September 21, 2002
Honolulu
Zach
We’d ended up beating St. Louis High 31 to 21, which should have been a major rush for me, but it wasn’t. My ankle was fucked up again, and I hadn’t been able to play for the rest of the game. It was agonizing to watch the game, this major contest that I’d been looking forward to for damn near my entire life, and not be able to play. Every roar from the crowd, every success or failure, was sheer agony. Gehrlich had come over and trie
September 20, 2002
Boston
JJ
We sat in the limousine, stuck in traffic as everyone tried to exit Fleet Center at the same time. I was usually able to insulate my life from the masses, but during these public events, sometimes you just had to sit back and deal. I briefly fantasized about how nice it would be to have an expensive express exit that most people couldn’t afford. I glanced over at the car next to us, and saw an obese couple singing loudly with their
I'd like to say that Westie is incredible, but that would be an understatement.
Focusing on the purser's margin for profit, it is interesting to reflect back to the Spithead Mutiny, where one of the major complaints was that the purser was taking two ounces out of every pound of meat...hence the term "the purser's pound", which was 14 ounces. For the sailors, it must have seemed incredibly unfair, but to the pursers, I suspect having that eliminated seriously impacted the profitability of their jobs.
Welcome back! You have been missed.
I'll comment on Alex below, but I think you're being a bit unfair to Will. We've seen a pretty pronounced change in Zach, and part of that is him actually falling in love. Will's feelings for Zach are just as strong, so even while he's self-absorbed, he does try to go out of his way to prop Zach up, and to show him that he loves Zach. I think he's genuinely trying to be a good boyfriend.
And it's always great to hear from you as well! I think your last paragraph sums up the quandary any member of the family will be in if they try to warn JJ about Alex. I wonder if Alex doesn't seem a bit off-putting because he tends to be like a pinball, bumping from guy to guy.
Great review!
I think the car thing probably isn't a huge deal since Zach lives relatively far from school, and it doesn't sound like he socializes with his friends enough for them to hang out and spot Will's Ferrari, but you never know.
I like that you saw JJ's perspective on this thing with Alex. Everyone is freaking out about what a scumball Alex is, but he seems to really help JJ out.
Thanks for the review.
How is it that Frank is the only one who turned out well? I think that's the cycle that people/families get into, which is why there is so little social mobility in the US. They grow up in abusive or failed households...and then we expect them to turn out to be wonderful. It happens, but rarely, which is why Frank is unique.
Glad you liked the chapter.
It makes sense that the freedom that driving provides would be more important to Will than most, Ferrari or not. His driving motivation has been to be independent, and this would seem to be the final major piece that's missing.
I'm glad I was able to help you out on your birthday!
I think that Matt paid the bill, but just said the cash to go to Sydney was from both of them...not that it matters overmuch.
Late to the party, but hopefully it's a fashionable kind of late.
I hope you have a great birthday! If you went out for dinner, let me know where. If it's good, I'll check it out!
September 17, 2002
Atherton, CA
Will
I went up to the office and signed myself out, since I was leaving school early. My last class was study hall, and that was just an opportunity to do homework. After the nightmare that was 9-11, the school and my teachers had really been easy on me when it came to absences. It was like there was an unwritten deal between us: as long as I kept my grades up and did well, they didn’t bust my ass about being gone. Of course it to
I laughed pretty hard at this one, but I think that Alex and JJ actually do have some things in common. We'll see those as the story progresses. But your read on JJ was pretty spot-on.
Thanks Michael...that was pretty funny. With JJ's genetics, calm, impassioned, and asexual behavior is pretty unlikely. :-)
I think that Alex has a powerful and influential family such that he really doesn't have to worry about Brad's vengeful behavior, especially if he's in the UK.
I think that Brad wants a relationship, but as soon as it starts to get a little intense, he backs off. There are probably a number of reasons for that, but I think there are two that are the most pressing:1. He knows he isn't really ready for that level of commitment yet.
2. He really doesn't want to hurt someone he cares about. I suspect that after all the pain he's endured, he's reluctant to inflict hurt on someone else.
Thank Kitt! You're right about the seduction part...this is incredibly slow in CAP terms.
I think it's entirely likely that Alex will ultimately dump JJ for a woman, but right now, I think JJ is acting more like the hunter/predator than Alex.
An Easter Egg eh...never really thought about that. The reason that's hard to do is that I really haven't figured out how Granger's career will ultimately turn out, so if I dropped an Easter Egg about that, I'd have to then work to make sure I actually wrote that in.
You are hilarious!
I think your comments about Alex are interesting, especially when we consider that he really hasn't done anything wrong. Still, there's this feeling there that he is something of a cretin, even if there's no real reason to feel that way.