Slam

Another slam at Dada this past Tuesday. There were 10 poets including Cristina - she went next to last in the first round, first in the second round, and first in the third round. She came in first place! She was surprised; I wasn't. As the first Tuesday of the month, it was an "official" slam and won her a place to compete in the Grand Slam on the 21st. She already had a place from last month; I think that this win should give her two places and thus twice as much slam time, but she informed me that it doesn't work that way - it merely cements her right and qualification to be there. Kathleen suggested that I film it - I think I'm going to try to do so. It would be great to have it preserved for posterity. My big pondering at this point is whether I should ask permission to film the whole thing (thus opening up the opportunity to be denied) or just film her parts and then have the defense (if anyone challenges me) that I have her permission. Or take my chances and film the whole thing. Wait...maybe I should talk to her about it first. Probably a good course of action. It would also be a good idea to find a videocamera that I can borrow. That could be a difficult task.

Several people came up and complimented her at the end. They said she was genuine and they could tell that her words came from her heart. I'm so proud of her. I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating (many, many times).

There has been a new bartender there for the past few times we've gone. Apparently she has worked there for the past three years but has either just started bartending or just started working Tuesdays, I'm not sure which. Service has become less than stellar. This week, I waited 10 minutes for a beer and water while watching people who ordered mixed drinks after me get served almost instantly. Maybe I need to work on my command presence. Or maybe just order earlier. I wonder if I could call in an order while we are on our way there? Or bring my own bottle opener. That would speed things up at least 3 minutes.