PrivateTim

Oh what, you never saw Latter Days? BYU! BYU! where the girls are girls and the boys are too.

Cammy, Happy Belated B-day from Matt, Thomas (formerly Tommy ) and me.

CA had been doing domestic partnerships since before Will was born and a domestic partnership is the same as a civil union in CA. the scope of what they cover have been expanding since the mid 1980's and most Hollywood companies, including The Walt Disney Co. have been offering partner benefits since the late 80's, early 90's. It was the possibility of legal gay marriage in Hawaii in 1993 that spraked the passage of DOMA. As a random, how many drinks did you have last night?

VA ain't the Deep South in fact the Southerners of VA considered a lot of their brethren in the Deep South (GA, AL, MS) as crude and backwater. There was a lot of sentiment against slavery in VA even among slave holders and if they had been driving the bus in the Civil War, or more precisely before it, a compromise might have been reached that avoided war, but SC forced the hand of the rest of the South. Point being, the old elite of VA are most definitely Episcopalian (Anglican). My grandmother, despite being a life long Californian was sent to a girls 'finishing school' in Fairfax after high school and before starting at USC. It was an experience that deeply affected her in many ways, especially when it came to segregation, which she had never seen before, but also with the gentility of VA society that still existed in the 1940's.

Or maybe he falls in love with SLC in 2002 and moves there and becomes a Mormon. How would that be for a twist? Or maybe he (or Wade) meets Mitt Romney and becomes a fan/friend. That too could be an interesting story line.

Well it's about time those two boys jumped into bed! To be honest I was hoping for a more blow by blow (pun fully intended!) description of steamy sweaty sex including descriptions of the various body parts But if you are anything like my Asian friends, especially the ones I made at Berkeley my freshman year, you are possibly a little shy/bashful about talking of such things. Those boys were very shy about talking about such things, one friend couldn't even say the word "penis" he'd have to say, "you know, my........ thing" in talking to me. Behind closed doors though it never hindered the passion and the shyness was quite endearing actually.

Cute beginning (not the murder, Ryan and Mike). A couple of stylistic things, I did find it odd referring to the other high that way, "the other high school". I came from a town with two schools and we always referred to our cross town rival by name or nickname. And if the town only has two high schools, it is a fairly small town, probably 50-80k so a murder would be a big deal. I also think the town would be small enough that you hove friends at the other school and it would have everyone buzzing. My class in high school was pretty big too, about 450 students, but I "knew" everyone. They weren't all friends, but I knew their names and knew something about them and knew people above and below me too and the older I got, the more I "knew". Like when I was a freshman I knew of a lot of the seniors and I remember being floored (and flattered) when a senior guy said hi to me by name one day because I had no idea he knew who I was. Point being, Ryan would probably have seen Michael around and known he played water polo unless he had just transferred it. I get the part where you want to paint the surprise of Ryan first laying eyes on Michael and that Michael has noticed Ryan (and knows he wants to be an author), but stylistically I might have done it slightly different to achieve the same effect. Don't take these comments as criticism, they aren't, I really enjoyed the story. They are thoughts intended to help you think a bit as you write. As "they" say (you know those people who are always saying things as in "they say walking is the best exercise" or "they say eating fish is really healthy"), write what you know. Think about your own high school experiences as you write and blend in the fiction.

Cute. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekTP6Yp5-LM

Okay, follow the sequence.... H-W alerts Yale grad Brad and Princeton grad Robbie that their son isn't doing well in school. H-W would be talking to Brad and Robbie as the first signs of academic issues long before they could be aware on their own. Mark never wrote what Darius' grades were and we don't know what conversations the dads had with Darius, but it is pretty obvious by where the guys went to school and with the influence of Dr. Crampton that the family is pretty academically oriented. I don't remember where Claire went to school, but she married a Stanford grad, which is more indirect evidence of the academic culture that permeates the clan. We don't know what Darius did in school or what steps were taken to try and keep him focused because they were not important elements in moving the story forward. We do know from all the external factors that the family overall values not just education, but has shown the ability to compete at the highest levels and people who live in that world don't usually just ignore their kids education.

Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy....... what are we going to do with you. The "they" in "they watch the kids too closely" is Harvard Westlake, not the parents.

