PrivateTim

I know I've said it before, but this could be the best chapter in CAP so far. The conversation between Will and Brad was brilliant. It was nice to see the two of them interact without one of them being pissed off or defensive and Brad making himself vulnerable. I still think Will should have gone to UC San Diego to study at Scripps (and surf at Black's Beach), but hopefully the exposure to Harvard and the East Coast vibe will be good for him.

And my first thought was 'gag me with a spoon' 🤣 I know I'm overthinking this but..... Kris's grandfather would probably have been too young to be in WWII. If it is 2004, Kris was probably born 1978-80, which means his parents would have been born roughly 1952-56 or so, and their parents 1928-32, which would make the grandfather no older than 11-13 when the Nazis started WWII. The other interesting thing about family trees/genealogy is the geometric progression, 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-g, then 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, and so on. Because my mother's family (one branch) arrived in America in 1640, I can trace back to that time each name in the lineage and you see how many family names get 'grafted' into your family tree. When my grandmother did 23andMe (a Christmas present) test and entered the results in Ancestry.com, she discovered over 3,000 'cousins'. She of course knew her first and second cousins, but these were 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, etc. It was a stunning result. Point being, it would make more sense for Kris's great-grandfather (1 of 8 ) to be a Nazi than his grandfather (1 of 4). The connection is Nazi, not neo-nazi, which is an entirely different thing. Again, NOT neo-nazi, but descendants of Nazis, real Nazis, who fled at the end of the war through many means. Argentina already had a considerable German population, as did many South American countries and the U.S. and Mexico. Uh no. The only U.S. presidents who have visited Bariloche since Eisenhower were Eisenhower, Clinton and Obama. JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Bush never did. No. It has an ALPINE feel. I've skied several times in Bariloche and when they wanted to develop it as a winter resort, they emulated the same style you would see in the German Alps, Swiss Alps, Austrian Alps and Italian Alps. Alpine is also the same style of architecture you'll find at the oldest U.S. ski resorts. Then there was this.... “We’re meeting Dad and Jake for lunch at their favorite Chinese restaurant,” Will said. I’d heard all about that place. It supposedly looked like a total dump but had good food. To go there, we’d have to go to Chinatown" EVERYONE knows the best Chinese food in SF is NOT in Chinatown. It is in the Richmond & Sunset districts. But... still a wonderful chapter. My last puzzlement is why anyone wants to stay with JJ in NYC (other than because of Rosa). I'd be in a suite at the Mandarin Oriental or the Lowell myself.

I hope Jack comes to his senses. He has always been one of my favorite characters because he is so normal. Even the cheating is somewhat normal, but Jack always had a good moral compass. I hope he re-finds it. I think people forget what a sweet child JJ was. It wasn't the skating that changed JJ, but his molestation and betrayal from someone he trusted. While it has been maybe seven years in real time since we discovered JJ was being abused by his coach, it hasn't even been two years in CAP time, if I recall correctly. It takes much longer to get over the kind of betrayal JJ experienced than that. Again, not 'habits of a lifetime', they are relatively recent. I hope these bad habits can be put to bed and a renewed JJ returned.

Dat's what I'm talking about. I get a lot of people don't know their family heritage/tree, but if you think you are nobility, you'd certainly know your family tree well. Operation Paperclip imported German scientists, technicians and engineers into the U.S. Most were not members of the Nazi Party, and the ones who were party members were mostly nominal members. They were not running the war effort. There was no "infiltration" into U.S. "power centers".

Another excellent chapter. The writing just gets better and better. *“I get it. You called and apologized only because you need something from me,” I said angrily. That was so typical of JJ.* Maybe it is just word choice (from the author), but this is why I don't like Will in so many ways. His flame-o-meter is set way too low. No need to be angry until you know more details. *“We spent a couple of days surfing in Portugal. The waves were like they are at Jaws on a good day.” * The waves at Nazaré makes the waves at Peahi look like the wake of a fat kid cannonballing into the deep end.

I can't tell you how many men I know like Jack (wealthy & successful) who never see the big picture for the sake of their dick and ego.

