Being a Grown-up

How did people of our age group complain about being an adult before the internet??

It seems like every blog, twitter, and person in their 20-30's in general LOVES to complain about being a grown-up.

Quite funny example:



More source material:
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/the-lamest-things-about-being-a-grown-up/

Or really, just check your twitter.

I, on the other hand, love to impulse purchase things on my credit card.

Stop complaining and remember all the cool shit you can now do like:
Travel anywhere by yourself
Not have anyone nag you (does not apply if you have an annoying spouse, that's your fault, but I digress...)
Have a credit card
Play video games all day
Eat like shit
Drive
Watch any T.V. show you want
Buy anything you want
Etc.

And if you could do any of these things before 18, then I'm jealous of your irresponsible parents.

DISCLAIMER: I really do like Jenna Marbles' videos. Check out her blog here: http://jennamarblesblog.com/

SXSW 2012

For those who don't know what SXSW is, let me break it down for you. South by Southwest (SXSW), affectionately called "South By" for those in the know, is a 3 week conference held in March located in Austin, TX every year. Part film festival, part tech interactive, and a lot music, it's the conference that launched the likes of Twitter and Tumblr and is the gig to play if you want your band to "make it" in the industry.

We first attended SXSW in 2011, almost by accident, when Karl's parents invited us to go to Austin last year. We had music wristbands, which got us second priority into the venue's, waited in some lines, saw some amazing bands, and didn't really know what was going on.

One of the main venues, Stubb's. Barbecue by day, concert by night.

But this year, oh yes, we understood what was going on. Badges purchased, plane tickets for the right month (a different story), and the right people on twitter followed, we headed for Austin in March. Karl left first in order to attend the Film and Interactive portion for his work, and a week later I came down for the party.

I made quite a comprehensive schedule in Excel with a plan A, B, C, D, and sometimes E and I RSVP'd to EVERYTHING. This worked out quite well in the receiving free stuff and booze department.

Example of a day schedule (@ the Paste Party)

What to expect? LOTS OF DRINKING & a hipster level that's over 9000. I mean, really, who wears a metallic bikini top and a zebra print jumpsuit normally?

Here is a list of bands we ended up seeing:

Tuesday:
Neon Hitch
Outasight
Theopolis London
Santigold
Chuckie

Santigold at La Zona Rosa

Wednesday:
Sugar & the Hi Lows
Cavemen
Tennis

Ben Kweller
Friends
Pond
Miike Snow

Geek Art found at the Fader Fort. This made me smile :)

Thursday:
Yelle
Tycho
Girls
Gary Clark Jr.
Fiona Apple

A really bad picture of Fiona Apple at Stubbs

Fresh Millons
Shiny Toy Guns
Dev

Art Showdown before the Shiny Toy Guns show.

Friday:
Two Gallants

Me with a Android at the Google Rooftop Party. Don't hate on the shoes, you'd wear them too if you were standing for 12 hours for 5 days straight.

Grimes

Grimes - <3 her

Jimmy Cliff
Talib Kweli & special guests
The Shins

The Shins - Simple Song

Ned Sheeran
Of Monsters and Men
Avalanche King

Saturday:
Blouse
SBTRKT

SBTRKT - Wildfire

Ceremony
Sleigh Bells

Bad Picture - But Sleigh Bells rocked SO HARD OMG. There set was literally a wall of speakers :D

Nas

LEGIT DJ BATTLE!

Nas - New York State of Mind

Oops, I forgot to use my badge anywhere near the convention center >.>
So basically the badge price was totally worth it if you count $25 per 3 bands!

Now for my ratings of the SXSW 2012 as a whole:

Best show experience:
Santigold/Sleigh Bells

Best musical act:
Grimes/Sleigh Bells

Best free drink:
Gin & tonics at the Paste Party/Vodka and Monster Ice Tea Lemonade at the Hype Hotel

MMM, yummy Gin & Tonics

Best free food:
Doritos Loco taco at the Hype Hotel

Best Idea Ever? Most Likely.

Best celebrity siting:
Rooney Mara filming outside Stubbs

Rooney Mara - TOTAL STALKER PIC

Look forward to going next year if it happens to be in the cards!

Last Day Pic <3

the house buying adventures continue....

...until the end of time it seems.

We have an accepted offer on a house we really like in Laurelhurst. Just finished negotiating on the repairs needed. They basically threw money at us to ignore all problems >. >

Next steps, getting an appraisal, locking in a rate, getting in the last of our paper work, and then comes waiting...

....and more waiting. Forever waiting it seems.


At least we will have South by Southwest in Austin, TX to distract us fully :)

I'll be glad to not repeat this process for a long time.

New Year, New Adventures

Tomorrow I will be embarking on my first new adventure of 2012. At 12:18 I will be hopping on a plane... and approximately 18 hours later arriving in Buenos Aires, Argentina! I'll be in Argentina from Jan 4 - 17th for 14 days with my fiancee and his parents. We'll be traveling to Cariló on the eastern coast, Pigüé in the Pampas, Mendoza in wine country under the Andes, and Buenos Aires the capital. I'm taking my trusty D90 and my new Christmas Present (a Macbook), so hopefully I'll be able to upload quite the travel blog. Wifi and Internet access is unknown at this point so I may need to wait until after I get back to post all of my entries.

I'll probably have repacked at least 5 times by the end of today. So excited to enjoy some 80+ degree weather, mmm southern hemisphere summer.

Adios!

a very mini december photoblog

Hope that everyone had a good Christmas holiday and happy New Year! :)

november photoblog: giving thanks

is it mid-december already? oh how time flies when you have certain engagements on the brain...
so while we are all thinking of christmas,
better late than never for my november photoblog ;)

Karl proposed!! I'm so excited and happy :)

october photoblog: the days grow darker

happy fall!

-hc