One thing you learned on playa this year

illy dilly · Post by **illy dilly** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 3:16 pm

Ya know, I spend a lot of time reading eplaya, I kinda feel like I know 90% of the tricks to make life easier. But it always seems like I learn some new little trick or bit of info to make my playa life just a little bit easier.

This year the trick I learned is that there is a tall bright blue light at each end of a bank of Porta Potties out in the open playa. It makes finding porta potties at night much easier. When you're out at the big sound camps, The Man, The Temple, or anything in between it can be difficult to locate a bank of portos, but not if you know to look for the blue lights!

What little trick or technique did you learn this year?

Bounce530 · Post by **Bounce530** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 3:36 pm

Sleep cures bent bike rims. Seems like through the week at night when I'd leave the bar camps (Booby, Dusty Swan, the M&G, Kantina Apok) my bike would wobble all over the place, but when I'd hop on it in the morning, the bike would ride straight again...wierd, huh?

Also, yes! Vitalyte is the best! This was the first year I used it, and wow I really could tell the difference of when I did and when I didn't drink it.

And, do not put fruit cup syrup into your evap pond, it turns into nasty black sludge.

tahiti_treat · Post by **tahiti_treat** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:29 pm

I learned that not everyone gets to rock the sexy playa hair. Mine just turned into a sticky mess - dust over grease. Disappointing. On the up side, the playa dust did not bother my feet or lungs at all.

Also an empty gatorade bottle makes a great spitoon for brushing teeth.

junglesmacks · Post by **junglesmacks** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:32 pm

Take LESS drugs

No, seriously. It's a new found high in and of itself.

Minxy · Post by **Minxy** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:49 pm

I learned (and suspected pre-burn) that bringing my 19 yo daughter, arranging a (casual) wedding and working a bunch of shifts between Greeters and PG&E significantly decreased the amount of enjoyment I got out of the Burn. I achieved my goals, worked my shifts, managed to get married which are all great things, but it was a definite downer with so much responsibility and stress.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:50 pm

The burn that happens in your shade structure while sharing coffee and rolls and chatter with friends is as much the burn which is all fire and dancing and explosions.

tamarakay · Post by **tamarakay** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 6:03 pm

Simple is better. All sparkle Kendoll needs for outfits is a sarong or two and i really like fishnets jeweled bras and sheer tops.
And that the Big Red Heart at the beginning of 3:30 is a lifesaver at night.
c.f.m. is a marshmallow (shhhhhh, that's a secret)
And if i were a single woman (or ken shared) Ygmir would be in trouble.
more than one, but well, you know.

Drawingablank · Post by **Drawingablank** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:01 pm

Lessons learned:

Bring less beer and more booze (or other party favors if so inclined). Cold beer is great while sitting around camp in the afternoon, but at night the jots are generally too far a hike to do on a regular basis when out partying.

Figure out a menu then subtract most of it before shopping. This applies to our camp as our appetites were almost non existant - first timers may well wish to bring lots of food since the playa affects everyone's appetite differently. We probaly ate less than 2 pounds of food each in total for the week and brought about 30 pounds for the 3 of us.

Get a comfy seat for the bike to avoid a nasty case of Playa ass.

Get used to bike riding before you depart for the burn. This will pay off big if you don't normally ride much.

Bring good boots - I couldn't bring myself to thrash a $200 pair of boots so I bought a $40 pair for the burn. I had several blisters by Tuesday even though I had been wearing them for a month and thought they were broken in. Never again will I bring cheap boots.

Bring a headlamp - The #1 most useful item we had with us. Wear it around your neck - not your head when moving around town. It will illuminate the ground and not blind people. Switch it to your head when in the jots or your tent to illuminate what you need to see.

Bring some form of illumination to make yourself visible at night from any direction - darkwads suck and are a danger to everyone.

Too Early · Post by **Too Early** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:04 pm

Cleaning a rental RV afterwards...Armoroil works a treat at lifting the Playa dust right off the interior. Once with water, second time with Armoroil...good as new. You'll never get to all those nooks and crannies so make it look like it's never been to BM and strike up an engaging/distracting conversation the person checking it...

I wish I'd brought more dress-ups. First Burn and I didn't know about tu-tu day, wear something white, fluffy ears, pirate etc.

