THE HIPSTER

If you have ever heard of the infamous SXSW (South By Southwest) festival, hosted in Austin, TX each spring, you've probably heard about the music or film segments. But, did you know there is also a huge "Interactive" component, focused on innovation, inspiration, creativity, and all things geeky? Neither did we, until a few years back when the publishing company my niece worked for sent her down from Ohio to attend. Ever since the day we picked her up at her hotel -- right as the interactive segment was winding down and the music segment was cranking up, and the streets of downtown Austin were swarming with attendees and participants from both -- my hubby has been yearning to be one of them. The only thing holding him back was the exorbitant cost of the bracelets that can get you into all of the events. This year he decided that, if nothing else, he could at least go hang out on the streets of Austin while the festival was going on, snapping pictures of anything interesting he came across.

Well, a couple of nights ago he got a call from our daughter, telling him they had a spare bracelet, if he was interested. IF?!!!!! When he came upstairs to tell me the news, he was about as giddy as I've ever seen him (meaning, he walked into the room with a grin on his face). Ever since, he's been poring over the schedule, trying to narrow down the plethora of choices in any given time slot. He even went out and bought a messenger bag to carry his computer in while there.

I told him that, if he wanted to fit in with the Austin crowd, he'd have to go buy some skinny hipster jeans. "You can't wear a messenger bag with baggy boot cut jeans!" I said. "Hide and watch" he replied.