The Lonley Burner

[Sand_man]

Hello, I had a wonderful time at my second Burn this year and the time I went before was 2003, so it was almost like starting over.
There were some trends I saw though. Couples.
Everyone seemed to have a partner. I was honestly shocked to see so many peoples conected at the waist. Maybe I shouldn't have been. I'm curious though if there were any other lone Burners he felt the sting of solatude particularly painful this year.

Perhaps it's time for me to create a singles camp at Burning man. Just to show we all know what it's like to be alone on the Playa.

[DoriumLux]

Hello, I had a wonderful time at my second Burn this year and the time I went before was 2003, so it was almost like starting over.
There were some trends I saw though. Couples.
Everyone seemed to have a partner. I was honestly shocked to see so many peoples conected at the waist. Maybe I shouldn't have been. I'm curious though if there were any other lone Burners he felt the sting of solatude particularly painful this year.

Perhaps it's time for me to create a singles camp at Burning man. Just to show we all know what it's like to be alone on the Playa.

Hey, what are you complaining about!? The singles get to have all the fun!! Being in a serious relationship the last three years has definitely provided a different experience and much tamer one at that...

[Timezone LaFontaine]

I went alone for the third year in a row, but never really felt lonesome. Met some great folks, had some crazy conversations. You've gotta reach out to people a little bit.

[EtherNinja]

I wasn't lonely for a second. Shortly after my arrival, a girl inadvertently pitched her tent against the front bumper of my truck. We invited her to join our camp which led to a very satisfying romance on the playa. Five day relationship with no strings attached- awesome!

[Sand_man]

I'm not saying I was lonely the whole time and I met plenty of great people. There are simply times in the dark of night and the inharent emptiness of the desert that makes one feel extra alone.

All things seem magnafied at the Burn.

As for that 5 day relationship Ninja, I doubt that is the norm.

[EtherNinja]

I'm not saying I was lonely the whole time and I met plenty of great people. There are simply times in the dark of night and the inharent emptiness of the desert that makes one feel extra alone.

All things seem magnafied at the Burn.

As for that 5 day relationship Ninja, I doubt that is the norm.

Yea, a few of my campmates accused me of taking on a babysitting job for the week. It was a pretty cool scenario for me though- maintaining total freedom on the playa and having an affectionate bedwarmer for those chilly mornings. It was an "open relationship" and we took full advantage of that. You are probably right though- I wouldn't imagine this sort of thing to be the norm. '08 just worked out for me that way- Lucky me!

[somekind]

Lonely is just business as usual. Get used to it. Some people luck out and make meaningful relationships. Others just get spanked.

I've heard that riding a bicycle is a lonely thing to do. Is that true?

[gyre]

Lonely how?

[Cassidy]

There were some trends I saw though. Couples.
Everyone seemed to have a partner. I was honestly shocked to see so many peoples conected at the waist. Maybe I shouldn't have been. I'm curious though if there were any other lone Burners he felt the sting of solatude particularly painful this year.

Perhaps it's time for me to create a singles camp at Burning man. Just to show we all know what it's like to be alone on the Playa.

Couples seem to be everywhere when you're not staring into someone's eyes, eh? Yeah, I felt it too. What I'd really like is a camp that feels like a community when we get there and then we hang out with each other (or not) depending on who we click with. But I guess that's what friends are for. Unfortunately, my few friends that do go to Burning Man don't go alone. And I'm not necessarily looking for a 5-night romance. So, back to square one. That said, I DID have a good time by myself most of the time and met tons of really nice people that were just passing through our camp.

P.S. I think The Lonely Burner is a great title for a book... hmmm...

[Lucid484]

well im going to burning man 09 alone while the wife stays at home....never been before and I already have this strange sense of lonliness enveloping me...not looking for a romance of course just some really cool people to meet and chill with.

[gyre]

Just talk to people and go do things.
Explore.

[Cassidy]

Lucid,

To explain a bit this was my second burn. I connected with a ton of people my first year and also romance found me, though I was certainly not looking for it. A major thing to remember - no expectations... Since my first burn was so wonderful, this year I think I had some expectations I shouldn't have had. Don't go there thinking you'll be lonely... As Gyre suggested, get out and do things, reach out to people and most of them will welcome you warmly. You may miss your wife but you will meet tons of people (you may not remember their names and maybe never see again) that you'll never forget. Even if the only person you really remember is the hot guy at center camp that could play with that little shiny ball like nobody else... oh, wait... that's my memory... see?!

P.S. As is always suggested, read the Survival Guide. The more prepared you are physically, the more you'll be able to deal with emotional/mental challenges.

[shaun]

I'm not saying I was lonely the whole time and I met plenty of great people. There are simply times in the dark of night and the inharent emptiness of the desert that makes one feel extra alone.

All things seem magnafied at the Burn.

As for that 5 day relationship Ninja, I doubt that is the norm.

people hook up on the playa with startling frequency and often with disastrous results. Other times they hook up on the playa and make it in the real word, get married and have happy little kids. I have seen and participated in both. This year i went as a married single person who was not looking to hook up and I felt the pang of loneliness as i staggered around the discos. I used to be part of a giant camp (spiral oasis), and i missed the days of frolicking with mt peeps before all the po po and rules. So it goes! I had a great time. The Playa is a powerful place and all the blinky lights and boom boom in black rock city are not necessarily going to change your mental state. results may vary.

