Timing IS Everything

In 2012 I went to Burning Man for the first time ever. It really has changed my life. 

I suppose I've always been an "artist", although I distrust and hold that word and all it means at arm's length. But I have been told I was an artist, been called an artist, been told I have an "artists' mind" an "artists' ethics, etc. etc.

Burning Man allowed me to believe it. 

Allowed me to want to be an artist. 

I had always valued "craftsmanship" and "form follows function" and seen art as at best a contrivance and at worst an affectation as it were.

That being said, my Virgin Tour of Burning Man had me camping at Art and Such and Such AKA ASS Camp, an Atlanta-based crew. 

It was amazing.

I've not missed making the trek out to the desert since then. 

Cut to, years latter, this year, 2015 to be precise and I'm out on a jog and literally less than a 1/4 mile from my house is the Time Star, the art piece from where I watched the Man burn on my first time out. 

As if.....

I get back from driving across the country from BM and unloading on 9-11 and the following day is the Lantern Parade and more importantly a big event where the Time Star is one of the principal players. 

Timing IS Everything. 

Memory/Personal /Cliff-note History by FaceBook 


Jon Danniells 
at The Brasserie and Neighborhood Café at Parish
September 13 at 1:02pm · Sunday yummies with old friends

Jon Danniells 
September 14 at 3:12pm · Conyers, GA · Still unloading from Burning Man; almost done.....then the cleaning and sorting begins

Jon Danniells
September 16 at 1:13pm · Atlanta, GA · Prince and I just got back from a 3.25 mile jog; we both survived; I have as a bit concerned because of my twisted ankle and knee; the result of falling off scaffolding. My knee started acting up after a couple of miles, nothing an ice pack won't take care of

Jon Danniells
September 16 at 6:22pm · Atlanta, GA · September has always been my "Back to School" month, so in keeping with that I am coming up with a series of classes, lectures, seminars, co-opertives, that I will be either hosting, teaching, attending or promoting. I know the month is already half-way past/passed, so I've got some catching up to do. At this point, my concentration will be on the Set Decorating department, but I am open to other suggestions. I'm hoping to do a Rum tasting appreciation at some point. Absinthe is always lurking about since I used to bootleg it and then host tastings as well. Linking in to art on the Beltline would make sense. And maybe some exploration/interpretations of the Burning Man culture would rise to the surface. Yes, I'm all over the map, but such is my nature

Jon Danniells
September 17 at 5:06am · Atlanta, GA · 
dealing with 2500+ emails

Jon Danniells
September 17 at 5:35am · Atlanta, GA · 
Wanting to play more with fire; figuratively and literally

Jon Danniells 
at East Atlanta Village Farmers Market
September 17 at 4:40pm · 
Off a localvoring I go

Jon Danniells 
at Gunshow
September 17 at 9:39pm · 
Yummies and noise

Jon Danniells
 at The Righteous Room Atlanta
September 18 at 7:39pm · 
Back in the Atl

Nameless City and the Apple Prince

Burn Baby Burn--The weekend after hanging out at the Time Star, there's another "Burner" event.  

This year at Burning Man, yes, I know I said I would stop talking about it, however, the "Nameless City" crewe were the "kids" in our camp this year. 

I had camped with a couple of them the year before but didn't really get to know them until this year. They are and up-and-coming fire-performance troupe who I hope to get to collaborate with in the future. 

One of their core is Brian Estes, (oops I 'named' him), my new "little brother" and the dude who beat me twice, once left-handed and once right-handed at the BM Armwrestling. (That's not going to happen again....)  

They did their show and it was awesome. 

And such an inspiration in so many ways.

Thank y'all.

FB Narrative Continued...

Jon Danniells
September 20 at 10:52am · Atlanta, GA · After yet another amazing gathering of friends from Burning Man last night and my not going to Alchemy in 2 weeks; I feel ready to get back to work....tomorrow. Look out world here I come....again. My "second act" is about to begin.


