New West Network

My Page: Greg Cohn

Seismic Events Dep't

At about 10:15 pm, I was having a chat with sbpoet in her living room, when the room began to shake and a large armoire began to sway. Ms. poet was convinced it was nocturnal rambunctiousness on the part of her cats and dogs, but I -- having lived in Los Angeles for three years and never actually experienced one -- was convinced it was my first earthquake. A quick visit to the National Earthquake Information Center confirms it: at 10:08 PM MDT, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit near Dillon.

Fashion Dep't

An article on CNN today about Cheyenne's Frontier Days festival was so chock-full of fashion tips, I just had to pass them along for all you would-be cowboys and -girls out there. (I guess Ted Turner still has some juice there after all.)

Every avid reader of Courtney's columns knows a thing or two about authenticity and how to put your boots on, but some of these items were revelations to this urban sh*tkicker. For instance: "For Frontier Days, though, don an off-white, straw cowboy hat, which is a lot cooler when you're waiting in the hot sun for the next bull rider to hang on for 8 seconds. "Usually, you'll start seeing guys wear them after Memorial Day, and all the way to Labor Day, depending on where they live," Rogers said." And I thought it was white pants and buck shoes you were supposed to wear in there. "So how does one wear a cowboy hat properly? If there's one rule for dressing Western, keep it more or less perpendicular to your face." Who knew?

reading the News

Things may be evolving quickly in the way journalism is produced -- see Weber's good post this morning about citizen journalism -- but there's also a revolution going on in the way people obtain their news. As an LA Times article points, out, the two biggest internet portals are both diving deeply into the news business, but taking very different approaches. [more]

Who da ho?

So apparently the Erotic City Gentleman's Club of Boise, Idaho, wasn't fooling anyone when they tried to get around a city ordinance against nudity by claiming they were hosting an "art night". Here at New West, we're all in favor of art nights -- which apparently merit an exception to the Boise rule, but only if the artisitic expression is "serious" enough.

In a sequence of events sure to be the subject of high-spirited debate among free-expression-loving young law students everywhere, the art night was called, pencils and sketch pads were handed out, but, lo and behold, the patrons couldn't draw for shit. So the patrons fail the art quiz, and, naturally enough, the cops busted the strippers.

Hey, at least we know you read New West for the articles.

I've always thought a community's classified ads are an interesting window into its psyche. From the dirty laundry of the legal listings -- such formal notices for such workaday things -- to the voyeuristic pleasures of browsing the "homes for sale," reading classifieds is a strangely addictive pleasure. Like an archaelogically discovered trash heap, they're great fodder for time capsules.

For me, though, the most inscrutable entries are inevitably the most poetic. Take this poor fella for example, who seems to have lost his golf shoes on the road to Lolo. Did he stop on the side of the road, set his golf shoes up on top of his car while grabbing a cold one from the cooler in his trunk, then forget all about them? Did he hurl them spitefully out the window during a domestic dispute?

What was he doing with golf shoes on the road to Lolo in March anyway?

Worth a Peek

My friend Mike Slack has been taking these Polaroids of abstract subjects and the minute details of life that we pass by every day without noticing. Kinda' like a good blogger really -- only nothing digital here. This is old-school, unfold the plastic camera, wave the print around while the chemicals dry, no-enhancement polaroid photography -- and each image is, of course, unique.

His work is on display in Durango through the end of March and is, in my opinion, well worth seeing. See review here.

The new quarters are a-comin', and hey, they're free with purchase. Colorado Luis has this post about the design contest, which is now down to five minty-fresh finalists including Mesa Verde (pictured), a skier against mountains, a columbine against mountains, and other mountain-oriented subjects from that tourism-friendly species, brochuras familias.

Apparently the First Lady likes mountains. Who knew?

To view the other finalists, insert coin.

I myself am partial to Mesa Verde, though I will neither confirm nor deny rumors that this is entirely due to the potential for puns on "the four quarters" region.

A penny for your thoughts? Deposit your own ideas below.

POLL

As a new guy coming to the area (see New West Startup Blog ) who is also a fan of independent music, I'm looking for ideas and advice on who to check out when I'm in town, and where to find them.

Thanks for sharing!

Homeswap

Frequent visitor to Missoula (and New West team member) will swap cool, loft-like studio apartment in trendy Silverlake area of Los Angeles for your place in or near Missoula or Lolo. Dates flexible, up to about a week at a time. [more]