Darius didn't flunk out of high school and his grades couldn't have been that bad if he is going to Santa Clara. The average weighted GPA of the current freshman class is 3.84, the average SAT is in the mid 600's and the average ACT is 28, all in all pretty good. They aren't Ivy League scores or Stanfurd or Berkeley, but with the grades and SATs that got him into Santa Clara would have gotten him easily into the UC system and if he was appointed to the USNA, his grades and test scores would have to have been reasonably high. If he had truly slid, he would be going to JC not a fairly prestigious Catholic university. All the main Catholic universities LMU, USF, SCU, SMU & USD are highly regarded academically.

JJ wouldn't flunk out of Harvard Westlake, they watch the kids too closely for that. Long before absolute failure would be a possibility they would be meeting with the parents to discuss options, including a transfer to a school like Crossroads or Oakwood that might allow independent study or extended absences. The Crampton-Schluter clans are too academically oriented to allow JJ to just slide. Also, all the role models JJ would have had, Kristi, Johnny, Michael, Tim and Todd were mostly honor students in their high schools and several went on to very prestigious colleges. People tend to conform to their surroundings.

Will is very different from his father on many levels, the first being that he is first generation wealthy. He has never known the kind of deprivation Brad or Robbie did. He grew up flying on private airplanes, yachts, living on the beach in a virtual mansion in one of CA's most exclusive neighborhoods, going to movie premieres, eating at top restaurants, having what ever clothes, video games, technology (computers, cell phones, etc), surfboard, bicycles, etc. he wanted and he takes it all in stride or maybe for granted. It is the only lifestyle he knows. It doesn't mean Will is bad because of it, it just is what it is. Everyone is a product of their upbringing, rich, poor, etc. and it shapes how you view the world, especially when you are younger. And not be snotty or anything, but until you have seen 15 year olds dining at Nobu on their own, you might not get it. (for those who don't know Nobu, it runs about $60-80 per person on the low side, up to $150 per person for the omakase and you are likely to run into Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Rob Reiner, Steven Dorf and so on any given night of the week). So that life of Will's sets his vision and perceptions very different from his father's. Will may not have thought of it in these terms, but essentially, he has no worries in life from a comfort and future stand point. He can graduate college (USC or UCSD) in marine biology and head off with his surfboard to Fiji, Rarotanga, Tahiti, Costa Rica or Oz (or the Farrallon Isnads to study great whites) to work as a marine biologist and not worry about what the job pays.

I have no problem with a young narrator, some of my favorite gay fiction has young narrators. I think Mark can end PMS in relatively few more chapters. Get Will started at HW, Gathan started at Stanfurd and we can be out of PMS by December 2000. Since neither Will nor Gathan has shown any interest in politics up to this point, you can't suddenly go through the 2000 election drama. PMS has been about characters, Will and Gathan, and their journey. If Mark needs Wade (or Matt) as a narrator for the 2000 election and 9-11, I see nothing wrong with a Wade 'n Matt story starting before PMS ends. In other words, there is no rule that says a Wade 'n Matt story couldn't start in May 2000, July 2000 or Sept. 2000, before PMS ends. With Gathan at Stanfurd, he might figure into the story as school gets going and we can view him and his relationship with Kristin through their eyes. We haven't seen much of Matt in PMS, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been around. I mean he is Robbie's son, Robbie's only 'real' son if I remember the convoluted family tree correctly. Just because there wasn't time or space in PMS, or Will didn't mention him doesn't mean his life wasn't going on. A small overlap of a Wade 'n Matt story might be amusing to see what Wade 'n Matt think about Will's angst.

I am not a fan of Bourdain's mostly because I find him insufferably arrogant and for no particular reason he doesn't have a particularly impressive restaurant resume, he is know more for his acerbic books. When I first saw Gordon Ramsey on TV, I thought "who the hell is this arrogant bastard" and then I saw HIS resume, Harvey’s with Marco Pierre White, Albert Roux at La Gavroche, stints with Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon, head chef at La Tante Claire, head chef and partner at Aubergine and went on to win his first Michelin star fourteen months later. He was with Aubergine until he finally opened Restaurant Gordon Ramsay that eventually gained three Michelin stars and the rest, as they say, is history. The man has deep chef creds, he can swear and throw all the pans he wants, the man knows his poopoo. I don't know that the Food Network is going down, but it is tough to keep it fresh and innovative. I HATE the cupcake shows, that awful trend is already passe and I miss Rachel Ray's "On $40 a Day" and I think THAT is a show that is badly needed these days. I like Triple D and even Man vs Food, but Man vs Food bugs me in the sense that it really glorifies mediocre places with gimmicks.

