Project Updates:

Sorry for the long post. I try and stay "unplugged" during SXSW. I was analogging for the past week.

This was my 3rd year as a SXSW Volunteer. I took notes on many of the panels I attended but I am lazy and don't plan on typing them up. The podcasts are available on the SXSW website.

Thursday 3/8: Bagstuffing

• Just a few comments on the whole bagstuffing process (for those of you not in the know, all volunteers get stuck stuffing those lovely canvas goodie bags). First off, get there early. That way you can be one of the people handing out swag and not one of the people walking around. Second, bagstuffing is not a fashion show. Leave your high heels at home. Really, I mean it. You will be walking on a concrete floor. I left the convention center covered in newsprint from the Chronicles that I was handing out.
  

Friday 3/9: Volunteering

• Registration: This was my first year on Registration. It's hard work. I learned how badges are made.
  
• Tech Crew: I missed out on deploying the computers this year. Things were pretty quiet by the time I got there. I sat in on a panel called "How to Rawk SXSW". We were informed by the panelists that they were bringin' wiskey back. They weren't lying. Jack Daniels was present.
  

Saturday 3/10:

• Tech Crew: This year we got stuck in a room for a whole day. Apparently this is what happens when only a few senior staff members return. Ballroom F wasn't too bad. Just cold. Very cold. I am still pissed off at the fact that we don't get longsleeve shirts. The panel crew gets them. Panels of note: Writing Better, Turning Projects into Revenue, and From Blog to Book.
  
• Evening activities: I met up with some other volunteers to attend the Frog Design Party and the Buzz Feed party. We determined that "interactive" is an oxymoron. I don't know how, but I managed to get a web design book from some randome guy (I have yet to explore it. It's called "The Principles of Beautify Web Design" by Jason Beaird. I will keep you posted on what it's about). I met up with Em at the bomb shelter when I was fed up with the drunken tech dudes.
  

Sunday 3/11:

• Tech Crew: Another day in Ballroom F. The temperature was still suitable for penguins. Panels of note: Las Vegas Design and People Powered Products.
• Movies: I managed to get out of the convention center early enough to see two movies. For the first time I managed to see a movie at the Drafthouse Downtown, "The Itty Bitty Titty Committee". Then, it started to rain. I managed to speed walk to the Paramount to catch "What Would Jesus Buy" (according to Morgan Spurlock, Jesus would buy a platinum badge so he didn't have to sit in the nosebleed section). It was well worth the speed walk. I will probably go out and see it when it is released in the theater. The walk back to the car sucked. Heavy rain and wind from all directions. Luckily I had a friend to walk back to the parking garage with.

Monday 3/12:

• Tech Crew: My other beef with the interactive conference was the layout of the panel rooms. Using the old side of the convention center (the John Malkovich wing) was a bad idea. I was in 10AB for the day. Panels of note: Virtual Teaming and Do you Blog on the First date?
• Evening activities: I caught 20x2. I highly recommend going to see this if it comes to your town. The question for the panelists was "What if?" (I will be adding the weekly "what if" to my blog in weeks to come) I decided to pass on the Nuclear Tacos (I heard the war stories). Afterwards I met up with my peeps at the Light Bar for the Upcoming/Yahoo party. By the time I got there the food was gone and the only t-shirts left were XXL. Lucky for me we got into a movie at the Drafthouse. The movie was called "Flakes". It was cute. I probably won't run out to see it again. The movie should have been called WTF is Zooey wearing? Seriously.
  

Tuesday 3/13:

• Tech Crew: Another day in 10AB. The panels were kind of blah. The highligh of my day was nap time during the keynote. Panels of note: Combinatorial Media and Instructional video.
• Evening Activities: We went in search of free food at the AIR interactive party and wandered over to the Media Temple closing party. I scammed some free drinks and went to the Drafthouse to see "Confessions of a Superhero". Yet another good documentary. I am rethinking my position on capes.

