Post Burn Treats - Better landing in the Default World.

[Clar-i-ty]

We all have our post-burn rituals, be it a pedicure, a couple of nights in a hotel with room service, or a favorite home cooked meal. In my case, I always seem to make a pot of menudo the first weekend after the burn. It's great spicy, slimy goodness soothes bones that ache in the humidity of the Bay Area, and seemingly makes landing in the Default World a little better.

What makes your landing in the Default World better?

[phil]

Louise and I check into our jacuzzi room at the Pepper Mill for a few days and soak off the playa.

[trilobyte]

We stay the extra day on the playa. Such a treat - we don't pack up in a mad scramble, and we don't deal with all that crazy Monday Exodus business. We left at a leisurely pace on Tuesday, and made it from camp to pavement in 30 minutes. The second treat was stopping at the Empire store on our way out. Not only to show them a bit more support, but to make use of their showers. One of the best showers of my life, and made the rest of the trip home wonderful. Third treat, an indian taco. Mmmm...

If we had lived further away than SF, we probably would have stayed in Reno. As it was, we had a nice drive home sans holiday or even rush hour traffic. Since we've been back, we've slacked a little bit in the cooking department. Ordered food in a couple nights, and we went out for brunch this morning. They aren't regular post-burn rituals and we certainly do those things throughout the year, it just seemed like a little bit of extra decadence in the wake of our best burn ever.

[Eric]

At least one night in Reno (shower/ food/ blackjack!) and then a really good dinner with the boyfriend when I get home. Usually Indonesian (Borobudur yum). Always have a burrito from our corner taqueria for the first breakfast back.

[gaminwench]

We did a Monday Exodus sky installation, left BRC Tuesday 2ish, Reno by 6 (with a stop at the Empire store)...
Leisurely 2 hour love fest with hot/cold running water and moisturizers, followed by leisurely 3 hour dinner with the campmates.
9 hours of sleep(!), then breakfast with the campmates.
We all drive/fly out Wednesday afternoon; I had a 13 hour drive home through the amazingly gorgeous Sierras...
3 AM arrival, greeted by my loves (who left the playa on Monday) with enchiladas and whiskey...
3 days of de-dustifying, sharing, loving, missing, re-connecting, looking at photos and planning for next year...

[Elorrum]

treats? It's been a hard landing. I worked all week with people who don't follow the news much less read, or think about art and Burning Man. I've been eating leftover trail mix, and canned food, and drinking the good vacation coffee. I sit in my apt. for one entire day on my first weekend and watch netflix, and watch eplaya. I do not open the curtains. I also enjoy salads. erm, tomorrow, I have to go out, and de-playafy gear and my bike, and my car. I've enjoyed my little car without a front passenger seat, reminds me of a London Cab.

[hookahdude]

Providing the gods of Defaultia don't bend me over again and force me to seel my tickets...
I am looking into a flight into Reno to get the wife and I there - I have a vehicle at Mom's house in Carson City.
For the trip back, I am investigating the cost of a room on a train. The journey typically takes about 3 days via train and you get to see some gorgeous country to boot. I just figure that it would be a very nice way to graduate back into the rat race...
Might be a little pricey, but very old world.. lol..

[C.f.M.]

What makes your landing in the Default World better?

Nothing. And I mean that with the utmost sincerity.

[Drawingablank]

Being my first burn I didn't have any planned treats so these were discovered along the way:

1. Walking around in the rain on the trip home.

2. Pizza and beer (in a frosted mug) when my appetite returned Friday.

3. Folks across the street had a really loud party yesterday with DJ - the residual oontz stirred up memories while I was unpacking and cleaning. So I put on some playa clothes and boots, broke out all of my remaining glow sticks, drank a case of PBR, and had a good cry.

But I would trade it all to be back home, it really sucks here in defaultia.

[dandelion]

Nice aromatherapy bath soak, mani/pedi done by yours truly and indian food! Samosa chaat is sooo delightful...

[Packoderm]

I had a really good one this year. I drove 8 hours through exodus, 4 hours to Sacramento, got home at 1:00 in the morning, and was ready and out the door to work at 6:00 the same morning. Our camp had considerable clean up, and I couldn't skip out. I got home the first day after work to a 24 foot truck parked in front of my house ready to be unloaded. Yesterday was my first day off, and I did NOTHING all day.

[RedHeaven]

Fall in love and write poetry

and lots of fresh fruit.

Watched 127 Hours last night and cried my eyes out. Thats a good one to see after coming back from BMan.

[AntiM]

Nice room in Reno, and take out food from China Diner, which is open until 3 am. El Dorado buffet in the morning, playing spot the burner. I shared a marvelous group hug with burners near the dessert buffet, and very nearly licked gelato off a woman's elbow, but decided it would just frighten the staff and tourists.

