Usually, I tend to write about things that I've done, or that I plan to do, or that I might recommend. Today, I'm gonna tell you about all the things I have blown off in the past few days. I've flaked out on parties, concerts, dinners, and karaoke night. Why, you ask? It seems that all the cool kids are bopping off to the South by Southwest music conference this week in Austin, Texas. So maybe I'm feeling extremely bummed, abandoned, and left out, and have simply holed up to pout. (I mean, just look at the schedule!) Or maybe it's this gloppy, wet spring snow. Maybe Saturn is in retrograde. Your guess is as good as mine, but the fact remains -- I've been missing out. Friday and Saturday, I blew off the SXSW send-off parties at the hi-dive, where several of the Denver bands participating in the showcase performed before heading south, along with hi-dive's entire staff. I'm sure they were great, but how would I know? Sunday, Scott Campbell his band of merry pranksters at the Larimer Lounge held a Sunday afternoon barbeque show (naturally, it snowed on their picnic) for the same reason. Everyone is leaving me, and I'm stuck here in cow town. I also missed: The Pisces party at Rise last Friday for 20 birthday boys and girls, local songstress Melissa Ivey's CD release party at the Walnut Room, goth night at Rock Island, and Tegan and Sara at the Bluebird. Plus, a slew of other coulda-woulda-shoulda-been fun events elsewhere around town. Do I have some strange contracted case of weirdo hermit syndrome? Will I turn into a crazy Kat lady with 26 felines crawling around my ankles and no social life? I dunno, but I'm supposed to go to a networking dinner tonight, and guess what? I really think I'm just going to blow it off. Or maybe I should find the fastest route southbound and join the fun at SXSW before I go insane from the isolation.