Playa Name: BearHug

Burns: 1995, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013

Home: Sunnyvale CA (near San Jose)

Past Camps: Camp-I-Am/Save-the-Man, ESD Station 9

Volunteering: After 4 years working Comms Dispatch for 40+ hours a week,
I'm taking a year off to play tourist on the playa! Did a number of shifts at the Black Rock Bakery in 2013, may be helping out there. Of course, I will help out with Poly Paradise stuff!

Hubby and boyfriend both wanted to come this year, but neither are fans of tent camping on the playa. Funny story-- my tent has been to Burning Man more often than I have! I sold it in 1998 or so to some Burners, and ended up buying it back from them in 2006. It's a Eureka WindRiver, you can't get them like that anymore. Love that tent!

Will happily trade platonic massages with folks, and always appreciate hugs. Bacon, sex, and safety are all great things, but I will do without the whiskey-- I much prefer absinthe!

Hobbies: Ham Radio (KF6NBZ), gardening, making stuff at TechShop (laser cutter, shopbot), reading sci-fi and urban fantasy, snorkeling, beading/jewelery-making, taking care of my 21 year old kittycat (wobbly but still purrs!). I do project management in my day job, which is handy for being organized packing for the playa.

Why Burning Man? I loved it in 1995, but met my husband in 1996 and
forgot about everything else for a few years, then rediscovered Burning Man. As someone who has spent time living in an RV wandering the USA, Burning Man feels like home. I love the people, the vehicles, the sense of complete acceptance. I have such mixed feelings about not being with Dispatch this year, but I started a new job on June 1st and by the time I found out I could go negative on vacation time enough to come to the playa this year, it was a bit late to get shifts. I always worked the Burn, so this year will be the first time I have seen the Man burn in years.