There’s no doubt that by the end of South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi), we are all tired, brain dead and a little overwhelmed… yet we all seem to have a big ole’ permagrin on our face (not to mention hundreds of new Twitter, Plancast and and Gowalla followers). This is partially due to the fact that there is just nothing quite like “South-by” as locals call it. It’s just such a perfect mix of sun, friends and a deeper understanding of what makes “social,” well… “social.”

As a three time veteran, I feel the need to let other South-by attendees that they aren’t the only ones to feel that twinge of remorse as their planes touch down, especially those that have to go back to colder climes. What better way to empathize than to share my seven reasons you know you’re experiencing SXSW withdrawal with my friends.

Drumroll please…

7. You can’t stop using the world “douchebag”… including with your kids, grandmother and your boss.
6. Checking into every room in your house using Gowalla and Foursquare feels perfectly normal.
5. You find yourself daydreaming about BBQ… ALL THE TIME
4. Neighbors look at you funny when you ask them which parties they are going to tonight.
3. None of your co-workers know where or what the “Blogger’s Lounge” is.
2. You can’t help but wonder if you’ll randomly bump into Robert Scoble, Gary Vaynerchuck or Guy Kawasaki  in your local Starbucks.

AND THE NUMBER ONE WAY YOU KNOW YOU’RE GOING THROUGH SXSW WITHDRAWAL…

1. You keep looking at the @RedSoxGnome‘s Twitter stream to see which wild and crazy guy or gal he’ll end up with next!

Great seeing everyone. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to visit more. A more serious wrap up SXSW post will be coming soon!

Photo Credit: my main, techmology man, Jim Storer. (respect, respect)