What Worked 2007 - PolyParadise Burning Man

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...

****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.

****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.

****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 & Fianc - - - - f - - - - - 'ƒƒ© 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
- Benevolent Dictator Village of PolyParadise
- Burning Man Lifer/Geek/Zealot

****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)

PolyParadise What Worked - 2007