we both harbor secret Burning Man longings, but weird ones. We'd like to sleep all day in silk-draped, mosquito-netted tents, rise at dusk, and host all-night tea parties, in white linen dresses (preferably with hoops and crinolines), complete with crustless cucumber sandwiches and digestive biscuits and crumpets and as much of the whole nine yards as we can manage in the desert.

Oh look, JZ is in my head again.

Oooh! Oooh! An entire Edward Gorey-themed environment!

Oh look, JZ is in my head again.

I can't help it; your head is so cozy and inviting, with the velvet pillows and vaguely sinister-looking vases filled with spiney flowers and peacock feathers, the little three-legged ebony tables covered with absinthe paraphernalia, the decks of cards strewn about decorated with numbers that don't quite make sense, the busts of Shelley and both Rossetti siblings on the mantel, the bats hanging drowsily from the ceiling beams, the wind howling over the moors outside, us in here protected by the blood-red brocade curtains. It's just so dear and homey in its beautifully unwholesome way.

Oh dear. Now I want JZ's and Jilli's F2F. Anything else seems rather tame by comparison.

If not for the fact that I'd be dead of heat stroke before the first day was out, I would SO be pushing for us to actually do this.

From the stories I've heard by friends who've gone again and again, the keys to survival are: (a) Go nocturnal only, no matter what, and (b) have a big enough group, with enough well-heeled members, that you can afford to bring a generator and either a metric shitload of fans or an actual air conditioner.

I have given tests in the Ramada's ball room, And the hospitality suite. May I also mention there is a Starbucks in the lobby?

Further note. Back in the dark ages, before the hotel was remodeled, it was the City Hall!

The staff is really helpful, btw.

24-hour wild animals like ND

Just what are you implying?

I'd be totally down with doing Burning Man.

Just what are you implying?

That you rarely sleep, love a good Scotch, are well acquainted with a variety of debaucheries, and look very fetching in eyeliner.

How you manage to balance this with also being the guy who has cradled MM and Aimée's baby daughter as if she were more precious than a Fabergé egg (which she is), earned a devoted following of students and parents and successfully mentored at least one student into a terrific tech program, and gave Nilly a sweet and gentlemanly personal tour of Disneyland, is just one of those eternal mysteries.

I attribute it to multiple personalities, or maybe even a dimensional rift.

in white linen dresses (preferably with hoops and crinolines

This sounds very airy and cool, doesn't it?

I've heard having an RV to which to retreat for the occasional shower is great. I've also heard that going completely nude and following along behind the truck that's spraying water to keep the dust down is pretty awesome, too. Sadly, my nude hippy chick days are over or I'd SO be there.