Paternity

[PrivateTim]

As a follow on to my review.

 

I feel sad that I think Paternity is winding down. We have been with Paternity for 14 months now and as completely weird as this sounds, I think of the CAP cast as friends, kind of like Facebook friends, people I don't see anymore because we live in different places, but I keep up with their lives online so we still have that friendship connection. I also have really enjoyed Will. He has been a good surrogate for the void created by Doma Luka's extended hiatus. I actually care about Will, Ryan, Alistair, Wade, Matt and the still mysterious Noah (not Tony, kill off that bitch!).

 

I hope if Paternity does end soon that CAP picks up again before Sept. 11, 2001. It is the single most important day in U.S. history since Dec. 7, 1941 and probably one of the top five most important dates in U.S. history. It would be interesting to see JP's reaction given his views on Vietnam and what effect it has on the younger generation.

[Mark Arbour]

As a follow on to my review.

 

I feel sad that I think Paternity is winding down. We have been with Paternity for 14 months now and as completely weird as this sounds, I think of the CAP cast as friends, kind of like Facebook friends, people I don't see anymore because we live in different places, but I keep up with their lives online so we still have that friendship connection. I also have really enjoyed Will. He has been a good surrogate for the void created by Doma Luka's extended hiatus. I actually care about Will, Ryan, Alistair, Wade, Matt and the still mysterious Noah (not Tony, kill off that bitch!).

 

I hope if Paternity does end soon that CAP picks up again before Sept. 11, 2001. It is the single most important day in U.S. history since Dec. 7, 1941 and probably one of the top five most important dates in U.S. history. It would be interesting to see JP's reaction given his views on Vietnam and what effect it has on the younger generation.

 

We will most definitely have a 9-11 story.  I suspect that will be next, although I haven't entirely decided how that would flow.  

[methodwriter85]

   I really, really like your idea of the 9/11 story being in third person, which is something you've mentioned. Anything that changes up the typical CAP story is a good thing- The Box was a great example of that.

 

    As for Tim's stuff, I'm not saying that I think guys aren't generally manwhores, but some just aren't, for a variety of reasons, and I can't see JJ hitting manwhore status for at least a few years. Will reacted to his sexual trauma with his little happy ending strip show in Italy and becoming hypersexual, while I feel like in JJ's case, he'll be generally very uncomfortable with sex and the expression of it, at least for a few years. If you've never had that mindset it's hard to describe it, but it does happen, and I think going by what we know about JJ I can't see him hitting a slut phase for awhile. And the fact he does look 12 and has the mindset of a 12-year old would keep non-pedos from being interested in him sexually. You get the feeling that JJ's set to grow up into a handsome young man that will likely get a lot of offers, but he's not there yet. Which makes him a great contrast against his very sexually experienced brothers.

 

     As for JJ only having older men in his life...I thought it was pretty clear that JJ tended to be more bonded to older women in his life, with Jeanine, Tiffany, and Aunt Claire. He's in figure skating, which is a female-dominated sport, and he's only got one close male friend, and Matt is the only older male that he's closely bonded to. Even with Darius, JJ doesn't have that strong of a bond with him. Not like it is with Will. I asked Mark once about that and he told me that he doesn't see JJ and Darius as having that strong of a bond. I feel like Mark's been writing JJ as someone who doesn't have a lot of strong male bonds in his life, which is interesting given how male-dominated the Schluter/Crampton family is.

Edited February 4, 2013 by methodwriter85

[MJ85]

As a follow on to my review.

 

I feel sad that I think Paternity is winding down. We have been with Paternity for 14 months now and as completely weird as this sounds, I think of the CAP cast as friends, kind of like Facebook friends, people I don't see anymore because we live in different places, but I keep up with their lives online so we still have that friendship connection. I also have really enjoyed Will. He has been a good surrogate for the void created by Doma Luka's extended hiatus. I actually care about Will, Ryan, Alistair, Wade, Matt and the still mysterious Noah (not Tony, kill off that bitch!).

 

I for one would prefer to see a "story" change before we hit 9-11 at least. This is not Circumnavigation, nor should it be!