Wednesday 3/14:

• Registration: Music stuff started Wednesday. This was registration's busiest day. I didn't get my nap that day. Things were so busy that volunteers were offered a wristband if they stayed until 10pm. I decided to get while the getting was good. I checked out at 6:30
  
• Evening activities: Free drinks at the Dirty Country party. Sunday and I managed to get into the Fader Party (it they turned the American Youthworks building into the Honeycomb Hideout). They didn't have food so we caved and had street pizza for dinner. I went to the screening of Dirty Country and fell asleep. I met up with Em at the Beauty Bar to see Illinois. We didn't really have much planned beyond that. We wandered around and saw Mothercoat and the Isles before calling it a night. I think this is the year of hot bass players. Last year it was hot drummers.
  

Thursday 3/15:

• Registration: More badgemaking. Things were a little slow, I managed to check out the day party schedule and came up with a plan for the afternoon.
• Afternoon activities: I kidnapped Pati and we went to Zen for lunch and then hit Factory People (they were supposed to be doing makeovers that day but that fell through). We did some shopping and headed back to the convention center (Pati had to work and we wanted to check out the tradeshow). After cruising for free stuff I went home to do some laundry.
• Evening: I saw Apollo Sunshine before I met up with Em at Momo's. Then we caught Stars of Track and Field, Datarock, The Gossip, and The Pony's.
  

Friday 3/16:

• Daytime: I slept in for the first time in a week. I hit Costco and Ross (I needed sunglasses). Armed with my Daisy Fuentes sunglasses, I met up with Em and Chris at Emo's. Pitchfork had a pretty good line up. RJD2, Menomena, and Girl Talk. The Friday Day show that made my SXSW (if you can't afford a wristband, make sure you get out on Friday for all of the free shows). Em and I stood at the Beauty Bar fence and and caught a bit of MSTRKRFT's set. Then I schmoozed my way into the Fader party. Being a fashion designer has its perks. We checked out the Honeycomb Hideout and grabbed free water while we listened to Amy Winehouse. I got a call to go over to the Jane party and pick up free stuff (the Jane people have the gift bag thing down).
• Evening: Em and I went to Octane and had free beer while we shopped. Em shopped and I did research. My jeans aren't far off from what they are selling in that store for $200+. We had a real dinner at Taverna (I recommend the Gnocchi de Zucca) then went to Jo's for coffee and to figure out the schedule. We caught Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos at Antones. Then we went ot Emo's for Cage, Brother Ali, and Aesop Rock. We booked over to Dirty Dog for Apples in Stereo. The line was a little long but Em managed to get in before the show started. By this point in time my lungs were about to quit. I've never had an asthma attack but I think that I may have to look into getting an inhaler just in case. I had to leave the show early because I felt like I was going to die.
  

Saturday 3/17:

• I got up a little early to finish some jeans to wear that day. I was running low on time so I did a ghetto hem job to make them wearable.
  
• Registration: I worked the final 5. Things were slow, so we packed up and listened to all of the "my dog ate my badge" stories. I also did some sketching.
  
• Evening activities: I met up with Em at Club DeVille. We took a pedicab to her car and headed down to the Heights to listen to a DJ. We headed back downtown for dinner and West Indian Girl at Opal Divine's. I had to escape from the smokers once again. This time I didn't fare so well. I was still feeling crappy when we headed up to Monkeywrench books for a beer tasting. I tried to hang in there so I could see Girl Talk at 1am but I ended up bailing during Bang Gang's set.

Sunday 3/18:
Now that SXSW is over I took care of a few things at home. I made french toast for breakfast. I did a few loads of laundry. I addressed my fluffy yard and the dandelion colonies. I fixed the jeans that I whipped up on Saturday. I took a long shower and washed my hair. I spent several hours catching up with my couch. I spent 2 hours on the phone with Meg.

Monday 3/19:
That's right kiddies. I gave myself an extra day to chill out before heading back to work. I need to clean my house and go to the grocery store. I've been putting it off. I spent most of the morning blogging and surfing the internet. I am leaning towards taking a nap and watching Oprah rather than vacuuming. The grocery store may be postponed as well. I don't feel like getting dressed.