whew!

made it over to pitchfork's tent with enough time to kick back before jose gonzalez started his set. when i got there, the crowd was weak and death vessel was up, this very thin and attractive man singing falsetto folk. it took most of his set to figure out, was he a guy or girl? it's not an insult, the dude was pretty. and his music is wonderful. if there are any songs up on that website, check them out.

and then jose. oh, jose. you beautiful man, you. it was overcast and a little windy, but the crowd had grown by then and blocked most of the chill. and it wasn't the cold but the music that gave me goosebumps. the way he plays that guitar... man. really incredible. i can't articulate the experience just yet, i'm still in awe, but it was by far, so far, the highlight of my week. worth waking up late and rushing around like a nutcase making sure i saw him play. it was perfect.

just got off the phone with my boss back home, since i still have to staff my shift for the weekend, for whoever is subbing for me. four weeks ago, i'd put in a notice to quit, and this was supposed to be my escape and reward after putting in a long, hard year with staff management and plastipak. but even during the pitchfork set, i found myself distracted and thinking about the place, and glad i have something solid to come back to. it was a little over a year ago i decided to drop out of school and work, make some money, live the normal life for a little while. it was an impulsive decision, much like the one i made to leave the job. i'm still not particularly happy there, but i'm learning to love it. slowly realizing you've got to have something to ground you. can't just go around quitting everything, looking for your answers. i'm trying to find my answers in what i have right in front of me. it's interesting, saying this from austin. but i came down here with open-ended questions that desparately needed closure, and it's funny to realize that maybe the answers aren't here, in the escape, but maybe back where you thought you needed escaping from.

enough musing. i have some shifts to staff and, i just realized, a show i really want to see in 25 minutes. maybe staffing can wait...