Welcome to Austin, all you geeks and freaks!
It's SXSW time again. I was out of town last year, but I'm all primed and ready to make up for lost time. And no, I don't do the badge thing--puh-lease, those things are expensive with a capital FU.
Luckily, a friend of mine introduced me to all the side shows a couple of years ago, and that's how I'm hoping to get into the action again this year. Plus, one of my co-workers' has a band that's playing some shows too. So hopefully this coming week will have lots of music and the occassional free drink thrown in for good measure.
l culled my list of possible events from the larger list at austin360.com (this link is now fixed). Pay attention to the venues that say "Free, Open to the Public, Free Drinks."
And if you're in town for this or any other event I HIGHLY recommend a trip to Homeslice Pizza on South Congress. I was there again tonight, and it is just tasty goodness that should not be missed. They have a walk-up by-the-slice window open till 3 am on weekends--a much welcome alternative to the traditional pizza dives on 6th street and in the warehouse district.