So, I read today that a woman was doing some tidying up in her house. She stepped out for a smoke break and seconds after she left the kitchen, a giant tree falls through into the house, crushing everything. Talk about IRONIC.

Turns out killing herself with cigarettes saves her from dying prematurely. Insane!

That’s my bit of weird news for the day…

Rascall Flatts, who? Just kidding, but that was the sentiment of many last night who were initially bummed out about the pop-countryish group Rascall Flatts canceling at the last moment due to illness but were rocked by their replacements. Local Houstonians Jack Ingram and Clay Walker along with Joe Nichols gladly filled the void in fans’ hearts and won them over with a show that rocked the place.

First on stage was Nichols who kicked the festivities off with some of his popular tunes, and was well received despite sound problems. *sidenote: Houston Rodeo organizers, get the darn sound problems worked out, okay? Two times is TOO MUCH*

Second up, big Jack Ingram. The guy floored the audience and had folks hootin’ and hollarin’ left ‘n’ right. This seemed to easily be the best performance out of the three.

Lastly, you know Clay Walker wouldn’t let his hometown down, right? The guy’s a favorite and loved by many. Big ups to him and the other two for giving everyone their money’s worth.

I’ll be checking out the carnival tonight and have my fingers crossed that rain doesn’t spoil the fun. To those that have been, what should I expect?

Chron.com has a cool intro to SXSW (South by South West) video streaming today. I recommend you go check it out. Click the screencap image below to being playing the video.

Who made it to Austin for the festival? I’m staying here in Houston but am interested to see how it compares to last year’s event. My buddies in SXSWi (Interactive) have been saying good things about the keynotes.