Unpaid Bills & TuTus

The aftermath of Burning Man is always challenging. How does one reconcile oneself to the capitalist treadmill, the numbness, the schedule-shuffling of the Default World after a week of hedonism and emotional joy-riding in the desert with like-minded souls?

Blissful with Lord Hopton and Cosmo, my first year at the Burn. I went through a pretty serious depression after my return that first time - sitting at a desk and staring at a computer felt like torture. I couldn't settle for the rat race after the easy-wide-open-heartedness and absolute freedom of the Playa, as evidenced by this 2006 blog entry from the archives of Cliffypop.

And here I am again, staring at the dusty piles of things yet to be cleaned and put back into place after the chaos of the Playa, the unpaid bills and tutus covering every available surface in my studio. It's amazing to see how easily the artifacts of whimsy mesh back in with the detritus of the daily grind.

But this year I think I've succeeded in escaping the doldrums of re-entry. I'm fortunate enough to live in a community surrounded by friends where I can have that kind of openness and unadulterated joy and creativity year-round, so for that I'm grateful.

We went to a party over the weekend that served as a brilliant reminder of just how much of that magic is all around me. We were thrilled to meet four of the members of Fou Fou Ha, one of my favorite performance troupes. Needless to say, we all ended up with clown make-up smudged all over us by the end of the evening. We were also treated to the most stunning hammered copper Jules-Vern hot-rod fire-antennae art car snail I've ever seen.

The snail was called the Golden Mean, and it was built by a lovely couple from Oakland, also responsible for the fabulous Boiler Bar, which I had the pleasure of seeing at the Maker Faire. All of which added up to a very happy Choklit. A little fire art, a few saucy clowns, some tequila served from a bar with a tesla coil in it, and I'm back in my happy place. Sigh.

Whiskey In The Dust

That about sums up my year at Burning Man. Lots of tiny magical moments, more whiskey than is reasonable for any lady of distinction to consume, and dust everywhere. Here are just a few of my favorite bits...

The glory that was the Hennepin Crawler. Much to our dismay we didn't make it to the Bomb Bay Tea Company even once... there's just far too much to do and see out on the Playa. But the Crawler crew received much love and adulation for their efforts.


Ecstatically dancing on the Center Camp couches to the brassy strains of March Fourth Marching Band, and later having the joy overload of hanging out with darling M4 stilter Sid Simpatico. Photo used with the kind permission of Deb.


Drifting in and out of sleep while watching the sun rise over the whimsical Basura Sagrada, from under a pile of faux fur shared with Fudo and Lord Wizzbang Hopton. Photo used with the kind permission of Erick.


Swinging in the stunning Altered State sculpture with Amber Lee. Photo used with the kind permission of M. Mendelson.


Helping Dan to navigate the mystery of a garter belt to hold up his stripey tights. Note the Aubergine Cuffs bravely making an appearance in the harsh desert climate!


Whiskey Root Beer Floats on Stache's birthday. Interpretive dance with Lord Hopton in the mysterious blue harp dome. Trying on bad Eighties prom dresses in a yurt with the lovely Sara B. Too many to count, or remember. But once again I got to learn my annual lesson in BEING IN THE MOMENT.

Deepest apologies for the long blog-silence, but sometimes life gets in the way. I'll be writing more soon.

Dashing, Talented & Such

Tonight I must write a post of love and appreciation for Stache and Skyeboy, who have been working tirelessly to complete the Hennepin Crawler in time to take it to the Playa. You can follow the progress of their kinetic sculpture at the Krank-Boom-Clank blog. It's been nights upon nights of welding and bike grease ~ and all the while my boys remain ever cheery and dapper.


Last night they succeeded in getting it out for a test pedal, and though some modifications are still needed, they're in the home stretch.


I can't wait to see it in its full glory, blazing across the desert.

On a related note, we were delighted to see there is to be a Steampunk theme camp at the Burn this year ~ the Bomb Bay Tea Company. Tea and bikkies to be served every afternoon by the crew of the stranded airship Victoriana's Revenge... A visit from the intrepid Hennepin Crawler crew has already been promised.

Should be a bang-up year with plenty of dusty and be-goggled adventures before we return home to roost for the Handcar Regatta.

Glorious Garlingtons

Forgive your poor Choklit for being so absent... I've been even more busy than usual, what with the Burning Man preparations, sewing my little fingers tender on piles of adornments for the Handcar Regatta and the Steampowered Convention (both of which I have somewhat foolhardily agreed to vend at in person), and oh yes, that pesky day job.

As a peace offering, I give you the spectacular results of our photo shoot with magician Michael Garlington. Hanging by the Airstream...


