Miss Jamie Dee

the progression of a memoir

Archive for Uncategorized

I’d never have to see the day again.

The Velvet Underground

Going to Burning Man as a True Virgin

Your first time to Burning Man there’s this great ceremony of the ringing of the bell. Before I got out there, I was warned by the Burners of our group that I should be prepared to hit the Virgin Bell, or roll around in the dust. In my mind, either of the two options were equally exciting to me, and I intended to do either with the utmost pride and vigor.

Now, looking back, I understand what it really means to enter the world of Black Rock City as a virgin, a first timer, a novice, an innocent child. Out of everyone in the group, I feel like I was the biggest virgin of them all, not because I was without knowledge, understanding, compassion, and wisdom, but because I am void of true experience.

It was my first solo trip. It was my first leap outside of the normal excepted lifestyle. It was my first with truly focused and brilliant artists, all trying to capture and produce. It was my first introspective look that I was able to capture and want to create from. It was the first time where I felt my existence occurred as a result of the current troubled state of the world.

I talked to Mike the other night on the phone, and this wonderful talented mind told me I had a beautiful piece of film. I can recall the piece perfectly; I was in Camp Heaven, hardly feeling bliss. In a moment of true vulnerability, I have captured myself on camera feeling disconnected, alienated, and out of place. At the time I felt like the only one, but Mike says to me, “its like wow. Is this really what people go through in Burning Man? And its like, wow, well yeah. But then you get over it and you adjust along the way.”

thinking.

It comes in waves.

To fully explain my state of mind currently would take decades, but to give the shortened version, at this moment I am completly inspired and hopeful. Ideas of an internet currency and sustainable network community existing excites me beyond all adventures. This is the Neo in the Matrix, the Superman in the city, the turn around to a New World Order.

To really put you in my mind, here are two conversations of the evening:
SiorraidhSeirc: so, what I’m saying is, if you’re serious about the keene, film degree thing
SiorraidhSeirc: start early. make a film now that you’re proud of and something that means something to you
ddisastertourism: yeah
SiorraidhSeirc: because if you do then making films will mean something to you, because your professors Will notice.
SiorraidhSeirc: they’ll know art when they see it, and you’ve got the vision
ddisastertourism: yeah, I know, I just have to have an idea for the final film already
ddisastertourism: but I think i have one, I have to talk to them about it though
SiorraidhSeirc: what is it? if I can ask
ddisastertourism: im not gonna say much, but its has to do with Alan’s Pychedelic Breakfast by Pink Floyd
ddisastertourism: and no, its not going to be literally about a pyschedelic breakfast
ddisastertourism: haha
ddisastertourism: its not going to be quick cuts of bong hits and dialated pupils
ddisastertourism: im questioning whether or not theyll let me because it has like talking in it
SiorraidhSeirc: to make it simple, yet expanded, this is the deal
SiorraidhSeirc: you have your camera, you have your knowledge of film, you have your software.
SiorraidhSeirc: you have your specifications, 5 minutes, thats all
SiorraidhSeirc: what would you produce for five minutes that you really felt was something you wanted to create?
SiorraidhSeirc: if you feel its a powerful work and goes against the rules a bit, by all means
SiorraidhSeirc: because, what you’re really doing is bending a rule
SiorraidhSeirc: its not really dialogue, and you know it.
SiorraidhSeirc: dialogue is a really literal way of translating a scene
ddisastertourism: i know it isnt dialogue
SiorraidhSeirc: well, then just explain that to them in the initial write up etc
ddisastertourism: like, he almost didnt let me leave class thursday until I came up with an idea
ddisastertourism: yeah, I know, thats what im going to do
ddisastertourism: everyone else had an idea
SiorraidhSeirc: it takes a process
ddisastertourism: i actually dont think so
ddisastertourism: it just comes to me
SiorraidhSeirc: you notice a pattern, you get a fleating vision, and then all of the sudden something makes sense and you just want to produce something that expresses that urge
SiorraidhSeirc: well, yeah, it seems to come from no where.
ddisastertourism: yeah
SiorraidhSeirc: think it comes from no where?
ddisastertourism: yes and no
ddisastertourism: sometimes I think it comes out of nowhere, like genuinely straight up nowhere
SiorraidhSeirc: the optomistic and spiritual side of me really likes to think I’m channeling something I can’t understand
ddisastertourism: why?
ddisastertourism: what makes you think youre channeling something you cant understand?
SiorraidhSeirc: well, not that I can’t understand
SiorraidhSeirc: but, we’re all the same, in actuality
SiorraidhSeirc: we percieve a world, based on our perspective and our perception.
ddisastertourism: mhm, in your opinion
SiorraidhSeirc: yes, absolutely
SiorraidhSeirc: I can only speak from my own experience
SiorraidhSeirc: but, to me, it makes sense because think of a sunny day
SiorraidhSeirc: from our perspective, it is sunny. from our perception, it make be a good or bad day depending on how we react or respond to what we think about and encounter that day
ddisastertourism: haha yes I know this Jamie
SiorraidhSeirc: so, ever person or think in existence that can percieve its reality is seeing something different
SiorraidhSeirc: well you’re the one that said “to you.”
ddisastertourism: well I understand it as a theory or whatever
SiorraidhSeirc: so, I’m just telling you how I see it. how am I supposed to know this makes sense to you too?
ddisastertourism: well…I just told you
ddisastertourism: haha
SiorraidhSeirc: haha well yes, moving on then.
SiorraidhSeirc: so, if you think about that concept in a bigger sense, how awesome is that? like, if there is one, existing force, one consciousness
SiorraidhSeirc: and its only purpose is to create, manifest, transform, than what better what to do so through a creation that can realize itself?
ddisastertourism: yeah, i suppose it’d be pretty awesome
ddisastertourism: i.e. a human
SiorraidhSeirc: like, to look at things and people and ideas and art and music and realize, I am creating this because it is my job to create, that would be so rewarding.
ddisastertourism: i see it differently though
ddisastertourism: like
ddisastertourism: I like music far more than I will ever like film
ddisastertourism: like, by a landslide
ddisastertourism: but if I was a “music major” or anything like that, it would take something that I really enjoy and love and turn it into a stress-omitting bag of stress that film is for me
ddisastertourism: so I guess to reiterate some old saying, “dont mix work with pleasure”
SiorraidhSeirc: I absolutely understand
SiorraidhSeirc: today Roger’s father was like, I took 4 years off from my job to do photography
SiorraidhSeirc: and decided I loved it too much to make a career out of it
SiorraidhSeirc: the great thing is, you can mix the two

