On Facebook some of my burner friends are stating the number of days remaining until Burning Man. The countdown is given on the front page of the Burning Man web site. I used to be like that. Living for the week in the desert. In a way it’s kind of a sad way to live. It isn’t living in the present. In fact it goes against one of the 10 Principles of Burning Man which is Immediacy. Being in my fifties I find that life goes by fast enough without always looking far into the future for fun.

The photo above is at the Empress Theme camp. The inspiration for it comes from the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC.

There are so many fun things that can be done between now and Burning Man. My burner friends got me into miniature gaming. I have an army of Warmachine Pirates and last year I went to Gottacon.

Last year I visited my cousin on her farm in between Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta. I’ve been spoilt by the Victoria climate on southern Vancouver Island. It snows maybe once in the winter and it doesn’t get all that cold. Ponoka, the town where my cousin lives, was the coldest place on Earth one day last winter. I was there in the fall when they were bringing the crops in. I got to ride in the big harvester.

I went back a month later when it was colder and there was snow on the ground. Once a month they head into town and play board games with their friends. I do that here too. Anyway I discovered that dominoes are fun. There’s actually a proper domino game. When I came home I bought myself one.

So don’t just wait for Burning Man to come around again. Do something. Organize a Burners and Beer event or a Burning Dinner. Or get together and brainstorm an awesome art project to take to the Playa. Or organize your own local event. There are many exciting things that you can be doing during the year. If you really can’t keep busy sewing outfits and twiddling your thumbs then check out the regionals page and fly to an event. There are opportunities all year long for fun.