Alright, let's hear the best and worst from 2012

[knowmad]

Worst: Feeling like a dejected Slut.
Best: Getting my Ass tattooed by Crack Whores.

One John's reject is anouther Whore's playmate.


T.O.P. edit to add:
2012 - 2 asshats, a couple of jerks; But my slut factor hit double digits. Good burn, Good burn indeed!

[Onion]

Best:
Getting a taste of whiteout conditions on Thursday pre event. It was kind of nice to get the acclimatizing and near dehydration out of the way quickly.

Purple palace rocking out our last build night on Saturday pregate.

Getting corralled on my bike by the serpent twins.

A surprise ice cream sandwich from Wheels on Meals.

Out of the 13 days I spent on playa, Thursday into Friday was fantastic. We received a personal compliment from Larry and Marian on our CORE effigy, then the most amazing show of support from the Colorado Community at the CORE burn. Seizing a chance at some much needed alone time, I took off and caught the end of a prayer at the temple, then went out into the deep darkness. I found a spot by the trash fence and turned my back to the city to watch the night sky, the cacophony of the city barely audible. Stopping by the effigy site on my way home, the clouds were gathering and I took shelter in our vehicle for a moment. Every time we set up our effigy outside, it had rained, and this night in Black Rock City was no exception.
Searching for a place to chill, I headed to the outer rim past my camp, and found a friendly bunch of folks from San Diego with a drumkit and a bass guitar, and proceeded to rock out until dawn. I rode out towards the man at sunrise, and enjoyed the smooth expanse of playa under my wheels. As I enjoyed breakfast in camp, I was presented with the one surviving ceramic egg that was fired in the burn, it had changed from white to black, and had actually vitrified.


Worst:
Camp Drama. One of our leads started freaking out on everybody during load up before we even left Denver, and it still hasn't stopped. Made for quite a few tense moments. Nobody likes to be yelled at.

Overdoing it on some substances, and having very little serotonin in my system. Saturday was a shitty day, but Sunday I felt much better.

All in all, it was quite difficult, yet extremely rewarding. I feel as though I have gotten a taste, but failed to really integrate into the city, or really sample what it has to offer. I plan on returning next year with some art again, but there are some things I would do differently. I have grown and learned a whole lot from the experience, and am very grateful for everything.

[Simon of the Playa]

best: Just A Few Minutes ago when i came to the decision to truly burn year round, no matter where i am.

life is what you make of it.

also, giving my one of my most prized possessions to a dear friend....My Pershing County Prison Shirt, because he got popped and got a 500$ ticket for smoking a joint.

frown to smile in 3 seconds flat.

[littleflower]

Best:
my campmates. No drama, no arguments, just fun, happy, helpful people ... and especially our leader, la Contessa, who pulled it all together.

the beautiful playa, the art, and everyone with their energy and creativity and colorful blinky stuff.

the awesome crew at Rampart emergency ... i had a nasty pre-burn scrape that was starting to look infected, and they cleaned it up for me .... and they were so nice.

the guy who strolled into the man pavilion while i was on Manwatch, rolled out his yoga mat in the middle of the entrance, removed his clothes, and spent the next hour doing naked yoga. where else can you see that? lol ....

worst:
dust storms.
people who think there are no rules, and get mad at mild-mannered volunteers who try to enforce the few that do exist.
the inevitable return to defaultia

[Foxfur]

Good:
- Watching the Wall Street pyro go off for the Anubis burn after the Powers that Be stripped it from Burn Wall Street for mysterious reasons

No mystery there. The artist had somehow lost so many of his build crew that there were not enough left to secure a safe perimeter.
There was a mystery about the lack of remaining funds to pay for their pyro.

The loading crew came over to join us as we were loading pyro on Anubis. The Anubis load was much smaller with just 6 - 8 of us doing the actual loading. The poor guys ended up watching us and pulling perimeter to keep yahoos from tripping over the wires linking the devices. We didn't get the pyro allotted to BWS to use on Anubis.

