Post Burn Blah Blah

Post Burn Report:
Shelter (Pictured):
/ Double length monkey hut worked famously. It was so stable that it helped form part of a larger structure.
/ Dome designed to fit inside Monkey Hut ... fit. The combination of the two make for a formidably cool shelter. The zippered cover kept out the dust nicely.
/ Shower Curtain suspended from one end of Monkey hut worked quite well, and placement near the dome meant there was a convenient shelf to put stuff.
/ Battery powered shower gave up the ghost (despite new batteries). Fuck it. I grabbed a cup and poured water over myself. It was entirely sufficient, greener, leaner, and it made me happy. That's my new shower.... no disappointments, no batteries.
/ Covered evaporator needed more room to work. Once I put a couple of boards to support the lid, it worked great. Still thinking of a kiddie pool next time.
/ Rope bed for dome was larger than expected but worked incredibly well. It needed several tightenings, but was the most comfortable sleep I've had on the Playa.

Camp (InCompeCare):
/ Set up took longer than I'd hoped. We didn't have actual shade and stuff until Tuesday.
/ The sign for our camp was a complete success. We're totally doing something like it in the future.
/ The function of having everyone pull office hours was weak. I would have liked to see a little more participation from the residents.
/ The fact that we were closed most of the time was not lost on outsiders. That played nicely.
/ The M&Ms, toys costumes and such were quite the hit.
/ However, far too many of our visitors saw the red cross and assumed we were a legitimate first aide station.
/ A couple of camps left a lot of detritus behind. Clean up was kind of aggravating.

Plans
Keep in mind this was a particularly dusty year. And i don't mean "wear a face mask" dusty, or "get some goggles" dusty, but I mean foot high mounds of dust in piles all over the playa. Hit one with a bike and you come to a gentle but abrupt stop. Made bikes useless at night, and everyone's lungs got filled up reducing energy levels across the board.
/ Ocean of fire - like 6 people showed up. The weather was beautiful, the sound system was faltering the dust was tame. No records broken this year, but we had fun with the brass balls competition anyway. Disheartening, though.
/ Temple of Community - I was supposed to run the show before the burn, but while trying to gather more performers, Crimson stepped on my announcement and gave bad information. No one showed.
/ Burn Night - High winds and lots of all-day dust meant that the pyro team had to find a "window" for which they could burn the man (with fireworks). However, because of the critical timing, they decided to cancel the rest of the burn night ritual, including the Fire conclave. Funny, not once did I ever hear anyone tinker with the idea of not having fireworks.... grr.
/ Temple Basura - The main temple burn was delayed for some time because they realized that they had nothing to light it with. This is the position I always filled with the main temple crew, but unfortunately, the Basura crew decided that the Temple crew's help would not be needed. *smirk*

People
I saw a lot of old friends this year. None of the ones I expected, all the ones I needed, I guess. My playa love this year ended up being another shin. We email to each other but I don't think either of us are ready for an LD thang. *sigh*

Tech
/ My iPod Touch has now fully completed it's original mission. First it gave me a music player to walk with. Then a sales tool for Red Swan and Bearclaw. And finally, on the playa, the WiFi access allowed me to do enough work to be certain that I'd have enough money to make it home. This is the first year I've come back from the playa with no new debts. Happy.
/ battery powered shower - dead. Replaced. Happy
/ Genny - Both camp generators failed to emit a single volt this year. And not for lack of trying. First, I have to fix the starter cord, then I think I have to get mine un-flooded. Finally, I want to buy a muffler for it. Now if I can just remember all that when I have both time and money.
/ Pocket Fisherman. Yup, the original Ron Popeil gadget. This turned out to be the most gratifying part of the burn for me. since New moon was thursday, it was a very dark year. I went Raver Fishin and gave away blinky lights to whomever I caught. This was the single most gratifying part of the year for me. I even bought a couple of lures so that I could do some stream fishing if I get the call. This thing lives in my car from now on.

In the end, this was a particularly hard year. One of those years that make it very hard to say, confidently, that I'll be back next year. I burned the bed, but I can always make another one cheaply. I still have the dome and Hut and the rest of my camp. Time will tell on the rest. The biggest worry I have is if I'll have a conclave next year. A LOT of my folks are pissed off about burn night, and taking crap from people who perform all year round isn't helping their mood.