And perhaps my new most favorite picture of myself EVER, wherein I am sporting leather skirt~lifters and goggles by BoilerGoth, my oxidized brass Dragonfly necklace by Honeyspy, and a fabulous medal by Molly Porkshanks. I could be the steampunk Etsy poster girl.


A few more can be seen on my Flickr photostream, including an intriguing portrait of the ever-dashing Lord Hopton, and the set-up which inspired the whole shoot - of Baby Seal Club as Victorian Explorers in a natural history museum-esque diorama.

I'm ever so pleased. Viva Garlington!

Things That Please Me: Sub-Culture Blogs

'Cause who doesn't love blogs that offer up tasty bits of sub-culture?

COILHOUSE calls itself "a love letter to alternative culture, written in an era when alt culture no longer exists."

Photo from their lovely survey of Ruffs in fashion.

Stunning imagery, snarky commentary, and entries on favorite topics like steampunk, Victoriana, and of course Cthulu make this a treasury of entertainment for Choklit.

Ah, Cthulu ~ a nice segue to the venerable Ectoplasmosis: "a wonder closet of fringe art, culture, and ephemera."

Ectomo features must-reads like Moustache Monday, where my very own Stache was once featured, and juicy categories like the multi-purpose prefixpunk and perennial favorite tentacles are what keep me going back to Ecotomo for more.

Image from a post on Brass Goggles. Which is another visual treat for those with a love of all things steampunk. But that's rather deserving of a post of its very own, don't you think?

Go forth and be amused!

Centennial Speakeasy Soirée

Last night some neighbors of ours celebrated the 100th birthday of their house by having a speakeasy themed party. People turned out in beautiful flapper and gangster costumes, and there were lots of exciting stockings, like these stunning back-seamed cuban heels.


I was lamenting the complete lack of 20's costumes in my collection, but several kind friends insisted I was the only one who actually fit the period of the house in my Edwardian get-up. I love the styles of the 20's, but I am most certainly not built like a flapper.


Drinks were sipped from mason jars, there was much revelry, and the night ended with a spontaneous striptease by one of our lovely hosts, who went from a baggy men's suit and fedora down to boa and red corset to the sultry strains of Minnie the Moocher, much to our delight.

I had better pull together something flapper-ish before we venture down to Bourbon and Branch, a speakeasy in San Francisco where they mix up vintage cocktails and you actually need a password to get in...

The Medium is the Moment

In addition to a big gig last Sunday night that got everybody up and Otter Dancing, Baby Seal Club played a few songs last week at 515 Orchard, a new performance space housed in a turn-of-the-century church. It was truly lovely.

We were invited to play there by Mark Growden, an enchanting song~twister who has been the artist in residence at 515 Orchard for the last month. Check out Mark's music, or see him live, if you can. He's an absolutely mesmerizing performer.


Lovely photo by Dana Throckmorton.

Performing completely acoustically is a phenomenal experience - there is no reverb, no distortion, no wall of noise to hide behind... just raw music. A hush, candles, a crowd in awe... it's terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

Mark said something to me last week that just burst open a door in my consciousness about being a performer. When asked why he didn't get tired of playing the same songs over and over on a tour where he had shows every night, he looked surprised and simply said "But I'm not playing the same songs at all. It's not the song that is the medium - the medium is the moment."

And a little light came through the cracks of my mind - it made perfect sense. That very moment, in that place, with those people in attendance - each one of those instances is a fresh work of art you're creating that will never happen again. Forget trying to replicate a great show, or avoid revisiting a bad one - each performance is its own new experience being born.

This theorem was beautifully illustrated this weekend, when our liquored-up alter-ego band, the Drunken Family Singers, made a guest appearance around 3:30 a.m. at a pool party - and the equally drunken audience adored us. A hip-hop version of Stairway to Heaven was performed, impromptu, with stand-up bass accompanied by a charming party guest.

The medium is the moment ~ beautiful. Thank you, Mark.

Things that Please Me: Balkan Bangers

I've been on a kick lately that I just have to share - a music genre called Balkan Bangers discovered by the ever-illustrious Stache.

I've long been a fan of gypsy-inspired music, starting way back with the phenomenal Latcho Drom soundtrack, and in the last few years, that's been stoked by fusion bands like Gogol Bordello, DeVotchKa, and Beirut. So I was beside myself with excitement when Stache discovered several playlists dedicated to Balkan Bangers - a happy marriage of gypsy and klezmer music with hip-hop and dance.


This is serious hip-shaking stuff here. Much of it is gathered up by Typsy Gypsy, a DJ from Belgium who frequently mashes up Balkan music with western hip hop.

And digging around the interwebs for such treasure led me to exciting things like this delightfully chaotic gem of a music video by Emir Kusturica and the No Smoking Orchestra. Emir is an amazing Serbian filmmaker and musician, and his tracks are among my favorites on the mix.

Go listen now. Opa!