Too Early · Post by **Too Early** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:08 pm

Drawingablank wrote:Lessons learned:

...darkwads suck

Nah...vacuum cleaners suck. Darkwads cushion your fall after you bump into them

phil · Post by **phil** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:47 pm

AntiM wrote:The burn that happens in your shade structure while sharing coffee and rolls and chatter with friends is as much the burn which is all fire and dancing and explosions.

Where's the upvote button? This deserves upvotes.

Post by **Elderberry** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:55 pm

phil wrote:
AntiM wrote:The burn that happens in your shade structure while sharing coffee and rolls and chatter with friends is as much the burn which is all fire and dancing and explosions.
Where's the upvote button? This deserves upvotes.

LOL that's what all the old folks say!

ooops...I'm one of them old folks and I agree entirely!

Post by **trilobyte** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:06 pm

I was never a big fan of the pomp and circumstance of the man burn. It has its moments, but feels very spectator-y for me. This year we watched it with a small group of friends and neighbors from the top of our airship tower - wonderful!

The awesome tip we learned out there this year... put a bit of chapstick on zippers, it'll keep them working smoothly. Thanks to Massive Bri for that one.

The Rat Lady · Post by **The Rat Lady** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:20 pm

"Playa Boob" can be nasty too! My feet did great, I think they came home in better shape than they went. But poor dry abraded boobies could have used some udder cream too! 7 days of unfettered movement with loose (or no ) clothing left them dry, cracked and red on the sides. After a few days of udder cream (also known as Bag Balm) they are much happier now!

Post by **Elderberry** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:25 pm

Damn, now you tell me. Chapstick has got to smell a lot better than the WD40 we used.

We have watched the burns from back beyond the crowd for several years now. We bring chairs and cocktails and lots of lights so we don't get run over. Very nice.

trilobyte wrote:I was never a big fan of the pomp and circumstance of the man burn. It has its moments, but feels very spectator-y for me. This year we watched it with a small group of friends and neighbors from the top of our airship tower - wonderful!

The awesome tip we learned out there this year... put a bit of chapstick on zippers, it'll keep them working smoothly. Thanks to Massive Bri for that one.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:55 pm

Yeah, I was idly thinking of having some "I Don't Go to Burningman to See the Man Burn" stickers or whatever printed up.

shykat · Post by **shykat** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 9:40 pm

I learned that when my pee mixed with my wife's pee,in her pee jug ,it STUNK.

jella · Post by **jella** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:37 pm

jkisha wrote:Damn, now you tell me. Chapstick has got to smell a lot better than the WD40 we used.

We have watched the burns from back beyond the crowd for several years now. We bring chairs and cocktails and lots of lights so we don't get run over. Very nice.

trilobyte wrote:I was never a big fan of the pomp and circumstance of the man burn. It has its moments, but feels very spectator-y for me. This year we watched it with a small group of friends and neighbors from the top of our airship tower - wonderful!

The awesome tip we learned out there this year... put a bit of chapstick on zippers, it'll keep them working smoothly. Thanks to Massive Bri for that one.

This year we we're camped close so we climbed on top of the rv with bankets and watched the man burn then climbed down and climbed into bed...perfect !

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:10 pm

Drawingablank wrote:Lessons learned:

Bring less beer and more booze (or other party favors if so inclined). Cold beer is great while sitting around camp in the afternoon, but at night the jots are generally too far a hike to do on a regular basis when out partying.

Hee-hee, true!

essjay · Post by **essjay** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:36 pm

After a few days of breathing in the dust, put some neosporin on a q-tip and swab your nostrils. My nostrils were so dry that they were hard - this fixed it and felt soooo good.

Post by **Savannah** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:47 pm

I did that, too.

I'd fallen behind on my nasal saline.

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 7:22 am

The Rat Lady wrote:"Playa Boob" can be nasty too! My feet did great, I think they came home in better shape than they went. But poor dry abraded boobies could have used some udder cream too! 7 days of unfettered movement with loose (or no ) clothing left them dry, cracked and red on the sides. After a few days of udder cream (also known as Bag Balm) they are much happier now!

Odd phenomena... playa dust does not stick to Bag Balm. We bring it for when Larry gets playa paw, which he inevitably does, even though he wears gloves most of the time.

