I went alone, radically self-relied, worked at the recycle camp, danced my ass off in the dust, and still can't figure out this spring-break/amateur-hour/pyromaniac/disney-parade-of-lights/mad-max/useless/important/morrocco-on-acid/brilliant/idiotic THING.

But, I come away with: if we're going to put all this energy out, let's accomplish something the world needs, and not fool ourselves.

** The playa is pretty way out there "who gives a fuck" so let's not overemphasize the environmental mission and art of leave-no-trace like it's important or something,

** People can live and fuck and die in complete filthy squalor in any slum and inner city in the world, so consider the value of spending money to go to the playa to do it on purpose,

** If you want to radically self-rely and message an important counter-convention theme, think about how to do it in your everyday life.

** If you want to change the world, do something about the fuckking fascist Amerikan power regime in REAL life, volunteer to work in a soup kitchen, sort cans at Second Harvest, work for a presidential candidate of choice, help a foster child, contribute to send relief to Darfur.

** Don't pretend that a bunch of mostly well-off white folks going off into to the middle of nowhere, bringing in a bunch of shit all paid for with dollars made by working day jobs and bartering/gifting/exchanging it with the other mostly well-off folks, teaches anything about a non-oppressive, enlightened, egalitarian alternative economy.

** If you want to party sex drugs dance cut loose, do THAT. It's not that expensive to go to Florida for spring break to see beautiful mostly naked girls and try to get laid, so go -there, the weather is better, and there's a beach.

** If you want to do bad poetry for everyone first thing in the morning, cobble together crap and call it "art" and build great big things that go boom, I guess, you have Burning Man - "A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." Just don't kid yourself that you're doing anything that useful or important.

All that said, I'll probably hook up with the Recycle Camp next year! That's the part I can't figure out. WHY do I want to go back??????