 
SiorraidhSeirc: the girl I was supposed to room with, a true jem in the realm of friends, had a birthday party last night. however, because of various reasons, went our separate ways
SiorraidhSeirc: but, despite the riff, I went to the party and had a great time and pitched your idea/ my intepretation of your idea to  some really great, really smart people, one an economic major, another a musician I believe, etc, and they were confused but followed it and liked it.
SiorraidhSeirc: then today I talked to Roger and Tarynn about it and they are both on board. Roger has some counter points we’ll have to discuss, but for the most part I made it make sense for them in a way that really worked
SiorraidhSeirc: my main point was we’re all artists that, well, we really just want to create, eat well, and have a place to live. Which, basically, are the three basic elements of survival for human beings. Shelter, food, and the ability to channel and create.
foureyedmonsters: haha, great!
SiorraidhSeirc: and tonight I was at a party. Arin, there were 9 people there, average college students.
SiorraidhSeirc: a freshman knew about four eyed monsters and knew about burning man, and she was amazing. and my friend chuck from last year, I told him about our idea and it makes sense to him to
SiorraidhSeirc: so… why can’t we brainstorm and find a way to start this?
SiorraidhSeirc: honestly.
SiorraidhSeirc: it sounds crazy and too simple, but occams razor, the simpliest explaination is the best. The real crazy idea is that we exist in the state we do right now where the main goal is to acheieve all the money
SiorraidhSeirc: but why do we want all of the money? because we want all of the stuff.
SiorraidhSeirc: but what if all of the stuff was immediately and instantly available via our credit transit sharing bartering all in the name of creation nation?
foureyedmonsters: Yes, well this morning the first presentation of the day was by Todd dagres and he said he thought that filmmakers could share resources and wanted to invest into a team of people that had a slate of 7 films.
SiorraidhSeirc: this is so hard to wrap your mind around, we reallly need to sit down, record it, and translate it
SiorraidhSeirc: guess what.
foureyedmonsters: Our small “network” with these concepts can probably get investment and then one of the initiatives would be to make this currency thing happen and start being used right away.
SiorraidhSeirc: okay. can you do me a huge favor?
SiorraidhSeirc: Lean back, take a deep breath, and realize that this can happen. this is epic.
foureyedmonsters: Yes, it’s pretty big stuff.  Huge implications.  And a very practical and real road map.  It will happen.
SiorraidhSeirc: can you imagine?

SiorraidhSeirc: if you could do something wild right now what would it be? like totally off the charts?
ddisastertourism: if you could do something wild Jamie, I mean completely off the charts, what would it be?
SiorraidhSeirc: Well I feel i’ve already started.  I left school, I went out to the west, I started joining a film
SiorraidhSeirc: well, I want to start this new idea of an economy
SiorraidhSeirc: its in its infancy but I think there’s something to be said about it
ddisastertourism: new economy? does it involve poker chips?
SiorraidhSeirc: nah. just time travel.
ddisastertourism: oh, of course
SiorraidhSeirc: cutting is the greatest tool ever
SiorraidhSeirc: I love cutting out nonimportant ideas
ddisastertourism: eh, sometimes its the nonimportant ideas that help bring about the important ones
SiorraidhSeirc: yeah. but sometimes its just unnecessary information
ddisastertourism: but i know what you mean
ddisastertourism: its a good feeling
SiorraidhSeirc: especially if you are creating in a world where people can only read your stuff for so long
ddisastertourism: if you create for others, than yeah
SiorraidhSeirc: you can create for yourself and for others at the same time
SiorraidhSeirc: when you create for others you just narrow down your idea
SiorraidhSeirc: and the people that agree with your idea will hop on board and follow your idea through if its good enough.
ddisastertourism: i guess, yeah
ddisastertourism: there are men literally sawing wood with electric tools outside my window
ddisastertourism: at 2:45
SiorraidhSeirc: I’m thinking about volunteering at the Kushi institute
SiorraidhSeirc: and living there this winter.
ddisastertourism: theyre being loud as fuck
ddisastertourism:
SiorraidhSeirc: well, its great, well ballanced, healthy satisfying food
SiorraidhSeirc: its quiet, secluded, and peaceful
SiorraidhSeirc: I could live there for free, volunteer during the day, and write my book and create on my free time
ddisastertourism: ah, sounds sweet thensm: oh eah, why?

And that’s all.