SXSW is over.  The rain will wash away the dirt and stench that overwhelmed downtown.  Another year has taught me that I enjoy indoor shows with seating way more than the outdoor ones.  The sound is better, the people tend to be more civilized.

Here’s how the rest of the week went.  I am still deciphering my notes from SXSWi panels.  Stay tuned.

Day 6, Wednesday:

• I spent the day hiding in the movie theater.  I was disgusted by spring breakers and the smell of downtown.  I made it to 4 films.
• nothing spent, nothing gained (unless you count my post movie run to the grocery store)

Day 7, Thursday:

• Still hiding out.  I went to 3 movies and decided to take a chance and check out a show.  I camped out in line to see Fiona Apple at the church.  The sound was great and it was clean.
• After the show I biked to Red River to get a snack at Austin Daily Press and charge my phone in M’s apt before going to Club DeVille for Fanfarlo (awesome) and Tennis (not so great).
• $8 ADP sammich

Day 8, Friday:

• Believe it or not, I actually spent my morning at Stubbs for the Spin Party.  I showed up at 9 to pick up my wristband. Then I roamed around the Convention Center and checked out Flatstock. Then it was back to Stubb’s around 11ish.   The line up wasn’t as great as it used to be.  It was nice to see Best Coast and Santigold
• After it was over, I walked over to the Paramount to see Sunset Strip.  I was tired and dirty.
• Biking home was beyond scary.  I made a mental note to leave the bike at home on Saturday.
• $3 on tips, 3 free drinks

Day 9, Saturday:

• This is usually day party day for me but, I wasn’t feeling it.  Instead, I ended up in a movie that was a complete dud.
• I decided maybe I should check out the day party and see if the day would improve.  Not so much.  The sound at Club DeVille got worse.  I stayed for Twilight Sad and 2 beers and quickly maneuvered through the crowd to the Ritz for another film.
• Film redemption + a free meal (not a giveaway, just a good friend).  After the film we booked over to the Driscoll to use the restroom (Dear, Alamo, there are NEVER enough stalls in the ladies room).
• On the way to Style X we popped in to the Canadian Blast Party and caught Elephant Stone.  We swooned over the lead singer/sitar player.
• which had improved quite a bit since last year.  I chatted with a few friends and ended up going back to the staff area to see how teardown was going.
• Apparently they were done for the night so we walked to Sidebar for beer then the State for another movie.
• Instead of calling it a night, we hit the midnight film.  Then I ran to catch the film shuttle back home.
• $12 for beer and tips, 3 beers, free food

It’s been ages since I have posted anything here.  M and I have been extremely busy.  Most of you know how to find out about our side projects because you follow us on FB or Twitter.

Both of us managed to take time out to return to our volunteer gigs. It’s my eighth year and it’s  too sweet of a deal to pass up.  We work the entire week before SXSW and then we get to make use of those badges.

Now that interactive has come to a close I will let you know what I have been up to.  Stay tuned for a more in depth discussion on some of the panels/movies that inspired me.

Day 1, Friday:

• I volunteered until 5pm then hit the movie theater for Girl Walk/All Day.  It was a perfect film to kick of my SXSW.  I watched it with a bunch of New Yorkers and we enjoyed views of home.
• I managed to get a few free drinks between a lounge on the way to the film opening and the actual opening party.
• $3 on tips, 3 free drinks+snacks

Day 2, Saturday:

• I decided that I should take advantage of panels now that I am a small business owner.  I went to Group Deals and learned how those deals can make or most likely break you.
• Next it was film time.  If you get a chance, you should check out Welcome to the Machine.  Then Narrative Shorts 2 (not so good)
• Then I fell victim to false advertizing on a panel.  Google and Bing: help me rank better.  Meh.  I could have gotten the same information from reading the Google webmaster stuff on the internet.
• I left the panel and went to the Drafthouse for Wonder Women! (another must see).  By this point in time I wasn’t feeling that great.  Spending two days in the cold and wet weather may have done me in.
• Nothing spent, nothing gained

Day 3, Sunday:

• More panels.  I learned my lesson when I attempted to hop around from panel room to panel room.  You don’t get in.  It’s best to camp out in one room to ensure you have a space.  I spent the whole morning in the Stephen F. Austin Hotel learning about marketing and consumer habits.

