Karma Student

I’ve been abusively tagged by Halcyon in 666 photo meme: which forces you to post the 6th picture on the 6th page of your Flickr account, then tag/victimize 6 more people to do the same.

This is my pic, from Burning Man… featuring me and Danger Booty! Tee hee…

As for tagging 6th others… I don’t have 6 people I dislike enough to do that to, sooooo, if you are reading this and you WANT to participate, how about you say I tagged you and then we’re all good!

Love Me!

Here is an amazing video made by Halcyon (my lover; www.lifestudent.com) about our camp (Bat Country) this year at Burning Man. There was some crazy dust storms this year, but it didn’t stop us, in fact, I think it just made us go even harder. This video sure makes me miss the Playa. I can vividly remember sitting with Halcyon, staring across the open playa at night (from our Esplanade Viewing Station) and all I could say or think was how grateful I was to be there. I remember on several occasions saying with tears in my eyes “I miss this city when its not here.” If you haven’t been to Burning Man, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about. Black Rock City is the most amazing city with the most amazing art, people and energy… but its only there for one week of the year. Equipped with 50,000 residents, an airport, a post office, and a community stronger than any other I’ve experienced. One of my best friends Dr. Diana said to me as I explained to her about Black Rock City (BRC) that she understood it was a city that exists all year in the hearts and minds of its residents. So much so that every year we all work together to bring it back to life, once again. If I close my eyes, I can still feel the loving hugs from my camp mates at Bat Country (9:30 & Esplanade) and I can still see the lights shining from the Esplanade on the other side of the Playa. Theres a slight smell of Playa dust in the air, and a feeling of unconditional love pulsates up from the dry desert floor.

Wow what an amazing year this year. I still really want to write more about it when I get a handle on my brain, until then, here are a few pics from this years Burn. There will be many more to come…

XO

Andicat <3

Hello hello… I am SO SO SO excited. I leave in just a couple hours for Burning Man. I know I know I’ve been talking about this for weeks, months even, but its finally here. I will be gone until the 4th of September. It’s going to be AMAZING.

I’ve been packing like crazy and getting all my stuff together. I even finished putting pink fur on my bike

And I sewed a BUNCH of pillows for our “Lounge”

Also added some designs to our tarps that will serve as the sides and roof of our lounge.

I dyed my hair pink, as you may have seen.

Got my nails and toes done… don’t you love the little Burning Man symbol on my toes?

Oh and I purchased two amazing new g-string swimsuits to wear out there (it gets pretty hot in Nevada desert). AND speaking of hot, I got in amazingly better shape too since I will be prancing around half naked some all of the week out there!

Aaaand? Yeah, thats most of it… I still have a few more things to finish up tonight. Don’t worry there will be many more pictures from Burning Man when I return.

Kisses <3

As Burning Man approaches, I find myself getting more and more anxious about what the weeks ahead hold. I’m both scared, and excited. It’s the same anticipation you’d feel after being separated from your true love, and now after a year, will be reunited once again.

In a lot of ways I don’t feel prepared at all for the playa this year, but as I type this, I can’t help but recognize that the playa is something you can never be fully prepared for, and yet somehow you are 100% prepared for every moment you experience. It’s a magical journey in a magical place, with magical people. It is divine expression, and divine order found in what appears to be utter chaos. I cannot wait.

There are several things on my mind about this year. For one, we are on the Esplanade, and I cannot even imagine how much different our camp experience will be. Will it be hectic and chaotic? Will it be TOO MUCH? Is there such a thing as ‘TOO MUCH’ at Burning Man? How will my relationship fare at Burning Man? Last year it was just a little bud, barely starting to open… Now, it’s a gorgeous radiant flower in full bloom. I can’t help but imagine that this will be a new growing period; a new blooming; a new stage of openness and love. We just had our one year anniversary, and there have been talks about celebrating on the Playa… I feel like that is more than appropriate for the people that we are, especially together. Everything that happens is the right thing to happen, and the playa is no exception.

As the time gets closer and closer for us to leave, my mind is racing with anticipation. I am still trying to schedule time to finish old projects, and letting go of new projects I was never able to start. I’m scrambling to complete last minute preparations and gathering needed supplies as we count down the last 14 days before our exodus Home.

I have tears in my eyes as I think about the magic that will be this years Burning Man… and yet I wait with humble anticipation to find out what exactly that magic will be. I am excited, scared, tense and somehow tranquil… as the time approaches, there’s only one direction to look towards, Black Rock City!

See you at home!

=)

The Project

The Rotating Carousel Bar… The rotating Carousel bar is almost complete. There are a few things that needed to be added, as well as lots of libations to stock it. We are short on funds and need your financial help to complete this wonderful project. To add to the urgency, our camp was recently placed on the Esplanade which is so wonderful and thrilling… YET, this means we will be getting much more traffic, and thus serving many more drinks. While we are very excited to be able to offer this gift to the Playa, we would be so grateful if you could help us to cover the costs of this project.

