So… tomorrow I depart to the sunny shores of southern California. Going to watch my youngest boy play the first football game of this year. It’s Varsity this time, and he’s the captain! Yep and he deserves it. A hard working young man, if ever I saw one. Erin is there, as well, so we will be making a ya-ya party of it every day.
We will go visit Jack, my screenwriter friend in Santa Monica. Jack lives in a hi-rise apartment building right on the beach. It’s gorgeous and when I took my young friend, Amy, there a couple of years ago, she dubbed Jack “a god.”
Two years ago, when Erin turned eighteen, she said the only thing she wanted for her birthday was a dozen roses delivered… with a card signed, “Love, Mel.” Well, that ain’t much to ask, is it? I figured it was worth asking Jack about. After all, he’s as close to show biz and I’m gonna get. I sent him an email to which he replied, “I don’t know Mel Gibson, but his brother lives in my building.” I’m serious. That’s the entirety of the email… verbatim. I called him immediately and said, “WHAT?” and blah blah blah… so I got Mel’s brother’s phone number and called him. “Hello? I’m a friend of Jack’s. He gave me your number. We have an idea for a fun thing that will make a young girl very happy. My daughter’s birthday is coming up and I wondered… if you might… well… if I paid for it… would you send her a dozen roses?” He was a bit stunned. He said, “Can you call me back in a day or two after I’ve thought about it?” “Sure.” Later, he told Jack, “Tell your friend… that’s just not my cup of tea.” Mean, mean man. How does he expect to make it big when he can’t even do the little things? Hmmm…
Anyway, it’s been a lovely day. I went to lunch with my baby sister, Erika, and her daughter. Graci is attending culinary school in San Francisco. Driving back was as relaxing as it gets. The weather is purrrrrrrfect. And listening to Les McCann and Eddie Harris play, “Compared to What” makes for a satisfying afternoon. And tomorrow, heading for full sunshine.