[Intubater69]

Hello, I had a wonderful time at my second Burn this year and the time I went before was 2003, so it was almost like starting over.
There were some trends I saw though. Couples.
Everyone seemed to have a partner. I was honestly shocked to see so many peoples conected at the waist. Maybe I shouldn't have been. I'm curious though if there were any other lone Burners he felt the sting of solatude particularly painful this year.

Perhaps it's time for me to create a singles camp at Burning man. Just to show we all know what it's like to be alone on the Playa.

Hey Sand_man, check out Stag camp, I was gonna stay there before my wifey and jr burner joined me.

[Sand_man]

These are great replys and really say a lot. There are things to gain in being alone. You face yourself and you have so many choices laid out in the desert. Sometimes there's a sadness but that is not to say the conections aren't even more powerful by counter point.

For the first time I will be going with a close friend in 2009. Who knows what mysteries will happen then.

Hope to see you all there.

[jets]

Stag Camp is the perfect place for solo Burners.
I had an incredible time there this year and never felt alone.

[Dr. Pyro]

Sand Man, you have an open invitation to hang with the rest of your Newcastle/Auburn/Placer County peeps. We still need to get together at Constable Jacks and hoist a few cold ones. Or perhaps the Valencia Club in Penryn.

[Sand_man]

That we do. drop me a call any time. I thgink I lost your number in the chaos.

[jackmack]

burning man is turning into a big rave scene of socially conservative trendy idiots.... same sheep different scene.

...i noticed almost ALL the women this year were either with a boyfriend (yuck) or fearfully clinging to their other "girl friends" in a pact of "stick together girls" bullshit.

if you're not single and wanting to get laid... then i'm sorry, you have no place at burning man. yea yea,,, we need people to build the temple and shit but that's for OLD people.

if you're young beautiful & single you SHOULD be trying to get laid and if you're not there is something wrong with you. Sorry burning man is not about art & music. It's about relationships... and relationships are fun... but not so fun if at least one doesn't end in orgasm.

[Sand_man]

Well I suppose that's one way to look at it. Heh.

[Boijoy]

Looks like SOMEbody needs a hug. From the side... but a hug none the less.

[Simon of the Playa]

if you're not single and wanting to get laid... then i'm sorry, you have no place at burning man. yea yea,,, we need people to build the temple and shit but that's for OLD people.

if you're young beautiful & single you SHOULD be trying to get laid and if you're not there is something wrong with you. Sorry burning man is not about art & music. It's about relationships... and relationships are fun... but not so fun if at least one doesn't end in orgasm.

yeah, starjack, all of us OLD people were too busy FUCKING to notice that you were all alone, spanking it in some dusty corner....


you must be truly lame, because it's obvious that you DIDNT get laid and you expected to....


as Nelson Muntz would say....."ha-ha"

[sonic]

I had a great time this year, and I did feel lonely at times too. Every year is a different experience out there for me (this was #7) and this year, every night was different. For example, I'm single and was with a camp of good friends and family, yet when wandering around the playa or looking at art, we all want to do different things, so we all went our own ways. Wednesday night I went out dancing alone, visited a few camps, and had a great time. I went to do the same thing on Thursday night and the vibe or energy was completely different. Everyone did seem to be clustered with their own little groups and kinda of closed offed. I hadn't quite felt that kind of vibe out there before. And I really did feel lonely that night. Then the next night I ended up finding my own one night romance. So who knows, maybe it's just me. But that one night I did feel lonely, and a sense of people not open to meeting others.

[Sail Man]

We stayed in Kidsville and never felt lonely (how could you with wild children including out own running around

However, when our neighbors started pulling out, we def. started feeling a wee bit o'lonliness at losing our new found friends. It def. helps to look forward to next year baby

[BurleyMan]

I understand the lonely thing, but it was never a desperate loneliness for me. I remember wandering my first night on the playa...I hadnt so much as looked at a map before I set out...and I remember thinking that no one new where I was. There wasn't anyone around, It was dark, and I was smack in the middle of the desert. But I look up, and I see the Man. Thats when I saw... He is the only one who can see me. "The Man knows where I am."


I felt so safe.

[Sand_man]

[/quote]Thats when I saw... He is the only one who can see me. "The Man knows where I am."

I suppose as long as we remember this, we'll all be ok. :)

[Simon of the Playa]

sand man....



one word....



roofies.

[pinemom]

yeah...I felt bits o loneliness at times this year...heheheee but I was too high on painkillers for my knee to give a flying fuck!


My wonderful friends would lube me up with painkillers as my knee would swell to 3 times the size, I would lay in my trailer all alone.... and watch the trolls pop in and out of the cabinets...but even they didnt wanna jump down and play with me....insensitive lil' fuckers!

[ism]

What is this "lonely" thing? How does it work?

[Ugly Dougly]

It's a great place to meet people, if you just relax and go with it.
It's also a good place for couples to break up, unfortunately. You would probably see more singles at the end of the event.