• Then it was film time.  I drove to the Carver Museum to catch the Faces of Austin Screening, then I went home for lunch before hitting the Drafthouse for $ellebrity
• I wrapped up the night at the Google Village.
• $2 on tips, 2 free drinks+snacks

Day 4, Monday:

• The sun finally came out so I walked to the Drafthouse to catch the film shuttle to the Convention Center.    I stopped by the Fashion Meet up briefly and ran off to the Craft Camp where I felt more at home.  Many crafters get a bad rap, but these days they are the people getting their hands dirty.  More and more I shy away from using the word designer.  I get my hands dirty.  I am a technician. I found the lecture on The Psychology & Philosophy of Premium Pricing rather informative and spent some time chatting with the panelists afterwards.
• After the lecture I hung out in the tradeshow.  It was a bit overwhelming.  So many things that I wasn’t remotely interested in.
• I went to a three panels afterwards.  The best one was on social privacy.  The others completely missed the mark (aka.  The title of the panel should match the topic you actually speak on).
• By this time was starving and twitter told me there was food and Reggie Watts at the IFC house. The show ended up being lame because the actors were distracted by the rude people in the bar.
• I decided to flee 6th street and head back to Google land.  It was safe there.  You had to have a badge to get in.
• $5 on beer,  free food

Day 5, Tuesday:

• I probably should have gone back to bed when I couldn’t remember the combination to my bike lock this morning.  I needed sleep, not a 9:30 panel.  Luckily, M and I have the same combination.  I didn’t make it to the 9:30 at SFA hotel because I got stuck at a train crossing.  I went to my second choice at the convention center only to find that it was a book signing not a panel, GRRR!
• My first panel was in the Hilton at 11.  Not too bad.  Panel 2 was a disaster from the start.  I went in, they cleared us out to do a mike check or something, then once they started, Occupy Austin decided to have a little demonstration.  I managed to get out of there before things got ugly.  I sought refuge in the tech cave and regrouped.
• I killed time in the line for the Hype Hotel, and by time I mean losing an hour of my life.  Then I snagged a beer at IFC before heading to the Driscoll for a lame panel.  False advertizing strikes again.  On top of that, the speaker read their speach verbatim.
• My day turned around when I saw Trash Dance at the Paramount.  It was a recommendation from AFS.  If you get a chance you should check it out.
• I closed out my day after checking in with my peeps in the convention center.  It was flip day  and they were dealing with the switch from interactive to music.
• $1 on tips, 1 beer

I recently had the opportunity to go speed dating for free.  They were short women for the “upscale” singles event.  The first thought in my mind was this…

…a hot guy in a suit.  Ok, so it was 100 degrees and we would be on a patio but, I DON’T CARE!  Ok maybe he would  be in lightweight linen pants and a short sleeved or maybe rolled up sleeve button down shirt.

Or maybe he would be into fashion and look this guy (I am a Refinery29 addict now)…

In my head this man is definitely NOT wearing khakis.  Nor would he be wearing shorts on a Thursday evening after work (unless he was out exercising or on a boat).

What was I wearing?  A simple knit dress.  Clean cut, bat-wing sleave, v-cut hem.  The print was geometric (halston-esque).  I think I had on heels as well.  I was Jen the fashion designer.

Needless to say, this event wasn’t as classy as expected.  The ladies definitely out scored the men on the classyometer (that is now a word). This round I had zero picks.  But to be fair there were four repeats from last time.

So the other day I drunk impulse bought a registration for speed dating.    I’ve done it once before and  based on my year long failure of acquiring a date on OkCupid  (more on this later) I decided to take a chance.

I wasn’t feeling awesome.  I was actually running a low grade fever.  I tossed on a black jersey dress, red shoes, and a belt and headed for the Highball.  I walked in, grabbed a soda water with lime and slapped on my name tag.

“Hi, my name is Jen. I am a seamstress and I work in vintage restoration and reproduction. ”

Why talk about the gov’t job that I don’t like?  Besides, I was going for less intimidating.   Over the course of my 13 mini dates I discovered at least 3  more people living dual lives.  Most of them were musicians.  Not bad.