Jon Danniells at X3 Sports
September 22 at 1:48pm · 
First day back training jujitsu

Jon Danniells
September 23 at 8:46am · Atlanta, GA · 
On the roller coaster of life

Jon Danniells at X3 Sports
September 23 at 12:13pm · 
Yoga, great class; getting back into shape; taking my time, not going to make the same mistake I did the last couple attempts


Jon Danniells
September 23 at 2:06pm · Atlanta, GA · 
Happy Autumnal Equinox; goodbye summer

Jon Danniells at X3 Sports
September 24 at 1:42pm · 
Jujitsu, still sore from last workout, it'll be two weeks until the rust gets shaken off; hurst so good

Jon Danniells
September 24 at 3:07pm · Atlanta, GA · 
Sat down for a quick bite and came up with the topics for a 10 week Set Dressing 101 class, The Basics, Fundamentals and Essentials; it then spilled over into a Set Dressing 102; Beyond the Basics, Scratching the Surface class.

Jon Danniells
September 25 at 9:10am · ContstantContact Event Marketing · 
Had a wonderful time; my, oh my Atlanta is booming these days; making me actually look forward to working again....well sort of

Jon Danniells
September 25 at 9:12am · Atlanta, GA · 
Feeling collaborative? I am. Looking forward to lunches, dinners, meet and greets, etc. etc. Who's on board? Interested or....

Jon Danniells
September 25 at 4:59pm · Atlanta, GA · 
way too much going on this weekend

From a previous blog-post but still holds true;
I'm Gonna Make It Big Someday 


Jon-Of-All-Trades Consulting Services...It's a thing, really.


Starting a business, making it green, as in cash generation and environmentally responsible. 


How big of a truck to get? Should I get one at all? 


Stuff-getting rid of it, organizing it, sharing it, relocating it. 


Education
Self
Skye
Others 


Getting Back in Shape Again


To Run the Bourbon Chase 
Detox
Rehab
Stretch
Grip Strength
Strongman Goals
Qualify for the Boston Marathon 2016 or 2017, maybe 2018-- it's going to take some effort, consistency and perserverence 

Local and More Than Local

The East Atlanta Strut

It got a bit of rain on it and because of various preexisting commitments I missed the various eating competitions and the parade, but still managed to get out there and hang with a few friends. 

Atlanta Streets Alive

A celebration of getting out on your bike, at an event where getting out on your bike is a risk and danger and a lot less fun than usual. 

Skye and I bike the 4.5 miles of the cordoned off streets and it was fun but the booths were few and far between and not so well attended. The biggest and not surprisingly most interested was the corporate-sponsored, oh I'm sorry co-op sponsered REI set-up which was pretty cool actually and had good swag 

This whole post has been a mixed bag of nuts and what-have-you's so this bunch of pictures are just that, some from the Strut, most from Streets Alive....

Jon Danniells
Yesterday at 9:13am · Atlanta, GA · frustration

Jon Danniells at X3 Sports
20 hrs · 


Jujitsu
on Danniells
12 hrs · nametests.com · 


????? Interesting
What does your friend poster look like?
Which of your friends will recognize themselves on your ultimate friend poster? Find out now! Click here!
EN.NAMETESTS.COM|BY JON


At The End of the Day

I've finally started getting back into the physical training mode, which always serves me well. 

And I've got way too much going on which is definitely a double edge sword.

​Yay

"Better to be a dog in a peaceful time, than to be a man in a chaotic period."
​

The Posts That Were, That Will Be and What Fell Between the Cracks

My reach has once again surpassed my grasp.

My mind was full of things that I would write about. I was so excited to share my experience as well as my opinions on that great festival out there in the desert, but upon returning to Atlanta, not only did I have all the unpacking and cleaning and organizing to do, but there was a plethora of other matters to attend to. 

In fact, several of them will become fodder for upcoming blogs. 

In the meantime, I will try to do my best to put Burning Man 2015 to rest. 

So in no particular order......

What Do They Eat Out There?

I have been asked this question so many times. 

It is a very valid question. 

Nothing is for sale out there besides ice and coffee.  

The first year I brought enough food to get me through a couple of weeks of disaster. I had canned foods, hard cheeses and cured meats, every kind of jerky imaginable, nuts and trail mix, as well as some freeze dried camping meals. I was ready for surviving the Apocalypse, only to find out a couple of days into it that the camp I was in had a 42' refrigerated  trailer and one of my camp-mates was very involved in the the food co-op movement and supplying fresh and healthy food to several different other camps. 

