Jocelyn Robinson

I discovered the idea of primal landscapes in  this wonderful essay by Charles Finn in High Country News. The concept refers to the land that a person most identifies with, the land that is never far from their heart. For me, that primal landscape has always been the West, and I’m sure it always will be.

I’m a Westerner by birth and by choice. An urban Westerner, no doubt, but I’ve never been far from either snowcapped mountains or the salt tang of the Pacific. I love this region’s rivers, its forests, the wide open spaces of the Great Basin. I love its soaring peaks, its scorching deserts, its wild coasts.

And the funny thing is, I didn’t realize how strongly I identified with the West until I left it. At the age of 18, I headed east to Kentucky for college. While I wouldn’t trade those four years for anything, I felt nothing but relief when I returned home for good.

I don’t know where my future will take me, but I do know my heart will never stray far from this land.

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Can you describe your favorite singer in 3 words? In the film “Springsteen & I” fans of The Boss try to do just that. “Passion” was popular, as was “intensity.”

I’ll add my own to the list: Heart. Soul. Joy.

“Joy” may seem odd, given that some of Bruce’s songs are just downright depressing. But if you’re fortunate enough to have seen Springsteen perform live, you know “joy” is an accurate description of his concerts (which are more like rock concerts/revival meetings/political rallies). His enthusiasm and energy on stage are contagious and you can’t help but leap to your feet and dance.

“Springsteen & I” captures that essence of a Springsteen show. The film is made up of fan submitted clips of their stories and memories of the musician, and highlights the relationship Bruce has with his fans. If you’re one of them, I highly recommend you go see this film.

In case you were wondering, the picture above is of the Columbia River as it flows north out of its headwaters at Columbia Lake. The actual source of the river is a spring near Canal Flats, B.C., at the south end of the lake.

The Columbia is a symbol of home to me, especially once I left home to go to college in the South. That first glimpse of the river on my numerous journeys from Kentucky to the Pacific Northwest always meant I was back West, back where I belonged.

I’d wanted to see Columbia Lake ever since I read William D. Layman’s River of Memory: The Everlasting Columbia. The book features historical photos of the river, from its mouth to its source. I finally made it in August 2009. It’s a bit of a haul from Seattle to Canal Flats, but it was worth the trip.

* My thanks to Woody Guthrie.

Here are some tips from Huffington Post on how to reduce waste during the holiday:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/green-christmas-tips-ideas-eco-friendly_n_2318448.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Hope you all enjoy the holiday season!

Two-thirds of the way done with finals! But the worst one is yet to come: statistics. I see two days of cramming in my future.

Wish me luck.

I’m staking out my own little corner of the Internet to tell you about my work, what I’m interested at in the moment and maybe some of the weird, random thoughts that pop into my head. I’m a former journalist and current grad student at the University of Washington. I’m also very easily distracted, as I should be working on my final projects for the quarter right now.

This site is definitely a work in progress, so please bear with me.

And now back to learning about the exciting world of content analysis.