I am not sure what I ate over the weekend, but it was playing havoc with my stomach on Monday, and I did not want anything to eat at all. I had leftovers in the fridge, which tempted me not, and all I wanted to do was sleep. It was dubious whether I should eat the leftovers, but they did not seem to bother Dana, so he had some and the rest sat, possibly awaiting a dustbin fate!
Temperatures soared, and then dropped drastically. Although March came in like a lamb, rather than a lion, the feline temperament made itself felt by Tuesday, and the wind started to blow in true tradition! Once again, the overnights were not going to be conducive with taking my plants outside! I would have to have another couple of weeks of reduced kitchen space!
Social media, emails and local news was filled with the up and coming festival that is going to overtake Austin, again. There was a sense of excitement, as contests for wristbands, tickets and a whole lot more, bombarded my screen. Work was put on hold for a little longer than usual, as the abundance was in great quantity. "You will have to wait a minute", I called through to Dana on a few occasions, as my name was entered for yet another extravaganza. It was quite the ordeal to have so many things to enter, but of course, I cannot let them pass by!
By midweek, we could feel the atmosphere change. Downtown was starting to get busy, and we were debating on whether to go to any of the exhibitions. The job fair was a 'wristband' only affair, and quite honestly, the 'wellness expo' did not particularly excite me. I have had enough of being told how to be well, and stay well, every two minutes, by people who assume that I have not the slightest idea about basic personal hygiene! Basic hygiene and common sense staves off a multitude of nasty filaments, but I can recall, at the last 'expo', feeling like a five year old who had just exited the facilities without using soap and water! Nuff said!
The sun was quite strong on the cold days, and it brought smiles to a lot of faces. Despite the very cold mornings, spring was definitely in the air, and new life appeared to be forming. Although we have not seen signs of blue bonnets yet, I am sure they are just below the surface, waiting to honour us with their presence!
Samantha asked me if I had emailed the lady at the radio station about a prize she had won a couple of months back. They were still waiting for her television to arrive! I had not emailed in a couple of weeks, and felt somewhat embarrassed to do so. It was a little odd, as firstly, it was supposedly not coming from me, and the lady does not know me from Adam (or Eve) so what difference does it make, and secondly, because it is a prize, and therefore, free! However, our communication has always been quite friendly, and she has been apologising for the delay! I promised I would email this week.
Friday was very windy, cold and wet. It was the end of a busy week, with definitely more than half the calls received being telemarketers of some description or other. My car warranty was about to expire; (after 18 years!) my funeral expenses were not pre-paid; my healthcare benefits had been increased! Some were recordings, some didn't even speak, some were from people who claimed to have my details in front of them but when I asked, "What do my details say" they accused me of wasting their time by asking! I know I should just put the phone down without entering into the game, but sometimes the calls I take sound like they are solicitations, but are actually potential clients, so I have to be careful! I have had calls from companies that often call as telemarketers, but whom require our services. Life can be so complicated!
However, I digress somewhat. Back to the now, with an abundance of contests, plants blocking my path to my freezer, and an anticipation of what may take place next week, downtown, and whether to attend or not, there seemed to be a lot to do!
By Friday afternoon, there was an apprehension on my part. What do we do on Monday? In previous years, the ''festival' has had us going downtown during our (festival imposed) lunchbreak, and checking out the 'remnants' from the weekend. However, there had been no word of the 'usual suspects' being around, and the regular haunts did not seem to be advertising. Of course, there was the question as to whether I needed any more pens, notebooks, gadgets, hats, caps, sunglasses and t-shirts? I thought of the problems I was having with my storage space in my spare rooms. Did I need more junk? Was it junk? I thought not, but then wondered if a whole new pack would amount to junk! Oh the problems of a hoarder, and collector!
The email was quite a surprise. The first 'meet and greet' in a while and I had won two spots! I was not sure that I had heard of the band, until Samantha played one of their songs. I quite often do not notice names. It was rather exciting. However, I had two spaces and there are three of us in the office who enjoy the meet and greets! The email was from the lady with whom we (I) had been communicating regarding the other prize. I remembered my father's words. "If you don't ask, you wont know!" I responded. "Thank you. I would love to attend. However, I wonder if I could be somewhat cheeky...". I went on to add that my friend wanted to come, but also my daughter wanted to join us. Would it be possible to have three tickets. I believed she (the emailer) knew my daughter, or at least knew of her as they had been communicating regarding another prize. The silence for two hours was deafening. Then I got an email. "OMG, THIS IS PERFECT". It appeared that the television, the third part of the prize (oh yes, it was big) had arrived, and it would be great if Samantha come too! Then after the 'meet and greet' she could take her prize! Here we go again! Back on track!
Returning to the truck, I started to unload the cart. "Someone is waiting," said my daughter. I saw they had driven up in front of us, and thought they wanted the disabled place next to us. I moved the trolley over, the wrong way, which meant I now had to carry everything across two spaces to get it into the bed! "What are you doing?" asked my daughter, laughing, as the man in the car was laughing too. "That's right. Take your time. Post your status to facebook, instagram, take a Tik-tok video. "Look at these people waiting for our space", shouted Samantha, as I ran the trolley back to the cart drop-off. We left the car park having made someone's day!
I spent the afternoon in the garden, and sorting for the 'edge' pieces of a new jigsaw. I decided to just 'chill' which is not like me. However, I was feeling rather pleased that I did not succumb to the urge to go 'downtown' and check out what was probably not there!
The excitement grows about the 'meet and greet' tomorrow, and the collection of the rather grand prize that my daughter is going to receive. I am not sure as to whether we will attend any of the festivities or activities over the next week. It would be a shame not to take part in anything but I am going to be judicious with my activity diary! Perhaps Thursday and Friday, maybe next Saturday. Time will tell. SXSW is back, whether with gusto, an a vengeance or just as a whisper, will be told in ........... another story!
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