Things I Love Thursday
Molly Crabapple who was my SXSWi buddy. It’s always good to have someone to trawl the convention centre with, & Molly was an excellent companion. She’s also my birthday twin so she gets extra points. We had such a great time walking around, meeting people & talking business. (My Virgo Power clique is always the best to talk business with!) I love her heaps, I wish she hadn’t left already!
Meeting & connecting with internet people in real life. It’s always funny to meet people off the internet in person. They are almost always how I will imagine them to be, & because you already have a whole lot of backstory & have interacted previously, there’s typically very little of the normal awkwardness that you have when you first meet someone. Highlights for me? Halcyon & Andie, Guy Kawasaki, Violet Blue & Jake. Awesome ++.
Microphones — Oh, the power. I used to do lots of drama & even musical theatre (yep!) when I was a kid, but when I turned 14 or so, I stopped. Saturday was the first time I’d been in front of a microphone in ages, & I loooooooooved it. I wasn’t actually that nervous about speaking at SXSWi & I think it went pretty well. It’s interesting how just a little thing like that can change the way you feel about yourself — it did something really magical for my self-esteem, & so when I met Guy Kawasaki on Tuesday, for example, someone who I really admire, I wasn’t nervous about it, & I felt really confident. So now that I’ve spoken there, I want to get as many other speaking gigs as I can… Beware!
Swanboats! On Tuesday I went swanboating with L. Amelia Raley, Miss Angeliska & Laurel. I probably don’t need to elaborate on this much, but of course, IT WAS AMAZING. Pedalling a swanboat around a beautiful lake is pretty incredible, but the real treat was the girls. What amazing women. I have been talking to Angel & Lau online for years, & this morning Amelia made Jake & I banana-free smoothies (yes!) & English muffins. Fantastique to the max.
Unicorn cupcakes! During my panel, this cute boy from New York City — who I met through my profile in Time Out New York! — had a dozen unicorn cupcakes delivered to me. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaamazing. I mean, really. Wow. Well done. Points.
SXSWi is probably one of the best things ever. There is nothing more magnificent than spending time with people who understand what you do, talking to them about it, learning heaps & soaking up a whole lot of inspiration. I think I said this last time but I had the best time ever. Molly & I have made plans to come back every year for preeeeeeetty much the rest of our lives. & now the music festival is starting…
Austin… again. I still love it. The thrill has not worn off. I’m here for another 6 days & I’m really amped about it. This is such a cool town & the people are wonderful. Oh, & this morning I went into Toy Joy & almost died with pleasure.
This video:
Honourable mentions: Cute boys with swagger who give you their number; The Driskill; high-quality flirting; the foccacia/baked brie/apricot jam/roast garlic thing at The Driskill; Mystic Medusa (holla); “Paul, I think I told you, I’m a lover, not a fighter!”; feeling so much love & excitement that you think you might burst; business meetings girl-style; Gary Vaynerchuk’s energy; Wholefoods Austin (RAW BAR hold me back); Andrew Bird live (I saw him at the taping of Austin City Limits last night & it blew my mind); Bikini Kill; my SXSWi panel getting picked up by ABC News (!); live country music (yes, actually); taco salad at Gueros (whoah, drool); enormous slices of pie with Oreo crust & Reese’s peanut butter cup ice-cream (even if it made me feel kind of sick…); being interviewed by K-VUE TV — & they actually knew who I was?!; raw chocolate cake for breakfast; coconut bubble baths; sweet emails; my bag from Matt & Nat (holds everything & never seems heavy — how is this possible?!) & my Helio Ocean… Eternal love. I am a proud non-iPhone owner. Hahah.
What about you, bunnylicious?