Back home for about 36 hours before we take off for Milwaukee on Tuesday. Last night's show was a no-go thanks to some miscommunication on the part of a spectacularly inept events planner at Knox. But the night before was Champaign, which was fun for several reasons. Triple Whip rocked, especially their drummer, who I hate because he is not only a kick-ass drummer, but also the bass player for Absinthe Blind. No fair. Afterwards, Nolan found luxurious accomodation's at Colleen's house, where we drank Corona and ate pizza like professionals. We look forward to our return next month.

And yesterday was perhaps the most amusing tour snafu so far. We were on our way to Galesburg, just outside Peoria, when the van started to slow down and Chris started saying shit, shit. We had run out of gas. None of us had thought to check the guage or put gas in before we left Champaign. So we pulled over and Dino and I got out and started to walk to the top of the hill we were on, to see how far away the next exit was. We hadn�t gotten terribly far before another van pulled over ahead of us and started to back up. When they reached us, they asked if we needed any help. We told them the situation and they said they�d give us a ride to the nearest gas station. We climbed in. There were two couples, older. My instincts told me they were Christians. They gave us a ride to the station, where we got a couple gas canisters and filled them with gas. We climbed back into the van to discover that they had bought us Arby�s while we were getting gas. We thanked them profusely, even though Dino doesn�t eat meat. The man driving the van said �Well, that�s how the Lord works.�

I knew it!

�Do you boys believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?� he asked. The longest pause in the history of the world ensued. Then Dino said, �Yeah!� kind of sheepishly, but also emphatically. I was glad he�d said it, because I was just about to. (Or maybe I should have said, "No, I don't, but I do believe in karma.") �We�re not a cult or anything,� the driver continued. �I�m a pastor, this here�s my wife, and we�re just on our way to a Christian concert in Peoria.� Dino and I sat, drinking our free Arby�s Cokes, for about eight teeth-gritting miles while they drove the van back to the last exit, turned it around, and dropped us off at the van. Dino tried to offer them some money, but of course they didn�t accept it; would�ve been entirely antithetical. Still, we had to offer. So we jumped out and Dino actually said �God bless you!� which I gave him endless shit for later, despite the fact that I was on the verge of saying it just as he did. So if you see Dino anytime soon, call him God Boy. He loves that.

But really, I wouldn't mind religion so much if all Christians acted like that, and if that was the only way Christians ever acted.

It was nice to be back in Iowa City last night for a bit, walk downtown enjoying the cooler air and the wet yellow leaves on the sidewalk, drink a tall beer at Quinton's, see Ransom at the Deadwood, collide with the rest of Burn Disco Burn at Gabe's. But ultimately, I'm eager to see the rest of the country. Go east, young man, go east.

CHRIS: I'm thinking about having a New Years' Eve party.
JILL: Don't you need to have a home to do that, Chris?

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