What Worked 2005 - PolyParadise Burning Man

Thursday September 22, 2005

Well Burning Man, BRC, The Playa, Shangri-La Village & PolyParadise 2005 were A MAJOR SUCCESS!!!!

It is not just the journey On-Playa that defines our success but also the year long journey that leads up to the Playa. All of the pitfalls, triumphs and misadventures that happen along the way.

All the months of Planning, all of the Flowcharts, Diagrams, Maps, Layouts, Questionnaires, Village Meetings & Playa Prep kinda go out the window once you leave your house and head to the Playa for another year...

Just as BMORG does it's AfterBurn Report, so does PolyParadise, well so do I. A time when I can look back on "What Went Write & What Went Wrong" in PolyParadise & Shangri-La Village, to gain some perspective, and see what can be done to make things better for next year.

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....

This was our 3rd year being part of Shangri-La Village. Being part of this group of peeps has been an amazing experience, I hope that as a PolyParadise Residents you had the opportunity to visit the other great camps within SLV.

My THANKS to the other 4 Mayors (SmokeBlower, Viagra, Jones & Fraggle) with

SPECIAL THANKS to Carl. The success of this years SLV was accomplished with each of the 5 Mayors taking on some of the Pre-Playa logistical arrangements as well as On-Playa responsibilities. I cannot thank each of them enough for all the work & dedication they showed in months of Prep work and long hours on Playa.

In past years post assessment's, I had continued to ask the PP populace if we should continue to be part of SLV. In previous years the participation in those discussions were less than ideal. There is NO discussion necessary post Playa '05 as the commitment of PolyParadise shall remain a part of Shangri-La Village as long as the Village is a viable entity on the Playa each year. The combination of talents and just plain FUN of being part of Shangri-La Village is now part of PolyParadise and PolyParadise is part of Shangri-La Village.

Of course, I also serve as a Village Mayor and On-Playa Contact for BMORG & SLV, and if you were at the On-Playa Village Meeting on Thursday in the Purple Turtle Lounge you witnessed my own COMING OUT as Bi!!!! That is Bi-Regional....Arizona & San Diego/Orange County. I have so enjoyed making so many cross-regional friendships and have enjoyed being part of many Regional Events in both locals.

The number of PolyParadise Campers jumped from 50 in '04 to 73 in '05 at final count....That is quite a LARGE increase in our population. In fact out of the 73 folks who camped with us this year, only 15 were return campers. That is INCREDIBLE!!!! I had fought hard for us within the Village to have a space allocation consistent with our growing population and from that end it could not have worked out better. Our 200x225 space gave us all plenty of room to spread out and also gave us the ability to have pathways & roads within camp to make access easier. It also gave me the ability to give people multiple options for camping locations and gave those that needed early exit the ability to do so. In the future we will again ask for the same space allocation within the Village.

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...

I wanted to thank EACH & EVERY PERSON who helped in securing ALL PP Structures from the brutal effects of the wind. It is when we all come together as a Community that we SHINE as Individuals & learn as a Group!!!

I hope that you all enjoyed the Ice Breaker Game that was set in motion for you via the dual-sided PolyParadise Resident Tags. I hope that this provided you a way to interact and get to know many of your fellow camp mates. I was present for 5 of 7 Community Meals and made a concerted effort to make sure that the necessary Camp Business was communicated and have a setting for us all to share Bitches & Roses on a daily basis while On-Playa.

Look for a similar type of Ice Breaker next year!!!

As part of Shangri-La Village our Playa location is somewhat dictated by forces outside of our control. As BMORG changed the Theme Camp locations throughout BRC for 2005, thus Shangri-La Village & PolyParadise changed locations. We had been asked early on to occupy the 4-Corner Area on not yet named streets on the 7:30 arm. SLV's projected size also dictated is eventual Playa address.

Personally I enjoyed our location within BRC. It allowed me to see much of the 8:00-10:00 area of which I had not explored in previous years. Though being @ 7:30 and the 8th street made it a LONG walk to Center Camp for Coffee & Ice...

