1. (Tie) Hendry Rose The 2010 Rosé is the result of a saignée of both Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, along with just a little bit of Cabernet Franc and Primitivo. Saignée is the process of “bleeding,” or allowing the sweet, free-run juice to run out off the tank and into a smaller tank for fermentation. This lowers the alcohol in the red wine, concentrates its colors, flavors and tannins, and in the process, produces a light, dry rosé that is perfect for drinking in the summertime.

Well-chilled, its clean, bright, citrusy fruit and palate-cleansing acidity are just right with picnic foods on a warm afternoon, or to accompany a simple barbecue-roasted chicken on a summer evening. Great with fish tacos, too! As George Hendry puts it, this is a “screen-porch” wine, made for warm-weather drinking, well-chilled, with simple foods. $13.

3. Pangolin Chenin Blanc (But almost any Chenin Blanc will do) Chenin Blanc comes from the Loire Valley of France. It is the most widely cultivated varietal in South Africa, where it is called Steen.  It’s styles range from very dry to medium-sweet to intensely rich. The full-bodied wine has a fruity palate and a long finish, with orchard and citrus fruit, spring flower and earthy notes. $9.

4. Columbia Crest Two Vines Chardonnay This lighter style Chardonnay opens with aromas of fresh spiced peaches and honeysuckle. Lively fruit flavors are accented by notes of lemon zest and creamy marshmallow ending with a juicy, crisp finish. Intended for immediate enjoyment, this Chardonnay captures the varietal intensity indicative of wines from Washington state. $8.

5. Ménage à Trois Red Wine The 2010 is drinking exceptional. Sure, you will find a bottle or two that is inconsistent, but for crying out loud, it costs less than a similar size soft drink. What can you expect? I love this light red wine! The 2010 Ménage à Trois exposes the fresh, ripe, jam like fruit that is the calling card of California wine. Forward, silky and soft, this delicious dalliance makes the perfect accompaniment for summer grilling. $7.

Question: What is your favorite summer wine?

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“Ostracized”

Exclusion comes when you offend or disappoint a community with the religious and social power to ostracize you.

Original Watercolor 12″ x 14″ $550.

Prints and Original  purchase available HERE.

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My parents are still very young. They were on the early side of seventeen when I became more than a twinkle in their eyes. Children having children. Both with birthdays in January, married in April, pregnant (and barefoot, literally) in July of 1957.

Fifty-five years and a lot of living later we are all still around. They remain in love, and somehow, they continue to love me. They are older and wiser, but as for me, well, that’s a story for another day.

The Schedule

After fifteen long hours of driving from Austin, immediately upon arriving home in Ringgold, Georgia, the front yard overflowing with cars of family members, my brother Terry met me with “adopted” granddaughter in his arms and said laughingly, “Dad has a schedule for your day tomorrow. He’s been showing it to everybody.”

Now if you know me at all, you know why Terry was laughing. A schedule of anything is the furthest thing from my mind. I’m rarely on time, do not own a watch, and usually don’t know what day it is. Hmmm, maybe there’s a correlation here. Dad says black, I say white. Father, Son.

But as the day progressed and we veered from “the schedule,” we joked with Dad about it—and a sure sign there are cracks in the universe occurred. He said, “Well, you know Son, schedules are made to be broken.” What?

The Breakfast

Mom and Dad’s morning ritual is breakfast at the Ringgold Hardee’s. (They obviously had made allowances for me in the schedule, since 8:00AM is almost their lunch time.) As we entered, it was very clear Mom knew just about everyone there. This was not just about food, it was a social event. It was fun watching her work the room.

They talked about how different the new Hardee’s felt (the old one was destroyed in the catastrophic EF-4 tornado that flattened Ringgold last year) and how difficult it was waiting until the completion of the new one.

One of the most touching moments of the day happened as my Dad recounted the story of one of their Hardee’s clan, Rev. Leon Hullender, and how for years, upon arrival, he would always say a hearty hello to everyone, and then plop down at his “reserved” seat and hold court. My Dad visibly choked up as he told how when Leon died, someone put a flower on that seat, and no one would sit there.

I had only seen my Dad choke up three times in my life. Three. When his Mom died. When his Dad died. And during his thank you speech at the celebration of his 50th year in the ministry. So that should tell you something about that.

