Tonight I am meeting up with a friend to see Beck and the Flaming Lips at the Beacon Theater. I’m pretty excited about that, though I’m a little nervous about the meeting beforehand at some chi-chi bar on the upper west side. Fancy places make me nervous, and this is mainly because I grew up dining with elegance at the local Friendly’s restaurant. (Believe me, if we had Denny’s on Long Island, my family would’ve been there.) I feel like a total chump anywhere that isn’t slightly down to earth. There will be a few of us there, so hopefully I won’t feel too alienated and clam up like the social retard I am.