Columbus 1, or Quick Notes from Slamtown

1) I didn't do so great in my bout tonight; I did great with one poem (a rendition of "Bilingual" that I beamed all the way through) and pretty badly with another (The First Seven Stages Of Finding Out She Has Cancer). Either way, the pressure's off, and I can have real fun tomorrow night, which showcases two of my new pieces.

2) Lindsay Miller, who has made the occasional appearance in these blogs over the years, deserves a call-out at this juncture. She is my best friend in the poetry community, and perhaps in the world. Seeing her is a bit like seeing someone from my home planet. Here is a good example: Lindsay and I were in the same bout. She won; I lost. Instead of sticking around to hear all the people congratulate her, she insisted on walking out with me (into the snowstorm that's happening right now!), listening to me vent my spleen, and then buying me mojitos and guacamole and flan to soothe my spirit.

3) It should also be mentioned that my recent losses (the Kibbutz, community, etc) are finally catching up to me. The aforementioned mojitos were more to toast my surfacing grief than my crappy scores.

4) There is an ice cream at North Market called Reisling Poached Pear. It was so exact and perfect, I expected it to be crunchy and wrapped in soft paper.

5) My friend Jo (also mentioned at least once in this blog) did a piece in my hotel room today that made me cry. I haven't cried at hearing a piece in two years, so it was a pretty big deal - and a pretty awesome poem.

That's all for now!