Hi friends.. writing from over the Atlantic.. somewhere near Iceland. on my way to Munich.. so again.. cant post any of my burning man pics .. I’ll get to that tomorrow night.

I do want to write a buti about why I go to Burning man. I’ve heard that question from several of my freinds over the last few days. The burning man  festival has gotten some bad press this year.. from the tragic death at the burn… which I still can’t believe… , to the record heat this year (110 for 2 days) , dusty, . There have also been stories this year of over the top opulence by corporate attendees (fresh maine lobster on the desert ? ) and huge crowds… ..

I’m reminded of a sticker I saw on my freind Duane F’s giant flaming octopus last year

Yet.. all that said.. I still love it.. Why… ? Because it’s the biggest group of people I know that come together spontaneously to have a good time together.. It’s a test of stamina and ingenuity to survive the place.. or at least to enjoy it.. and that simple fact means that most folks who  make it there more than once really, really , really want to be there.. and thats special… Spending tiem in our camp with some good old friends and some new and having the time to listen and talk to them is such a pleasure…   as is the zillion random interactions you have with strangers you meet everywhere.. This year I ran into so many old freinds on the playa… from different cirl es of  of my life, from vermont , from work, from travrel , from family , from my many hobbies. 

For me the main draw is being with those people. meeting them, hearing their stories, seeing how they choose to self-express. I also love the art.. some of it is really beautiful and moving , nearly all of it is interesting../

much of the art  is high tech.. some of it is dangerous (fire, high voltage, smoke).. those are the things i love doing myself.. As a guy with wierd hobbies like that… There is no place on the planet where i can find so many like minded people . THis year I really advanced my understanding of fire art… and plan to expand myt collection of things that shoot fire into the sky… You can’t pay for that kind of training. 

I love the fact that the whole place is offline.. no phones.. at least not verizon phones 🙂 .. no wifi.. everyone there is really ‘there’… the last time I was offline for a whole week was in 2009  I was locked in a warehouse making a TV show . 8 days offline .. just tlakign to reall live people has done me and my mind  a world of good..

THere’s also a sacred component of burning man.. the temple there is a monument to folks who have died or who are troubled. THe stories, objects and graffiti in there are the most moving testament to lives lived. that  I’ve ever seen. My own pilgrimage there to remember Sam  and others literally brings me to my knees . Crying in that place with so many others is the most cathartic thing i can ever remember doing… 

finally..of course there’s this reason .. 🙂 

I’m not saying the place is fro everyone.. but hay.. maybe you’d like it too 🙂

nite all, nite sam

-me