My primary goal is to eat a breakfast taco.

I’m a newbie at SXSW, so I’m a little overwhelmed excited.  But I have good company (riding on the plane with my friends from Out:think Group).  My friend Dan tells me the conference is insane.  That is the word he uses.  INSANE.  Though he’s never been before so he doesn’t really know.

Looking forward to seeing some old friends and meeting new people.  I’ll be running a camera at this non-profit event, which is cool.  I’ve never been to Austin before.  It’s in the 70′s today, and sunny, which is, of course, also pretty cool.

I imagine I will be tweeting a lot.  You can follow me, but if you only want one person to keep you up to speed about SXSW, follow this guy.  Thanks, Abandon Films, for sending me on this trip.  I will do my best to be where I am.  I have packed some deodorant and Purell hand sanitizer, so I should be good.

The lowdown: South by South West is a trendy and cutting-edge convergence of music, film, and technology.  I will be attending the film and technology conferences.

“I want to repeat one word for you: Leave.” -Donald Miller

I have concluded that the best time to get away is when it feels like the worst time.  When life is too busy, when there’s too much going on to even breathe, that is when you must… leave.

Last weekend my old college roommate, Joel Smoker and I left our homes and ventured into the backcountry of Shenandoah National Park.  Three days and twenty-five miles later, we hiked out of the woods with the refreshment that comes from blazing the trail, sleeping by rivers, and realizing that for a time we’d completely forgotten about the busyness we’d left left behind.