ePlaya :: View topic - Things I've Learned From Living In The Desert....

Rabbi Dali Rick

Here are a few things I've learned while living in the Red Rock Desert.

1. If it ain't broke, give it a minute.

2. Always, Always Double Check your work.

3. It will always be missing a part when you buy it.

4. Life in the Desert is hard, hot work, then the sun comes out.

5. Clear your work area for the upcoming accident.

6. Shit is bound to happen, and always at the worse time.

7. Everything breaks down at once.

8. Plan ahead.

9. Very little actual work gets down in the desert.

10. Buy lots of beer.

especially,

the rebbi

Lorgasm · Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 2242 Location: to be announced

Water is life

Fire is life

chapstick is friggin gold!!
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timber mischief · Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 59 Location: 5:30 and Esp

Safety third !
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Apollonaris Zeus · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 3623

On the first part of the journey
I was looking at all the life
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
There was sand and hills and rings
The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz
And the sky with no clouds
The heat was hot and the ground was dry
But the air was full of sound

Ive been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
cause there aint no one for to give you no pain
La, la ...

After two days in the desert sun
My skin began to turn red
After three days in the desert fun
I was looking at a river bed
And the story it told of a river that flowed
Made me sad to think it was dead

You see Ive been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
cause there aint no one for to give you no pain
La, la ...

After nine days I let the horse run free
cause the desert had turned to sea
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
There was sand and hills and rings
The ocean is a desert with its life underground
And a perfect disguise above
Under the cities lies a heart made of ground
But the humans will give no love

You see Ive been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
cause there aint no one for to give you no pain
La, la ...

AIIZ

helitack · Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Posts: 4105

11. It's hot

12. It gets hotter

13. Gets even hotter still

14. Most people don't live in the desert, they live in little air conditioned spaces in the desert, try it without the ac, then you can truly live in the desert

15. it's bloody fuckin hot, but curiously refreshing

AntiM · Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:17 pm Post subject:

16. Hot flashes in the desert are more severe by a magnitude of ten.

neccessity · Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 70 Location: Orlando,FL

What I learned in my first year:

From the night we rolled in:
This is way WAY harder than you think it's going to be. The heat, the dust, the exhaustion, dehydration, and mental breakdowns... The wind so high you can't assemble your dome, the sudden depression the night of your big even... It's impossible! There's no way this was a good idea, and you're surely going to die out here.

And then, when the sun rose and I saw the city:
This is a hundred hundred times more worthwhile than anything else I have ever done in my life.
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helitack · Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Posts: 4105

That is visiting the desert on a camping trip. Living in the desert is completely different.

dana · Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 2:00 pm Post subject:

Appreciation of Oases (of different sorts)

The harsh exterior magnifies the little things that might otherwise be glossed over. Some rocks and a bit water becomes your own little Fantasia retreat. The sense of something hidden and potential mystery revealed.
It breeds it's own kind of mystic.

Do you get any of that sense at Burning Man? you can...

[like your new avatar Lorgasm! Super Kitten!!!]

tisha2 · Joined: 08 Jun 2004 Posts: 2510 Location: Blue Lake, CA

i learned (again and again and still) that nothing is ever about the destination...it's the freakin' journey!!!

ALSO - this seemed appropriate for this thread, it's funny as hell AND Rob the Wop's handsome mug is on the front page!!

http://www.chickenpublications.com/petermantract.html

helitack · Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Posts: 4105

tisha2 · Joined: 08 Jun 2004 Posts: 2510 Location: Blue Lake, CA

helitack · Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Posts: 4105

I don't understand...what is a journey without at least the intent of a destination?

tisha2 · Joined: 08 Jun 2004 Posts: 2510 Location: Blue Lake, CA

exactly.

Lorgasm · Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 2242 Location: to be announced

Dana:

dana · Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 3:44 pm Post subject:

cowboyangel · Joined: 14 May 2004 Posts: 6034

when the dust storm strikes.....time to smile
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joel the ornery · Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 8:51 am Post subject:

don't take it to the desert if you aren't willing to lose it.

mojo · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 1580 Location: Santa Barbara, CA

Man I HATE the desert - love the playa, HATE the desert. Although I guess that technically, due to how dry it is, the playa IS a desert - but in reality, it is a prehistoric dry alkali lake bed.

It has none of those nasty beasties that live in the desert, no cactus, no prickleburrs, no bugs.

I guess I'm just a mountain and ocean sort of girl......EXCEPT for the playa...which is far more like a blank canvas....

capjbadger · Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:17 pm Post subject:

Actually desert only refers only to the amount of precipitation an area gets, so the playa does count as one. Hell, Antartica does too oddly enough. heh

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/weatherwise/glossary/d.shtml (any many other places..)

"An area, either hot or cold, where the annual precipitation is less than 25 cm (10 in)."

Personally I'm not happy unless I'm living a close drive to the ocean, though visiting the playa is like a big dry one. Wink

Give me dry heat over humid heat anyday. Smile

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dana · Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:19 pm Post subject:

hunter S · Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 258 Location: Playa San Jore MX.

Helletack, I think I read in some post a reference to you living in death valley? is it true? are we neighbors?
Spending a week on the playa is a fun taste of desert living, as the Rabbi has learned actually living in the desert for a prolonged time is a total day to day disaster until you accept it's rules.
Rule 1. however hot it is, it will get hotter.
Rule 2. heat makes people dependent on shade & water.
Rule 3. being isolated REALEY makes you appreciate your neighbors.
Rule 4. stop looking at the thermometer! the numbers lie, HOT is HOT!
Rule 5. just when you think you have the heat thing handled, the wind will blow!

Yep, lot like the playa!

The real question is, will I still enjoy the playa after living it every day? hummmm...........Damn I can't wait!
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Lorgasm · Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 2242 Location: to be announced

When I was subjected to the desert life-style for the first time, it made me appreciate everything that I took for granted. It is a lesson I enjoy learning every year!!

Peace and Playa Dreams,
Lorgasm
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Bay Bridge Sue · Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Posts: 3140 Location: On the bridge!

additions to the list...

17. Wear a fucking hat. And long sleeves. Sunburn sucks.

18. The inventor of Burlap should be nominated for sainthood. Burlap bags are your friends. Especially on vinyl or leather seats. Or on metal surfaces of ANY kind. (See below)

19. Desert bags really do work, and no one gives a shit what the water tastes like, as long as it's wet and cool.

20. NEVER lean on the fucking sheet metal of the Cat you're running around with any part of your bare skin. NEVER. The exhaust stack is cooler, and won't burn you as bad. Ditto your uncle's Studebaker pick-up. FUCK!!!!

21. You don't NEED A/C. You need to acclimate yourself and deal with it like the people did 40 years (or more) ago. Yes, you can do it. Deal with it.

22. If you're from there, if you're a desert person, you understand. If you're not, you never will.

bb

blyslv · Joined: 03 Sep 2003 Posts: 1677 Location: Fanta Se NM

23. Start off slow, then ease up.
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Kinetic IV · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:22 am Post subject:

Isotopia · Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Posts: 1973

Bay Bridge Sue · Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Posts: 3140 Location: On the bridge!

Bay Bridge Sue · Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Posts: 3140 Location: On the bridge!

Or is it the right hand? Know it's one of them. Tho the damn thing seems to stand up on it's own - could never see why guys gotta *play* with it... >grins<

bb
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joel the ornery · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 5:59 pm Post subject:

i recall a lone day at trego, not being able to see my truck.... weird shit, it scared me not being connected to something for those moments.

i had a lot a shit on my mind.