- Announce - lists.fireflyartscollective.org

Ticket Registration for 2016 is open!
by The Firefly Official Announcement List 16 Mar '16

16 Mar '16

Please excuse the extra email this week, but this one's important: Ticket Registration is open! https://www.fireflyartscollective.org/tickets/

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The Glowbe issue 02
by The Firefly Official Announcement List 15 Mar '16

15 Mar '16

Time for another info dump from the mysterious forces that organize Firefly: The Glowbe issue #2! Contents: 1. The new firefly website! 2. Ticket registration is nigh 3. Firefly Open House info 4. Art Grants Funded 5. Firefly Skill Grants 6. ARTifacts are now Intentions 7. Request for Ticket Art 8. “Just the Tip” ---------- 1. http://www.fireflyartscollective.org has been updated with a new look! Thank you to the web team for all the time and effort put into the resdesign. ---------- 2. Registration for Firefly tickets will open later today, Tuesday March 15, at http://tickets.fireflyartscollective.org (exact time TBD.) Register & mail in your release form by March 31 and you’ll be entered into the ticket lottery on April 9. ---------- 3. The Firefly Open House will be held on May 1 at the Dilboy VFW Post in Davis Square, Somerville, from 5-9pm. At the Open House, the different cores that make up the Firefly Festival Committee get together with the community to talk about plans and volunteering. If you want to find out how you can be a bigger part of Firefly, learn what goes into making it happen, or recruit for your new endeavor, it’s the place! ---------- 4. Art Grants Funded The Temple Grant, the Ivory Grants, and the Creativity and Legacy grants have all been awarded! In total, this represents $11,500 going to artists to make art for our festival this year (so far!). Stay tuned for our upcoming Burner Exchange (BEX) Grants, and the pilot program of a new grant type: skillshare scholarships, designed to help community members learn new skills to create art. For our regular grants, we received a huge number of amazing proposal this year. For Creativity/Legacy grants alone, we considered over $17,000 in proposals for $7,500 in budgeted funds. Wow! Big shoutouts to everyone who submitted a proposal, and to the volunteers on this year's judging committee for their heroic efforts. This is going to be an amazing year for art in the woods. Congratulations to the following funded projects: Temple The Temple of Arbitrary Ivory Emergence Genie Lamp Ornithopter Creativity Altaer Camp Blue Screen of Death's Lie-Fi Not-Spot Community Sand Mandala Disco Hall Of Fame Ethereal Windows Padmas Peepers Not Creepers Power & Influence Reflection Tree Rose Windows The Caterpillar Lounge There is no Default World Whirlwind Inferno Witch Lights Woven Forest Legacy Color Drops ---------- 5. Firefly is happy to announce Firefly Skill Grants. We will pay for you to take a fabrication class so that you finally have the skills to make that art project, or help out with someone else's large project. The form is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XbTnfC2EeSyMDDeqog_--6t1_SmsJ-g6YvqbVz-oEJ… A few anticipated FAQs: * The class can be anywhere, we encourage you to take them at local makerspaces and community arts schools. * Reasonably priced classes are more likely to be funded; average class cost should be $200 or less. * At least 6 grants will be awarded * You can apply for more than one * If in doubt, apply! ---------- 6. ARTifacts are switching up for this year’s ticket registration! It has been a pleasure to receive your imaginative and clever work in the past few years, however, Firefly is overwhelmed by the sheer number of items. With this in mind ARTifacts has changed – this year we want your INTENTION for Firefly. A few idea starters – What would you like to build, create or nurture in your life? How do you feel when you are your happiest self? What fears would you like to release? What are you grateful for? Along with your waiver, please send us an Intention (words, drawings, cut outs, a found scribble) on a burnable no larger than 12”x18” and less than an 1/16 thick. Every intention will be bound into a book which will be on view at Base Camp then burned in the bug. We ask that you use your common sense when it comes to materials and snark. If you want to remain anonymous please do not use your name. At the end of Firefly the only Trace left of these INTENTIONS will be what we manifest in our hearts and minds. We know some participants may have already planned an ARTifact for this year. You are welcome to send it in! We will show it in some form. For those who haven't started, you can send in an intention instead. Past ARTifacts will be available at the Open House on May 1st. Whatever is not claimed on this date will then be presented as “free” art for others to take and cherish at a future date. If you have any questions please email tickets(a)fireflyartscollective.org ---------- 7. Send in Ticket Art! For the past two years we were able to use ARTifacts submissions as an extra source of great ticket artwork. With the announced changes in the registration and ARTifacts format this year, we are going back to requiring that all ticket artwork submissions are sent in directly to FFTicketArt(a)fireflyartscollective.org. More information, such as the submission deadline, will be announced shortly. One particularly exciting aspect of making tickets out of ARTifacts was that we were able to use so many "physical", non-digitally created pieces. Ticketing Core volunteers have scanned some great drawings, paintings and all sorts of other hand-made objects that looked great printed - last year there was even one super sleek metal piece! We'd like to keep this trend going. So if you have a design that you'd rather submit in a physical form - please contact us at the address above. And we'll arrange obtaining it from you, and scanning and turning it into a printable ticket face. (For the record, this has been done early in the Firefly history, way before the ARTifacts - some rather gorgeous early tickets were created from watercolors mailed in on paper by the artists). Tickets are 4:3 in shape. All ticket designs should have the words "Firefly" and "June 29 - July 4, 2016". For digital submissions, 600+ dpi and CMYK color (if possible) are preferred. Any questions - please contact us at FFTicketArt(a)fireflyartscollective.org. ---------- Just the Tip by Wendy WTF If you can't bear to sit, when you pee or shit, At least lift the seat cover when you have got to hover.

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The Glowbe 01
by The Firefly Official Announcement List 02 Mar '16

02 Mar '16

Welcome to The Glowbe issue 01! This year we're going to try consolidating the assorted Announce mailing-list emails into one regular newsletter with information, announcements, and lame jokes from all the Cores at once! Our aim is a weekly Glowbe to keep you up-to-date with important Firefly stuff you need and want to know. Contents: 1. Firefly 2016 vital information 2. Ticket Registration & Lottery dates 3. Firefly Open House 4. Open Core Leadership Positions 5. Volunteers needed: First Aid 6. Volunteers needed: Rangers ---------- 1. Firefly 2016 vital information Firefly will be held Wednesday, June 29 through Monday, July 4 in Vermont. It'll be the largest Firefly ever! (Just a few more participants than 2015.) Unchanged from last year: Tickets cost $80. Parking passes are $30 per car, and bus tickets from Boston are $45 round-trip or $30 one-way. ---------- 2. Ticket Registration & Lottery dates Time to get excited (and find your stamps and wander around your neighborhood looking for a mailbox)--registration for the Firefly ticket lottery will open on 15 March! Get your registration in by 31 March and you’ll be entered in the ticket lottery on 9 April. Registrations arriving after 31 March will go on the waitlist. We'll be collecting ticket waivers (and ARTifacts) by mail again this year. Fireflies sending in mail resulted in fewer ticket returns in 2014 and 2015 than previously, speeding waitlist flow, and the waitlist was clear (barely!) when the event started both years. More detail coming soon, or you can email tickets(a)fireflyartscollective.org with questions. ---------- 3. Firefly Open House Planning for the Firefly Open House has started. It will be held in late April or early May in Cambridge or Somerville. At the Open House, the different cores that make up the Firefly Festival Committee get together with the community to talk about plans and volunteering. If you want to find out how you can be a bigger part of Firefly, learn what goes into making it happen, or recruit for your new endeavor, it's the place! Confirmed time and place details coming in a future issue of The Glowbe. ---------- 4. Open Core Leadership Positions Interested in helping out with the leadership of firefly? Firefly's organizational tasks are divided into what we call "cores". You've probably even heard of a few of them (Parking, Gate, Greeters, DPW). Each core is run by a few volunteers. Ideally for each core, we'd like to have 2 to 3 co-leads with the hope that one co-lead has experience leading that core and the other co-lead is new and excited to help with fresh new ideas. This is where YOU all come in! You do have ideas for how you'd like to shape Firefly, right? (Generally volunteer experience in a core is expected before becoming a lead, but that varies by core and is not a requirement.) We've begun the planning process for this year’s event and there are some new openings in various cores. So far we have: - Art and Theme Camp Placement - 1 co-lead requested, email placement(a)fireflyartscollective.org - Fire and Safety Core - 1 co-lead requested, email fire(a)fireflyartscollective.org - Ticket Core - 1 co-lead requested, email tickets(a)fireflyartscollective.org If you’re interested in any other core lead position, email either the current core leads or festival(a)fireflyartscollective.org. A slightly-outdated list of cores (but the descriptions of duties are still accurate) can be found at http://fireflyartscollective.org/firefly/join-a-core/ ---------- 5. Volunteers needed: First Aid Do you or someone you know have medical skills? Like to help people? Love the sight of spilled blood? If you answered yes (or possibly maybe) to any of these questions, please consider helping keep Firefly safe from itself by lending your enthusiasm to Firefly's team of people who are in no way legally responsible for your well-being but are eager to assist you with first aid complaints and health-related concerns at your request and complete indemnification! Contact: Medical(a)FireflyArtsCollective.org to get involved! Volunteering: it's what Jesus would do! ---------- 6. Volunteers needed: Rangers Do you like to be helpful? Are you comfortable being available as a resource without jumping in to solve other people’s problems or telling them what to do? Have you been to Firefly before, or Rangered at other Burns? If yes, please consider volunteering for the Firefly Rangers! To volunteer, please fill out our annual survey at http://www.tinyurl.com/ffrangers2016 For more info, see our page on the Firefly website: http://fireflyartscollective.org/firefly/join-a-core/rangers/ For questions, email rangers(a)fireflyartscollective.org See you in the woods! 2015 Ranger Council ----------

