SXSWi 2013

SXSW (South by Southwest) comes to Austin, and completely takes over the town, every year. It's a multi-headed monster, with an Interactive conference (internet/tech), a Music conference, and a Movie festival. Despite it right here in our backyard, we've never gone and participated in anything. Badges to attend the conference are $1,500, and who can take a week off work all willy-nilly? Plus, Mason has never had any desire to fight any crowds.

But this year, Grumpy Cat was coming to SXSW Interactive. Interactive is the one I'd be interested in anyway. And Mason is so besotted with Grumpy Cat that he was willing to fight the crowds for it. So on Sunday, we headed downtown.

Grumpy Cat was scheduled to be available for pictures from noon-1:00, and at 10:30 the line was already wrapping around the corner. Mason dropped me off to secure position while he hunted for parking. Then we took turns waiting on line while the other one wandered around the area looking for food, bathroom, and the free swag that was being handed out all over the streets. Around 12:30, we finally got our pictures!

After the Grumpy Cat photos, some quick tacos, and running a gauntlet of free swag all over the place, we headed over to Sixth Street. Google was supposed to be running free duck tours with no badge required and no RSVP -- you just find the Google guy on the street and the first 50 people to sign up with him get on. We got on! Free duck tour of Austin dive bars, sponsored by Google, with free vodka drinks on board. Woo!

In the end, I enjoyed myself and felt really gratified to get something for myself, as a local, out of the SXSW circus. It really made me wish I had a badge, though, so I could go to the actual conference and get into all the free lunches and concerts and parties that were everywhere.