IT'S SPRING AGAIN!

Spring break was just around the corner, and that meant that we were going to spend a considerable amount of time downtown on Saturday, as the 'greatest show on earth', (or one of them) was about to start.  Yes, it is time for South By Southwest, or SXSW according to the logo, or to those of us who are seasoned participants, a simple South-by!

I wondered if the lead up to spring break and the imminent festival was the reason for the higher than usual work influx, as not only do our guys have difficulty getting downtown, but a lot of our clients have difficulty reaching, or leaving their offices.  Many roads are closed, and there are no exceptions to the rules!  Many residents move out of town for the week.

There were two contests into which I had entered, both on Thursday but at different times.  When I got the call on Tuesday to say I had won to see "Alisa", Samantha was somewhat disappointed, as she wanted to go and meet the 'boy band' that had opened for the Back Street Boys, when they were in Las Vegas.  However, having 'googled' the singer, she became very excited.  She showed me a picture, and I confirmed that this was the photo the radio station had used.  "You know who she is!" she stated.  After playing a couple of songs, I too was rather excited.  Alessia Cara is quite a big star!  Although the 'meet and greet' was to be held at 3pm, we would have to make allowances, and go!

A most unusual week followed, as I did not have to go to a nail appointment on Wednesday, and as Joe was gallivanting around the South and Central American coffee growing nations, I did not go for my usual refreshing beverage and chat!  I worked a full day on Wednesday, or as full as possible!  I did leave early to get dinner ready for one of my two regular guests, and was pleasantly surprised when he arrived with his wife, whom we had not met due to her usual work schedule.  Russian born and bred, Oxana and I hit it off straight away, due to the common denominator, to wit, both being married to American men!  It seems it does not matter where you were born, if you were not born in the USA and are married to a naturally born citizen, you forge an allegiance!  

I dressed appropriately on Thursday, in my usual garb, but was not entirely sure I would have time to leave the office.  However, we did forego our lunchtime walk, and left the office around two forty five, arriving at 3pm on the dot.  We were not the first, but milk (chocolate and regular) was on offer with a variety of cookies.  Samantha was delighted.  Sitting with 'the usual suspects', we waited. "It is not Alessia Cara", Samantha announced. "It is Arlissa!"  I was a little surprised, as I was positive the picture that was used to promote the event was the one she showed to me.  "Shall we leave then?", I asked, half jokingly.  "No.  She is from England!"  Well that was good enough for me!

We were asked into the main 'lounge', and the interview began.  After Arlissa chatted for a while, and then sang a couple of songs, we, the audience, were invited to ask questions.  "Where were you brought up?" I started. "As you do not have an American accent".  She immediately retorted.  "Nor do you.  Twinsy!"  I would not say I was the envy of the room, but we did have quite a long chat!  After pictures, we left to go back to the office, minus our new friend

The trip downtown on Saturday was exhausting.  Dana dropped us on the south side of the river, and we went into the 'Job Fair'.  Smaller than usual, we wandered around, and being honest, we told most of the vendors that we were really there for the 'swag'.  Edward saw a business acquaintance, and stood chatting for a while, and I wandered 'unattended'.  Once he had finished, we continued on our rounds.  The Victoria Secret stand was in the corner.  I approached the man at the stand.  "I hear you are looking for models", I said, and he played along quite well!  I was delighted to find someone with a sense of humour!  Samantha merely told him she was there for the 'swag', and he immediately filled her bag with goodies!  I was then given a virtual reality tour of their new store, which is opening in London later this year.  I was in my element.  "Be careful, what are you doing", I heard Samantha say, as I was peering from the top floor.  She was sorry she did not take a video as apparently, I was making some very strange moves! 

