earthdance

[Drunk Monk]

meanwhile, in dm's delusional world, well, he had a plate of nachos for lunch just now and can relate the night crew ed tale. dm should mention that he scored a six of monty python holy grail ale at the bev mo stop on the way. it's a mediocre beer, pricey at $10, but dm just had to bust that out for the party where it was enjoyed by a select few python heads. i suppose that should go in the food section.

so dm secured a nice spot in the back corner of bear camp and scored a great parking spot for quick escape. that was thurs - the truck hadn't arrived so rm was in a holding pattern. there was this general vol meeting which got to be a luv fest with various crews going way too long with heartfelt speeches about the last ed, and the promotor grumbling about saying 'keep it short dammit!' dm took the mike and did his 'i'm in charge of bad trips. can i see a show of hands for who's tripping now?' schtick (always good for a laugh) and then recited dr. skip's mantra "return the patient to friends or family w/out law/hospitalization" which drew a roar of applause. the rest of the weekend, lots of strangers were coming up, saying kynd words, nodding in approval. that night was just mmedicating. there's a few hardcore mmed slingers in rm now (not just mic) so there was a windfall of premium high grade. watching those slingers compare tastes and strains was like watching wine connoisseurs - absolutely entertaining, and the tastings never ended until you forced yourself to get up and walk away. dm got some sleep that night.

the next morn, the truck needed unpacking, but dm had a call about someone passing out in line. he was from san bruno, witnessed the fire, hadn't eaten or slept in over 24 hours, so instead of unpacking (re: working) dm hung out with him and his friends and watched the crowd come in - a total easy call.

the weather friday was surreal. overcast, then it would get super muggy and uncomfotable, then there would be this delicious sprinkle which kept the dust down (especially the post burningman playa dust which burners carried in like mutts carrying fleas). the sun might peak out for a sec, then the cycle would happen again. it was actually rather nice. dm spent the day wandering about, meeting old friends, running scams and such.

night fell and there was an onslaught of iprs, mostly lost souls. there were a few restraints, nothing major, and even some nekkid people, all par for the course. the space tent was full throughout the main stage show and then some after. it was the full range and dm got to do some talk, some restraint, some escorting back to friends and camps, a little of everything. the high point was a head lac from a beer bottle (a fight) where the bleeding couldn't be stopped while a tripper bolted resulting in a takedown wrassle right in rm's doorway, and rm lost power. it was night so everyone had to bust out flashlights and it was dark for a good 15-20 minutes. crazy. there was also this domestic abuse call from way out in the back 40 of the ranch (like a 15 min ride by gator on the back dirt roads in pitch darkness). some woman showed up at a camper all beaten because her b/f slammed her face through a car window. by the time rm arrived, she had been cleaned up but was still very emotional. she was escorted back to rm. space also had the jesi - two jesus iprs (dm's term: octupus: octupi/jesus: jesi) one jesus was retrieved by dm butt nekkid at the front of stage after the show was over. fortunately his clothes were all nearby. tried to get the jesi to talk each other down, but that didn't quite work. dm burst out laughing when the other jesus was coming down and said 'i feel like i died...and was reborn!"

[Drunk Monk]

I lost a restraint. I didn't lose restraint - just lost *a* restraint. I've carried a pair of soft restraints since the Jerry daze - it's been my main piece of RM equipment after my glove pouch (which I coincidentally just replaced with a pouch made by T). My psych guru Joel gave me them. Now I'm down to one. impermanence...

The new venue works in this weird way. It's still the BM afterparty - they've even added a lot of BM sculptures. It's not nearly as dusty as Black Oak was. It's intricate - a lot of nooks and crannies. RM has a huge space - the livestock barn. The nice thing is it's only a hour away, so I came home last night and will go back tonight after lovEvolution.

When Gaia became earthdance lite, earthdance became something totally new. Lots of vendors. Five major stages. Plenty of things to keep one occupied. Right next to a hotel w/a major party scene (all night poolside DJ) and of course, Marine World. I like it a lot more than I thought I would so far.

Most of the soundsystems weren't moving me. InDUBious was strong for a 3-piece reggae act - nothing new, but young, fast and on the riddem. Balkan Beat Box was okay - great musicianship. I was hoping for more. Same for Beats Antique, although I was less impressed - granted I cut out early because it was like 1 AM and they started slow, but when I checked in later, it still wasn't moving me.

My camera was low on batteries, so my pix came out funny, but I'll facebook them next week.

Escorted an IPR w/her 2 friends from F.O.S. at the electronica hall to the campgrounds. She was a belligerent tripper, even slapped me once (a lame slap - no iron palm training whatsoever). The nooB RM crew stationed at the hall were no help. In fact, I actually jumped there call as they were standing F.O.S. w/their thumbs up their butts. Then they abandoned me, so I did the escort solo. During some of the tussle, well, that's probably where I lost that restraint. I didn't really need help, but the nooBs need to learn (they're always begging to be on psych, but obviously they don't have the instincts). If I had company, attentive company, they would have seen me lose that restraint. Oh well. I'm trying to cut back on my RM anyways...

...more to come...

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Didn't you just do a week of shows? And you can't cut back, your a legend! Even in your own mind.

[Drunk Monk]

...I returned to earthdance late Sat night, just in time to catch Delhi 2 Dublin's set. They were ok, not as impressive as when I saw them at Gaia. I think the fiddler changed, as memory has her as a redhead Irish-looking woman, not some hippie dude. Haven't double checked that. Might be hallucinatory.

Then I caught all of Ziggy Marley's set and he was really good. Roots reggae, big and stoney, just the way I like it. I've seen Ziggy many times before and he can turn in a lackluster show, but he was very on that night. Best musical moment of the whole run. After that, I hung out for a bit to get my driving legs back under me. When the first potential call came over the radio, I high-tailed it out of there, much to the amusement of my fellow vols.

My cheapo camera crashed. Ironically, I bought it on sale to capture earthdance last year. This year's photos were a mess. Might post what little I can salvage later on facebook.