Burner Resume: Rambles

Burner Handle: Rambles

Defaultia Region of Origin: Cincinnati, OH


Years Burning/home burn: 3 years focusing on Lakes of Fire, Reclaimation and Mosaic Experiment but hoping to grow into new burns (and Black Rock for the first time) in the years ahead. Without question, Mosaic is my home burn. 

Always had a little bit of a hippy heart and was curious about Rainbow Gatherings back in the day but never made it to one. This had me utterly open to the concept of burning and the 10 principles when longtime friends Swoon and Flux invited Tonic and I to join them for Mosaic 2018. It was, quite literally, life changing for me.


NSFW: Oh there is a lot about me that’s NSFW, but that’s really more of a late night kinda conversation. Can’t give away all the good parts here but feel free to ask as I’m pretty much an open book and I have more than a few chapters to share.


Years of Servitude, ahem, volunteering: Basically, I returned to defaultia from Mosaic 2018 and decided I wanted to do more and give back based on what I experienced. Coincidentally, Slaughter was rolling off of promo, reached out to me based on my history and we were off to the races. I went from first burn to MOrg within weeks but I'd been doing promo in other ways for decades so this wasn’t new ground. I’m wrapping up my third year with promotions.

I’ve also volunteered as an LLC, helped whenever asked and made a fine “dish bitch / other duties as assigned” individual for the camp I call home, The Bloody Bar.

Lead Role: Promo

Why: I’ve previously done sports promotion, worked in and around the comic book industry for 25 years, done paid blogging and promoted my own 10 year podcasting history. I wanted to help and felt promo was an area where my skills could be put to use. I suck with a hammer, but hand me a keyboard and I’m home. Also, the past lead was building our amazing consent initiative and really needed to roll off to give that effort space. I saw a spot where I could help and stepped up.


My areas of expertise are:

I’ll let you pick (here’s my story)! 

I grew up in southern Ohio where I owned seven comic shops called Chuck’s Comics in the 80s (during high school). I moved to Lexington, KY in 1988 for college. I ran WRFL 88.1 FM and did an alternative music show in the 90s. I ended up working for the University of Kentucky for 19 years in Grants and Contracts after I graduated. While building that career I also traveled and did press work for the unlimited hydroplane racing series on the side (so many red eye flights) in the 00s. 
 


In 2004, I started a comic news and information website called Comic Related. In 2008, I started podcasting doing 300 episodes of the Related Recap podcast interviewing small press comic creators. In late 2011, I moved to Cincinnati, OH putting on small conventions and music events. In 2012, I began co-hosting the Charlie Tonic Hour podcast which produced 350 episodes with the woman who would become my wife. That same year I purchased Derby City Comic Con in Louisville, KY. In 2013, I put on my first full comic convention, eventually spawning a second smaller convention, Cavalcade of Comics. In 2015, I sold the shows, closed Comic Related and quieted down my life for a couple years writing and doing promotions for a startup toy curation company called CompleteSet. 
 


In 2016, I joined friends in a new adventure as their event manager for Gorilla Cinema and their bars; The Overlook Lodge, The Video Archive and Tokyo Kitty. Everything went full stop after Mosaic 2018 as I moved into a life in bourbon production for an amazing distillery, gave up all my side gigs looking for a quieter, more intentional life. I had found my tribe burning.


Why does your dept matter?

If you read Batman comics, promo is Oracle in burning. It’s not just about getting the word out, it’s about coordinating communication when you can between the MOrg and representing the different departments accurately. It requires you to stay in touch and solicit their input when needed. If you want to learn how to burn and get to know every aspect of the experience, join promo. 

Why should someone consider volunteering for you?

Promo doesn’t really have volunteers but we love when you share your photography with Mosaic. Not a lot of what we do is on site but with a simple click of your phone or camera, (followed by the consent of everyone in the photo) you become a momentary and appreciated promo volunteer. Click! Submit! Repeat!

What's your favorite volunteer story?

Usually the burn itself is the time when I get to relax as most of my work is done. That’s part of what attracted me to my volunteer effort here. All it took was one pandemic and a virtual burn to realize how promo can go from the sidelines during the event to mission control. I had a blast that weekend, but I’m not sure I want to do it again. 


What's your choice nugget of wisdom for a virgin?


The same advice that was shared with me before my first burn. “You don’t always get the burn you want but you will get the burn you need.” Set aside your expectations, let the flow take you where it will and hang on!

What's your best burner skill?

Organization? If not that then maybe it’s just speaking in sincere Hallmark sentimentality a bit more than I should (but I really do mean it) or serving as an elder, altered and full of it philosopher? No, I think I’m going to stick with organization as the answer here.


What's your drink of choice?

It varies but currently the Mai Tai has my devoted attention. In the absence of that, let’s go with something smokey and mezcal based.

What keeps you sane in Defaultia?

My partner Tonic, first and foremost, plus gathering with friends, my pup Jasper, music, intentional conversations and visiting my dispensary regularly.

Why do you love burning?

I’ve been seeking a substantive quiet in my life and a comfort to just be me and enjoy who I am for much of my life. Burning has gotten me the closest to calming the noise that lives inside us sometimes and I want more of that.

Has burning changed your life? How?


I wrote this in answer to a similar question in 2019. It still feels right today...

“For me, Mosaic isn't just another burn. I can say with sincerity that attending last year changed the direction of my life through the people I met, the conversations I had and the reboot my soul so needed. I left there with a desire for simplicity and a need to be present for each moment I live which has become a feeling I never want to shake. I received ‘the burn I needed’ and I went about reshaping my life over the last year as a result. Who I am, in many ways, is now structurally different from the individual I was previously and I am very grateful.”


What does consent mean to you?

It went from a concept I was introduced to philosophically to a cornerstone of who I am really quickly once I was offered the chance to learn. I no longer hug without asking. I no longer assume I know what another wants or feels. I ask, every time, and I listen not just for what I hope to hear but what the other person is sharing and needs or doesn’t need. Consent for me is respect and admitting the privilege and mistakes I’ve made through the years. It’s also about enjoying how good things can be when enthusiastic consent is present. Understanding this on a deeper level is one of the game changing gifts Mosaic Experiment gave me. It has made me a better person.

Which principle is primary for you and why?

Radical self expression. 

I can be uncertain of myself. I can be shy. I can doubt that I’m going to fit in. I beat myself up for mistakes. I’m one of those introverts who presents as an extrovert. Burning gives me a chance to overcome those things and look inside to find the me that wants to be out there but I’ve been afraid to reveal. I choose this one because it comes the hardest for me but I know if I get there, it will help me on more fronts than the next burn I attend.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Satisfied. Feeling pretty close these days.