I was up bright and early in Amarillo. This is a show that we’ve had circled on our calendars for some time. We met them at an APCA (Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities) conference in September. They all seemed to have a deep love and understanding for spoken word poetry. It was an honor to have them book us for a National Poetry Month appearance. We knew that it would pretty special show, if based only on the hospitality of Jeanetta, and the excitement from the students when we met them at APCA South Central.
We got some of the hotel’s free breakfast. I was approached by a man who seemed…a little too friendly. He asked us what we did, and kept making comments about how “guys like us must have to travel on a budget.” Something smelled fishy among the scent of the sausage and bacon. I asked him what he did. He responded, “yea I have this business where (red flag), a trip to Disney could cost $1500, we’re able to get people there for $400”(red flag). An awkward silence crept in, as if he was waiting on my amazement. I asked if he had a website, he said, “the best way for you to learn more about it, is for me to get your contact info”(red flag). I had all the MLM confirmation I needed, kindly said goodbye, and shoveled down my breakfast and headed for the next show.
We arrived at Amarillo College with an hour before showtime. Two students met us under a prominent bridge on campus and took us down to the office. We walked in to the student activities office and were immediately greeted with applause. We’ve gotten large ovations on National Poetry Slam stages, but this one felt way warmer than any of those.
A student that we remembered vividly greeted us with nervous hugs, Emily was her name. She was extremely passionate about spoken word poetry, and was the most excited to bring us to Amarillo. The students shuffled through the office, all seemingly very excited about poetry, and getting to have fried rice for their free meal instead of sandwiches this time.
My wife Hannah informed me about five minutes before showtime that she had landed in Amarillo. I didn’t have time to go get her, and she didn’t feel comfortable taking a cab. In comes lovely Jeanetta to save the day. Without any consideration, she offered to go pick up my wife from the airport so she could get there just in time for the show. Another sign of how incredible the folks at Amarillo College truly are.
We performed the first half of our show to wonderful energy and audience participation. Day shows can be funny, because sometimes the students aren’t really there for your poetry. Halfway through we brought some of the students up to share their work; there were some great writers on that campus. We finished out the show, with some laughs, some shouts, and some tears along the way.
The students swarmed our merchandise table, and promptly sold us out of small and medium t-shirts. They were extremely grateful to have us, and we were extremely grateful to be there. All the students had big plans for when they left Amarillo College. It’s only a two year school, so most of the students had their university picked out for when they left AC.
We packed up and headed to the beef mecca of Texas. The Big Texan Steak Ranch. I’d been waiting on this chance for a long time. Great atmosphere, large open room with antique wood flooring. Holes that had developed in the floor were replaced with license plates. The menu was expansive, but I had my eye on one thing, beef. I got the country fried steak, Courageous got the country fried chicken, and Hannah got the steak Quesadilla. It was all fantastic. We had the pleasure of seeing two men try to take down the 72 oz steak challenge. We don’t think they won, as we left before they finished, or surrendered. I asked one gentleman how it was.
“It’s great,” he responded.
It’s hard….don’t do it.”
Next to him, a woman, who I assumed was a professional competitive eater had set up a camera to watch her technique. She asked for her steak to be butterflied, and cooked to an exact internal temperature of 135 degrees fahrenheit. You are allowed to ask for specifics, they even allow you to take one bite to ensure that your steak is cooked perfectly. We left before she started. I think she won.