As the saying goes, "trying to explain Burninman to someone who has never been, is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to a blind person."  Now over 40,000 people strong, this art party of free-wheeling nonconfomist, intellectuals, uninhibited artists and ravers from around the world decend upon a dry lake bed over 100 miles from the nearest supermarket or shopping mall in what can only be described as a combination of Halloween, New years eve, Mardi Gras and the Apocalpyse all rolled into one weeklong Labor day party.  At the center of Burningman's Black Rock City is a 4 story man made out of neon and wood that is set on fire on Saturday night.  This temporary city (the 7th largest in Nevada, but only for one week) is complete with a radio station, library, hotel, cemetery, roller rink and post office.  Black Rock City is reborn each year as revelers rebuild the city from scratch every year.  Hundreds of art cars and theme camps surround The Man.  My favorite theme camp was Barbie Death Camp and Wine Bistro.  The camp consisted of thousands of Barbie dolls in various stages of being totured or dying.  Barbie getting crucified on a hot pink cross, Barbie being hung by a rope, Barbie getting run over by her own dream car, and hundreds of Barbies being forced at GI Joe gunpoint into an Easy Bake oven.  

I experienced  moments of utter hopelessness and transcendent beauty at Burningman and saw some of the coolest art installations imaginable.  Burningman was challenging, spiritual, exhausting , envigorating and just what I needed. 

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