Researching My Freak Nation

[divalion]

Some questions for all y'all my beloved gentle freaks: be you nerds/geeks of any stripe, gamers, Rennies, goths, steampunk, kinky, poly, Pagan or other "alternative" spirituality, trans, queer, bi/gay/les, burner, spinner...you get my drift

Comments

[citabria]

4) TIME!!!! Specifically, work commitments (and now school) often kept me from going to things that I'd otherwise have been at in a heartbeat. Money may actually rank higher (both in the past and now), but it sometimes feels less frustrating than conflicting obligations. Distance/convenience in getting to an event is also a major factor, more so as I've gotten older. I used to be able to happily drive 3-4 hours on Saturday morning, go to the event in the evening, and then drive back home on Sunday -- and be energetic and back in work on Monday; I can't do that any more. I'm still up for driving to Boston or Providence for an evening event (without an overnight stay), but even that can be tricky depending on what my work/sleep schedule is like.

What's gotten in a way of my having a good time or has led to my deciding not to go back ... poor planning on the part of an event organizer. I once went to an event (that will remain nameless) that the organizer had a wonderful vision of -- but she wasn't so good at making the vision into reality. Break-out-group leaders were given less-than-adequate instruction in how their group members should be contributing to the large rituals; the pre-ritual prep was long and not well planned and, worst of all, the organizer seemed to have no idea of how long various things would take. We were an hour behind after the first morning event -- there were 3 more timeslots and 2 meals before the main ritual! I can't remember how far behind we were by the main ritual, especially since I was completely fried by the time we were done with dinner and decided to just go to my tent to sleep. I know the organizer wasn't pleased by that, but I didn't really care. Thankfully, I'd befriended some awesome people who were totally supportive of me, and I think may have done the same. It didn't help that the event was in a river/brook/creek-free space in West Virginia in August, without any air-conditioned spaces.

So, um, I'm not all that fond on hard-camping events at locations without outdoor water (pools, swimmable lakes, rivers, etc.).

My obstacles to having a good time ... the biggest one is probably feeling like I don't belong someplace. If I'm not able to connect with people, I'm likely to be miserable and probably won't come back. The way I've gotten around that, from time to time, is by working in the kitchen -- I'll gladly cook for an event, have minimal social contact, and still have a wonderful time because I was cooking.

Sorry to be so wordy -- I hadn't realized this would be so complex an answer!