7am, Thursday morning, post Embrace burn.  I was wondering around, feeling surprisingly refreshed.  Everyone else (still dancing aimlessly, dazed, covered in fur) I was sure had been up all night.  I had my camera in hand ready for some street style action and came across this gorgeous girl.  The type of girl it’s easy to be jealous of.  The type of girl you wonder what sort of karma she racked up to hit the genetics lottery; olive skin with blue-green eyes, model face (wtf?).  I could have been jealous, but everything is hugs and love at the burn so I went up to her and asked if I could take her photo.  She was painting this guy’s chest (Prince Charming) at the time and didn’t blink an eye at my question and asked if I had a card.  As if this happened to her all the time.

I pulled out one of my business cards I happened to bring (Burning Man is like a week long cocktail hour for creative weirdos) and handed it to her.  I took a couple of photos.  I was enamored with her sequin dress and girly burner bike with streamers.  I vowed the next time I went to the burn, I would get something flashy and glittery too (last year at the burn I had an affinity for stringy black teddies and body stockings). 

I look at the photos I took of the people of the burn last year.  They are all randoms, I didn’t know any of them and I kind of like that.  What’s fascinating to me is to look at a photo and try to figure out what kind of life they have outside of Black Rock City.  It’s a guessing game and the writer in me likes to make up a story.

I didn’t make it to Burning Man this year.  This was the year of saving money and working on my craft, and trying to make a living at it.  As much as I missed not going, I just wasn’t in the right headspace to make any effort to go.  I’m in workhorse mode right now.  I’m hoping by next year, I’ll be in hey man, go with the flow, yeah I’ll mix that tequila with my coconut water, give me another shot, I don’t mind the dust, let’s just ride man type of headspace.  And honestly, I think by then I’ll need it.