The Road Trip

As long as I can remember, my parents have loved to drive. (Maybe that’s why I hate it.) Today was to be no different. They have a new car, a stylish red Hyundai Optima, and when I asked what they would like to do for their anniversary, it was clear they wanted to drive to Pigeon Forge for lunch at the Apple Barn. It’s a tourist town just outside the tourist town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. That’s a two hour drive from Ringgold. A two hour drive. For lunch.

I remember as a kid driving from the mountains of Tennessee all the way to Juarez, Mexico. If you Google Map that, it’s about 1,421 miles and takes 22 hours and 53 mins. One way. This is what we called vacation. 46 hours and 2,842 miles of driving in six days. Did I mention how I feel about driving?

Dad proudly told me as we drove up to Pigeon Forge that he and Mom would sometimes drive up just for lunch.

The Stops

Dad loves to stop on road trips. Often. It makes the driving seem longer. He told me they always stop in Loudon. So we did.

But the next stop, I was excited about. McKay’s is an anomaly that could only prosper in Tennessee. But prosper it does. It is a used book/record/video store. You take in your old stuff and trade it for money or store credit. It doesn’t sound like much of a business plan, but the place is always crawling with people.

When Mom sees books, her eyes light up. She is the reason I am hopelessly addicted to reading. On the trip up, she was talking about a book she had read recently that vividly describes a meadow in Austin that is covered each year at a certain time by Monarch butterfies on their migratory flight.

McKay’s is a bookworm’s paradise.

They also told me about beating the McKay’s system. They go to garage sales (every time we would pass a sign, Dad would exclaim, “Garage sale, Granny”) and buy used books, records and videos,  then take them to McKay’s and make double and sometimes triple their money. Can you say entrepreneurs?

The Lunch

Special occasion eating for my parents is Cracker Barrel. No Ruth’s Chris for them. I’ve tried to take them to fancier places, but they just don’t enjoy it. A Cracker Barrel vegetable plate to them is finer than the tasting menu at French Laundry.

So to my surprise, we had lunch at a different restaurant. The Apple Barn. Think Loveless Cafe meets Cracker Barrel. The sign out front proudly states that every customer receives a free serving of apple fritters and apple julep.

We had chicken for lunch. We had it fried, potted and with dumplings. And it was good. Move over Thomas Keller.

We walked out happy.

The Fun

I don’t recall my parents having much time for fun. They were hard workers. They believed that working hard and providing for family was the ultimate calling.

But I fondly remember playing horseshoes and checkers. Mom and Dad are competitive. I remember them playing checkers all night trying to beat each other. Some of my best memories are my brother Terry, baby sister Cheryl, and my Mom and Dad playing horseshoes in the back yard. For hours. Sometimes my Papa Elrod would join us. He had a very cool sideways spin that none of us could emulate. He was competitive too. Very.

So today we went bowling. Now, growing up we never bowled, because the only bowling places were full of those who smoked and drank. We did not support nor go to places where those things were going on.

But somehow Mom and Dad have found a bowling alley located in the Pigeon Forge Recreation Center. It is pristine and I must admit a hidden gem. So we bowled.

My Dad is ambidextrous, but bowls right handed and has a distinct dance to the left as he follows thru. Mom has a bad leg now and watches. She enthusiastically applauded and cheered every time Dad would have a good bowl.

We had FUN.

I heard Dad tell Mom as we walked out, “If I can keep this up and practice a bit more, I think I can really improve.”

The Dessert

Dessert is a big deal at the Elrod household now. I think it’s because we were so poor growing up. We never had it. Mom reminisced as we returned to the Apple Barn for what else—apple pie, fried and al a mode—about times when we had almost nothing to eat for weeks on end. And how she would go to our neighbors and see the food on their table and it would make her so hungry. But she was too proud to say anything.

Dad usually has a milk shake at Cracker Barrel for starters. Yep. And a bowl of ice cream every night. For seventy-plus years. His cholesterol is below normal and he is the picture of health. He has been to the hospital once in his life. And that just the emergency room for a few hours with kidney stones.

Why didn’t I get those genes?

The Trip Home

I have neglected to tell you, I had pulled my back out. So my usual hatred of driving was compounded by physical pain. I had been in the car for three days straight. My version of Dante’s Inferno. So it was with consternation that I heard Dad say we would go home the back way instead of the Interstate. Because there might be traffic in Knoxville.

I determined not to say anything, but Mom, being the empath she is, sensed my distress, and gently asked Dad, once we passed Knoxville, to get back on the Interstate. Thankfully, he acquiesced. The two hour trip back home still took over three hours.

