Building BRC

Company’s coming

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sun-aug-30-6

It was the day before the  gates would open, and all through the city, people were getting ready for the new arrivals. It was another day of this and that, and last-minute details. Who do we have to run out the Yellow Bikes? Who’s going to test the systems over at Arctica? Oh, and who is going to lay out the “you are here” signs at the major plazas? That would be us. So off we went, around and about, talking to people along the way, on the day before the event began.

That's just plain Mike in front of the solar panel at Snow Koan village, which provides 25kw of power to the Black Rock City grid, enough to power four camps, including Nectar Village and Comfort and Joy out near E and 8. Surprisingly enough, Mike is a solar operations manager for Energy Efficiency Solar in the default world, and here he is doing his thing on the playa. Stop by in the afternoon, and they'll charge your iPod and give you a snowcone, too.
That's just plain Mike in front of the solar panel at Snow Koan village, which provides 25kw of power to the Black Rock City grid, enough to power four camps, including Nectar Village and Comfort and Joy out near E and 8. Surprisingly enough, Mike is a solar operations manager for Energy Efficiency Solar in the default world, and here he is doing his thing on the playa. Stop by in the afternoon, and they'll charge your iPod and give you a snowcone, too.

So, if you are out and about, and you pass what you might at first think is a scary sign that says, "Brand Your Ass" (over 7,000 served), you don't have to picture hot pokers and not being able to sit down for a week. The friendly folk there will actually only put a temporary tattoo on you, but you will have to bend over and drop your pants. And, your friends might be watching. No matter. You have a lovely ass, so get a tattoo on that thing and keep on moving.
So, if you are out and about, and you pass what you might at first think is a scary sign that says, "Brand Your Ass" (over 7,000 served), you don't have to picture hot pokers and not being able to sit down for a week. The friendly folk there will actually only put a temporary tattoo on you, but you will have to bend over and drop your pants. And, your friends might be watching. No matter. You have a lovely ass, so get a tattoo on that thing and keep on moving.
The ladies of the DPW are immortalizing themselves in a calendar this year, and Serra and Ann Marie were down at the Depot yesterday for their photo shoot. Serra is the office manager in the Gerlach office of Burning Man when she is not serenading folks in the Black Rock Saloon. Ann Marie is Joe the Builder's right-hand woman, and she's been there since the beginning as the city has taken shape. No microphones were damaged in the making of this photo.
The ladies of the DPW are immortalizing themselves in a calendar this year, and Serra and Ann Marie were down at the Depot yesterday for their photo shoot. Serra is the office manager in the Gerlach office of Burning Man when she is not serenading folks in the Black Rock Saloon. Ann Marie is Joe the Builder's right-hand woman, and she's been there since the beginning as the city has taken shape. No microphones were damaged in the making of this photo.
All the Barbies were lined up perfectly yesterday, as good Barbies should be, out at the Barbie Death Camp and Wine Bar. They were topless, but then again, they weren't the only ones who were.
All the Barbies were lined up perfectly yesterday, as good Barbies should be, out at the Barbie Death Camp and Wine Bar. They were topless, but then again, they weren't the only ones who were.

About the author: John Curley

John Curley (that's me) has been Burning since the relatively late date of 2004, and in 2008 I spent the better part of a month on the playa, documenting the building and burning of Black Rock City in words and pictures. I loved it, and I've been doing it ever since. I was a newspaper person in a previous life, and I spent many years at the San Francisco Chronicle. At the time I left, in 2007, I was the deputy managing editor in charge of Page One and the news sections of the paper. Since then, I've turned a passion for photography into a second career. I shoot for editorial, commercial and private clients. I've also taught a little bit, including two years at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and a year at San Francisco State University. I live on the San Mateo coast, just south of San Francisco in California.

10 Comments on “Company’s coming”

  • BeCuz says:
    August 31, 2009 at 5:32 am

    You are correct, as they are already there…….. I am so missing the playa this year.. but, I will return in two (2) years to celebrate a special birthday… I can hardly wait until then.. Burn Bright….

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  • Luscious (AKA Carla) says:
    August 31, 2009 at 11:21 am

    THANK YOU for this blog! For those of us that could not make it to the playa this year, it gives a great sense of our community that we love, if even from a far AND in cyber space! I’m sure I, like many others this week, will be excited to wake up each day to see and hear what the latest tidbit is. For this, we appreciate technology and all of you for sharing!

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  • Rudy Benner says:
    August 31, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    Nice wide angle shots…. wish I was there.

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  • Adam says:
    August 31, 2009 at 1:32 pm

    Loving your posts! Can’t be there this year so it is great to be able to follow things online. For everyone that is there, here is a tune that may help rock the Playa. Appropriately entitled “Burn”!

    http://soundcloud.com/rockus/burn-mix-8-30

    Feel free to download and share :-)

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  • hotsprings Tim says:
    August 31, 2009 at 7:25 pm

    Thanks for posting the pix and such.. I’m packed and will hit the playa Wednesday p.m. Save some dust for me…

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  • Metta says:
    August 31, 2009 at 7:54 pm

    Hey- how do I get one of those smokin’ hot DPW-Ladies calendars? I’m unfortunatley many many miles away from the playa this year :(

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  • Todd von Hoffmann says:
    September 1, 2009 at 8:38 am

    Great Shots! Look for our daughter Kristina and her buddy Sanyu at Playa Surfers – I don’t know about your rear but they’ll give you a painted BM stencil on your gear or anything you like. Hope the winds keep low.

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  • Ocotpus says:
    September 2, 2009 at 2:32 am

    Nice, fond memories of Barbie Death camp! F**kin brilliant, glad to see he keeps em comin back, wreckin’ more young minds year after year.

    Octopus

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  • Dennis says:
    September 2, 2009 at 7:10 am

    Gota Love It …. Great posts. Can’t make it this year. Blow baby Blow…

    I got the exact same mask and it’s so good. Got it at a store that sells dust mite allergy stuff. They had a site just for the mask. http://u2sportmask.com/. it was less than 35 bucks for the mask and shipping. Now to find the goggles…

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  • JaX says:
    September 11, 2009 at 4:07 pm

    Hear hear to Snow Koan Solar! They powered all of our fridges, lights, and all power needs. I love solar power, and that array was really impressive. The snow cones were also great, and the people who served them were so friendly. Great post, I love Burning Man! I was reborn on the Playa. :)

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