Burning Man 2011

Burning Man thoughts:

The overarching impression is how inadequate any attempt to describe Burning Man is.  To try to explain what it's all about, why it's so awesome, why it's not so bad, why people go, why I want to go again; I know that I will fall far short of adequately conveying even a small part of this to anyone who hasn't been.  But, in the same spirit that took me to Burning Man despite my apprehension, here goes.

Radical self reliance, radical self expression.
Off the charts creativity (some of it at amazing expense).
Mind-boggling.
Cooler than I could ever have imagined, no where near as hard as I feared.
"Welcome home."
Generosity.
Gift economy.
Sunrise first day.
Feeling of participation due to French Maid Brigade parade.
Great weather: cool down, low wind but nice breezes, no rain.
Sand is way worse than dust.
CARCASS WASH!
Nighttime was like an anarchic Disney Parade of Lights (or a Parade of Lights on acid).
Wonderful lack of body consciousness.
Nudity inescapable (not really a problem).
Drug use not in your face.
Dubstep inescapable (boo).
Ear plugs an absolute necessity if you want to sleep.
Spray-on sunscreen rocks!
Plush fabric makes the dust more tolerable.
In terms of getting away from it all, like a shorter Grand trip where you don't have to know how to row.
At BM, you don't pick your experiences, your experiences pick you (ie, cede control).
I've never before willingly hugged so many strangers and near strangers.
Celebratory atmosphere at the Man burn.
Reverential atmosphere at the Temple burn.
Surprisingly emotional exodus.

During the weeks of preparation, a Burning Man veteran told me, "Don't be surprised if you hate it at first."  Thankfully, this was not my experience, perhaps because I was warned, perhaps because I purposefully went in with an open mind and a willing spirit.  Burning Man was so much cooler than I ever could have imagined and so much less difficult than I feared. Now, I will grant you that I was very lucky as a first-timer. The weather was the best that it's been in years; no day long dust storms, low wind but nice breezes, no rain (which turns the dust into mud), wonderfully cool at night.  Due to a wet spring, the playa surface was ideal, hard and smooth.  Due to my travel companions, I was invited to camp with an established theme camp so was able to rely on a group of highly experienced Burners to ease my entry.  Since I arrived late and left late, I avoided the 4, 5, 6+ hour long waits to enter and exit. In addition, my camp was set up when I got there so I was spared a lot of initial uncertainty and anxiety.

For the most part, at least among the people I saw and the places I went, there was an amazing lack of censure.  It is an exercise in self selection.  You're not going to go to Burning Man if you're not willing to be tolerant and because most everyone has arrived with this philosophy, there's an ease to the playa. There's also a communal aspect, people looking out for one another.  I stopped on the playa due to a problem with my bike and immediately, a roving bike mechanic materialized at my side.

The carcass wash.  What, you're wondering, is a carcass wash?  I've decided that the carcass wash was my favorite aspect of Burning Man, due in part to the fact that it was something specific to the French Maid Brigade camp and its neighborhood, our little awesome ritual.  One of the Maids brought a pressure washer.  When he felt the urge or received a request, he would fire it up and yells of "Carcass Wash!" would spread from our camp.  People would then materialize in the street in front of our camp in various states of undress to be treated to a shockingly cold and fantastically refreshing carcass wash, a fine spray of a shower as we all hopped and danced around.

Burning Man is 24 hours a day. The playa never sleeps. However, I got a reasonable amount of sleep, as a conscious choice to not try to cram everything in and because of ear plugs. The dubstep, an annoying thumping electronic music, was round the clock noise which would have made sleep elusive without ear plugs.

The dust was remarkably tolerable.  Granted, as I've already stated, we didn't have any real dust events.  But, as opposed to the grittiness of sand, the dust was much finer, a lot like talcum powder.  Given the choice between dust and sand, I choose dust.

A benefit of Burning Man for me was being forced to disconnect from my electronic connection to the outside world.  I've had a few vacations where I've had that experience, RAGBRAI, my Grand Canyon river trips.  At Burning Man , I had to unplug but I didn't have to ride my bike 60 miles a day or know how to row a raft.

Tickets go on sale January 18, 2012.

