Just over a year ago I was sitting at the Austin International airport, waiting to fly back to North Carolina after my first SxSW experience. Getting to Austin a few days earlier was difficult. I didn't know until the day before my flight whether or not I'd be able to make it. I had just finished a very long block of training; the paperwork approving my time off hadn't gone through. As I was worrying about the flight, and possibly missing my chance to play at SxSW, I was also packing up for a move to Ft. Campbell, KY the following week.

Fortunately, I made it to SxSW and had a wonderful few days in Austin. My only Texas experience up until that point was a trip my family took to visit relatives in Dallas when I was three. All that I can remember from that trip is a blue swing set in my grandfather's yard and a Patsy Cline record playing constantly in his Texas style rambler.

Austin was nothing like the Texas I remembered nor expected.

I watched the bats filter out from underneath the Congress Avenue bridge at dusk . I had a glorious hangover antidote of a breakfast at Los Manitas, consisting of chorizo sausage, coffee, and fried plantains. I walked to the Capitol building, sat on its lawn and read a book. I stopped at a taco stand at 2am with friends just 'cause. I saw a handful of bands, some of them old favorites and some of them new.

I nearly drove down to the gulf of Mexico with a few friends, but at the last minute, things fell through. Suffice it to say my time in Austin was wonderful.

I've been able to watch a few videos from this year's SxSW. It's exciting for me to have internet and be able to experience a little bit of the festival from here.

I finally have a laptop, after over three years of pestering other people to use their computers. I purchased a new microphone online and have been dabbling in the art of recording on a computer. I've been writing and recording when I can, usually late at night.

It seems odd to me that I now own better recording equipment in Iraq than I ever have in the States. I haven't been sleeping much lately. Mostly because of garageband. Probably the reason why my cold is still around after a week. Ugh. I enjoy it though.

The macbook, not the cold. Gotta go for now. Blog soon.

Here's a little taste of recording while I was home on leave this past December.

--josh