burning Man too! You sound a lot like my partner, haha. But I know he'll have a good time and so will you!

[Skuzzy61]

Hi Scuzzy61! I'm from Austin, and this will be my first time at Burning Man too! You sound a lot like my partner, haha. But I know he'll have a good time and so will you!

Thank you for the support! Austin was my old stomping grounds,....back in the day. Yes, I did not say which day, quite intentionally. I like to keep them guessing. Who is "them"? Well, now that is a question. Yes, I have had too much coffee!

[Zaxary]

I got there by being a 'weird clothing' designer. When I managed a thrift store I remade clothes into costumes. Customers kept asking me if I was a 'Burner'. So I became one.

It all makes sense now! Your posts in the clothing sub are epic. You inspired me to make bloomers from some very dated sparkly curtains... if it works out I'll post and actually if it doesn't work out maybe I'll post anyway for the entertainment value.

[Skuzzy61]

I got there by being a 'weird clothing' designer. When I managed a thrift store I remade clothes into costumes. Customers kept asking me if I was a 'Burner'. So I became one.

It all makes sense now! Your posts in the clothing sub are epic. You inspired me to make bloomers from some very dated sparkly curtains... if it works out I'll post and actually if it doesn't work out maybe I'll post anyway for the entertainment value.

Something made sense? Shhhhhh......let's not let that one out of the bag,..it makes the natives paranoid.

Nothing to see here,...move along now.

If you are scratching your head and wondering what planet I am from, then my job is done.

[Skuzzy61]

Well,...I thought I posted it here, but did not.

We got tickets and will be invading the playa! See everyone there! WEEEEEEEEEE!

[Savannah]

Whoa! . . . Congratulations!

[Skuzzy61]

Thank you Savannah!

Now the real fun begins.