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Fading Fascination
I’m slightly surprised that I’ve adapted as well as I have. I shouldn’t be but it’s Friday morning now and the week is near over and I’m unscathed as can be. But my hair is absolutely disgusting, my skin is starting to itch, the heat is starting to wear me down, as is the lack of sleep. My BM high is starting to descend. Perhaps it’s the growing familiarity of the roads and the camps and the art cars. Perhaps it’s the constant techno beats that drum all day and all night so that you fade into sleep to those monotonous beats only to wake up to them again as…
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Where Are the Showers Again?
I am filthy. I have not showered in four days. I have not shaved in four days. I have not washed my hair in four days. My cleansing ritual has consisted of baby wipes and Baths in a Bag, which essentially are deluxe baby wipes. Though I currently have no choice, my confidence in the phrase “Kills 99.9% of Germs” is really waning, especially when I’ve been using porta-potties all week. Granted, I’ve been quite pleased with the relative pleasantness of the porta-potties considering all the usage they’ve been getting. They get pumped out 2-3 times a day and are cleaner than many highway reststops I’ve been in. The only…
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Terms to Know
BM:Acronynm for Burning Man Black Rock City (BRC):The temporary city on the playa of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, where BM takes place. It is 90 miles north-northeast of Reno. Burner:A Burning Man participant. MiPL:Meet in Portland. The social group I’ve been active with for the last 3-1/2 years. I went to BM with a MiPL contingent. MiPLer:A person who is involved in Meet in Portland. MOOP:Matter Out Of Place. Litter on the playa. There is a “Leave No Trace” policy which means everything you bring in, you must bring out, including grey water you can’t evaporate in time. Playa:A dry lakebed. More specifically in this case, the large,…
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Prologue
Sunday, 11:30 P.M. I wanted more time to do this, to capture my thoughts. But today was just like every other one I’ve had for the last few months and then intensified. Overscheduled. Overcommitted. Overwhelmed. I wanted to sit and take inventory before I left because so many have said that this is going to be a life changing experience and I figured I should set a benchmark to know if that will be true and if so, by how much. However, I’m not thinking it will be. I am not looking for any answers on this trip or to escape from any part of my life, although there have…
