Burning Man Unicycle Ride

Well…hmmm…lets see, we seem to be drifting off course. Can somebody break out a compass and give an intellectually humbling if not corrective response. Or just ignore the deep anger issues that surface unprovoked.

Burning Man is different things to everyone. I don’t even try to explain it to people who ask anymore because you can’t. I just suggest they watch lots of videos on youtube and photos on Google to get the feel of it. For some people it’s a life changing experience, for me it’s just about meeting interesting people and all the art. I guess it depends where you are in your life. It can be a catalyst for change, if you go there primed for change.
I’m looking forward to riding my uni across the playa in the evenings with my 18 year old son who is going for the first time. I’ll also be teaching my infamous Nazi yoga class at camp Apokiliptika. “Now everybody, hold zat pose… for 1,000 years.”
The chitchat with Catboy is all in fun. This is in “Just Conversation” after all!

Here is an interesting view on the subject from the University of Seattle Psyc. dept.

http://vimeo.com/3576807

What would be the opposite of Reno?

Somewhere in Connect-icut maybe?
…if one is feeling Dis-connected…lol

It’s a nice video. It covers the usual analysis, though. Sometimes too much thinking is a bad thing! There’s 50,000 people and it’s different to everyone.
Proportionately there are not too many naked people (meaning exposed groins). Anyone can go naked, but trying to come up with a decent costume is tough. There are the old guys who come in from relatively closeby cities mid-week and think they’re going to get lucky but there are so few of them they don’t get in the way, and they are photoworthy in their black shoes! In my opinion, the drugged out underage youth are the worse. They are stoned or drunk one day, and recovering the next … for a week, and so they miss half the event. But even the worst of them are few and far between and those camps can easily be avoided. I don’t smoke cigarettes or do any drugs, don’t drink alcohol, and manage to have a great time there with the other 40,000. Just my 2 cents.

@BurnerDave Come visit me for breakfast. Pancake Playhouse at the 9 o’clock plaza.

@Catboy I’m a little disappointed at your bitter, judgemental hate tirade. You seemed much nicer a few years back when we went riding at Northstar. Hopefully one day you’ll grow up and realize that these kinds of statements say far more about you than the people you hurl them at.

It’s always funny to me the perceptions people have about burning man.

Sure, hippies go, but most participants aren’t hippies
Sure nudists go, but most participants aren’t nudists.
Sure drugs are prevalent, but most people aren’t high.

The truth is, BM is a place where literally hundreds of subcultures gather. You can find some to hate on (ala Catboy style), but you’re also certain to find others that you totally gel with. The are even subcultures there that you might not expect to find. There are several places that have daily AA meetings, Religion themed camps, republican camps, and Damn F*ing Texans (that’s the name they give themselves). Oh yeah, there’s also the gay orgy camps, S&M camps …etc …etc .etc. Like I said, literally hundreds of subcultures. Oh yeah, there’s a very strong cyclist subculture (it is a bike city after all) and you’ll be sure to see some of the most wild and artful cycles you’ve ever seen there. Oh, I almost forgot, there’s also a unicyclist subculture there.

The part I enjoy the most (outside the sense of community) is the intersection between technology and art. There is so much engineering that goes into a great many of the projects. Many groups of artists literally work all year on their Bm projects.

…something for everyone.

Well put.
I surely will get by to visit. I can’t say when but I will get there. (I even made myself a reminder note!) What’s your Playa name, if you have one?
I was Tuco when I camped with the now defunct Black Rock Burner Hostel, a name given to me by my girlfriend who said I sneered and laughed like Eli Wallach (Tuco) in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly! I may just go back to being Dave.
Yeah the camp names are a hoot. One of our neighbours last time were the Motorhomos, a cluster of gay guys in … motorhomes.

My current playa name is “Michael” :slight_smile:

If you have an early pass, we throw a “breakfast for dinner” party Sunday night before the gates open.

Mscalisi, I don’t have an early pass this year, but I will make my way there during the week.
I received this link yesterday. After the propane, the drugs, the naked tushies, and the spectacular videos of BM on youtube, this video may give people who haven’t been, some insight into how BM makes you feel good.

