I'd been planning for weeks to be at this year's South by Southwest Music Festival. There were some glitches earlier in the week, but I managed to drag myself up at 6:00 this morning and be on time for my 10:00 flight from Atlanta to Austin. I went straight to the hotel, where my ass-freezing room was thanfully ready--otherwise I'd have been dragging my stuff around Austin all day.
I got my badge and wandered around, spotting a couple of people I knew. I was planning to sit in on a panel mid-afternoon and had some time to kill. I ended up catching We Were Pirates and the Young Rapids. (Dan from Young Rapids, I'm sorry I couldn't stay and see the rest of your set!) I did the panel (nothing really useful for me) and caught the end of a day set from Alabama Shakes. I had a nice chat with Boston-based musician Kat McGivern. Hopefully we'll meet up tomorrow for the free Tito's in the Registrant's Lounge.
Before the night was up, I ended up at a glorified college house party (unofficial SXSW party) to see WhySoWhite. It's a 9-piece, all-white, hip hop band from Chicago. Turns out the now-grown twins sons of my boss from pre-Mommy days front the band. They were awesome! And not just because I knew them when. They really were so much fun and high energy and great to watch. That house fucking shook from it all. They may end up being the best thing I see while I'm here.
That kind of crazy, small-world coincidence is exactly the kind of thing that happens to me every day of my life. I'm a witchy little thing sometimes, and this was one of those bizarre moments that could seemingly only happen to me.
I wandered around downtown for a while tonight, just feeling everything out. I wanted to see Alabama Shakes or Cage the Elephant, but I'm tired. There's so much to see the next few days, and I have to pace myself. This will be the longest I've ever been on my grown-up own, as well as the longest away from my boys. I know we're all safe and secure enough in our love that we'll be okay. We'll all miss each other but know we're just a FaceTime request away from each other.
I walked miles and miles today, and it felt amazing. It's the most I've done since pre-surgery, and Iit feels fantastic to be kinetic again. My Big Girl panties didn't get to me in time for this trip, but it turns out I don't need them. As nervous as I am about being on my own in a strange city, I can see myself as tall and brave for the first time in a long time. I'm okay with the solitude, which lets me soak in this experience in a completely different way than if I were with DH or anyone else for these days. I'm meeting great friends tomorrow, and I'll be happy to see them.
But tonight, I'm looking forward to crashing in the big, cold bed all by myself and going into it all again tomorrow.
Comments