On Lizards and Street Fairs

Today was a most productive day, the final day, at the conference I'm attending. 3 sessions, a general membership meeting and an "ultimate backyard BBQ" social tonight. It's been hard to stay focused on the purpose at hand, however, with a UT home football game going on just two miles away and a fabulous street fair just two blocks over from the convention center. Even more distracting, however, was the fact that the conventions center also booked a RollerGirls Derby just a few meeting rooms down from us. Now THAT was a sight. Let me tell ya, those girls are badass and a little scary. Seeing them next to guidance counselors and deans of admission, though, was at least funny enough to get me through the fear.

I took my lunch break and the time after my final meeting to explore the street fair. First of all, I've never seen so many school t-shirts in the span of 7 city blocks. If you weren't in a Longhorn t-shirt, you were a tourist. That was that.

Here's a shot of the fair:




There were some amazing artisans on display. Absolutely beautiful home made (and home priced!) jewelry, crafts and paintings. I chatted with a jewelry/handbag maker, a recent transplant to Houston, TX but a native New Yorker. She lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn for much of her final years in NY, a place I've spent a lot of time in my 20s, so this once again affirms my belief there really are only 100 people in the world. Now I've met number 76.

I strolled the fair and went into a couple of local shops in order to get some souvenirs for some folks back home. I did buckle and get a Longhorns t-shirt for myself. After all, I AM shopping for a football team and nobody said it had to be NFL. Furthermore, since my biggest issue with the Patriots, prior to Magnavox-Gate or whatever they're calling it, was how they'd strayed from their working class reputation, I can attest to the fact that UT still seems to speak to a local and humble fan base. So, bonus. The shopkeepers were all incredibly friendly but also very down to earth. This town has that great balance of hospitality that isn't all over you and, therefore, completely suspect. They're glad you're here, hope you have a good time and let 'em know if they can help you out. I was a big fan of the shopkeeper at Lucky Lizard who had the lizard the shop was named for on his shoulder the entire time I was there. He also owns the "Museum of the Weird" attached to his store (entry fee $3).

As I strolled around I succumbed to my total love for signs. I don't know what it is, but I find shop and bar signs totally fascinating. Clearly I was some sort of graphic designer in another life. Here are some of my favorites:



I had a wonderful time walking around, taking in the smells and sounds of the fair. The variety of food and drink was awesome and people walked around freely with beer and frozen drinks. Knowing I'm a cheap bastard and need a receipt for anything I wanted to be reimbursed for, I swung by Starbucks on my way back to the hotel for some fruit and creme frappuccino goodness. I walked past a couple of guys having beers at halftime of the UT game. "Hey there," they said as I walked by. As I was mid-sip and not willing to stop drinking for total strangers, I simply waved. "Wanna beer?" "I shook my head no, and laughed. For whatever reason, that wasn't at all creepy. It was really just funny, particularly as I was dressed like a soccer mom, still from the conference, and, well, I guess that makes them drunk.

These are just a few of the memories I'll take away from my time in Austin. That and it's the only city where I've had to pop into a pharmacy mid-day to buy deodorant due to a severe pit out situation. How the hell do people survive the summer here?