Why on Earth are you building a Carousel bar?

The theme this year for Burning Man (www.Burningman.com) is The American Dream. If you are familiar with Hunter S. Thompson, then you know that finding the American Dream was a quote from Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, when Raul Duke says while riding a carousel in Circus Circus, “We came here to find the American Dream, and now we’re right in the vortex.” So, of course, as a Hunter S. Thompson themed camp (www.visitBatCountry.com) we HAD to build a rotating Carousel Bar.I mean, what else would you expect?

How YOU can help!
The project is in its very last stages. Our camp members have spent countless hours building and preparing the bar for the Playa. We have exhausted all of our available resources, with only a 3 more weeks till Burning Man. We need additional funds to finish the Rotating Carousel Bar so we can share it with the residents of Black Rock City. So, if you find that tingling feeling in your heart that leads you to contribute, then please help us make this happen… And if you are Playa bound, we hope you will join us for a spin and a drink.

(kip@rollingwheel is the project’s contact person. Make sure your mailing info is included in your paypal submission!)

Whats in it for you?

If you’ve been to the Playa, you understand that Burning Man is based on what is known as a gift economy. The idea as that the reward that we experience is the ability to give. It This kind of thinking creates a sense of community and trust. It fosters love and kindness and diminishes all competition. By donating to this art project, not only do you send a little piece of you to the Playa, but you have the inner joy of knowing that you’ve help effect the lives 50,000 + people at Burning Man this year. To learn more about the idea of a gift economy, please check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_economy —

HOWEVER, that being said, as a donator to our cause, if you ARE on the playa, Bat Country would be honored to have you for a spin and a drink at the Rotating Carousel Bar.

A FREE GIFT
Additionally, for any donation over $10, Halcyon with HugNation (www.hugnation.com) is offering to send you a free DVD of “Love On Demand” – this not only makes a wonderful gift for your parents, boss or friends, but it is a powerful Love Bomb if you are ever feeling down. Make sure to send your details along with a request for the free DVD with the donation so Halcyon knows to send you one.

”Love on Demand”

Our Playa location:

Halcyon just sent me the new Burning Man Poster for 2008, The American Dream.

Seriously check this out —

If you want to purchase one you can go to the Burning Man Market place HERE.

My jaw dropped when I saw it… AMAZING.

Current mood: calm

Still trying to get settled after a long month of traveling…

I started out in Miami for Internext, then back to LA and quickly jetted off to NYC for work, back to LA, quick stop in San Diego, and then headed out to Northern California to visit family. And of course, since I was half way there, I took off to Burning Man for my very first playa experience. I have been in the Burning Man community for nearly 12 years but this was the first time I actually made it out to the playa. I have to say it was everything I thought it would be, and at the same time, more than I could have ever imagined. I still wonder how I could have missed it for so many years although the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Everything happens in just the right moment and this was the right moment.

People talk about how hard it is to acclimate back into the default world after being out there, and it truly is harder than words can describe. My close friend Devan joked about how he tried to trade a starburst, a handmade necklace and a hug for food at Burger King but they just didn’t understand. It’s funny, but so true.

You realize rather quickly that life on the playa is very different than here. You can’t just walk up to random people and greet them with a hug and a kiss on the cheek here… at least not without getting some creeped out looks and the cops called on you. People are very quick to attack anything that’s different or outside of ‘normal’ but there you are free to express yourself however you’d like as long as you aren’t harming anyone or anything.

I even got some new words after being out there… MOOP for one which is my favorite… Matter Out Of Place. The idea on the playa is that you cannot leave any MOOP. Even a tiny piece of fuzz doesn’t belong there. Nothing is to be left behind… Its really amazing if you think about it. One week there is absolutely nothing there, and then all the sudden an entire 5 square mile city is built. There are street signs, light posts, an airstrip, and even a post office. This year 48,000 people showed up for the celebration… and a week later, nothing. Not only is there no city, but theres not even a trace of what was there. Volunteers sift through the dusty ground and get rid of any unclaimed moop. It truly is amazing.

I wish there was a way to describe the intensity of what I experienced every second I was there, but it seems impossible to convey that experience with mere words. All I can really say is that it was amazing… I still haven’t made it completely home more than one day. I’ve been chilling at my friends beach house in Solana this past week… but I think I’m heading home to LA in the next day or so. I don’t really want to leave here to be honest; its Paradise. BUT I guess its time to get home, launch this damn affiliate program, find a new place to live, move to Venice Beach and get my mom settled in with me so I can start caring
for her…

Sigh — Life is a calling and with the momentum I’ve built, its just dragging me along this week.

Anyway, all I have left to say is… hopefully I will see you at Burning Man next year.