After an early rise @ 4am, with the hopes of making it to Austin in time to catch one of the free 300 tickets to Yo La Tengo, I was thoroughly disappointed to have not made it. No ticket is better than crashing though, so I’m glad I took the road side nap, even if it put me at the end of a soggy line a little after 10am. Disappointed, wet from the rain and ragged from little sleep I snagged the most comfortable hotel room in downtown and slept all day. Mostly rested, I forced myself out for the evening and stumbled into an open bar, for a web design competition hosted by Microsoft, and totally geeked out. (Free drinks always help!) My friends all got funny little text messages like “nerds in cowboy boots! wish you were here.”
Thinking I would try my first tech blog, I took notes and chatted it up with folks. A couple people asked me if I was press and what paper or new source I worked for. And that always led to interesting conversation.
I started today to catch up on reality (pay bills, etc.) and wanted to cry a little. Luckily, a man wearing gorgeous eye liner at the photo store confirmed that Austin is a great place for snagging cheap lodging and there’s plenty to do for free. And a creative photographer and artist, Lee, emailed me a doc listing hundreds of said free shows all week so I’m staying optimistic. The best news of all is the weather forcast: 60s and 70s all week will make for fabulous camping!
If you have any recommendations or gossip on what to catch, let me know!
