Camper Bios - 2012

DianeDiane

No BM camp name yet. Maybe it’s Puff-magic. 63.
Home is the Washington DC area; specifically, it’s where my compost pile is--Cheverly, MD.

I was a “lurker” for years after I helped sew costumes and banners for my daughter Anima (Duchess) and her tribe in 2007. This past fall I knew my year had come. When the lottery didn’t give many of the old-timer burners their tickets, I was “the person who broke Burning Man.” The guilt didn’t last long, though; I gave myself permission to pour my creative juices into creating Puff (the Magic Dragon), the 2-lady costume that my partner-in-Puff, Mary, and I conjured up. I’ve also committed to cooking up Venezuelan arepas, which I like to stuff with jalapeņo-laced Colby cheese.

Why BM? To experience the community; to see how a voluntary city of 65K people really can self-govern; and to create some internal space within which to begin to choose what I want to do when I grow up, after my current work ends. Finally, just to know myself as someone who can meet the challenges!

Why do I say PolyParadise is the right match? I wanted to find a group that I could cook with. Online, I saw two things I loved: an organized kitchen ♫, and a very welcoming person ♥ who responded to my email – Crispy Dave. But when I read “poly amory,” I knew this wasn’t for me! …but I kept reading, talked with Dave, and saw that the values of authentic, “coming from nothing” connection with other humans are, in fact, my values. A conversation with Scotto left me even more confident that I—firmly in a 41-year-old monogamous marriage—will create community with you. Fortunately, Mary (this is her second Burn) is a great sport and trusts my choice!

Who am I? “I am the possibility of joyful service!” Saying it that way will sound familiar to those of you who are graduates of the Landmark Forum.

I’ve loved reviving my artistic side by creating Puff—and I thank you for that already! For a long time, I’ve exercised my creativity in non-artistic ways: creating a human rights organization; pioneering Congressional oversight of intelligence agencies; supporting grassroots development efforts in Latin America; “herding cats” to enable two Federal agencies to work better; building and sustaining a team of Spanish interpreters to make Landmark Education courses available to immigrants in the DC area; and raising a husband and a couple kids. Now I look forward to drawing some burner portraits, and Puff is excited about getting on the playa!