Someone should build a “Catboy Loves You!” camp.

Just because.

Wow… Well I have been to the man twice Cat. I do enjoy it. I have had friends that have gone since 86 before it was in the Black Rock. I think it’s getting too big for my tastes. However I have thought about going again. I think the casino’s in Reno are worst especially when it comes to hot august nights. Well that place has become a hole. Hey John… You still in the Sac area??? I saw a number on another post you had up, and I called it. No message machine just rings. Well I just moved back to cali from spending 8 years up in Seattle. So if you’re ever in Midtown you should give me a buzz.

916-910-8837

Tommy

dude you shouldnt post a phone number publicly on the internet

Burnerdave, THANKS, for the “gift” video, that so depicts the experience I wish and seek, to see, and share at burning man.I feel we are generally deprived of what is adequate consideration from fellow humans as a whole. And it is a bad habit to think so singularly.
But hope lives, Here’s a great example;
When I work at the race track, Which is my labor of love,
I give of my time and my effort because it makes me feel good to see the face on the racers face when they can’t start their bike 1 minute before the gate drops, after all that money and effort to get there, I see the struggle and drop my clipboard and help them get it started, the other racers are super glad becase now they can race “with” their friend. And especially the kids, moms, dads, grandparents, see that simple effort makes so many people happy. They say things like, no other official does that, THANKS. That’s gifting. Seeing the effect of thinking of others before yourself is the double gift. And just like Unicyclists, Motorcycle racers are really good people.


my scene for “gifting”;
www.fresnomotorcycleclub.com

Words to live by.

For those of you who missed this year, this 3 minute video gives a little taste of what Burning Mans 2010 was like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpwcSjOMWUo
Mildly NSFW

I miss it already!

It was a great time wasn’t it!
My son was there for his first time and he loved it.
edit: Don’t ya love Thunderdome!

The Friday through Wednesday on the tail end of Burning Man was stressful to say the least. I help run the largest 24 hour recycling center outside of BLC and end up spending a good 40 hours of my own time sorting trash, recycling, bikes, food and leftover junk. I volunteered to work the midnight to 8am shifts and often ended up working well into the day beyond my shift, all while having to double back and do my regular job 8+ hours a day on the same days. At our location alone we raised about $3000 in donations for Black Rock Solar, received about 8 shopping carts full of usable food for the Northern Nevada Food Bank, and acquired nearly 80 bikes to be refurbished for the local Kiwanis program. It was a bit slower in the wee hours of the morning, which meant I did most of the sorting of trash and recyclables with one other person and we filled 3 massive containers with plastic, glass and metal. We were asking for $3 donations for each 55 gallon bag of trash, and it was no surprise that many couldn’t pony up any cash for their trash, when they clearly spent at least 1000 bucks getting there. Thankfully we had enough rich hippy liberals overcompensate by donating lots of money. The burners are still filtering out of our city, too fried in the head and broke to make their way home, spreading their destructive alkali dust everywhere.

Burning Man, to say that a large portion(in the tens of thousands) of the people out there weren’t using some sort of substance would be false. To say that it’s an inconsequential excuse for many to indulge in massive consumerism and waste would be false(I found many many bags with drug paraphernalia and the like in them.)

Sure, you had a blast, and can cover up your drug use like the majority of those who attend, but just know that your poor behavior does not go unnoticed by all, nor is it inconsequential.

I got offered free tickets for next year, and I might attend. To do so would mean taking on the largest recycling project camp in the history of BLC, which I would love to do. I’m also an avid electronic musician, and would love to take my setup out there to blast some beats for people to dance to. I’ll definitely need a giraffe with a fatty tire before then. Who knows, I may end up stuck in the desert with you dusty freaks after all, but only to lessen the destructive blow that you inflict upon the environment.

P.S.

I know the Red and Blue LED stick people in your video, Mike. They’re good friends of mine, I recently attended their proposal BBQ, and they’re scheduled to be married next spring. They custom fabricated these LED sidecars for their bikes that are super rad, we now race them around our neigborhood.