PolyParadise What Worked - 2007
Sunday November 4, 2007
It has been
70 days since we were together on the Playa, I do not know
where the time goes, it seems to go faster & faster each year. I also seem
to have more & more I have to catch up one each year...Regardless of how much
work I have to do, there is always time for one more Burning Man volunteer
opportunity. I always come back from the Playa so jazzed about Community,
Love & Friendship. Reflecting on PolyParadise '07, my heart is filled with joy &
happiness, for all we accomplished together, the lessons learned and the
knowledge that we will do better next year.
Since '03, I have used this space to reflect on
"What Went
Write & What Went Wrong" in PolyParadise, gain some
perspective, and learn.
Anything said here is NOT meant to accuse or berate anyone, it is just an open
dialogue, an airing of issues so that we may move forward.
I offer my own observations and as always welcome Comments, Praises, Bitches &
Roses....
****PolyParadise****
PolyParadise's population increased by 20 campers to an
On-Playa total of 94. Out of the
74
folks from '06,
45 veteran PP Campers
returned. There continues to be a large draw to camp within our borders
from people far & wide around the globe. I am amazed to look at the stats
from our Website and see all the countries, all those Playa citizens who check
out our web presence. I thank all of the returning campers for making
PolyParadise your Playa home, I so depend on each & everyone of you in making
our camp an amazing loving space. I hope that all of our Virgin campers
have seen what Community really means, and I hope that you will all camp with us
again.
The space allocation from BMORG was not what anyone expected. Every Theme
Camp was allocated Less Space On-Playa then we had been told from the Pre-Playa
Placement materials. The actual dimensions were only 60ft deep, that
is 40ft less than what I had hoped for. Because we had less space to deal
with & a record number of campers, placement within our borders was tight in
some places. I am sorry if you were asked to bunch together, get in close
with your neighbor , but I am always thinking ahead for the campers yet to come
later in the week. I thought we did very well with the space we had.
We had little if any Camp Drama...and for that I THANK YOU ALL!!!! We all looked
out for each other, helped each other...I am echoing the same sentiments from
last year. Maybe Poly's KNOW DRAMA SO WELL that they do not need to take
it to the playa with them...
There is always the question about how far this PolyParadise concept can grow.
Can we count on sustained growth from year-to-year? Can our infrastructure
accommodate an ever increasing population? There is no doubt that I would
like to see how large our population can get, increasing our limit from
year-to-year, continuing to influence more and more Playa Citizens. At the
same time an ever increasing population is more to manage and would require more
& more infrastructure than I want to deal with.
****Playa Location****
The submitted Theme Camp Questionnaire requested us to be located at
7:38 &
'E'. We obviously did not get that Playa Address. I was very
disappointed in our Playa location. I had never wanted PolyParadise to be
included in the Adult Theme Camp area. After the Playa locations were
announced, I had some correspondence with our Placer, and voiced my
apprehensions. I realized that BRC is their party and they get to choose
and create neighborhoods that they feel will work together. Our ever changing
population mix and the inclusion of children I feel did not bode well with our
placement. I was disappointed to see that a swinger camp was right on our
back line, with in view open sexual acts. As I am now a Playa Parent, I
think we need to be aware of what our younger campers will be walking past.
Being placed across from the Pink Spot & The Deep End was nice as we had
background music, but that same background noise/music made it difficult for us
to hold effective discussional Playa Events.
For '08, we will be much more vehement on our Theme Camp Questionnaire about
wanting to again be placed at the 7:38 & 'E' area.
What were your impressions on being 9:00 & Grassland?
****Kitchen & Stuff****
The Community Kitchen continues to be a MASSIVE SUCCESS!!!
Thanks so much to
HypnoBurn & Sarah and all of their helpers throughout the week!!!
and to everyone else who helped setup and maintain the kitchen all week
long.
It is amazing how well we eat On-Playa. Each year we have such an
incredible menu of Community prepared dinners. We shared
some great meals, please take the time to
THANK EVERYONE who contributed
to Community Meal Time!!!
Keeping the Pots/Pans washed as necessary is always
an issue, as many pots as I saw needing to be washed...I saw many campers
getting their hands dirty and doing what needed to be done. MANY THANKS go
out to Master Twist for creating a double-sink structure that worked AMAZING!!!
It's collapsible design will allow it to return year-after-year. Thanks
again Twist!!!
In '07 as a community kitchen item we invested in Plastic Tableware and paper
plates as a deterrent to an ever increasing amount of items that need to be
washed that produce more Grey Water to deal with. As a whole the idea
worked well, but I do apologize that the thinner paper plates were the first
ones out, we did have an ample supply of heavier fiber paper plates, that just
never made it out of the bin they were in. Upon returning from the Playa I
did find several boxes of large garbage bags that never made it the Playa.