I wear a soft bra out there. Don't like the sweaty underboob thing. I haven't worn underwires since July of 2004, so ALL my cute bras are playa-ready.

ConnieH · Post by **ConnieH** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:53 am

Getting sandwiched in between Hushville and Kidsville was not the downer I expected it to be when we landed. We met some fantastic people and I wouldn't hesitate to camp next to either of them again...and I think they liked us and our bar too

I know the kids loved the Pony

Sleeping outside on a cot at night is amazing.

Bring more wet wipes (duh...I should know this by now...)

mudpuppy000 · Post by **mudpuppy000** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:09 am

[*]Wandering around during the morning/afternoon is just as fun as at night, or even more.
[*]Don't bite people
[*]Pee bottle is pretty much mandatory for nighttime wandering on foot

Canoe · Post by **Canoe** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:20 am

Too Early wrote:Cleaning a rental RV afterwards... You'll never get to all those nooks and crannies ...

floor & tables: water & vinegar wipe, then swiffer pad wipe - spotless
walls, closets, doors, windows, mirrors, dash, etc.: Swiffer Duster - one pass
plastic floor under driver & passenger front: PITFA - wipe and wipe and wipe and wipe...

Drawingablank wrote:...Bring good boots - I couldn't bring myself to thrash a $200 pair of boots so I bought a $40 pair for the burn. I had several blisters by Tuesday even though I had been wearing them for a month and thought they were broken in. Never again will I bring cheap boots...

Sandels. Broken in. No problems. Light. Cool.

illy dilly · Post by **illy dilly** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 10:46 am

tamarakay wrote: And that the Big Red Heart at the beginning of 3:30 is a lifesaver at night.

Amen!!!!
Thats two years running!

And both years we've tried to find the creator of the Heart and give them a thank you!

illy dilly · Post by **illy dilly** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:00 am

Drawingablank wrote:Bring good boots - I couldn't bring myself to thrash a $200 pair of boots so I bought a $40 pair for the burn. I had several blisters by Tuesday even though I had been wearing them for a month and thought they were broken in. Never again will I bring cheap boots.

I'm sorta with you on the boots. Typically at home, when not in steel toe "job site" boots, I wear leather hiking boots all the time, I prefer tight "glove like" boots for typical day to day wear. And they are typically nicer boots.

On playa, I really like my $35 dollar bass pro shop boots, "Red Heads" or something like that. Instead of being tight and formed, they are big around my feet. If my feet are touching the insole, they are not touching the top. Or if they are touching the left side, they are not touching the right side. And vice versa.
I've found the trick for me, is really good Insoles! Its all about the insole.
And by having plenty of space around my feet, they are rarely rubbing on the boot.
And of course combined with brand new socks, whoola!

Which brings me to one more trick I learned!
Always have a pair of socks on! I know walking around barefoot feels nice at first and it is very cooling, but by having socks on 95 percent of the week, my feet never came into contact with playa.
No playa= no playa foot!
Only time I'd take off my socks was to sleep in the RV. If I was sleeping out in the shade structure I'd leave the socks on. Then when I change its old socks off... clean socks on.
My feet did amazing this year!

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:19 am

On boots and blisters, I discovered a few years ago that polypropylene sock liners inside my regular socks prevent blisters for me. Your mileage will vary, but I recommend giving them a try before next year's time on the playa.

graidawg · Post by **graidawg** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:48 am

what i learned on the playa.

1 it is home. i never stopped smiling all the time i was there.
2 a little planning goes a long way, my determination not to plan anything meant i misse out on things i would of done if i had written it down before i went
3 I dont need drink or drugs on the playa to have a great time. As opposed to back here where i need both just to function
4 what can possibly go wrong is not a rhetorical question
5 i Want to go home and i want to contribute more. you all made me so happy i want to be able to return some of the pure undiluted joy
6 YMMV i hear of peope having so very very different experiences from me.

can someone adopt me please? i want to be closer to home so much i am thinking of moving to cornwall just because ita 200 miles closer.

illy dilly · Post by **illy dilly** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:52 am

graidawg wrote:4 what can possibly go wrong is not a rhetorical question

LOL!!!

And sometimes when you over hear people say and ask "I don't know, it should work. What can possibly go wrong?"
You have to investigate just so you can determine how far you'll need to run.

One thing you learned on playa this year

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