An edifying read

Rolling Stone's June 9, 2011 issue has a highly edifying read entitled How Roger Ailes Built the Fox News Fear Factory which I found revelatory.  A persistent topic of conversation amongst my dinner companions is why the Democrat's messages are so consistently drowned out.  We had been approaching the topic as a compare and contrast of how the Democrats are messaging versus how the Republicans are messaging.  After reading this article, I believe our starting premise is off base.  It's not the Democrats versus the Republicans; it's Democrats AND rational Republicans versus the rabid dogs of Fox News.  It's appalling and distressing to read Tim Dickinson's analysis and realize how much sway Roger Ailes wields over the way that policies are formulated and implemented.  The graphic (on the website, a slideshow) detailing how Fox New coordinated its distortions of President Obama's State of the Union address is particularly telling.  Distort, Attack, Repeat.

A recent academic study found that the ignorance of Fox viewers increases the longer they watch the network.

Ailes' strategy exhibits an outrageous disdain for the very people who make him successful, the Fox viewers.  In turn, Fox viewers' anger and frustration is remarkably misplaced.  Most Fox viewers resent what they see as the condescension and elitism of President Obama and other intellectuals.  In fact, these are the individuals in positions of power who are actually working in others' interest while Ailes and those of his ilk, solely to advance their own self-interest, are mercilessly manipulating the Fox viewers, playing on and intentionally deepening their ignorance.  In short, Ailes is exploiting the hoi-polloi in order to solidify his own upper class interests.  

He'd make an excellent comic book villain.  The problem is that this is real life, not a comic book, which leaves us desperately seeking an effective foil. 

Shuffle and Repeat

Very much looking forward to KT Tunstall's return to BellyUp Aspen at the end of next month. 

In anticipation of which I have my KT Tunstall playlist on shuffle and repeat. 

Great review of Madame Trudeaux off her newest album, Tiger Suit, on NPR's website. I particularly like "it stomps and rolls with glammy antagonism, and Tunstall gnashes through it with a candy-coated sneer."

15 Things You Should do in 2011

Here are some recommendations for your 2011. Feel free to add your own.

1. Move. Even if that means just parking further away from your office and hoofing it to the front door. I hesitate to use the word "exercise", since that word has negative connotations for people. Here it is in a nutshell: Moving is good. It gets your dopamine levels up in your brain. It makes you feel good. The end.

2. Turn off your TV. You are exposed to violence and just plain sadness and negativity when you watch TV. Afraid you'll miss your football/basketball games? Watch them at a friend's house. Which leads to...

3. Spend more face-to-face time with people. Texting is great for brief comments and questions, and email is great for quick communication, but actually take the time to see people in person.

4. Get enough sleep. My great-uncle took naps every day of his life. He's still alert and healthy at 98. Enough said.

5. Ask yourself, "Does it really matter?" Will winning this argument help you feel better? Will it give you a greater sense of satisfaction? Only very temporarily.

6. Ask yourself, "Is this in my best interest?" And then listen to your answer. And act on it.

7. Trust your inutition. It is right 99.9% of the time. And that remaining .01%? That's the part where you're not sure you should have listened to your intuition, but months, years from now you'll realize you did the right thing.

8. Spend part of every day in silence. Turn off the music, TV, anything that makes noise. Just sit. And be.

9. Read. And if you aren't into reading, listen to books on iTunes, MP3, CD, whatever.

10. Create a budget. You know what's scarier than having to follow a budget? Not having one at all. I'm not talking about a budget in minute detail - just know what you are paying for each month, and how much you are paying for it.

11. Take your medication as prescribed. And if you aren't taking it, see #7. Maybe you aren't taking it for a good reason (side effects, it's no longer effective, etc.) See your doctor. And be open and honest with him/her.

12. Learn to be okay with impermanence. Once you come to terms with the fact that every single thing in life is not permanent, you start appreciating it more.

13. Travel. Even if expenses are tight, find a way. Even if you are a tourist in your own city or state. People were meant to visit other places. It makes your neurons happy.

14. Make a list of lifetime goals. Some people call this a "bucket list". That sounds kind of morbid to me, but whatever you call it, write down the things you want to accomplish in your life - no matter how outlandish they may seem. The fact that you've written your goals down means you've taken a huge step towards accomplishing them.