We fired off two 200 shot cakes 10 - 15 minutes before it burned as a draw to folks waiting for Wall Street. The dog went up like a matchstick...

After much discussion, it was decided that BWS would be a splash and dash arson job. Diesel fuel and road flares. Kind of like insurance fraud methods.

It was a close thing. There were suggestions of salvaging and donating the building materials to BWB or HFH. Though I'm glad we burned the motherfucker, how poignant and beautifully ironic would it have been to tear down Wall Street and build housing with the remains?

[Simon of the Playa]

after cleaning my bags out i was reminded of another best...

those crazy Aussies gave me this...

thank you...

[clocksnmirrors]

after cleaning my bags out i was reminded of another best...

those crazy Aussies gave me this...

thank you...

i think i might be in love with you.
or maybe it's gas.


either way...

[clocksnmirrors]

BEST:
jeff and eric, rebbekah, rashid, ron and emily, that hot couple who i never got their names

being naked almost continuously for 6 days

all the hugs. so many hugs

dancing contact improv with a guy who i'm convinced is an angel

the girl who took a picture with me and we look like we would make the perfect couple

so much fucking art and music and creativity everywhere

every sense was stimulated

getting laid

realizing the possibility of a future

not just surviving, but thriving


WORST:
fucking moop EVERYWHERE

douchebags driving 25 mph, plowing up huge dust clouds

[ranger magnum]

Best:
Asking my girl to marry me at the top of the man Monday night.
Working as a Ranger. Met so many awesome people who I may have not met otherwise
Working in my camp. Went through pounds of welding wire repairing bicycles, art cars and sculptures.

Worst:
Nothing. Good or bad they were all part of the experience.

[Foxfur]

It's all coming back to me now...

Worst:
My truck breaking down and not making it to the playa.
Nikki & Dave's truck breaking down while hauling the trailer containing all of M.A.S.H. camp's infrastructure.
Having to rent a U-Haul truck.
Having to clean said U-Haul truck.

Best:
Being able to transport M.A.S.H.'s infrastructure to the burn.
Having two awesome traveling companions and finally getting to know them better.
M.A.S.H. helping out with the rental costs and making it affordable for us.
Finding all the shit I was sure I'd lost when I was cleaning the U-haul truck.
Being complimented on the cleanliness of said U-Haul truck upon returning it.


Other bests:
Getting to set the 3:00 burn platforms on fire with a road flare just minutes after using the flare to set off fireworks on Monday night. The plats were mounded with nothing but wood from the building of the city so they burned like hell itself.

Giving an otter pop to a 5 year old girl who looked like she was having the worst day ever. The look on her face could have paid a mortgage for a solid year.

Seeing a couple kiss on the prow of the shipwreck of the Pier II. They were able to completely detach and seemed like the only ones on the playa for a few long moments. Quite a few people around me were completely taken by this display of beauty.

Meeting a science teacher and talking with her about the science of fire and her desire to build her own propane flame effects.

Dick letting me pick up a girl who'd been crying after being on playa for three weeks. The fire drew her to the van. Every time Dick touched it off she'd smile. We took her to the Swish Embassy for Cosmonauts and K-Pop videos then dropped her off safely in Center Camp.

Getting to hang out with Dave King and Propaniac.

Reverend G's food porn and the awesomeness of the Raiders kitchen.

Riding my bike with reckless abandon.

Boobies.

Discovering that a grape otter pop is the perfect simultaneous accompaniment to a Newcastle Brown Ale.

Discofish's 11,000 watt xenon spotlight.

Riding around on Yiggy's mule.

Spraypainting Misa's ass!

This Sucks.jpg (84.29 KiB) Viewed 1427 times

[Savannah]

That might be the best photo I've ever seen.

[theCryptofishist]

after cleaning my bags out i was reminded of another best...

those crazy Aussies gave me this...

thank you...

I got to see them before they got to Root Society. It was, indeed, one of the best little bits of--something I don't have words for. "Mind fuck" might work, if it wasn't so funny and lighthearted. In any case, brilliant.