I am not going to discuss each “date” in detail.  My notes weren’t as detailed as last time.  If you want more details, well maybe you should pay for me to attend another one.  I can say that there are two guys  I would actually go out with.  There were two more that I would consider just hanging out with as friends.

What I would like to discuss, is how poorly the event was run.  This was the first time I used this service.  I probably would have reconsidered based on the poor web interface. But alas, I was drunk when I signed up.  They promised snacks and drink specials, what I saw was a sad tray of crackers and after surveying a few attendees the drink specials were few and far between.

If you haven’t been to speed dating before, it goes like this. You put on your name tag.  They hand you a sheet of paper to make notes on (they don’t give you enough so bring your own).  They seat you and your “date” at a table and you get anywhere from 6-10 minutes (this time it was 6) to find out as much as possible about the other person.  They ring a bell when the time is up and they make one gender rotate (this time males rotated).  Usually they give you a little time to write down notes or they tell you when the bathroom breaks are.  Not this time.  To make matters worse, we started out minus 3 ladies, this meant the guys had extra chill time.

After the event, you are supposed to log back in to the horrible website and click on the people that you are interested in contacting. If by some chance they want to contact you as well you will get their contact info.  The site has no personal information to aid in your judgement.  It would be nice if I could find out if either of the people I selected were smokers.  That is a deal breaker.

If anyone at the Highball is listening.  You should run your own speed dating event or “dating game”.  Nerd Night does it.  Get the action pack to run it.

Before I begin my rant.  I need to tell you all to go out and see Submarine.  It’s a film, not a movie.  Another great performance by Noah Taylor and a surprisingly good soundtrack.    I was a bit shocked when I found out that Alex Turner (front man for the Arctic Monkeys) was the man behind these songs.  But, I think that is the point of indie films.  Showcasing new/underused talent.  The last time I saw a film with a soundtrack so shockingly perfect was “Dan in Real Life.”

…and now for the rant portion.  Hopefully my rant is not as bad as this stuff is… (more…)

My tolerance for “special” people is tanking.  I don’t know if it is related to the string of violent films I have seen or what,.  My field notes from TV on the Radio at Stubb’s say the following: To the girl with the “serenity” tattoo on the back of her neck,  I have all I can do not go go Rainn Wilson on your ass with my bike wrench. [For those of you who don't know, that is a reference to Super.  Watch the trailer.  I am glad a wrote that down.   In reality, I would turn her in to security.  I would tell them that she was a danger to herself and that she was probably on drugs.  Why the passive aggressive approach?  Umm, APD doesn't like brown people.] I think that my surrounding concert mates would have liked to have a go at all the drunkards who felt the need to mosh around to a band that deserves more respect.

Let’s rewind to the start of my day. (more…)

So most people these holidays are fearing a little pat down by the TSA. I fear Christmas cards/letters.  The majority of the people I want to keep in touch with are on the Facebook.  If not, I find a way to keep in touch with them.  If you don’t hear from me at all during the year, something says that I have moved on.

So here is the deal. I am still getting Christmas cards from people I stopped speaking to at least 5 years ago.  They actually stopped speaking to me first.  [I may have done something slightly not so PC at the time.  But whatever, such is life and if they can't handle it, I don't need them (BTW, if a guy did what I did, he would get a high five and maybe a free beer).]

So, I digress…  anyways, the card isn’t just a carbon copy of what everyone else gets.  They actually have taken time out to write something personal (on their already personal couples photo card).  “Hope to hear from you”, or “we read your blog and it looks like you have had a great year” or “keep in touch”.  And no.  I am a hard core grudge holder.  Once you are out, you are out.  I may go from extremely angry to civil and can tolerate your presence for an hour or so, but to be honest.  I am still not a happy camper.

… Thanks but no thanks,  I will take the pat down any day.

I don’t care if douchebaggery isn’t a word.  I needed a good descriptor for what is to follow.

