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.