Horse Blog

In regard to my direct jackassery, I would like to present a video that you can all feel free to make fun of: White people clapping on 1 & 3; Fat hillbillies lipsynching the words with their ugly kids; COWBOY HATS; a general consensus of retardery. Sorry folks. Here is some Country Music:

Next stop was “Honky Tonkin” in downtown. This made me quite nervous, as I hate country music and I had a vision in my head of what “Honky Tonkin” in Nashville might mean. I imagined a big bar filled with rednecks in cowboy hats “country line dancing” to bands covering Achy Breaky Heart. Tondar even tried to convince me to wear a pair of his cowboy boots. I don’t wear cowboy boots. “Honky Tonkin” turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The first bar we visited was more of a Western bar than a Country bar. There were few cowboy hats, despite the cowboy boot display rack.

And when she started relaying her tale of a moment with a celebrity, my initial thought was he was wearing a wifebeater and a cowboy hat when I met him in a professional capacity several years ago which gave me the wiggums. Years later, I found this photo that validates my initial assumption. He looked rather bright and showy to me but what do I know? I mean I admit I know nothing about fashion and prefer a much more eclectic style composed from yard sale and thrift store finds. I even wear Crocs in the snow.

All of the chefs wear cowboy hats, including Love, who was in the house. Our server boasted that if we ordered the Tomahawk Chop, Love himself would personally carve it for us tableside. Someone carved it for us, but not Love. (We did see him carve a steak at one table, and share a glass of tequila with some friends at another.) I couldn’t care less who carves my steak, but servers shouldn’t be selling an audience with the Great Man unless he is in fact prepared to follow through. The server at our table didn’t even leave that gorgeous 18-inch bone behind for us to admire; at another table, they did.

Saturday night was costume night and this year’s theme was England v Germany. The guys went as hooligans, we think, it might just have been their usual Saturday night out on the town outfit. Apart from Duncan who went as David Hasslehoff. The girls went as FIFA 2006 referees complete with colour coded cards and England cowboy hats:

Scarily, the term “lesson” has been used a lot when describing this. This means that rather than piss about riding a horse, taking various “comedy” photos of myself, I’ll actually have to learn about horses. I’ve been told I’ll have to take it “seriously”, so they’ll be no cowboy hats or making jokes about the undoubtably posh instructor.

It’s time once again to dust off your cowboy hats and boots for the ninth annual Rossi Farms Barn Bash, a western style fundraiser that benefits the Parkrose Youth Activities Fund. The Rossi Family opens their farm in Patkrose to a big party every year — raising money to help make life better for students attending Parkrose schools.

If you move back to Calgary you obviously have to be prepared to try to find the things that Calgary has, specifically, to offer, and exploit those aspects of life here, mercilessly. (I.e. suck it up and get a cowboy hat, etc.) Otherwise you'll go nuts missing Toronto and castigating Calgary for being so... not Toronto. In so many ways.

Fun little Bricks to Krops ride. Hooked up with Adam, Mike and Grant at 1900. We all enjoyed looking at the mods to Grant’s and Russ’ bikes. Isn’t fun to show mods to your bike buds? TWR at 1930 in Cowboy Hat. A little experiment in headgear for the ride of rides. I figured cowboys wear cowboy hats and they ride horses that go much faster than bikes. Wind on the brim was an issue but not really so bad. Rolled into Krops at 2000. The guys went in for drinks and snacks while I guarded bikes.

And hey look, there’s them dang brains under that hat too!

Enter Arizona. Suddenly there are cool cacti lining the freeway…all with little cactus arms held up in a motion that looks like they are surrendering. We spot some impressive mesas (flat-table-topped mountains). We see really old pickup trucks driven by rednecks in cowboy hats. Arizona is cool. No….actually….Arizona is HOT. About 90F/30C hot.