I enjoyed our Playa neighbors, we could not have asked for better ones. Having Comfort & Joy across from us and their amazing Neon & Mylar interactive exhibits was amazing as well as a beacon for returning home.

I have not heard anything from BMORG as to weather they felt the 2005 BRC Layout changes accomplished their intended results or if the same layout will be present in 2006. I had heard some rumblings from other Village Camps about our location near the 'Back' of BRC, but when you look at the Camps within the Village and their Playa Citizenry interactivity, there is NOT much we offer in the way of entertainment and especially Nighttime enjoyment. I think that as long as our Village remains 'Small Time' in its interactive activities we will be asked and placed within the 'Back' areas of this Layout.

In a way it was nice to have a Porta Potty bank close to us and of course that also made it a bit difficult or even downright smelly when the wind shifted just right. I think we ended out with that bank of Potties @ 7:30/Gestalt because we had the DPW Ghetto behind us, and well you know those DPW folks...LOL

It was an honor and pleasure to be on the 7:30 arm and have the two Lamp posts lit each night by the graceful procession of the Lamplighters.

I thought we had GREAT neighbors as far as keeping the noise level down to a dull roar during the peak times of Poly High Tea.

What were your impressions on being 7:30/Ego-Fetish -

There was some Pre-Playa inquiries and some Post-Playa chatter about the Gender Ratio in PolyParadise (Males to Females). PolyParadise has over the years been a Camp of more Men then Women. Maybe us men should take note of the comments, maybe they are some of the reasons women do not feel comfortable camping or visiting us.

In general there is nothing that can be done about this tilted Ratio towards Males, as we will not start to limit those that can camp with us based on Gender, but again as Males we can heed the warning signs in front of us.

Comments from women in our own Camp: I felt as though each male in Camp tried his very best to 'Win' me as a prize.

Comments from women who visited our camp or whom accompanied someone into camp: From the moment I entered PolyParadise I felt like a piece of meat and felt sized up and pounced upon.

To me, these comments seem more like things you would find in a SWINGERS CAMP and NOT in POLYPARADISE! I am APPALLED & ASHAMED and apologize to any and all female Campers or Visitors that felt they were being sexually evaluated. In the future PREDATORY behavior should be reported to ME and appropriate action will be taken.

As it has been, as it was the Community Kitchen was a MASSIVE SUCCESS!!! Thanks so much to WildChild, DClynn and everyone else who helped setup and maintain the kitchen all week long.

This was surely the BEST year for the Community Menu!!! We shared some great meals, please take the time to THANK EVERYONE who contributed to Community Meal Time!!!

Keeping the Pots/Pans/Dishes washed as necessary is always an issue, there were MANY times I would see piles & piles of dishes, pots & pans waiting to be washed. I know this is not the most glamorous job in camp, but it always NEEDS to be done. I personally spent less time this year doing dishes as many of you stepped up and washed what was dirty. We had a larger Dish Drying Rack available and with 70+ campers this came in handy.

We had plenty of snacks for everyone, and everyone all seemed satisfied with the selections available. Look for the same fair next year...

Camp Scotto/WildChild never materialized as our tents laid waste to Mondays powerful winds. It became necessary to store our PERSONAL COOLERS in the BACK OF THE KITCHEN AREA. I was continually AMAZED that people would peruse, use & abuse the contents of what was CLEARY SOMEONE'S PERSONAL COOLER AND NOT COMMUNITY PROPERTY!

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.

Special recognition to the Main Meal Hosts Each Day

Mondays Cobb Salad by DcLynn & Costello was a great start to the week...

Tuesday's Surf & Turf by Stagger & HypnoBurn was to die for, you clearly won over all of our palates. WildChild & I enjoyed eating with you both after the rush had died down.

Wednesday's AZBurner Pot Luck was an amazing array of food and drink...Thanks to all who hung out and partied.

