So much love!

We generally got the feeling, that Austin is not a place you can just swing by for a weekend and feel at home in, like New Orleans or DC. But given time, effort and getting to know people, we feel sure that it would be an awesome place to be.

The day after our night out I naturally had a hangover, but I also got sick with fever and general patheticness. And my neck hurt horribly after demonstrating to all the Weltschmertz infested angst-metal brats how to rock. While I was ill, Ivan spend the evening getting very friendly indeed (and very drunk) with the hotel staff from our Holiday Inn. We even stayed on the good side of the restaurant staff, despite Ivan being a ninja with the napkins during most of dinner.

So when we were leaving the morning after, the goodbyes were long and sad. One of the staff, a middle aged woman named Gayle, had taken care of our laundry after the hotel machine broke down and she had folded everything so neatly that it brought tears to my brothers eyes. When she came down to say bye, I was talking about my shattered neck, and how much I would like to buy one of their pillows. This was not possible. But on hearing this, Gayle went ahead and brought me a pillow, which was a gift from her, along with motherly admonitions about being safe, and coming back to see them... something about caring and loving hotel people just make me go a big blubbery one. I gave Gayle a hug and cuddled up with my Austin Pillow.