My apologies again.
We had plenty of snacks for everyone, and everyone all seemed satisfied with the
selections available. There has been some interest in some snack of a more
Vegan flavor, we will look to accommodate those requests as well in our '08
snack purchases.
Again having a Full stocked
First Aid Kit was invaluable. Having a
First Aid Kit in camp will continue to
be a priority.
With the addition of (2) 20'x20' shade structures to our The Community Shade, it was just incredible. The additional room gave us a larger kitchen area
& Playa Events space. We also had more room to hang out as a camp when the events
were taking place. We invested heavily in cammo nets to enclose the structure.
The cammo worked great and are more durable than the fabric or White Tyvek used
in the past. We also purchased 5 metal racks for the kitchen. They were just
amazing setup in the middle of the kitchen allowing access from both sides. This
was a great infrastructure purchase.
The amount of trash that we as a Community generate throughout the week
continues to be an issue. I thank everyone that helped separate plastics,
bottles and burnables all week long. Thanks to everyone that took a bag of
garbage Off-Playa. It appeared that a substantial portion were plastic water
jugs/bottles. As we require each vehicle to bring donated community water, we
thus must deal with the mass of plastic it leaves behind.
We will be looking into some community water alternatives
to try and alleviate the waste the current option creates. It is unclear at this
point if these ideas are doable and or feasible, but hope to have some
additional information before years end.
****Community Meals****
Each year I say,
I could not imagine that we could top previous year's meal plan, but we did.
This was by far the
BEST year for PolyParadise's Community Meals!!!
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to the planning, cooking, serving
& cleanup of each and every meal. Thanks to all who contributed to the
AZBurner Pot Luck.
Thanks as well to
EVERYONE who brought out, cooked & served a side dish
or 2. The meals were very well balanced with all kinds of choices for all
kinds of palates. For when we share a meal and break bread together we
grow from just being friends to being
FAMILY!
***Community Space****
The total size of the Community Space/Kitchen was increased by 20'x40' over
the previous year with the total size being 60'x20' with two 20'x20's on the
road side of each end, creating a horseshoe.
The location of the Community Space with our camp area deviated from our camp
plan due to the On-Playa dimensions, the reality dimensions, of our camp space.
The additional 20'x20's made the structure much more spacious and gave the
kitchen plenty of area to expand. We had a grand entranceway provided by
3 Glow
Stick Arches and the
Weather Rock by BrotherLuv. The space was sufficiently
lighted at night.
The curtain worked well in providing a barrier to the
events & the rest of the Community Space, but does not provide a barrier to
wayward sounds invading the discussion. In seeing the number of people and the
flow of those people that attend our Playa Events each day and the fact that we
have a large contingent of campers that hang out in the Community Space, I had
been thinking about the possibility of creating a separate area an for the Playa
Events, away from the ebb & flow of our camp Community Space. It is not
practical to believe we can shut out all extraneous sounds even with a separate
structure away from the Community Area.
****Human Carcass Wash****
The
HCW is & has been synonymous with PolyParadise, we continue
to attract large groups of people each & everyday. Thanks to EVERYONE who helped
out in erecting the HCW structure, ran the event each day, helped with cleanup
and the eventual takedown of the structure.
Pre-Playa there was some discussion about the HCW on the EPlaya discussion
Board. Most of the comments were very positive about the experiences of the
folks who participated, but there were several comments that dealt with
Boundaries being crossed, which appear to be the biggest complaint about the
event.
I do appreciate each & everyone of our campers who assists in the running of the
HCW. I do realize that it is difficult to over see more than 200 folks on any
given day as the HCW is running full tilt, but it is important for us to make
sure that the core rules of this event are adhered to, that being the sanctity
of stated boundaries.
We do need a better way to cordon-off the HCW area when it is not in use as to
deflect passerby's from using it as a shower area. Stagger has volunteered to
get some Velvet Rope (Like at the Movies) to put across the structure to kind of
give it that look at feel as if the area is
CLOSED!
The total size of the HCW structure to 20'x40'. In speaking post-playa with
_Greg he has asked that the structure be made 40'x40' in order to accommodate
the total number of folks each day, creating the room to open a Third Line of
washing. This would require the purchasing of (2) additional 20'x20's
****Poly High Tea****
Poly High Tea, it does not matter weather you are Poly or monogamous, the
discussion is all about relationships and human interaction. All types of
relationship styles can benefit from being part of the discussion. I give
multiple thanks to all who facilitated and attended Tea each day. Any and all
people involved with this event should be very proud. It was awesome to see some
new people taking the lead facilitator role. I hope that some of our own campers
got involved in the discussions.
