Packing and music and bats (oh my)

As I don't plan to be on a computer anytime Friday, this week's Friday Five is a bit early. Not as early as I'd planned, however. Maybe someday I will finally learn to pack for a trip in less than three hours time. I will make a proper list and pack in some logical order, rather than running from room to room nonsensically without any semblance of a well-thought-out plan. I will remain focused on the task at hand, rather than getting distracted by the television and the Internet and various other nonproductive diversions.

Of course, barring any of these responsible and reasonable solutions, I could perhaps at least finally remember that I cannot pack for a trip in less than three hours time, and therefore start my ridiculously disorganized and highly distracted packing process a bit earlier in the evening. Until then, however, here I am again at 1:14 a.m., thinking what a very good idea it was to take off of work the whole day tomorrow instead of just half of it. I've learned that much, at least. Baby steps, I always say.

In any case, I am finally almost packed for my mini-break to the Lone Star State. One more run to Target for some quart-sized Ziploc bags (Damn you, TSA, and your silly bag size restrictions, too) to hold my non-explosive three-ounce bottles of shampoo and other toiletries, and I should be all set.

To get myself ready for my trip (and to share some terribly useful information with the rest of you as well), here are five fun facts about Austin, Texas (courtesy of my friend Wikipedia, since perusing my Austin guidebook is yet another thing I'd planned to do much earlier but haven't quite gotten to yet).

1. Austin has more music venues per capita than any other U.S. city. No wonder the list of artists hailing from there actually rivals that of Minnesota. Personally, I am hoping to run into my fake boyfriend Bob Schneider. I'm not too concerned about the rest.
   
   
2. Because it is a center for liberal politics in the middle of a largely conservative state, Austin is sometimes referred to as "blue in a sea of red," or, better yet, "the blueberry in the tomato soup." (Ew. But also... hee.)
   
   
3. The slogan "Keep Austin Weird" has become a local motto to promote the city's diversity and eccentricity and to bolster support of local and independent businesses. I can get behind that. The Twin Cities could stand to be a little weirder, actually.
   
   
4. Austin is one of the largest U.S. cities without a franchise of any of the four major sports leagues. (Honestly, I am starting to think I should move to Austin, and I haven't even been there yet.)
   
   
5. Tourists often gather on the Congress Avenue bridge at sunset to watch the Mexican free-tailed bat population emerge for the night. (Yeah, I won't be doing that. Not a chance. Also, if bats are prevalent enough to be a tourist attraction, we can just scratch that "maybe I should move there" thought after all.)
   

Have a great holiday weekend, everyone. I'll catch up with you again next week.