Jingle Bobs and Jackrabbits

This is another one of the films from the program.

Posted by Kristin on 01/29/10 at 01:39 AM
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Thursday Recap

I knew this morning when I found myself in line for the buffet, discussing the many, many merits of bacon-infused chocolate with one of my heroes, Joey the Cowpolka King, that this was going to be one of those magic days. It all started off with an artists’ breakfast at the Stockman’s, where I saw some old friends and made some fast new ones, including Henry Real Bird, who promised to help me find some Native American translators for the Open Translation Project that I manage at TED.

Then it was off to the Deep West Video program at the Elko Convention Center, where my little film, “Hello, Goodbye! A Guide to Waving in the Country,” was in some very good company. I got to meet most of the other filmmakers and am looking forward to getting to know them better over the next couple days (I will post their films here as the Western Folklife Center makes them available on YouTube). One highlight of the program for me was getting to talk to Gail Steiger afterward. His album, “The Romance of Western Life,” is in heavy rotation on my iPod—in fact, I listened to it for a good part of the flight out here from New York. How cool is that?

Before lunch, I went with Sue Rosoff for a screening of “Challenge of the Champions,” a documentary about Lane Frost and Red Rock. I knew this story, but there is something so powerful about seeing and hearing people who were there tell their own tale. Sue is in the film and many of her photographs are featured (if you haven’t checked out her rodeo pics, you don’t want to miss her website). Today was the last time they will show the film during the Gathering, but you can buy a copy of it at the gift shop.

I saw two fantastic music shows tonight as well, but I’m starting to fade...so I’m afraid I will have to say good night now. See you in the morning!

Posted by Kristin on 01/29/10 at 01:16 AM
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Hello, Goodbye! A Guide to Waving in the Country

As promised, here’s my film, which screened today as part of the Deep West Video program (it’s also happening tomorrow in the Turquoise Room at the Convention Center at 11 am). I’ll post the other films over the next few days so you can see them as well.

Posted by Kristin on 01/29/10 at 01:11 AM
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I Made It!

I left my apartment yesterday at four in the morning to head west for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. First I flew to Chicago, then I caught a flight to Sacramento, then I took a car to Woodland to retrieve my pickup, AND THEN I drove to Elko, Nevada.  If you account for time zone changes, I was on the road for a whopping 18 hours. That is how much I love this event!

Posted by Kristin on 01/28/10 at 08:08 AM
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Another One of My Favorites

Posted by Kristin on 01/25/10 at 05:05 PM
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Some Hometown Pride!

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That’s me and my lovely coworkers with friend and Humboldt hometown hero B Bugenig last spring. We were in Texas for the SXSW Festival, which just happened to overlap with the Austin Rodeo. The gals had never been to such an event, so we took a very expensive (and slightly sketchy) cab ride out to the fairgrounds to watch B—who is ranked among the top 30 steer wrestlers in the world—compete. And it was totally worth it! Not only was it thrilling to see someone I know on the big screen above the arena, but when we returned to the city limits, we were the envy of many a conference attendee. They all wanted to know how they could get to the rodeo!

So, in the spirit of the 26th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering happening this week, I’d like to share one of B’s poems, which he emailed to me earlier today. So proud of that guy!

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When we entered this world on a hospital bed our mothers and fathers said,
I wonder what our baby boys will turn out to be.

Well they watched us grow tall and when we were small we did play some ball,
But it wasn’t long before we started taking our horses up the steep slopes and swinging ropes.

And before long it became hard to hide that the tradition of cowboys had never died,
And anyone could see that the life for you and me was exactly what we wanted it to be.

Our mothers would often say that we might want to think about our future some day,
Because the life of a cowboy doesn’t always pay.

But the older we got, we decided that it would probably not,
Be a good idea to get a job behind a desk sitting in a chair, watching the grey take over our hair.

So we’ve headed outside, looking for rodeos in which to ride,
And when our pockets contain no more than change, we find some cattle to drive through the range.

And now that we’ve grown tall, I guess what we turned out to be isn’t a question at all,
And the reason that we are what we are is understood only by the few,
But I would bet that the others point of view would change,
If they became us for just one day, the first question they would say,
Would be cowboy friend, do you mind if I stay you for just one more day?

Posted by Kristin on 01/24/10 at 03:42 PM
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