…I saw a pair of horse-drawn carriages coming down the street. They pulled off, into a parking lot, to let the traffic behind them go by. Inspired by Rob Cockerham's motto ("Always bring your camera"), I snapped a couple of photos, presented below for your edification. No, I don't know where the carriages were going. Yes, the drivers had cowboy hats on.

Which brings me to my last point. Somehow I have the feeling that due to Brokeback Mountain, cowboy hats are going to be associated with being gay. Cowboy hats might just become a symbol of gayness, at least in Europe.

1. Test number one: does the evangelist wear a cowboy hat while preaching?

I guess after taking over the color purple (not the movie), the triangle, rainbows, the steel industry, it has come now that if you wear a cowboy hat, you must be gay, kind of sad considering a couple of months ago, the cowboy hat was a symbol of heterosexuals. Personally I think there shouldn't be a connotation for wearing a hat. However this brings back an e-mail I got in undergraduate from a campus group which stated that if you wore blue jeans on a specific day that you would be supporting gay rights and if you didn't, you were basically a homophobe. The whole for or against attitude seems to be as prevalent as it has been, but I guess it is hard to see shades of grey.

I particularly enjoyed seeing the long horned steer charging up the street and the first batch of them were a little wild, making me think of that famous “running with the bulls” festival in Pamplona Spain for a moment. The circus figures were next on my list of favorites, the man on stilts and the two Shetland Sheepdogs pulling the tiny chuckwagon. Finally, the cowgirls looked awfully beautiful in their sparkling shirts and cowboy hats. All in all, a fun day and great show.

The cover ‘art’ shows anti-Christ through two male actors mastering the look of the disappointed woman (implying they dare not look at each other lest they smooch without control ) wearing Cowboy hats (as archtypical sodomite symbols of manliness) who long to be emotionally satisfied but can’t because of those mean old moral norms of the outback and uneducated of Amerika per the film.

A provocative title, to be sure, but think about western sterotypes; cowboy hat wearing, truck driving, right wing… smokers. Walking from City Hall through Stephen Ave. Mall, it was amazing how many were huddled in doorways, or puffing in groups. Not once was I beyond nose–shot of the smell.

We went to a bar and normally it’s a dj with a mechanical bull. But last night, it was a country band and about 50 cowboys! wow. no explanation needed there. there is always something about a big belt buckle and a cowboy hat that makes a girl smile. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s cute or funny but I’d like to pack my car full with some of these guys and bring them back to DE.

So I turned nineteen a week ago. In order to celebrate this very special occasion, I went to the Volusia County Fair on Saturday to see Josh Gracin. I met up with my friend, Ashley, the day prior to the show, and we made the cutest t-shirts to wear for the show. (They said �Rollin� in dirt in a white t-shirt� - It�s a line from one of his most popular songs called �Nothin� to Lose.�) That Saturday, we got in my car, along with Ashley�s little sister, Shea, dressed in our hand-made shirts and our cowboy hats, and hit the Fair running. We got to the grounds around 12:15, took a quick walk around, and then parked our butts in front of the doors to the stadium. We looked like idiots sitting there seven hours before the show actually started, but we wanted front row seats and were willing to do just about anything to get them. And since we were practically the only people there, we were bound to get exactly what we wanted.

It is possible that a drunken cowboy hat purchase will still look like a good deal the next morning.

Tinatawag na Cowtown ang Calgary. Marami ata ang may idol kay John Wayne dito, kasi ang daming cowboys or wannabe cowboys. Sabagay may history naman talaga ang Calgary ng old frontier, kaya naman buhay na buhay dito ang mga cowboy hats, boots, denim at rodeo. Pati country music, buhay na buhay dito. Isipin pa na may sampung araw sa isang taon, sa kalagitnaan ng summer, may fiesta silang tinatawag nilang Stampede. Sampung araw na nakasuot ng cowboy ang mga tao, pwedeng mag-inuman kahit na may pasok at usong-usong pulutan yung tinatawag nilang prairie oysters. Sa Stampede Park grounds, andun lahat ng carnival rides, may horse races, chuckwagon races, rodeo shows, may mga cow at dog shows at kung ano-ano pang concerts. Masaya kapag Stampede, halos lahat ng kumpanyang malalaki nagpapa-Stampede breakfast ng libre hindi lang para sa mga empleyado kundi para sa kung sino mang gustong makikain ng libre. Ano hinahanda nila? Pancakes na may maple syrup, hash browns, sausages, bacon, at kung ano-ano pang “cowboy food”. Bukod sa umuulan ng beer, dun ako masaya - sa libreng pagkain. hehehehe

