PrivateTim

LOL. I like Jeff. You like all the asswipes; I like all the nice guys. 😁

I think JP was uncharacteristically asshole-ish in parts of this chapter. Neither one of his parents has even done anything that deserve his bitterness or uncharitable thoughts. I also think CAP would have been a much better story if Jeff Hayes were decapitated at the Mill in a horrible workplace accident in the next chapter..

Suck it up buttercup. The Cramptons are your parents plain and simple.

Oh I think no one is tortured than JP, but he brings a lot of the teasing onto himself. It is also notable that Stef has made his first altruistic gesture. In the years to come he will remember his youth, then his good fortune and be generous to a fault. But I DO remember what is coming up

It is always nice to have that classic Arbour prick tease at the end of a chapter, but when young Stefan said he had a friend at the Sorbonne, wouldn't it have been natural for John Paul to ask whom at that time? Sheridan Road is a place that always brings gladness to my heart having spent many a happy day jogging along next to the lake.

I don't know what everyone is yammering about. This Stefan kid seems like a pain in the ass. He'll probably never amount to anything! 🤣🤣😁

In later books we see this almost deified version of Andre. In this chapter he is just another CAP asshole whose dick and his own desires are more important than friendship.

It is funny how simple decisions have huge ripple effects. Would Mark even have written CAP if JP had been accepted at Brown or gone to Berkeley.... oh wait. 🤣 So many funny things in this in chapter like Brylcream. I never used hair products, other than saltwater, the CA beach boy version of hair products, but I remember a time when hair gel was all the rage with my friends who spiked their hair. And Rotten Groton, my grandfather did some time there so we stopped by on one of our family visits to the CT landmarks that were my family heritage. Lastly, I wonder why JP didn't apply to Columbia, that seemed like it would be a natural for him, or maybe Tulane, New Orleans was famous for its tolerance, even if the Deep South was not.

Vella was there, just as I’d hoped, with genuine warm hugs. There was no physical distance with Vella; she just grabbed you, pulled you in, and wrapped her arms around you. I think we need to do a DNA check on Vella. That description of Vella's hug sounds like the description of so many Hayes Hugs, especially Robbie. If she snaughs, the DNA test will be unnecessary Now, spraying to all fields on other thoughts that popped up. Rereading this story close to 20 years or so after I first read it is different. I see things not just from the perspective of someone older, but I see it in light of all the events that have transpired in that time and what has changed since 1962, at least in my understanding. The schools in Claremont were not segregated as a matter of policy, but based on geography. Sammy went to Claremont West, he wasn't made to go to East Claremont High, as would have been the case in true segregation. JP and Andre go to a bar. I believe in 1962 in Ohio that means people 18 and older would have been there. I've always wondered how weird it would have been to be a 19 year old in a state where you could drink legally and then all of a sudden you were banned from the bar until you hit 21. I think the changing of the drinking age, combined with the ending of the draft was the beginning of the infantilization of the American male. I don't know if mandatory national service, military or civilian is practical in a country the size of the U.S., but I think there would be huge benefits to 18 year olds who were not going to college to leave home for a year or two to mature and see more of the world. I think the lack of a military draft contributed to the general apathy about Gulf War II that so perturbed an older JP. JP, when he was at Harvard would have had to take mandatory ROTC classes and participate in ROTC drills. That doesn't mean that every Harvard student had to go into the military, but every Harvard student did have to have exposure to the U.S. military. In WWI and WWII the ranks of the U.S. military were full of Ivy League elites; something that I think is sadly missing today. Harvard has more Medal of Honor winners than any other university save West Point and Annapolis. The last point is how JP imagines his parents would react to having a gay son. That part reminds me so much of The Best Little Boy In The World, a book that had a huge impact on my life. I think many people in the 1960s and 70s were reacting as others around them reacted. It was the expected behavior, no one wanted to buck the system. The dichotomy was that they acted that way because they thought they didn't know anyone gay, but when it turned out they had a gay nephew, son, cousin, etc that changed. I can think of a notable figure in this story that that is true of, but they shall remain nameless so as to not be a spoiler.