As I squirmed in pain, wishing we would get home, it suddenly occurred to me. Dad was driving slow because he didn’t want the day to end.

At least that’s what I choose to believe.

Because I didn’t either.

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At Ringgold High School the McKinney stories were legendary. They were the best (and the meanest) fighters in our town, especially the brother called Rat. And there were lots of them. McKinneys I mean. Twelve children. They all lived on McKinney hill out in the country.

Gary died a few days ago. I guess he decided to go back to a hill. The world has lost a great man. I lost a friend.

Remember this exchange in the movie Tombstone:

Turkey Creek Jack Johnson: Why you doin’ this, Doc?
Doc Holliday: Because Wyatt Earp is my friend.
Turkey Creek Jack Johnson: Friend? Hell, I got lots of friends.
Doc Holliday: …I don’t.

I don’t either. Not real friends. The kind a man needs. The kind that when you find one, you realize what a rare and fine thing it is.

A friend who is not waiting for the next thing you can do for them. A friend that is…well, just a friend.

Gary was that to me.

A lifelong friend. For over 30 years.

Here are a few snapshots.

He left our small country village and went to college. The stories of his academic success wafted back to our town in a day long before cell phones and e-mail. The word spread like wildfire in our small community. Gary McKinney was making straight “A’s” and was at the top of his class.

I will never forget how articulate, well-read and soft-spoken he was when he came back home for a visit a couple of years later.

He was proud of his strength. He was a man’s man. He would always put up his fists, dance around shadow boxing and say, “Come on, come on, you want some of me, SON!”

He was a legendary pulp wooder. He helped me cut a few of my trees later in life and treated his Husqvarna like others treat their Ferrari.

He was the first of my friends to become a Pastor. His Dad and Mom were so proud.

He was also the first of my friends to go through a divorce. The unpardonable sin in the evangelical church.

He went back to cutting pulp wood in the panhandle of Florida, ironically not far from the church that “let him go” because of the divorce.

I was fortunate enough to be able to return some of his many favors to me by recommending him for a job as the Singles Pastor at our mega-church in Florida. The pastor there had also gone through a divorce and therefore did not classify divorce as unpardonable.

Gary thrived and in fact worked there until his lengthy illness and ultimate death.

His stories about his Dad “Clyde” were also legendary.

He had a habit of raising his voice gradually to a fever pitch as he told stories of his family of fourteen and his country upbringing.

He always had a smile. Always.

I remember some people equating his red hair, country stories and ever present smile with blarney. Little did they know.

I’ll never forget a backpacking trip, just the two of us over 20 years ago, on the Jacks River Trail in the Cohutta Wilderness, and his tears as he told me about his divorce and subsequent ostracization by the Christian community.

I’ll never forget him saying divorce is a fate worse than death because your former mate is still alive and the hurt never goes away.

Little did I know those words were a foretelling of my life as well.

We worked out together in a private gym in Florida several times a week for years. A friend who was the rehab director there opened just for the two of us so we could beat the rush and get to work on time. We had conversations there I will hold dear forever.

He was an athlete. We also trained for a marathon together. Something happened and he was not able to run it, even though he had lasted through six months of grueling training in the Florida heat. I’m not sure he ever ran an official one, but he could have.

His affectionate term for me was “SON!” When he would say it, it was all capitals, with the explanation point, all executed with that affecting southern drawl of his. I can hear it as I write. SOOOOOOON!

He and his brother-in-law even wrote it on my car on my wedding day in 1979. In capitals.

I would have been honored to be his son. I would have been honored to be his father. I know Clyde was and Jared is.

I am honored to have been his friend. Forever.

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When expressed at all, this fear is usually articulated as, “What will people think of me when they see what I’ve created?”

But it’s not people we’re most scared of. It’s specific individuals. The opinion of fuzzy thousands (or millions) of others isn’t what inhibits us most as we ponder our choice of subject matter.

Rather it’s the frown on a few faces that come clearly into focus: the guys at church, our pastor, our mate, our kids. We don’t mind the world knowing about our lives, but we’re not sure we want our parents to know.

Picture the person whose response to your art concerns you the most. Usually it’s a spouse or a parent. Sometime’s it’s another relative, friend, or an old teacher. It could be an admired colleague or one you don’t like but find intimidating. Whoever’s opinion worries us the most is our “censor in chief.”

That person can feel like a scowling Torquemada scrutinizing every word we write.

