South by Southwest is upon us once again here in Austin, TX. For those unfamiliar, SXSW is a huge festival split into music, film, and technology conferences and brings thousands of people to Austin every year. The events are well worth the price of admission, but my favorite reasons for attending are the networking opportunities and parties.

It can be difficult to decide which SXSW parties are worth your time, so this year I’m making it easy: I’m throwing my own unofficial day party. Bull Moose & Covert Curiosity Present is a partnership between music blog Covert Curiosity and my company, Bull Moose, and we’re going to be rocking it for six straight hours with seven bands!

The lineup features HEALTH, Hacienda, The Strange Boys, Ume, Golden Triangle, Shapes Have Fangs, and Garotas Suecas. Everything is happening on Thursday, March 19th at Aces Lounge on 6th, kicking off at the crack of noon.

Get more info and RSVP on the Bull Moose home page.

The other driver got away. There was a police officer twenty yards away who somehow missed the entire thing. To top it all off, Josh just got a new (used) car last week. His previous one was totaled when another person hit him.

I hate the overwhelming feeling of absolute terror when you hear something like that. A loved one in a horrific situation. My little brother. Fear, anger, helplessness. Josh is alright, though. Danger averted.

It’s unsettling. The nagging feeling that I can’t always protect those around me. The reminder that someone I love could be gone so easily, so quickly, without warning. All the questions that follow that thought. The need to rely on Someone else.

In light of the President’s new-found (and evidently unlimited) powers over American financial interests, I am officially requesting a bailout myself. This year has been tough and I’ve got some student loans to cover, not to mention the amount that I spent on Christmas gifts. Since Bush has insured that he can torture whomever he desires for no reason, can spy on just about everyone, and now can use federal funds for any purpose he deems worthy, I feel it an appropriate time to step forward and state my case.

My burn rate is pretty high, but I promise it’s nowhere close to GM’s annual $28 billion.

Getting a healthy dose of Christmas spirit at the Trail of Lights in Austin.

My buddy Vince was commissioned into the Marine Corp just before Christmas.

The look Cain gave me when he thought I was leaving him in Austin.

Christmas morning at my mom’s.

Christmas lunch at Michelle’s (her tree was awesome!).

Michelle and my mom posing against their will.

Playing with their new toys.

Family time.

Roman and his favorite pastime: posing for the camera.

How I got through the holiday… just kidding… maybe.

Roman opening his gift from me (I stole Santa’s entire sack, as you can see).

Poor Lucy wondering why all the gifts aren’t wrapped in dog treats.

Oh, and the best Christmas moment? My mom–who attended a church service for the first time in eight years–-accidentally exclaiming “Oh, damnit!” during Silent Night. Priceless.

Back to reality. The house is full, so this is the luxury suite that I will be occupying tonight (notice the bottle of wine on the dresser in case of emergency):

Merry Christmas y’all!

Family isn’t always what we want it to be. Christmas time was always a season when I longed for that movie-perfect Christmas experience, but the differences between my parents (pre- and post- divorce), my mom and half-sisters, myself and my father, all created a very unwelcoming environment during the holidays, to say the least. I usually ended up spending as little time as possible at home.

After I left for college things started to change. Rather, we made them change. I bridged the gap between my sisters and my mom, and they discovered that they really liked each other after all. From there we joined with my brother-in-law and his parents, then reached out to extended family. I’d always made my friends my family, bringing them into my life and celebrating holidays with them. Now I was making my actual family my family.

As we were eating Christmas dinner last year, my sister said how happy she was that we were really being a family for the first time. I don’t think that really hit me until just now, because this year it isn’t something new anymore. It’s something better. It simply is.

My friend Jamie wrote about her thoughts on the subject and the ensuing dilemma of exchanging gifts with her family and children. I can totally sympathize; how do you explain to a three- or four-year-old that he won’t be getting gifts this year, even though all his friends are? Can you expect your family to go along with your charity, even if it’s not an issue to them? Isn’t there some balance to be had?

I’m not sure what the perfect answer is. Maybe I should feel guilty because I have a decent apartment and a decent car and I can give gifts to my family at Christmas. Maybe I should live as meagerly as possible and donate all my extra cash. Or maybe not. Maybe either extreme isn’t healthy.

For 2009 I’ve committed to sponsor a child through Compassion International, an organization that provides for the economic and social welfare of impoverished children around the world. My new buddy’s name is Angello, he lives in the Dominican Republic, and (through no coincidence of choice) we share the same birthday. My sister is collecting soap and shampoo for the homeless in Houston and donating to the Star of Hope Mission (you can contact her at michelle.higgins [at] att.net if you want to help out). Jamie is finding comfort in providing for her children and supporting others.