Wow it is so easy to takes the conveniences we have for granted; things like smartphones so we can instantly connect with people, ATMs to get cash whenever we need it/want it and credit cards. There weren't answer machines or voicemail in 1962, so if someone wasn't home, there was no way to let them know you'd called. I think the BankAmericard was one of the few charge cards available in 1962. JP is 25 at this point and it seems so odd he is such a neophyte when it comes to gay sex; another thing we take for granted with the Internet and the ability to find partners and porn to your heart's content. In 1962 to get gay porn you'd have to go to a bookstore in a sleazy part of town and pay way too much for very tame stuff. Wild.

The "cop" was most likely a campus cop and in 1962 I don't think campus police departments are what they are today, modern professional police forces. I watch a TV show called Adam-12 sometimes, a cop show from the early 1970s I believe. The show was produced by Jack Webb of Dragnet fame and like Dragnet was made with the full cooperation and support of the LAPD so there was a great deal of authenticity about the show. What I find shocking is how primitive some of the police procedures seem compared to today. So maybe the campus cop would remember the face, but unlikely he'd gotten any ID or even a name yet. I just know if I was JP and Peter, I'd be finding a new place to hang out besides that bathroom. It also bothers me that JP didn't have enough rationality about him to realize he was hanging out by that bathroom too much. Once a restroom acquired a reputation, just being seen near it could have been enough to ruin a reputation. I was also disappointed that JP took the risks he did with Andre. It seems way out of character for JP to take such a risk.

I find it amazing that glory holes exist today. I get them in the 1960s when a lot of gay sex was anonymous, quick and impersonal and that was out of necessity and self preservation. But as gay rights and technology grew, why? Who wants sex in a place with the smells that Mark described. The lack of reviews is because when this story first appeared on GA, there weren't reviews and such. Most of the commentary happened in forums. I vaguely remember the old site. What is interesting in this first chapter is how people like John Paul and Soft Voice are risking utter ruin, but cannot contain their sexual drive, even though they know what exposure means. JP wasn't just a student, he was the scion of wealthy, powerful family, whose income derives from Crampton Construction. Think of Crampton like Kiewit Construction, a private construction company from Omaha. In 2020 Kiewit had income estimated at $10.8 billion. That kind of money brings a lot of power and prestige. It is always sad to read how life was for gay men in past generations.

I am about to reread this story, I think some 20 plus years after I first read it. I discovered GayAuthors.org because of Mark. I started by reading his Bridgemont series because I'd read a similar series by author Patrick O'Brian (one that omitted all the fornicating that surely happened in His Majesty's Navy). I was reluctant to read the Chronicles Of An Academic Predator because I found the title off putting. Did I really want to read about a predator? Apparently I did because I an now eagerly awaiting the 79th chapter of the 17th book of the Chronicles Of An Academic Predator series. Mark is such a talented writer because he has made me love and care about these people, JP and his partners and children and now grandchildren. It is funny how angry and perturbed I can be at a fictional character, but I suppose that is the point. They don't feel fictional, they feel like real friends or family members. I'd encourage anyone looking for a great read with characters who are real and relatable, with tremendous insights on life and how events, both external and internal, can shape us, to embark on this adventure with JP Crampton and the Schluter families. You will not be disappointed and you have 16 more books after this to answer the question, 'I wonder what happened to (fill in blank with favorite character from a favorite book) after this'. With the CAP series you get to find out what happens to the characters as you follow them over a 42 year span and counting.

This is my second time through Bloodlines, Carullo is destined to have many happy endings with this clan 🤣😁 Because this story transitioned from the old GA site to this one, you can't tell how long it was to write the story, but it was certainly over the course of many months of hard labor by Mark and his team. I am truly grateful for this labor of love that has been ongoing for at least 20 years now as we wait for the 79th chapter of Gap Year, not to mention all the effort and time of the Bridgemont series too. I am truly amazed Mark can keep all these people in his head straight. The most fun thing about the serialization of the stories for me, as an avid reader, especially with a mix of fiction, historical fiction and real histories, is to interact with the author and get to discuss the characters. I don't know to what extent Mark changes direction in a story or character based on feedback, but I know he takes the feedback serious. I would love to have been able to interact with Patrick O Brian as he wrote his version of the Bridgemont series or Alexander McCall Smith in his many series that I have enjoyed. So it is a privilege to have that opportunity with Mark, Jeremy, Sharon and all those who make these wonderful stories happen and make them so real that we actually shed tears over them. Even though we have not moved far in CAP time, just 5 years from the end of this story to where Gap Year is now so much has happened with Matt, Wade and now Will and JJ, now that they are old enough to narrate. I'll say again how grateful I am to Mark for bringing such pleasure to me and his many devoted readers.

