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Thursday night, I went with Lizz and Beau to the Battle for San Diego, a regional competition and fundraiser for the San Diego slam team, who are in West Palm Beach for the nationals as I write.  It was the first time that I’ve been down to Evoke to see the new slam/space and I can confirm that things are in great hands.  The joint was packed and the crowd was young and enthusiastic.  It was all good as far as I’m concerned.  I think that the event benefits from the fact that it is being conducted by someone who isn’t jaded and heard it all already because while most of the poetry isn’t something that you wouldn’t hear in every other venue across the country, it is new to the kids that are attending the slam and that is probably the point.

Toward the end of the old slam, while I was using the mic as a forum for some radical politics and lifestyle choices, and my eventual frustration with the constant emulation/repetition of standard HBO Def Poetry forms was probably evident to the audience, at the new slam, Chris and Kendrick let the kids believe that they are viewing something new and exciting and that’s fine too.  Back when Pat and I were participating in the formative years of American punk (pause for pat on the shoulder), the last thing we would have tolerated was some old curmudgeon from the past telling us how we should do it.  So good job Collective Purpose and good luck San Diego in West Palm Beach.

Yesterday, I took a fairly leisurely 65 mile ride up the coast and back.  It could have been longer but I got a late start due to meandering around trying to fix a stripped seat clamp (thanks Cal Coast Bicycles) so I just cruised up as far as I could within some time constraints.  The coast route is pretty reliable, even in the summer it doesn’t get too hot and as it is really popular with the roadie crowd, traffic is pretty tolerant of bikes.  It isn’t all fun and sun along the beach– climbing Torrey Pines in each direction is a big pull but the scenery is great (except for the constant litter of Gu wrappers– maybe there should be a spandex/carbon fiber tax) and if you need to pull over and rest, you are doing it on a beach.  This length has become pretty routine to me, so I need to either lengthen it, ride faster, or go over those fucking mountains again to get a good torture session.