I still don’t know what the perfect answer is, but as with everything in life, balance is key.

Here’s to sharing the true joy and love of Christmas.

The past two days of post-election reactions disturbed me. In a time when most of the country is celebrating the fulfillment of the civil rights movement, when even the opposing party recognizes the momentous achievement that has taken place, several people in my life have revealed inappropriate, and frankly, disgusting opinions.

I’ve received forwarded text messages containing colored jokes, chain-emails bashing the ascension of a black man to the head of our great country. Some have expressed their apprehension in personal conversation. I even heard a racist joke at a church group.

Is this really the way people think?

One of my good (white) friends and his wife have an adopted black son and are adopting two more children from Haiti. Another couple close to me recently adopted a black baby here in the States. When I get to see them, play with them, spend time with them, I can’t imagine the ignorance that causes someone to make hurtful and derogatory comments toward them for such a distinction. Why doesn’t this empathy carry over into the adult world?

I don’t understand the thought process that goes into bigotry. How can people so readily abandon their calls for love, equality, and justice… as soon as the people group in question doesn’t have the same ethnic background as them? I find this especially difficult to digest when someone quotes a Bible verse to me one day and makes a racial slur the next.

There is no justification for racial prejudice.

This election season feels like the longest of my admittedly short voting history. With under two weeks to go until November 4th, I find myself just wanting the whole mess to be over. Last Monday the great state of Texas opened polls for early-voting and I took advantage of the opportunity to avoid long lines and cast my ballot right on the university campus. Besides artificially forcing my decision between two candidates, the election race taught me a few things about my perspective on modern American politics.

Opinions, ideologies, left, right, platforms and planks. The political arena tries to force absolutes upon a broad spectrum of issues, with politicians and parties proclaiming the virtues of their perspective and vehemently demeaning the opposing view. Some of my friends morn the fact that I could even consider supporting a candidate from a party separate than their own. Since when is life so black and white?

One thing I’ve learned at the ripe ‘ol age of twenty-two is that no issue ever has a simple answer. I attempt to think independently and make decisions from objective research–rather than simply absorbing the news machine–and thus don’t think it possible or wise to fully embrace one political party over the other. Both sides are built upon hard-working, well-meaning Americans. Both sides have some great goals and plans to get there. They both also have some methods that, in my not-so-humble opinion, are flat wrong.

The bottom line is that the system is flawed. I think there are but few who will disagree with that statement. I don’t profess to know what adjustments need to be made or even to have a complete grasp on all the influences that are currently in play, but I do know where we need to begin: with ourselves.

Significant change comes from the bottom-up, not the other way around. Ideology shifts are not legislated, but enacted my ordinary Americans in their daily lives. Granted, certain significant legal decisions have greatly aided such movements as during the Civil Rights Era, but action by citizens paved the way. We can’t sit around and leave elected officials to do the work for us.

Personal convictions often cause people to vote along a single issue. For example, many who are religious have traditionally leaned Republican because of their stance against abortion, but now some of those same groups are looking Democrat because of their desire to have the country address issues such as poverty, humanitarian aid, and the environment. These are great and justifiable causes, but simply casting a vote isn’t enough.

Cameron Strange, publisher and founder of Relevant magazine, puts it this way:

“If [you have] a heart for the poor, or to see a reduction in the number of abortions, or to promote peace, or to help the sick, or to stand for strong moral values, or to be a better steward of the environment, then your personal focus needs to be on that–whether or not the President shares your same values.”

Vote. That’s our privilege and responsibility as Americans. But don’t let your commitment stop there. If you are passionate about an issue, get out and do something about it. Volunteer, join a non-profit, donate your time or funds–heck, write a blog post. Don’t take the easy route and simply cast judgment on those who don’t share your views. To quote Gandhi, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Challenge yourself this election cycle.

I’m sure I don’t need to list all the textbook benefits of running to you, so let me simply point out a few that I forgot about. Running is downright fun. Really, it is. It has even become an entirely new social venue for me, especially when I bring along the dog for a quick jog. It’s also a great chance to be alone in my thoughts, if I so decide. And I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. Maybe it’s all the running. I don’t know.

Austin holds a whole wealth of possible running locations, but Town Lake (aka Ladybird Lake) is by far my favorite. There are ten miles of trail snaking along the entirety of Town Lake. My favorite spot to park at is Auditorium Shores. I usually run the loop all way the to the footbridge at the north end of Mopac park and back. The atmosphere is great, there is usually a healthy amount of joggers–but not too many–and the views of downtown are awesome. Take a look at the map before you go or just head on over.