Bad burner... no doughnut

[clandyone]

The Sunday before the burn, we took a break from building our camp to go watch the Man being installed on his pedestal. Were heckled by DPW guy on top of the temple-y thing... if I remember correctly the line was <sarcastic as hell> "Oh, look. Some people participating. Fuckin' losers."</sarcastic as hell>

DPW folks berate the hoi polloi as a matter of course, and I don't mind. Just the way things are. But really.... were we "spectating" by watching the Man go up? Was it a bad thing to do? We couldn't really have helped, given the heavy machinery involved.

Is it "spectator-y" to watch when interesting things are going on?

[RebA!]

Hubby and I were out mooping on sunday afternoon by the chandelier piece. And an art car blazes thru. A guy yells something unitelligible. As they are driving around in circles around the piece. I continue to pick up trash and other moop. During thier final pass they screamed out something along the lines of Fucking spectators. (people were looking at the art. go figure)

I later learned that they were giving away blended drinks. Although they never did slow down enough to hand any away. Soooo it was yell something no one can understand, no one responds,call them spectators and then leave. Makes perfect sense to me.

[Lydia Love]

Maybe he would have been less cranky if someone *had* given him a doughnut...

Fuck 'em. Judgemental fucks.

[Halo Joe]

Is it just me, or does it seem as though the end of the week is getting more difficult to enjoy? Sunday through Tuesday were great for me this year; Friday through Sunday, not so much.

ReBA!, Lydia -- good to see you survived the week!

[dragonflyannie]

i agree... monday through wednesday were amazing for me! thursday through sunday i saw way too many negative things and it just felt overall very different.

[lazyvegan]

yes there are WAY too many people playing 'spectator police'...god forbid anyone might stop to ENJOY any of the art or anything..geesh..

brings to mind a little sign i saw in gigsville..

YOU
ARE
THE
ART

..so there..even if you scraped and saved all year just to MAKE it to the playa, to be a part of the city you love, you can't help but to be a participant..

[Lydia Love]

Friday through Sunday, not so much

I was filled with sadness that I can't yet pinpoint all the reasons for from Friday morning to Sunday morning.

I spent Saturday trying to reconnect with a few souls with varying success - but had to stop every so often to just cry.

It was cathartic in it's own way but kind of a pain in the ass.

[Ivy]

Lydia--

I've noticed A LOT of people with the same feelings, espcially burn night. I wasn't out there (worked the cafe, which was good except for the actual working part--not to sound like a lazy ass bum (which we all know I am) but the whole cashiering aspect @ BM really fucked with my head...I won't be doing that again), but so many people told me it was hard for them to connect, that there was little human interaction...I've been wondering if it's just different kinds of people experienceing things in our own ways or if there really was something weird going on. I dunno.

[Booker]

spent Saturday trying to reconnect with a few souls with varying success

You got hold of a chunk of mine, as always, if it's any consolation.

I had a lovely time during the burn itself. I felt a little judged when I mentioned I was leaving Sunday, but nothing serious--just a diff. of priorities.[/quote]

[TestesInSac]

Lydia--

I've noticed A LOT of people with the same feelings, espcially burn night....I've been wondering if it's just different kinds of people experienceing things in our own ways or if there really was something weird going on. I dunno.

My reckoning is that a number of factors start catching up to folks, starting Thursday and building thereafter.

Sleep deprivation, exposure, perhaps too many emotional highs, physical exhaustion, substances, etc. all take a toll on us early types.

Then the weekenders start showing with a certain mania that drives them to see all that there is, which fairly prohibits them slowing down enough to interact.

If we're to enjoy the 'manic' weekend of the burn, we'll need to spend time with each other to maintain the human connection.

[Halo Joe]

> Then the weekenders start showing ...

I think that's a big part of it, Tom.

And that's not to say all "weekenders" are part of some problem -- if work/family/responsibilities keep you from coming to the playa before the weekend of the burn, I can dig it, yo. But Biff and Tyler from Kappa Kappa Spankme and Earl and Ray Bob from Outer BFE often show up just to drink beer, litter and stare at boobs on the weekends. We all know it, and I saw lots of it this year.

[clandyone]

During Sunday's dust storm I got stuck out on 2:00, and hopped in a Jeep with a couple of the most clueless tourists I've ever encountered on the playa. They had just arrived that morning, thought their ticket was a day pass, and were concerned that they hadn't brought enough money for the bars. They had been driving around taking pictures. Gah. They were nice, so I couldn't hate them, but they did make me want to cry.

[precipitate]

> concerned that they hadn't brought enough money for the bars.

You know, if they'd wandered into our bar I would have been sorely tempted to charge them three bucks a pop. Might not have done it, but ooh the temptation to punish the stupid.

Oh, sorry, is that against this famous spirit of Burning Man I've heard so much about?

