PrivateTim

Ah dude, ya messed up! You mean the Beverly Hills Hotel, not the Hotel Bel Air. The Hotel Bel Air is all the way down by UCLA and tucked up inside Bel Air. The Beverly Hills Hotel is the hotel by Harvard Westlake. It is essentially at Coldwater Canyon and Sunset Blvd and has bungalows, which is what a young millionaire like Will would stay in. But other than that, a very interesting chapter. Will has become Rum Tum Tugger with his mother, "when you let him in, then he wants to be out; He's always on the wrong side of every door." I don't quite get Robbie, I thought he'd be over the whole thing by now. And do we EVER get to find out about Pat??

Another nice chapter to tie up the Danfield family affairs. I kind of figured The Senator was getting a divorce, it has been a long time in the making. I hope Nana makes it into the next book, I really enjoy her character. Escorial is getting crowded. Maybe it is time to add in some guest cottages... Thanks for the quick turn on this chapter.

Not stupid lawyers, arrogant, expensive lawyers who thought they KNEW the answers.

Well that was a fun chapter! What is more interesting is that Senator Danfield made plans to see Wade before the Haupt inspired drama. What ever can THAT be about? Oh and Arbour knows about gay history because he is old..... not history for him, memories. As to breath control.... I find Certs with Retsyn to be the best, although I do confess a childhood fondness for Sen Sen.

My favorite estate in CA is Bellosguardo in Santa Barbara, the Huguette Clark estate. Her father, William A. Clark, a truly colorful character, built it in the 1920's and Ms. Clark last visited the estate in the 1950's. It was maintained by a staff that had never met her as if she'd appear any day. She turned down an offer of $100m for the estate. When she passed away last year at roughly 105 she had not seen the estate in over 50 years. Inside Huguette Clark's Massive Homes

I think a better serial drama is Once Upon A Time.... but why wasn't Lost a serial drama and why isn't Bones? They may not be cliffhangers, but each episode builds on the history of the others.

I don't remember Falcon Crest, but I think it was based loosely, very loosely, on the fueding in the Mondavi family between Peter and Robert, but I don't think it ever reached the levels of intrigue that probably existed on FC. That is what Wade should do, buy a vineyard in St Helena and become a gentleman rancher.

They haven't "slumped", Cal is in a slump, Vandy, KY & Ole Miss are the walking dead. They shouldn't be in the SEC, they should be in a conference where they have a chance to win and they shouldn't be there to provide a perpetual win for the other teams. It is a self fulfilling prophesy syndrome that will never change. Top SEC shouldn't be allowed to build national rankings on weak sisters.

Michigan was a PRE-season #8, not #5 and has lost two other games since then and if they lose to OSU, won't even be a top 25 team. Vandy got bowl eligible by beating teams like I-AA Presbyterian (2-9) and hapless 1-10 UMass. Mississippi State got a phony national raking and bowl eligible by beating South Alabama, Jacksonville State, Middle Tennessee and Troy in four of their first seven games. And the SEC only has 8 teams bowl eligible, and 6 teams bowl ineligible, the Pac 12 is 8 and 4. And the SEC isn't just top heavy one season, it is the SAME teams year in year out. Cal and Washington state may be down this year, but Cal was Pac 10 chmapions as recently as 2006 and WSU in 2002. In the last 20 years every team in the old Pac 10 won a Pac 10 title. I've already shown when the last time some SEC schools like Vandy, KY, Ole Miss etc won an SEC title.

I'm bored. Where's Will? Okay, kidding. The last two chapters have been really fun. I think Mama's gonna blow a gasket. I can't imagine what the Senator has to say to Wade. Maybe he's filing for divorce?

The rankings of the SEC teams are meaningless when they play 3 Cupcake Tech's or Little Sisters of Mercy State, plus they have a weak bottom of the conference that artifically inflates their win total. We don't know how good or bad the SEC is since they don't play a lot of other BCS conference teams and in the rare times they do, they play at home. When do SEC teams ever play in Corvalis, Tucson, Tempe, Eugene, Pullman and the like?

