The Weekend I Went to Texas and Sneezed The Whole Time (Revisited)

It got to the point where the allergy medication only gave me a few moments between sneezes to figure out why I visited Austin, TX. I wanted to see another version of America and I think I got a good taste of it. Whether I was wandering through nature, coasting down an unfamiliar city alone on a bike, or baking in the hot sun I noticed a few things...other than the amount of sweat I can produce...

Things about my trip:

- Public thanks to Casey and Natalie for hosting me. They let me in their nice house and showed me a good time. When Casey decided to move south, a bunch of us wondered 'why?' Now that I saw how they lived their lives, I get it. The couple is genuinely happy as can be right now and the city is currently a perfect fit for them. Go team.

- Another public thanks to Ben and Gretchen for spending time with an almost-stranger. Gretchen is a kind person and Ben is a nice guy knows exactly what I mean when I say "standdown." Oops...I've said too much. They're a great pair and I'm glad they ran into my hosts when they did.

- Not only does Austin seem like a gigantic version of Madison, WI (capital building, big university, tolerance for fat people, liberals and texans combining)...it also features some interesting geology. I didn't quite listen 100% to what Casey told me about the lay of the land...but what I did notice is that the river and creeks sure created some fun terrain.

- The city always lets you know which watershed area you are in. For some reason, I found that to be really cool. It's nice to know exactly where your engine oil goes every three thousand miles. Just kidding....Seriously.

- Austin is as Pro-Bush as it is Pro-Kerry. At the same time, I didn't get the sense that there was tension in the air. I got the feeling that no matter who wins the election...Austin will still be one happy place...but that's from a tourist's point of view. So don't trust me.

- One morning, we hiked down one of these geological fun zones and made our way to what was to be a natural pool formed underneath a waterfall in a creek. Unfortunately, the creek was mostly dry and we got a minnow filled pool consisting of leftover creek and rainwater. None of that mattered. I was still floored that this was mere minutes from the city center. Where's nature in this city?

Things about the Fest:

- Over three baking-hot afternoon/early evenings, I saw at least one song from the following (in order): Sloan, Patty Griffin, Broken Social Scene, Toots & the Maytals, Rebirth Brass band, Franz Ferdinand, Sheryl Crow, Josh Rouse, Old 97's, Howie Day, The Gourds, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Los Amigos Invibles, Trey Anastasio, G. Love & that guy, The Pixies, Ben Kweller, Elvis Costellor & the Impostors, Wilco, Cake, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Ben Harper.

- That is a lot of fuckin' music. There was quite a crowd of people to watch. I still can't walk around without making sure that I don't step on anyone...and the fest has been over for two days.

- Most of the crowd was of college age. I notice that tennis skirts are all the rage with the lovelies in Texas. Where was that when I was in college? All we saw were puffy coats in the winter and clam diggers in the summer. Lame.

- With there being so much heat, I didn't get drunk once. I was too busy drinking water. The one thing I wanted to avoid was dehydration or heatstroke. Part of this plan was to stay away from carbonated beverages. I think I pulled it off and learned something about avoiding soda and alcohol. You body will actually feel better when the weekend is over. How about that?

- Either people were being too standoffish to make friends...or I was being too standoffish to make new friends...or my moustache scared people off...hmmmm...

Moments to Mention:

- Broken Social Scene played a great show. The audience probably numbered over twenty thousand. It turns out the band was hyped by the local media quite a bit as the next big thing. When I turned to Casey and said: "Last year, I had to order their album out of Canada because it wasn't released here yet...now look at this crowd," I felt like an asshole music snob. So that's how it feels....wierd.

- Before Modest Mouse played, people by the thousands crowded the stage area in anticipation of a great show. When the show started, I walked through the crowd to people-watch and to find a breeze. As soon as the band started, you could feel the wave of disappointment of the fans who expected forty-five minutes of that one hit. Comments included: "It's a damn shame they don't sound like their CD." and "Why do people like them so much? They Suck!!" With a smirk, I thought to myself: "Bobby Smiley begs to differ."

- Sheryl Crow can't play bass, and is limited to being just a pretty face on the stage. That's kind of sad. She was a musician fisrt. The locals are disappointed in her not being able to handle the pressure of the romantic connection with Lance Armstrong. From my perspective that observation makes no sense, but I do like how the big cities in the south share public gossip. Face to face communication is still alive these days.

- Before Wilco played, our group was crammed into a crowded pocket of annoying fans. Most of these fans seemed to be the classic 'hey-dude' and 'like, you know?' types. I assumed that they were just camping out a few hours early for the Ben Harper show. Even Jeff Tweedy made a comment about how all the fans looked young. I was wrong. They still loved the music and probably enjoyed the show as much as...well, my friends would have. Looks, they did deceive me.

You know what? I don't think I get out enough.

Pictures

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