Burning Man Leadership Summit

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Next week starting April 1st will be the annual Leadership Summit and Regional Conference in San Francisco. Many issues will be discussed as well as tools provided that will help some of us with the things we do with our communities. I discovered this last year while it was underway and was determined to go the next time it was on!

Stephen RaspaWhy was I invited? Well, at first you might say I impressed myself because I wanted to meet and learn from Stephen Raspa. If you do not know who he is then… well, then you don’t know Burning Man. It is not unlike saying who is Marian Goodell and who is Larry Harvey.

Well, another reason I was invited is because I am a candidate for a Regional Contact position in Vegas which has been a process for a few months now following an extensive interview process. That is a story for another day.

The Question

So I ask you; Do we as the queer burners have any special needs/considerations/positions that needs addressing? I would love to bring anything from OUR sub-community… is that even the right word? Are we really integrated with the Burner community as a whole or are we that politely acknowledged presence of the would be super-liberals…? HA HA HA… not so much a serious question as cankerous nudge in the ribs of anyone wondering about social dilemmas. (No, I don’t really know either).

We the People

There is a full schedule of classes ranging from event setup to dealing with social and political issues in the community. Some classes I would take are layered on top of each other which means I had to choose one or the other.  For example, Fridays classes are “Mailman Training” v. “CORE Project Leaders” which was a simple choice in my case with the CORE project off my grid at the moment (Mailman refers to keepers of community lists and how much should be throttled and moderated).

Classes range from Public Relations, Event Planning, and Ranger resources… a lot of arms to this thing we call Burning Man and how to hopefully strengthen the community and the resources of same. The community is Black Rock City, all the Regions beyond that, then the pods/cells/fractures within. I know one question being asked is how do we deal with the fractures within communities and should we?

Conclusion

So, I will be posting about this as I go and be on my cell at all times. Feel free to text me or email.

Gay Camp Placement

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Gay Village MapsA couple people mentioned in posts and email that they did not really know where the gay camps were concentrated… or more-so where or what the Gayborhood/Gay Ghetto were. The map attached to this piece from the 2010 Metropolis is a rough estimate of just those.

MalMart is loosely marked there as well as Pink Heart. This does not mean 2011 will see the same exact placement, but it seems to reflect 2009. Having spent a lot of time in both regions I can say I had a lot of fun and met a lot of amazing people.

The map is just generally informational and I will look to post something a little more comprehensive after July 1st when the theme camp list is published and we get a list of the gay camps projected for 2011 Rites of Passage.

The reality is that gay camps are all over the place, but these small concentrations of familiars feels like a pool of water in the middle of the desert when we are seeking to make connections.

I personally pledge to visit and spend time in every camp posting here to some degree and be there to support whatever I can. We are a single part of a whole and I look forward to spending time together once again!

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If you feel like adding… I was doing 2010 pics only

 

Queer Burner Web Sites

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I check through the analytics on this web site periodically (the visitor stats) and am always really happy with the things I see. There are a lot of people visiting this site looking for – US!

Pink Mammoth

There is a pretty detailed list of the Queer(friendly) camps in the Queer Camp page which will be updated as soon as the new list is published in April(?). People are starting to look for their arrangements and are plotting where there home will be in 2011.

Anyone new to this scene has to ask themselves if they are aligning themselves with the right kind of people. Is the temperament of this crew down with me and visa versa?

The only way to know is by involving yourself actively with proposed camps and one start – depending how remote you are – is by visiting the web sites representing the various camps. They have pictures and blog entries and will often tell you right there IF they are accepting applications to join them. [Burning Man Survival Guide]

Paradise Motel is one of those than handle that very well. They look like an exciting camp and with mention of a pool, one might want to jump into that camp and make some friends. In the third paragraph of the front page they give you the chance to apply to join them. See pictures of their adventures and find out if these guy have the vibe you seek.

Now, one of the largest camps and most well known throughout Burning Man is Comfort & Joy. They always put on a well dressed camp with beautiful art projects on their plot as well as having two spacious, gorgeous circus size tents that are always an oasis for anyone looking to escape the thump-thump-thump of Burning Man for a bit.

For the Ladies (and other blurry lines) and just as famous as C&J is the one and only Camp Beaverton: Home for Wayward Girls. What a remarkable group. They have daily events and classes mostly with a focus of the womyn’s experience. The mayor of Beaverton “Bucket” has a lot of amazing energy she has that inspires and adds to those Wayward Girls.