[piehole]

best:
3Gong @ 8:15 & G. Those dudes knew how to fix a bike.
fried bologna sandwiches from KFC camp (i may have already mentioned this but if not, who cares those things were amazing)
knowing what to expect for next year-but not really
the incredible recharged sort of high feeling i have still been riding since i left
watching my friend/campmate hayden climb to the top of the inner structure of the man the hard way and hear someone call him 'mountain goat', which has become his semi-playa name.
all this inspiration i've been feeling lately
smiling
mimosas
pickletinis from the pickle joint with sides of pickles
meeting some people when we were staging for entry sunday afternoon and then running into them thursday morning and feeding them a nice hot meal

worst:
missing the meet n greet. i promise i won't blow it next year!
not getting a shirt stenciled by foxfur
having a necklace with a vial of playa dust that was gifted to me shatter sometime between friday night and saturday morning because i was a dumbass and left it on our camp table

[Foxfur]

worst:
not getting a shirt stenciled by foxfur

I'm doing shirts for ePlayans (and normal civilian burners ) via mail.
PM me for my address and I'll fix you up!

That goes for the rest of you as well!

[vargaso]

Best:

Working on a campmate's completely awesome wet-plate photography project. The people getting their pictures taken and then 10 minutes later, handing them the actual plates with their images on it while they couldn't believe it was possible, was so much fun.

Wednesday and Thursday nights, loaded up on various substances, cruising the playa with campmates, dancing, then wandering off alone and into the Hug Deli where random human physical contact was about the best thing I could ask for.

ePlaya meet-up.

Hanging around camp.

Meeting up with my cousin and his partner after 5 years of missing each other on the playa.

And the #1: pre-sunrise ride on Saturday morning out to the Temple, watched the sun rise and then saw a gorgeous dance performance at the Temple minutes after the sun had risen. Cried a little and felt totally rejuvenated.

Worst:
Friday hangover

That's about it.

[Lonesomebri]

Best- Deciding to go.

Worst- The ticket fiasco.

Best- The ticket fiasco.

Worst- The 24/7 generator next door belonging to the neighbors who stepped out of their RV once or twice a day to take photos of each other wearing blue wigs or gold glitter.

Best- Interacting with folks here on eplaya.

Worst- Roving law enforcement at every gathering of one or more.

Best- The Russian girl I sat in the ashes with, will never see again, and now love. Have no idea what we talked about, though I do remember reference to a boyfriend back at her camp.

Worst- Lying alone sprawled out on the open playa at dawn.

Best- Lying alone sprawled out on the open playa at dawn.

Worst- Me not going to the Meet and Greet and meeting Mel. Forgive me.

Best- Meeting Jackass and partaking in a terrific iced Crown Royal and Coke.

Worst- Not checking out Eliot’s bike repair chick magnet wine bistro.

Best- Riding around the most beautiful people on my chariot bike, every single one of you, except…

Worst- The one dude who just jumped on my chariot without asking or being invited.

Best- Being directed with a PBR on a fishing pole by a gorgeous female spark of love across the playa to her destination as I peddled my heart out.

Worst- Later meeting that gorgeous female again at Center Camp with her “man”. (I didn’t see his ass hauling her all over the playa on a chariot!!)

Best- The hugs from people after the chariot ride delivered them to their destinations.

Worst- Riding away from some of those knee-melting stunning people. Where was I going?

Best- Chatting up a lovely woman as the Temple burned, I admired her headdress, and her shoes were the exact same woman’s slippers that I had been wearing earlier all week. She gave me a nice wool shirt that belonged to someone special, she knew it would fit me, just sizing me up. I’ll think of her every time I wear that shirt.

Worst- Telling that lovely woman that I had stuff to burn from a previous life as I walked away, I hoped to see her around the fire later, which, of course, I didn’t.

Best- Complete whiteout. Loved it !!!
Watched a wedding from 30 feet away fade in and out of view.

Worst- Breaking down camp.

Best- Casual female nudity.