[MJ85]

   I really, really like your idea of the 9/11 story being in third person, which is something you've mentioned. Anything that changes up the typical CAP story is a good thing- The Box was a great example of that.

 

I dunno about this. I feel like a "third-person" gimmick could wear thin if the story goes very long like this one or Millennium. And honestly, it seems kind of pointless if it's just a third-person version of what is otherwise mainly one person's or two people's story (i.e. if the primary focus is on one or two). Or, if the story starts out with a broader look at the family only to then shift focus to primarily one or two and stays there. If the story's not nearly as long, then...maybe. (The Box did change things up, yes, but that was also a 50-some-year leap backward for the bulk of it.)

 

Not quite saying "don't do it", but...I'm skeptical as to if third-person would work. It would seem like quite a bit more work to pull it off right.

 

That said, casting the day of in third-person at least is very well worth the opportunity.

[methodwriter85]

Tim,  think you might as well get used to Tony. I get the feeling he's not going anywhere, even if we hit 2004 and he finishes college I'm sure Mark will have him stay in California. He's Mark's representation of the tortured closet case to contrast against Will the guy who came out at 13, and Tony's a legacy character.

 

I'm actually fine with Tony as a character...I'm just not that interested in the tortured closet case aspect because that story was done quite a few times in CAP, with probably the best story being what happened to Aaron Hayes.

 

Although you never know...Marcel was a legacy character set to be a big character and even had his own story, and now he's limited to a couple of brief sentences.

Edited February 4, 2013 by methodwriter85

[MJ85]

    As for Tim's stuff, I'm not saying that I think guys aren't generally manwhores, but some just aren't, for a variety of reasons, and I can't see JJ hitting manwhore status for at least a few years. Will reacted to his sexual trauma with his little happy ending strip show in Italy and becoming hypersexual, while I feel like in JJ's case, he'll be generally very uncomfortable with sex and the expression of it, at least for a few years. If you've never had that mindset it's hard to describe it, but it does happen, and I think going by what we know about JJ I can't see him hitting a slut phase for awhile. And the fact he does look 12 and has the mindset of a 12-year old would keep non-pedos from being interested in him sexually. You get the feeling that JJ's set to grow up into a handsome young man that will likely get a lot of offers, but he's not there yet. Which makes him a great contrast against his very sexually experienced brothers.

 

     As for JJ only having older men in his life...I thought it was pretty clear that JJ tended to be more bonded to older women in his life, with Jeanine, Tiffany, and Aunt Claire. He's in figure skating, which is a female-dominated skate, and he's only got one close male friend, and Matt is the only older male that he's closely bonded to. Even with Darius, JJ doesn't have that strong of a bond with him. Not like it is with Will. I asked Mark once about that and he told me that he doesn't see JJ and Darius as having that strong of a bond. I feel like Mark's been writing JJ as someone who doesn't have a lot of strong male bonds in his life, which is interesting given how male-dominated the Schluter/Crampton family is.

 

Much of this (though not all of it), I can relate to.

 

I was one of those guys who was chaste in high school. Between what happened to me when I was 8, and my own confusion over being gay (I didn't begin to come out until after graduation), though, is that really such a surprise?

 

The lack of bonds with strong male figures in my life, oh yes, I have that too. My parents separated...I think it was sometime in 1990, but I know for sure that their divorce was finalized in 1992. I lived with my mother, who's never re-married - it would be years before she even "dated" again, if you want to call it that. I still have memories of my aunt and uncle arguing from time to time, as well as my grandparents (these being my next closest relatives) - in both cases these would often end with the males storming off, leaving the women as "stronger" figures. That's not to say that both couples had rocky marriages as I grew up, but...these things happened. (And for what it's worth, my uncle passed away early in 2005.)

[Mark Arbour]

Some thoughts:

 

1.  I'm not sure exactly how I'll do the next story.  The options are almost unlimited, but as MJ noted, change merely for the sake of change isn't necessarily a good thing.  CAP has been written almost exclusively in first-person (with the exception of The Box), and I like that because it makes it feel, IMHO, more personal.  I wasn't entirely happy with the way dual narration worked in Poor Man's Son, but I'm much more satisfied with how it's played out in Paternity.  So I just don't know yet, and I probably won't until I have at least the first part of it sketched out in my brain. Hell, I haven't even finished this one yet, so speculation about the next one is a bit premature. 

