highs and lows

It's impossible to try and fully account for all of the happenings of my Burningman experience, plus it probably wouldn't be prudent to talk about some of them at any rate. So rather than try to do a diary of my days, I decided that it was less overwhelming and probably more interesting, to just jot down some of the more memorable things (in bullet form of course). o The very first thing to happen was a small setback involving setting up our camp. We picked a location and got a lot of our camp set up AND THEN some people came out and to tell us we were camping on their reserved spot that they had very NOT clearly marked with a used up glow stick. It almost got dramatic. Even in a place like Burningman, people are assholes when it comes "protecting" what they think is theirs. But it turned out very well, we ended up in a much better location that was far downwind of the port-a-potties. o Many of our Seattle friends camp at Zu, a lovely camp full of amazing people, including one fella who flew an airplane down to Nevada. He gave away free plane rides, and Pink, Heidi and I jumped at the chance. It was AMAZING flying around the playa and getting a bird's eye view of the city and The Man. AND I got to fly the plane a little. It's a bit like playing Pole Position, you barely move the controls and the whole plane moves. My tummy jumps a little every time I think about it. o Becca and I decided one day that it was our mission to find Mister Mister, the misting tent provided by one of the camps. We rode across the playa in 90+ degree desert weather and when we got there I run into my friend Nico. What are the chances of running into one person in a crowd of 38,000 people? Actually, pretty good at Burningman. o One of our fellow campers ended up not being able to come at the last minute. The problem with that, other then her not being there, was that she was the person who was bringing two more campers. A few phone calls, and six hours...problem solved. Charlie, an unknown prior to this adventure, ended up leaving his job and coming down to the burn with our other campers (and gas for Starla). I hadn't met Charlie before but oddly enough I knew him as "Charlie the Bartender" because he knows some other people I know. It was fun making those connections during our walks around the city. o When somebody tells you they have the way to make your first burn memorable, it pays to be a little cautious. But then again, getting an electric cattle prod to your bare ass is DEFINITELY unforgettable. o Despite your best intuition telling you otherwise, it is impossible to NOT look down into the foulest depths of the Porta-potties each and every time nature calls. Though somehow my body and I developed some sort of mutual understanding that restricting bodily function was often for the best. o We camped down the block from a group from Maryland. Twice a week they gifted bloody marys to the playa citizenry. They were the BEST bloody marys I have ever had the joy of imbibing...yummy tomato juice, good vodka, fresh horseradish, beef stock...drool. I went there both times they were handing out the goods. o I saw quite possibly the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets of my life while on the playa. One morning in particular stands out. Josh and I were still going strong in the wee hours of the morning, though the rest of our crew had decided to call it quits. We hung out for a while and then decided to head over the Blunderland, a camp of the people who threw the Esthetic Evolution party I went to in Boise earlier in the summer. During our walk, the sun starting coming out. The sun came up over the mountains on the horizon and made the sky the most intense shades of pink, leaving an almost magenta hue lingering over the skyline for what seemed like forever. Josh and I walked with arms clasped around each other's waists and looked on, astounded at the sheer beauty we felt extremely privileged to be experiencing. We kept looking at one another in amazement and wonderment...it was perfect. o During one of our many nights out on the Esplanade, I wanted to find my friend Nico very badly. I walked up and down looking for him and kept running into other people who would tell me where they had last seen him. I started to become frustrated because I couldn't find him. Then I heard an art car playing a song that Devo often plays during his DJ sets, aptly nicknamed the whistle song. I decided to walk over and listen to the song and take a minute to think about my sweetie. It was then that I noticed there was a huge crowd standing around this metal serpent art installation. I waited around for a while and didn't see anything going on, so I leaned over to the guy standing next to me and asked what was happening. It was then that I noticed who I was talking to. On New Year's Eve, I went to a party with some Kentucky friends. We were heading to another party and couldn't get a cab to save our lives. These brothers were standing outside while we were trying and they offered us a ride home. We had never met these men, neither or them were permanent residents of Seattle, and once the ride was over it was likely that we would never see these good-deed-doers again. That is until I went to Burningman and randomly leaned over to ask somebody what was happening in the middle of the Playa at midnight. I asked him if he remembered me, he did and he was astounded that I remembered him. It was at that moment that I knew what that playa was trying to tell me, I couldn't control what happened out there and it was silly of me to try. What was going to happen was going to happen and I just needed to go along for the ride. It was a good lesson to learn. to be continued...