SXSW 2002Forward

As usual, I had a long to-do list to accomplish before I left for my annual pilgrimage to Austin for South by Southwest Interactive and, by necessity, laundry and packing got pushed to the end of it. I had planned to depart St. Louis after work on Thursday night, arriving in Texas late but with the prospect of a good night's sleep to prepare me for the week ahead. So it was, on Wednesday night -- quite late -- that I put in a load of wash, intending to lie down for just a few minutes before attacking the packing.

Naturally, I awoke just in time to shower and dash off to work on Thursday.

I realized, though, after a day of doing and delegating then rushing home to throw my things in a suitcase that I wasn't really packing at all. I wasn't concerned about which trousers and socks to take, which t-shirts best expressed my personal philosophies, which belts went with which shoes. I wasn't even too awfully worried about making sure all the necessary power cords, chargers and memory cards made it into the bag.

For the past couple of years, my trip to SXSW has been not about packing up, but casting off -- shedding my usual work routine and luxuriating in the rare mix of old friends and new, the potent cocktail of creativity and uncommon sense, the group of folks who "get" my geeky side and the pleasant city in which it all happens.

I arrived just after 10 p.m. at Bergstrom airport, surprised to see the concourse almost deserted but blown away by the huge crowd downstairs at the baggage claim. Already, the city was beginning to fill with Film and Interactive attendees; the shuttles and cabs into downtown Austin were packed.

After checking in at the Embassy Suites, I suffered my first and, really, only disappointment of the week: Despite promises on several websites and brochures, the hotel did not offer high-speed Internet access and, to add insult to injury, offered only Coca-Cola products in its vending machines. No Mountain Dew for a week? Unthinkable.

I provisioned the ensuite fridge with plenty of caffeine from a nearby convenience store, made my peace with dial-up and took a hot bath to put myself in the proper mindset for the week to come.

It would be the last night I was in bed before 4 a.m. for the duration of the conference.

I slept in on Friday, rising at the obscenely decadent hour of 11 a.m. to forage for lunch, explore some downtown shops and wander over to the Convention Center to pick up my credentials. Despite having uploaded an unobjectionable photo of myself for the namebadge -- a feature necessitated, I was told, for increased security -- I discovered upon registering that it had gone astray in the ether and was forced to have taken what may be the very worst picture of me ever made.

I made it back to the hotel in time for a power nap and a quick cocktail before meeting my roommate, the lovely and talented Dan Budiac. We chatted a bit, washed our faces and hit the streets.

I was determined this year to be on time for my own dinner party.

SXSW 2002Forward