PolyParadise - 2003 - What Worked
Saturday September 13,
2003
Hello PolyCampers - I so enjoyed coming into Camp
and saying 'Hello PolyCampers' and for any and all
of you that were in the Community Area to return
that greeting. I also enjoyed referring to Steve as
Buffalo Bob during the week, though I digress...
Thought it would be good to have a discussion or at
least for me to say what I thought went Right & what
Did Not this year in PolyParadise and start to think
about what we gained or even learned about being
part of a Village and if that is something we want
to do or be part of in '04.
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....
Back in March we made the decision to be part of the
then forming Shangri-La Village. What lessons have
we learned after being part of a Village and SLV in
particular.
Side Bar...Let me say this now so there is NO
MISTAKE...I wish NOT to be a Village Mayor and have
NO desire to serve in that capacity now or in the
future. I shall remain your Camp Daddy so long as
you will have me. My other BM endeavors are in my On
& Off Playa Volunteer efforts with Greeters & the
Extranet...
No back to our regular scheduled discussion...
*Village or Not Village - Return to whence we came*
Being part of SLV in my opinion did allow us to
share our Water Ecology. .A La...Steve 'Water Log'
Iddings...and the Water Reclamation area. Though
with all of that came the necessity to deal with
Village Gray Water Issues, things that were not
within the borders of PP. I had volunteered to be
LNT Czar of the Village, even without that role, I
know I would have felt compelled to deal with a
sewage leaking RV and the Evap ponds from the 3
shower areas. Since it is not enough to do Gray
Water Reclamation in one camp within the Village and
have Playa stains in other areas of the Village.
That is part of our responsibility as PP to the
Playa and to those that have recognized our efforts
the past 2 years, the Earth Guardians. I spent a
total of about 10 hours dealing with Village LNT
issues. I did that out of the Love of my heart for
what is right and what should be done right, but
would have rather spent that time doing other Playa
related endeavors.
PP did not have that much interaction with SLV as a
whole. Most of the SLV Campers stayed in their
various camps staying within their own groups. Of
course most if not all of the SLV campers are from a
very tight group out of San Diego and stayed kinda
that way on the Playa. Maybe part of the problem was
that we did NOT have any real cross events planned
between camps or maybe it was the layout of the
Village, I am not sure but I certainly felt a
distance from the rest of the SLV camps. I would
have as well liked the Village Party on Thursday to
have been more than just a drinking endeavor...a
shared meal leads to shared thoughts and we Poly's
know where shared thoughts & processing leads...More
Processing...always a good thing...LOL
By being part of SLV we were able to secure a
location VERY close to the Esplanade. I found the
location to be most awesome and even though our PP
sign was made into Road Trash in the Trailer mishap,
people seemed to have NO problems finding us for any
and all of our events. In '01 we had a space at
~7:30 and the first road (Where ElfenLand was), I
believe we could secure a spot like that again, all
we would need to do is ask.
Did the noise or traffic of being on the first ring
road bother anyone? I found it amazing at the
difference a few streets made when venturing towards
Vision. It was so quiet and so sterile in many ways,
did not feel like the same event. I vote to again
venture to be that close to the Esplanade.
Marc 'The Viagra' Bruce, the Mayor of SLV paid a
heavy price physically, emotionally and with his
family in taking on the responsibilities of Mayor.
At this point Marc has made it VERY clear that he
will NOT be taking that position again. The future
of SLV in its present form or under some other guise
is in doubt. There are others within that group that
are vying for that leadership position, but nothing
definitive as yet.
I spent quite a bit of time with Marc and in our
discussions we spoke of a continued affiliation of
his camp and Art - Tribal Penis Gourds next to PP.
In the end did we gain the support for events like
HCW to justify continued involvement in what is and
will be SLV in '04?
There has been also talk of joining one of the other
Poly Villages. I visited Infinite Oasis but did not
see any of the TOL folks I knew from previous years
when I was there. What was other people's reaction
to IO and the way they had their Village set up in a
Circle.
Or are we better off returning as our own selves
next year?
****Being on the other side of BRC****
I very much enjoyed being @ 4:30. Though I would NOT
want to be any farther out on the circle.
What were your impressions on being on the other
side. Do we stay to the right or return to ~7-7:30?
****Kitchen & Stuff****
As in the past the Kitchen was a massive success. We
had some awesome Community Meals and always had
enough to feed us as well as some recruited Playa
brethren. Keeping the Pots/Pans/Dishes washed as
necessary is always an issue. We most certainly
could use additional 'Drying' space.
****HCW****
As this event continues to get bigger & bigger each
year we have the need to be thinking about having
this event under some kind of shade structure. We
are getting 150 people all naked 'BAKING' in the
sun. We need to be aware of this and should provide
some shade for them as the participate in the event.
As well our own folks who run the event are out
there in the sun...
Kathe and I saw a very awesome open & airy structure
at Burning Sky (The Skydivers from Eloy,AZ). I have
the contact info for the person in charge of that
and will get the plans and see how feasible it is.
We could always get another 20'x20' which would run
~$250 with straps and anchors.
This event requires a HUGE commitment from those
that camp within PP. During the week I did NOT see
much help or man/women hours being given to this
event and its coordinators. I think we need to make
it mandatory for all PP campers to have some part in
this event, to help spread the jobs around. There
are plenty of jobs, from setup, working the event as
well as cleanup...These jobs are required EVERY day.
We did VERY well on water this year...We left the
Playa with 15 5-Gallon containers of water that we
dropped off with DPW on the way out from HCW
donations and camp leftovers. The three of us came
to Playa with 140 Gallons and left with ~25 gallons.
****PHT****
I was only able to attend one PHT and even at that
one I was called away with Camp duties. I did notice
that we had awesome crowds each day and continue to
attract many people who are Poly curious. 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.
Of course one of the issues we dealt with as a
by-product of our location near the esplanade is
trying to have PHT over the noise of a very loud
sound system or a traveling band show on an art car.
Is there anything that needs to be changed or
revamped about this event?
****Oral Sex Talk****
I was unable to attend this event...So would you
believe I have nothing to say...
Anybody fill me in on how this went and if Mim where
to join us again what would we need to do better to
make it more successful?
I hope through the next few months this this group
will ride the wave of energy that has been given
unto us from the Playa and be a bit more vocal and
keep more in touch throughout the coming year...
I will always be updating and enhancing the web site
so return often, Ya never know what you may find...
Look forward to hearing from you...
FILL MY INBOX!!!...PLEASE...
Only 351 days left till Burning Man! - August 30 -
September 6, 2004
Scotto
Camp Daddy