Stopping at the CIA recruitment desk, an older woman, perhaps my age, asked how I was doing.  "You should be able to tell me that!" I said, completely unabashed.  She found this to be rather funny, as did her colleague.  It appeared that the day had already been rather long, and there was no end in sight.  They handed me a variety of 'swag', and then told me to help myself to anything on the table.  I did.  I took some post-it notes.  "I am going to use these, and place them on the desks of my colleagues to make them wonder", I said. Again, laughter was prolific.  They had not had many people come to their stand, and I seemed to be the entertainment for the day.  "Next year, you need to have caps, and then watch as the place clears out!"  Leaving them, apparently, in a better frame of mind than they had been in when I arrived, I walked away from the stand.  

The 'Health and Wellness Expo' was really not for me.  "Have you ever put butter in your coffee?" asked a female, full of vitality and youth.  "Why yes!" I answered, leaving her stumped.  It appeared that the brand of coffee that she was advertising, use 'grass fed butter', I didn't ask how they fed the grass to the butter, as I 'got the gist' but realised by her statement that she really didn't understand the making of butter at all.  She then asked why I had put butter into my coffee.  I replied that it was when I had run out of milk.  "Wow!" was the reply.  We continued the conversation and then I said something that almost caused her to faint.  "It was the saltiness that I liked", I commented.  "No. Not salt.  We NEVER use salt.  No.  Not salt!"  She was talking to the wrong person!  What was wrong with salt. Apparently, salt was the enemy.  Nothing as natural as salt could possibly go into the grass fed butter.  The rest of the 'Expo' was contrary to everything I hold dear!  Had I announced that I ate meat, and more to the point, enjoyed it, I think I would have been escorted out, very quickly.  

We walked in the 90 degree heat, back across the river and went into several places along the way, which thankfully provided cold drinks.  

The convention center did not have the usual stands, but the sponsors for the festival had changed.  Mazda had been replaced by Mercedes.  Mercedes did not have the quirky little gifts that Mazda handed out, but instead they provided a rather interesting video experience of their new model.  I prefered the quirky gifts!  

We walked and walked for miles.  Six blocks up sixth street took us to Congress Avenue, where the festivities were not quite as prolific. Back down we walked, six blocks to the Interstate, where we crossed, and walked another six blocks up.  We had seen that there was going to be a promotion for the new series, of the old series, "Roseann", and a chance to meet the cast.  The line was quite long, but we stood and waited.  Apparently the 'parents' were not present, but the 'kids' were there.  After half an hour, we were told that we would probably not be admitted as they had decided to 'shut down' for the day.  It was a little disappointing, more so because we could have left the downtown area and gone home!  I was exhausted!

I fell asleep at around ten thirty, and woke a little after eleven.  I had put our clocks forward, as daylights saving here is this week, and so they read midnight.  I lay awake, wondering if I would ever get back to sleep, and finally dozed around three, 'new time'.  At twenty past the hour, Dana started to receive a proliferation of texts.  Our 'other' friend, who usually comes to dinner on a Wednesday, had taken a trip to the Philippines, to meet a family he had been helping, and to attend a wedding of one of the daughters, as he had been asked to 'give her away'.  Oblivious, obviously, to the time difference, he sent us pictures and messages between twenty past three and half past four.  The problem was that the messages were repeating every few minutes, and although Dana received about twenty five, there were only six in total.  "Turn the sound off", I grumbled.  "I don't know how", he complained!  

Although I had thought about it, I did not rise at 5:45, but managed to go back to sleep.  My phone 'pinged' just after seven, as Richard sent me a mother's day message.  Samantha also messaged me to say they would be over at 9, so we could all do breakfast, on this, English Mother's Day.  The last thing I wanted was breakfast!  

We did go for breakfast, and then all came back to my house, where Edward took a nap, before Dana drove us back downtown to 'play' again.  I did not really want to take part in the days events, but everyone insisted that I would have a good time! 