 

2.   I didn't necessarily plan for Marcel to become a major player.  His character gave me an opportunity to move the story and the family forward during a period when I didn't have other compelling narrators, and there were important historical events I wanted to hit on. 

 

3.   We have no idea how JJ will ultimately react to the molestation he received at the hands of his coach.  I've been doing some reading on this, and it seems that there isn't ONE way that guys react to this; rather, they're individuals, and they deal with it in their own unique way.  I can see JJ being largely asexual, at least until the true hormonal urges hit him, but I'm not sure I see him being wrapped in a sexual straightjacket.  Perhaps he will be.  I just don't know.  

[methodwriter85]

I wasn't entirely happy with the way dual narration worked in Poor Man's Son, but I'm much more satisfied with how it's played out in Paternity.

 

I think the problem with the narration in Poor Man's Son was that Gathan and Will really didn't have a singular, uniting theme going on. On one had, you had a guy struggling with the demons of having been abused and what it meant to have grown up poor but then suddenly become rich, whereas with Will you had him as the lovesick teenager obsessed with finding a boyfriend. Those two character arcs just didn't mesh. In Paternity, the character arc of Will(gaining his independence and learning how to relate better to his fathers) and Wade (coming into his own as a true adult in control of his own life, struggling against his parental drama, becoming a father, figuring out how his relationship with Matt is going to be in the long-term) were much more complimentary.

 

I'm going to go with Marcel being the one bad "muse" moment I've had with you in the four and a half years I've been serving as your muse. LOL. I mean, it seemed a no-brainer- you got a Generation X person graduating from college in the midst of the early 90's recession and the fall of Communism, but eh.  I was totally wrong about that.

 

The best "muse" moment with us...probably when I made the comment to you about how it seemed like the "good branch" Hayes men were dying out(Jeff was dead, Billy was dead, Robbie didn't have any biological kids, and Marcel doesn't in any way seem like someone who'd have kids), and then you decided to give Robbie a son from his old girlfriend that he had before he showed up in Be Rad. Matt really has been a great character. And with Matt, I feel like you did a better job with capturing his generation than you did with Marcel's generation. I think having Adam around for advice(he was the class of 1998 like Matt is supposed to be) really helped give the story a true "this is a different generation" feel to it.

 

I don't so much as see JJ in a sexual straitjacket, but I think he won't be very comfortable or all that interested with sex and sexual expression for awhile. I think that will likely start to change when he hits "bloom" stage, but in keeping with JJ being a late bloomer, that'll likely be when he's in his late teens/early 20's, not at 15.

Edited February 4, 2013 by methodwriter85

[centexhairysub]

Ugh, PrivateTim has two post back to back that I actually liked...  My day just keeps getting worse...       

 

I have to really agree with his statement about Rudy Galindo.  I think that he actually suffered more backlash against his skating career then Johnny Weir did in an undeserved way.  I have always believed that Rudy Galindo worked harder and deserved much more recognition then he got during his skating career.  I think in some ways his teaming early in his career with Kristi Yamaguchi to win the double titles actually hurt him later when he concentrated more on the singles side.  While I believe that Johnny Weir was born with a great deal of talent; his behaviour and tempermental personality was as much to blame for his never reaching the top or being able to stay there.  Talent can only carry you so far and Weir never had the work ethic or the self control to match Galindo, at least in my humble opinion...

 

I also view the CAP family in a very personal way.  I feel almost tied to them which is why I get so prickly sometimes I think when it comes to what is said or the reaction others have to them.  I really would like to see JP as the narrator for the storyline dealing with 9/11.  I don't know what Mark's thinking on this is but as PrivateTim said this is arguably one of the biggest days in the history of the US and except for the Kennedy assasination maybe the biggest since December 7th.  It just seems to me that JP is the one person in the family with the gravitas to approach this most effectively. 

