For the first time in 12 years, I am not going to Burning Man this year. This fact comes as such a shock to my friends and coworkers, that it still hasn’t sunk in. I keep getting asked when I am leaving.
Since I was just out at the Black Rock Desert in July, and since I haven’t washed my car since then, I still get to breathe in plenty of playa dust on a daily basis. I will still be playing my banjo this week, just not on the porch, and not in front of so many people. But one thing that I have been missing is the people watching.
Sure, there aren’t so many naked people at Burning Man anymore (or maybe there are, and there are just many more clothed people), but the quality of people watching available any time of the day or night is unparalleled. Thanks to Ustream TV, I can get my fix around the clock through the Internet. That’s right, the high quality webcam is up and running, attached directly to a microwave Internet link back to the nearby town of Gerlach.
Let me tell you, it’s not like it used to be, with all those Segways zipping back and forth, and giant RVs as far as the eye can see, many of which are parked underneath even more giant carports. The days are long gone when a 4-person tent and a couple of Thermarest mattresses were considered luxurious. Check it out, in all its over-the-top splendor: