I have an annual tradition of going downtown via the train (which is awesome, screw you car fanatics and naysayers since we need more rail). Then I walk the distance from Fourth and Trinity to Waterloo Records at Sixth and Lamar. I go to see the free shows, maybe get an autograph but I mainly try to keep my friend Chip hydrated.
This year it was a big release celebration for Austin’s own Spoon. The new stuff sounds pretty good, better than what I remember from either the 2010 or 2014 records. Maybe I just was having Spoon withdrawal. Scored an autographed copy of their latest Hot Thoughts for my friend Mark M.
As for me, it’s an exercise in people watching and seeing how things are evolving. The last few years have been a rise in more open displays of Rap or Hip Hop or whatever it’s called. This music isn’t my cup of tea yet new genres tend to be demonstrations of rebellion against the status quo which I’m guessing I’m a part of now. Today being St. Patrick’s Day probably raised the rates of drunk fights. The tight quarters and lines remind me of how much I despise smokers, both weed and standard crap. I find them to be the most selfish d-bags on Earth. We could be trapped on the ISS with limited oxygen and they’d still demand their so-called right to pollute the controlled environment. Plus, I don’t find Spoon’s music something to high to. It’s probably my age. When I was growing up, the weed crowd tended to prefer the boring, noodling bands (Grateful Dead especially) or Prog Rock such as Pink Floyd. Hence, I never fit in with said crowd who can often be smelled a mile away because they think patchouli and lethal levels of BO covered up the weed stench. No, they just smelled like a head shop’s dumpster.
Vitriol aside for ‘smokers,’ I had a memorable time. The weather was fantastic and I got some memorable exercise. Oh yeah, I saw a baby kangaroo up close. The owner was charging five bucks for people to hold it and take a photo. I asked how did he get it through quarantine (foreign animals are often locked up for a few weeks). He said the animal was born in Texas, its parents were imported to his ranch. It was adorable until I spotted it wearing a diaper. Eww. Nothing ruins your day like a kangaroo taking a dump on you.
I didn’t make it into the Gaming Expo neither. Last year I got in for free. Today they’re adamant over wristbands or badges. Not a big loss. The Expo’s focus is on the electronic stuff anyway, namely the huge lines I saw for people waiting to see the Nintendo Switch and it’s latest Zelda-Link game. Maybe when I have enough Pinballz points to score a PS4 I’ll give a crap. These days I prefer tabletop stuff for the Third Age is getting back on track!