i am finally here in austin, still in one piece after a long late night yesterday (it being so cold in boston i wanted to self-implode), an emotional spree, less than 4 hours of sleep, and a bleary-eyed flight through chicago. already i am feeling the energy and the overwhelming festivity of it all, not to mention the tropical climes and the fitful alternations between sticky breezy warmth and sterile hyper-air-conditioning.

i'm in a lull just before heading out. i'm staying in a loft apartment with a new-york-based filmmaker who is awesomely sweet, a fantastic sxsw veteran, and spectacularly hooked up.

so far, some thoughts on the day:

- there's a native bird that caws so mournfully and sharp, it's like a child crying each time; they're black and congregate above, in the branches

- the happy hour phenomenon is crazy here. once 4pm hits, nothing is sacred. we were starving and went into mccormick & schmick's, not necessarily a place i would find either tasty or affordable. however, with purchase of a drink (i even just got iced tea) there's a menu that's cheaper than your wildest dreams. even more so than half-priced specials at grendels! $1.95 for deep fried pickles, $2.95 each for soft fish tacos (deLISH) and spicy chicken tacos and flash fried calamari, and $3.95 for a lamb gyro. unbelievable.

- i'm overwhelmed by the enormity of panels, parties, events, functions, and even side things like dorkbot, barcamp, and lots of private group mixers. i'm planning on going to a bbq for design bloggers tomorrow night, which should hold some tasty meat for my waiting, excited stomach.

- at this quick mixer earlier this evening for the film disturbia, i spotted a woman wearing a wmbr 88.1fm bag slung around her shoulder! it was totally fate, and she indeed was from boston and just a fan of the station. love it.

ok, i think we will head out soon. lots of sweat and silliness, and it's the first time in weeks (no, months) that i'm going bare-legged. let the warmth (and not the bugs) overcome me tonight.