sxswi - the end

I am going to try to recap my adventures elsewhere (with links!) but  I feel compelled to say "it's over." All of my sxsw friends have flown away until next year, and I'm still in Austin. As anticipated, it was almost like the ending of/beginning of a movie with everyone twittering their airport frustrations, and finally landing at their varied destinations, weaving in and out of each others' paths, and rejoining their lives already in progress.

I spent much of yesterday working, and much of today so far has been spent sleeping, as I seem to have a raging case of cedar fever. It's good though. My body knows me well. I could almost hear it plotting for/against me "Look," my body says to all of the overactive little white blood cells... "there is no way she is going to let herself sleep in on the first day of her vacation unless we take her down by force!"

And take me down, they did. Now, I feel ok. Refreshed. I have a bit of a headache, but my body really needed the sleep, and I am up and at 'em. Playing Sims, planning a total house cleaning spree, reading to the kids, and making reservations and itineraries for my short jaunt out of town next week. I keep wavering between whether I want to go for one night or two...I will have to decide by tomorrow. On the one hand, I might as well hit three different points in Dallas while I am out...on the other, it's expensive to be away from home base for that long. On yet another...why not splurge while I have a little bit of throwaway cash. I guess I will see how far I get with the house cleaning and decide from there. At least I got my seemingly inevitable sick-while-on-vacation thingy out of the way right off the bat.

The change of seasons is close at hand. Winter to spring is a time for renewal. I have a lot of old habits and worn out relationships that I either need to upgrade or trade in to make room for something healthier and cleaner. In the interim, I have much to consider. It's also time to think about the daily/weekly/monthly rhythms we have established as a family, keep what works and discard the rest...and perhaps seek new rituals to fill the gaps. The boys are getting bicycles from the spring fairy, in addition to our trip to the museums of Dallas. They refuse to learn to ride, but I am tired of being bound to the car. I need to prepare them for the potential of one day not having a car, and I just think it sounds nice to go on a family bike ride. We'll see how they do.

So, that's it. I love it when there is such a marked and tangible ebb and flow in my life. The sxsw'ers washed up on the shores of Austin, left little gems of love and knowledge, and have drifted away on friendly tides. I'm so happy I got to share their presence, even though their absence makes me sad.