Film girl through and through

Hey guys! Man, has it been a great SXSW so far! I'm meeting a bunch of great people, seeing a lot of wonderful films and stumbling serendipitously into new cool things every single day.

A quick set-up. When I was in junior high and, honestly, even into high school, besides a long-term boyfriend with amazing foresight, one week in the summer was the only time during the year I was anything but the good girl who looks like Olive Oyl. For that and other reasons, the week after that week was the worst time of the year for my entire family. When I came home again, I was so bummed to be back in the real world, that I single-handedly made our house a broiling hell of pique and depression.

I have matured slightly since then, but I can already feel the malaise. It's so funny--for much of the town, SXSW is just gearing up, but I see people leaving, and the panels are finished, and there are fewer attendees for the films, and the streets are overtaken with music badges, and I know we're almost done for another year. All you cool people who headed into Austin are headed back again--most of you having loved it here.

And god, we love it here too. We know it's a great place. But we're so thankful that when you come to join us, you adopt the spirit of our town, the friendliness that might feel foreign, the conversation and collaboration that can be too uncommon in more competitive locales, the laid back nature of what was once a small Texas city.

All we film people? We're like a small Texas city too. And it won't feel the same until y'all come home again. See you in 2012--or in the still plentiful screenings over the next four days!