Gym tomorrow for water aerobics.

[illy dilly]

In 2010 we scheduled a massage for Tuesday afternoon, best idea ever! So we did it again this year. Thank god for Urban Delight and Groupon and all those email lists! Only issue was that instead of getting home late Monday, we got home early Tuesday, only gave us 6 hours before our massage.

Also, for some reason, fresh cold milk is out standing when I get home. I could have brought milk, but it sounds like a major pain in the ass and highly possible stinky mess. So that first glass of ice cold milk is killer!

And Pho!
It was even cloudy and cold when we got back to Denver, perfect Pho weather!

[Savannah]

Also, for some reason, fresh cold milk is out standing when I get home. I could have brought milk, but it sounds like a major pain in the ass and highly possible stinky mess. So that first glass of ice cold milk is killer!

I hope you try the Horizon Farms milk boxes next year. Same part of the grocery store as juice boxes. They are shelf-stable, but it's real milk, not powdered or weird. Bonus: organic. You don't have to keep 'em cold, but I always keep a few on ice, & have frosted mini wheats with ice cold milk for my playa breakfasts. Complex carbs and protein, nom nom nom.

There's Horizon Farms chocolate milk too, though I didn't bother this year. Chocolate milk is a great anti-dehydration booster, especially if you have a handful of chips with it . . .

[MoonSplash]

We too book a hotel room at Harrah's for afterwards (I'm not a big gambler, but I have one of their casino cards and can get comped or $20 rooms fairly frequently). They are pretty used to burners and the staff are always pretty welcoming.

We take turns indulging in selfish, incredibly long, and I mean L O N G, hot, soapy showers, armed to the gills with hair conditioner, sweet smelling body soap and body scrubs. There is something decadent about emerging from a hotel bathroom in a cloud of steamy citrusy blast into a room that is air-conditioned to the hilt to eat overpriced food from room service. After a good deep sleep on thick mattresses, surrounded by pillows and snores, it's time to get up and have a casino brunch and play Spot The Burner. We clean up good, don't we?

[illy dilly]

Also, for some reason, fresh cold milk is out standing when I get home. I could have brought milk, but it sounds like a major pain in the ass and highly possible stinky mess. So that first glass of ice cold milk is killer!

I hope you try the Horizon Farms milk boxes next year. Same part of the grocery store as juice boxes. They are shelf-stable, but it's real milk, not powdered or weird. Bonus: organic. You don't have to keep 'em cold, but I always keep a few on ice, & have frosted mini wheats with ice cold milk for my playa breakfasts. Complex carbs and protein, nom nom nom.

O FUCK ME!!! I can only imagine a bowl of ice cold Honey Bunches of Oats at 11am just as it starts to get hot.

Now I'm tempted to go back to the desert just so I can have ice cold cereal during the middle of the day.
I'll need you to remind me of this delicious shelf stable milk come mid July!

[Savannah]

Okay.

[illy dilly]

Sadly we were down the street from "Cereal Killers" a camp that would serve cereal every morning, but I always woke up and got moving some time after they stopped serving cereal.

So next year I'm bringing my own milk and cereal, Damn it!

[Fufa]

This year we dropped $10 on a truck stop shower, which was 1000 times better than expected. Fluffy white towels, and no time limit! Otherwise, haven't had the time to decompress, because school and work started less than 24 hours after I got back. I hope to relax next week, when we celebrate our anniversary.

[illy dilly]

because school and work started less than 24 hours after I got back. I hope to relax next week, when we celebrate our anniversary.

O man thats rough! 24 hours isn't even enough time to eat lots of food and sleep. Good luck!

But more importantly, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
What anniversary are you celebrating?

[CaverX]

I think I did it right this year: I was expecting a bit of a wait for exodus. I made it to the l lines of cars, and BMIR was still saying "5 hour wait." 7+hours later, I was turning onto the blacktop. Before heading to BRC, I had planned to book two nights in a Vegas hotel on the way home just to avoid being dangerous on the drive. This was a great decision. 16 hours from BRC to Vegas (including exodus,) a day of rest, and 16 hours for the rest of the drive to "normality."
On Tuesday, I just took it easy: sleep late, In-n-out burger, and I found a decent coffee shop downtown, an easy walk from Fitzgeralds, where I had a cheap casino room. I did attempt a connection I had found on Meetups for some vegas fire spinning, but it was a no go because all the locals were also tired from their return to Defaultia. I did some tourist stuff, including a few overpriced beers downtown, and a ride on the Fremont Street zip line. But kept finding my way back to that little coffee shop/record store. I adjusted my clocks back to Central time, and had a leisurely breakfast before my drive through the incredibly gorgeous desert Southwest. Only thing I am considering doing differently, is leaving Tuesday instead of Monday. (More time Mooping, and perhaps helping artists in deep playa strike their work.)
I still have not completely unpacked my car.