[blyslv]

There was a bar on Inspiration just before it crossed Creed. (4:30). I think they were part of Gigsville, but I’m not sure. One of them was literally a filthy hippy who completely alienated Elfin Camp with his constant requests for food, water, smokes and booze. The first day they were there I really liked their music, about 20 eclectic songs. By the third day when they kept playing it over and over it was getting kind of boring. Then they cranked the volume (up to eleven(!)) so that you could feel it in your pelvis from a hundred feet away. Then they left camp but the music kept looping. When politely requested to turn it down a bit they were hostile. Finally 3 people form the neighboring camp left early cause they were literally driven to distraction by the extreme noise and hostility. I don’t understand why they were so hostile and mean to their neighbors, why they couldn’t reach some compromise. On the night before the burn about 15 people gathered in their front yard, started drinking their booze and when they left, the speaker wires were clipped and missing. Seems extreme, but the ensuing silence was a blessing.


I found that I had a judgmental attitude toward a lot this year, something about which I am not at all happy. I was no longer a clueless newbie and put a lot of effort into the event. As time passed and sleep and food deprivation set in I found it easy to get short-tempered and maybe a bit cranky. There was the time on the way to the Temple Burn when despite the lights we had I almost got seriously clocked by a bike. When he was riding off with out even an apology, I’ll admit I gave him a little shove. I worked myself to exhaustion, that’s the only excuse I have, but I apologize to him, even though he should get a light for his bike.

On the way home Julie and I made a list of all the good things that happened and all the bad things. The former was way, way longer then the latter. That put everything in perspective.

[RebA!]

I was a bit pissy at the number of non art cars (some packed and loaded to leave) at the temple of whatever burn on sunday night. Just walk your sorry asses out there like everyone else punk and leave your damn car in camp.

But i'm not bitter.

[blyslv]

I felt a little judged when I mentioned I was leaving Sunday, but nothing serious--

Yo Booker, if you felt that from me, it was more disappointment that you wouldn't be there. But as it turned out, we got lazy and missed the Temple Burn, got there late. Oh well.

[Lydia Love]

I felt a little judged when I mentioned I was leaving Sunday, but nothing serious--

And I hope you didn't feel it from me either - I was just sad I wouldn't get to feed you Thanksgiving dinner


Which rocked by the way

[stuart]

blyslv

the camp was elfinland, my brothers camp, in shangri-la village. Yeah, their neighbors across 4:30 were pretty creepy. The titty man ended up molesting a couple of our under age village girls. As far as early departures from elfinland are concerned, the music had little if anything to do with it. Camp politics had many of us in the village calling them angryland well before mid week. Shouts of 'bitch' etc. could be heard from nearby as they wrestled with their shade. There was a drug bust very early on and the rental truck was in an accident leaving SF. They just had a bad year. My brother says next year he will bring his pick-up and a tent.

[stuart]

so, I am straddling a ladder at 11ft and juggling power tools during a dust storm erecting a post and beam structure when the angry carny car cruises by complete with it's obscenity shouting bullhorn wielder. They give me an earfull. WTF? I don't know about you, but looking around BRC I see a hell of a lot of contruction the DPW had nothing to do with. Why all the attitude? Oh, I know it is probably a vocal minority, but I don't appreciate it.

[blyslv]

Stu (you double mohawk man you)

Thanks for the clarifications, although since we're both reporting 2nd hand we might never have the full story. Elfinland did have a lot of trouble setting up the shade, but I never saw any anger and I hung out with them pretty much everyday, at least for a little while. Several did say that the music was a big factor in the decision to leave early. I do know from my direct experience that the volume of the music from my neighbors was the worst aspect of the event this year.

Also I wasn't refering to the Tittyman camp (which was a creepy concept IMO) but to the camp on the closer-in side of Inspiration. They had inflatable furniture and zero social skills. And yeah, they were talking about walk in camping or doing something different.

[blyslv]

Stu (you double mohawk man you)

Thanks for the clarifications, although since we're both reporting 2nd hand we might never have the full story. Elfinland did have a lot of trouble setting up the shade, but I never saw any anger and I hung out with them pretty much everyday, at least for a little while. I suspect that the yells of "bitch" were directed at the shade strucutre itself. Several did say that the music was a big factor in their decision to leave early. I do know from my direct experience that the volume of the music from my neighbors was the worst aspect of the event this year.

Also I wasn't refering to the Tittyman camp (which was a creepy concept IMO) but to the camp on the closer-in side of Inspiration. They had inflatable furniture and zero social skills. And yeah, they were talking about walk in camping or doing something different.

[tbone]

> concerned that they hadn't brought enough money for the bars.

You know, if they'd wandered into our bar I would have been sorely tempted to charge them three bucks a pop. Might not have done it, but ooh the temptation to punish the stupid.

Oh, sorry, is that against this famous spirit of Burning Man I've heard so much about?

That's just because you camped in Un-Happy Camp. Those guys were dicks.

[stu]

Stu (you double mohawk man you)

Wrong Stu. There are two of us: the double mohawk, single moniker Stu, and Mr. Scanlon -- who was the person you relpied to. Now, keep us straight you fuckwit!

[TestesInSac]

Now, keep us straight you fuckwit!

Staying straight is your job. Boring maybe, but still your job.

[stuart]

by sunday of event opening I entertained bruce, ken, daniel and ted all seperately. They were pretty twisted about eachother and how things were going. I had to remind one of them, in the midst his a tirade, that bruce was my brother and that he should temper his fury about said brother around me. Kathy, my super excellent sister in-law, is the one who reported to me about all the name calling. It did seem they had mellowed on each other by mid week though. I know ken was just done by the time the weekend rolled around.