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Entries from September 2021

Thursday, September 30. 2021

National Coffee Day



Yesterday was National Coffee Day and I got a free latte (with oat milk of course) from the coffee shop I go to.
And I had a free coffee today as well at the place I volunteer at most Thursdays.
I have been looking at espresso machines because I would like my own machine sitting on the kitchen counter so I can make my own daily latte.
I have never been more busy in my life and I am tired. Currently I work at two different clubs dancing and I have a day job with weekly meetings and sometimes weekly classes.
I volunteer most Thursdays and most Sundays. I feel like I have no time to sleep or get anything done. I am sure people with kids feel the same way. And I don't have any kids but I feel way too busy.
Sometimes I am entertaining the thought of walking away from it all. Like what am I doing?
I like volunteering and dancing is still fun for the most part. But the other day time job has been......disappointing. In between the personal satisfaction of learning A LOT and managing difficult tasks quite well (I am impressed with myself) there has been some fun aspects of it but in general it has been a negative journey. I don't know if it is the right thing for me. But I will keep up with it for a bit more. So I know for myself (nobody else) that I at least tried and put in an honest effort.

Saturday, September 25. 2021

Synchronized Drones

Saturday September 4, 2021 at Black Rock Desert Nevada I gathered at 9 pm with thousands of others to see if there was going to be some sort of a burning of an effigy like at the previous Burning Mans I've attended.
And we were in for a treat! Listening to a remix of Jimmy Hendrix's All Along the Watchtower (a song that I love) playing close by I watched as several lights suddenly appeared and started moving back and forth in a cloud formation above the crowd.
I realized that it was drones......synchronized drones and then they formed the Man as the crowed loudly cheered. It was AMAZING and beautiful and I loved it. The Man raised his arms while turning and then fell down. A great moment that I am happy I got to experience. That was three weeks ago today......







There are plenty of videos of this online. My pictures do not make it justice.

Went Home

I went in for my shift at work the evening, I work 9 - 2, that is 9 pm to 2 am. Five hours that go by fast. And I am always happy to work, I can relax at work, catch up on all my emails and I also have fun because we have a great group of ladies at the club and we all get along. Well this evening I volunteered to go home, one girl came in although she wasn't supposed to. We have a schedule and she was not scheduled so I offered her my spot so I could go home and do what I love to do. Drink tea, have something yummy to eat, read and maybe write something too. I love being at home. It is so quiet in my living room right now that I can almost hear the silence. Heavenly. I am fully enjoying this moment.



The other day I was thinking that it literally feels like yesterday.....well more like five months tops since I put away last year's Halloween decorations. I know I am not the only one that feels like time is going faster. Is time going faster? Or is it just me?

Friday, September 24. 2021

Renegade Burn

I have read different numbers for the amount of participants at Renegade Burn, some people also called it Plan B. Today the Burning Man Org reported that at the most there were 13 000 people out in the Black Rock desert for the gathering earlier this month but I have read numbers higher than that. Not that it matters that much to me. What matters is that it was a good time - and it was!
Before I went I was scrolling through all kinds of opinions online from large amounts of people predicting deaths, violence, accidents, overall mayhem and poop everywhere (so many poop discussions, a very popular topic). Well, actually Renegade Burn got an A in how well it went. The event went exceptionally well. And I realized for myself that I do not need to use the public porta potties next year, if Burning Man happens next year.
You never know.
Here are some pictures......
Of course I brought my bike, I love biking around out there. It is an amazing feeling.



I FINALLY got to wear my pink super soft fur (fake fur OF COURSE) jacket that has been hanging in my closet patiently waiting for this.





There was food in case you suddenly got hungry when out and about. Potatoes?
Yes please!



Late night oven baked pizza? Of course! And THANK YOU SO MUCH to the guy that made it for me.





Refreshments were plenty. Like this drink which I enjoyed one afternoon.



All you need is a cup.



I brought books that I actually read.



The owner of this Magic Bus and his friends were my neighbors.



My camp. It was not easy to find your way home after dark. I will say that. No street signs and coordinates this year.....so I found my way back to camp by looking for landmarks.
Like the mountains and after dark I looked for certain lights or camps but I got lost a few times. A bit scary. I think I will get a GPS, people were using those to find their way back to camp.
Home sweet Burning Man home!



