Still alive!!!
So apparently many motels and cafes here have free wireless internet. YAY America!
So I've just had a week in the desert with no internet, no cell phone, no TEA. Also, tragically, had little interest in beer, despite the peer pressure. At first I thought it was due to the intense heat (clearly not in my right mind as that is my favourite beer climate at home) but realised eventually that it was a pyschologically thingumagigy to do with my intense terror of portapotties. OMG. My overall Burning Man enjoyment increased late in the week when we finally decided we could pee in the motorhome's toilet and not use up the tank. Too much talk about toilets? Be glad you didn't just spend six days with me in an RV. I whinged. Clearly, I am not cut out for this roughing it stuff. Don't laugh! Yes, we had a luxurious motorhome. THERE WERE SANDSTORMS. AND TWISTERS. AND WHITEOUTS. Yes, we had a shower. We didn't use it cos we didn't want to use up the water reserves. I just went a WEEK without a shower. *pause* We took a lot of babywipes.
Burning Man is very, very cool. My first morning there, I got on my bike and set off randomly for a looksee. I rather timidly helped myself to a bandanna from a washing line full of bandannas with a sign that said 'help yourself', I was still very new to this 'gifting' thing. (Bandannas, as I did not yet realise are Very Important in an environment prone to sudden sandstorms). A little further on I stopped to talk to a couple of guys, who when they realised I was a Virgin, said. 'Welcome home'.
I can't really describe the atmosphere there in a way that does justice to the spirit of sharing and belonging. For the most part, BM poeple rock, and while I can't believe, the way some do, that the world will one day live by the same ideals, I think it's wonderful that there are so many idealists who want to try to make it happen.
I believe 42 000 people came to BM this year. I was just talking to a woman at the washing machine at this motel in Reno we're in and she was saying that the last time she went was eight years ago, and there were were only 14 000 then, and it was much more spiritual. I would have liked to have been there, in the days when the Man was a huge wooden structure that the crowd would pull into position with ropes, rather than the shiny electic Man that they set off fireworks over when they burn.
I think a lot of people that go to BM now, go to party. The bars are many, and the techno music pervasive. I am all grown up and staid now, and did not partake of the much free booze and partying, with the exception of the night that cricketk and I went to the International Hostellers Camp for a British Pub Quiz, which started with Cricket drinking absinthe (I refused - I've HAD it before), and the guy setting the table on fire, and some random guy mixing me a tequila, papya juice, grenadine and 'with a dash of Sprite for bubbles' in my big drink bottle, and ended with Cricket leading me into a Den of Iniquity.
I commented that I felt immediately at home in that camp full of Canadians and Brits, and then Cricket's bike got stolen and she was 'wow, it really is like home'. Also, so much for no theft at BM.
Another great thing about BM was the way everyone just left everything unlocked, and the way that you could wander around at any time of day or night and feel completely safe.
I'm probably rambling, sorry, am very tired. But CLEAN. We got given the same rooms we had last week, when the shower thermostat in one of the rooms was busted, and still was today and I went to reception and was like 'last week we assumed we were just stupid foreigners who couldn't work out how to use it but oh look it really is broken and I'm dirty and RAWR' The 'houseman' came quite quickly to fix it *g*
I'm using strangedave's laptop. They've gone out to dinner. We had DENNY'S for lunch - I may never eat again!!! I've had Denny's now, so I'm happy. I have no idea if it was ever in an actual episode, but Denny's means X-Files to me, from all the fics I read that had Mulder hanging out there.
God, so much happened at BM, and so much is just a blur now. There was a lot of cycling. A lot. And a big desert. With artworks at not insignificant distances from each other. And heat, and sandstorms. I remember Cricket and I went to a singing lesson at one point, and it made us think of mr_booboo for some reason, and we learnt a Renaissance song to sing to emma_in_oz and were very pleased with ourselves and stayed in that tent for the next thing, which was a tango lesson, and as nice as the naked old couple were, I was relieved that they chose to only dance with each other. Just as the lesson was nearly finished we had a 'whiteout'. Cricket and I tried to wait it out, but in the end made a run for it, (so to speak, we were on bikes) in sometimes zero visibility. doctor_k_ took a photo of us when we got back to camp, in our goggles and bandannas, and totally white with dust.
Okay, too tired now, random things...
Managed to avoid any evil drug taking. It was harder than you might think, with quite insistant offers, and apparent drink spiking.
Joined camps with three young New Hampshire people because during the sandstorm we had on the FIRST DAY, their camp blew apart. They were really good value :). One of them was an engineer who makes robots that in the deep sea to look at the ocean floor, and when he started to explain it to us was like 'I don't know what you people believe, but some people believe that life began in the ocean'. After a moment of stunned silence and then quite a lot of laughter we explained that you don't actually have to justify evolution to pretty much anyone non-American. We all got on really well after that. And they gave us CHEERIOS. Which are NOT SWEET. Thankfully we were able to abandon the granola cereals we'd bought. Or maybe that was just me.
Even more randomly. DO NOT EAT AT ARBY'S. SERIOUSLY. That is one American fast food experience I wish I could repress. Though the curly fries weren't bad.
Also, I could not access my iinet webmail tonight, so I'm not sure what's been happening back home.
