SXSW - Day 2

Start: 7 PM

Well I tried to get into the Body of War showcase but when I hit Stubb's the line stretched all the way from the door down to 9th street back along Red River and almost to 8th so I knew there was no way I was getting in there. So I wandered the streets a bit just soaking in the huge influx of people.

My first stop of the night was at Barcelona to check out Shepard Fairey. Basically this was a DJ set and the only reason I was interested in it is Shepard is the founder/designer/guru of Obey so I was hoping they would have a cool poster for the gig and they did.

Next it was off to the Music Hall to hunker down for a few hours. First up at AMH were The Whigs and they put on a pretty good show. The Music Hall seems a little big for what they can do and they would have been better suited at a smaller venue. Next was Yo La Tengo, I do not know much of their stuff but they put on a pretty noise filled set. Finally, what I had been waiting for My Morning Jacket. They played for almost two hours and it was absolutely fabulous. Traveling the festival circuit they have certainly honed their craft to an art form. A great mix of new songs and favorites with a really intense light show. Certainly the highlight of my festival so far.

After MMJ I thought about hitting some afterparties but decided sleep was more important.

End: 1 AM

SXSW - Day 1

The annual music extravaganza SXSW started yesterday in Austin, TX, here is my recap...

Start: 4 PM
Akron/Family: pretty good
Ra Ra Riot: okay
Saul Williams: okay
Black Joe Lewis: This guy is from Austin and he was very good, I think he will have a much larger following in the near future
Deer Tick: it was okay but I was not feeling it, only stayed about 20 minutes
Wax Fang: nice gritty rock and roll, but the best part of the show was Jim James of My Morning Jacket was right in front of me, pretty cool
Nightwatchman: this was the highlight of the night, the Nightwatchman is Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and he put on a great show, plus Ben Harper came out and played a song with him
Pure Volume afterparty: I was under the impression that they had gotten rid of most of the afterparties but I was certainly mistaken as this part went on until the wee hours and the free beer, liquor, soda, water, etc. flowed
End: 3 AM

A Year Without...Update

Well I am one month into my little no clothes buying experiment and so far it is going pretty well.

Since my pledge not to buy clothes I have not bought any, but have satisfied my new clothes hunger by receiving two tee shirts from my brother for my birthday and getting three Rogue shirts that they gave away when they moved out of the Annex.

5 new tee shirts with a total cost of $0

So my thirst has temporarily been quenched by freebies. Let's see how long that will satisfy me.

Amazing Saturday in Austin

Saturday was just your all around awesome day in Austin. First thing in the morning I got up and did a short little run workout. This was followed by a quick change and heading over to the Veloway to meet Shorery, Menard, Arturo, and a few of his friends. After a loop around the veloway it was off for two autobahn circuits, followed by another veloway loop. Including the ride to a from about 27 miles of riding.

By the end of the ride at 11:30 the mist had burned off and it was on its way to being a crystal clear blue sky day with temps around 80.

After grabbing a quick lunch and a shower Carri, Shorey, and I went and saw Semi-Pro at the Alamo. I felt the movie was pretty good. It was your typical Will Farrell comedy, and the only place in town to see it is the Alamo as they showed tons of really funny SNL, and Funny or Die clips before the movie.

After the movie the three of us headed to Barton Springs Saloon for a few beers on their patio.

Shorey left us at this point and Carri and I stopped and got a final beer at Boomerz before coming home and calling it a night.

A good day indeed.

Weekend Rides

The weather in Austin this past weekend was just amazing, with highs Saturday in the 70s and then yesterday the high was in the 80s. Perfect weather for a couple of rides.

Saturday met up with Erin, Scott, Dionn, and Krissy for a few loops of the veloway and then an autobahn loop. Total mileage for me 31.

Then yesterday Erin, Scott, Krissy and I did a 30 mile ride down to Buda.

These rides really invigorated me and reminded me why I like riding so much. Even though I am still way out of bike shape, I had a few moments where I was able to hammer like the old days. Hopefully after a few more good rides the old legs will come back.

Bedside Reading

I have recently noticed that many of my friends have what they are currently reading on their blogs so I decided I would collect all the books and magazines I have stacked next to my bed and give you a little insight into what I am reading (or what I have been too lazy to put back in the bookshelf).

Books:
Golden Buddha by Clive Cussler - finished needs to go in the bookshelf
The Collectors by David Baldacci - finished needs to go in the bookshelf
So You Want to Live in Hawaii by Toni Polancy - a reoccurring dream that still alludes us
The Great Influenza by John M. Barry - still trying to get into this so it will continue to live bedside
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner - read once about to read again
Next by Michael Crichton - finished needs to go in the bookshelf
Paranoia by Joseph Finder - finished needs to go in the bookshelf

Magazines:
Men's Journal (Nov 2007) - Heading to the recycling bin
Men's Journal (Dec 2008) - Heading to the recycling bin
Money (Oct 2007) - A few good articles I have not read yet, so it stays
Money (Jan 2007) - Heading to the recycling bin
Budget Travel (Oct 2007) - Heading to the recycling bin
Outside (Nov 2007) - Heading to the recycling bin
Bicycling (Mar 2008) - A few good articles I have not read yet, so it stays

Newspaper:
Completed crossword puzzle from 12.10.07 - Heading to the recycling bin

And thats it. Too bad I have to blog about it to get off my lazy butt and either put the completed books in the bookshelf or recycle the magazines. Oh well whatever it takes I guess.

Ahhhh...Austin

While parts of the country saw a whopping high in the 20s today we had a beautiful "winter" day in Austin today with a high temperature of approximately 80 degrees. It was an amazingly beautiful day, and as I type this at 11:33 PM CT I still have the windows open in the house.

Nothing like going on a 20 mile bike ride on February 10th only wearing a short sleeve jersey.

I think that Al Gore was on to something.