[PREV - BURNING_IRRITATION] [TOP]
February 14, 2007
Our concept for Burning Man 2006
was to get together with a
smaller, more informal group of
folks and just set-up shop
wherever, out in the boonies of
the back streets.
A lot of the people we were
gathering with, decided to One woman going along
do an RV rental for various was there for the first
reasons. time, and it was thought
that she'd need some sort
I've always been down on RV's of gentle introduction.
at Burning Man... they seem
like cheating, and they have a
reputation for being isolating...
It turns out having an RV around
is far worse than I'd imagined.
The people we were camping with
were essentially invisible to us,
sealed up in the big white box.
Even when we made an effort to get
together for dinner, the RV created
huge barriers. Okay, so they have
this nice porta-kitchen... but you
can't talk to the people cooking, You'll even be in the
because there's no room to go in way if you try to stand
there and help. in that narrow doorway
to talk to them...
So a few people *have*
to do all the work.
But at least they're
comfortable in the RV,
right?
Well no, actually they weren't.
When a dust storm kicks up, we would just
put on our goggles and respirators and go
out bicycling around... they would seal
themselves up inside this hot, airless
and increasingly smelly RV...
You do get a porta-shower
out of having an RV...
but we'd get by washing
with a little water from And none of us were even
plastic bottles, and up there for much
crowding in behind the longer than the weekened.
water truck when it hoses
down the streets. (If we'd been in our
old camp doing a longer
stay, there would be
some simple shower
facilities rigged up...
this is the kind of
thing you can manage in
a larger group.)
A controlled environment is
not even necessarily a
a comfortable environment.
That American drive
towards Isolation...
it it supposed to be
a pursuit of happiness?
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