I ate very well that year. 

I have eaten well every year. 

Food is very, very communal. One of the ideals I value most about Burning Man is Community. So food is integral to the experience. 

One of my favorite nights this year was before the gates officially opened and Ryan took the boat out to help Feed the Artists deliver food to various camps setting up their art projects who might not of had time to stop and cook and/or eat.

But in trying to keep this post manageable, I'll have to cut this short, because I could ramble on and on about food and Burning Man and how it's made an impression on me. 

That said, I will mention a couple of the things that I have brought out to the Playa to share. 

Ostrich eggs, as well as emu and rhea as well as edible bugs, both in their identifiable state as well as a few loaves of banana bread made with mealworm flour. 

I do what I can.

All the Swag to Be Had

People "gift" all sorts of things.

Most are worthless baubles; like beads from Mardi Gras, but that oftentimes  conjure up some sort of memory and/or experience which then gives the trinket great value. 

Sometimes however the swag can be pretty awesome. Such was/is the case with what our neighbor Collins gifted me this incredible thermos full of ice and water which is exactly what I needed at that moment. It served me well on the Playa and also on our drive home and I've used it almost every day since I've been back.

The Burning Man--Ultra-Marathon
My Best Decision, My Biggest Regret

Cherie Yanek
August 9 · 
Wow. You know you've made it as a Race Director when one of your runners gets a tattoo of your race.Thanks, Jon Danniells!!!  #honored http://www.jonofalltrades.net/whats-up-the-blog


Jon Danniells at Shady Rest Town Park, Mammoth Lakes, California
July 24 Just got back from a 10 mile trail run; it was either up or down almost no flat areas and on sandy pumice. It kicked my butt good, legs feel like cement but so glad I did it

I realized I was less prepared for this race than any before. 

I realized that my feet would be beyond blistered. That I would cramp up over and over. 

And for what?

Well because it's an awesome experience and sense of accomplishment. And running it did indeed change my life in several positive ways. And I think the world of the race director and am constantly in awe and inspired by what she does both at Burning Man and in the "real" world. 

But...

I'd completed the race the last two years in a row with almost as little training.

Almost....

Still I showed up at Pink Lightning with my water requirements plus a case of spray-on sunscreen that I had "rescued" from a show I worked on. I picked up my race bib and signed the waiver. And was still pretty sure I was going to run the race.

That night, I could barely sleep and I knew I needed as much rest as possible if I was going to have any chance in completing the course.  

And then I decided not to run. 
I decided not to even start the race. 

And I felt good about the decision. 

I truly believe I would have done some serious damage to myself had I run. Even more so than in the past. At least then my feet were properly conditioned and I felt good about the shoes I was going to use.

I showed up at Pink Lightning later on in the day when most of the runners had finished the course and most had finished their post-race celebrations.  I had to make it over to tell Cherie that I had chosen not to run and that I was not still out their on the course. She was amazing as always, even giving me a finisher's shirt, which I feel I obviously don't deserve and will be hesitant to wear, (I had my Death Valley Marathon shirt that I wasn't able to attend in a bag in my closet for around 5 years until I was able to get their and finish, now I wear it with a goodly amount of pride, my fastest marathon time to date).

Did I make the right decision?

I was sure that I did at the time and for the rest of the Burn and honestly I did until a couple of weeks ago. 

I'm really not sure. 

But I do plan on running it again. I'm also using it as an inspiration to qualify and run in the Boston Marathon. 

What Do Burners Read? 

Yes, this will be another silly, snarky post. 

Like years past, I bring stuff to read. Stuff that never gets read. Why should this year be any different?

Do audio books count? 
Cause that I can do.
And I did.

Survival Guide--Didn't Read It

The Guide Book they give you at entry; nope didn't crack that open till I got back to Atlanta. It's just as well. I was slammed with activity and adventure the entire time I was out there. 

That big map could have been helpful, however wandering was as much if not more fun. 

My reading while out on the Playa consisted of what was in the port-potties and what might have been next to various art installations. 

By Popular Demand

The "For Wives" created a bit of a stir and ended up  being thoroughly entertaining. 