Saturday, September 18. 2021

Met Gala

Have I written about the Met Gala on here before? I think I mentioned it a few years ago. Well anyhow, the Met Gala is a yearly fashion event where the fashion crowd and whatever other individuals that are on Anna Wintour's current worthy to attend the event list get invited. Lots of kooky looks and ensembles that barely pass as fashionable or beautiful (in my opinion). Every year there is a theme (just like Burning Man) and this year the theme was American Independence. Not sure if the theme was followed for the most part, did not look like it to me but whatever.
Let's see.....here are who got on MY beautiful list of the attendees and some of them I've never heard of and I am somewhat in the loop (or at least so I think).
Kendall Jenner's dress was beautiful and fit her well. I like her body and that dress complimented her figure. Gemma Chan looked good, Anok Yai looked beautiful, I very much like the dress she wore (I want that dress) and the jewelry paired with it, Karlie Kloss's dress was fierce, Emily Blunt I approve of, Iman although looking like she belong at Carnival in Rio pulled it off and looked gorgeous, Keke Palmer reminded me of Diana Ross back in the day and the dress looked good and looked good on her, Amanda Gorman wore an amazing dress (I want that dress as well), Yara Shahidi looked good, I liked Irina Shayk's pretty dress and I think that she is very pretty in general. Rihanna absolutely stunning and beautiful as always, Jennifer Hudson's dress was a yes, Megan Thee Stallion looked better than I have ever seen her, keep it classy Megan it looks nice on you. I liked Khelani's pant suit (but a no on the hair). Normani's dress was so gorgeous. Joan Smalls - WOW timeless and gorgeous. KiKi Layne wore a beautiful dress and so did Laura Harrier. A pink pretty princess gown on Carey Mulligan. Gabrielle Union's dress was futuristic and interesting. And Imaam Hamman's was a starry mermaid kind of dress, definitely my taste. Julia Garner a yes as well. A sleek and sexy Prada get up on Gigi Hadid. I have a soft spot for Prada.
Now to the WTFs and NOs. Yes I KNOW it is fashion and I am sure people gave out fake compliments to each other non stop. But I will keep it real.
Kim K. OK whatever, trying to look inspired by the ex hubby (are they still married?) to be original and whatever else she is trying to achieve, maybe mysterious? To me it just looked bad. Like a new way for women to wear the burqa. Cover every inch up. Feels about right in these times when women's rights in Afghanistan are basically gone.
Rihanna's BF wore a giant quilt, not a good look. Tessa Thompson fail. Serena Williams looked like she belonged at the annual Players Ball and not arriving as the Player. Wearing a pimp cape and a body stocking underneath with heels to match. Girls I work with wear better outfits. Ciara....the dress would had looked so much better without the giant number 3 plastered all over the front, Billie Eilish looked like a stuffed pastry puff, wrong color dress and wrong fit for her, Lil Nas X WHAT?, channeling a character from Star Wars or? A WHAT to Naomi Osaka as well. Barbie Ferreira reminded me of a chandelier (also Barbie, like is that her real name?), Jeremy O. Harris posing with a gross cigarette (I guess posing with cigarettes was a thing at this year's Met) in that yellow safety jacket tent gets a big NO (an extra NO for the cigarette), Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello looked tacky, he needed a shirt and her outfit belonged at the Rio Carnival plus a bad fit for her body, Kim Petras tried to do a Björk swan dress by wearing a horse dress, Eva Chen's dress reminds me of what the TV screen looked like back in the day in Sweden when the programs were done for the evening, Grimes....I am torn, I like the dress but the sword is a no and the boots no as well.....belongs on an episode of Game of Thrones. Lourdes Leon absolutely terrible, nobody cares that you have armpit hair, like it is truly not a big deal and that whole posing with your tongue out is so tacky and thirsty. That belongs on a low budget OF account, also dress did not fit and looked like a Bollywood outfit. And her hair also a NO.
Yes, I know the Met Gala is about fashion and fashion can be crazy and different but some things just don't look good. For ex Lady Gaga's disgusting meat dress back in the day.
Or posing with your tongue hanging out of your mouth. Read up on "ahegao" to understand why so many women think it is "cute" somehow to do that and think they look sexy while doing it.
Then there was the presence of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known by her initials AOC. First of all I do not think she should be at the Met Gala at all. For many different reasons. Mainly because a ticket to the gala is around 30K and a table is way more than that, I do not think a politican has any business spending that kind of money while doing public service. Stick to your field. And yes I know that she most likely did not pay for the dress (I sure hope not) or the ticket to attend.
She wore an all white dress with red letters that spelled out Tax The Rich. I hope she approached the rich at the Met Gala to explain to them face to face her reasoning behind that statement. I am ALL for taxing the rich. That includes AOC, since she is making a good living nowadays. So I do not oppose that message. But I am also all for standing up for your beliefs and not being a hypocrite. Therefore I hope that AOC stood up for her beliefs at the Met by approaching the rich all night long about paying more in taxes.
Overall I think that the Met Gala is lame. And way overpriced. Do they donate to charity at least? I prefer watching the now retired annual Victoria's Secret Show (way cuter outfits) over the celebs strutting down the red carpet at the Met Gala hoping to get a nod of approval from Anna Wintour.
Check out my very cute outfit at this year's Burning Man aka Renegade Burn! I got the poncho at a thrift store in Astoria OR (The Underground Shops) for $10. Great price and super cute! My shoes I got at Target especially to wear only at Burning Man.



Sunday, September 12. 2021

Necessities

Some necessities at Burning Man. This year was different from previous years....no porta potties (some people brought their own), no Center Camp Cafe (bring your own coffee), no to a lot of stuff from previous years. This year was basically all about bringing everything you need. Do not rely on others. At all. Which is what Burning Man is about. It is part of the 10 Principles. Radical Self Reliance. BUT I borrowed a ratchet from my neighbors....so it is all about helping each other as well, of course.
Even though I had a camper trailer with a toilet inside I decided to not use that toilet.
After a few days of using an RV toilet in desert heat it starts smelling pretty bad. There was a general concern for how to poop out there this year since the porta potties would not be there. People were talking about bringing 5 gallon buckets and cat litter.....great idea I thought. So I got some buckets and cat litter. And dog poop bags. Having your own toilet instead of breathing in the stench inside a hot porta potty (BLERGH seriously) felt great and so much more hygienic. Double bag the results. And of course transport all the poop with you, bagged in a double trash bag. This is how I am going to do it from now on!
No more porta potties.....I have to put essential oil on a bandana and cover my nose with it before going inside one of them. Wear an outfit only to be worn inside the porta potties and make sure no part of it touches anything, it is a whole ordeal for me. No more of that torture.



For pee all I need is empty water jugs and a funnel. No problems here either. The jugs get taken all the way home and emptied into the toilet.



Coffee is another necessity, I tried a cold brew from Trader Joes which was very good.



I drink one bottle of Gerolsteiner each day out on the Playa and I like to cut up cucumbers and eat them with salt.