2005-01-10 - 12:03 a.m.

My brother just turned 21, so I took him out on the town to show him how to behave at a bar.

We started at Charlie's in Harvard, for dinner, at 7:00, and proceeded from there to Shay's, the Cellar, the People's Republik (where we lingered), and then, although we didn't go in to drink, he got a very detailed (he remembers stuff like this) run-down of Middle East Upstairs, Middle East Downstairs (where to go to get in for shows), Middle East Box Office, Middle East Corner, ZuZu's, and T.T.'s. And then to the Cambridgeport (so he'd know what a "dive" was), and then to the Miracle of Science, and then HiFi for �za, and then around 1:00, a cab ride home, where we played some texas hold'em until he got too tired and wanted to go to bed.

I kept a good brotherly eye on him, and I taught him a lot, lot, lot of stuff that I wish someone had taught me about at that age, stuff that took me a long time to figure out on my own, and I might have spoiled a few surprises, but I think it's more that I foreshadowed a few realizations that he's going to at some point make. It's good to know that someone's been there before. How valuable my instruction will be to him remains to be seen, certainly he�d be okay without it, but I think it�ll have an impact. We, by the way, are both way way way too profuse in our expressions of appreciation towards waitresses (especially when they're cute, which they almost always are).

My favorite part was when he realized that it was his round by the time we got to the Republik, and he quietly inquired of me (so I just go up to the bar and ask, right?).

Like you didn't already know, brother. Like you didn't already know.

He's a class act, that guy, and the Roommate and I spoiled him a little, but he knew to buy us breakfast in the morning after I revealed to him that Sound Bites was on the morning agenda.

And, for once, we had a guest that could goddamn sleep in a little, as opposed to wake up at eight o'clock in the goddamn morning.

That was nice.

He proved that he can go out to a place and have a good time and not be a mess. He proved that he can drink a few beers and not get out of control.

We're going to go to a show together, probably at the Abbey. That's the next step.

If that goes well, there's no more steps.