Kitt

I am glad I am not the only one wondering about Wade's youngest brother. I suppose after the way he was raised the loss of his father may not have been the life changing event it was for Will, Matt or Wade, but it has to have had some effect. We saw Wade make overtures to step in and be part of the boys life, then no mention now for the longest time. I can't help but wonder if this is something Mark intends to address in the next book.

And that is what those playground bullies Aditus was talking about have LEARNED. The were not born intolerant, they got their intolerant views from parents, older siblings, and the children they hang out with.

I think what the world needs is more open minded.....everyone!

I see JP's retirement as giving him time to do the research he has always had to steal time to do, write more books,(Don't forget he IS a published historian) and to do the lecture tour thing at his own pace. I don't see him getting bored and failing to continue living, which in my opinion is what happens to those that retire and then pass on shortly there after. They lose the will to live.

Unfortunately those kids were taught to hate. They didn't just adopt that opinion out of the blue. Hatred is a powerful emotion that usually hurts the hater more than the object of hatred. I truly feel sorry for the homophobic who will never get to know some of the wonderful people I have met that happen to be gay. It really is their loss!

Gang - if we stopped eating everything that "has a cute little face" we would ALL be vegans. I am a carnivore! What was that saying that was so popular among the university set recently? Sorry- not sorry.

old restaurant trick - buy the clams a day early and put em in cold water with pulverized oatmeal. They eat the oatmeal, expell the sand and voila - no more grit

Ok - now I don't want the chicken I have defrosted for supper - I want to make a run to the waterfront and get clams for chowder!

For some it may be a health issue, cutting red meat due to cholesterol or digestive issues. For others its more of a moral thing, and there are degrees there as well. Vegetarians will sometimes eat eggs and milk products as no creatures are killed to obtain them. Still others go with no animal products at all. Vegans need to be very careful about supplementing their diets properly. It is conceivable that a vegan can eat till he/she is stuffed full 4 meals a day and still starve to death as they don't get enough essential oils and fats in their diets.

Damn well told and exactly why I had an issue with Wally and Barry trying to prevent the European trip with JP. While Mark did not talk about the research and what his intern would be doing, he is after all an academic and I am quite sure he had Zach spending at least some time helping with the research and preservation of those letters in Bridgemont. That sort of thing goes a long way on someones resume when applying at universities. While football may be the main focus, unless it is one of the Uni's that coddles the players and nurses them through the academics, I would like to think that an actual education is important to most schools.

Woo Hoo - The stress of the show is done, things get more relaxed, and now it's your birthday! Have a wonderful, fantastic, super, ( very good ) Day!

LOL you are right Mike! Brad does need to make up his mind! Being consistent is the only way not to have a teenager play you against yourself!

Well B1ue, I apologize for sounding like a parent rather than a teenager, but I suppose we can blame that on me BEING a parent of a now 23 yr old young lady who grew up with an open mind and a decent set of values. I can understand a teenager thinking the way you have described, but only initially, during the "toss a fit" period that usually happens after a severe curtailment like not letting him compete in Germany would be. For the most part by the time most of the teen's I have dealt with over the years have reached 16 or 17 they have developed the ability to eventually calm down and think things through. Granted there are always the extreme cases where they fly off the handle and just keep on flying, but that happens less than you might imagine. As for Will's opinions changing prior to having the sex talks with any of his own children - I would be shocked indeed if he managed to live for 15 years or more without his opinions changing. Life is about change, most of us strive to change for the better, some change for the worse, but seldom does anyone remain completely static. Who knows what Will's opinions will be when the time comes? I simply voiced my opinion on the picture that came to my head when Bucket brought up the idea of Will doing the sex talk thing.