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Creativity Grant applications due Monday, and some inspiration
by The Firefly Official Announcement List 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

Applications for Creativity Grants are due on leap-year day *Monday, February 29*. Make sure to file your submission through the Firefly Art Grants Web Portal <http://grants.fireflyartscollective.org/> before midnight on Monday night to be considered. A reminder: *Please do NOT include any identifying information about the artist(s) in your document* — our committee process is screened so that all applicants are anonymized. Your account provides all of the information we need. *What Makes A Great Submission?* We get a lot of applications here at Art Grants HQ, and we also get a lot of people asking us, what does a good application look like? We thought, why not show you? We picked out two excellent and funded applications from last year and got permission from the artists to share them with you. A good proposal contains detail (check the bullet list on the website <http://fireflyartscollective.org/art-grants/creativity-grants/> for what to include) but it need not contain masterful or technically-perfect drawings. Make us believe you can do it! Check out these two great examples: https://grants.fireflyartscollective.org/misc/examples/WEIRD-FF2015.pdf https://grants.fireflyartscollective.org/misc/examples/Francis-FF2015.pdf -- Art Grant Core

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*Extended*: Ivory and Temple art grant applications due TONIGHT!!
by The Firefly Official Announcement List 16 Feb '16

16 Feb '16

Howdy Fireflies, This is just a friendly reminder that applications for the Ivory and Temple art grants were due yesterday. But - seeing as it was a holiday - we decided to extend the deadline a day. Ivory and Temple grant applications are now due* TONIGHT*. We'd really like them in by 11:59pm, but we will accept them until the following morning at 8am for the late-night crew. Submissions this year are being handled through the Firefly Art Grants Web Portal <http://grants.fireflyartscollective.org/>. If you signed up in 2015, your accounts are no longer active. Please sign up again so we are sure to have your most current information on-file! For more information, please visit the following web page: Firefly Art Grants Overview <http://fireflyartscollective.org/art-grants/>, or contact us at grants(a)fireflyartscollective.org. Don't be shy about submitting to Ivory if you aren't sure whether your project is better suited for Ivory or Creativity. Ivory submissions that don't get funded can be automatically resubmitted as Creativity projects (with $700 max funding instead of $1000). Additionally, if you think your submission is going to be -right at the deadline- or otherwise barely make it in, please let us know! We definitely do want your submissions. Thank you! - Firefly Art Grant Core

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Firefly 2016 Art Grant Info / Creativity & Legacy Grant applications are OPEN!
by The Firefly Official Announcement List 20 Jan '16

20 Jan '16

FIREFLY 2016 ART GRANTS CREATIVITY & LEGACY SUBMISSIONS BEGIN TODAY! LACE & TEMPLE GRANT APPLICATIONS ARE STILL OPEN! Over the years, the Firefly Arts Collective (FAC) has been proud to provide grant support to Firefly artists to enable them to express and fulfill their varied creative visions. These grants are intended to support and promote radically-expressive, community-based, interactive and/or collaborative projects that help define and shape the creative core of the event. Art is a central part of Firefly, and the event wouldn't be the same without the wonderful pieces that have been brought to Vermont over the years. Bringing art is a great way to add a piece of yourself to the event and contribute/participate in a meaningful way. There are five different types of grants: Creativity Grants Legacy Grants Annual Grants (Ivory Grants) Temple Grant Burner Exchange Grants (BEX Grants) This year’s anniversary grants are called the *Ivory Grants*. The *Creativity Grants* are our primary grants, and are designed to fund creative new projects to be shared with our community during the Firefly event. Creativity grants are awarded in tiers of $150, $300, $500 and $700. The *Legacy Grants* are provided to support existing projects which have been to Firefly in the past. Art can be exposed to many elements at Firefly — mud, rain, sun, and most of all, people — and this grant is designed to provide funding to help with wear and tear produced by this exposure. Legacy grants are awarded for up to $100. The *Anniversary Grants* are intended to support projects of a larger and more ambitious scale than the typical Creativity Grant project. Named for traditional wedding anniversary gifts, these grants celebrate Firefly's lasting commitment to art. These projects not only serve as spectacles at Firefly, but also represent Firefly outside of our July event at Open Studios, FIGMENT Boston, and other similar events. These projects must be appropriately large in scale, spectacular, and suitable for presentation at a variety of venues. Anniversary Grant recipients must show their art at both Firefly and FIGMENT Boston; other events are optional. Anniversary grants are awarded for up to $1000. The *Temple Grant* supports the creation of the Temple at Firefly Arts Festival each year. The Temple aims to satisfy both civic and spiritual needs by creating a revered gathering space at Firefly. While the Temple should be spiritual in a general sense (and true to the spirit of the event), it is not intended to be a religious symbol, and overtly religious tones should be avoided. The Temple is placed in the field, and provides a space for Fireflies to seek quiet contemplation and introspection at the event. It is of the utmost importance that the Temple defines a physical (and emotional) space; that said, it does not have to be a traditional shelter or building. It is traditional for the Temple to serve as a place for participants to leave offerings, and the structure will be burned on the final evening of the event. A single Temple Grant is awarded for up to $1000. The *BEX Grants* are for art that already appeared either at a regional burn event or Burning Man, and showcases the local flavor of its origin. Grant money is intended to be applied to minor maintenance / improvements and shipping costs to Vermont. BEX Grants are awarded for up to $1000. Schedule: *January 13th: Ivory and Temple grant applications open* *February 15th: Ivory and Temple grant applications due* *March 7th: Ivory and Temple Grants awarded* *January 20th: Creativity and Legacy grant applications open* *February 29th: Creativity and Legacy grant applications due* *March 14th: Creativity and Legacy Grants awarded* *BEX grant schedule will be announced later in the year, and happens after the regular grant process.* *** Please note: Creativity and Legacy grant submissions begin today! *** Submissions this year will be handled through the Firefly Art Grants Web Portal <http://grants.fireflyartscollective.org/>. If you signed up in 2015, your accounts are no longer active. Please sign up again so we are sure to have your most current information on-file! For even more information, please visit the following web page: Firefly Art Grants Overview <http://fireflyartscollective.org/art-grants/>. Feel free to reach out with any questions to: grants(a)fireflyartscollective.org. Thank you! - Firefly Art Grant Core

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Firefly 2016 Art Grant Info / Ivory & Temple Grant applications are OPEN!
by The Firefly Official Announcement List 13 Jan '16

