I hate to rant too much on how much I rock, but I can’t help it … and the Bloody Mary’s are kicking in. Check it out: Best Dressed, SXSW 2008.

It was funny being approached by someone with a camera, considering that’s what I’d been doing all trip. Now I definitely don’t mind complimenting people, as it feels soo good!

http://www.styledash.com/photos/south-by-best-dressed-tuesday/706353/

Simply put, it rocks - like the music at SXSW. Of the 15,000 folks at the festival, around 100 entered a softball tourney, the entertainment for the close out BBQ. Those braves played their hearts out on dusty fields after 4 days of continuous drinking, partying and little sleep. And some of us won.

I wrangled the Ausie’s into signing up for a team and w00t, can Cricket players hit a ball! We all caught on quickly to win 2 games and advance to the championship game. It was looking meek when we were down 0-9 at the bottom of the first inning, but in what was hailed as the comeback of the century, we rallied to win at the bottom of the 7th and final inning 17-16. Nothing bonds people like winning together.

At the start, I wasn’t sure we were going to figure out how to function as a team. We were disorganized and at a slight disadvantage with a quarter of us unfamiliar with technicalities, like rules. I’d like to think that my chatty instigations and cheer leading helped pull us together … at least everyone knew my name. And by the final game, even though I sat out after the first inning with a smashed toe, everyone knew everyone and cheered everyone on. (Note to self for future games: catch the ball first, then tag the runner to avoid a stomping at home plate.)

I could go on about how much it rocked to play, and especially to win, but I’ve got a championship dinner at the Salt Lick to attend. Larry the Lawyer says it’s the best Texan BBQ in town.

In what was *the* show at SXSW (pronounced “South By”), Tom Morello led a star studded symphony of musicians in support for a new documentary, out today in Austin, Body of War. Despite his work and dedication to the project, Eddie Vedder (the billed “special guest”) wasn’t able to make it out.

Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of Tom Morello, but he won me over last night with his charisma and fantastic arrangement of Woodie Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” Aside from Ben Harper, who went missing for the grand finale, everyone who played earlier joined in, including Billy Bragg, Serj Tankian and Mason Jennings. Every fantastic show is not without it’s climax. And so this tribute concert ended with an entire see of people as waves of jumping bodies, all bellowing the final and potent refrain.

I didn’t think the day could get any better, until I decided to catch Billy Bragg’s solo show. Always a fan, but never a fanatic, I wasn’t sure what to expect. And I certainly didn’t expect to find a chatty and witty man looking much younger than his folk wisdom and baritone voice let on. With quips in between each song, my favorite segment started with a vote of which artist he would cover: Bob Dylan or the Carpenters. Ah, democracy.