The Misadventures of Yaaaamz: SXSW Edition | Day Two | “Hey Austin… I’M HERE”
We only stopped twice along the drive. Every stop was a mini photo-shoot for Po. He couldn’t get enough of capturing the moments. I avoided the camera most of the time. I wasn’t feeling very photogenic (not that I ever do) after being crammed in a car for multiple hours, so I naturally avoided him at the stops.
Then we finally arrived in Austin. Seeing the signs that pointed us toward our temporary home woke me up with excitement. Around 3 pm we pulled into the driveway of the house we rented to stay in and although it was 20 minutes away from all the action, I didn’t care. It was a really nice place and big enough for all of us to stay comfortably. I was proud of Simone for making such nice arrangements for us alone.
My group wanted to relax a little bit before heading downtown. We were restless from the trip and just wanted to settle in for a minute. I didn’t object, but the other group left for the festivities while we just rolled up and chilled for a moment. We discussed the divide between “us” and “them.” It didn’t feel as though we came together rather we just merely sleeping in the same place. Not exactly what we planned, but remember what I said in the begging of it all… NOTHING GOES AS PLANNED.
Once we arrived in downtown Austin, we realized that this festival was more massive than we anticipated. We showed up too late to pick up our Fader bands and were way too disorganized to know where things were and what shows to see. People’s spirits started withering in the midst of the cold Austin wind that we were equally not prepared for. We met up with the other group in the middle of the street and realized they were equally disorganized and lost. Their frustration started to rub off on me so I peeled off into a bar and ordered 2 whiskey and gingers and downed them before going back to meet with them. I was determined to have fun despite our disorganization. Norrie, who rode in the other car, was the only one that shared my sentiments. We went in a bar and mingled with 2 fine bearded English gents that bought us drinks and flirted with us for a while. They begged us to return to see their friends perform upstairs, but shortly after that my group decided to leave, I didn’t mind. I was already buzzing and high as all fuck. I didn’t have any complaints. My thoughts: FUCK IT! I’M IN AUSTIN! TURN UP!
Got back to the house, smoked, drank and passed out. That was the end of the 1st official day in TX.