Our Playa Placement was not the best for facilitating discussion type events as
we always had a moderate level of noise being generated by the Loud Sound Camps
positioned around us. I hope that it was not to difficult to be heard over the
ever present music.
****Perfect Place for Poly Play****
Major Kudos to Tailfeather for securing a 30ft Dome for us to use as a Poly
Playa Space. Thanks to PainterDave for assisting in erecting the dome and to
Keith & others in dismantling the dome.
What a major improvement in a space for all of us to Playa In!!! Thank you all
that helped in decorating the inside or assisted Tailfeather in getting the
Observatory Platform up. What an incredible view from up there.
There was some discussion Post-Playa about using a Costco
Type Carport for the Play Space. These structures are 10'x20' and would be
considerably smaller in size than the current dome option.
Please see Tailfeather's
Perfect Place For Poly
Play - Review 2007.
I am glad to hear that there will be several events that
will use the Dome & its increased space and privacy away from the main Community
Shade. Please keep in mind that if the Dome is being used for other events, the
Main Community Shade area does not become an open sexual space. There were
several instances this year where campers needed to be reminded that the
Community Space is that 'A Community Space' and not a personal sexual
exploration space.
Again, I thank Tailfeather and everyone involved in this project for all their
efforts in making a Playful Space for Poly Play.
***Greater Intimacy Thru Hypnosis & Past Life Regression***
HypnoBurn...I am always impressed with the amount of energy you have On-Playa.
Running several events & taking on organizing the Kitchen. Thank you for all you
do!!!
This was the second-year of the Greater Intimacy thru Hypnosis event. It was
even more popular this year than last. Each day when I looked around the curtain
there was a large crowd hanging on your every word!
Congratulations HypnoBurn for coming up with a Playa Event WINNER!!! You
appeared to have quite a few Private Sessions, people who came specifically to
seek you out.
This year saw the creation of a Past Life Regression Event. I hope that it went
even better than you could have imagined.
As the diversity of PolyParadise changes over the years
with different campers and different interests, I have heard rumblings about
additional events to be hosted & facilitated by PolyParadise. Look for New &
Amazing Events in 2008!!!
***Mind Melt****
BrotherLuv...You introduced me to the
Mind-Gear
device on the Playa in '05.
This was the second year we hosted the Mind Melt event. We had about 10 people
per night playing with the light glasses and all seemed to enjoy their time.
BrotherLuv...With all of your responsibilities with the DMV you were MIA during
the event times, I missed hanging out with you and watching people zone out to
the light glasses.
With the added area in the Community Space we had plenty of room for this event.
The limitation is not with the space available it is the limit to the length of
cords (Headphones & Glasses)
****Poly Shower****
Providing a Shower Facility for a camp of 94 people has continually been a
challenge over the years. There are many reasons to centralize the shower, the
biggest being the collection of Gray Water & the sheer total volume of water
generated by all of the showers taken on a daily basis.
The systems we have put into place always sound good and work well when they are
tested in our driveway or garage, but falter when exposed to Playa conditions
and a larger volume of use than recommended.
Thanks to Tailfeather for creating the shower plan, pumps, water heater and of
course the Gray Water Reclamation area. Thanks to everyone who helped or
assisted throughout the week. Your efforts are so greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks to Master Twist for creating a Shower Base that served us well. This
structure was not transported Off-Playa, so another base for 2008 will need to
be constructed. Thanks to Mark for fixing & refixing the main shower pump when
it went on the fritz.
During the first 4 days On-Playa the shower appeared to
work fine with only intermittent issues. As the week wore on, the systems we had
in place did not withstand the strain and we had failure points. We have not had
much success long-term in using pumps or water heaters in our Community Shower
of the past few years. For 2008 we will be creating a new shower structure &
returning to the use of the Solar Shower Bag. You add the water, it is placed in
the sun and the water gets Hot. The bag will be hoisted in position with a
Pulley-System. We will purchase several of the Shower Bags so that there will be
spares for replacing broken ones during the week.
There are several alternatives being looked at for the Shower & Gray Water
Reclamation. Many of them are awesome ideas but are financially or logistically
impractical. What I can promise is that when you arrive On-Playa in 2008, we
will have a Grey Water System and a Shower, what I cannot promise is that
whatever systems we do have in place will be infallible, wear & tear on any
system will render them broke! On-Playa there is no Wally World to run to, we
have to make due with what we have.
Please also see the
Water Reclamation Year Review submitted by Tailfeather.
****Gray Water Reclamation - The Evapotron 2.0****
Thank you Tailfeather for again taking on the Gray Water Reclamation & Shower
Projects. These are certainly not the most glamorous jobs within camp, but they
can be some of the most rewarding. We all depend so heavily on these systems to
be working & functional, especially when we are about to use them. Getting to
the shower and finding it not working can be frustrating. Being the person who
must devise a quick fix can be just as frustrating. I appreciate your Pre-Playa
Prep & forethought that went into the Gray Water Reclamation & Showers.