Worst- Casual male nudity.

Best – The People. The Fire. The Art. The Playa. The People.

Worst- I have time to write this.

[vargaso]

Best- Casual female nudity.

Worst- Casual male nudity.

Ha! I both agree with you and am offended, as a male, that the nude male figure is offensive.

[Lonesomebri]

Ha! I both agree with you and am offended, as a male, that the nude male figure is offensive.

I'm really going to try and work out more this upcoming year.

[mgb327]

Wow, I have been back in Va. for 4 days now, and reading all the other posts...maybe I am ready to start my list....

BEST: The weather, both ways.
Handing out my Raspberry jam at the M&G.
Meeting so many Eplayans at same.
A lime otter-pop handed to me randomly at noon on Sat out in the playa.
A cheese and bacon omlete handed to me at some "location".
The Temple, big part of this year for me. (R.I.P John B. you are truly missed)
Root! Wed night Root!
Opulent with Carl Cox.
Giving Foxfur those Hello Kitteh suckers.
The 15 pounds (!) of very good bacon I brought, cooked, and handed out. (I ate a lot, too)
Got to see my girl Olivias' name on Simons' arm. I cried a lot over that. She is gone, but she lives on.......
My new/old 3-wheeler was perfect this year.
A much needed hug from John Styn....(for John B.)
Boobies. Yes, I like boobies!
Entry and exodus were a piece of cake.
The JOTS were spectacular! I was impressed! Bravo!
My "brand". Still hurts, so good....
The AA meetings, so heavy...powerful.
Each and every person out there, I owe my life to you all.

Worst:
Fucking darktards by the shitload. Morons!
Fratboys hassling some semi-naked sparkleponies, morons!
Moop....Morons!
The streets on my side of town, (3), were just hateful.
Spending the 3 day drive home...alone.

I am sure I left out tons, might get back to this.....

[tamarakay]

after cleaning my bags out i was reminded of another best...

those crazy Aussies gave me this...

thank you...

This is just spectacular.

[wh..sh]

worst:
not getting a shirt stenciled by foxfur

I'm doing shirts for ePlayans (and normal civilian burners ) via mail.
PM me for my address and I'll fix you up!

That goes for the rest of you as well!

I LOVE my teal blue shirt! It fits me like a glove. Thanks, muah!

[Phreddiva]

Best: the opera singing leading to the opening of Thunderdome.

<3 Thank you. Honored to have made someone's "best" list.

Diva! I didn't know you were on here!

Let me add to my bests:
Best: Being the face of the BRC Weekly's "Girls Guide to Pervs of the Playa" with the Diva

Hanging out having a spontaneous single-malt tasting with Death Guild the Sat. night before Gate. The Diva disappeared with Adrian to give pointers on protecting the voice while I was forced to hang out at the porch drinking heavily & getting back massages. Death Guild is soooo mean.

My dear! I'm on here... infrequently at best. Mostly post-event looking for feedback.

Brown-liquor-rife moments with you have been a high point of the last two years for me! I'll be a perv of the playa with you any time.
Shhhhhh, we're MEAN!

[maryanimal]

Another "Best" I can think of is the Grilled Cheese Sandwich lady! Carrie Snarf! Her and her hubby were wonderful! She came to the meet and greet, so I ran up to her to give her a hug, thanking her for a delicious sandwich and congratulating her for making her dream come true! What an awesome woman she is! I got to sit at her table and eat my sandwich. Good thing I was wearing my tiara cuz I felt like a queen! Thanks again Carrie!! Hope to see you next year!

[pink]

Ok, I'm at my desktop, so here goes:

The Best:
Just being HOME!
Spending almost 13 days on the playa with my Retrofrolic family.
Watching a long time burgin friend become a Burner almost as soon as he hit playa. The ear-to-ear grin he had the whole time.
Riding home with Alice and realizing she's my lil sister from another mother.
Holding hands during the Temple burn.
Watching the Man burn from camp, dancing to Leonard Cohen as I watched the burn, basking in the afterglow of my liason with Frank E.
The aformentioned liason.
Once again leaving myself open for whatever will happen to me, and experiencing the opening of my heart even further.
Feeling pure joy.