Thursday's Feast by Haven House was AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!! Thank you all for sharing with us.

Friday's, Beef & Chicken Stir fry by WildChild & myself was very awesome if I do say so myself. I hope you all enjoyed it too...

Saturday's smorgasbord of food before we all departed for the Burn was grandiose. Thanks for bringing your leftovers out!!!

Sunday's Breakfast was a smashing success, I think next year calls for more Bacon and Hash browns, but someone needs to bring eggs.

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!

Logistically we will need to re-arrange the Community Kitchen space (Lay all tables end to end) so as not to create a bottle neck in the distribution of food for so many people.

The HCW is a BRC STAPLE, in fact it is the reason that many of you decided to camp with us. You either heard of or participated in the HCW in previous years and could see how awesome this event is to be in and help run. I hope all of you that helped with the daily running of the event found it fun and enjoyable, and of course that you were not worked so hard that your participation & help for next year is in jeopardy.

I would estimate that there were ~200+ people per day that enjoyed the HCW. MY HATS OFF to all of you that ran the event each day!!!! AMAZING JOB!!!!! This year the HCW was housed in a 20'x30' Shade Structure that appeared to work quite well in containing the area of the HCW and keep the attendees out of the sun. Thank you for all the attention to Setup & Cleanup Pre & Post event.

I think one area we can do better on next year is to have the HCW event Structure set back ~20ft from the road way. This would allow the multitudes of bicycles and bodies to flow easier and allow the road to remain open for Art Car Traffic. I think this setback will also minimize the Passerby Look and of course the Picture Takers.

The NO CAMERA ZONE signs seemed to work some, though having them @ ground level seemed to negate their impact.

In the future The NO CAMERA ZONE Signs need to be suspended from the Shade Structure for better visibility.

As certain incidents & altercations occurred this year with our ENFORCEMENT of the NO CAMERA ZONE area, we need to take a NEW LOOK at this issue.

In the Future if someone is determined to take a picture of the Human Carcass Wash even at the behest of our signs and our LOUD WARNINGS we will NOT FORCE THE ISSUE WITH ANYTHING MORE THAN A VERBAL REPRIMAND, AT NO TIME SHOULD PHYSICAL FORCE OR THREAT THEREOF BE USED TO MAINTAIN THE NO CAMERA ZONE AREA.

It is awesome as Lifestyle adventure's that we can share our trails & tribulations on the Road of Poly an the Road of Open Relationships with Poly High Tea. This year the PHT attracted ~40 people per day from ALL walks of life, of ALL AGES. 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.

Other than the sound of a passerby Art Cars, we had AWESOME neighbors for keeping the sound at tolerable levels..

There has been some conversation about possibly changing the time of PHT. The hustle & bustle of creating a Community Dinner has its overflow into the dynamics of the group discussion. In addition as the end of PHT coincides with the Dinner Bell we had MANY MANY folks from the Group Discussion getting right in line for food. Now I am not against feeding and or helping Playa travelers out while they are in our Camp, but I want to make sure that our own Campers get served first.

Should Poly High Tea be a 2-Hour event - Instead of 1.5 hours - The discussions always seem to run long anyway -

As a 2-Hour Event, would 1p-3p be an acceptable time - Would this time change create problems for our own Facilitators - Would a change in time for PHT cause confusion of Playa Citizenry as it has been 4:30-6:00 for the past 6 years -

What can be said...The PPPP was supposed to be this AWESOME space decorated with Lace, lit by Glowsticks...It was to fabulous, a place to PLAY!!! That just did not work out. The 10'x20' Tent this was supposed to be got laid to WASTE on Monday's WIND FURY!!! I felt VERY VERY BAD that I was unable to deliver a place for all of you folks to PLAY! Heck I was even hoping to get to use the space myself....

I thank FoxyGoddess and others who helped resurrect the tent later in the week. I did expect the Tent to have way more structural integrity than it did, but as I later found out it was 'Made in America'...LOL Seriously, I have been more and more disappointed with the quality of all products and services I purchase regardless of its assembly geography...Ya know what I mean...