Not all camps have their own glorious web sites on line, but more rely on the social networks. One of these includes Moonbow Camp. Moonbow Camp started as a group of Gay campers that go to Yosemite Valley every year for a weekend of hiking, camping and spending quiet time with Nature and the Forrest. Although very hospitable and always throw an awesome event joining their group is a little more difficult when it comes to camping. They are a group of friends and maybe closed to applications. But definitely check them out and watch the What Where When for the many events they host. Ring leader and Gay Pride flag bear-er Mario is an active participant on this site so feel free to drop him a line.

There are so many options and in the theory of Radical Inclusion (1 of the 10 Principles of Burning Man) you should feel comfortable camping almost anywhere, but it still makes sense to find people of like mind/body/soul.

Now a moment of some self-service from your Toaster, a new plan for a camp with open invitation to people interested in a RadFae creative vibe call Sun Guardians. 2011 will be it’s premiere year and will hopefully exist beyond Burning Man like the fine folks of Moonbow. Check it out and thanks for the moment of self gratification.

Choosing a queer camp or any other is the launching platform for your Burn. DON’T FUCK YOUR BURN by choosing the wrong thing. You can always visit these camps and enjoy their mixers. Stag Camp is great place for individuals who are on their own and looking for the shelter of a group. Camping on your own is a way where you don’t have to marry into a group that you may not have the gumption to participate with or be able to commit.

 

Burnal Equinox

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March 5th marks the 1/2 way point of the year where we are officially at the furthest point from the night the man burns. It is the halfway point before the children return home.

If you have not been to a Burning Man event you may not be able to appreciate the life altering experience of WHAT it is. In theory, you do not have to have gone to Burning Man to be called a Burner. I think this is something that is either in you or not. But, having gone is something every single person in our community should experience.

This is like… well, I am a Veteran having served in the military. When I go to the V.A. or meet another Veteran from any generation, there is a tie between us. Being part of this community produces the same tie – I think.

So… 6 months from now I will be at Burning Man. Makes my heart smile.

Members Posting on GB

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There are some new changes on the site again. In an effort to make this thing something really cool, I keep trying to improve it and get all the LGBT-XYZers playing together. I know there are other sources out there, but I thank you for choosing GB when you can.

Please feel free to post your stories. Maybe you are venting. Did you know the mayor of Camp Beaverton is playa named Bucket? Do you know HOW she got that name… he he he… I do. BUT I would love to see that story and yours on here.

Please type right into the interface and avoid the copy/paste thing from word because it will bring all kinds of hidden code into the page if you can.

Please remember to follow the basic policies and use this page to login and make a new post.

Love & Light ya’ll!

Burning Man Food….watch me work!

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Hey Folks,

OK, not really like me, but I’m going to shamelessly pimp my blog, 3 Day Chef about food and I promise I’ll post about my Burning Man meals. Right now, we’re just getting ramped up with delights like Cajun Roast Beef, Ravioli 3-way, and other savory favorites including vegetarian pepper beef.

In my mind (OK, I don’t entirely look like one, but I’m a bear at heart), food is a quintessential part of celebrating with friends and Burning Man pretty well fits that bill.

Hope to see many of you watching my culinary exploits!

Lotsa Love,

Nosler

A very BurningMan evening…..

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a clip from my blog you can find here –>   Mot’s blog

A very Burning Man evening

A early week snafu ended up cancelling some evening plans for me and left me in a funk for the evening. ( And let me tell ya – I know how to Stew..) But in a odd twist – my funk was crashed by strangers who managed to pull me out for a very fun – very Burning Man / very not Tom evening.

It began basically out on Center Playa while I took sunset pics from a great temple. I was trying to put the brakes on my SNIT FLYWHEEL** ( which was hitting about 14,000 rpm) by distracting myself.

**- You may find that phrase strange unless you are genetically related to me – **

After a couple of conversations with very nice folks and a stop back at camp – I headed back towards the playa for some evening pictures and an attempt to walk off my funk.

But it was not meant to be!

2 strangers promptly stopped their 4 person bike and asked me to get on and then evening promptly took another direction. A wonderful Burning Man kind of experience to suddenly team up with people you have just met to share the evening touring the night sights of the playa.

We stopped by a neat camp called Big Pink Heart and had our pic taken. The photographer Aaron Dressin had a neat set up that reflected in the eyes of the subject if you look carefully. I ended up at a camp all the way across the playa drinking rum(?) and hanging with some very funny people. It was a fun end to the night.

I still contemplate the evening for some reason.

I note how I can shut myself off when in such a bad mood – yet a random act can so quickly pull me out

I think i also focus on how startled I get to have 2 straight guys just want to be buds. The whole straight guy ” you’re gay??” awkwardness thing is too ingrained on my experience. I expect it always and on the rare occasion it does not happen… I just get spooked. I think you can almost see it in the picture. ( Which I love BTW) I have spent a lot of time since then thinking how/if this jades my daily life or whether BurningMan was the exception.

