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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The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow

I’m not sure how this escaped me—particularly since it’s been a hope of mine for a long time—but a coworker revealed to me at brunch today that Temple Grandin is speaking at TED this year! I guess I should have studied the program guide a little more carefully, but I find this confluence of my worlds absolutely thrilling! Things just keep getting better and better for Kristin Windbigler!

Posted by Kristin on 01/23/10 at 05:41 PM
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My Elko To-Do List

Don’t get me wrong—I love New York—but I’ve spent most of this trip daydreaming about the spectacular adventures that await me next week in Elko. Here’s what I’m looking forward to…

How about you?

Posted by Kristin on 01/21/10 at 08:36 PM
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Georgie Sicking

This clip is from a documentary called “Ridin and Rhymin” that I saw in Elko a few years ago about cowboy poet Georgie Sicking. I was just perusing the schedule and it looks like she’ll be performing on Friday. That makes me a very happy girl.

Posted by Kristin on 01/21/10 at 08:12 PM
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Done, by the Skin of My Teeth!

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Over the weekend, I shipped off my film for this year’s National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada. I guess it’s slightly ironic that I did this from New York City using an FTP server, but such is the life of a nerdy cowgirl. One day I’m in Blocksburg trying to shove the last cow into a stocktrailer, and the next I’m in Manhattan attempting to squeeze myself into a crowded subway car. It can be surreal at times, but I’ve learned over the years that I’m most comfortable at the opposite ends of the spectrum—it’s those parts in between that can make me anxious. (And lucky for me, cowboy boots are back in style for city girls this season. Makes me a little tougher to spot.)

I’m pretty excited about this year’s effort, which is called “Hello, Goodbye! A guide to waving in the country.” I am particularly grateful for all the help I received from my marvelous momma (Bev) and friends Luke Knowland and Tim Ziegler. There were countless other good-natured friends and neighbors who (somewhat surprisingly) went along with all sorts of my shenanigans this year. There is no way I could have ever finished without their help.  And when you see it, I think you’ll be forced to admit that I know some darned good-looking people! I wish they could all be in Elko with me!

The film will show as part of a larger program of shorts for the Deep West Video Program on Thursday, Jan. 28, and Friday, Jan. 29, at 11 am at the Elko Convention Center. I will also post it here after the Thursday program.

Posted by Kristin on 01/20/10 at 06:09 PM
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