13 Jan '16

FIREFLY 2016 ART GRANTS IVORY & TEMPLE GRANT APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN! Over the years, the Firefly Arts Collective (FAC) has been proud to provide grant support to Firefly artists to enable them to express and fulfill their varied creative visions. These grants are intended to support and promote radically-expressive, community-based, interactive and/or collaborative projects that help define and shape the creative core of the event. Art is a central part of Firefly, and the event wouldn't be the same without the wonderful pieces that have been brought to Vermont over the years. Bringing art is a great way to add a piece of yourself to the event and contribute/participate in a meaningful way. There are five different types of grants: Creativity Grants Legacy Grants Anniversary Grants (Ivory Grants) Temple Grant Burner Exchange Grants (BEX Grants) This year’s anniversary grants are called the *Ivory Grants*. The *Creativity Grants* are our primary grants, and are designed to fund creative new projects to be shared with our community during the Firefly event. Creativity grants are awarded in tiers of $150, $300, $500 and $700. The *Legacy Grants* are provided to support existing projects which have been to Firefly in the past. Art can be exposed to many elements at Firefly — mud, rain, sun, and most of all, people — and this grant is designed to provide funding to help with wear and tear produced by this exposure. Legacy grants are awarded for up to $100. The *Anniversary Grants* are intended to support projects of a larger and more ambitious scale than the typical Creativity Grant project. Named for traditional wedding anniversary gifts, these grants celebrate Firefly's lasting commitment to art. These projects not only serve as spectacles at Firefly, but also represent Firefly outside of our July event at Open Studios, FIGMENT Boston, and other similar events. These projects must be appropriately large in scale, spectacular, and suitable for presentation at a variety of venues. Anniversary Grant recipients must show their art at both Firefly and FIGMENT Boston; other events are optional. Anniversary grants are awarded for up to $1000. The *Temple Grant* supports the creation of the Temple at Firefly Arts Festival each year. The Temple aims to satisfy both civic and spiritual needs by creating a revered gathering space at Firefly. While the Temple should be spiritual in a general sense (and true to the spirit of the event), it is not intended to be a religious symbol, and overtly religious tones should be avoided. The Temple is placed in the field, and provides a space for Fireflies to seek quiet contemplation and introspection at the event. It is of the utmost importance that the Temple defines a physical (and emotional) space; that said, it does not have to be a traditional shelter or building. It is traditional for the Temple to serve as a place for participants to leave offerings, and the structure will be burned on the final evening of the event. A single Temple Grant is awarded for up to $1000. The *BEX Grants* are for art that already appeared either at a regional burn event or Burning Man, and showcases the local flavor of its origin. Grant money is intended to be applied to minor maintenance / improvements and shipping costs to Vermont. BEX Grants are awarded for up to $1000. Schedule: *January 13th: Ivory and Temple grant applications open* *February 15th: Ivory and Temple grant applications due* *March 7th: Ivory and Temple Grants awarded* *January 20th: Creativity and Legacy grant applications open* *February 29th: Creativity and Legacy grant applications due* *March 14th: Creativity and Legacy Grants awarded* *BEX grant schedule will be announced later in the year, and happens after the regular grant process.* *** Please note: Ivory and Temple grant submissions begin today! *** Submissions this year will be handled through the Firefly Art Grants Web Portal <http://grants.fireflyartscollective.org/>. If you signed up in 2015, your accounts are no longer active. Please sign up again so we are sure to have your most current information on-file! For even more information, please visit the following web page: Firefly Art Grants Overview <http://fireflyartscollective.org/art-grants/>. Feel free to reach out with any questions to: grants(a)fireflyartscollective.org. Thank you! - Firefly Art Grant Core

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Call for 2016 Firefly Art Grant Reviewers!
by The Firefly Official Announcement List 06 Jan '16

