I am learning that if you want to do a recap of an event it's really best to do it right away when it's still fresh and not a week later when you feel like it was some impossible dream that never really happened. I am also learning that if you don't do it right away you lose the energy to do it at all. Which is not necessarily a bad thing since I realize that people mostly don't care about your trips, no matter how much you loved them. So I'll be brief. (And I'll do it in lists so you can skim.)
SXSW was mostly what I hoped it would be and not at all what I expected. I hoped for a great time, I hoped to connect with friends old and new, and I hoped that I would have fun at my panel session. Check, check and check. I didn't expect that I would learn a lot of lessons about who I want to be as a person, both online and in real life. I mean, who expects that from SXSW? I expected tex-mex, geeky panels and hedonism (check, check, and check) not transcendent self-discovery.
Maybe that's taking it too far. But here are a couple things I figured out from a weekend of interacting with all kinds of people and having conversations from small talk to deep diving:
1. Integrity is the core-iest of my core values. It's everything. And by this I mean that I should never do anything that feels cheap, that feels wrong, that feels exploitative, or that feels calculated. It has lead in the past to bad decision-making and feelings of regret. I hate regret. No opportunity or achievement is worth it if I feel like I compromised myself or hurt others to get it.
2. Being polite is really important to me. In the past I've thought that my Midwestern compulsion to always be polite put me at a disadvantage. But try as I might I couldn't change it. Somewhere along the way I've realized that it's incredibly important to me. It's a sign of respect and pretty much every single person you come into contact with deserves this respect.
3. Avoiding people who make me feel weird is good for my mental health. With some people I just get a pit in my stomach because I know if I buy into their schemes or crazy narcissistic worldview I'll regret it. (See number 1.)
4. Spend time with people who are kind, who are interesting, and who are generous. This is a lesson I keep needing to re-learn for some reason. I think because these kind of people make me feel great and I know that in general I prefer to feel lousy. Oh, therapy! Where would I be without you?
5. Generosity is such a beautiful thing. I was extended so much over the conference and nothing warms my cockles more. After all is said and done I'd like nothing more than the single word "Generous" on my headstone.
That's it. All simple things that are in any half-decent self-help book but somehow were really magnified for me on this trip. And now that I got that out of the way here are a couple postcard moments from Austin that stand out:
1. Being delayed on the ground for an hour in Dallas because someone had keyed their initials into the paint by the door or the airplane. This prompted a full re-check of the plane just in case it was done by the world's dumbest terrorist.
2. Going to pick up my badge late Friday evening. There was no line except at the "express" line for speakers and filmmakers that I had to get in. Ha. I felt so special.
3. My first night out with Susan , Chris and Kristin who were kind enough to take me under their wings. Pouring out a little of our Sauvignon Blanc on the floor of the wine bar for our pal Heather who couldn't come at the last minute.
4. Mad SXSW crushes: Annalee Newitz, Lizzie Skurnick and Heather Gold. I likes 'em smart.
5. Sangria in the afternoon at the Hotel San Juan with Laurie, Laura, Susan, Chris and a passel other fun, smart people. It was close to perfect.
6. Finding out that tweets are not necessarily copy-writable. Unless they are written in haiku. And then it's a watertight case. (Sweet!)
7. Lunch with Leah, Catherine, The Family Chookooloonks, and Stephanie. Cucumber martinis, fish tacos great conversation and a peek at some serious bling-a-ling. Ho daddy. Is it an inherent flaw that I like big diamonds so much?
8. My awesome panel-mates and our "Slow Twitter" session. Everyone was quick, funny and insightful. Especially the audience - we had the Twitter back channel up on the screen next to us BECAUSE WE FEARED NOTHING. (Except me. I feared. Wuss.) Here is a picture. (P.s. Thanks, Lucius, for posting one that makes me look funny. Also, everyone take note - I give good panel. Seriously. I'm available.) Thanks to Nick for making it happen and to Clapifyoulikeme, Luckyshirt, and Lonelysandwich for making it a such a fun thing to do.
9. The Kirtsy / Alltop Girl+Guy party. Laura and Laurie and their awesome crew know how to throw a party. I took a lot of pictures at this one since I was finally getting comfortable with my new camera. It always makes me feel a little self-conscious when I whip it out but I'm getting over it. And I finally met up with friends Aliza and Katherine here. Two people I really wanted to see and kept missing.
10. Spending quality time with Leah Peterson. She is the super-fantastic-bomb. Had a marathon drinks + dinner with her and Heather Gold on Sunday night and the entire time I wished I had had my Flip camera. It was like being at a master class on the art of conversation. Those two women are some serious communicators.
11. Kissing the bird. You see it up there. It's always nice to give back. Forever yours, Twitter.
