1:00pm: Lauren and I go watch the 3 on 3 basketball tournament. I’m shocked how many people decided they were going to get up and play basketball after dancing all night. Shocked. Everyone is dressed in his or her finest Health Goth. Some people are actually really good.

Never once have I woken up from a long night of dancing and been like… yeah I totally wanna play some b-ball. I admire these people but I thought they must be mostly insane (or maybe still high?). Drake plays in the background and confirms my decision.

2:10pm: It starts to rain. Only a light drizzle at first but I know this is only the beginning. An announcement comes over the camp PA system*; the pool party has been canceled. I would have been more annoyed if the PA system announcement didn’t remind me exactly of Wet Hot American Summer*.I already have my bathing suit on, I am very sad. The pool aspect of the weekend was a big draw for me. Water dancing has always been a passion of mine. I literally used to create synchronized swimming routines in elementary school… because art school.

2:15pm: We decide it’s a good time to get lunch. The cafeteria is chaos. Everyone is hung over, hungry and not pleased that the food is delayed. It’s like people… this is your one job! Can someone please hire me to cater this next year? I am 95% sure I can do a better job. The cafeteria makes an announcement that they will need to take an hour break because they have run out of food. Luckily we are in line before the cut-off. It’s not like there are other food options for us since we are stranded here.

General look of people in the dining hall.

3:00pm: Since it is now pouring and going back to our tent doesn’t’t seem to be an option, we decide to start dancing. Blazer Sound System helps to ease the rain pain with their reggae influenced set. I’m closing my eyes and pretending I’m at the beach even though it’s still cold and pouring outside. The hall is not very crowded. I think most people are in their cabins. Just super jealous of the cabin people but they are missing out on some good dancing.

6:00pm: Beautiful Swimmers are on and more people arrive to dance. Their set is more reminiscent of a dance beach party in space. Lauren and I have just been in the hall dancing for the last 3 hours. Basically we have no other option; our tent is wet, we have no cabin and the cafeteria has run out of food. It’s sort of like the scene in Hocus Pocus where Bette Middler curses all the parents to just dance at the Halloween Party forever and they are all just super excited about it. We are pretty excited about it though. Beautiful Swimmers take our minds off the rain and more people venture out of their cabins to join the party.

7:30pm: There a break in the music. There was supposed to be a bonfire during this time but that was before the day turned into a monsoon. The first DJ isn’t scheduled to on 10pm. We go sit on the patio with the smokers and the tent people who have no other shelter. Lauren recognizes the logo on someone’s shirt. It’s a shirt from a place in Melbourne called Lounge. Lounge is famous for their monthly “Pleasure Planet” party that goes from 2am-12pm. It’s a rager. They bring out fruit platters in the morning. That is classy AF guys. She begins talking with the person in the shirt. He’s Australian. He’s from Melbourne. It turns out he and his buddy helped to start the event. They introduce us to 3 other Melbournians. We have found the Melbourne collective at Sustain-Release. Somehow there are always Australians at all the big happenings in the city. I feel like they are all living very cush wanderlust lives over here but I guess culturally if there are a 100 poisonous creatures that could kill you at anytime you might have a YOLO attitude too.

8:00pm: We rushed over to the dining hall, which had just reopened, to beat the maddening crowd for food. I finally cave and order the Mezze Plate with sausage mostly because I’m now starving from non-stop dancing and this is the biggest food option. Wit this kitchen’s track record, who knows when I will be able to eat again? All the food is super salty. I am pleased. Salt = my favorite food. I know it’s bad for you (in theory) but it just makes everything so delicious. I think I may have like an imbalance because sometimes I literally crave pickle or olive juice. Yummmmm. Drink that shit up.

8:20pm: I see Ben, a good friend of my good friend from NYU. He doesn’t have waterproof shoes or a rain jacket. It is still pouring. How can the clouds even hold so much water? Weather amazes me. I have like 4 rain ponchos at my tent & an umbrella because I am my father’s daughter and I needed to be super prepared. I offer to go get him a poncho because I feel really bad for him and the rainy night ahead. I am comfy in my Gortex rain jacket and waterproof Blundstone boots. I am very confident in my rain gear. I will be totally dry! Gortex!

8:45pm: I arrive at the dining hall with three plastic rain ponchos & my umbrella. I am soaked. Going to the tent was a terrible plan. Yes the Gortex worked to an extent but my jacket ended at my waist and everything below my waist and above my boots is soaked. I even think my rain jacket got a little wet. My survey of the tent was bleak. There was about 2 inches of water on the bottom of tent. Both sleeping bags were completely soaked through. No sleep till Brooklyn. Ben is very grateful for my pilgrimage and promises to repay the favor at some point.