It is great that Matt is in a good place with his parents and that his parents have his back too. I wonder if they've had any financial discussions, given Matt new credit cards, etc. I like also that Senator Danfield is reaching out to Wade. If Wade is feeling all alone, I think eventually he'll figure out how alone his father feels.

One of the top ten chapters in CAP, past and present. It all rings so true with what we know about that kind of behavior. I know Wade will forgive him, because he is smart enough to know that hanging on to hate and bitterness harms the person who harbors the feeling, not the person they are directed at.

How would Whist even know Brian? I know college GLB clubs have drama and thrive on it, but it's like this is North and South Korea having a meeting.

I like the tension is the Club. I remember having a neighbor I went to high school with; she was all into Save The Whales, No Nukes, blah blah blah, but when she finished eating at school, instead of throwing away her own garbage, she'd get up and walk away. She wanted to end worldwide pollution, but wouldn't take the simplest of jobs to end pollution in our own school.

Professor Whist always sounded like a character from Clue to me as in Professor Whist with a candlestick in the ballroom. I am glad Matt's parents have some round to reconciliation.

Nice to see the start of the JP and Wade connection. People talk about Matt being a lot like Brad, but I think Matt is Stef minus the fashion sense.

I've always thought Stanfurd's football players were fags, so it's nice to have Carullo confirm it 🤣 Actually, I really like John and I am so glad he has stayed in the CAP universe.

Second time through, so I can't say anything that isn't spoiler, other than I love Elizabeth Danfield. She has taught her boy well. Here is a picture of her from the Stanford Daily, the day she visited Wade.

"I figured I'd just leave it alone for a while. But when he did that, when he voted to impeach, he took off the gloves.” I am so disappointed in Team Arbour. How did no one catch that Bill Clinton was indeed impeached. Impeachment is handled by the House of Representatives. They impeached Bill Clinton on December 19, 1998. The Senate holds the actual trial to vote on Removal from Office. If the impeached president is found guilty of the impeachment charges by a two thirds majority, he is removed. The vote in the Senate never approached the needed 67 votes and the Republican Senator from Virginia voted Not Guilty on perjury and Guilty on obstruction of justice.

I think Matt was a dickhead this entire chapter. Since when is an 18 year old a good judge of what another 18 year old, victim of incestual sex abuse needs to "heal"? I am betting most psychiatrists/psychologists would not recommend a threeway/fourway gay sexual encounter as the first line of therapy, four days after the exposure of the abuse. That seems like a fucked up 18 year old wanting his cake and wanting to eat it too. I also think the country club scene was petty, middle schoolish (not mature enough to be sophomoric) and bad for the gay community in reinforcing all kinds of stereotypes. The kind of things he and Lou were doing would have been inappropriate if a straight couple were doing it. Matt and Lou could have had a nice dinner, held hands and and lots of other subtle clues, including introducing Lou to Chad as his boyfriend and still set tongues wagging.

The impeachment did not fail, Bill Clinton was impeached by the House. What failed was removal from office in the U.S. Senate, where you needed 67 votes for removal from office and they never got close to that. They couldn't get more than 50 votes for removal, even though Clinton was guilty, the majority didn't think lying to a grand jury was reason enough to remove a president from office. Matt was brave, but Matt was also holding a Royal Flush against a man with a pair of Jacks. I think part his dialogue was fueled by his own rage at his parents for how they had treated him. I'm sorry Beau didn't go to CA. He is a character I would have liked to see more of, but I understand there are already too many characters and Mary Ellen was the one more interesting for other storylines.