"Don't let breakfast be a 'snatch' meal. Your husband often does the best part of his day's work on it, and the engine can't work if you don't stoke it properly."  was a favorite and often quoted. 

The "How to Be a Pirate" from the Little Golden Book series became a bit of spoken word and then the Pirate Dictionary became a source of entertainment at the bar during our Dark and Stormy party adventures.

I read a bit of that one in the truck on the way out. 

It's 3:33 am and My Cup Is Running Over

And spilling all over this latest entry.

I have so much going on....in my head, in our apartment, in a variety of communities....

"May you live in interesting times"

A Chinese curse or contrived nonsense. Kind of both, turns out closest Chinese equivalent to this expression is more like, "Better to be a dog in a peaceful time, than to be a man in a chaotic period."

OK, I can live with that. 

Burning Man is very much a topic. It's still all over the Facebook. The dust is still all over my stuff. My stuff from there is still a mess spread out over several locations. But most relevant are the experiences and inspirations that are fueling me and a variety of projects and possible collaborations. 


Future Post Topics Relating to Burning Man


In no particular order: What Do They Eat Out There?; The Beautiful Hypocrisy of Burning Man; All the Swag to Be Had; Gonzo-The Man, The Myth, The Muppet; The Burning Man Ultra-marathon-My Best Decision, My Biggest Regret; Camp, Community and the Culture of Collaboration; Burning Man Deconstructed


I'm Gonna Make It Big Someday 


Jon-Of-All-Trades Consulting Services...It's a thing, really.


Starting a business, making it green, as in cash generation and environmentally responsible. 


How big of a truck to get? Should I get one at all? 


Stuff-getting rid of it, organizing it, sharing it, relocating it. 


Education
Self
Skye
Others 


Getting Back in Shape Again


To Run the Bourbon Chase 
Detox
Rehab
Stretch
Grip Strength
Strongman Goals
Qualify for the Boston Marathon 2016 or 2017, maybe 2018-- it's going to take some effort, consistency and perserverence 

Burning Beyond Borders

Burning Man would be easy if it only took up one's time and resources during the 7 days it's officially running. And for some people that is exactly the case. Some people invest even less time and energy than that. But for most, Burning Man starts long before the gates open and continues on long after exodus. 

Even though I was uncertain that I was going to attend this year, I was still going to try to get my hands on a ticket or two just in case. I missed out on directed ticket sales, by an hour or so. General sales had me by my computer for a couple of hours, all to no avail.  Then somehow I was given an opportunity to buy one single ticket through a second and unannounced round of ticket availability to theme camps through the directed ticket sales. 

Let the Planning Begin

There were numerous Funk Pirate camp meetings, on-line co-ordinations and discussions and then of course there was my own levels of preparation, which included the typical, I'm going to camp out in a desert for a week type preparations as well as trying to get in shape for a 50K, raising the level of my juggling and fire-spinning skills as well as costuming; etc, etc. 

Then there was the loading and packing. Keep in mind, I had just come off a few days on the Appalachian Trail and before that a road-trip and 2 week car-camping excursion in Mammoth Lakes, California. 

It seems I'm in a perpetual state of packing and unpacking, going and coming, coming and going. 

And Away We Go 

I had just driven back and forth across the country a few weeks prior. In fact, at one point, I was only a couple of hours away from Black Rock City, just a couple of months early. 

So, I wasn't particularly excited about getting back in the saddle. But, "in for a penny, in for a pound" or so the expression goes.

We made good time and didn't have any of the mechanical issues we had the year past. We drove the exact route that I had taken a few weeks before, until we hit Neveda at which point we continued on a northern course, while I had taken a southern turn to get over to Mammoth Lakes. 


