Hmmm

I saw this guy the other day getting onto a super cool, fat tired electric bike.

I stopped and told him it looked awesome and asked him if he'd ever taken it out to Burning Man.

I was really curious how it would ride in the desert (if the motor would hold up, if the thick tires actually helped, if riding low to the ground was dusty, etc) but didn't want to ask him if he'd had it on Playa in case he didn't know what I meant.  Anyway. 

I asked him and he said "No, I get naked and do drugs at home." And I laughed, because yes, that's what so many people think Burning Man is about and why a number of people go and so I told him, yeah, whatever works, right.

But then he said "I've been out to Burning Man.  It's all so corporate now and all the rich people buy up the tickets."  Which kind of bummed me out.  I shrugged and said "meh, I just ignore them." And we went our separate ways, but it was a disappointing thing to hear.

I don't get to say "oh Burning Man has changed so much."  I didn't go "way back when" and so I'm sorry if I missed it when it was "way cooler" or "better" or something.  All I know is I frigging love it.  And I think it's amazing.  And I'm not a "rich person" and I bought up two tickets and the people I'm going with aren't rich people and the people I'm looking forward to seeing again aren't rich people and well... I don't know why it made me sad that he said that actually.

Maybe that's the new hipster version of party people.  "Yeah, I went to Burning Man before it got so popular and went downhill"

Ok.  Good on ya.

I'm going to Burning Man now.  And I'm finding myself and my passions and it's the best frigging holiday/not holiday I've ever taken in my life and I will keep going as long as I can and as long as I want to and even if it really does get some version of ruined?  I'll take what I love about it and the spirit of it and I'll keep living that and having it in my life and I bet I'd even go camp down in that amazing desert by myself some time.

So... I guess to the electric bike dude I'd say, enjoy your naked drug usage at home.  I'm going to the Playa this summer to maybe take an advil if I have to and to be naked when I go to sleep in my tent.  And the rest of the time?  I'm going to have a kick ass time hanging out with ridiculously cool people I would probably never get to meet in any other way.

Woo hooo!