How to keep the windows open despite the rain?

Web Site Analytics

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What the heck are those??? Well, this site using something called Analytics to measure who is coming to the site, how long, what pages and where from they hath come!

I logged in to see today, which I do not do frequently, and was blown away by what I saw!!! A lot of people from ALL OVER THE WORLD are coming to visit and I am thrilled. In the last 30 days as of this posting 630 visitors! Is that cool or what?

1.
United States
 478 3.57 00:02:54 74.48% 49.37%
2.
United Kingdom
 23 2.74 00:02:56 91.30% 65.22%
3.
Canada
 20 2.80 00:04:35 80.00% 55.00%
4.
Germany
 19 2.26 00:04:27 89.47% 78.95%
5.
France
 13 2.31 00:01:03 92.31% 61.54%
6.
Brazil
 10 1.30 00:02:00 80.00% 80.00%
7.
Australia
 9 1.56 00:00:34 44.44% 77.78%
8.
Italy
 6 1.50 00:00:23 100.00% 66.67%
9.
Netherlands
 5 3.40 00:01:23 80.00% 20.00%
10.
Switzerland
 5 1.00 00:00:00 100.00% 100.00%

Burner Relationships

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In previous visits to the playa many of my lucky fellow burners have had the pleasure of playa-romances. Some are famous and some are discreet, but for the lucky ones who have romance that extend beyond the Black Rock it’s a magic unlike any other.

Other people I know, myself included, have become so smitten with the idea of a burner-lover/best-friend/etceteras have found networks to extend the search into the Mundane World. Sites like Burning-Singles.Com as well as various networks on Tribe.Net wantonly draw in people seeking other burners to partner with.

The sometimes ambiguous sexuality of many burners can either leave the field wide open or reduce the field for the more picky seeker of love.

Gender Identity

Is the idea of a Burner partner realistic or more along the lines of the elusive unicorn? Think about Burner men, of darn near any orientation, there is a fantasy life of glitter and fairy wings in their heads that is sometimes hard to attach to. Even when making their transition to the world outside of the Black Rock many do not easily re-attach. While others merge quickly and invisibly into landscape; are they still a desired partner if they assimilate well into the default world?

Burner GirlsAnd Burner women? There is an uncommon strength and independence in a lot of women, noted by this author, at Burning Man. But there is a surprisingly high number of women who are self objectifying or responsive to male objectification; also noted by in a previous article from last year. Both these extremes play out and attract different potential partners for various reasons. However, the Burner female coming back to the default world seemingly exists between these realms of reality with more ease that their male counterparts.

These roles that unfold on playa versus the default world somehow even out on some levels, which is where burning-singles.com, Tribe.Net and ePlaya play out for the other 52 weeks of the year.

There are no statistics on the success of Burner relationships or one psychology defining the success or failure. However, in observation many Burner romances are sustained within the community. Yet, as the relationships age, it seems almost invariable that one partner will turn their back on Burning Man and move on. How they come to terms with it will also determine the survival of the relationship.

In a few cases, one partner decided they were completely done with Burning Man but allows and supports the other to continue that relationship on their own. It happens.

Open Relationships

The issue of promiscuity and sexual exploration have been associated with the culture among other indulgences. What I am taken by are the way some couples have accepted reduced boundaries thinking that would create more freedom in the infrastructure of the relationship.

Lately I noted a lot of couples splitting up right before and after the most recent Burn. In many of these cases, the perception of having a flirtatious and open a relationship was presented to an interested party. When it was acted upon the result blew up in their faces. Seems like it is titillating to consider playing outside or within the relationship, but when it is acted upon without caution it ends up destroying the trust in the relationship.

In spite of a loosely set mutual agreement, or even a spoken understanding, playing with the bonds of the archetype relationship often result in disaster. Going into a relationship leaving the door open for a potential additional partner stretches the bonds and sanctity of the relationship leaving insecurity and doubt in potential collision of individual ideals.

One of the more famous camps at Burning Man deals with these issues head on in an educational series; Poly Paradise. They offer a great series of classes for couple or individuals exploring a Poly lifestyle.

Conclusion

Whatever the makeup of your relationships and the romance that ensues from it, being smart about advancing it is key. Burner men and women are often gregarious and experimental, but we are all programmed with ideals and expectations. Often people like us are open to exploring with those limits or tolerances. Men and women of this ilk can offer a lot, but stability? Before jumping into the unknown or opening a door to something that can unsettle what you already have get an education. Do not go into it blindly.

That minute of that the idea of going poly or experimenting with an alternative relationship might not really be the solution to the success of the partnership. Do some research.