cybergeisha

Death Guild Thunderdome Crew on White Night - Janelle & Dave’s Wedding

Yet more reasons that Burning Man was awesome this year. No, I’m not going to stop posting pictures any time soon.

They asked for “volunteers from Death Guild” for a shift at Ice-9. Hanging out in the back of a freezer truck and selling some blocks of ice? Sure! So we decided to call it “Black Ice” (har har) and make it an event - take our cars, park ‘em out front, you know. Industrial-ify the whole thing.

Well, they did not specify how MANY volunteers, so we just loaded up the cars (all of them) with as many people as we could find (about 45 of us) and drove across the Playa. When we arrived, the people there were quite surprised… they said “Dude, I was thinking about 10 people would show up - did you bring your whole camp?!” And did. We brought all the cars and music, too.

It started out tame. I am on the far left.

There were FAR too many people to be very much help, so most of us milled around in front, greeted people, and a bunch of us hopped up in the back of the truck… to mix drinks, heckle people and yell requests at the DJ.

We were pretty much hanging around, rocking out, drinking cocktails and yelling out greetings to our customers. We had brought vodka and bloody mary mix, but no cups, so we just found a couple paper cups, but for the most part, mixed them in our water bottles with the “share, share alike!” philosophy. Sky and Chris were trying to carve “ice cups” using pocket knives and block ice, but gave up and started sculpting skulls.

And that’s when things sort of started to degenerate.

As you can see… this ice situation was getting out of control when we started table dancing. Nothing raises tip money like scantily clad goth chicks dancing on the counters, right? And then, even the boys got into it. Kurt was table dancing at one point. I can’t remember with whom I was bumping and grinding to “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” but it was awesome.

Sky and Chris gave up sculpting ice-skulls, took an ice block and carved a winding path through it. We took it out front, and started “encouraging” everyone who came in for ice to “DO THE BOOZE LUGE!” after they completed their transaction. We would then pour a shot of vodka down the ice track into the mouth of our lucky victim. Random customers started BRINGING IN alcohol to encourage this deviancy. We ended up with two booze luges, and a selection of vodka, gin, rum, saké, cheap champagne, bad whiskey and baileys to send down the luge.

This all happened, by the way, in the middle of an all-out RAGING, white-out condition dust storm. But there we were, hiding in a tent and two refrigerated trucks, having a raucous, boozy, loud, possibly obnoxious dance party for our own and our customers amusement.

Volunteerism: Death Guild Thunderdome Style.

Burning Man was FUCKING AWESOME.

A Quick Summary: Thunderdome, the spontaneous Death Guild Dance Party while volunteering at the ice booth, falling off a car, table dancing, Fire Lounge, walking across the desert at night, riding on the back of the Satellite in a blinding dust storm, driving the Satellite, shenigans involving a megaphone and floodlight, no love for glow sticks, laying in a hammock suspended 20 feet in the air, morning naptime, white night and a wedding in the dome, Jungle Pig, heartfelt talks, best friends, Kurt’s hat, hair extensions, seeing falling stars and satellites, high fives, FIRE, Death Guild, ice cream, bacon, bad jokes, good times and our very own bathrooms.

Do I need to say more than that?

It’s waaaaay too much to explain and I don’t have many pictures.

My Burning Man preparations are totally finished. At least, the parts of my preparations that I can finish before I arrive in San Francisco. When I arrive there tomorrow, my friend Carmen is picking me up at the airport and lending me some stuff that I cannot bring with me, such as a sleeping bag and a pillow. She also has some clothes she thinks I’ll like.

When Carmen drops me off at Kurt and Michelle’s house, I’m going to drop off my bag and go with Michelle to pick up their son Allistair from daycare. By the time we’ve done that, Kurt should be getting home from work and then the last minute preparations will start.

Too Much Food?

Tomorrow night, Kurt and I are going to go to the grocery store tomorrow night and pick up the rest of the stuff we will want to eat and drink… Stuff like some fruit, maybe a few cans of tuna, olives and pickles (for me… I love them!), and a few things to snack on in the car. I’m not sure what Kurt needs to get, but I think I’m pretty much ready…

…because I think I already have too much food.

I won’t need a whole lot more since my family has given me an incredible amount of camping food… Including AT LEAST 30, probably more, energy bars. And 12 of those breakfast bars. Jesus! I’ll have to force my friends to eat them too.

Packing Ninja

I am a bag-packing ninja. Seriously.

Most people would need a duffel bag or large bag of some sort into which to fit all of the stuff I am bringing. However, my father is an airline pilot and I have done a lot of traveling in my life, and I know how to pack a carry-on bag. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve had to check a bag, but it has been several years. I didn’t have more than a carry-on rolling suitcase and a backpack when I moved to Japan for five months.

IN A CARRY-ON ROLLING SUITCASE:

• Enough (more than enough) clothes for five days
• Corset and priest cassock for dress-up
• A million energy bars
• A bag of cookies
• Two bags of dried fruit
• A bag of nuts
• A book
• Toiletries
• Low-top Converse sneakers
• More underwear/socks than I’ll need (hey, you never know)
• Jungle Pig Accessories
• Goggles
• Scarf
• Hoodie

See?

PACKING NINJA.

Bring it on, world.

After the insanity that is my shoe situation… I drove BACK into Seattle to return my boots. When I got there, I heard what I feared I’d hear. They didn’t have the boots in a size UK4. I was about to just bang my head on the wall until I asked what other styles and sizes WERE available. And they DID have a pair of the 14 hole docs in dark red. I tried them on and they were a perfect fit.

A lot of people would have whined that they’re not black. They are a little on the “Burgundy/Brown” side of the spectrum but definitely still red. And red goes with black! I have plenty of black shoes, so why not spice things up a little bit? Besides, the point is to have comfortable, durable footwear at Burning Man and when I get home.

Since red and black go together, they’re the style I originally wanted, and they’re so comfortable…. I exchanged my too big not-the-style-I-wanted boots for the red ones and went home. So now I’ve got boots. The saga has FINALLY ended!

On to last-minute preparations - I leave tomorrow!