Like a century plant that flowers at the end of it's life, SXSW may have drawn its final breaths this year. For ten days, the city bulged towards it's outer limits. SX used to feel 75% local / 25% not. This year it was more like 90% local / l00% not. For very little money, I spent the week riding my bike around the city, watching movies with my film festival pass, drinking free beer at neighborhood bars from 2-2, sleeping till 8:30( cherry didn't catch on that the time changed), eating dinner next to Michael Stipe and seeing Liz Phair perform in a 100 person venue. Oh, to have even half her sexiness. And in the spirit of spring, I whipped up these stripes of optimism.