15. Unplug. Spend at least 2 hours every day away from your iPhone, Blackberry, laptop, anything electronic. Sounds easy, right? Try it.

by Dr. Stephanie Sarkis for Here, There and Everywhere, A Psychology Today blog

I AM

Tom Shadyac, an extremely successful Hollywood director, had all the toys and luxuries that money could buy but still wasn't happy.  Then he had a mountain biking accident which left him with post-concussive syndrome.  As he dealt with his injuries and continued to question, he set out on a journey that resulted in the uplifting documentary, I AM.  

I AM illustrates its message, "We're all connected" persuasively in scientific and straightforward terms.  It makes the case that cooperation, not competition, is far more important to the Darwinian world we inhabit and that the smallest of actions can have impact.  Rather than be paralyzed by the enormity of the problems, I AM encourages us to act with empathy and sympathy.

Shadyac did a Q&A session after the movie and I was impressed with the level of intelligence present in his discourse.  Some in the audience wished to take his message into the realm of new age spirituality and Shadyac did an admirable job of validating their views while still maintaining a grounded realism.  It seems to me that there is something to this idea that while we can't yet scientifically explain it, we are all connected on a physical, biological but mysterious level.  He uses an Einstein example of two spinning atoms separated by a great distance, each of which simultaneously mirrors changes made in the other's rotation.  We don't yet understand why it occurs, but we know it does.  The linear, rational being that I am appreciated Shadyac's well-reasoned argument.

I saw the movie, What the #$*! Do We Know, a few years back and left the theater feeling like I had just been fed a bunch of weird mumbo-jumbo.  It was just too over the top.  I AM strikes me as similar but much more plausibly presented than What the #$*! Do We Know. 

And taking its message to heart can't hurt.

Who do I look like?

Steve and I went to see Tom Shadyac's documentary, I AM, last night at the Wheeler Opera House, Tom Shadyac being the director of Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar, among others.

As we were walking up the stairs, someone I did not recognize at all greeted me with 'Hi!  Good to see you again!"  Now, living in a small town, this is not an uncommon experience but usually the person is at least vaguely familiar. Not this time, so, as I was searching my memory in vain for some spark of recognition, I quickly smiled and acknowledged him with the customary niceties.  As we went our separate directions, I turned to Steve and whispered, "I have absolutely no idea how I know that guy."

A short while later, whilst sitting in the balcony of the Wheeler awaiting the start of the movie, a young guy across the way waved and smiled a greeting to me.  Again, no recognition.  Was he waving at me?  It sure seemed like it.  So, now I'm just wondering who else I'm going to see that I don't recognize and I'm feeling a bit sheepish about my lack of recognition skills.

The movie started and almost immediately, I saw the guy from the stairs on the screen.  What?  Tom Shadyac thinks he knows me?  Well, that's kinda cool.  But I did spend the rest of the movie wondering, "Who do I look like?"

(*I'll tell you what I thought of the movie in a separate post)

Disappointed

Although I'm disappointed in Obama's failure to go to the mat on tax cuts, I'm still enough of a fan that I'm open to an explanation that will help me understand.  In furtherance of that end, I watched yesterday's press conference and was struck by his monologue at the end.   What he had to say was compelling and I will be watching this story develop with interest.

So this notion that somehow we are willing to compromise too much reminds me of the debate that we had during health care. This is the public option debate all over again. So I pass a signature piece of legislation where we finally get health care for all Americans, something that Democrats had been fighting for for a hundred years, but because there was a provision in there that they didn’t get that would have affected maybe a couple of million people, even though we got health insurance for 30 million people and the potential for lower premiums for 100 million people, that somehow that was a sign of weakness and compromise.

Now, if that’s the standard by which we are measuring success or core principles, then let’s face it, we will never get anything done. People will have the satisfaction of having a purist position and no victories for the American people. And we will be able to feel good about ourselves and sanctimonious about how pure our intentions are and how tough we are, and in the meantime, the American people are still seeing themselves not able to get health insurance because of preexisting conditions or not being able to pay their bills because their unemployment insurance ran out.