Please
peruse the Water Reclamation Year Review
submitted by Tailfeather. HATS OFF
TO TAILFEATHER!!!...
As as our camp population has increased over the past 2
years the methodology in which we employ to deal with Gray Water has had to
change. Tailfeather I appreciated your comments in your review, and can see that
a place we failed in was Signage & Direction at the filters or intake areas to
properly inform our campers.
Taking into account water being poured where it should not
have, the system appeared to work great, but with some flaws. With the Evap
Panels on the roof of the HCW, set on a downward angle, the flow of the water
being pumped thru the tubing was to fast. The maximum amount of water on the
Evap Panels had been reached and the water dripped off the HCW Structure and
created a Large Pool of water & Mud each day, kind of right in front of the
shower.
Over the next several months we will be looking into alternatives in dealing
with Gray Water Reclamation for 2008.
****Generator Power****
The generator purchased in 2006 continued to be a workhorse. It was very awesome
to have continuous reliable power throughout the week. The generator will get
regular maintenance and be ready for the Playa 2008.
****AZBurners Pot Luck****
The AZBurner Pot Luck Party on Wednesday was a
SMASHING SUCCESS!!!
We had 200+ people hanging out, eating, drinking and having a
GREAT
TIME for well over 2 hours. I thank all of you that contributed some
Food-Stuff to the Pot Luck and helped clean up afterwards. I hope you all
had an AMAZING time hanging out with all of our
Arizona Friends.
****Early Arrival & Exodus****
Early Arrival
- By the time Tailfeather & PainterDave
arrived On-Playa on
Saturday the dust & wind were relentless, we spent the 12-hours of daylight
being blasted by non-stop dust. By sundown we had all of the shade structures
and stake points all laid out, ready for the Early Arrivals on Sunday to erect
camp.
Additional arrivals BrotherLuv, Staggger, HypnoBurn, Foxygoddess, Sarah
& Master Twist. You guys ROCK!!! By sundown we had all of the shade
structures in place.
For '08 we will request to have a few more early arrival slots. There is no
guarantee that will be given the requested number of spots. I have already
fielded several requests to be on Early Arrival, which would mean we have enough
people at this time. The initial requests for this list are made in late June. I
will be contacted those on the list as that date gets closer.
As Camp Daddy and the Bringer of the STUFF, I already know that
MONDAY
will be a
12-hour BLITZKRIEG of work. It is not my desire to start to
dismantle part of the camp on Sunday, to make the work on
Monday
any lighter. What I would like is for folks who Camp with us be prepared to
postpone their departure until later Monday Afternoon and be available to help
in the MASSIVE effort it takes to
PACK IT ALL OUT!!!
Thanks to Trouble, FoxyGoddess, Stagger, HypnoBurn, Keith, Lenel, Richard,
Jim & Maren, Scix for staying on
Monday and helping with teardown. It
is a blitzkrieg of a day no matter what, but with your help we got it all packed
away in record time. THANK YOU ALL!!! Both
WildChild &
I appreciate your efforts.
General LNT efforts for PolyParadise as a whole were amazing.
I noticed a much better attention to LNT DETAIL this year.
As in previous years we need to do
better at encouraging everyone to be better planned for that last minute Gray
Water and plan on taking it home with you, or scraping the top layer of Playa
and taking that home in the same 5-Gallon bucket.
Many KUDOS go to Russell who was our last camper to leave the
Playa and made sure that the last remaining bags of garbage were taken care of.
Russell your efforts are greatly appreciated. Our combined efforts allowed us to
be shown on the 2007 MOOP Map as GREEN!! An improvement over 2006 when we were
listed in the YELLOW! Thank you again for a Community effort to leave our Playa
Space as we found it.
***Scotto Speak****
2007 was my 6th year as Camp Daddy, It just keeps getting better & better. I
cannot imagine my life without Burning Man or PolyParadise. I thank you all for
being part of it all with me..
I hope that each one of you had the MOST AWESOME TIME EVER!!! I hope that your
experience with PolyParadise was so AMAZING that you will consider camping with
us again....
Many , Many thanks go to my partner & Fiancé WildChild. She puts in tireless
hours during the year and On-Playa she is Wonder Women, always there with a
smile for each new person that arrives.
Again, it has been my pleasure and honor to be your Camp Daddy. Each year brings
a different set of challenges, a different set of lessons to be had & learned or
stumbled upon, you just never know what the Playa will bring....
We will learn from our mistakes, we will again come alive with PolyParadise,
Version 10, it will be better than ever!!!
295 days left till Burning Man!! - August 25 - September 1, 2008
Scotto
Camp Daddy