not go to Burning Man

This year, I followed a simple, three-step plan:

1. I did not buy goggles.

2. I did not load my car with my body’s weight in water.

3. I did not drive outside cell-phone coverage.

It worked!

is very peaceful and quiet the week of burning man. this labor day weekend is especially quiet, because the bay bridge is closed. most of my east bay buddies are staying local and not even venturing out on bart.

this weekend for me, very mellow. last night did a hash run in rockridge and went to ben and nick’s for the rowdy songs. today, the cal vs tennessee game. tomorrow, a swim and a party. monday, a swim and a party.

Last week, I talked with the doorman at an improv show. He had been to Burning Man a bunch of times, and was thinking of starting a bed & breakfast there. No shower, of course, just a few temporary buildings made from cheap materials, like $200 per building. He said that the way you clean yourself at Burning Man is to use a handi-wipe once a day: “Face, pits, crotch, in that order.”

Hmm, dust and sand flying everywhere, no one showering for a week, agonizing temperatures, no cellphone coverage, painted naked people spreading STDs ... None of the many Burners I talked with in the last few weeks ever mentioned anything positive about it. Hmm.

Today is Saturday, and I’m not in the Black Rock Desert. So far, this goal is progressing nicely.