Neutralizing our fear of his reaction may not be possible. But imagining how we’ll deal with him helps. Simply identifying our censor in chief can be a revelation. We don’t always realize how much he directs our creativity.

And if we can temper our fear of a censor in chief’s opinion, dealing with the reaction of anyone else is a piece of cake by comparison.

Question: Can you identify your censor in chief?

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*These thoughts are the closely paraphrased words of Ralph Keyes from his extraordinary book The Courage To Write.

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“Serenity”

“Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is.” —Thomas Szasz

Watercolor on handmade paper

Unframed: $850. 14 1/4 h x 36 1/2 w

Framed & Matted: $1,000. 22″ x 44″ Dark Brown (Sepia) Wood with Dark Brown (Sepia) Mat

Plus $7.95 shipping & handling

Archival Prints on watercolor paper also available (all sizes approximate according to original dimensions)

Options

Original Unframed $850.00 USD Original Framed & Matted $1,000.00 USD 8.5 x 11 Archival Giclee Print $55.00 USD 9 x 13 Archival Giclee Print $65.00 USD 11 x 17 Archival Giclee Print $85.00 USD 13 x 19 Archival Giclee Print $105.00 USD 16 x 20 Archival Giclee Print $150.00 USD 17 x 22 Archival Giclee Print $170.00 USD 17 x 25 Archival Giclee Print $175.00 USD

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The movie is based on the New York Times best-selling book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I read the book when it was first released and loved it. It was honest, refreshing and different. And to be candid, those three words don’t really describe most of my “christian” book experiences.

Here are 5 reasons I loved the movie:

1. It wasn’t hokey. I love a great movie. Pan’s Labyrinth, The Matrix, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Crash and most recently, Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris are just a few of my favorites. All, I repeat, ALL, the movies I have seen made by christians with a christian intent have been hokey. Terrible. Embarrassing. Hokey acting, hokey directing, hokey story line, everything hokey…you’ve seen them. This movie wasn’t hokey. Now, I’m not saying it is Academy-Award quality by any means, but it was a quantum-leap for movies made by christians that contains christian intent.

2. It hit home. I’m a baby-boomer. The honest portrayal of church shortcomings really pegged my life experience. It was interesting talking afterwards with some of my 20 and 30 something friends who have never really been part of a traditional evangelical church, and they missed the point and thought it was a little over the top. I thought it needed to be said. At least, for my generation.

3. It actually portrayed real life. A recurring and chilling disappointment for me with the CCM (contemporary christian music) business and the CBA (christian booksellers association) has been the refusal of the gatekeepers of these organizations to allow art to be created that portrays life as it really is. This movie has drugs, lesbians, partying, existential questions, college life, pregnancy outside marriage, sex with ministers and more. In other words, real life. A pivotal quote in the movie reads like this, “Life is like jazz, it never resolves.” The christian business gatekeepers steadfastly refuse to admit that fact, and the mainstream christian consumer continues to bury their heads in the sand of the subculture and buy into the propaganda.

4. It had a great score. From the Blue Like Jazz The Movie blog: “It’s been said that the movie business is unique because it combines all the arts into one. Music within a film will build tension, create emotion, and is paramount to the viewer connecting with story. Danny Seim, of Menomena fame, was the first and only choice to create the score to drive Blue Like Jazz. His style and personality fits indie music, Portland, and Blue Like Jazz so perfectly.” I liked the music. A lot. I would have expected nothing less from my friend and director of the movie Steve Taylor.

5. I got lost. I have heard it said that great acting causes one to lose themselves in the story. That happened to me. For the first-time ever in a movie made by christians, I got lost. For about ten minutes, in a movie screening, where the intent is to critique, I was immersed in the story. I had tears. The story nailed me where I am at this point in my life. Maybe, just maybe, that will happen to you. If so, your money and time will be well-spent.

Plan to go see Blue Like Jazz The Movie on opening day, April 13. If your experience is anything like mine, you will be glad you did. And if you are a christian, I think you will be proud that the creative team that produced this movie actually attempted to create culture, instead of replicating it. That deserves a round of applause.

Question: If you have read the book or watched the screening, what were your impressions?

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My Top Ten Takeaways:

10. A conference can become a movement. The ripple effect of SXSW is very obvious. One could not help but feel like something very important and world-changing was happening this week.

9. SXSWi was my first conference in quite a while as an attendee. After 13 years of running the re:create conference, it really helps to be a fly on the wall, and listen to everyone’s highs and lows. The experience will help me do a better job as our team crafts the re:create experience.