Love seafood in any and every form! Steamed, fried, boiled,grilled - I don't think I have found a way to serve shellfish that I didn't care for. My favorite lobster restaurant is not even inside a building, it is a barge on a Massachusetts back water that you get to down a very steep flight of wooden stairs. The lobster boats pull right up to replenish the barges live holding tanks, you choose your meal from the tanks and they take them into the kitchen at the other end of the barge to cook 'em. The center of the barge deck is covered with picnic tables, and if they do not sell something you are more than welcome to bring it with you. I have been to BYOB restaurants before, but this was the first time I had ever been to an eating establishment that was bring your own potato salad!

Oh, I can SO see the embarrassed look on Will's face, 30 something and trying to explain to his son why promiscuity is not a good thing and getting caught in the "do as I say not as I did" position! Could conceivably be the first time in his life Will would be at a loss for words!

That is sort of the reason for Brad's decisions - now JJ needs to think long and hard - does he want to be a diva and get everything his own way, walking over other peoples lives in the process, or does he want to do things Brad's way and preserve his career? Granted the stakes are higher here than the usual teenager getting grounded, but then, the Cramptons/Schulters all play for high stakes all the time. I can say with assurance, had I ever demanded things the way the Schulter boys do, my parents would have shut me down instantaneously. Had I tried to blackmail someone emotionally the way JJ did with Wade and keeping Reilly in Malibu, it would have been a very cold day in hell before i saw the outside of the house again.

Woo Hoo! I have been waiting for that announcement since the threesome on the first trip to Boston! Can't help but wonder how Matt will handle it if he is the daddy! He hasn't seemed to consider himself one of Reilly's parents before now. Perhaps having a munchkin of his own will change how he looks at Wade's son and Maddy. That false positive is something Matt should be keeping in mind for the rest of his life. Not only should it serve to increase his care when meeting new people, it should also be an impetus for him to be more vigilant on his health in general. He has had some wicked turns in the past, and it always seems that people with the "out of left field" illnesses get much more than their share of health curve balls. And three cheers for Brad! JJ needed to be brought up short. Emotional blackmail and threatening to keep Wade and Reilly apart because he was mad that the house wasn't to his standards is so much BS. Every time I read something about it i wanted to turn JJ over my knee! As usual, a fantastic chapter, and a fantastic way to start my weekend! Thank you.

LMAO ! While the feelings might go that way I am not sure the British Aristocracy is ready for a gay marriage and surrogacy in 2002!

For fear of putting ideas in Marks head? LOL While I appreciate where you are coming from, (I think an LTR with Alex would flop on its proverbial face) I am quite sure Mark already has his plans in place on this subject. We just need to be patient, keep reading, and find a way not to bite our fingernails down to the quick!

I get to tell em I not only do I know someone famous but I own one of his original and unique works of art!

Gary brings up an interesting point, and I feel it applies to ALL couples, not just gay couples. Back in the 80's when my husband proposed to me we had been dating - exclusively - for more than a year. We hadn't SAID to each other that we were exclusive, it just sort of happened. I asked him why he never asked me to "go steady" as they said back when i was in high school. He seemed to think it was sort of useless since neither of us had any desire to wander. When we set a wedding date more than a year out from our engagement date, everyone asked "Why so long?" LOL ANYONE that has ever tried to pull a wedding suitable to make the mother of the bride happy in less than a year will understand. My stock answer became "Whats a year when we plan the rest of our lives together?"

I have to agree with every word Joann said!

While it did take several LTR's each and the better part of 30 years, JP and Stef have settled down to a basically monogamous relationship. They do once in a while play with someone new - but for the most part it is each other they prefer. Stef may have been flirting outrageously with people around him, but how many has he actually had physical relations with lately?

As I recall, yes he did offer to stop sleeping around but it was obvious during the conversation it would not be from a desire to only be with Wade, it was because that is what he thought Wade wanted. Wade turned it down because he knew it would not have worked back then, and most certainly would have caused many more problems in the relationship than the extra curricular activities did. Things have changed in all the characters since then. Perhaps now Matt is ready for a one on one committed relationship. Unfortunately just now Wade does not seem to be.

Sure there is! Try watching a horseback riding lesson where the rider still hasn't caught on to posting on the correct diagonal after more than a year of lessons!