We will obviously need to come up with some alternatives for a NEW PPPP space. Maybe it is time to look at Domes, if anyone has any leads, please speak up. So if PolyParadise is going to have a sexually permissive & pervasive space out of the wind, protected from the dust we will need to come up with some other ideas, structures or what have you to facilitate that end for '06.

The 50'x20' Community space worked well for our needs, though it did sustain some damage from the Winds of Monday.

There were (13) 10' emt conduit pieces that were bent and will need to be replaced. If finances permit it would work to our advantage to extend the Community area to 20'x60' which would give us more room for PHT as well as room for PP Campers to eat and sit and chat. We added 20 more folks this year but did not increase the Common Space area.

To say the PolyParadise Shower was a success would be partially true. It would be my estimate that ~200 showers were taken during the week. The structure itself was a resounding success, and a great improvement from previous years. I had thought the semi-enclosed space out of the wind and dust for the most part worked well, the Non-Skid standing area was a vast improvement from last year, the Rug and Chairs in front of the shower added a unique ambience and of course the Heated Battery operated Shower...

I repeat The Heated Battery operated Shower...

I do not think this model of Propane Powered Shower was designed with Burning Man in mind and 200 showers in 7 days. The plastic tubing was not adequate for the temperature of the water. The tubing was burned by an errant flame when igniting the propane. The piece that worked the best was the water pump that only needed the Batteries changed once during the week. In fact it worked so well that there was no cause to be water efficient and use smaller amounts of water. The Shower produced in excess of 400 Gallons (My estimate) of water to be treated by our water reclamation project. The Evap area became more of a Water Collection area, as its depths reached a few inches and evap was compromised.

In talks with Water Log, he was in favor of keeping the same shower design, albeit with better equipment, in spite of the amount of grey water produced.

I have not as yet done any post Playa equipment assessment, so I do not know in what shape the showers are in or if they can be salvaged. I will also we looking for a Higher Capacity alternative.

The switch to Pond Lining to frame the bottom of the Water Collection area worked AMAZING, well worth the the added cost. It was so good that when it was drained there was a drowned mouse...

The standup garbage receptacles continued to help in managing our garbage situation and again my thanks go out to Kingsley for being our 'Czar de Garbage'.

Though I do think we might be better off with 3 Full Size Garbage Cans as the current trash receptacle is lower in height then is required for the trash bags as well as the amount of garbage generated.

I appreciated everyone's willingness to take some Community Trash home with them. This small act is so very valuable as you may have seen there were in excess of 35+ bags of garbage plus all the white buckets....Having to haul it all out myself is just not preferable...again Thank YOU very much...

Having a Full stocked First Aid Kit was invaluable as several of us including myself had minor cuts and scrapes that required medical attention. Having a First Aid Kit in camp will continue to be a priority.

We did VERY well on water this year...With all the donations from our campers and Playa Citizenry, We left the Playa with (4) 5-Gallon containers of water. I brought 120 Gallons of water and left with ~40 gallons.

HATS OFF TO WATER LOG...What was the final number of Gallons processed -

Steve your efforts to allow this water to be given to the Playa deserve much applause, look forward to seeing what you come up with for next year. Thanks as well to Steve for the awesome song about Water Ecology at the Village Meeting on Thursday..."Conservation, Preservation...Guard Mother Earth...The only way this will work is to spread the word"...A very catchy tune with an awesome message...Look forward to seeing the Video...

I need YOUR Water!!!

General LNT efforts for PolyParadise and the Village as a whole were amazing. I noticed a much better attention to LNT DETAIL this year form the Camps of SLV. 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.

Water Log & Foxygoddess were the last citizens of SLV as WildChild& I left @ 7p on Monday and as I was to understand was going to do exactly that, scrape up some Playa, before he left the following day. Steve...How much Playa did you end out taking home -

PolyParadise What Worked - 2005