With Alabama beating back the mighty foe Western Carolina, Georgia's heroric efforts over Georgia Southern and Florida gamely fighting off Jacksonville State, all at home of course. These historic wins go along with Alabama's wins over Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic, Georgia's wins over Buffalo and Florida Atlantic and Florida's home wins over Jacksonville State, Bowling Green and Louisiana Lafayette. South Carolina with wins over Wofford, East Carolina and Alabama Birmingham. Texas A&M is learning quickly how to gain rankings in the SEC with games with Sam Houston State, Louisiana Tech and South Carolina State. Last but not least of course, LSU and their winds over North Texas, Idaho and Towson. All these games against the powerhouses listed above were at the SEC teams home field except the A&M game against LA Tech, but I am sure it was scheduled before they were in the SEC. Now that they are, they can have the cupcakes delivered. Baylor is an in conference game for K State and in most conferences the bottom can beat the top because power shifts around..... most conferences except the SEC of course where Vandy, Kentucky and Mississippi will be perpetual also rans. When WAS the last time there was parity in the SEC? MS last won the SEC in 1963, KY did tie for the title in 1976, but it was 1950 before that and for Vandy you have to go back to 1923 and the old Southern Conference for their last conference title. Getting to 9 or 10 wins is easier when you can do it at home against outmanned opponents.

A quarterback is just one player... the issues the Jets, Chief, Cowboys, etc have go far beyond the QB.

I just thought the parallels to our young Will were too interesting.... And although not strictly gay, I am not a fan of the show either. I find the stereotypical gays offensive.

Interesting chapter and it makes me wonder what the future implications are of Wade locking horns with his mother once again. On the priest/minister thing....we need to get Arbour settled on what you call clerics in various denominations Catholic and Anglican (Episcopalian) churches have priests and aren't very often referred to as "ministers", minister is more of a main stream Protestant term. Episcopalians can get laid, Catholics can not (in theory). The Danfields, and whatever Elizabeth was before she was a Danfield, are most likely Anglicans since that is what East Coast blue bloods are.

Ariel Winter from Modern Family

Back up early and often......

Dude.... you are waaaaaaaaaaaay too into Facts of Life

More out of character (but I understand you need protagonists to move the story) is the fact that Carter is a water polo player and the captain. Water polo isn't like football, the athletes are more chill, don't take themselves too seriously and the captain especially is that guy that gets along with everyone. I am not saying there are no asses in WP but they are the exception not the rule and I've seen far more football players behaving like Carter than water polo players. Jack Bowen at Menlo really wouldn't put up Carter's behavior. It is antithetical to his philosophy and the way he runs his program.

Changing diapers is like flying commerical..... once you've been there (someone else changing diapers and flying private) you can never go back.....

I disagree with the announcers. It looked like Roeth was trying to hang on to the ball or pull it back, it didn't look like a normal follow through. See his off hand reach for the ball and his throwing hand clinch into a fist? He was trying to grab it back, not send it forward.

Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate the extent that Mark goes to for accuracy in his stories. Here are videos from three elite, prep boarding schools in CA. The first one might be the best in explaining why CA prep schools are different. In many cases, maybe all, these school were products of people from east coast schools who wanted to do something a bit different in CA.

The SEC is the biggest bunch of pretenders ever. Once again their top teams play easy non-conference games and all at home. Non-conference opponents for South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and LSU: Buffalo, Florida Atlantic (2 teams), East Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, UAB, North Texas, Idaho, Washington, Towson, Michigan, Western Kentucky, Western Carolina, Wofford, Bowling Green, Louisiana Lafayette and Jacksonville State. Only 3 teams are from BCS conferences and 4 are from Div IAA and as I said EVERY game is at home, no road games at all. Non-conference opponents for USC, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona: Oklahoma St, South Carolina St, Toledo, Notre Dame (2 teams), Duke, San Jose State, Wisconsin, BYU, Nicholls, Arkansas State, Fresno State, Tennessee Tech, Hawaii and Syracuse. 6 BCS conference opponents, 2 of those games on the road, and only 2 from Div IAA.