That can’t be the measure of how we think about our public service. That can’t be the measure of what it means to be a Democrat. This is a big, diverse country. Not everybody agrees with us. I know that shocks people. The New York Times editorial page does not permeate across all of America. Neither does The Wall Street Journal editorial page. Most Americans, they’re just trying to figure out how to go about their lives and how can we make sure that our elected officials are looking out for us. And that means because it’s a big, diverse country and people have a lot of complicated positions, it means that in order to get stuff done, we’re going to compromise. This is why FDR, when he started Social Security, it only affected widows and orphans. You did not qualify. And yet now it is something that really helps a lot of people. When Medicare was started, it was a small program. It grew.

Under the criteria that you just set out, each of those were betrayals of some abstract ideal. This country was founded on compromise. I couldn’t go through the front door at this country’s founding. And if we were really thinking about ideal positions, we wouldn’t have a union.

So my job is to make sure that we have a North Star out there. What is helping the American people live out their lives? What is giving them more opportunity? What is growing the economy? What is making us more competitive? And at any given juncture, there are going to be times where my preferred option, what I am absolutely positive is right, I can’t get done.

And so then my question is, does it make sense for me to tack a little bit this way or tack a little bit that way, because I’m keeping my eye on the long term and the long fight -- not my day-to-day news cycle, but where am I going over the long term?

And I don’t think there’s a single Democrat out there, who if they looked at where we started when I came into office and look at where we are now, would say that somehow we have not moved in the direction that I promised.

Take a tally. Look at what I promised during the campaign. There’s not a single thing that I’ve said that I would do that I have not either done or tried to do. And if I haven’t gotten it done yet, I’m still trying to do it.

And so the -- to my Democratic friends, what I’d suggest is, let’s make sure that we understand this is a long game. This is not a short game. And to my Republican friends, I would suggest -- I think this is a good agreement, because I know that they’re swallowing some things that they don’t like as well, and I’m looking forward to seeing them on the field of competition over the next two years.

Rally for Americans in Favor of a Return to Sanity or Something Like That

"Which is what we gotta call it now"

President Obama renames Jon Stewart's (The Daily Show) Rally to Restore Sanity.
See the full excerpt (oxymoron?) here:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
BBQ & A<a>
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Tumblr

Since I have way too much time on my hands, I've started playing around with Tumblr.  It's kinda fun, the way it can gather all of my different social media outlets in one place.  As with any new toy, I have no idea how long it'll be before I tire of it but for the time being, that's where my "creative" impulses are landing.

http://iammbb.tumblr.com

Dear Rachel - 9.20.10

Dear Rachel,

I had a quiet day today.  Did some work from home, got caught up on some stuff, did some (but not all!) homework.  Now I've got a busy day tomorrow, what with payroll, a conference call and class.  Hmm.  Maybe I should have gone in to the office today . . .

Not much else to report.  I'm excited for Glee tomorrow night.  Have you already listened to all the music?  I'll wait.

I've been recording some stuff on the DVR but I haven't really watched any of it.  That's not really the point, now is it?  (Not sure where the comma should go in that last sentence.)

Sucks that you still haven't received 9/2 and 9/3.  But at least now that I've emailed them, you'll be able to catch up.  

How's that homework coming?  :-P

Love, 

Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.19.10

Dear Rachel,

Well, we're home but we had fun driving the TT down those lonely highways.  Steve got it up to 130 today.  That's crazy fast.  I didn't like it, I mean the car felt fine, it just seems like it would be too easy for something to go wrong.

Yesterday was very nice until I got sick.  Then it sucked.  Today too.  I drank a Sprite and ate Saltines.  I actually dozed off in the car which is very unusual for me.

Clark was very happy to see us and was pretty lovey-dovey for a little while but then Ellie went after him after he jumped off the couch onto her.  I went over to make sure that he was okay and while I was holding him, he scratched my temple and bit my nose.  I screamed at him in pain and he immediately just hung there in my hand.  Steve thinks we should just go ahead and declaw him since he can't go outside.  I'm willing to be persuaded.  He has trashed the side of the couch.

The aspens are in full yellow.  It was really beautiful driving through southern Colorado and over the pass.  There were even bits of orange here and there.

Work tomorrow.  I'm envious that you have the day off.  But, of course, you do have homework to do.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.17.10

Dear Rachel,

Back to little paper again . . .

