From: Calvin from Simplero <calvin@simplero.com>
Subject: News from Simplero: Back in town from Burning Man

Hi Lovely Simplerista,

So no newsletter last week, since I was burning the midnight oil, the man, and all sorts of other crazy shit at Burning Man. (Okay, technically I wasn't doing much burning, just trying to make a pun here.)

What an experience!

Right up to the hours before leaving I was about to back out. 12 whole days, mostly without internet. Quite an investment of both time and money. And for what? I only knew one person in my 75-person theme camp, and all that stuff about dust and dehydration and goggles and masks ... it just seemed overwhelming. And way too hippie for me!

Well, turns out I really enjoyed it.

It wasn't all fun and games, though. I got to face some demons and process some old shit (nobody likes me, no-one wants me, people find me disgusting, and things of that nature), and I got some really good cries at the temple. But the experience was one of awe and wonder and amazement and gratitude and endless random acts of kindness and deep meaningful connections.

On Monday night, I ventured out on the playa on my own for the first time, just wandering around. I was still debating internally whether going had been a good idea or not. Maybe it's just not for me, right? I decided that I had to go on my own in order to find out what Burning Man will be for me.

Not too far into my journey, I came across this magical sight, and I knew this was for me:


It's two giant meshed metal cages, side-by-side, which gets filled with lumber, and then swung around by four volunteers each. To begin with, they can't get them all the way around, it requires too much force. Gravity causes the lumber to fall down and break, the fire spreads, and the sight and sounds and smell and feeling of warmth in the air is so goddamn amazing.

And to think that all of this is built just to be on display for one week, or maybe just 5 days, and then in many cases burnt, never to exist again. I mean people work on these for months and months. It's just incredible.

The temple was really special. I walked in there and didn't really get it. Then I sat down in front of the center "altar", wrote some thoughts on a piece of paper, and then I just wept for at least a half hour while amazing strangers held and supported me through the end of it. I mean, wow! Where else on earth would you experience that? Not anywhere I've lived, that's for sure.

So if Burning Man is on your bucket list, then I say "go". I've been interested in this event for 14 years at this point, and only ended up going now. I will definitely be going back.

News from the blog

The blog today has just a single post, and it's all about Burning Man. If you're interested in more details about my experience, and answers to your likely questions, take a read.

News from Simplero

Well, when a third of the team takes a 2-week break, not much new development takes place.

Random stuff from around the interwebs

I love Uber, but it sure looks like they're being big assholes in their competition with Lyft. Not cool. Not a conscious startup in my book. I've started using Lyft more for that reason, even though I find Uber's service to be superior.

Here's a guy that was sentenced to three years in jail for pirating a movie. Admitted, he sounds like a jerk, but three years is still a rather long time.

Here's a video of the temple burn on Sunday night. We left shortly after. To think that this beautiful and powerful building only existed for five days, and then was gone for eternity, it boggles my mind. Its temporality only increases the beauty and power.

I love you. Thank you for being a part of my life.

-Calvin