Well, as you may have guessed based on Day 1, we slept in and were simply unable to make it to the early morning sessions. We were able to, as such, te head down and show Mike the Whole Foods mothership at 5th and Lamar.
We grabbed lunch there ( the MoPac Sandwich with Tomatoes ) and then headed over to the Austin Convention Center. The first presentation we saw the keynote presentation with Henry Jenkins and Stephen Johnson. Their discussion was most enlightening as they discussed the communication and behavior patterns of “the kinds today”.
In an interesting bit of political dialogue, Jenkins noted that the Hillary linguistic dynamic is very much rooted in the old-world style model of political power.
“I would like to do for you.”
Pay attention to how many times she uses the word “I”
Which, to me, is a relic from the Catholic modality of intercessor. The notion that strongmen (and women) are needed to organize political pawer and resources on your behalf. Contrawise, that would make tho Obamian linguistic method of discussion some sort of Reformation-style assertion of “together we can”. In the Lutheran or Wesleyan mold, Obama doesn’t assert that he knows any better than the rest, but that he can be the symbol, the steward of a movement that is so much larger than anything that could be reined-in and channeled by any one individual. That is:
“Yes we can.”
I wonder if anyone has contacted the Obama campaign, perhaps a successful tactic would be to characterize Hillary as out -of-touch, as being a person who is into power per se, for the thrill of conducting the bolt of lightning like the magus in Tarot Card 1.
Read about what I heard from 37Signals after the jump.
Yesterday was a day full of harried activity. Owing to the fact that I wouldn’t be in the office this week, I had a few things to take care at the office before I did le grande log-out before going into SXSW. I couldn’t quite figure out what to d, so my solution was to “sprint”. “Sprinting” is a term that I got from Merlin Mann over at 43Folders as being an incredibly important skill in productivity. The fact is this: some time you have to sit down, strap in, turn the fucking IM off, and work until you’re done.
So I did that, my power hours are definitely in the early morning when it’s oh so very quiet. I got up at 0400 and was at the office by 0430. From 0430 I finished off the commentary that was working on on a business requirement document. By 1000 I was done, I sent it off and then bolted out to the Texas Department of Transportation.
I had to go to TxDOT to get a replacement title. To my great surprise I went in, signed in, and then 5 minutes later I was out with a beautiful official looking copy of title. I’m so proud at how efficiently my state handles the transportation matters. California wasn’t as bad as you would think ( being at the most populous state of the union and all ), but Texas definitely does it mo’ righter.
With that I had to put myself into the Federal government’s hands. I had to get a replacement social security card. I don’t know where it is and, as a man in his third decade, you should damn well known where your card is. So, I headed down to the SS administration and I should have taken the parking lot situation as an ill omen.
It was completely full. I illegally parked in an adjacent lot and went in.
I now know what my ancestors must have thought when they arrived at Ellis Island. The poor, the screaming babies, the distracted parents, it was all there.
So I took my number and proceeded to sit. I was 51 numbers away, number 101, binary 5, I sat to wait. Being a bit of a nerd I actually started timing the average throughput. It was 2 numbers per 5 minutes, on average.
Somewhere around the 90th minute I noted that at 1 o’clock, prime time in the afternoon, there were, in fact, only two desks open.
Only the Feds. And the great hope for all of us is that these people are going to give us all health care. I’m sure the insider grifters are giddy with the prospect of exploiting the deltas.
I finished up around 2 and raced back to meet up with my guest Michael Liskin, who is staying with us during SXSWi. Mike’s in town from LA and I decided that he needed an introduction to something unique and special to the ATX experience: Freebird’s. We jetted over to the Tech Ridge / 35 location and had a some great burrito’s and a chance to talk. Mike is a friend of my girlfriend’s from way back and our time to get to talk to one another was really limited during our last get together in Long Beach thanks to the attentions of a gypsy and more pressing events that day.
Mike then took the next hour to clean up and to head over to the Texas Department of Public safety so that I could get a Texas Driver’s license. I am horribly past the acceptable acquisition date but owing to not having a Social Security card and having misplaced a title. Having bravely faced those sling and arrows, I was able, at last, finally to register to get a card.
I rushed back to meet up with Mike and we both headed downtown to catch up with Lauren. We then went down to the Austin Convention Center and got our badges and schwag bags.
Hungry, we then searched for a place to eat and chose Caramelo’s. Mike and I both ate lightly given our earlier tortilla-wrapped east. After this we rested a bit in the lobby of the beautiful Hilton before heading over to Emo’s to catch the musical act “What Made Milwaukee Famous”
A notable opener was Austin’s own “The Lemurs” whose presence and performance was very solid with a lot of thrumming noise churning in the background.
