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On Austin...

2003-10-22 - 12:42 p.m.

This may be shocking to anyone that has followed the days, nay weeks of my journal�s existence (both of �em), but I did not go to JournalCon. I feel as if I know a few of the people who did but, whereas they would have something like �Journaller� or �Blogger� on their name badges, I would feel like mine should properly read �Pretender� or perhaps �Stalker�. I have, however, been to Austin in the last year. In fact, it would have been just about exactly a year ago.

I was at the Austin Convention Centre for the Land Trust Alliance Rally. And it may not have been fraught with internet personalities, but it was awesome and brought together hundreds and hundreds of people who are fighting to preserve land in a natural or green state across the North American continent (and worldwide in some cases) for future generations.

Austin is a great city. I got the impression that people from there are a bit leery of being lumped in with the rest of Texas as I heard several people mention that Austin has more �green� people, and more vegetarians, and that it�s more accepting of alternative lifestyles than the rest of the State. They may be right, I�ve never seen so many brightly-coloured mohawks in one city before.

I had a blast in Austin, truth be told. I took a horseback tour of a large working ranch. I swam at a Texas swimming hole. I ate the biggest baked potato I�ve ever seen (Did you know �Everything�s bigger in Texas?� �cause I didn�t until I saw those potatoes). I danced to country music, and liked it. I failed at finding the perfect cowboy hat, but had fun looking. I snuck into the tradeshow for the Architects� Convention and gleefully carted off samples of bamboo flooring. I did not look up a distant exboyfriend of mine who now lives in Austin with his wife, but I would have if I hadn�t thought that the past was best left in the past. But most of all I was amazed at the depth and breadth of initiatives being run by people who actually care about curbing urban sprawl, and keeping water clean, and preserving habitat for rare and endangered species, and giving people in cities a chance to come in contact with some earth to root themselves in.

My kinda people.

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