Sunday, September 06, 2009

Memorable Moments at Burning Man 2009

EGO - Watching somebody (who shall remain nameless) stand by the road for 15 minutes hollering at girls, trying unsuccessfully to get them to come to the camp party. Then showing off by telling him I'll take care of it, and then promptly getting a hot Aussie girl to come with us in a few seconds.

AWE - Looking up at the full moon and seeing a halo, a perfect circle, around the moon. And wondering how fucking awesome must that art camp be that made that! ;)

LOSS - Writing about Lana on the temple wall "We could have been here together, but now I have to let you go".

PEACE - Sunrise on Tuesday morning, standing by a burn barrel, watching as the sky lightened up gradually with uneven streaks of orange flame.

ACCEPTANCE - Cuddling with a lawyer girl from Oakland, and listening to her story of how she contracted herpes, and feeling nothing but love and compassion for her vulnerability.

NAUGHTY - Sneaking a peek at Chloe's nipples through her dress. Wonder why, since there were a ton of other naked girls around.

MANLY - Talking to the guys at 5.30am in camp about the other girls, and which ones we fancied. And then realizing that one of the girls was wide awake the whole time.

What I'm Here For

I was talking to this dude at Burning Man. He wasn't very much fun, kinda one track mind in his conversational ability. But he did say something that made me think. He said, I lived in the Mojave desert for years and I'm not here for the art or the parties, I just come to take care of people (from dehydration etc).

Made me think... What am I here for?

I'm not here for the art. The art is cool and all, but I'm not a super artsy kinda guy, and art 24x7 is a little much.

I'm not here for the alcohol or the parties. I drink less in a week at Burning Man than I do on a normal weekend night.

I'm here for the people. I'm here for the awesome sense of humanity that pervades the place. The sense that you're all just connected, and everyone is your friend, your brother, your sister.

My second burn had less of an immediate impact than my first. But it did give me more clarity about what I want, and that can't possibly be anything less than a great thing!