06 Jan '16

Interested in helping bring art to Firefly? Want to help choose what kind of projects are funded for the event? This is call out to any of you who might be interested in helping to review the proposals for Firefly's Art Grants this year! We are looking for 10-12 folks who are interested in helping to make this aspect of Firefly successful. Requirements: 1. You must have attended at least 1 (one) previous Firefly in order to join and participate in this most august of selection committees. 2. You must not be applying for a 2016 Art Grant. 3. You must be available for both of the meeting discussion dates for each block of meetings you attend, taking place at a to-be-determined location in Somerville. These discussions can be lively at times, and dinner and beverages will be provided : * Lace and Temple Grant Meetings: * Thursday, February 18th, 7 to 9 pm * Thursday , February 25th, 7 to 9 pm * Creativity and Legacy Grant Meetings: * Thursday , March 3rd, 7 to 9 pm * Thursday , March 10th, 7 to 9 pm 4. Commit to reading and recording your thoughts on over 40 applications, which may take 4 - 6 hours of brain time. The Intense Details: The job requires a lot of reading and talking as we typically receive over 35 applications for Creativity Grants and a smaller pool of Lace and Temple Grants. We will have 2 weeks to make our decisions for the 2 sets of grants, with two meetings per grant. That's a total of 4 meetings altogether. We strongly encourage volunteers to come to both blocks of meetings, but if you can only come to one set that's ok too. This is a commitment of about 15-20 hours; 6-8 hours of reading and cogitating and four 2-hour meetings where we hash it all out. Once the application deadline has passed, the committee has about a week to read the applications over and fill out a review sheet to decide how well each application met the criteria. We review the applications for Thoughtfulness, Creativity, and Feasibility. This is followed by the aforementioned meetings where we compare notes and formulate follow-up questions for all applicants. We wait a week to give time for artists to get their replies back to us, then we meet again and make our final decisions. If you would like to participate, please sign up via the Art Grants portal by **January 18th**: http://grants. fireflyartscollective.org/ voters/signup <3, Art Grant Core

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On pondering art projects in 2016
by The Firefly Official Announcement List 24 Nov '15

24 Nov '15

Greetings Fireflies, Just as the year is winding down and memories of an excellent Decompression are still fresh, we in Art Grant Core already have our eyes on next year's Firefly. Last year we gave out over $11,000 to 22 projects, and next year we want to give out MOAR GRANTSES. Whether your art is big or small, solid or ephemeral, we want to hear about it and help make it happen! We haven't locked down any solid dates yet, so don't panic, you still have plenty of time. For now just think about that project you've always wanted to do and keep an eye out for our next informational email. See you in the woods...

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MEDICAL PSA #4: HOW CAN I AVOID FML?
by The Firefly Official Announcement List 26 Jun '15

