My Austin neighborhood is really lovely, the houses are a nice selection of brick and stucco, Spanish style with wrought iron features, arcaded entryways, complicated split windows and twisted pillars holding up balconies. Sprawling trees line the street and the trees are full of birds singing songs I do not recognize. Something sounds like a parrot, something else very owlish for the middle of the day, some third winged critter sounds exactly like the alarm clock birds of the Big Island who wake you up as soon as the sun pops over the horizon and stop singing promptly when they’ve been at it just long enough to be sure you are good and awake.
The singing started around 6 this morning; that was much too early considering that the thumpita thumpita thumpita woo hooo spring breakification that was going on somewhere just close enough to prevent my falling asleep and didn’t stop until some time around, oh, it must have been 2am.
Sleepy headed, though very cheerful, I headed into town to dive into another day of SxSW. But the lack of sleep left my ability to focus on lively new ideas in a less than shiny state. I was impatient with the first speaker I saw who was, well, boring, and the second who was entertaining but not inspiring.
Entertaining but not inspiring is how I’d describe my experience with the sessions I’ve attended thus far. Don’t mistake this in ANY way for regret that I’m here, I could not be more delighted by the time I’ve spent with my travel contacts who are also here in Austin. I can’t help but wonder if it’s my less than well rested state that’s muddying my ability to pick the right panels, to sit patiently through the slide decks, to find my way around in the maddeningly wierd layout of the Austin Convention Center. How do you get to the 3rd floor anyway? Where is the mysterious 2nd floor? Did I walk 8 miles to go from one session to the next?
I’m not complaining, I swear. And when the sun came out, I took advantage of my addled state as an excuse to go for a walk. Austin has lots of cool old embellished brick buildings and excellent neon. With the rain gone, the flowers seem all that more spectacular and it smells like spring. It’s easy to get around and I love the college town vibe (minus the thumpita thumpita thumpita spring breakification until 2am because face it, I’m old). If you’re going to wander around in a sleepy headed unfocused state with a camera in hand, Austin is a very fine place to do so.
Having a fun time reading this series of blog posts. To be perfectly honest, it is the descriptions of bus rides into the town center and your mysterious bird that holds my interests and not necessarily news of the presentations. Though, if you do discover someone truly inspirational, do give a call out. Otherwise, complain or compliment as you see fit, but keep us updated on that bird.
this seems like a good event. Being out of the US, I miss all these events I’d go fly too!! booo 🙁
Wait till summer and it is 100+ everyday for a month, then let me know what you think of Austin.
I too, have a serious problem at conferences, which different kinds of work used to send me to in my various past lives. And I spent three days at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre Brasil and failed to really click into the thing. I used to think I was just flawed in that way, but if conferences sometimes leave you unimpressed, I’ll consider it a character strength, not a character flaw.
Loved hearing about the birdies.
@lilalia: Birds, partially identified. The hooting ones, doves. Probably lonesome. The talky parroty ones, grackles.