In the Minds eye...
Things That Swing ~ Photos
Posted by: Crixlplyx
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From early September through late October of last year I indulged in a spate of travel. I spent some time in San Francisco California visiting friends, Seattle Washington visiting family and in Black Rock city Nevada for Burning Man 2009 before fleeing the country for Vietnam and Indonesia. Myself and seven friends got together and built a theme camp at Burning Man called Things That Swing (there are several posts here on RM regarding TTS). I took a slew of pictures in the desert but on the last day of the event I lost my camera (a loooong story which is still unfolding and one which I shall elaborate on another time). Friends have been asking me lately for pictures of my adventures. I have only a few pictures of my own from Burning Man (long story again) but have culled as many shots as I could find from among pictures taken by my friends of of us and of our camp. For those of you who have asked, here are (Finally) some pictures of me and my fellow swingers at Burning Man.
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Posted by: Cxhristopher
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I came home last night from the first wave of my travels. I went to Burning Man & then to Seattle to visit my family. Overall it was a rather fine trip indeed. Its surreal to be back in NY. It feels quiet and empty here compared to all of the activity I've enjoyed during my travels. I'm currently adjusting my head to view these next two weeks until I leave for Vietnam as my "Vacation continued in NY". I'm trying not to slip back into the mindset I was in before I left NY and am using my recent change of perspective to get a better view of what my life here is and what I want my life here to be. Though the change of scenery and perspective did me wonders, it was not enough. I'm looking forward to going away again. I'm still in decompression mode from the trip and am at a loss for the moment for a specific tale to tell. There was so much experienced in so brief a time that it is all still in the process of coming back to me.
The playa swallowed my camera this year and I have no pictures to share. Its possible that it could yet turn up when I unpack but the chances are looking thin. The picture above was sent to me by David Morton, the Photo Sheik. I was at Burning Man and standing on the esplanade on the afternoon of the burn. The sheik approached me and asked if he could take my picture. I said yes. The sheik asked for my email address and said that he would send me the shot. To my surprise, he did! So far, this is my only picture from Burning Man. I feel fine about that though. I have come to feel that there is a poetry in coming home without any trace of my experience other than my memories and a minor tan. Coming home without my camera is a good lesson in the practice of non attachment. Not so much for the loss of the camera itself but for the loss of it's pictures.
7 Days to Black Rock
Posted by: Cxhristopher
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The first few phases of the plan are now complete! The week before last my campmates and I had a marathon planning meeting for "Things That Swing" camp. Wednesday of last week was our much anticipated (if not entirely prepared for) group shipping deadline. To get my S**T together and packed for the deadline was a push and a half to say the least. As crazy as I was on the night before the ship (I totally TRASHED my apartment looking for bits and pieces of the costumes and gear I needed to pack), afterwards, in the wake of the fatigue and the frazzle, came the first solid wave of satisfaction, relief and pure excitement at the realization that the journey has officially begun. Having shipped the first wave of my gear successfully out the door, I have now been hard pressed to focus on anything other than the rest of my prep for the trip. Seldom in my adult life do I experience the feeling akin to the excitement I felt as a child in the days leading up to the surprises on Christmas morning. That's exactly how these final days before my departure have begun to feel. I know generally what to expect from Burning Man, the basic atmosphere of the event and the friends I will see and share my time with. Beyond the basic framework though, what I will experience there is a complete unknown that could be filled with just about anything. I am so excited and distracted that I am finding it difficult to focus on anything other than the event. This coming Wednesday will be our final camp meeting before we all begin flying out to San Francisco. The next time we see one-another in the flesh we will be on the opposite side of the country and completing the final leg or our journey. We've still got a lot of work ahead of us but by this time next week all of our plans will have reached fruition. Come next monday, come Hell or high water, I will be standing on the Playa with my friends and ...
