Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.
Burning Man is going on as I sit here and write this Editor’s Note. It’s been a while, three years, since I’ve participated. I don’t mean to slag on the festival at all. It’s just the event is no longer the event I loved and that changed my perception of art and community, and I don’t care to have the new memories supersede my old ones. I guess I’m pretty hep when I’ve become too cool for Burning Man.
Also going on as I sit here and write this Editor’s Note is the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off. I’m a judge. It’s my third year (the deal is, you get to remain a judge until you skip, then all bets are off). This event is every bit as cool as I remember it, year after year, particularly because the coolness is measured in pounds and flavors. The only thing I believe the rib cook-off needs is a media rib-eating contest. I believe it needs this because I would win, even if it takes place the day of the judging during which I probably eat one or one and a half racks of ribs. But then, I’ve won eating contests before.
Also going on as I sit here and write this Editor’s Note is the university has started classes. I’m honored to teach a class, Journalism 107, multimedia reporting. Reporting and bartending are about the only things I’m qualified to teach, but you’d be amazed how many people want to teach me how to do journalism. It’s probably equal to the number who want to teach me how to sit on a bar stool.
Also going on as I sit here and write this Editor’s Note is the Republican National Convention. You’ve got to know there are a million stories there. You won’t get to hear the best of them.
You know what’s not going on as I sit here writing this Editor’s Note? I’m not out in the world experiencing the news first-hand. I remember when doing journalism was the most important thing to me. Feels like I need some time in the field.