And, we also found a cowboy hat for Jasmine. And I bought some faux leather and my mom made a really cool vest out of it (complete with tassels). I also bought her a little white blouse. It’s got a lot of lace on it, but hopefully it will work, since it’s all I could find. We’ll have to do a photo shoot of Jasmine sometime this week.

There are more SUV’s and pick-up trucks then you can shake a stick at. I am not kidding, I would say it is 2:1 Trucks to cars. People really do wear cowboy hats, everywhere, and they love meat.

When you first look at it, the hat reminds you of a cross between a wide-brimmed “coach richt” sideline straw hat, and a sombrero. Then, at second glance, you get the “sides turned up” look of a cheap cowboy hat. Finally, about the time you decide that it should have a big peacock feather stuck in the side, he takes it off (wouldn’t want to wear it inside)!

Shameless plug here... but I'll get to it at the end... So with Houston rappers blowin' up like mad... with the likes of Swisha House, Mike Jones, Paul Wall, and Slim Thug... lest us forget The Geto Boys... and Scarface... and all those I'm too lazy to name... how come not more rappers from the South sport the cowboy hat? so this'll probably destroy any cred I may have... if I even had any... haha...

18. Mowed the lawn in your underwear? (haha a mozzy question) .. and yes.. yes i have. i was sititng on the tractor in my nightgown and underwear with a cowboy hat on and my wader boots.. i looked hot! ....

Well, I’m back in the land of new cars, safety signs, and functioning keyboards. Russell the Moose received a full body search at the hands of a nice Mexican lady wearing rubber gloves, on our way out of Mexico city. And we only made it to the airport an hour before my plane was due to leave, as the bus that was supposed to take three hours to get there took four and a half instead. We toured around inland, and I was the only redhead I saw the whole time I was there - as such, I was stared at rather a lot, which was a little disconcerting. Also, I discovered that real Mexicans do not wear sombreros, they wear cowboy hats - somewhat of a revelation.

Country music is way too southern. Most of country music stars are from down south. Jack Ingram, for example is from Texas. When you see country music videos, they have country towns in them. People who are famous from country music are usually dressed in cowboy hats and sometimes plaid. Country music is really southern.

Day 2: Went for run along seafront, very cool. Met friend of friend, Elisa, and went to bar in subrub called Mount Pleasant. Very hillbilly, and scary! Got too much attention from cowboy hat wearing dudes. I kissed a mad old woman with fake boobs.

My landlord showed up at 8 pm on Saturday night, looking all dressed up for a night out. She is a middle aged woman and she had her hair permed and was wearing a red dress that was mostly just the top (read - really short!). She is here to look at the leaky sink but brings me a bottle of wine, a jar of cashews, a cookie, a dish towel and a clothes hanger. She is very sweet, but I do not understand this woman. As the repairman was fixing the sink we were hanging out, but she can’t speak English and I of course speak no Chinese. She spied the cowboy hats that Mike and I had “acquired” the previous week and decided to try one on. I tried on the other one and we stood there for a minute chuckling and making cowboy poses together. I thought it was a very funny situation and one that makes me really love the people here. Despite the fact that most of the time the Chinese and I don’t understand eachother, they still make the effort with me and sometimes we are able to communicate, albeit in an unconventional manner.