The worst:
Mooping the camp after full strike on Tuesday in the wind & dust after mooping Monday. Re-mooping after each blow.
Riding back to camp in a full headwind after Critical Tits. I gotta get back in shape.
Riding back to camp in a full headwind after the eplay M&G. see above.
Mooping after BWS. I couldn't carry all the crap that was left; cans, cups, cig packs, goggles....it looked like an NYC street gutter...and we filled a pack as well as our hands. Next year I'll carry a big moop bag.

Having it end....

[Eric]

Best- Casual female nudity.

Worst- Casual male nudity.

Ha! I both agree with you and am offended, as a male, that the nude male figure is offensive.

As a gay male with a wife I can honestly say they're both the best. Every shape, color, texture, age & gender... it's all us. You don't have to want to sleep with them to appreciate the freedom they're feeling.

In my experience people are offended by the nudity of a group (not an individual) for one of two reasons: they're attracted to it and don't have enough self control not to look or act, or don't want to admit they find it attractive; or they're threatened by it, either because it represents a standard they can't measure up to or because it represents a loosening of control. Not saying those are always the case, but they certainly fit the vast majority of people-with-issues I know.

I don't go naked because, honestly, I'm not comfortable enough in my own skin - I'd love to be younger, thinner, more toned... I'm not. It's my issue (it certainly doesn't bug the boyfriend or some-other very very very close friends), but I certainly wouldn't judge others because of that.

[pink]

Burning Man is where I came to terms with my self-image, real image and just became comfortable with who I am. Now when I first went naked at my first burn I was much thinner, so it was easier well, and 8 years younger too, but I really don't care now. let the boobies fly free! my belly is ok. And even though what I think I look like doesn't always agree with the photos I see later, seeing the photos does keep me from going for the doughnuts at my AA meeting!

[ygmir]

one of my best moments, was seeing Eric at the MnG, noting we both wore tux's again,and both wore cowboy hats........synchronicity at it's finest!!

[Drawingablank]

Overall, this was a very pleasant burn for me with little in the way of negatives.

Good:
The people - BDV is a great bunch, as were most of the other folks I met out there.

Greeter Shift - The most fun I have ever had on the playa. It's a shame those complaining about their greeters didn't
come through on our shift. I will definitely be volunteering for more shifts next year.

Shower Camp - a continuous source of entertainment on the way to and from the jots.

Meet and Greet - Very well done this year and I actually missed very few eplayans that attended this time.

Drew And Mindy's wedding on burn night.

Actually meeting Simon.

Finally finding someone with a branding iron.

Champagne Dawn Patrol with Cat and the Canadian crew.

Bad:
Slipping and falling off the back of our truck and fracturing my wrist Sunday night.

Not having a bike.

Seeing so much vandalized art.

Used Car Lot Camps - I passed way too many massive blocks of side by side cars. It was opressive in some areas.

Ugly:
Seeing an unconscious young man dragged off an art car and abandoned in deep playa.

[thelionking]

Best.....

Our camp leader Gary aka TnT Tough when he needed to be and accommodating when he could be.
Mike and Rudra for setting up and doing so many shifts for our awesome bar.
The great campmates who know who they are. I appreciated the conversation. I learned a lot.
Jim, for taking so many of our campmates up flying in his airplane to get a bird's eye view of Black Rock City.
Tie Dye, you were an awesome first time burner and an asset to any camp you would join.
The smiles and necklace gifts I got while misting people on 7:30 and D during the hot hours of the afternoon Saturday and Sunday.

Worst......

Carding people at our camp and turning some away due to lack of IDs. I'm sorry.
I didn't give as many massages as I had hoped.

[piehole]

I'm doing shirts for ePlayans (and normal civilian burners ) via mail.
PM me for my address and I'll fix you up!

That goes for the rest of you as well!

!!!