After an indefinitely delayed flight and a switch from American Airlines to Southwest, I arrived in Austin about eight hours behind schedule.

Sure, I'm bummed that I missed the Kick Ass world premiere, but I've got nine solid days of fun ahead of me!

I'm writing this from my phone as I wait in the registration line. Once I have my badge hanging around my neck, I'll be ready to hit some sessions and movies.

I'm ready to SXSW so hard.

So we were all kicked off the plane so a specialized crew of American Airline mechanics, en route from Washington, can come and examine the problem. That doesn't sound like simple moisture on the sensor. But then again, I'm a hyper-sensitive, nervous flier.

The latest word is that we will be delayed three to four hours, but there is nothing definite about that information. All I can do is sit here at gate C6 in BWI and wait for more information.

That probably means I won't make it to any of today's SXSW Interactive sessions. I'm totally bummed. But I'm glad they caught the problem and have people examining it. Once I'm finally in Austin, I'm sure I'll be able to put all of this in my rearview mirror and enjoy myself.

I wonder when the Ram's Head Tavern starts serving adult drinks?

My seat is in the very back row of the plane. How did that happen? I booked in January! At least I'm right by the bathroom and two small kids are arguing across the aisle from me.

I hate flying.

I should be in the air right now, on my way to Austin via Dallas. We even taxied to the runway. The engines even came up to speed. I even felt the acceleration and was pushed back into my seat.

Then, the plane lurched forward as the pilot hit the brakes. (I finally understand airplane seatbelts.) Fellow passengers looked around at each other, some checking the faces of the flight attendants for signs of trouble, but those guys were totally stoic.

We came to a full stop. A few moments of bewilderment later, the captain addressed us over the PA.

He said there was a discrepancy between the air speed indicators, which created unacceptable conditions for takeoff. He explained that could simply mean some moisture got into the sensors, which seems reasonable since it's been raining here in Baltimore since late last night. Or maybe it's a good excuse for something scarier-sounding.

I hate flying.

We taxied back to the gate, and a mechanic is on the way to examine the problem. The pilot told us we'll probably take off in about 45 minutes.

Side note: A dozen people apparently need to use the bathroom now.

So I guess I'm going to miss a few SXSW Interactive sessions. Sure, that's disappointing. But I'm happy to know that the pilot is quick enough to react effectively to a problem.

Still, I'm already a pretty nervous flyer (in case you couldn't tell), so that sudden accelleration and deceleration made me almost wet my pants.

All I can do now is sit here and wait, reading the status updates of friends already in Austin. It feels a little bit like a bad dream where I know there's an awesome party happening but just can't quite get to it.

I hate flying!

March 12-21: South by Southwest

This is going to be my first out-of-town adventure of the year, and my first SXSW. I've signed up for sensory overload via platinum badge, and I can't wait. Between the film, music, and interactive sessions, I'll have no shortage of things to write about, photos to take, and general inspiration for the rest of the year. I'm really, really pumped.

May 7-9: MaxFunCon

About a month and a half of rest after SXSW, I'm heading to Lake Arrowhead for MaxFunCon! Hosted by Jesse Thorn, it's going to be a solid weekend of "cooking, crafts, education, and s'mores" featuring the likes of John Hodgman, Andrew WK, Maria Bamford, Jonathan Coulton, Marc Maron, and more.

Unfortunately, their website is down right now because the data center had a fire drill which set off the sprinklers in the server room. Oops.