I’m leaving in a week and a half and Scotty asked me to dig up the Less Than Zero Expectations what to bring list.  It has been modified for the American Dream. I’m not modifying it for the Evolution theme.  This list has been gathered from friends and changed so many times, who knows where it came from. Catherine and Wizard definitely get the lion’s share of credit.

Bring:

• BURNING MAN TICKET!!! (or confirmation email printout for will call)
• Early Arrival Pass (if you got it)
• Extra Car Keys
• Cash (once you’re there, you’ll only buy ice, coffee or use it as an illegal bartering medium)
• Ice for road trip
• Jumper Cables
• WATER!!! (BUY IN RENO – you’ll save your car a lot of weight. It’s recommended 1.5 gallons/day per person for drinking/food/showers This is good advice with current gas prices)
• Food (see list below)
• Alcohol (pick a budget and stick to it)

Bike Stuff:

• Bicycle (Decorated! – It’s prettier and less likely to be stolen)
• Bike Rack
• Bike Light (it can be DARK)
• Bike Lock (combo best so you don’t have to hold keys!)
• Tire Repair Kit
• wd40
• bike multi-tool

Camping:

• Tent
• Heavy Duty Tent Stakes (Long, at least 12″ although heavy rebar will work well too)
• Shade structure (I have a carport I got at pep boys years ago. It’s survived pretty well and I use shade cloth on the sides to make it even better. I curse it every time I put it together.)
• Sleeping Bag or Linens
• Pillow
• Air Mattress or futon
• 2 Camping Chairs so you can have company
• Camping Table
• Lantern
• Camping Shower (cabellas.com has the best one)
• Tool Kit  (for me this is a lot)
• Rope/line (as a grip I can say, you can never have enough out there)
• Small Broom/Dust Pan (sweeping your tent)
• Water Bottle with Strap, clean canteen on a carabiner or a Camelback (sold at REI- usually,on sale in August)
• An extra cup or two!

• Clothing for Warm and Cold Weather (always prepare for extremes)
• Boots
• Close-Toe Shoes (at least some of the time – and make sure they can get dirty)
• EXTRA SOCKS!!! (Seriously, at least DOUBLE what you think)
• EXTRA UNDIES! (you may loose some)

• Headlight/Flashlight
• Tiny Flashlight (to hook on you for night walking)
• Extra Batteries (all kinds – camera, lantern, flashlight, boom box, etc.)
• Blindfold (for day sleeping)
• Earplugs
• Duct Tape
• Sunscreen
• Lip Screen/Balm with sunscreen!
• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Goggles (for dust storms)
• Bandana for Dust Mask (THESE ARE GREAT CAUSE YOU CAN FOLD THEM UP)
• Umbrella
• Rain Coat or Poncho
• Zip Lock Bags (lots of the ‘storage’ size)
• Garbage Bags (i suggest contractor bags or trash compactor bags. the last thing you want on your return home is a leaky trashbag stinking up your drive)
• Plastic Grocery Bags
• a cardboard box for burnables
• First Aid Kit
• Matches / lighters
• Soft Kleenex
• Sewing Kit
• Safety Pins
• Paper Towels
• Moisturizing Eye Drops
• Nose Saline (they have this at 99 cent store)
• Baby Wipes (great to carry around in a plastic baggie & to take showers with!)
• Q-tips (to clean ears from dust)
• Medication (allergy, migraine, Echinacea, birth control, vitamins, etc.)
• Oil (for hair- great treatment!You can get very dry out there. be sure for hair- some are toxic in high dose)
• Lotion (Big)
• Nail Polish Remover
• Sponges
• Shampoo/Liquid Soap (dr bonners!)
• Shower Puff (the plastic ball kind that dry quickly)
• Towels
• Toothbrush/Toothpaste/Floss
• Can Opener- Eureka!!!
• Swiss Army Knife/Corkscrew
• Fire Extinguisher (There should at least be one close by)
• Spray Bottles (2) one for your body one for cleaning dishes and pans!
• Vinegar
• Basin
• COSTUMES!!! (For various types of weather/temperature)
• Body Makeup
• Bright Nail Polish
• Blinkies/Glow Sticks
• Essential Oils (for smell-just nice)
• Wigs
• A bathroom bag (small backpack or sling bag) . contents: roll of single ply TP. flashlight, baby wipes, surface wipes, a ziplock for the used wipes, hand sanitizer basically anything you would need in the porta-potties. Keep it right by the door of your tent. so that in the middle of the night it’s close at hand! Trust me. This is a lifesaver!
• Kitchen set up plates, cups, utensils. Pots pans, knives spatulas, etc.
• A butane stove. I got mine at a chinese supermarket in chinatown.
• a solid cooler that will keep your drinks cold and the FEW things you need to keep cold for freshness fresh.
• one of those orange five gallon drinking water things. Keep this full of ice and use it to get your water cold. TIP: manage your coolers by keeping them in the shade!

FOOD

• Water
• Emergen-C or Gatorade (you’ll need the electrolytes!)
• Nuts/Dried Fruit
• juice
• Shakes
• instant soups and asian food from Trader Joe’s. Think anything pre-made. just set them in the sun to cook!
• Oatmeal
• Those tuna packs that make instant tuna salad
• Clif Bars
• salty treats to help keep you hydrated
• Tasty Bites or similar food in a bag (get at trader joes) a real treat out there!
• If you want to be super awesome. Get a great dish from your favorite take out restaurant and get a double order of something you love (like gumbo, or kung pao shrimp) and freeze it in a big ziplock. Then eat it in the first few days, just by heating it up in a big pan.

Extra Tips
- Pack in plastic storage containers. Use bins to help stack your stuff!

- Pack clothes in categories in large zip lock bags. Keeps them less dusty. zip them back up when you can!

- Pack one clean set of clothes (including shoes and socks) for the ride home. Don’t open during BM. You’ll be happy!

- Pack all of your undies & makeup in plastic baggies (so never too dusty)

-You might want to add a mesh bag like the kind that onions come in. Put wet garbagein them ( like food waste) and then it dries out in the heat and can then be put in plastic bags for drive home.

DO NOT BRING:

• Excess Packaging – take cereal bag out of cereal box, etc.
• Anything with feathers or loose glitter
• Too much produce (especially watermelons! Never bring watermelon to burning man)
• Styrofoam Coolers

So as I am reworking my resume, I am finding it one of the harder writing assignments I have ever had.  I need to write about myself,  which is hard enough. Then I have to keep in mind that bio-survivability is completely tied to this.  I need to straddle that fine line between playful self expression and button up business language. And, I have to survive!

It’s madness.

I find the one sheet standard for resume writing is an outdated model for the freelancer. Things like Linked In serve as a better model. It’s got this modular language one that people familiar with social media can wrap their heads around. I found LI was a great tool for getting my work history nice and organized. Although my profile there needs a little work still, I am getting the hang of that.

Complaining about the format that resumes are accepted in won’t do any good. It’s like complaining that regular work hours are nine to five, right when traffic is the worst.  So I need to fit it all into this tight little space. I’m considering just listing my countless jobs, and titles and years, while putting the bulk of the info in the skill section. I’ve been a freelancer for seven years or so, how do you  convey the breadth and depth of that experience. This is my challenge.

Then there’s the formatting. I have yet to really see a one page resume style that I really like. I will happily take suggestions on this. Right now I am using Pages on my Mac and using the “Modern Resume” format. I am a modern guy, this makes perfect sense.  But damn, again… I keep feeling like I am doing it wrong.

The hardest part, by far is just sitting down and writing the thing.