Burning Man is sold out.

Vitiare · Post by **Vitiare** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 7:19 pm

In the 9 years I've gone to "that thing in the desert" I've never once spent any significant amount of time in center camp. You can keep your coffee and ice and dirty hippy poetry readings. I'll be visiting amazing art and hanging with my friends elsewhere.

calamari kid · Post by **calamari kid** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 7:30 pm

WeAintFoundShit wrote:Shit man, if you've got rigging skills and the like, it shouldn't be that hard. Typically I'd say you are way too late to do it this year, but again, rigging skills...

There's a SHITLOAD of rigging that goes into putting the festival on.
Plus there are times when one of us has to fix an artist's or theme camp's rigging in the event of an emergency.

For instance, this is an outside shot of the center camp cafe. There is almost no wood in that thing; all rigging.

Hmmm...intriguing. This year is definitely out for me, finding gainful employment is on the front burner right now. But definitely something to mull.

WeAintFoundShit · Post by **WeAintFoundShit** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 7:57 pm

Also, in regard to the 50K drunk stoners: it's really not as bad as you think. Like any city, it's filled with all kinds of people. There are creepers, for sure, and annoying, geeked out, yuppie "burner" types. There are also punks, goths, steampunks, gypsies, bluegrass punks, and a shitload of really great art.

Plus, for the most part, you really can create pretty much any social situation you want out there. Wanna be insular and just be drunk and cranky, then hang out at the DPW ghetto, or Voted Best Camp.
Wanna get out and ride your moto? The event site is a great staging spot for quite a few good rides, not the least of which is High Rock Canyon. Bring food, water, a map, and a good sense of direction, or you'll die. That's a two day kind of deal, if you stop to adventure around. One long day if you just blast through it and don't get lost (or deuce it in a water crossing).
There are numerous other day rides around the event site, though.

And yeah, Vitiare, it's not necessarily derogatory when I call them a bunch of drunk assholes. After all, I am from time to time one of them. I'm typically a sober driver in the DPW parade, though.

EDIT: About getting drunk and bragging about building the city. It's kind of lame. I mean yeah, it's work, but none of it out there is the hardest work I've ever seen. Of course I like it when people appreciate and respect that work, but to go around like a fucking gorilla, beating your chest about how you're part of the elite bunch of fuckwits who built the city, and that the whole festival should kiss your ass just for the privilege... well that's just stupid and annoying. I really, really, really hate that attitude, and the self entitlement that goes along with it.

On the flipside, though, one of the things that bugs me is when one of us goes into a bar, or wants to get a fucking sno-cone from some fucking sno-cone guy, and they expect us to do tricks or bring gifts or play some sort of game for it. If I'm feeling it, then I totally will. Absolutely, as much as possible, I'm there to participate.
HOWEVER, by the time I meet sno-cone guy, I've been shitting in porta-potties for a month, none of my clothes are clean, I have ten different injuries that won't heal until October, I probably have mystery playa rash in my armpits, my feet may or may not be falling apart, and I might have either just gotten off of, or am on my way to work. I don't need some jackass harping on me about participation and "bringing something to the festival."

Please, for the love of god, just shut the fuck up and give me the goddamned sno-cone and I will be on my way.

WeAintFoundShit · Post by **WeAintFoundShit** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 7:59 pm

Vitiare wrote:In the 9 years I've gone to "that thing in the desert" I've never once spent any significant amount of time in center camp. You can keep your coffee and ice and dirty hippy poetry readings. I'll be visiting amazing art and hanging with my friends elsewhere.

Who/where are your friends?
Plenty of DPW from Austin, after all.

stiles · Post by **stiles** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 11:34 pm

Honestly, it is what you make of it.

It's big enough so that you couldn't see everything if you tried. It's weird enough to be unlike anything you've ever experienced if you've never been. If you want to be antisocial and camp away from most other people, spending time exploring the deepest darkest furthest reaches of the event out by the trash fence a mile or two away, go for it.

Conversely, if you want to go socialize there are 6 dozen places to do so within a 10 minute walk in any direction every night, and they'll all be somewhat different. You'll see things that make you uncomfortable, or happy, or amazed, or incredulous. There will be drunk and high and sober people; normals, ravers, hippies, kids, punks, retirees, Mad Max refugees, n00bs, weekend warriors...hell, even the Portland stripper camp - Camp Suckaye Fuckaye, complete with bar and stripper pole. You can dance till dawn every night or get up at dawn and explore.

It ain't for everyone, to be sure. Lots of preparation, a fair bit of money, a bunch of time, you'll be hot during the day and probably cold at night and the wind and dust will get to you after a while. Did I like it better with 35k people rather than 50? Sure. Was that year better than this one? Who knows. Every year is different, and what years I perceive as better or worse ultimately has a lot less to do with the population and a lot more with my social interaction with other people on any given year.

kam · Post by **kam** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:04 am

Just to get it out there

My favorites.

I heard this year is going to suck.

and

Last year was better. (the freak cold snap weather was kinda awesome)

I prefer being an ESD elitist snob, and grumpy Thunderdome medic. DPW is just more time than I feel like spending out there, but the ghetto is a lot of fun.

I should probably start thinking about getting ready for this year.

roadmissile · Post by **roadmissile** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:57 am

Holy shit, hi Kam, long time no see!

/RM

WeAintFoundShit · Post by **WeAintFoundShit** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:29 pm

stiles wrote:.hell, even the Portland stripper camp - Camp Suckaye Fuckaye, complete with bar and stripper pole.

2008 - 49,599 (a particularly bad weather year, lots of dust) (That dust got me crazy laid from a freaky hot fire dancer from Portland)
2009 - 43,435 (Nope. Pretty much a blur. Oh wait, I had a bunch of drama with the freaky hot fire dancer, and her freaky hot aerialist friend who later became my freaky hot, but completely incompatible girlfriend. Went on awesome desert adventures. Got to swim in Fly Geyser!)

Ahhhhh, good times.

Vitiare · Post by **Vitiare** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:51 pm

WeAintFoundShit wrote:
Vitiare wrote:In the 9 years I've gone to "that thing in the desert" I've never once spent any significant amount of time in center camp. You can keep your coffee and ice and dirty hippy poetry readings. I'll be visiting amazing art and hanging with my friends elsewhere.
Who/where are your friends?
Plenty of DPW from Austin, after all.

I usually hang in Gigsville. Lahontan Korps. Most of the time I work the gate (or used to) and live at the Black Hole.

Im also a Ranger at Flipside, so I get my burner fix without having to go to the playa.

WeAintFoundShit · Post by **WeAintFoundShit** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:52 pm

So what you're saying is that we probably know or have met each other.
They call me Sleep Dep. I live in Kommissary Kamp. I hung out in the black hole a lot last year.

motorpsycho67 · Post by **motorpsycho67** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:34 pm

tucko wrote: But I will never pay a thin dime of my money for the privilege......

Ditto

Vitiare · Post by **Vitiare** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 10:16 am

WeAintFoundShit wrote:So what you're saying is that we probably know or have met each other.
They call me Sleep Dep. I live in Kommissary Kamp. I hung out in the black hole a lot last year.

I havent been back to the playa since moving to Austin in 06, so I might not know ya. But your name sounds familiar. Out there they know me as "The Judge"

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Burning Man is sold out.