Jon Danniells
August 22 at 11:39am · Atlanta, GA · 
Getting ready for another road trip; leaving in less than 24 hrsJon Danniells
August 23 at 1:34pm · Hillsboro, TN · 
On the road.....again

Jon Danniells was at Acapulco Burrito.August 23 at 2:54pm · 
Jon DanniellsAugust 24 at 10:51am · Houstonia, MO · 
Chasing a pirate ship across Missouri
Jon DanniellsAugust 25 at 6:44pm · McKinnon, WY · 
First other Burner sighting; middle of Wyoming
Jon Danniells added a new photo.August 25 at 12:20pm · Pine Bluffs, WY · 
Jon Danniells was at Quality Inn & Convention Center.August 25 at 1:45am · 

Jon DanniellsAugust 27 at 2:23pm · Fernley, NV · 
Off the grid soon
Jon DanniellsAugust 27 at 8:27am · Fallon, NV · 
Pondering my "second act"; personal trainer, carny performer, documentary film-maker, writer, perhaps step up the set decorator role and go for an Academy nomination, or a super hyphenated mix of the above; I might get some inspiration/motivation in the desert
Jon Danniells shared Burning Man: The Musical's video.August 27 at 7:37am · 
Burning Man: The Musical uploaded a new video from August to their timeline.Watch the first 5-minutes of Burning Man: The Musical, a new musical about Silicon Valley & Burning Man.
Please help us create the full musical! Support our next 2 videos on Indiegogo: http://igg.me/at/bmthemusical/x/271680
Jon Danniells at PizzaBarn BarnAugust 26 at 11:31pm · 
Last Supper
Jon Danniells at Ramada Salt Lake City Airport HotelAugust 26 at 8:12am · 
Up too early; still on East Coast time? Nah just my typical inability to get enough sleep and rest
Ramada Salt Lake City Airport HotelHotel · Salt Lake City, UT
Jon DanniellsAugust 26 at 12:20am · Salt Lake City, UT · 
What happens on the road stays on the road
Jon Danniells at Wasatch Brew PubAugust 25 at 10:40pm · 
Refueling in Salt Lake City; when in Rome....

Jon Danniells at Black Rock City GateAugust 27 at 6:05pm · 

Early Entry Changes Everything

I was granted early entry last year for my first time. I've only been four times now, so half of my times in now have been a few days before the "official" gates open and I struggle thinking of not getting in early, even though it takes a bit more effort, in regards to costs, logistics, etc.

But you get to see the Playa a bit more empty and raw.

The camps that are there are working to really help build the community, the city.

There fewer folk, which can make for a deeper richer connection, although some of the deepest connections come in the middle and end of this journey when you're spent and frail, so I kind of take that back, kind of. 

Perks of Membership

When you come in early, you're responsible for setting up camp, unloading the truck and getting things ready for the people who couldn't or wouldn't make their time on the Playa longer than a weak. 

One big plus is the time it takes to get in. Even if you're waiting for two or three hours, which at this point I haven't had to, it's still so much better than the possibilities of hours upon hours I've heard of. 

This year the Cherry Bomb, the organizer of the Burning Man Ultra-marathon was in line next to us. I recognized her by her pink hair, only to be reminded of how much pink hair I would be seeing. When her boyfriend got out of the truck, I had confirmation that the pink I had seen was in fact out of the Pink Lightning camp and was indeed Cherry Bomb. 

It's a small world after all. 

Home again, home again, jiggety-jog


After a week plus of this thing they call Burning Man which ran the gamut of activities, emotions, social interactions, what have you; then figuring out how to pack up and get out whilst leaving no-trace, while dealing with a variety of departure schedules and energy out-puts, on top of breaking down my own tent which I not-so-affectionately named The Albatros, was a bit beyond any challenge I needed, but again, "in for a penny, in for a pound" 


Jon Danniells at Sanford's Grub & PubSeptember 9 at 11:23pm · Edited · 
Fueling up

Last year, here at Ryan's Wyoming joint we agreed not to go as big as we did in 2014. That was a good decision. This year several of us, myself included decided to skip 2016. I have a feeling we may have been less than completely ernest on that one.  

My Main Man

I started this drive across the country with this guy Taki AKA Peter or Peter AKA Taki. We camped together a couple of years ago and bonded over an appreciation for micro-brews and being a couple of the older gents in the camp. 

This year we learned a lot about one another, for better and for worse as is always the case. But we came through it stronger and more bonded than ever. 

We did a lot more than drive together. We set-up camp and continued an experiment with non-conventional refrigeration , actually Taki had already done it before, we just made it a little bigger in a hotter climate and it worked like a charm. 