 

I do have one suggestion for those that are wanting a story before we tackle 9/11; if Mark feels it would be something that we could go back and look at, Tonto's death and maybe the months leading up to it...  Tonto's departure from the story is one of the few incidents that never was covered in the manner I thought it should have been.  She meant to much to so many but never got the send off she deserved.

 

Mark, in the end, we are all going to go along with the ride that you take us on and will all be happy and thrilled with each twist and turn...

[rjo]

As Paternity comes to the end a few thoughts, some of which reflect what others have said, some may not,

 

I agree with Jeremy that this story worked the best because Will and Wade mesh better than Gathan and Will. Ever since Wade entered the saga I liked him. He has a strong moral compass which gives him a noble image. Will said it once if he couldn't trust Wade there was no one he could trust.. Will has much of that same noblity. In a lot of ways they have fhe same qualities, however they are not the same person. Maybe the greatest quality that they have in common is that they will fight for those whom they love even to give up their livies.

 

The second thing is the growth of Will. In the last few days I have read Paternity over and over again. I can hardly believe how much Will has changed. Even I have to admit much of his behavior was over the top at the beginning of the story. Mark said something that brought things into focus. Will needed his freedom in order to grow. Once he had that freedom, he could grow. ( In many ways this is not unlike Brad without Robbie. Once that foundation was gone he was lost but with that foundation he was restored to himself.) If Will is really like his great grandmother he will truly be a person we can be proud of. Chapter 90 showed us, there Will in his new room at his new home was able to begin the healing which was so needed. A few simple  things like the slippers and aphgan began the healing with Robbie. Later he was able to relate to JJ and bring the joy of Christmas back to his brother. He was able to restore some of the joy of life  which has been sucked out of JJ by his coach. Now he is willing to take the step to repair his relationship with his mother. What a change!

 

I have come to the conclusion  that Paternity is like a mini saga. Much of what happens in the early part of the CAP saga happens here again with Wade or Will. It shows us that life is not that much different for any of us, for all of us. We all were 14 once, going on 25. Some of us are blessed with children. Holding that new born child whether it is JP holding ACE , Brad holding Will or Wade holding Riley it is the same. Life goes on, changes come but in some ways things stay the same. That is the story of life and the story of this saga.

 

 

Last, as this part of the saga ends sadness comes upon me. Like Tim I want this to go on and on forever. These characters are as he said like friends in another town. When I used to have my business meetings in Santa Cruz I wondered  for a second whether I would see someone from the story. This is the longest story in the saga because it works so well. Mark you have  given us characters we care about, situations we can relate too, and DRAMA yes Drama we love. What more could we ask for?

Edited February 5, 2013 by rjo

[Mark Arbour]

Well, we're not ending yet.  I have chapter 95 written, and there's probably two more after that.  I think. 

[davewri]

Mark, I have enjoyed Paternity more than any of your writings.  The characters are so well developed I feel like I should know them personally. I lived in Santa Barbara from 1985 to 1995, half way between these guys.  Maybe they were passing over in their private jet while I was walking down State Street.  (UC Santa Barbara would make a great story in itself with the rich and beautiful kids.)  If you have written up to chapter 95, it should be easy to go on to 100.

Thank you for all that you give to us.

[PrivateTim]

I've enjoyed all the books, Paternity is a fave, but so was the original CAP story. I thought it was exceptionally well written for someone who didn't live through those times.

 

UCSB would be a natural for Will since the school has its own surf break, but maybe not until graduate school for the Marine Science Institute. USC would be a good undergrad school since Will would be entering just as USC started winning national championships and USC has a great undergrad marine sciences program with remote facilities in Newport and Santa Catalina.

[methodwriter85]

   Interesting possibilities. I see JJ either at Tisch in New York City, University of Chicago (this was a rec by Daisy), University of Delaware(because it'd be funny to see him square against Johnny Weir)...maybe a school in Colorado. I don't see him going to college in California, when he does go. I think a lot of skaters wait until after their career before going to college, so I could see JJ not attending college until 2010 or 2011.

 

   Is UCSB big on study abroad? University of Delaware was the first school to have study abroad, so the program's pretty big there. It's almost expected that you do study aboard for your junior year if you have the money.. I never had the money, but so many of friends did it. I could so see Will spending spring semester 2007 in Australia. He'd have a lot of fun there.

