Ella and Francisco

On March 18 and 19 I participated in my sixth CenTex (Central Texas) Ultimate Frisbee tournament. Teams from all over the region and country come to Austin to compete, including my team ”Riverside”. This tournament signals the start of the Ultimate Frisbee season that ends sometime in September with the championship series. CenTex usually catches advanced players like myself by surprise. And by “advanced”, I mean “aged”, and the “surprise” is the lack of conditioning and stamina that comes from not training over the winter. Although one could argue that this should not come as a surprise year after year.

Despite the windy and rainy day I showed up early to join my equally ”advanced” teammates. Many of the teams we play against are from colleges or consist of young athletes in their twenties. Riversiders tend to be older with the exception of the son of our captain who is just entering high school but plays like he’s in his twenties. Woody’s young age skews our median to somewhere around 34, which gives you an idea of how much older the rest of us are. During games our sideline becomes a collection of grumpy old guys rooting around their bags for Ibuprofen and sticky IcyHot tubes.

The games take place at the University of Texas’ intramural fields, probably the best fields in Texas. Because of the rain we had to relocate to fields in San Antonio on the second day. We did well this year, winning  a couple of games against teams we don’t usually beat.

Deborah Fulton, Greg’s wife, took some fabulous action photos of our games using her expensive-looking camera and lense. Her amazing photography proves that technology can triumph over slow and ailing reality. Thanks Deborah!

 http://www.pbase.com/skibaby/riverside

I included a few photos below from past tournaments to give you a taste of the fun and camaraderie we enjoy on the field and in the parking lot after the games. The parking lot is where we embellish the day’s athletic moments over beer and chips and enjoy the company of our good friends in Austin. Normally our team is the last to leave a tournament. As we pick up our chairs and coolers and bottles and get into our cars, you can always hear our parting call: “We won the parking lot again this year! Yeah Riverside!”.

Two of my favorite things in the world happened in Austin last week: South by Southwest (aka SXSW, South-by) and Spring Break. 

I love Spring Break because there’s no traffic.  Traffic here really slows me down. 

I love SXSW because when it’s going on, there’s an overabundance of cool bands, good movies, and interesting people from all over the world to see. 

SXSW is a now-gigantic interactive, film, and music industries conference that takes over the town for two weeks.  I first heard about SXSW in 1995, and I’ve gone to SXSW Music events every year that I’ve lived in Austin. 

This year, I finally made it to a SXSW film.  Last Sunday, I went to see the world premiere of Fired! at the Austin Convention Center with Francisco, Cheng, Cheng’s friend Ed, and a few hundred other people.  Chaos reigned at the Convention Center.  No one could tell where the lines started or ended.  Somehow we made it in.  We saw no celebrities in the audience, but they may have been too far away for us to recognize. 

I ended up liking the movie.  We talked about it for several blocks after leaving the Convention Center, and then on a corner after that.  Besides the funny stories actors and writers shared about being let go, the film also featured interviews with job fair attendees, politicians, economists, career counselors, and a look at the current state of the Michigan auto industry.  There’s even a play and a book.   

The weather was so pleasant downtown that Francisco, Cheng, and I decided to eat at the new Italian restaurant in the new 2nd Street District, Taverna.  It did not disappoint.  Every dish we ate tasted flavorful yet light, and service was friendly and prompt.  Plus, they serve a Budino chocolate cake!  We will definitely be back. 

Next up: SXSW Music Day 1.  Keep checking back for photos!