26 Jun '15

Medical PSAs! Now with 94% less day-ruining reality! Let's be honest, the folks at Firefly Medical Legion (FML) are kinda a little bit snarky. We are so jaded by our day jobs that we weave jokes into Public Service Announcements about preventing unnecessary deaths. (We totally care about your splinter though!) But seriously - to take a brief reprieve from the snark - we do actually enjoy helping you. We will gladly assist you with any medical-related problem you may have (yes, even splinters). And when you come to see us, we totally won't make fun of you. Because we at FML care so much about our community, we aim for an attainable ideal: One where every member is prepared for the worst, is educated and capable, and is radically self-reliant; One where we don't accidentally injure each other. To promote these linked goals of community education, preparedness, and independence, we've compiled this list of common and/or concerning potential problems you may confront at Firefly. Firefly Medical Legion - We give a FAQ! **Fire: Bad?** We've already reviewed that fire can be very hot. But some of us (most of us) learn by doing (are too stubborn to listen to good advice). Thus, minor burns can be expected. To treat a minor burn: - Place the area in cool water. Never use ice to treat a burn. - If there is a blister, leave it intact. Opening the blister exposes you to infection. - If the blister has burst accidentally, remove the excess/dead skin, wash the area, and apply bacitracin and a dry bandage. - For mild burns, and sunburns with simple redness of the skin, apply aloe. Never apply oily ointment or vaseline, and never come to see FML. (Ok fine, mayyyybe come to us if you're still worried for some reason.) When to come see FML? - If you have a (non-sunburn) burn to your face or neck - especially if you have difficulty breathing. - If you have a severe burn - especially if there is numbness to the area. - If your burn wraps around a limb or torso. - If your burn seems especially large. - If you want to hear someone say "Fuck your burn." (Not your injury burn - your event burn. This is funny because it's a play on words. That is why you are laughing right now.) **Loss Of Consciousness** To treat a loss of consciousness: - Wake up. When to come see FML? - If you cannot wake up. - If you are not breathing. - If your heart is not beating. - If you felt dizzy and/or lightheaded before you lost consciousness. - If you felt chest pain and/or difficulty breathing before you passed out. - If you shake or thrash while unconscious. - If you pee or poop yourself while thrashingly unconscious. - If your loss of consciousness was preceded by being struck in the head, neck, or chest. - If you lost consciousness after seeing how much blood you just lost. **Sprains, Strains, and Automobiles** To treat simple sprains and strains, use the mnemonic RICE. - Rest your injury. Don't dance on your twisted ankle, don't twerk on your popped booty, and don't do headspins on your fractured neck. - Ice your injury. 4-6 times/day x2-3 days for no more than 20 minutes at a time. This will reduce swelling and injury severity and will encourage faster recovery. - Compress your injury. Bring an ACE Wrap! Wrap snugly (and snuggle-y!), but make sure your foot doesn't turn blue. - Elevate your injury. Elevate it above the level of your heart whenever able. This will reduce swelling and pain. When to come see FML? - If you have a gross deformity. - If you have lost function of your injured body part. - If you are otherwise concerned you may have a broken bone. **Penetration Injuries (the bad kind)** To treat any break in your skin (including cuts, scrapes, gunshot wounds, degloving injuries, or whatever): - Clean the area with soap and water (if you're not going to shower, you may as well use it for something, right?) - Apply Bacitracin. - Cover with a clean and dry bandage. - Keep the bandage CLEAN and DRY. - Change the dressing if it is no longer clean and dry. - Also, change it daily. Don't be gross. When to come see FML? - If the bleeding won't stop after 5 minutes of pressure. - If you have a deep penetration injury (or would like one). - If you no longer have a part of your body attached to you. - If you can see weird things underneath the injury - stringy things, little globules, bone, brain, whatever. - If you otherwise think you may need stitches. - If your wound starts showing signs of infection, including: redness, pain, warmth, swelling, thick opaque pus, or a red streak moving from the wound towards your torso. **Another Fucking Foot Injury? Seriously?** To prevent any injury to your... fuck it, just wear your damn shoes, will you? No one wants to smell your filthy fucking feet anyway, you dirty hippy. (Apologies for the body shaming! FML loves feet! -Ed.) To treat your foot injury, follow the above instructions for skin breaks and sprains/strains. This topic was only included here because it is not only the most common, but also the most preventable complaint seen by FML. When to come see FML? - If you want to be ribbed by some of the biggest assholes this side of Saturn. - If you're worried that you actually injured yourself pretty bad. **Intoxications!** We went over this last year. No one will want to hang out if you are too fucked up. Don't be one of those... How to stay healthy? - Stay hydrated! Alcohol, caffeine, vomiting, diarrhea, and sweating all contribute to dehydration. - Know your limits! No one wants to babysit you, and FML does not have the resources to staff a drunk tank. - Take care of your friends! Be socially responsible. We all make mistakes, and the best of us support our friends through theirs. Help keep your friends safe if they imbibe a little too much and once they're sober tell them what an asshole they were and that they fucking owe you. That's what real friends do. - Take care of your mess! Puke is moop! Pick it up and take it home with you! When to come see FML? - If you or your friend are dying. - If you are concerned you or your friend might be at risk for dying. - If your sober friend is acting more bizarre than what is socially acceptable within the blurry boundaries of behaviour for a radically expressive temporary autonomous zone. **Are you allergic to snark?** Allergies (not the seasonal ones) can cause a life-threatening swelling of the airway. - Don't forget your Epi-Pens! - Last year we reviewed the last resort to fix an airway so swollen with histamines that the person can no longer breathe. If you don't a hole cut in your trachea because it's the only option to keep you alive, then bring your Epi-Pen. When to come see FML? - If you are having an allergic reaction of any type. Don't risk it. Sincerely, Firefly Medical Legion

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