MJ85

You say that writing for you is an escape...what about when the writing is a problem? What would your "escape" be then? If you don't have one in that scenario...this may be the time to get one. Crazy...but who knows? It might just help.

Darius I could see as a good bet unless a compelling reason not to go gets dropped in his lap.

I don't think that's the only thing. That factors in in a big way, yes, but I have to think there's another big part of it that has nothing to do with Matt at all. In any case, should Brad bring up the "open relationship" pitfall, I think that'd be a conversation that needs telling to the both of them - but then again, it doesn't seem likely that Matt would listen to a word from Brad. While we're at it, though, the whole entire relationship "saga" (if one wants to call it that) between them now seems so stilted for this entire story in retrospect, mostly because Matt's initial "guy on the side" turned out to be a plant, supplied by Elizabeth. Suppose she hadn't set the proverbial Pandora's Box in motion?

I dunno...I get a vibe that somebody would have to really, really, want to join up for it in order to end up going over. How prevalent was it in your neck of the woods? If anything, it was the stream of reports of young guys dying over there...that, is something that, sadly, seems more believable.

And then... sometime along the way he'll turn up dead somewhere stationed overseas, because that'd be pretty of-the-times too...right? Or would that just be some peoples' wishful thinking?

I sense at least one chapter of backtracking...ish...to get a better look at that before continuing on from where we are now. I get the feeling that a LOT will be said/revealed from that.

So...did the tearjerker get moved, or was that referring to the Great Hall Christmas surprise all along? Deceiving the readers is a downright UN-classy thing.

Suuuuuuuuuuuure he is. That news about the USC case is interesting though, got a good article on that for the football thread?

I could totally see Will going to some school that's not Stanford, just for that reason...especially if (or maybe I should say when) he completely splits with Tony, and the split is ugly. Maybe he'd go there anyway...but I could see the "free spirit" side of him really want to go somewhere else, and if that's the case, then only Tony would be the overriding reason to stay put. Who wants to lay odds on them still being together (in any sense) by that point?

Who says they don't? You make it sound like such an obligation... Studying abroad? Nope, never did it - though for me the main issue was one that no Danfield or Schluter/Crampton/Hayes will ever have as an obstacle - $$$$$. Volunteering? I pledged a service fraternity my first semester, and stayed an Active brother my entire undergrad.

Eh...none of those do anything for me.

I'm split as to whether this is most fitting for Micha'el or whether he just deserves to die, but for Gabri'el there could not be a more fitting punishment.

I haven't heard anything either way, but going into the game, I had a feeling that San Fran would react with riots afterward regardless, be it win, lose, or draw.

Much of this (though not all of it), I can relate to. I was one of those guys who was chaste in high school. Between what happened to me when I was 8, and my own confusion over being gay (I didn't begin to come out until after graduation), though, is that really such a surprise? The lack of bonds with strong male figures in my life, oh yes, I have that too. My parents separated...I think it was sometime in 1990, but I know for sure that their divorce was finalized in 1992. I lived with my mother, who's never re-married - it would be years before she even "dated" again, if you want to call it that. I still have memories of my aunt and uncle arguing from time to time, as well as my grandparents (these being my next closest relatives) - in both cases these would often end with the males storming off, leaving the women as "stronger" figures. That's not to say that both couples had rocky marriages as I grew up, but...these things happened. (And for what it's worth, my uncle passed away early in 2005.)

I dunno about this. I feel like a "third-person" gimmick could wear thin if the story goes very long like this one or Millennium. And honestly, it seems kind of pointless if it's just a third-person version of what is otherwise mainly one person's or two people's story (i.e. if the primary focus is on one or two). Or, if the story starts out with a broader look at the family only to then shift focus to primarily one or two and stays there. If the story's not nearly as long, then...maybe. (The Box did change things up, yes, but that was also a 50-some-year leap backward for the bulk of it.) Not quite saying "don't do it", but...I'm skeptical as to if third-person would work. It would seem like quite a bit more work to pull it off right. That said, casting the day of in third-person at least is very well worth the opportunity.

I for one would prefer to see a "story" change before we hit 9-11 at least. This is not Circumnavigation, nor should it be!

The Book Club was unveiled last month on the 7th, and the discussion took place three weeks later on the 28th. Today is the 4th. The February discussion date of the 25th is...well... Just saying.

While I know what most kitchen appliances are, as far as actually cooking with them goes... ummm...... **points in the direction of the microwave**

Sports Illustrated Features Gay Kiss in its Super Bowl Preview Issue

Fun fact: Jean-Claude Van Damme turned down the part of Mortal Kombat's Johnny Cage, in order to do Street Fighter. Incidentally, Mortal Kombat also ended up out-grossing Street Fighter at the box office. Oopsie. Super Mario Bros. has maybe one redeeming quality if nothing else: John Leguizamo in the desert. While Mortal Kombat makes the "good" list, its sequel Annihilation would likely make a lot of people's "bad" lists due to the mess they made of the storyline.

Indeed, and you've come dangerously close to crossing that line as of late.

Soooo...... Next chapter is supposed to be the big tearjerker. And, we're not supposed to expect the direction that things are going. And, they're headed to go see Jeanine next. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

This. What if..."one of those kids"...turns out to be...?

I would prefer to agree with you on this - but the reason that I can't, is that from a logical perspective, the thing that I find very hard to just overlook is any case like the six years of abuse that Wade had to put up with. It's very hard to consider him a "virgin" at the point where he and Matt got together, after having had all that abuse before then. Emotionally...on a certain level, I want to agree with you. But...I'm having trouble understanding just how it would make sense for someone who goes through like what Wade did. That's even before considering the idea that "virginity" is something that's even more of a complex concept for gay men.

Exactly. There's no direct blood-line...so what's the deal? But see...one of the reasons I do find it so odd is because...it happened to me as well. I cannot imagine ever wanting to hook up with anyone like the person who molested me. (That said, it was my then-babysitter, a girl no less, who did it, so...yeah.) I could imagine it, if it was a feeling that sort of lingered after his abuse finally ended...but where do we ever learn that it did? If anything, it's seemed to be the opposite. For such a feeling to suddenly flare up because suddenly two years later he got to fulfill a fantasy that in the process flipped this switch inside of him...that one's a head-scratcher. In any case, though, for Wade to dump Matt for Brad would require not only Robbie to end up out of the picture, but also for Wade to decide that his and Matt's re-affirmation of how much they love each other would now be less desirable than what he could get with Brad. That's quite a bit of maneuvering that would have to fall in to place there...