9:30pm: We go to the Cantina, a small building across from the Main Stage. Technically we aren’t supposed to be in here but the Australians told us earlier that the back door was unlocked and fuck it the TENT PEOPLE NEED SOMEWHERE DRY TOO. SHELTER. There is even a clean bathroom. I have never been so excited for basic human necessities. Thanks Australians. Sadly the Australians start being super weird and taking lots of Ketamine. Why do Australians love ketamine? We politely pass on the ketamine and instead go to another corner of the room to take a nap.

10:45pm: My new best friend Lux Rec is playing. <3

2:00am: Terreke is playing. After he goes on, I realize we were sitting next to him an hour before on one of those foam children’s toys. I could have had two new DJ best friends. What a weekend! So many new friends!

3:00am: There is now the one and only (official) dance performance of the weekend. Arias knew the dancers and said I should see them because they were “cute.” FlucT go on and there is noticeable shift in the group energy. Their performance is so raw. I am mesmerized. They start off in Victorian period garb and strip down until they are mostly naked in tights and pasties. I felt like the performance art piece fit in perfectly with this conceptual weekend. Also Arias describing them a cute is like describing a Black Swan as "cute."

Image of FlucT performance fom their Instagram.

3:15am: Paula Temple starts to play deep deep heavy techno. There is heavy fog. I have never been to the Berghain but I feel like it would be a similar vibe… if the Berghain were a Jewish summer camp in Upstate NY and not in an old power-plant in Post Soviet Berlin.

5:30am: We pass the basketball court. It’s now lit up with UV light. It looks amazing! Pretty much like real-life Space Jam. Lauren & I make the bold decision to actually play basketball. So that’s a marketing lesson folks, if something is pretty enough I will want to do it. Lauren used to play B-ball in high school and immediately make a 3 pointer. I have never been athletic so this is a huge deal for me. Running on adrenaline and Red Bull I muster all available energy to make a basket as drunk and rolling people walk by staring at these feats of athleticism. I make not one, but two baskets! I feel super accomplished. Maybe I could do this all the time? Am I secretly athletic? Was I supposed to be Sporty Spice and not Posh Spice?

8:40am: After an almost five hour set, Anthony Parasole finally stops playing. It looks like everyone is still awake. I did see a lot of people pull out the coke round 7am that show some fierce commitment to dancing. This is a hardcore group of people. I took a hard pass on that one… But by now I guess the drugs have sort of worn off and everyone is losing steam. Most of the camp is sitting outside in the road.

9:00am: Lauren & I finally go back to the campsite to pack up and retrieve our soaked shit. As I pull my sleeping bag up the hill there is a trail of water. We laid out all our soaking belongings on picnic tables the porch of “our house” (the name we have lovingly given the Cantina). This was probably a futile effort but since I haven’t slept in 24 hours and all our shit is soaking wet I thought might as well give it a go. I know we looked insane but as tent people we had very few other options. One of the drugged up Australians bring his blanket outside and curls up to sleep next to all our shit on the picnic table.

9:30am: There is a bonfire ( more accurately campfire at the lake). The lake is beautiful, there are a few brave souls swimming. I wish I I had the desire to swim but after 12 hours of pouring rain all I want to be is dry. Someone puts lighter fluid on the fire and almost catches fire to the people downwind. Come on people who thought that was a good idea? Since no on has slept and many people are fucked up I leave before there is a terrible accident.

11:30am: We are first in the stand-by line for the bus home. Everyone looks thoroughly wrecked. No sleep at Sustain-Release.

11:40am: We get on the bus! Blessings! Lauren uses this as an opportunity to chide me about the benefits of being early for things. Maybe I will turn over a new leaf? But I love my old leaves so much so probably not.

*During the daylight the whole camp reminded me of Wet Hot American Summer. I thought maybe this is where they filmed the movie. Like I expected Bradley Cooper to come out of one of the cabins after a tryst with Michael Ian Black. One of the other “campers” said there are lots and lots of camps like this in upstate NY though and crushed my dreams.

**Also thinking back, it is weird that all the parents would be at this like one raging party on Halloween instead of hanging out with their kids. Everyone in Salem is a terrible parent. Like why aren’t you taking your kids trick or treating folks?