Great chapter. I am a little surprised at Jack, but he is a straight guy with straight guy's cluelessness about his partner. Love the therapist. She has JJ's number but good,

JJ needs to do some volunteer work, real volunteer work, like Will did at Tim's mission in LA. He needs constant reminders of how privileged he is and it's not all about him. I have a friend like that (all about him). He calls me to bitch and moan about how rotten his life is (silver spoon brat from Beverly Hills who has never had to work to support himself, at 48 his parents still pay for his $10,000+ a month credit card expenses and they spent $1.5 million to open his restaurant/bar). In the meantime, I deal with real people, with real problems while juggling my own problems, including managing care for my 94yo grandfather, who has been in and out of hospitals this last year. My friend never starts with 'how is your grandfather', he starts with how rotten his staff is; everyone is an idiot, only he is competent..... and I am sure 90% of his personnel issues come from how he handles people (which is not well or with any empathy). In short he IS JJ, if JJ opened a restaurant. So yeah, JJ.... get out there and help others. You'll help yourself in the long run.

Absolutely. 4:20 is the the time to smoke Merry Juana. Google "Dave Reddix 420". The SF Chronicle has an interesting story about it.

--“You think about it,” I said and pushed past him. -- What an asswipe. He's a fucking pussy Travis, kick his ass. --“Give me my fucking badge,” he shouted. “Bite me,” I said, and ended the call. I put my phone away, determined to enjoy myself tonight.-- What a freaking, immature asswipe, not just an ordinary asswipe. Travis's badge is his, not Will's.

Will "leave me the fuck alone, get out of my life" Schluter isn't overthinking it, he has the same control gene as his father and he lacks self awareness about it. Zach should be dead. Travis is a saint for having to deal with Will. JJ should be in control of his assets now, or at least enough to tell Brad to pound sand. Brad may manage them, but unless there are special covenants, JJ is in control of them. Will needs to ignore Zach and focus on Travis and never mention what's her name. Time will heal it or not. Not Will's place to decide what is good for Travis.

Isn't Will some six foot something stud? How does this Gills get the better of him? I understand the sneak initial hit, but then Will should have been able to put a beat on the guy.

Will is just a shit stirrer. He's going to wind up on the banned list from every international sports organization. 🤣🤣

Cultured and vulgar are not opposite ends of some spectrum. I know many very vulgar, cultured people.

"Sometimes I felt that I was living my life in a novel written by someone who was determined to torture me." Funniest line ever. Hotel space was hard to get in Athens. We stayed on a friend's yacht in the harbor and helped out with the water polo and swim venues.

"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." 1 Thessalonians 5:3 Here Endeth The Lesson.

"Wedgewood wasn’t the best porcelain" Bite your tongue. It is. Well it or Royal Copenhagen with a bronze medal to Limoges. When it comes to watches, I've always been a Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantin person. They are functional and simple, without being gaudy. I love my Rolex Submariner, it is my everyday watch, but none of them keep as good time or have more practical applications (stop watch, alarm, split watch) than my $25 Casio. I hope JJ isn't moving too fast. Rebound things don't usually work. The flip side is, if I met someone I really liked, I wouldn't let the timing of a breakup interfere with what might be a good thing. Is anyone trying to kill Brad, Will or Stef currently? I don't remember.

"Maybe with all of my insecurities and weird quirks people didn’t want to be around me" Well no shit Sherlock..... "If he loved me, he would have found a way to be in New York with me, instead of ending up in fucking Connecticut" Here is JJ's complete lack of self awareness. Doors swing both ways, if he loved Carullo he would have blah blah blah. He is completely unaware that he should have TALKED to John, TOLD him he loved him and wanted to BE TOGETHER and then figured it out. PS not to be crude, but has JJ's endowment been discussed? Not the endowment invested in stocks and bonds, but the 'endowment' that has made Brad and Will so popular.....

The beauty of a Mark Arbour story is how multidimensional a character can be. A Dustin served his role in the story and is used to portray something the author wants to address. In the case of Kris, we are not seeing a one dimensional character, the shallow club player, but someone who's life journey has shaped them. I am guessing we are seeing the multidimensional parts of Kris, because he will play a bigger role in the story moving forward. It is also nice seeing JJ a bit more introspective. I'd like to see bits of the old JJ emerge, as I said earlier. That sweet kid is still there someplace, just buried under a lot of junk and possibly physical ailments.

I am the same person pretty much, I didn't flip into a person 180 from what I was.

JJ would be a lot better off and happier, if he did. He and John could have fostered kids and become dads. He find a life with some purpose.

I miss cute, sweet JJ pre-skating.

Will is nothing like a narcissist. He is just an asshole. A typical born rich asshole. Waimea in August is flatter than an 11yo gymnast. Should have gone to the Wedge in Newport.

Leona Helmsley's only son died 25 years before she did.