 

    I'm kind of of shocked that Wade and Matt haven't mentioned friends that are doing it. I get why Wade's not doing it, because of Riley, but I would think that Matt's parents would be pushing hard for him to study abroad it because it looks good on a resume. It's possible that it's not as big of a deal with Stanford as it is with UD, though.

Edited February 6, 2013 by methodwriter85

[George Richard]

University of Chicago seems out of place in that list of schools for JJ. Are you sure that's what Daisy said? It's extremely intense academically, and I've never heard skating mentioned in connection with the place (and I know it very well).

[Daddydavek]

According to this site: http://www.usfsa.org/Content/CollegeswithIntercollegiateClubs.pdf there is a very small club program at the University of Chicago. I agree that it would be unlikely for JJ to go there.

[Mark Arbour]

   Interesting possibilities. I see JJ either at Tisch in New York City, University of Chicago (this was a rec by Daisy), University of Delaware(because it'd be funny to see him square against Johnny Weir)...maybe a school in Colorado. I don't see him going to college in California, when he does go. I think a lot of skaters wait until after their career before going to college, so I could see JJ not attending college until 2010 or 2011.

 

   Is UCSB big on study abroad? University of Delaware was the first school to have study abroad, so the program's pretty big there. It's almost expected that you do study aboard for your junior year if you have the money.. I never had the money, but so many of friends did it. I could so see Will spending spring semester 2007 in Australia. He'd have a lot of fun there.

 

    I'm kind of of shocked that Wade and Matt haven't mentioned friends that are doing it. I get why Wade's not doing it, because of Riley, but I would think that Matt's parents would be pushing hard for him to study abroad it because it looks good on a resume. It's possible that it's not as big of a deal with Stanford as it is with UD, though.

 

Study abroad is a probably option for Will, but out of the question for Matt.  There's no way he'd leave Wade, and hockey, to go off to another country to study for a semester.  And his parents are smart enough to know better than to lobby for that.  It would be like them trying to drive a wedge between Matt and Wade, something the Carrswolds certainly wouldn't do.  I mean, if their son has to be gay, at least he's picked a boyfriend from a good family.

 

University of Chicago seems out of place in that list of schools for JJ. Are you sure that's what Daisy said? It's extremely intense academically, and I've never heard skating mentioned in connection with the place (and I know it very well).

 

Actually, the only person I currently see potentially going to the University of Chicago is Matt.  UOC is to finance as Mecca is to Muslims. 

 

 

I've enjoyed all the books, Paternity is a fave, but so was the original CAP story. I thought it was exceptionally well written for someone who didn't live through those times.

 

UCSB would be a natural for Will since the school has its own surf break, but maybe not until graduate school for the Marine Science Institute. USC would be a good undergrad school since Will would be entering just as USC started winning national championships and USC has a great undergrad marine sciences program with remote facilities in Newport and Santa Catalina.

 

 

 

But for Grad school, there really is only one school for marine biology:  Scripps.     Another option for undergrad studies is Cal.  Berkeley has a good program, one that's considered to provide an excellent foundation for grad schools.  Not bad for a second rate university.  *ducks* 

Edited February 6, 2013 by Mark Arbour

[B1ue]

      Is UCSB big on study abroad? University of Delaware was the first school to have study abroad, so the program's pretty big there. It's almost expected that you do study aboard for your junior year if you have the money.. I never had the money, but so many of friends did it. I could so see Will spending spring semester 2007 in Australia. He'd have a lot of fun there.

It isn't huge, but the programs are there. You have to understand, UCSB is a party school. Laid-back doesn't even begin to cover it. Not that Guachos are stupid or lazy, but studying abroad seems like an awful lot of work for not as much profit. What would WIll, especially, get out of a study-abroad program? He can study abroad any time he pleases. Maybe he'll get a second doctorate out of a school in Australia.