<soapbox>

I got a disturbing round of texts yesterday about the use of a friend’s photos in their ex’s new online dating profile.  Really?  Specifically about a picture taken with their pet.  Seriously,  pictures with your ex’s animal(s) do not score you points in the sensitivity arena.  How do you handle the questions about said animal in chats or on the first date?  Do you make up a story about how fluffy was hit by a car and it has been a hard few years, but now you can finally deal with the loss?  Inquiring minds want to know.

A long time ago, the staff put together a few lists of profile do’s and don’ts (here, and here).  As always, I say skip using your past to advertize your present self.  How hard is it to get a friend to take a few pictures?  If you don’t have friends, try a fucking camera with a tripod and timer.  My cheap ass netbook does a good job of taking profile pictures.

</soapbox>

People say that home is where the heart is.  Sadly I am feeling rather vacant in that area.  Home has been my car and an assortment of places I have keys for (BTW if I haven’t said it enough, thank you for giving me keys to your houses).  I am becoming a product of this sterile environment that I return to everyday after work.

For the last 4 months I have been living in a store display.  Apparently to sell a house, the house has to be lived in, yet void of life.  I have to say that living in a store display is taking it’s toll.  Personal items are stashed away in drawers and boxes.  My sewing gear is mostly packed away because I don’t want people touching it (Note to visitors: It is not appropriate to touch a seller’s personal belongings, nor should you use their bathrooms).  Books and DVDs are in the closet to avoid clouding anyone’s judgement on the purchase of my home.   I can’t even cook here.  People looking at houses do not have the same appreciation for the smell of butter and garlic that I do.  The longer the house is on the market the less it feels like home.

Today I went to work on the verge of a meltdown (If you know me, you know I don’t have breakdowns often).  I told my boss that I was going to stay in my office and put myself in time out. Why?  I knew it was a bad day when I dropped the f-bomb within 5 minutes of entering the building.  I was pissed. I busted ass and spent a rather large sum of money to have the interior of the house painted. Why?  To encourage a hasty sale of my home.  Sadly, the open house on Sunday drew in a single buyer and they weren’t interested.

Normally, I don’t bring personal into the business place but after 4 months of living in a store display I can’t keep it together.  I thought after 2 days of virtually nothing but chick flicks I had cried enough tears to feel too exhausted to be angry.  Instead I spent the day pissed off and listening to punk rock.

After work I decided that it was in my best interest to go to one of my temporary homes (the one with the streaming videos on demand) and chill out.  I watched a film (I think it should be categorized as a film) about a dysfunctional family, “Rachel getting married.”  I was crossing my fingers that it would numb the anger.  Otherwise I was going home and breaking dishes in the back yard. It wasn’t until now that I fully understood what was meant by this quote from High Fidelity. :”… I want to feel something else than this. It either that, or I go home and stick my hand in the fire.”

Yes, it’s come to that.  I told my mom that this house thing is making me crazy.  If I hadn’t just blown a ton of money on painting the house I would have a month and a half of rent in the apartment I should have been living in by now.

So what’s next?  No fucking clue.  I cannot afford rent and a mortgage. I appreciate the offers but I do not want temporary housing.   I do not want to unpack until I am in a new place.

Last night I danced it out at the Highball to the best of  2000 (or so they say).  I hate to think that Rhianna, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga were all that this decade brought forth. [Disclaimer, I left a little after 2am.  I strongly doubt they were able to bang out the missing hits before they closed the place down for the night. But who knows?  I could be wrong.] there was no cover so I shouldn’t complain.

We drank, we danced, yet we couldn’t help wondering… What about the the bounty that the vocoder brought us?  T-Pain… Little Wayne?  What about Outcast?  Hey Ya anyone? What about the Hey Ya of 2006? Gnarles Barkley’s Crazy.  As much as I hate to say it, where were the Black Eyed Peas and Fergie? 2000s were filled with some booty shakin (and milkshakin‘) music for the most part.

It wasn’t until the late aughties that disco and new wave made their triumphant return (Gaga, MGMT, etc…)  But where was Cut Copy? Bloc Party? Passion Pit? Pheonix? Ratatat? Ghostland? MSTRKRFT? NASA? All of the hipster dance anthems of the aughties.

I would like to think that the music deficit was based on the availability of the songs on kareoke and video and not on a lack of knowledge about 2000s club music.  What say you Action Pack?