PrivateTim

Could also be a song that always makes me cry.

I think in the 2000's it would actually be very unrealistic for kids as rich as Brad & Robbie's to be in public school, especially after the attempts on Brad and Stef. Also with how competitive it has become to get into top colleges, I can see Tiger Mom Claire sending the kids to the best place possible to succeed. Just because they live in Malibu doesn't mean they have to go to school in Malibu. Lots of Colony kids go to Harvard-Westlake, The Brentwood School, Crossroads, Loyola and even Campbell Hall or the Oakwood School regardless of how far they are because of the educational advantages and the security. All the schools require community service, that is an avenue for meeting those of different socioeconomic classes. While every kid at Malibu High isn't rich, there are very few, if any lower class there. Malibu isn't the great melting pot. If interaction with that group is important, you have my namesake, Pastor Tim, to bring kids into their lives. As to skateboarding, that has been hot in So Cal since the 1950's and really took off in the 1970's with the invention of the polyurethane wheels and flexible trucks.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear The hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come; 'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far and Grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me. His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess within the veil, A life of joy and peace. When we've been here ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we've first begun.

I am what I am I am what I am I am my own special creation So come take a look Give me the hook Or the ovation It's my world That I want to have a little pride My world And it's not a place I have to hide in Life's not worth a damn Till I can say hey world I am what I am I am what I am I don't need praise I don't need pity I bang my own drum Some think it's noise I think it's pretty And so what if I love each feather and each bangle Why not see things from a different angle Your life is a sham Till you can shout out loud I am what I am I am what I am And what I am needs no excuses I deal my own deck Sometimes the aces sometimes the deuces It's one life and there's no return and no deposit One life so it's time to open up your closet Life's not worth a damn till you can say hey world I am what I am

Fun chapters. I too see problems with someone like Will who is so into surfing, not being able to surf every day. Even with a limo & chauffer he couldn't surf in the morning before school or even after school, especially in the winter. The nearest surfing is easily 40 minutes away. Hopefully he decides after summer, he is ready to move home. And I don't think he would go to Malibu High or Gunn or any public school. With having parents who are very wealthy, a billionaire grandfather and two assassination attempts it is most likely that not just Brad, but Jack & Claire as well would have their kids in private schools like The Menlo School or St. Francis up north and Harvard-Westlake or Loyola down south. Even if they had gone to public schools previously, their family is getting too high profile to be properly protected at a public school.

I wonder why they chose Las Vegas to do the "sting"? I wonder what might have been different if they had gone to Utah, or a town close by the AZ town where people have strong opinions on polygamy? What would have happened in MA? In OK? You all know how non-confrontational I am , i think I would have called the Clark County Sheriff and I might have done it in the old man's face.

Even scarier, did you read about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Geat Pacific Garbage Patch

The concept of gay sex before manscaping is too horrifying to deal with.

Dang, you beat me to it......

Well I am certain PMS would be higher ranked if it had more chapters

No one would know who JJ is. You aren't a recognizable celebrity in figure skating until you go to the Olympics, even then, just going is enough to make you famous you need something that sets you apart or makes you a story. No one at a rave in 2005 or even a gay club would have recognized Johnny Weir. After 2006 sure, but then he worked at cultivating an image and persona. I have been with Olympians at public places the USOC and IOC would crap if they knew they were there maybe, but no one knows them, not even the ones I was with who were medalists so there were no embarrassing cell cam pics or videos. Michael Phelps is the exception, not the rule. Would you know Aaron Piersol if he was standing next to you? The 2009 MHS video was pretty cool, but in terms of fashion thoughts, remember it was shot in mid to late June so there were probably more t-shirts and less long sleeved shirts than there might be in January. It was weird watching the 42nd Street video and thinking that these were Will's peers, friends and contemporaries and then juxtaposing the idea that there is no Will really because you come to think of all of Mark's characters as actual people.

