Sometime in the middle of the day I head out to Black Rock City, aka the Playa, aka the Black Rock Desert -- a dry lake where thousands of people gather to participate in Burning Man. I've been away a few years, and now that I'm returning, I'm simultaneously reassured and wary. They say it's changed, but in the end, it'll still be Burning Man... and I know Burning Man! It was never same-old, same-old, year in and year out, but there is a consistency to any repeated human experience. So I'll look for the continuity even as I explore the new possibilities.
I know that Hinnebusch Arts, Darkly Sewn, Patron Saint of the Smackdown, Rizwank and Angelo and Miss Brazelton will be there, among my MySpace friends. So I'll try and catch up with them as time and the Playa permit.
I'm almost completely ready now, with just a few more things to accomplish before pickup time. Hopefully the trip will go smoothly enough. If that happens, the rest will be fine.
What do I expect from the Playa this time? Really, very little. There's nobody going there that I can't spend time with in LA, so if I miss folks, I can catch up. I hope for a minimum comfort level, but it's desert camping in late summer, so I know what to expect on that count. (Assuming the weather doesn't turn.) The Man will burn, and I'll be there to see it, and that's always amazing. But I'm not bringing any major art with me, so I don't have any setup/display/takedown issues. I'm also not sick in any way (besides allergies kicking up a little, which will almost certainly vanish on the Playa), so unless I overindulge, there shouldn't be health issues to mar the trip.
I'm bringing a video camera, but I'm not going to be married to it -- there are lots of ways my friends can see video of BRC besides my home movies, and I don't have an artistic agenda for this year. They say there are steampunk, swing dance and all manner of other camps and activities this year... but all those things can be done in LA. Nothing demands my attention besides finding good things to see and do, whatever they may be.
So I'll do that. If you're going to Burning Man and haven't left yet, or plan to go one day, remember my advice: If you have something you plan to go and see, but you find something incredible on your way there, forget the plan and go to the incredible thing you see right now. It might be gone later, or your plan might not be as good. Either way, when life offers you a gift along the way, pick it up. (Don't be a total flake, of course, but you know what I mean...)
No relation to Michael Moorcock (huh huh, he said "Moorcock" -- that's what she said!) or his fantasy fiction, this entry is just a flag to indicate I'm running around getting the last stuff ready to go to Burning Man. You'll probably get one last update from home... and maybe, if there really is internet service there, even a Playa-based update or two!
And Spock was right -- humans run around all over the place exhausting themselves on their vacations, instead of relaxing and returning to work rested. That's what I'm doing -- out late Friday night, up early and finishing the current cycle of Lindy Hop classes Saturday morning, in the office to write during the day, running the VENTURE BROTHERS LARP on Saturday night (a big success, thanks to the players), up early Sunday morning to get things done, and soon off to Disneyland with Noah K., Jenz and company. And then back to the office to finish work tonight!
Monday will be more hectic, right up until I depart for Burning Man...
Just walked back from the neighborhood dive bar -- a pretty good dive bar, at that -- after having a few drinks with the visiting Bill the Bullet Dodger and Mister. Bill is in town for just a couple of days, and was most welcome. Mister, despite the sad situations he's been facing, did his usual. Which is to say, when I went to use the restroom, I returned to find some random woman and her boyfriend from Spain occupying my place in the booth.
Now, if Mister was single -- or Bill was not juggling four women -- and if this stupid skank was single, I'd almost understand the disloyalty. After all, hey, it is woo-mun! Must give her place at table, even if cheesy Spaniard with Young Obi-Wan Hair Braid is with her. But frankly, these are two men who are staring at their 40th birthdays across the span of less than 12 months, both of whom are either married or in quasi-relationships, and she just wasn't that cute.
To say nothing of the vague notion that when your friends drag you out on a night when you need your sleep, they should spend their time with you... not some random cheeseball couple.
After walking the mile home from the bar, I got the usual half-assed "gee, I'm sorry" phone call from Mister, and gave the usual "you're a dick" speech to him. But if the truth be told, I refrained from saying the blunt, sad truth: You're too old for this, my friend. It shows. Grow up, why don't you. You're embarrassing yourself.
I'm eating some food to thin the alcohol, drinking water for the same reason, popping some aspirin, and getting up early to dance, write and ready myself for the LARP. And all this will be in the past. But right now... what can I say? That was just not what I'd expected at all...
There's costume pieces and T-shirts that will be going with me to the Playa this year for their last wearing... and then receiving the Viking funeral that is their due, burned in communal firepits rather than returning to Los Angeles.