Last night we went to this great bar called the “West Alabama ice house” I have been there befor and really enjoyed the atmosphere, you sit outside, drink heaps of Shiner bock and Lonestar beer and watch the packs of dogs playing around you, while some real colourfull charecters sit around in their bright singlets and cowboy hats.. listening to “Patsy Cline” ,”The Band” and many more great country tunes.

The place was crammed full of fans, and Jennifer opened up the show singing not a country song, but one by none other than Sting. More than a few confused looks were exchanged between the cowboy hat- and boot-wearing crowd, but pretty soon they were having a good ol' time. Soon the country twang kicked in and there was some serious cowboy dancin' going on. Ha! Fun times!

There’s a strange dynamic between people in the airport. There are differences in this dynamic from place to place. In the OKC airport there’s a sense of denial that this is the Midwest. Oklahoma seems to be Texas’ fucked up little brother. For example, it’s pretty easy, even for me to tell the fat guys in bad suits with big, asinine cowboy hats from Texas from the fat guys in bad suits with big, asinine cowboy hats from Oklahoma. It’s really hard to explain. To dress like that and pull it off, you really have to be so vapid that you really don’t know any better and think you look great – thus Texans. But the Oklahoma folk; to their credit, know it looks stupid but that doesn’t seem to stop them from wearing it in an attempt to look like they’re from somewhere other than Oklahoma. They don’t even seem to give much thought to whether that somewhere else is even better than Oklahoma – I mean, how fucked up does your perspective have to be for you to wish like hell that you were from Texas? So any points they get for knowing better than to wear that hat are taken away ten-fold for knowing better and doing it anyway. And don’t get me wrong, I know there are cowboys in Oklahoma; that’s not what I’m saying, I’m saying the cowboys in Oklahoma aren’t allowed to leave Oklahoma and as such, would have no need to be in the airport. And I don’t think the cowboys are too terribly bothered by not being able to leave Oklahoma.

This is my friend Nick he told me it was ok to post his pics on here. Nick is 20 and looking for a boyfriend. Any Takers? Leave him a comment. Don't you think he looks cute in his cowboy hat? Got to love them gay rednecks!

First off, Filthy Rich Cattle Drive involves a bunch of celebrity/insanely wealthy kids. Most of which I have never heard of. One is the daughter of the Yahoo CEO (who I think is a total bitch), one is George Foreman's son (I like him because he seems the most grounded of them all), and one is Pat Benatar's daughter (she's really cute, I didn't even know she had a daughter), etc. etc. They flew all these rich kids out to Colorado to be on a ranch and learn how to drive cattle from the experienced employees that work on the ranch. Then they have to actually drive a herd of cattle to another place. You can imagine the possibilities here. It totally cracks me up. Just watching the whole wardrobe thing is cracking me up. They bought their cowboy hats at Fred Segal.

Saturday I got up early and went to visit my parents. I took Xoch with me. I needed to pick up some stuff and drop some stuff off, and I hadn’t been out there in a while. I brought my cameras (digital and Advantix) so that I could take some pictures and maybe use some in redecorating my bedroom. I decided on a western/country look for the bedroom since I already had my cowboy hats hanging on the wall and the deer antlers.

More often than not, those cold fronts are bearable. But bearable to a Texan is hot enough to thaw out a Northerner. I may have left a Pennsylvanian airport full of dark colored puffy coats and asexual beings scuttling around, but when I step off the plane in Texas, more than just the stewardesses are wearing skirts and rosy cheeks. The airport stores are still selling cowboy hats and cheesy shorts next to the Texas sized jellybeans, and aside from the occasional jacket or sweater, everyone looks just like they did back in October. Sweaty and happy to be where they are.

Napster and I have finally found a place to go and have drinks that is actually kind of fun. It's a genuine Texas honky tonk with line dancing, two stepping, cowboy hats, wranglers, boots and everything. Makes for some great people watching. Anyways after we left last night we were both a little hungry.......

