Further SXSW Notes

Friends, in attempts to better document the things I do, you may notice a few lists going up from time to time w/o the pressure of commentary. You'd never know, for instance, that in the last month I've seen the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (led by Arturo O'Farrill), heard Joan Didion read, and had the pleasure of meeting Michael Berube at our last CH Bloggers MeetUp, and neither will I remember these in a year if I neglect to note them now!

Bustling, gadgety, geek-filled, hipster, forward-thinking, Web 2.0-ing, monetizing (oh, ugh.), trend-projecting SXSW was a damn good time and a brain boost to boot. I will do my best to get back there, not least because I owe Hugh Forrest a beer.

Friday, 3/10:

3:30 p.m., arrive on scene and early due to the luck of being put on the direct flight -- woohoo! -- and I am happy to be in Austin, the Chapel Hill of Texas. After about 12 minutes of being on the ground, I am already declaring to db that I could live here.

db and I drive around taking in the murals and the parks and orange-colored longhorns designed into the bus stops. Austin is hilly and dusty and alternately broken down and shiny, and there's a fair amount of public art, and I am always a fan of cities that pay attention to public art. So far, so good.

The thought creeps into my head though that I am physically standing in Texas, which means that I am that much closer to the reality of having to stand in front of 200 (or more) people. Urgh. Bleah. Try to down my sorrows in fresh squeezed lemonade at the Spider House Cafe.

7 p.m., BlogHer dinner: Stubb's Bar-B-Que

I meet my panelists for the first time, and they're tres cool. And in what must've been a rare occasion in Stubb's BBQ history, half of us at the table ordered the veggie plate. Those were some damn good yams, y'all. I'd also like to give a little shout out to the fried green tomatoes, yessiree.

9 p.m., BlogHer DrinkUp: ditto

I force my tired, overstimulated, and steadfastly introverted self to mingle. It is an effort. More on introversion in future posts. I don't believe it would've been possible for Stubb's to have been more loud. And since my nerves were already jangled, the rockabilly-meets- cranked to 11 wasn't helping.

Saturday, 3/11:

Morning reserved for coffee and a bagel and notes fidging and fudging. Ugh. Non-productive, brain not working, wishing I weren't missing the 10 a.m. panels.

We Got Naked, Now What?

The BlogHer survey made it into the WaPo. Way to go, gals! Ran into Roxanne of Rox Populi, who mentioned a cool new blog from the Smithsonian American Art Museum to me: Eye Level.

Public Square or Private Club: Does Exclusivity Strengthen or Dilute?

Saw less of SXSW than I would've wanted on Sat., but I had to keep heading home [JM's sister Anne's house -- thanks, Anne and family!] in between sessions to be nervous about my upcoming panel in the morn. Some things, like anxiety-motivated heebie jeebies, just take precedence.

Dined w/ Elisa, Ronnie, Lori, Jan and Dave, and db at a local steak place on 6th. Did not even consider attending any of the parties that eve.

My notes became less and less coherent the more I looked at them. Let's just say that when you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you.

Comments

[Diane]

I used to go to Austin from time to time, but that was another lifetime ago. It has been decades since I've visited. I always enjoyed the city and would like to go again. The last time I was there, I was just passing through for a day or so, and my friends and I went to a popular cafe for breakfast. We had to wait, and I took a spot on a bench. I looked to see who was sitting next to me, and it was David Gilmour.

I know New Orleans had big representation at SXSW, so you probably saw and heard some New Orleans stuff while you were there.

Congratulations on your panel moderation!

[ae]

Diane, I wish you'd been there this time! If I go again, I hope we'll have the chance to catch up there and share a nice breakfast (w/ or w/o David Gilmour!).

Thanks re: the panel moderation. It was nerve wracking and curiously satisfying and unsatisfying at the same time. My panelists were so thoughtful and great, I wish they could have had the opportunity to really put their ideas out there. In happy news though, they did really get the audience going. And that being our intention, I suppose we could measure it a success on one important level.