And I miss Bunny like crazy.
Love to everyone.
So I've just had a week in the desert with no internet, no cell phone, no TEA. Also, tragically, had little interest in beer, despite the peer pressure. At first I thought it was due to the intense heat (clearly not in my right mind as that is my favourite beer climate at home) but realised eventually that it was a pyschologically thingumagigy to do with my intense terror of portapotties. OMG. My overall Burning Man enjoyment increased late in the week when we finally decided we could pee in the motorhome's toilet and not use up the tank. Too much talk about toilets? Be glad you didn't just spend six days with me in an RV. I whinged. Clearly, I am not cut out for this roughing it stuff. Don't laugh! Yes, we had a luxurious motorhome. THERE WERE SANDSTORMS. AND TWISTERS. AND WHITEOUTS. Yes, we had a shower. We didn't use it cos we didn't want to use up the water reserves. I just went a WEEK without a shower. *pause* We took a lot of babywipes.
Burning Man is very, very cool. My first morning there, I got on my bike and set off randomly for a looksee. I rather timidly helped myself to a bandanna from a washing line full of bandannas with a sign that said 'help yourself', I was still very new to this 'gifting' thing. (Bandannas, as I did not yet realise are Very Important in an environment prone to sudden sandstorms). A little further on I stopped to talk to a couple of guys, who when they realised I was a Virgin, said. 'Welcome home'.
I can't really describe the atmosphere there in a way that does justice to the spirit of sharing and belonging. For the most part, BM poeple rock, and while I can't believe, the way some do, that the world will one day live by the same ideals, I think it's wonderful that there are so many idealists who want to try to make it happen.
I believe 42 000 people came to BM this year. I was just talking to a woman at the washing machine at this motel in Reno we're in and she was saying that the last time she went was eight years ago, and there were were only 14 000 then, and it was much more spiritual. I would have liked to have been there, in the days when the Man was a huge wooden structure that the crowd would pull into position with ropes, rather than the shiny electic Man that they set off fireworks over when they burn.
I think a lot of people that go to BM now, go to party. The bars are many, and the techno music pervasive. I am all grown up and staid now, and did not partake of the much free booze and partying, with the exception of the night that cricketk and I went to the International Hostellers Camp for a British Pub Quiz, which started with Cricket drinking absinthe (I refused - I've HAD it before), and the guy setting the table on fire, and some random guy mixing me a tequila, papya juice, grenadine and 'with a dash of Sprite for bubbles' in my big drink bottle, and ended with Cricket leading me into a Den of Iniquity.
I commented that I felt immediately at home in that camp full of Canadians and Brits, and then Cricket's bike got stolen and she was 'wow, it really is like home'. Also, so much for no theft at BM.
Another great thing about BM was the way everyone just left everything unlocked, and the way that you could wander around at any time of day or night and feel completely safe.
I'm probably rambling, sorry, am very tired. But CLEAN. We got given the same rooms we had last week, when the shower thermostat in one of the rooms was busted, and still was today and I went to reception and was like 'last week we assumed we were just stupid foreigners who couldn't work out how to use it but oh look it really is broken and I'm dirty and RAWR' The 'houseman' came quite quickly to fix it *g*
I'm using strangedave's laptop. They've gone out to dinner. We had DENNY'S for lunch - I may never eat again!!! I've had Denny's now, so I'm happy. I have no idea if it was ever in an actual episode, but Denny's means X-Files to me, from all the fics I read that had Mulder hanging out there.
God, so much happened at BM, and so much is just a blur now. There was a lot of cycling. A lot. And a big desert. With artworks at not insignificant distances from each other. And heat, and sandstorms. I remember Cricket and I went to a singing lesson at one point, and it made us think of mr_booboo for some reason, and we learnt a Renaissance song to sing to emma_in_oz and were very pleased with ourselves and stayed in that tent for the next thing, which was a tango lesson, and as nice as the naked old couple were, I was relieved that they chose to only dance with each other. Just as the lesson was nearly finished we had a 'whiteout'. Cricket and I tried to wait it out, but in the end made a run for it, (so to speak, we were on bikes) in sometimes zero visibility. doctor_k_ took a photo of us when we got back to camp, in our goggles and bandannas, and totally white with dust.
Okay, too tired now, random things...
Managed to avoid any evil drug taking. It was harder than you might think, with quite insistant offers, and apparent drink spiking.
Joined camps with three young New Hampshire people because during the sandstorm we had on the FIRST DAY, their camp blew apart. They were really good value :). One of them was an engineer who makes robots that in the deep sea to look at the ocean floor, and when he started to explain it to us was like 'I don't know what you people believe, but some people believe that life began in the ocean'. After a moment of stunned silence and then quite a lot of laughter we explained that you don't actually have to justify evolution to pretty much anyone non-American. We all got on really well after that. And they gave us CHEERIOS. Which are NOT SWEET. Thankfully we were able to abandon the granola cereals we'd bought. Or maybe that was just me.
Even more randomly. DO NOT EAT AT ARBY'S. SERIOUSLY. That is one American fast food experience I wish I could repress. Though the curly fries weren't bad.
Also, I could not access my iinet webmail tonight, so I'm not sure what's been happening back home.
And I miss Bunny like crazy.
Love to everyone.