 

The bug turn-off for UCSB is that it has a pretty annoying homophobic streak. It's quite possible to be out and have no issues, and the university administration itself bends over backwards for all minority groups, including minority sexualities, but the student population is another matter. I wanted to punch a girl one day for making remarks about a friend of mine during one of his dance performances, but sadly, she was far from the only one to make those remarks.

 

Edit: Now that I think more on it, what is Will heading towards in terms of a degree? Max and Jack have been the only members of the cast that didn't get degrees in social science, correct? If Will heads towards Oceanography and Marine Biology, that'd be different. Of course, given the last couple chapters, I could also see him start studying to become a psyciatrist.

Edited February 6, 2013 by B1ue

[Mark Arbour]

It isn't huge, but the programs are there. You have to understand, UCSB is a party school. Laid-back doesn't even begin to cover it. Not that Guachos are stupid or lazy, but studying abroad seems like an awful lot of work for not as much profit. What would WIll, especially, get out of a study-abroad program? He can study abroad any time he pleases. Maybe he'll get a second doctorate out of a school in Australia.

 

The bug turn-off for UCSB is that it has a pretty annoying homophobic streak. It's quite possible to be out and have no issues, and the university administration itself bends over backwards for all minority groups, including minority sexualities, but the student population is another matter. I wanted to punch a girl one day for making remarks about a friend of mine during one of his dance performances, but sadly, she was far from the only one to make those remarks.

 

Edit: Now that I think more on it, what is Will heading towards in terms of a degree? Max and Jack have been the only members of the cast that didn't get degrees in social science, correct? If Will heads towards Oceanography and Marine Biology, that'd be different. Of course, given the last couple chapters, I could also see him start studying to become a psyciatrist.

 

I knew UCSB was a party school, but never really knew much more beyond that.  Your comments were enlightening. 

 

As far as Will's degree, it's too soon to tell (which means I haven't figured it out yet ).  He has a passion for the ocean, so a degree in marine biology would be reasonable, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll major in that for his undergrad studies.  If the sciences are his thing, he could just as easily major in biology.  The real work in his field wouldn't start until he got to grad school. 

 

Study abroad programs are designed to expose students to other cultures (aka, broaden their horizons).  While Will can certainly travel around and see whatever he wants to, I think that what he may get out of it is the cultural immersion.  Actually living somewhere for a semester is significantly different than spending a couple of weeks there in the summer. 

[methodwriter85]

I get why Wade and Matt aren't doing it, but I do think it's weird that they don't have any friends who are doing it. Junior year just seemed to equal study abroad time to me, at least for my friends that could afford it. One thing I've gotta insist on would be Wade and  Matt doing summer internships- that's just an expected thing, especially with guys from their kind of background. You do a summer internship, either the summer before junior year or the summer before senior year. Sometimes before sophomore year, but not always. Of course, they could have already done it, but when we saw glimpses of Wade and Matt during the summers of 1999 and 2000, it didn't seem like they were doing one. So I'm seeing them spending at least part of summer 2001 in an internship. I do think it's telling that Wade already has a plan for law school post-grad, while Matt seems to be saying, "Pfft. Spring 2002 is so far away. Let's go party instead!"

 

I think sending Will on study abroad would be a sign of the times and things that college students in the 2000's are expected to have done, such as volunteer work and the like. Plus. 20-year old Will in Australia. The land of hunky men. Come on, you know you'd have a lot of fun with that.

 

The vibe that I get from JJ is that he'd be a history/English/drama kind of guy, as opposed to Will, who's more of a science/math kind of guy. I really see him as a drama major, but I could also see him into English or history. Luckily for him the fact that those careers aren't exactly lucrative isn't an issue.

 

Here's a list of colleges with skating programs:

 

It's from 2012-2013, so it might be a bit off if JJ actually goes to college in 2004 or 2005, but probably not that off. University of Delaware has a great,

, which I see as being very attractive to JJ, and it has a pretty decent reputation academically(It's a B-student school but it's pretty clear that JJ would naturally be a B student), which would appeal to JP and Brad and Robbie. It used to be a party school back in the 80's and '90s but they really cracked down on it back in 2000's so the school could be taken more seriously. It's considered a Public Ivy now.

