I Survived Austin City Limits

I got my first real taste of the Austin music scene this weekend. Our first weekend in town was the date of the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival--a three day, eleven hours a day, nonstop music event on eight different stages (including one for just the kids). For someone as indecisive as I am, it's a real trial--there were so many acts I wanted to see and it always seemed that two (or more) of them were opposite one another. (The schedule for this year's festival is here: http://www.austincitylimits.com/schedule/day1.htm.)

All this was complicated by 90+ degree temperatures and my nine year acclimation to a more northerly climate. The first day was the worst (and I probably overestimated my ability to withstand the weather, as well) but things got progressively better during the weekend, comfort-wise. I think I paced myself better and sought the shade when I got too hot.

The Austin music crowd is as eclectic as they come and not just because a lot of people like a lot of different kinds of music. In Austin, a lot of people like all kinds of music. There were a lot of teenagers and 20-somethings at The Preservation Hall Jazz Band performance and a lot of older folks at Arcade Fire (I was one of them, but more on that later). The list of performers ran the gamut from folk to outlaw country to rap to Bjork (one of the headliners) to Reggae (not one, but two Marleys--Ziggy and Stephen) to Cajun to stuff that was really weird. In short, if at any time during the festival you couldn't find something appealing, you weren't trying very hard.

For me, the best thing about the concert was that I got to hear a lot of performers that I might not have been willing to pay to see by themselves, but whom it turned out I liked--sometimes a lot. I did get to see the Indigo Girls, Charlie Musselwhite, Asleep at the Wheel, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and, of course Bob Dylan and His Band--any of whom I would have paid to see. But I also got to see Heartless Bastards, Joss Stone, Raul Malo, Kaiser Chiefs, Kelly Willis, the Decemberists and Arcade Fire--any of which I'd pay to see now. All in all, I saw all or most of 24 acts over the three days.

My favorites were the Indigo Girls (who gave an unbelievable performance--they can really rock), Charlie Musselwhite (I love Blues harmonica), Raul Malo (great voice, a sort of Cuban/country/Salsa--in the program he was described as a blend of Sinatra, Orbison and Tito Puente.), Arcade Fire (I never saw so much energy on stage before--they blew me away. They--I'm still not sure how many of them there were; the program said seven, but the reviewer said 10 0r 11--played every instrument from a steel drum to a real pipe organ, including violins (two), french horns and trumpets. They were fabulous.), and Bob Dylan (I think I liked him more than most of the crowd. He was at his vocally impenetrable worst, but the music was sublime. His side men are some of the best in the world. Everybody complained that they couldn't understand what he was singing and to be fair a lot of it was hard to parse, but on the other hand, I could hardly understand anything that Arcade Fire sang, but that didn't keep me from appreciating the experience. People seem to have different standards for different groups. The performance was complicated by the fact that the two jumbotrons on either side of the stage showed nothing but wide shots of the band--no close-ups of Dylan or his band. It was so different from the other performances that I figure it had to be at his request. I loved the performance (I was able to cross something off my list of things to do before I die--see Dylan live) but it wasn't as satisfying as it could have been.

It was a good start to my Texas experience.It may take me a week or so to recuperate, but at least I didn't have to go to work this morning.

Goodbye Chicago

This has been a tough week. Tomorrow the truck comes to take our stuff to Texas. We'll leave on Wednesday. I knew this was coming and I have been surprised that I wasn't feeling odd or sad or stressed for most of the summer. There were a lot of things going on at work and enough happening to keep my mind off the move (for the most part). But the last week has been hard.

Wednesday and Thursday I said good bye to all my friends and colleagues at work. They have been a big part of my life for the past nine years. Some have left and new people have arrived, but the people I work most closely with have been a real source of strength for me, both professionally and personally. I hope I can manage to stay in touch now that we aren't interacting every day. We accomplished a lot of really good things in the last few years, things that will last beyond my departure because of the high quality of the people who remain. I wish them all the best.

Tonight we said good bye to our closest friends away from work. Over the past few years, we've spent a part of nearly every weekend with them. They have been our movie and restaurant buddies and have provided me with a dog to pet when I didn't have one of my own. We will miss them dearly. My friend Gino remarked that they never expected to find such good friends so late in life. Nor did we and having their friendship has been one of the best things about coming to Chicago. It's tough to know that they'll be a thousand miles away.

Tomorrow will be the worst. We'll say goodbye to our son and daughter-in-law and our grandkids. I came to work in Chicago just a week before my first grandchild was born. We've been here for the arrival of our other three grandchildren and watched them all grow. It's been an unbelievable experience. Not seeing our son and daughter-in-law and the kids on a regular basis will be very hard for me. They've always been around and always been a joy. One couldn't ask for a better bunch. We have been very lucky to have so much time with our son, his wife and our grandchildren. I love them all more than I can say. Tomorrow will be sad.

On the bright side, we'll have both of our daughters in Texas, as well as the best son-in-law imaginable and our newest grandchild. Family is very important and I'm glad we will still have some family close.

Even when you know changes are coming, it isn't easy. I'm not much given to outward displays of emotion, but some of the partings have been hard. I hope everyone knows I will miss them.