8. Math can be sexy (sort-of). For this creative, math has always been a four-letter word. Stephen Wolfram’s (one of the smartest humans I have ever heard speak) life work is based on the idea that computation empowers the individual to discover facts and concepts that have never been explored before. Okay, that inspires me. I realized this week, since I am 19,667 days old, I probably need to learn to count higher than four.

7. A renewed respect for the word citizen. Jennifer Pahlka challenged us all to practice responsible citizenship rather than random consumerism as Americans. She really helped me believe America can have a bright future as long as we all quit bitching so much and actually use our skills to do something better for our country and government.

6. The call to beauty. Over and over, Ben Silbermann, co-founder of Pinterest expressed his passion for beauty. It was contagious. And he is one of those rare few whose actions speak louder than words. If you have been in a cave somewhere for the last few years and have not taken a few minutes to peruse Pinterest. Savor the beauty.

5. The music industry has burned way too many artists by a lack of integrity and innovation. Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan, was angry and opinionated about the way the industry has reacted to the new world of file sharing and social networking. And I thought these feelings were only in Nashville. Yikes!

4. The Branding as Patterns session. A quote: “Branding is about creating patterns, not repeating messages.” HERE is a great article summing up the session—my first-ever seminar on branding. It was a college education packed into one hour.

3. Cartoonist for the New Yorker, Matthew Diffee’s session on creativity “How To Be An Idea Factory” was inspiring and brilliant. I was so impressed I immediately asked him to speak at re:create ATX and re:create Nashville. One quote out of myriad: “Creatives are never blocked as long as they can move backwards.”

2. Watching Tony Bourdain interact with his production crew and seeing the mutual respect they have for one another and experiencing their passion and use of technology. ”I don’t give a s*** how many people watch at our timeslot, I care how many people watch after two years.”—Bourdain. Sustainability. (Note: In light of this, we have created a re:source page at recreateconference.com that features every keynote presentation, interview and soon to include musical performances from the past that we have permission to provide. Also, we will be adding bonus creative content regularly. We want everyone to experience re:create all year-long.)

1. “Art creates knowledge.” Ray Kurzweil said this in what turned out to be my favorite session of the week. I will need to put this quote in my pipe and smoke it for a while.

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My 10 Highs & Lows from Day Five (Tuesday)

1. This morning, thankfully, I was able to get into my carefully chosen session, but for only the second time this week, it was a bust for me. It was titled 3 Secrets to A Killer Elevator Speech, but the panelists chose to let people line up and give their elevator speeches and then critique them. In a setting this large, that plan just did not work, at least for me. It was hard to hear the critiques, and the panelists had decided to mostly just give their version of a better speech for that person. I exited. I later followed the Twitter hashtag but it had nothing, in particular, no one had yet gotten the 3 secrets.

2. It was then time to hustle back to what has turned out to be my favorite room at SXSWi—Ballroom D. I was very excited to hear an interview with Ben Silbermann, co-founder of my newest online obsession Pinterest. You can find more details about the session and presenter HERE and you can follow the Twitter session conversation HERE. I was immediately struck by Ben’s humility and shyness. But one thing he is definitely not shy about is that Pinterest should be beautiful. This conversation was very enlightening for any would-be entrepreneur. While it did contain a lot of cliches, it also has a lot of truth that I’ve seen young creatives overlook time aand time again. One of the most important when asked about his feelings of competitors copying his idea in other countries, he said, “I’m not putting my energy into worrying about clones, I’m putting my energy into making Pinterest the best product possible.” Gold.

3. My SXSWi sidekick for the week, Vince, then texted me the word “kebab.” I knew that could only mean the “Kebabalicious” food trailer on Congress Ave. Yes. The beef and lamb kebab is decadently delicious. And their website is very cool as well. We then sashayed across the street to Cafe Medici for a cortado. Vince remarked that once he has about 30 minutes to chill at Cafe Medici, all seems right in his world for the rest of the day. I concur.

4. Next up was a toss-up. I had previously chosen to attend either Why A Mobile Wallet Isn’t Going to Be Enough or Branded Content: We’re All Publishers Now, but Vince had by this time convinced me to choose the keynote talk in, you guessed it, Ballroom D.

5. The title of the talk scared me: Coding the Next Chapter of American History. I may be referred to often as a Renaissance Man (I prefer to call myself a “jack of all trades”) but coding is definitely not in my wheelhouse. However, I acquiesced, and it was to be a pivotal SXSWi moment for me.

