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 ...