 

University of Michigan could be a good possibility as well...they seem to have a fairly large skate club there. Boston University would be good, too- I actually like that one a lot because it was one of the first schools to get Facebook. Penn State has a program, too- I'm not sure if it's that competitive, but I could actually see JJ being a really great fit for Penn State. The school is good academically, but it's also a bit of a party school, so the academics aren't as hardcore as they would be in a place like UPenn.

Edited February 7, 2013 by methodwriter85

[Mari]

I really don't want Paternity to end   The narration with Will and Wade is great, I like both of these characters so much. Hopefully , the next story will feature Will again...or at least talk about him in depth.

 

 

I can see JJ hitting up a east coast school easily, majoring in something like Drama. I agree that Will would be more of a science major . I wonder how not taking over the Schluter Group (?) or Brad/Stef's other businesses would go over with the family? I see Will teaching science at some obscure college on some coast somewhere just for the surf, although in 'CAP reality' that isn't likely to happen, he is much too responsible.  And what will Darius be when he gets out of college?

[PrivateTim]

Actually, the only person I currently see potentially going to the University of Chicago is Matt.  UOC is to finance as Mecca is to Muslims. 

 

But for Grad school, there really is only one school for marine biology:  Scripps. 

 

The phone is for you, Wharton is calling and wants to speak to you

 

The only thing wrong with Scripps is that it is next to Black's Beach and you can't surf with your clothes on there. 

 

It isn't huge, but the programs are there. You have to understand, UCSB is a party school. Laid-back doesn't even begin to cover it. Not that Guachos are stupid or lazy, but studying abroad seems like an awful lot of work for not as much profit. What would WIll, especially, get out of a study-abroad program? He can study abroad any time he pleases. Maybe he'll get a second doctorate out of a school in Australia.

 

The bug turn-off for UCSB is that it has a pretty annoying homophobic streak. It's quite possible to be out and have no issues, and the university administration itself bends over backwards for all minority groups, including minority sexualities, but the student population is another matter. I wanted to punch a girl one day for making remarks about a friend of mine during one of his dance performances, but sadly, she was far from the only one to make those remarks.

 

Edit: Now that I think more on it, what is Will heading towards in terms of a degree? Max and Jack have been the only members of the cast that didn't get degrees in social science, correct? If Will heads towards Oceanography and Marine Biology, that'd be different. Of course, given the last couple chapters, I could also see him start studying to become a psyciatrist.

 

"Party" is relative, it isn't a party school in the same sense that San Diego State is because you can't afford to party too hard at a quarter school. UCSB is one of the highest rated public universities in the country (#10 last I heard).

 

Marine Science is actually pretty big at UCSB on the graduate level and getting bigger with the Marine Science Institute.

 

It also was not always so laid back. It had major riots during the Vietnam war in Isla Vista, the BofA was burned down, the faculty club was bombed, killing one man and a student was shot and killed in the unrest.

[rjo]

I could be wrong but I see Will moving into the tech world. This is not saying surfing is unimportant but I see other things catching his interest. I think Will could easily take over part of Stef's empire. Another thing, maybe he could take over the charity work. The Schluter Foundation He would be good at making sure the right people got the help they needed. Matt doing the properties end and Wade the legal end. I still see Wade as a member of government in some way. It is embeded in his very being. JJ is a little harder to nail down. Maybe after all the crap his and the other Gay skaters have gone through, he will work to reform skating and the whole atheletic world to be fairer and more open. What ever happens this generation with leave their mark on the world.

[MJ85]

I get why Wade and Matt aren't doing it, but I do think it's weird that they don't have any friends who are doing it.

 

Who says they don't?

 

I think sending Will on study abroad would be a sign of the times and things that college students in the 2000's are expected to have done, such as volunteer work and the like. Plus. 20-year old Will in Australia. The land of hunky men. Come on, you know you'd have a lot of fun with that.

 

You make it sound like such an obligation...

 

Studying abroad? Nope, never did it - though for me the main issue was one that no Danfield or Schluter/Crampton/Hayes will ever have as an obstacle - $$$$$. Volunteering? I pledged a service fraternity my first semester, and stayed an Active brother my entire undergrad.