Heading out in a few minutes for an official meeting of Stamey & Whatley Professional Drinkers Association, Screenwriters, and Influencers of Children, LLC. I believe this meeting will focus on our ability to hit baseballs in a batting cage and drink $1 Coronas during "Monday Madness" at a Marina hangout.

Here's the tally for the last couple of days:
Raise a glass: silly bowling alley videogames and rooftop parties at friends' apartments, proving there's an exception to the May birthday rule.
Break a beer bottle and threateningly wave the broken bottleneck at others while giving them the "crazy eye": work emergencies on a day off, because then you have to take a nap and pretend the day is starting again just to get it right.

Saturday morning was entertaining... met Skye for a breakfast that kind of turned into an impromptu writing meeting, and a creative thought did not come anywhere near my brain for the entire duration. We were driving around and saying stuff like, "Uhhhhhhhhh...... hmmm." So then I came home and slept, slept, slept, waking up in time to watch the Dodgers and then go to dinner.

On the upside, we did eat lots of gravy goodness at the S&W Country Diner in Culver City. We'll just have to remember that it's not brain food, while sugary cereals, donuts, and sodas are.

Today's lessons:
Yay!: gravy
Booooo!: 9-hour BBQs, steep inclines, months saturated with birthdays.

"You just need some love," says Billy, offering Woofers a treat as he gazes at the dog's blank, uncomprehending face.

From Our Waffle House to Yours

Yesterday, Skye and I were talking about how people in Los Angeles aren't exactly excessively polite, especially from the point of view of people who spent time in the south. An example she gave was how people just allow doors to slam in the faces of others when they could just hold the doors open. And I'm like, "Yeah, those people suck!" And she says, "And how!" And I'm like, "Uh-huh!" Then we tried to come up with names for her alligator and talked about the upcoming Liz Phair show.

So anyway this morning I'm walking out of the parking garage on my way to work and I try to hold the door open for this not-very-nice lady who is walking out behind me, but when I opened the door fully it snapped back unexpectedly and was pretty much closing on her as she walked through. She saw me looking back in horror and her response was, "Yes, you did just slam a door in my face!" and then she started stomping off towards one of those Beverly Hills "I need a break from my life" spa places. I felt kind of bad until she opened her mouth... so I decided that in this case, it was perfectly OK since it was an accident and, really, she seemed like a pretty awful person.

This past weekend was interesting... I got to see several Waffle Houses from the road, which caused me to miss not so much the south, but mainly to miss the Waffle House. My brother and I flew into New Orleans on Thursday, and there we met both sisters and a brother-in-law and a nephew and set out on an adventure which would have us traveling every day of the trip. We traveled Friday to Panama City Beach, Florida, where we ate some fried foods and drank some beer and did some crafts for our parents' Surprise 40th Wedding Anniversary Party. My younger sister and I played "Cocoa Puffs Poker" that night, which is just like Poker but you bet with Cocoa Puffs ("I'll see your two Cocoa Puffs and raise you a Cocoa Puff"). We did this while my other sister and her husband and child and mother-in-law slept, and while my brother was out. We went to sleep and all of this was still true. So we left the front door unlocked, which felt not-so-right with a little baby in the house, but what can you do. Note: pattern forming!

Saturday, we traveled to Dothan and the parents were truly surprised. The party was great, and we were all together for the first time since my grandmother's funeral a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, we got word that my older sister and her troop would have to head back to New Orleans on Sunday because they had to fly to Houston for a funeral on her husband's side of the family -- his grandmother, he said they were fairly prepared for it. Still the rest of us would be able to stay and have good family time -- but not everyone, as my brother was now going to Birmingham to visit with some friends. But, you know, what can you do.

Sunday was the day that the New Orleans crew had to leave, and they left us a car to catch up with them the next day. Brother left for Birmingham for the night. The rest of us had steaks and got to hang out together, which was just wonderful. Sister's boyfriend was also in town, and everyone really seemed to like him and vice-versa. Easy thing to do -- he's fun, kind, and good to my sister.

Monday morning, brother returned in time for us to get on the road and get little sister to the airport. Nice long but relatively quick drive to New Orleans from Dothan, then back to other sister's house to prepare dinner for the fabulous New Orleans family. We invited another couple and one of my friends in New Orleans to join us for dinner. My New Orleans friend and I had a rather emotion-filled weekend regarding how we now relate to each other, but that's another posting. After dinner, we all got ready for sleep as brother and I had an early-morning flight back to LA -- but sister and I stayed up for a good while, waiting for brother to come in from heading out earlier. Kept door unlocked in Metairie, little baby in the house. He snores -- it's cute.

Favorite received weekend text messages:
"Airports are eeeeevil! Frosted Flakes are goooooood."
"Waffle house! How I miss thee."
"Los Angeles: Tired."

Our Wednesday late night music and drinking club has really taken off, but Michelle and I actually have to perform next week, so tonight it's rehearsal time. I also learned from some diplomat in Bogota that Matt Johnson will be here at the end of August -- details to come, including date and time of the next Matt and Merrill Show.

More updates soon,
-M

What a week. Where to start?

Wow, this is the kind of thing that will get you grounded for, like, a month.

Woo-Hoo for new friends!