PrivateTim

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.

Will's "blossoming sexuality"? Ummmm, this is Will's theme song.

I think you miss Matt's point that being a guy being under 18 doesn't stop the guy who is attracted to him even if he is 18 or over. I think he was more envisioning a 25 year old dating a 17 year old, not a 53 year old and 14 year old, that is a very different dynamic. But I am sure he will speak for himself when he has the chance. Well hell, then you are the only one! I don't know that you can put a percent on how gay you are and what would it mean if you could? If you are 20% gay does that mean every fifth person you firetruck is a guy? What would be more realistic, to me, would be Tony not understanding his sexuality at 18. We've seen all these characters who just know they are gay and know it from the get go. There are those guys. But there are plenty of guys at 18 who had no idea who they were sexually and some at 30 and probably even some at 50. If you aren't raised in an environment where homosexuality is acceptable you might ignore or shove away feelings that don't conform to the norm. In high school I was about 50-50, guys to girls and none of the 11 or 12 guys I fooled around with turned out to be gay (or at least not yet) and one of the girls is a lesbian now. In college I was 90% women going on an Adam Philips like tear and that was partly because of my fraternity house, partly me trying to prove something to myself and partly fun. Eventually I met a guy and that guy slowed me down with anyone else and then eventually it became him exclusively. So even though I have not been with a woman in 8 or 9 years now, I still firmly classify myself as bi, but it took me a while to get over the notion that my attraction to guys was more than a phase. Point being... it would not be unusual for Tony 2, 3 or 4 on the Kinsey Scale and not understand that those designation exist. I think it possible, even likely that there are "2's" in satisfying homosexual relationships and even more common to see "4's" in satisfying heterosexual relationships.

Very sweet chapter. It is nice to see the complexity of Tony and that he and Will don't fall madly in love or into bed the first chance they get. I hope the mystery over his sexuality lingers a bit longer.

They probably would have been naked as kids together as it wouldn't have been uncommon to bathe young kids at the same time and when you grow up in a house of mostly guys (moms don't count) there is a casualness about clothes and nudity. These families never struck me as ones likely to be shy or prudish about nudity. Most of the homes in the Colony have outdoor showers with nozzles also, at "foot level", but other than small kids, you don't see a lot of people nude-ing up to use them. You do see guys skipping the "towel change" to go from wetsuit to boxers, it they think no one is watching. I think just about any kid is curious about sex and if JJ could have watched John & Will, I think he would have. I might have watched my brothers once or twice or every chance I got , but if I'd had a sister, it would have been gross I think and I might have felt a need to beat the crap out of the guy alla Gathan.

I thought it a bit unrealistic that JJ hadn't seen Will's junk before. In a family of "boys" there is bound to be a casualness about dress and a lack of modesty. Morning wood happens.

Nice chapter, a true five star not a "balance out the schmoe" five star. It is nice to see a bit more complexity in JJ and a bit more character development. JJ might be an interesting narrator. Two quibbles. LAX has very, very little private air traffic, even if they could get a take-off slot, it takes a lot of time. You don't just show up, throw your bags in and off you go. Almost all the private jet traffic in LA uses Van Nuys airport (VNY). It is one of, if not the, busiest private jet airports in the country. You pretty much do just show up, throw your bags in and off you go. And when Gathan says words to the effect "before we plebes get it". I've only ever heard of "plebes" used to refer to freshmen at the service academies and most especially the USNA. I think he meant "plebeians". He could have said "plebs" referring to the common Roman citizen vs. slave, but I think plebeian would have been the more common usage

I gather your friend in San Diego is not in the special sex crimes unit, because I have seen them prosecute on a lot less. And they also would not be able to say whether or not they would and would not prosecute because each case is different. If you have a complaining witness who sees Lark outdoors masturbating (another criminal violation, CA PC ss 314 & 647(a)) and sees that Will is watching and sees Lark turn and look in Will direction, Lark would be having a very long unpleasant conversation with detectives. The conversation would get even more interesting when they dug into Lark's background. What the state would do is charge and overcharge Lark. He'd be looking at 5 years state time with a child molester jacket on him. They don't have to prove a thing because it wouldn't get to trial. Lark at a minimum would have to admit to behavior that would land him in county jail, if not state. He would not be able to deny it with a complaining witness. After stewing a couple of months on what his prospects would be in state prison, Lark would take his lawyer's advice to plead to the lower charge. That is how it goes down every day.

I liked Lark's summation of Will's situation. Didn't find it hot. I understand the curiosity of a teen boy, I loved Just Looking with Patti Lupone. Everyone has their own taste in the gay world. Not everyone likes a muscle stud. Some guys like the shrimp, the nerd, the swimmer, the cross country guy, the wrestler, the band guy, etc. If Will has an encounter with a middle aged (is 38 middle aged now? What does that make Mark? ) I hope it is someone no one in the family knows. Wills own thing. Lark doesn't have to touch Will. what he did, knowing Will was watching would be illegal in any state I can think of. Here is the California statute, I presume Hawaii has a similar law. It is creepy to flirt with an ex-lovers son. I am actually starting to warm up to Brad. I didn't like him in Be Rad or many of the other stories. He starting to look more human and vulnerable and a typically indulgent Colony parent/

Well I was tempted to only give the story 4 stars not 5 because Jaws is pretty much a tow in place only, but I had two glasses of wine with dinner so I am feeling pretty mellow so I cut you some slack and gave the 5. Scott (Lark?) was being just slightly creepy, but redeemed himself with some interesting insights. Curious how much Darius spent on the Vegas side trip and what, if anything, anyone has to say about it. Do Brad and Robbie monitor the boys credit cards?