8/18/10 – Brooklyn, NY

First order of business: replace the burned-out headlight that made last night’s drive to the hotel a harrowing experience. Allow me to eat a little crow: I shit-talk Jiffy Lube mercilessly. I hate how they always try to upsell and generally swindle you, especially if you happen to be female, in which case two giant cartoon dollar signs are superimposed on your breasts. But at this particular Jiffy Lube in Laurel, MD, a nice fellow with a spectacular accent replaces my headlight, fixes the wiring, checks the fluids and tops them all off free of charge.

We get back on the road, and begin a quest for Taco Bell. Alice has told us she’s never had it before, and gnarly as it is, it seems a necessary initiation. However, this proves easier said than done. We keep exiting the freeway, and then driving in circles trying to find Taco Bell. It’s an Alanis Morrisette kind of “irony” (or perhaps we’ve heard the song once too many on this road trip.) Sing in a yarl-core voice: “A million KFCs when all you want is a Taco Bell…”

Finally, we reach Brooklyn. As we’re loading into the club, I see two girls walking towards us. Suddenly, I realize that they’re two very good friends of mine. I am inexplicably shocked, and it makes me tear up. We go eat dinner with more friends, and I can barely keep up with the conversation–it’s at such a different pace than in the car, with its elided phrases and guttural tics.

At Bruar Falls, the line-up is killer–Knight School and the Mad Scene, which our friend Gary has rejoined. The room is full of fun people and we have our best show of the tour so far, which Yoshi and Nathan attribute to the low red lighting.

The next morning, we decide to get Di Fara pizza before heading out for Boston. It’s amazing to watch this operation helmed by a lone older gentleman who removes the pizzas from the oven with bare hands. The wait is epic, but as the tshirt promises, it’s worth it.