Drove to Angel Fire today.  Got a later start than we wanted but don't we always?  Left Aspen just before 10:30 am and drove over the pass.  We stopped at the top and then once on the way down and then not again until we hit Taos.  I played with the TT, seeing how it felt and what it could do.  On one straight shot, I got it up to 115.  It could have done more comfortably but I was a bit freaked out by the number.  115.  I then set the cruise control at 94.  It was great at passing on the one lane highways.  And I loved telling people here, yep it's gonna be mine.  I told Steve that once I own it, he's going to see a whole nother side of me.  I'm gonna remind you of your dad, washing my car every week.  That's how I was when I had the Saab.

We got here before everyone and were starving since we hadn't stopped at all.  Steve really wants to walk around the Taos square so we decided to drive the 25 miles back there and find a place to eat.  We got there, parked, checked voice mail and found out that we were supposed to be meeting up with Campo back in Angel Fire.  So we loaded back into the car and drove back 25 miles.  Maybe we'll stay in Taos on Sunday night.

It's been fun talking to everyone but then it'll get sad.  Such a crazy thing.

We met at the golf club for drinks and then drove up to Sandie's parents' house where we visited and ate.  Then we came back to the hotel where the guys are still down hanging out in the bar.  The memorial is tomorrow at 2 pm so I'm sure we'll hang out some more tomorrow morning.  

Mark really appreciated our all being here.  I'm touched by how appreciative he is.  I'm glad we came.  It's so important to be there for your friends.

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.16.10

Dear Rachel,

We just got home from picking up Kim's car.  It's complicated!  And even more so trying to figure it out in the dark.  It'll be fun to drive it over the pass.

I loved your text, "You know, I kinda like being the good girl."  I know I already told you but it made me proud.  I'm sorry you missed Aaron Sorkin but I'm proud of you for not skipping class.  Such a hard decision.

Hey!  We've got a full-time opening for a receptionist.  Want the job?

Nowhere near ready to leave in the morning so I'm going to bed so maybe we can leave somewhere near 8 am.

Love, Mommie  :-)

p.s. Yuck.  Boring, plain paper.

Dear Rachel - 9.15.10

Dear Rachel,

Hmmm.  Last printed sheet of this stationery too.

Struggling a bit to come up with something worth writing tonight.  Pretty mundane day so not much interesting to say.

I'm glad you were able to be productive today and that you feel good about it.  I'm proud that you're making such a conscious effort to stay on top of things.  That'll make a huge difference in keeping things manageable.

Crazy stuff happening in these mid-term elections.  Makes me want to be sure that you get a mail-in ballot.  Have you heard anything about the Tea Party lady in Delaware?  Scary.  If only the crazies vote, only the crazies will get elected.

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.14.10

Dear Rachel,

I'm sorry you think that you miss me more than I miss you.  It's not really a competition but it's natural that you're feeling more uncertainty and anxiety.  You're dealing with so much that's new, unfamiliar and stressful.  You're trying to navigate new expectations and challenges, all of which force you to miss the familiar more keenly.  But this is your time to explore and experience, still with some measure of a safety net.  Embrace the challenges and see where they take you!  And take comfort in the knowledge that the familiar is out there even as you create new familiar.

Envious that you have the possibility of seeing Aaron Sorkin.  Not thrilled about you missing class, though.  That's a tough call..  Can't condone it but can't condemn it either.

I had my photography class again today.  I'm learning a lot about all of the possibilities of digital cameras.  Will it make me a better photographer?

We got one of those water fountain things for Clark since he loves to drink from the faucet so much.  We also got an automated food dispenser.  It'll probably take him about two seconds to learn what that noise means.  He should be all set for his first weekend home alone.

We'll be missing the Snowmass Balloon Festival and some bazaar that they're having in Aspen.  Should be fun stuff for Grandma & Papa and the Havertys to check out.

You should call Grandma Nina.  Try to stay in touch with her regularly.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.13.10

Dear Rachel,

One of the productions companies responsible for the movie we saw tonight is called A Likely Story and its log is a drawing of a "Bad Panda."   Really!  You should google it.  They have a Facebook page with their logo.  Got me thinking about what you might name your future production company.  Sad Panda Productions?  Sidewalk to Nowhere Productions?  Happy Moose Productions?  Triquetra Productions?  CharmedFreak Productions?  I could go on . . .