He came up with my Playa name of Gonzo, which I'm not so thrilled with but I probably earned it. 

Yo ho ho, a pirate's life for me. 

We finally returned home. 

I'm still unloading, blowing and sweeping away playa dust. 

I suppose I'll be at that for a while. 

And when I finally finish, I'll probably be thinking about getting back there, even though I have decided not to go next year. 

We'll see....

Consistency Is the Key....It's Just Not Me

Best Laid Plans



Jon-of-All-Trades Strikes Again--A Polymath Conspiracy

Burns' original

Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murdering pattle.

I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth born companion
An' fellow mortal!

I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
'S a sma' request;
I'll get a blessin wi' the lave,
An' never miss't.

Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An' naething, now, to big a new ane,
O' foggage green!
An' bleak December's win's ensuin,
Baith snell an' keen!

Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste,
An' weary winter comin fast,
An' cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro' thy cell.

That wee bit heap o' leaves an' stibble,
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
Now thou's turned out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the winter's sleety dribble,
An' cranreuch cauld.

But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Still thou are blest, compared wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!

Preface to Post and Memory by Facebook

I started this blog post around a month ago and fully intended to keep it short and sweet and get it up and on the internets before heading out to Burning Man. 

I got a bit overwhelmed and, well, it didn't happen. 

So the experience that was so fresh and new in my mind is now a bit stale and foggy from time lapsed and lots of driving and dust.

But I'll do my best to piece it together aided by prompts from Facebook posts made around the time of our trek. 

Jon Danniells
August 10 · Atlanta, GA · 
It's getting more than real; all those tats; I'm ready to scratch my leg off, starting Wednesday morn I hit the Appalachian Trail (with Skye) , which is beyond cool and awesome; we get back on Sunday and then I've got five days to get my stuff together so that we can load up on Saturday and head out Sunday for Burning Man

Jon Danniells
August 11 · Atlanta, GA · 
Laundry, packing for Appalacian Trail 5 day backpack trip (we leave 5:30 tomorrow morn) new toys, Burning Man meeting in a couple of hours, yikesy....

Jon Danniells
August 15 at 3:03pm · Atlanta, GA · 
Back a couple days early from the Appalachian Trail adventure; unpacking from that while still unpacking from our latest West Coast 4 week journey, and still sorting out work stuff from the last job I finished cleaning over a month ago and sorting and packing to leave for Burning Man in a week; a nomad's life for me....

Happy and Not-So-Happy Trails

I love backpacking.

Skye loves backpacking. 

And it was great to be back on the Appalachian Trail for an ambitious 5 day jaunt of some 37 miles; starting at Dick's Creek Gap and finishing up at Wallace Gap in North Carolina. 

However, Skye was feeling a bit under the weather fighting off a cold and I was ready to scratch off my leg because of all the tattoos I'd just layered my calf with. Not to mention how preoccupied I was with preparing for Burning Man. 

The good thing about hiking is how in the moment and present it oftentimes forces and/or allows you to be. 

That said when the trail is not demanding and the scenery gets repetitive, there is a lot of time to think. 

Of Mice and Men and Other Critters

On these trail adventures, our hike-master trip coordinator asks that we bring a poem to share around the camp-fire at night. 

Although I never did end up reading it, (our trip was shortened by a couple of days and our scintialting camp-fire conversations ended up not leaving much time for the sharing of poetry) however it was quite curious and fortuitous the poem that I had brought and was prepared to butcher with my unpracticed reading. 

It was To a Mouse by Robert Burns, which would inspire or at least serve as the title for the more famous Steinbeck classic, Of Mice and Men. 

To a Mouse
BY ROBERT BURNS
On Turning up in Her Nest with the Plough, November, 1785

Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beastie, 
O, what a panic’s in thy breastie! 
Thou need na start awa sae hasty, 
          Wi’ bickerin brattle! 
I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee 
          Wi’ murd’ring pattle! 

I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion 
Has broken Nature’s social union, 
An’ justifies that ill opinion, 
          Which makes thee startle, 
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion, 
          An’ fellow-mortal! 

I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve; 
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live! 
A daimen-icker in a thrave 
          ’S a sma’ request: 
I’ll get a blessin wi’ the lave, 
          An’ never miss ’t! 

Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin! 
It’s silly wa’s the win’s are strewin! 
An’ naething, now, to big a new ane, 
          O’ foggage green! 
An’ bleak December’s winds ensuin, 
          Baith snell an’ keen! 

Thou saw the fields laid bare an’ waste, 
An’ weary Winter comin fast, 
An’ cozie here, beneath the blast, 
          Thou thought to dwell, 
Till crash! the cruel coulter past 
          Out thro’ thy cell. 

That wee-bit heap o’ leaves an’ stibble 
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble! 
Now thou’s turn’d out, for a’ thy trouble, 
          But house or hald, 
To thole the Winter’s sleety dribble, 
          An’ cranreuch cauld! 

But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane, 
In proving foresight may be vain: 
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men 
          Gang aft agley, 
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, 
          For promis’d joy! 

Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me! 
The present only toucheth thee: 
But Och! I backward cast my e’e, 
          On prospects drear! 
An’ forward tho’ I canna see, 
          I guess an’ fear!


As it turned out, we ended up engaging with mice each and every night. 

The first night when I opted to sleep in the shelter and not bother putting up a tent, a little mouse was scurrying all about the shelter and successfully raided someone's backpack before we had a chance to hang the food and snacks up in the bear hang, which by the way is not mouse-proof. 

I found this out the hard way. The next morning my compression sack which was hung some 12 feet plus above the ground was gnawed through and a bunch of my GORP was sacked by these furry vermin. 

The following night, I decided to sleep in my tent because of the mouse infestation at that night's shelter. We had several backpacks as well as the food up in the bear hang raided that night. One unfortunate critter drowned in one of our water buckets that we had left hanging on the bench. Must have fallen in and couldn't get back out. 

And then there was the snake.....

Snake Eyes... aka Crotalus horridus


I would have never seen this not so small rattlesnake had he not started rattling as we passed him. 
At first we thought it as cicada, but then we realized that was not what we were hearing. I hiked back towards the sound and saw this not so happy serpent giving us a warning to stay away. 
I was very tempted to get closer for a better picture but at the urging of my backpacking partner and the fact that we were pretty far away from any medical help I had to be content with shots from afar. 

Straight Out of Georgia

We crossed the Georgia-North Carolina border. A couple of our trail-mates had successfully completed all of the Appalachian Trail within Georgia. Skye and I have various  segments to complete before being able to make that statement. 

Nonetheless it was fun crossing a state to state border on foot after driving across so many of them in the last several years. 

As it would turn out, this would be our last day on the trail. We had set out to do 5 days and cut it short by two because we realized we had no chance in making the miles and two of our hikers were struggling with illness, Skye being one of them.

I was a tiny bit disappointed but more relieved because of all the things I had on my plate, not to mention the condition of my leg. 

It was a wonderful short excursion and getting back early did indeed take some of the pressure of my already too crammed-up schedule. 

Why I Blog

I blog to remember.

I blog to share.

I blog to express myself. 

I blog to be heard.  

I write because I'm a writer and I can't help myself.

But sometimes life gets in the way and I get too busy to blog. And then I have to decide which experiences and or blog posts don't make the cut as it were. 

There are currently 8 blog posts that I have started that are sitting in the draft folder and those are just the ones that  made it on to this blog site's editing page. I have a notebook full of others and plenty of scraps of paper and torn out magazine articles that may or may not see the light of day. 

This particular blog will be basically an outline or wish-list of blog posts to come in the next week or so. 

Where have I been and why haven't I had time to write. 

6-22 to 9-13

Those are the dates from when I finished my last job to today. When you're on a film job, particularly if you're a department head, everything besides the job pretty much gets put on hold. 

Appropriately, the first post I wrote after getting laid off was titled Listfulness and pretty much laid out what I had coming up in the aforementioned time frame. 

Basically, driving out West and camping for two weeks for Skye's Shakespeare camp in Mammoth Lakes, which I successfully blogged about; hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail, which I haven't mentioned much at all, and then prepping for driving to and fro and living and breathing the festival that is Burning Man. 

That's what's on the menu and more.

And a little tease enjoy the slideshow with no narration or explanation