6. Jennifer Pahlka is a Yale graduate. She is tall, attractive, charismatic and fervently dedicated to her cause. And that cause is to reform the government by enlisting programmers and IT persons to update (for half the cost allocated) federal and local software and to create apps to replace incomprehensible documents such as one with hundreds of pages to describe a fire hydrant location. Please note that I am vastly simplifying a layered and brilliant talk. You owe it to yourself to find more details about the session and presenter HERE and to carefully read the Twitter session conversation HERE. She is a force to be reckoned with and I’m glad she is a citizen of the United States!

7. I say Jennifer Pahlka for President!

8. Next up was the session (yep, in Ballroom D) that Vince had been eagerly awaiting the entire week. Digital Debauchery with Anthony Bourdain. I must confess that even though I have been known to watch the Travel Channel a time or two, I have never seen Bourdain’s show No Reservations.

9. I am now a fan.

10. Bourdain had his entire production crew on stage with him, and at last, it was the first truly interactive session in this SXSW world of creativity. They had a dedicated session tweeter, streaming YouTube videos, an occasional Twitter feed, and much more happening all at once. The room was jammed with thousands of people and the fandom was ardent, and I immediately realized why. These guys are uber-creative. Again, you owe it to yourself to read more details about the session and presenters HERE and you can follow the Twitter session conversation HERE. As an added bonus for reading this far, HERE are the incredibly awesome sketch notes by @laurilij

Tomorrow: My Top Ten Takeaways from SXSWi

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My 10 Highs & Lows for Monday.

1. Again I am disappointed when I arrive at my first chosen session and I’m turned away because it was over capacity. It was a session for non-profits, and EVERY session designed for non-profits has been over capacity. SXSWi has some serious pre-organizational work to do. So frustrating! Agh!!

2. Again, it seems every time I am frustrated and saying bad words, my friend Vince Marotte comes to the rescue. He texts me and says he is at Frank Restaurant with a group of non-profit peeps, do I want to join them? The answer of course is YES!

3. What is better? A talking head telling me how to do digital storytelling for non-profits, or talking to real live people from around the country who are in the trenches of non-profit businesses! Especially over a beer and a Chicago-style hot dog. Awesome!

4. We then head back to the Austin Convention center to hear the keynote speaker for the day. The streets of Austin are filled with creative human beings and creative companies seeking to woo those creatives to their creative wares. It is truly like heaven. Even if they are all so stinkin’ young looking.

5. The next session up is a featured session. Legendary visionary Ray Kurzweil joined writer Lev Grossman from TIME Magazine for a mind-expanding keynote conversation about our future. This session was officially my favorite session so far at SXSWi and one of the most extraordinary of my life. You can follow the Twitter hashtag session HERE. Two of my favorite quotes out of myriad: “A kid in remote Africa with a cell phone has as much technology as the President of the USA had 15 years ago.” “Art creates knowledge.”

6. Lev Grossman is hands-down the best interviewer I have ever witnessed. For him to so gracefully and skillfully handle a genius such as Kurzweil says volumes about his knowledge and self-awareness.

7. Following the Twitter hashtag for these talks has revolutionized my learning and retention of talking head sessions. Every pastor of every church and every public speaker should have a hashtag designated for every one of his/her sermons and talks and let the people formerly known as the audience participate and interact. None of us are as smart as all of us. Revolutionary.

8. Instead of taking notes by hand, I am using the third party Twitter web app Hootsuite to save the hashtag and then follow everyone’s comments and add my own. Amazing!! (HT: @m_vince)

9. Next up was the front man for the rock group Smashing Pumpkins Billy Corgan who has the enviable Twitter handle @Billy . See the details and info for the seminar HERE and the Twitter feed HERE. Billy was interviewed by Brian Solis who was a bit uncomfortable with the very emotional and opinionated rock star. This session officially has the record for the most F-bombs I have ever heard in a public setting. I might add that many of them were well-placed and aimed at the archaic and foundering music industry. Very similar to the many stories I have heard from artists in Nashville. Painfully so.

10. The day ended with me giving up trying to fight the neverending line to get in the session with the inventor of the Internet Al Gore and Napster’s Sean Parker (notoriously played by Justin Timberlake in the movie The Social Network).  I retreated to an isolated and stunning dock at sunset on Lake Austin and tried to take in all that I had seen and heard this very extra-sensory day.

More tomorrow…

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