I attend what people in the loop call desert parties. They’re somewhere between a rave and camping. It’s not something flyers are passed out for. Its a small group of people and email chains. They let you know when the party will be but never where until it stars. These parties are underground, unpermitted, and in the middle of nowhere. It’s for the experienced, not teenage ravers.
This particular party was thrown by Psytribe. Or was it Green Sector? It’s like a weekend long burning man that doesn’t cost a used car to attend. Technically this was a forest party as it was on an Indian reservation east of Temecula. We arrived before midnight on day two. We met some dudes, bought some drugs, took a picture with Super Grover, got faded, and wandered around.
At some point before dawn I was warming myself around a bonfire in front of the main stage along with about 2 dozen people. The fire was in a large pit in the ground. It was about a foot high and smoldering pretty good as it had been burning and then was added to throughout the night. Being at the elevation we were at and being spring, the abmbient temperature was about 45F at the party. You didn’t need to squat to feel the warmth on your hands, it was red hot.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a guy fall onto the fire. Just passed out or fell asleep and timbered directly into the smoldering wood. Before I could gasp or anyone could scream, this hand came out of nowhere and grabbed the back of the guys jacket and pulled him up and back to his feet in one swift motion. The guy who had just been pulled up looked very confused and his clothes were smoldering.
The guy who grabbed him smacked the embers off the front of him while he asked, “What happened?”
It was incredible. The guy hit the red hot embers and bounced slightly. The hero caught him before his body settled on the hot embers. If the guy had been in the fire another half second his whole body would have been severely burned. Thank god the fallen was a little guy and the hero was huge.
The guy who pulled him out was a Marine who lived close by at Camp Pendelton. He instantly became a legend in the scene. He was offered money and drugs for his heroic deed. He graciously declined. Then a hippy chick walked up to him and said I want your cock. He accepted that.
Watching someone not get critically injured due to the fast reflexes of a legit hero is something that I won’t forget.
It was my husband’s 40th birthday party. The neighbors helped me plan a surprise party at their house across the cul-de-sac. My husband was close friends with them and had been going out with them often, as well as a group of their friends. I was a little suspicious of a girl that had been in that group as she and my husband often texted. But I figured that as long as I knew about it, it was okay. After all, I had male friends and knew the limitations. Plus my husband had a guilty conscience thanks to his Catholic upbringing—surely he wouldn’t cheat.
So the night of the party comes. All of our friends are mingling and having fun drinking, playing beer pong, etc. The girl comes into the kitchen and I immediately recognize her as the one that my husband had been texting/hanging out with. I live by the motto to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. So I smile and say, “Hi! You must be ___! I’m Danielle, I’m ____’s wife!” The girl looked at me then quickly averted her eyes from mine. She mumbled a “hi” as she dramatically turned and scurried out of the room. At that moment, I knew. I knew it wasn’t an innocent friendship. I knew there was more going on between them.
The next day I brought it up to my husband. He said that that was odd behavior and that he was not sure why she did it. Two weeks later, he said he wanted a divorce. One month later, he moved in with her. Within a year, they were married. Always listen to your gut.
Little did he know, he did me a huge favor. I’m living my dream life. I moved to the beach (12 hours away from him), got “me” back, and I am living every moment. I play with my dogs without worrying about frustrating him (noise). I take naps when I feel like it without judgement. I’ve met a lot of great people while dating. And my finances are my own (although I wish I could get back all the money I made that he spent—but you win some, you lose some)! Life is great!