“Milwaukee” was an excellent set: great stage bresence and they got the traditionally sessile and hipper-than-thou austin crowd moving, it was really a great show.
Interestingly enough, at some point before the act I turned around and ran into a girl from my French class in 1999. I had decided to take that class after getting interested in French while living aux Pays-Bas. It was great to see the girl and see how she’d done in the last couple of years it just goes to show one of the funny things about Austin, given enough time spent downtown you’ll eventually run into all the people you know.
Also at the show I had the chance to make acquaintance with an LA-based friend of Mike and an Austin-based friend whose working on her MBA at my alma mater.
Lauren and I booked out around 2, leaving the show ahead of the rush.
When I went to see The Pipettes earlier this year, the opening act was the incomprable Nicole Atkins who channels the best of many things I love in singers.
Reverb: Why I love Neko Case ( and Brandi Carlile ) as well.
Mystery: Why I love Patsy Cline as well.
Girl Groups: Why I love Ronnie Spector / The Pipettes
And some associated words: Robert Johnson, Mississippi, San Francisco, rainswept streets, Nashville water, postcards, coney island baby, lou reed, cassocks and lace, revolvers, The Bible, motel rooms with suspicious stains, serial killers, crossroads, the lights on line-runner trucks.
At the end of it all, allow me to summarize: Nicole Atkins
In this week leading up to SXSWi, The Austin Chronicle features comic Eugene Miriman on the cover.
I always get worried when I see comics associated with pretty much anything as an “opening act” or a keynote speaker. Honestly, most comics who believe that they appeal to “smart people” (or are marketed as such) either become so self-indulgent it hurts ( Best Week Ever ) or well, it’s a funny concept, but not really funny ( Andy Kaufman ).
In either case, I generally kinda sit there awkwardly as I’m predicting punch-lines and waiting until my feeling of embarrassment passes, usually concomitant with their leaving the stage.
Yet, to my great sadness, this feeling led me to miss ZeFrank at SXSW last year. I have since watched his media; he is a funny and insightful guy. The first video I ever saw of his was “it’s a bit more complicated than that” as linked by Raganwald and it was funny, smart, and hip.
The show I missed
So back to Mirman, I watched 3 of his videos and I definitely feel that “Kaufman mold” thing about him. If this is a representative sample, I don’t think I’m going to regret missing the web awards this year.
I have eaten at La Madeline all my life as a Texan: brunches and High
School senior days at the Madeline on Champion’s Forest Drive in
Houston, at the Lamar location during my University days, and now at
the Arboretum location after years of missing their food whilst living
in California.
But yesterday, after seeing the thoroughly forgettable “The Other
Boleyn” girl, I thought nothing could lift my spirits like one of
their pasta dishes with extra bread slices to sop up their tasty
sauces. And there, where the tower of carbohydrates once stood was
nothing but empty space and condiment bottles.
Was the oven down, perhaps the yeast on strike. I admit, the bow-tie
pasta was good, but there was something missing when I couldn’t
augment my dish with jam and bread as a peasant’s desert.
I confirmed with the cook on duty that the practice had been done away
with.
The free bread and excellent French roast was one of the primary means
by which Madeline cooked its way into my heart and now some of that
nostalgia and warm doughy welcome is gone.
Can anyone tell me if this most inhospitable measure has been
undertaken at other locations about town? I may be willing to drive
down to Jefferson if this is a store-by-store decision.
I think it bodes ill when a restaurant makes you pay for something
that they’ve established in the customer’s mind is a free commodity
( case in point, Curra’s Long Bar on Parmer made one pay for chips and
salsa ( anathema! ) — and now it looks like they’re skipping on their
rent and are shut down ).
Any thoughts?
Letter to La Madeline corporate commentary ( horrible web site: table based, didn’t render in Safari or Firefox the “submit” button at the end, etc. )
I have loved La Madeline since I was a child in Houston, during my student years here in Austin, and missed it while living in Northern California. Now back in Austin, I had the pleasure of introducing my Californian girlfriend to your restaurant and the finer art of using the complimentary bread slices to soak up delicious sauces. At our preferred location, Arboretum Austin, these slices have now departed. I confirmed with the chef on site that this was so.
Why was this done? Is this a la Madeline-wide change?
If so I find this a very sad development. After the coffee went to pods the coffee suffered and now the complimentary bread is gone? Your site and mission statements reflect a commitment to hospitality, and the home-making power of simple food prepared well. I do not see how this change is compatible with your proclaimed identity.
If this was cost-based, a small surcharge to overall food should have been sufficient to offset your costs.