Sexual orientation seems irrelevant to me when it comes to someone playing a role. Would you bounce Neil Patrick Harris from his Barney Stinson Lothario role because he isn't straight? How would you feel if he was removed from the role because he is gay? How would handle Sean Hayes, who played a gay man while insisting he was straight only to turn out to be gay? Should someone's sexuality even be known when they apply for a job? Doesn't that sword cut both ways?

I have always thought Lem was the single finest piece of gay fiction I ever read. I hope you continue the story with the new updates.

The coolest thing about GayAuthors.org is the ability to interact with the author and get their thinking on scenes, characters and direction of the story as it is happening (assuming you are lucky enough to find the site and story as it is unfolding). I was thinking about this as I read one of my James Patterson novels. For the briefest moment, the thought flashed through my head, "I need to go online and ask him..." when just as quickly I realized I am reading a novel in book form, not a GA story. And I was sad. There were so many nagging details in the book, and other Patterson books I've read, that it bothers me I can't get answers. And that makes me appreciate GA in general, and authors like Mark, all the more. I sincerely believe that Mark is a much better author than James Patterson and it is ironic that Patterson makes millions while Mark gets bupkis. It is like in pro bull riding when the announcer says, "let's give a hand to Rowdy, it is the only pay he'll get today" when a cowboy doesn't last the 8 seconds. Obviously there isn't a huge commercial market for CAP as it is written, but a few tweaks and it could be another Thorn Birds or Upstairs Downstairs.

Yeah, I hear ya. I actually wrote a couple of little stories a while back, got about 80% done and then just couldn't find the will to finish them. I have a half dozen others from 10-40% done, but time, motivation and clear inspiration just haven't hit me. Take some time, enjoy your life. You have been producing at a frenetic pace.

Very cool chapter, Chapter 40 is one of the more realistic ones. And contrary to popular opinion (in the reviews) Tony doesn't have a problem at all, Tony is a completely normal guy. His actions are normal and understandable. Maybe someone who never struggled to figure out if they were gay, bi or straight doesn't get. Maybe someone who never did sexual activity that they they later thought better of while under the influence of alcohol doesn't get. But having gone through both of the above, I really get it. I suspect that what Tony wasn't able to explain because Will wouldn't let him, was that Tony finds it gross and disgusting that he just had sex with a 13 year old (isn't Will's birthday in Sept?). As to Will, his immaturity shows. I am not blaming him for being immature, it is just a function of his age. As you get older and more mature you figure out to not to "go there" (I was going to use the phrase, "take advantage of") with someone who is that drunk because more time than not it doesn't come out well when the person sobers up. Will still has the young gay boys affliction of falling in love with every guy he has sex with and assuming they have the same level of affection back. He needs to come to understand the consequences of his actions too. When someones judgment is so badly impaired by alcohol, it is better to not go there or if you do go there, not be surprised when it turns out badly. That he will learn as he gets older. One thing I don't get is Tony's "leaving". Isn't he going to Stanford? They acted as if he was heading back to St Louis or where ever he was from. I also hope Will sticks to his epiphany that it might be okay to go back to being a 13, almost 14, year old 9th grader. I am also not happy with Brad letting Will do shots of Jaeger. It is one thing to allow your young teen enjoy wine with you at dinner as you want to teach them precisely that alcohol is not about getting drunk, but about enjoying it for the taste in moderation, even for its relaxing properties. Letting him do shots is exactly the wrong way to teach him about responsible drinking. Where is Robbie in all this? Even Darius should know better.

Very cool chapter, one of the more realistic ones. And contrary to popular opinion Tony doesn't have a problem at all, Tony is a completely normal guy. His actions are normal and understandable. Maybe someone who never struggled to figure out if they were gay, bi or straight doesn't get. Maybe someone who never did sexual activity that they they later thought better of while under the influence of alcohol doesn't get. But having gone through both of the above, I really get it. I suspect that what Tony wasn't able to explain because Will wouldn't let him, was that Tony finds it gross and disgusting that he just had sex with a 13 year old (isn't Will's birthday in Sept?). As to Will, his immaturity shows. I am not blaming him for being immature, it is just a function of his age. As you get older and more mature you figure out to not to "go there" (I was going to use the phrase, "take advantage of") with someone who is that drunk because more time than not it doesn't come out well when the person sobers up. Will still has the young gay boys affliction of falling in love with every guy he has sex with as assuming they have the same level of affection back. He needs to come to understand the consequences of his actions too. When someones judgment is so badly impaired by alcohol, it is better to not go there or if you do go there, not be surprised when it turns out badly.

