Flying in to a city with no plan of a place to stay, no accommodations, and no worries is an amazing experience. The excitement and unknown can make every sight more vivid and every thought more compelling.

This is exactly what I’ve brought to Austin, Texas this week of the Consensus 23′ Convention. A Convention full to the brim of scams, frauds and hack grifters; a place to feel right at home. I flew out of St. Louis to Austin with the intention to work the conference as a means for cheap entry in to the event, the same as I did last year. After my connection fell through, I decided to charge a head and fly in to Austin with no job lined up and no place to stay. I packed a hammock and slept in a park next to lady bird lake.

While pouching wifi in the Hilton for three hours, I found a few avenues for work or at least participation at Consensus. This varied from Craigslist ads to sketch LinkedIn connections. After sending out a blanket of emails covering every online posting, I walked to my rouge camp spot and smoked a pipe for a while till sleep over took me. Waking at 3:45 in the morning from the foggy chills passing over the lake, I reached for my phone and found a 24/7 coffee shop within walking distance. That’s right, no car. Only a backpack with a few important items. This is where I write, awaiting the beginning of the event and a door to open to the next adventure. A adventure within an adventure.