my life and times

Mar. 12: Drove to Springfield and spent the night at a friend’s house.

Mar. 13: Drove to airport (new facility, never been there before. In the dark and rain got into the wrong lane and ended up in short term parking. I’ll be eating $50 of the $90 parking fee)

American Airlines to Austin. Taxi from airport to Irene’s where I was let in and given a key by a neighbor. Dropped off luggage and took the bus downtown where I registered and picked up info at the convention center, then caught a shuttle over to the Hideout Theater, where I saw “Reel Injun.” I wanted to see “Dirty Pictures” afterward, but Injun ran late and I missed it, along with the late bus. Taxi back to Irene’s.

Mar. 14: Downtown by bus to see “Earthling.” Lunch at theater and bus back to Irene’s. By car with Irene and Bob to Alamo South Lamar for WB screening. Bob’s comment on our treatment: “I’ve never felt this important before.” They dropped me off at the Paramount theater where I saw “Mr. Nice.” Missed the late bus again, taxi to Irene’s.

Mar. 15: Bus downtown after breakfast at Rio café (around the corner from Irene’s. Good Brazilian coffee). Tried to see “Tiny Furniture” but couldn’t get in. Stayed in line at the Ritz and saw “The Happy Poet.” Grabbed a cab to Chuy’s (best tex-mex in America) where I met Irene for dinner. Took bus back downtown and caught shuttle to Alamo South Lamar to see “All My Friends are Funeral Singers.” Taxi back to Irene’s.

Mar. 16: Cold and raining, so took a cab to Bess Bistro (Sandra Bullock’s restaurant) for the Chicken&Egg Films breakfast. Cabbie couldn’t find it, so I ended up walking three blocks in the rain. Worth it. Good breakfast and good connections (long chat with Karen Durbin of Elle Magazine that got me written up in her SXSW report) She said: “My favorite on-screen act was the silver-haired Missouri English teacher and folklorist Meredith Sisco. In Winter’s Bone, the Sundance grand prizewinner that opens in June and showed out of competition at SXSW, Sisco sings “Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies” in a low alto so pure and strong it gives you shivers. Asked to sing again at a festival breakfast for women filmmakers, she politely transfixed us with the song’s first verse, then tucked into her Eggs Benedict before they got cold.”

I staggered out of there stuffed to the gills and caught a bus back to Irene’s, where I chilled for a few hours before heading back to the bus stop and downtown again for the awards ceremony. Met up with Karen D. again on the way out of the theater, along with Variety film critic Peter Bart, and we strolled over to Sixth Street for the Wrap Party at Maggie May’s. Too loud, too smoky and too very young, so we parted from Peter and found a bus stop bench over on Congress St., where we talked for another hour or so. Too late for the last bus again, caught a cab to Irene’s.

Mar. 17: Irene’s friends arriving for music festival, so had to clear out. After a late breakfast at Rio’s, Dusty picked me up at Irene’s, put my luggage in his car, and dropped me downtown, where I saw “For the Sake of the Song,” a lovely, historic documentary on Anderson Fair, the seedy, volunteer-run long time haunt of such luminaries as Guy Clark, Nancy Griffith, Lyle Lovett  and Townes Van Zandt.

Back with Dusty, we were off to Alamo South Lamar for the second screening of WB., then Dusty left to go hear a friend’s band, and I stayed for the screening of “The Sound of Insects.” Got a lift from Dusty to the hotel and a return trip the next a.m. to the airport for an uneventful flight back to Springfield, where I got my truck out of hock and drove to Licking for class and a long drive home.

See Marideth’s schedule.