I hate that Will is falling for what I think is the wrong guy again. I've known guys like Will who seem to want someone to be with, they always want to be in a relationship and can't just relax and enjoy the moment. There is a happy medium between screwing every person you meet in an emotionless NSA encounter and falling for everyone who blows you and thinking they are the one. I hope Will finds it. I also think it is a mistake for Gathan and Kristin to want to see each other every other weekend. Gathan has no idea what is in store for him when he starts classes at Stanford (please note my very tolerant, correct spelling of that place because I am being serious here). This ain't some public high school in Claremont where you can skate through classes by being fairly bright, this is one of the elite universities in the country. Everyone of your classmates is from the the top 1 or 2% of high school students in the country, even the athletes. You have to study and study a lot just to keep up, let alone succeed. I don't blame Kristin for wanting to see him and I know she has no idea of the crushing load of class work that any university can have, but especially a top university. I hope Gathan can cancel a trip or two and show his seriousness about school. I'd also hate to see him miss out on the fun of college because he is dating a high school girl. There is just something very special about college football at major DI schools and all the surrounding events. Don't get me wrong, Kristin is sweet and I understand there has been too much character development done with her in the context of this being a story to drop the character, but Adam Philips experience his freshman year in college seems a more realistic way of how things go down. You should enjoy yourself in college, especially your first couple of years, before the realities of facing the world hit you. The real world seems so far away your freshman and sophomore years.

I hate that Will is falling for what I think is the wrong guy again. I've known guys like Will who seem to want someone to be with, they always want to be in a relationship and can't just relax and enjoy the moment. There is a happy medium between screwing every person you meet in an emotionless NSA encounter and falling for everyone who blows you and thinking they are the one. I hope Will finds it. I also think it is a mistake for Gathan and Kristin to want to see each other every other weekend. Gathan has no idea what is in store for him when he starts classes at Stanford (please note my very tolerant, correct spelling of that place because I am being serious here). This ain't some public high school in Claremont where you can skate through classes by being fairly bright, this is one of the elite universities in the country. Everyone of your classmates is from the the top 1 or 2% of high school students in the country, even the athletes. You have to study and study a lot just to keep up, let alone succeed. I don't blame Kristin for wanting to see him and I know she has no idea of the crushing load of class work that any university can have, but especially a top university. I hope Gathan can cancel a trip or two and show his seriousness about school. I'd also hate to see him miss out on the fun of college because he is dating a high school girl. There is just something very special about college football at major DI schools and all the surrounding events. Don't get me wrong, Kristin is sweet and I understand there has been too much character development done with her in the context of this being a story to drop the character, but Adam Philips experience his freshman year in college seems a more realistic way of how things go down. You should enjoy yourself in college, especially your first couple of years, before the realities of facing the world hit you. The real world seems so far away your freshman and sophomore years.

For those reading the CAP series, especially Poor Man's Son, you might find the photos I just posted on GA interesting. A couple of chapters back Will and Brad went to Jaws (Pe'ahi) Maui. Jaws has the tallest waves I've seen in person, 50-60 feet high, wave after wave, but these pics of Teahupoo show the ugliest, scariest, thickest, most dangerous wave I have ever seen. They are absolute killers. They usually break in 5-10 feet of water, but this day was so big it sucked all the water off the reef and they were breaking on exposed coral. In eleven years, Will will be just about the right age to tackle these.

He doesn't "know" three languages, he "speaks" them. I already knew English when I entered high school and those bastards made me take English every damn year I think you missed two crucial points, one, the Chinese speaking kids have to work their tails off to get A's in Chinese IV and that in the highest French classes, they don't do grammar, they read French authors, see films in French, read French newspapers and magazines and do reports and reviews IN French back. I don't think Will would even start at that level, we don't know how good he is in French syntax, grammar, spelling, etc. Even though I spoke English like a native, I still had to take English grammar, et al in high school.