I am a real doctor, but I'm not a real aardvark
Burning Man experiences and events often come across as inside jokes that non-Burners generally roll their eyes at, so I am going to try to avoid that in this entry (sans the title).
Burning Man is many things to many people. If you haven't heard of it, it's basically a week-long experiment in temporary community on a dry lake bed (playa) in Northern Nevada ("Black Rock City"); the event emphasizes radical expression and radical independence. Also, there's really damn cool art (and at the end they burn a gigantic wooden man structure):
This, for example, is an art car. There are hundreds of all different types of these wandering the playa.
There are also sculptures of all kinds. This, for example, has flapping wings when someone climbs inside the sternum area and uses the peddles.
Overall I got very few pictures this year, so if you want to learn more about it, I recommend looking up the millions of other pictures people post online.
At any rate, this was my third consecutive Burning Man event. Every year has a different feel and different series of circumstances. This year I learned some important things about myself and my life in my RV in particular:
1) It was really weird bringing my RV to Burning Man. Almost everyone else had their temporary "homes" (rental RV, weekend/vacation RV, tent, car, etc.) whereas I had my actual home on the playa.
For most of the week this was my view of Esplanade, which is the main street in Black Rock City. This year my camp was at 6:30 and Esplanade, which is right by Center Camp and a very high traffic area. Needless to say, having my entire life on the playa (minus the animals) had me kind of stressed at times.
2) I think my most "profound" realization from this year's Burning Man is the acceptance that I am more of a loner than I ever realized. Some people may say "well duh" considering how long I've lived alone for and the fact that I frequently travel by myself (human-wise, at least), but I really thought I would be able to immerse myself in all that is Burning Man for a week straight... needless to say, I was incredibly happy that I had my house with me so I could escape when I needed some alone time. That is definitely one of the ways in which living in my RV makes me a much happier person.
3) I have no good response to "where do you live?" People are really, really confused about what I do and how I live... but, by and large, I seem to be living everyone's dream (including my own, of course).
4) Having a freezer on the hot, bright playa is one the BEST. THINGS. EVER.
So, with another Burning Man in the books, I'm back to my regularly scheduled days of editing, exploring, and dog training... I miss the playa, but sometimes a week feels more like a month, and peace and quiet is underrated.