The movie, Please Give, was odd.  Papa's response when it was over was "Wow."  Not "Wow!" but "Wow."  He and Grandma wondered if Jon Busch was going to come back on stage to explain it.

I'm feeling pretty productive this evening since I worked all day, went to a movie, finished my homework (sorta), posted a picture and am now writing your letter.  I never turned the TV on so that probably helped.

The saga of the car may be settling down.  The saleswoman wasn't able to find any black Q5s so Kim's going to just wait until December for the blue one that she already ordered.  Or so she says.  I'm not sure that she's patient enough.  We'll see.

I guess you're getting into it, the college grind, since your texts to me have precipitously fallen off.  That's ok, I'm just wondering if I pulled the trigger too quickly on the change in text plans.

I started moving books on to your shelves.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.12.10

Dear Rachel,

Oh no!  I missed a day!  I think the irregular mail delivery at the University Center has taken the wind out of my sails.  Well, that and the TV are probably both to blame.  I've been staying up way too late.  Friday night (really Saturday morning) I was up until 1:30 am even though I had to get up and go to class.  I was exhausted last night and now it's 11:15 pm.

We went to Grandma & Papa's for dinner and I DVR'd the MTV VMA's so we just watched maybe half.  Crazy stuff.  I'd never seen Justin Bieber before.  What's the attraction?  That Eminem song is growing on me.  Who is Chelsea Handler and why did someone think she'd be a good host?  These are rhetorical questions by the way.

It looks like we're back to December for Kim's car.  She really likes the blue so I think she should wait and get what she wants.  We're still planning to take it to New Mexico next weekend.  We're going to take Ellie too.  Poor Clark has to stay home.

Leaves are turning and it's getting cold here, especially early in the morning.

Love, Mommie :-)

p.s. Even though I didn't write a letter yesterday, I do get huge points for mailing your package especially since I had to go out of my way for an envelope since they neglected to restock the priority mail supplies in the post office lobby!

Dear Rachel - 9.10.10

Dear Rachel,

Well, I feel like I'm back in college.  I just fell asleep doing my homework.  Hopefully, I'll get up in time to finish it tomorrow.

More old school stationery.  We've moved from Woodstock and Peanuts to carousel horses.  I was quite a fan of carousel horses.

Kim found out today that she lost out on the Q5 that would have been here by the end of the month so now she's broadening her range of color choices in an attempt to increase her odds of getting one before Christmas.  The limitations of the lack of dealers in the valley are a bit frustrating.  She'd love to look at other makes but doesn't think it wise.

I'll be in class tomorrow while you are.  How cool is that?  Ok, not really, but whatever.

Clark's being a troublemaker.  Ellie got tired of keeping him in line so she left and now I'm unprotected.  He's got the huge pupils and he's trying to burrow under the lap desk again.  Now he's just lying in wait.  This is probably going to hurt but I have a spray bottle at the ready.

I'm glad you're going to brunch with Jackie and Zanny.  That should be nice.

Today was Ashley's last day.  We're sad.  We do however have high hopes for our two new hires.  You're going to come back and not know anyone . . .

Love, Mommie :-)

Hmph

The University Center appears to have a few kinks to work out with its mail delivery.  Although I have written and mailed a letter every day since we left Chicago on Sunday, 8/29/10, Rachel has only received the first three letters. It's been over a week since she's received one.

At least she's still receiving her packages . . .

Dear Rachel - 9.9.10

Dear Rachel,

Grandma & Papa are here!  We picked them up from the airport and then we went out to dinner at the Pitkin County Tavern.  I love those corn fritters!

We're testing our DVR.  Since we're losing our badge of honor of not owning a TV, we're seizing upon the fact that since our cable was turned on 24 hours ago, we've only watched the Vuelta a Espana on live TV.  And we've christened our DVR with the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.  So I'd argue that we're still occupying some high ground here.

Another work day with not much else to talk about.  Oh, except that Kim heard from the Audi saleswoman that her new car may be here by the end of the month.

Love, Mommie :-)