I’ve never been to Burning Man, but I’ve been curious about it. (And also have had times when I’m totally turned off by it.) How was it for real? And do you find the desert scary now?
I know it used to be the case that you had to bring something to the desert to share -- food, an art project, something -- and every time I think about going, I think about maybe running some kind of desert animal ID & info service? I’m not sure if that would be helpful though or even if anyone still does that kind of thing.
When I went, 25 years ago, there were already 15,000 people there and I had a good time but never needed to go again. I brought an RV and shared water, I had multiple 5 gallon containers. One of our party brought homemade beer and another a green laser to write on the mountains. I'll still visit Joshua tree but I can survive in the woods. I don't have the skillset for desert survival. I'd need to gear up and read up before I explore a desert much.
I feel like the number of people who think they can survive in the desert vastly exceeds the number who can, so you’re very wise to be cautious. Burning Man sounds like a good time in the 90’s (I bet that homemade beer was popular!) ... but yeah, so crowded now.
I think if Burning Man is something you wanna do, find someone who goes often and tag along, or go with a group so you can share costs and keep each other safe. It is certainly a memorable experience, but I’m not sure I would take a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster from a stranger if I went again; I wasn’t dosed with anything other than gin, but I’m more wary now. There were cool art installations, but I saw someone crash a land-sailing barge and break their neck. I was on a bike, and went to get paramedics. I have photos somewhere. Maybe I’ll write about it.
Such a great round of words and pictures! Lol “Aliens would have good design sense, it goes without saying.” Too much good stuff to quote but what a great collection of ideas structures including a sound bath in a round white building💥
Just that, a stop for Oppenheimer, before the desert, was a post-PhD stay in non-desert Germany where he engaged deeply in quantum mechanics. There is even a finding or theorem or some thing called, I believe, the Born-Oppenheimer thing. Does that confuse, or enrich, the picture?
I've been waiting for you to write about this trip, and it was worth the wait.
I am afraid of the desert. The longest I've been in the desert was Burning Man 1998.
I’ve never been to Burning Man, but I’ve been curious about it. (And also have had times when I’m totally turned off by it.) How was it for real? And do you find the desert scary now?
I know it used to be the case that you had to bring something to the desert to share -- food, an art project, something -- and every time I think about going, I think about maybe running some kind of desert animal ID & info service? I’m not sure if that would be helpful though or even if anyone still does that kind of thing.
When I went, 25 years ago, there were already 15,000 people there and I had a good time but never needed to go again. I brought an RV and shared water, I had multiple 5 gallon containers. One of our party brought homemade beer and another a green laser to write on the mountains. I'll still visit Joshua tree but I can survive in the woods. I don't have the skillset for desert survival. I'd need to gear up and read up before I explore a desert much.
I feel like the number of people who think they can survive in the desert vastly exceeds the number who can, so you’re very wise to be cautious. Burning Man sounds like a good time in the 90’s (I bet that homemade beer was popular!) ... but yeah, so crowded now.
I think if Burning Man is something you wanna do, find someone who goes often and tag along, or go with a group so you can share costs and keep each other safe. It is certainly a memorable experience, but I’m not sure I would take a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster from a stranger if I went again; I wasn’t dosed with anything other than gin, but I’m more wary now. There were cool art installations, but I saw someone crash a land-sailing barge and break their neck. I was on a bike, and went to get paramedics. I have photos somewhere. Maybe I’ll write about it.
Thank you for this amazing description and interpretation.
Oh, thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Such a great round of words and pictures! Lol “Aliens would have good design sense, it goes without saying.” Too much good stuff to quote but what a great collection of ideas structures including a sound bath in a round white building💥
It was an experience to remember! Thanks so much. 💗
Just that, a stop for Oppenheimer, before the desert, was a post-PhD stay in non-desert Germany where he engaged deeply in quantum mechanics. There is even a finding or theorem or some thing called, I believe, the Born-Oppenheimer thing. Does that confuse, or enrich, the picture?
Definitely enrich. Thanks so much.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born%E2%80%93Oppenheimer_approximation
Jennifer, you are, as always, the true librarian’s librarian.
Thanks, Lori.