Burning Man Build Up (Yes, Already!!!)

So Burning Man is coming up...in another six months.

It's a lot to make it happen. There's costume sewing and purchasing random camping equipment and trying to figure out what I will want to eat for a week in the desert (I've learned granola and jarred peaches and pickles and snow cones, not necessarily all together, work for me.) There's stressing out over which plane tickets and which rental car and figuring out the bicycle issue. There's getting in touch with friends (and of course, once you get there, you never run into them anyway, unless, of course, it's meant to be). There's making plans that fall through. There's packing lists and shopping trips - and forgetting the most essential things, like an extra flashlight or toilet paper or something.

My first year, stressed out in a pile of costumes and fairy wings and tools and sleeping bags in my living room, trying to pack, figure out the cat-sitter thing, and wondering what to do, I moaned to my friend, "This is so much work." She laughed at me, gave me more glitter to pack, and said, "Of course it is. This keeps the assholes out. You have to really want to go to actually go."

And she's right.

Rachelle and I have already started planning last month - we're discussing what kind of shade structure we want, who's going to camp with us (Probably Gwendolyn and Ray K and whoever else we can drag out to Black Rock City), what kind of decorations we want (Pink flamingos, cut-outs, a mailbox, signs, maybe a giant ultramarathon race course map...), costumes (I have this idea for an amazing fake fur dress, a sequined one-piece, maybe a new pair of wings, a fun top for the ultra...).

I already emailed my boss about the vacation days. I've started dreaming of dusty, glittery nights, of racing my bicycle across open playa with one of my best friends in the world, singing through the streets of BRC, dancing with my friends at beloved DeMentha (another mojito for sure!), heading over to Distrikt for some of the most awesome music, maybe there will be another slip and slide. Burning Man is a place to fall in love with each beautiful moment, to drink pickle juice martinis with your bestie while dancing to Madge, to finding yourself in the midst of a swirling dust storm, even if you can't find your way back to come.

I can't wait to be home!