Gunracks? No. Big cowboy hats? No. Thick southern draws? No.

So basically it’s a very large fair. With rodeo. And concerts. And the really neat thing is everyone wears cowboy stuff. Not just the people at stampede who have to be there, but the entire city. You go into the grocery store and your cashier is in jeans and a farm shirt. Random people are sitting at bus stops with cowboy hats on. It’s all very festive. I saw a pink cowgirl hat yesterday and told Jim I want one of those. And to add to the festivities there are pancake breakfasts. WHAT?!? I’m sure you’re totally trying to figure this one out. I’m still trying to figure it out. Apparently this group called the stampede caravan travels around the city during the stampede, in their cowboy hats, cooking up pancake breakfasts for people. Free food, people.

I drove home with my shirt off and my shades on. I donned my recently purchase wicker cowboy hat. I felt sly in this situation. Crusing down the road well above the speed limit and not having shaved for long enough to look it were in combination. This added to my sly feeling as well.

It is once again Stampede time in Calgary. You see cowboy hats everywhere you turn, there are free breakfasts all over town, everyone takes the day off for the Parade. The first year I was in Calgary for Stampede time, the secretary where I worked asked the director if we got the morning off for the parade. The director said no. I didn’t think that was unusual - who takes a day off for a parade??? However, it turns out she was just joking and of course we, like everyone else, had the day off.

So I bought a cowboy hat today. Never in my life did I ever think I would listen to country music... and cowboy hats, come on! But, sure enough I have a cowboy hat now and I've even worn it once. (Ok, the drive home after buying it...) The real question, though is what does this mean? I don't envision myself vuying a horse anytime soon, but if I change my mind I'll let you know.

The funeral home Friday night was horribly sad. BM, you predicted it to the letter - many, many kids were there, just totally grief-stricken and in shock. That branch of my family is the really, really country branch. My grandparents stuck to the traditional Appalachain stuff. But my grandpa's brother went more "Six Mile." By that I just mean really, really country. Country is more cowboy hats and rodeos. Appalachain is more deer and turkey hunting. Grail, my cousin who died, was apparently very good with horses. They buried him with a horse blanket and stirrups. His coffin had little horses engraved on the sides. All the kids who came to the funeral home were wearing cowboy hats, jeans, etc.

My people are obsessed with hats. Almost everyone wears them, and a lot of their identity is wrapped up in their particular style. Some people always wear cowboy hats, for instance, and others wear bowlers, and each think the other is exceedingly funny-looking, and would never consider switching. They have elaborate ceremonies for their children in which they confer the hats, and kids often go to special schools once a week where they learn about the history and significance of their hats. Everyone has the importance of hats drilled into them from birth to death.

So, I went to the aforementioned party. It was "Girl's Nite In" at Trousseau in West Village. Trousseau is, in my humble opinion, the best lingerie store in Dallas. They specialize in exquisite European lingerie in brands like Le Mystere. If you or anyone you know is newly engaged, they have the most gorgeous bridal lingerie and sweats. In addition to the lingerie, they also have these beautiful cowboy hats with tiaras on them by SmartHats.

LA Times writer Scott Timberg travels to Twentynine Palms to appraise the eats and drinks in the desert.

Not surprisingly Timberg takes a shine to cowboy bar Pappy & Harriet’s:

Just back from a few wonderful days in the great wet north. I didn’t have many moments where boredom got me into trouble, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t skulk around my mother’s basement, trying on her ridiculous cowboy hats in front of the bathroom mirror. Shh, don’t tell her. I was especially taken with the powder-blue-feather-festooned one. I may have had it on backwards.

It's been on most of our minds throughout the day, but I wasn't expecting the type of reminder that I got on my way home tonight. A swarm of red cowboy hats and long fur coats enveloped me on my retreat home tonight as I exited the metro and walked through hundreds of inebriated Texan high-rollers overflowing from their inauguration party at the Wardman Park Hotel.