Burning Man or Davos?

I loved this paragraph in an article by Nick Paumgarten in the New Yorker on Davos. It feels to me like the advantages and distresses that arise in a Burning Man camp, and it is beautifully crafted "a minuet of subtle distinctions" except for "power, money and expertise, hopefully we substitute other qualities for those:

"The most essential variable may be one that Schwab introduced unwittingly, In Davos, he established a a setting for a perpetually subdividing game of status, a minuet of subtle distinctions. There is something almost Warholian in his apparent guilelessness. (Just substitute Tom Friedman, Shimon Peres, and Larry Summers for Edie Sedgwick, Nico, and Rotten Rita.) The anxiety of exclusion pervades. It is the natural complement to the euphoria of inclusion. The tension between self-celebration and self-doubt engenders a kind of social electricity. It is one of those places, like New Orleans, where you may find that you hardly need sleep. After twenty-four frantic hours, I felt as though I had unwittingly walked into an Ecstasy party—why did all these people keep touching each other? (Not literally: collegial as everyone may be, I saw one hug all week, and it was an ironic one.) It’s not the whisper of conspiracy as much as it is the thrum of mutual regard—of proximity to power, money, and expertise. But insecurity sets it all alight."

Love One Another

At 63, pretty often I hear about a death in my circle. This month it happened to be a suicide by both a high school classmate and a Burning Man acquaintance. I know we live in a more immediate world of information, but even in a less plugged in world I would have heard of these deaths sometime.

A friend of mine blogged this week about the death of his brother eight years ago and his continued sadness and commitment to as I like to say "be here now" and love one another.

My mother and my niece of 29 both died in 1990 within a few months of one another, while I was at a new job and it was my first clear look at what someone's death meant in my life. With my mother, who was mentally ill, the question was whether I was living my life in a way that made me sane and that created who I wanted to be. My niece's death, on the other hand, was all about whether there was something I could do to help my sister survive the loss of the light of her life.

Over twenty years later those lessons have not changed very much. Am I living my life as fully and gracefully as I can, and in each moment does each person in my life know I love them, and do my actions reflect that.

Burning Man Holiday Photos are UP!

http://ericnielson.smugmug.com/Portraits/2011-12-03-Burning-Man/20497047_qHggD3#1623073993_Q3LTkDN

Sorry, no Santa photos yet! Hopefully coming Soon

My Review of Elyse Lace Up Bootie

Originally submitted at Avenue.com

These military-style wide calf & wide width plus size boots zip open on both sizes for easy on and off. Working lace ties create a don't-mess-with-me style.

• Man made upper ...

Elyse Lace Up Bootie

Love Them

By affinity from San Francisco, CA on 11/27/2011

 

5out of 5

Sizing: Feels true to size

Width: Feels true to width

Pros: Stable, Stylish, Comfortable

Best Uses: Casual Wear

Describe Yourself: Comfort-oriented, Trendy

Was this a gift?: No

Love these boots, have been looking for mid-calf boots in my size for years. Wore them for the first time last night and I am thrilled. Got to the party and had to take out shoes off. No problem with the zippers.

(legalese)

Burning Man Holiday Party Photos 2010 v2

To see the entire collection of Santa Photos:

http://ericnielson.smugmug.com/Other/2010-11-15-BurningManXmas/14750179_w3Zzp

Thanks so much to the photographers Eric Nielsen and Randal Smith for co-photographing.

Burning Man Holiday Party Photos

This first set of photos from Todd c. Hartman and they are gorgeous. Thank You Todd!

Here are some of my friends.

http://www.foxbabystudio.com/ToddHartmanPhoto/NightLife/DMV_HoildayParty_2010_Gallery/WebGallery.html