[junglesmacks]

An 18 pack of Busch Light and some boating always treats us right.

Yesterday:

[Foxfur]

For me it was six days of camping before going home. Bagged salads, t-bone steak, fresh Yakima white peaches, and foraged greens and huckleberries. Spending some time alone after living with tens of thousands seems to have eased the transition. The last two days have been just me and Sweetpea up on the mountain with no plans for going into town any time soon

One other treat was hitting sushi right before home. Brought a big sushi platter up the hill for collaborative demolition.

[Fufa]

because school and work started less than 24 hours after I got back. I hope to relax next week, when we celebrate our anniversary.

O man thats rough! 24 hours isn't even enough time to eat lots of food and sleep. Good luck!

But more importantly, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
What anniversary are you celebrating?

Second

I've been running around with my head cut-off trying to think of a most excellent gift for him, he's a tough cookie to shop for.

[illy dilly]

because school and work started less than 24 hours after I got back. I hope to relax next week, when we celebrate our anniversary.

O man thats rough! 24 hours isn't even enough time to eat lots of food and sleep. Good luck!

But more importantly, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
What anniversary are you celebrating?

Second

I've been running around with my head cut-off trying to think of a most excellent gift for him, he's a tough cookie to shop for.

Congratulations! (can't be said enough times)
What sort of things is he into?
Does he camp a lot? Its the end of camping season and lots of really neat and fancy camping gear is on clearance.
Does he need a better way to listen to music? maybe a car adapter for ipod or MP3 player? Maybe an ipod or MP3 player?
What is something that he uses everyday that is getting worn out? Watch? Wallet? computer case? belt?

You're in Canada.?.?.?. (this might be silly)Does he have to shovel snow a lot? Maybe check out getting a service that comes out to shovel the snow, then at least for one winter he doesn't have to worry about it. A gift that keeps on giving- but could be really pricey.

Is there something that he really likes thats broken, and so hes been holding on to it but not using it? Could it be sneaked away and repaired, then given to him as a brand new gift?

[Fufa]

Holy smokes illy! Those are a lot of good suggestions! I've actually identified something he needs, and I'm going out to find it today. I can't mention it on here cause he creeps these boards alot (and reads everything I say).

You're in Canada.?.?.?. (this might be silly)Does he have to shovel snow a lot? Maybe check out getting a service that comes out to shovel the snow, then at least for one winter he doesn't have
to worry about it. A gift that keeps on giving- but could be really pricey.

Snow services here are really pricy, and mostly reserved for the rich and unable. And most of us use snowblowers instead of shovelling now. My dad has one that is self propelled even, the things a monster!

[Minxy]

Will and I usually stay until Tuesday to make our Exodus easy and quick. We almost always spend a night or two in Tahoe on the way back and enjoy trees, hotel rooms, showers, gambling and the ever popular game of Spot the Burner.

We didn't do any of those things this year for the first time ever, but we hope to bring it back for next year.

[tahiti_treat]

Not rituals yet since this was my first burn, but these things were nice:

- 2 night in Reno without any obligation to do tourist things, just sleep, eat and pool. First restaurant meal - huge veggie omelette, home fries and milkshake. I could barely walk afterwards. Then sushi and sake that night (and fell asleep at the table )

- Took a week to drive back (2000 km), stopped at Mount Rushmore and did some rock climbing - it was a very gentle transition back since we were in the default world but not back to our responsibilities quite yet.

- Probably the nicest thing - my sister is a chef, and upon our return she was waiting for us with a vegetarian shepherd's pie, salad with fresh garden veggies, and fresh-baked bread... heaven. Since we've gotten back, lots of fresh fruit and veggies.

[illy dilly]

Holy smokes illy! Those are a lot of good suggestions! I've actually identified something he needs, and I'm going out to find it today. I can't mention it on here cause he creeps these boards alot (and reads everything I say).

You're in Canada.?.?.?. (this might be silly)Does he have to shovel snow a lot? Maybe check out getting a service that comes out to shovel the snow, then at least for one winter he doesn't have
to worry about it. A gift that keeps on giving- but could be really pricey.

Snow services here are really pricy, and mostly reserved for the rich and unable. And most of us use snowblowers instead of shovelling now. My dad has one that is self propelled even, the things a monster!

LOL!
My sister has one of the self propelled Snow Blowers! She has to be careful, cause it will end up dragging her ass around, lol.
In Denver it normally snows a lot too, though last winter was exceptionally dry.

I hope my suggestions were of some good use. That is my basic 'go to' check when trying to think of presents for people. Its not often that you can have the opportunity to get something the person really liked repaired, but when the chance comes up it is one of my favorite gifts. Especially if the one repaired has sentimental value, where a brand new one wouldn't fill the void.