For Will, JJ and Darius, the 3rd Street Promenade (Santa Monica), the Commons at Calabasas, the Promenade or Topanga Plaza in Woodland Hills for mall hanging. Cove parties at night in the various coves north of Pepperdine where teens can drink away from where the sheriffs can get to them quickly. By the time a deputy can get down the hill to break up the party, all the party favors are well hidden and put away, everyone is just sent home. If JJ is a diva-ish as he is being portrayed he might have been into the cafe/club scene of rich kids that hung out in Beverly Hills. Being 16 wouldn't have stopped him from getting into clubs and this was when Paris Hilton and Kim Kardasian were just starting to emerge in the social scene in BH. Raves were also big in Los Angeles in the late 90's, early 2000's, even though they were starting to go mainstream with huge events like Nocturnal Wonderland, Electric Daisy Carnival and Monster Massive. Even if the kids were not directly involved, they would have had many friends who were and many friends who were into X or Special K. Recreational drugs are abundant among the idle rich kids although most of the people I know/knew who had other things in their life going on, sports, clubs, etc skated on the edges and experimented, but never got into it heavy. Also note that the story of Jesse James Hollywood was huge in Malibu in 2000. edited to say north "of" Pepperdine, not "or".

Actually it was in the third link and I think the researcher said the shoes would keep the buoyancy and we have never seen this amount of debris thrown into open ocean currents at one time before. I would think storms and swells, etc. would break them up, but Charles Ebbesmeyer seems to be the expert. I guess time will tell.

freakin' brown noser!

I don't think not shopping at PacSun means you wouldn't shop at A&F, Hollister or even Ralph Lauren. Tommy is saying a surfer kid in Malibu wouldn't shop at a phony surf shop and not all surfers/polo players dress alike. A lot of the surf/polo kids dress kind of preppy, but you also have your surf punks and surf grunge. Malibu High is laid back in its way, but it is still a high school that is status conscious. I am sure some people wear Dickies, but they aren't popular, more Levi's or khakis for long pants and knee length shorts of a variety of brands for shorts. Matrix, Rusty, Billabong, O'Neil, Hurley, Toe's On the Nose, Rip Curl and RVCA are the more common brands. Hansen's Surf Shop at Swami's in San Diego has one of the best online stores so you can get an idea what the plaid 'dress' shirts look like. The flannels are great for winter, especially at the beach on the foggy mornings. Also given the giant pictures of hot guys in A&F and all the gay boys who work there, I can't imagine a gay teen Will's age not shopping there.

I voted 14 in both cases and that is not because I think that is the right age for guys, but because specifically of who Will is, what he has done already, how he was raised and who he was raised with makes it inevitable I think in the near future. By the way, philosophically I don't have any set age that is right since everyone is so different and A Hero Ain't Nothin' But A Sandwich.

Well I WOULD say it..... but that was when I thought we were in 2001 already.... I can say I thought I was wrong once, but it turned out I was mistaken

This isn't the Soapbox. It isn't a debate. It is for people to share their story and feelings, you are way off base with this.

This may have gone unnoticed in one of my posts on Poor Man's Son, but the Internet should be capitalized.

The AOC questions were first about Stef and Gathan and there was nothing illegal there so a rival wouldn't have anything to work with. Then they were about Will and Gathan about what might happen in the future. Any one can say anything, but when it comes to an investigation there needs to be a complainant and no one would spill the beans and no one would cooperate. As to a therapist, I think Gathan is sharp enough to keep the full nature of his relationship with Will (after he turns 18) under wraps. His issues are pre-Will when he was a minor and those are the issues he has to deal with.

The dates reflect the fall start of school, not at the fall and spring so 2004 in the spreadsheet I ran was 2004-2005 school year. Excel just doesn't understand school years.

The title says it all. Just wow.

I don't care about JJ, he is a poo-poo head who can live anyplace. I don't know if Mark has made him unlovable by design or if it is just too hard to develop so many characters. Even though Darius has his unlovable qualities, he also has many redeeming ones and you sense his unlovable traits are more act than the core of his being. JJ's transformation to a Johnny Weir skating diva is very unattractive. He doesn't have the charm and class of an Evan Lysacek or the bubbly enthusiasm of an Adam Rippon.

I was thinking we were in 2001 already..... damn things are progressing slowly

The Euro lifestyle is in San Francisco of course, not L.A. L.A. was happy to be the "anti-city" post WWII. People didn't have to live in big buildings, everyone got a yard so they could barbeque, have a dog and 2.3 kids, everyone had their own car so they didn't need to rely on mass transit, which led to the demise of one of the largest mass transit systems in the world. My grandmother could take the trolley from Beverly Hills to Santa Monica, Downtown LA, Pasadena, even as far south as Newport Beach, but in the post war prosperity and with the heavy auto industry in the L.A. area, everyone wanted their own car and the Red Cars went away. It is a shame the city didn't buy the system them.