PI IN THE SKY

It's South by Southwest here in Austin and that means a lot of things to a lot of people.  For me, it means earning LOTS of cool points in a relatively short amount of time.  I wish I could say that I was hip enough to know what is happening at SXSW, but honestly, I have no clue.  I wish I could say that I fit in with all the people who seem younger every year and somehow all look devastatingly hip and relevant, but I'm still parading around in my rotation of three post-maternity outfits that pretty much scream "Yes, I had a baby, and soon, I too, will shower." And I always feel a little thrown off in the SXSW crowd because, in spite of such coolness, I swear everyone looks like somebody I know in this very weird way.  I was so adamant about this yesterday that my husband now swears I have that facial recognition disability.

Kicking my boots up at SXSW, unable to recognize any faces.  The free beer played no role.

Yet all this was not to keep me from cashing in on the little youth I have left and attending the Billy Reid showcase, which was a total blast and happened to be organized by one of my BFF's from childhood.  Otherwise, like most things at South by, I would have never have known said showcase existed and gone to bed at 8 pm, happy and blissfully unaware of how the other half live.  The cool half, that is.

My son, who may never know how the cool half lives if he continues to insist on parting his hair this way. Geez.

I was psyched to see my friend, and she is always an amazing event planner, so I knew we'd be in good hands.  We spotted her across the venue wearing this white jumpsuit that I definitely can not afford but am now completely obsessed with.  Thank you, Billy Reid, for inducing something close to mania in my fragile equilibrium of a life.  I haven't felt this kind of longing for something so unattainable since middle school. 

Yet I digress. 

The party was a welcome break from the lovely but, er, slightly mundane domestic sphere.  Two of the best takeaways:  The set played by St. Paul and the Broken Bones who are now on the top of my love, love, love list for the spring, and an incredible public art project that we were lucky enough to catch (almost from start to finish) called Pi in the Sky.  Here is a view from my brand spanking new smart phone.  Slowly, people, I am joining this century:

There was definitely something magical about seeing five tiny airplanes trying to recreate the mysterious and never ending digital representation of pi.  A reminder, perhaps, that sometimes the best things in life are the ones that do not have an exact answer or definition, and that sometimes we miss incredible feats of human expression if we never allow ourselves to look up.  I'm trying to remember that a lot right now, growing in faith as the imprecise equation that is my family life often has me lamenting that there is no equilibrium to speak of, just beauty and mystery and the fact that, God willing, we just keep going. 
 
For funsies, here is a You Tube video of St. Paul and the Broken Bones from Music City Roots in Nashville.  The lead singer looked just as dapper yesterday, and sang just as soulfully.  Could somebody I know please marry this dude A.S.A.P.?  His total individuality and f---ing adorable bowties, not to mention that voice, seriously pose a threat to my relationship.