Life Moment: I’m on Fire

Recently, I seem to have developed an unhealthy relationship with fire. Normally, as with most people, this would constitute setting things on fire (pyromania, pyrotechnics, etc.). With me, however, this has resulted in setting myself on fire… and thinking it’s hilarious.

How did this come about? What drunken rational could I possibly be using? None! (Playing with fire/setting self on fire while intoxicated would be downright irresponsible!) Actually, this all stems from my lack of fear for fire.

I went to Burning Man for the first time in 2009. While there, I saw a culture that welcomed fire. Thousands of fire spinners converge on the Burn every year. Thousands of fire toys are lit up at all times during the night. It’s a wonderful sight, and upon seeing it, I wanted in.

Fast forward a few months and I decide to get into fire spinning to chase after a girl. She was a fire spinner and I wanted to keep up. I got comfortable around fire by becoming a safety for one of the organized groups in Denver. Being a safety in this group had me sitting smack dab in the center of 50+ fire dancers while they lit up and saw how close they could get to me. Good times.

3 weeks of practice led me to lighting my poi up for the first time. I didn’t burn myself at all (no singed hair either!). Well, with practice, I got better and much more comfortable playing with my new hobby.

During this time, I have to mention that I was surrounded by other fire spinners who burn themselves by accident all the time. My good friend Moloch is a walking billboard of how not to fire spin (seriously, the amount of scars on this kid are impressive). I would watch my friends singe themselves and get burned on a nightly basis. Burn cream is an essential that everyone would carry. Everyone had little nics and scars from playing around. Everyone but me.

I’ve never burned myself. I have set myself on fire, at first by accident, then later slightly on purpose, but through all of these times I’ve never been burned. This has led to several incidents of me torching myself and laughing like a maniac while continuing to spin through it.

Places I have lit myself on fire and thought it was funny instead of scary:
#1: My crotch (or right above it because damn, that would knock me down.)
#2: My head: Lit my Mohawk (when I had one) on fire during a First Friday at the Whomp Truck. Proceeded to keep spinning fire with hair on fire. The crowd was amused.
#3: Arms and pants: Normal places where fuel from the toys end up.

Eventually, I’ll probably learn my lesson and have to stop being ridiculous when I spin. Till then though… heh.

Here’s a video from a few weeks ago of me doing my thing .