Queuing up for the 'Roseann House' again, we sent Edward to the front to ask what time it started, and how long they thought it would be before we would be able to go in.  I stood in line 'saving' their space, as Samantha went to see what was happening.  I was beckoned to the front, and obeyed.  It appeared that the 'actual' event was a 'Trivia session', with a couple, or one, members of the cast, but if we just wanted to go in and look around the set, we could do it now!  "You have about seven minutes before we make you leave", said the security guard.  That was enough time to get a piece of pie, a coffee, a t-shirt, and a photo with 'D.J.', the young boy in the original series, who is now a man!  It was perfect!  We left before the first people waiting in line were admitted!

Along East Sixth Street we walked, and under the Interstate we crossed. "Where is the Roseann House at?" I heard someone ask.  "Where is the Roseann House?", I almost said, but concluded that it was Sunday, so I should have a day off from being the Grammar police!  I told him where he could find the house, 'at'.  In turn, I was handed a card with the word 'Condor', and told to go and 'check out' the CIA house.  Well, twice in one weekend!

The Marvel Comic arena was quite busy, but the queue to sit in the Batmobile was not. As I approached the vehicle, I was told, "Hold on here.  Do not touch that!"  I asked, "Why, will it start and automatically transport me to the Bat Cave?"  The answer was, "No".  No sigh, as if he had heard it a thousand times, but a regular "No" as if to say, "How ridiculous".   Samantha took my photo, and as I exited the vehicle, I asked where I could hold onto in order to get out!  I think the experience had been a little too much for the 'host', who would not make a good super hero, but did not have what it takes to make a villain either!

We walked along the road, retrieved t-shirts, sun glasses, nail clippers, (oh everything goes,) turkey jerky, and much, much more.  In and out of 'pop up' shops we went, and finally made our way down to Rainey Street.  We were plied with a dozen different varieties of coffee, and had a few pictures taken.  

Upon arrival at the Condor studios, we were rather pleasantly surprised to see a short line.  Things got better as two sets of people in front of us left shortly after, leaving us in pole position.  We were invited on to the porch, and had our photos taken for our ID badges.  Once inside, we were given a 'briefing'.  I did not take much notice of my surroundings, despite being told that a good agent would notice 'everything'.  In we went to the next area, where we had to undergo 'voice transformation'.  I could not stand upright when they replayed my 'disguised' voice, as it was one of the funniest things I have heard!  The third test was to see how much we had observed.  Quite sure that all the pictures showed items that were in the previous room, we (or my colleagues) picked the one's they remembered seeing. (I did not remember seeing a thing!)  Into the next room we were ushered.  "One of you will undergo a lie detector test", we were told, as an 'agent' came out of the exit door.  "Come on pinky", she demanded, pointing to Samantha.  "It's red!" said my daughter who assumed the woman was talking about her hair.  She dutifully followed.  We watched on the two way screen,as she was 'interrogated'.  "Why are you pulling that face?" asked the agent, as Samantha answered one of the questions.  "Because you are scaring me!" she replied, to the very convincing actress.  We laughed heartily as she was told she was a traitor and now a wanted person.  We all had to exit in a hurry!  Once outside, we were given the chance to 'win' gifts, and I was presented with a pair of spy glasses.  Leaving with my hat and badge, (or yes, I was given an official badge,) I realised that I could now go around with the post-it notes, an really really play the part!

It was time to go home, and I called Dana to tell him where to meet us.  I did not realise quite far away we were from the point where he had dropped us, and we had to walk six blocks over and six blocks up to get to where we needed to be but we made it!

Arriving home, I wondered why I had gone into town today, but looking at the variety of 'stuff' I had collected, it all seemed worthwhile.  It had been fun, and a different way to spend 'mother's day'.  

The week ahead could be full of all sorts of surprises.  At this precise moment, I would be happy not to take part in any of the activities, but no doubt that will change by morning.  The usual
'drop in' to which I am invited, regularly, did not happen on Saturday, and has been changed to Monday, so day one is taken care of!  I also received a few different invitations to attend a variety of functions during the week.  The foreigner has made it again!  Love it or hate it, I take part in it, and all will be enough to fill a page for ........... another story!