Mark Arbour

Happy Birthday Myr! May birthdays are the best.

My experience suggests that the laid back attitude you refer to vanishes when a Californian gets behind the wheel.

Some thoughts: Ten lane freeways (not expressways) are not daunting, they just give you more opportunities to go faster. Finding the speediest lane...now that's a challenge. In my experience, California drivers are not more aggressive than those on the east coast, but they do tend to drive faster. A friend of mine was talking about Dallas traffic to a resident of that metropolis, complaining about drivers not letting another driver into their lane. The Texan's response was: "You want in my lane, you have to earn it." Slowing down and blocking traffic in one lane while you try to get the balls to transition into another lane isn't going to cut it. I've found that to be true in California, and the east. And then there's my most hated driving taboo: assholes who get in the fast lane and go slow. They're everywhere, but I've never encountered more of them than I have in Florida. That place is insane, with old people in their Buicks doing 55mph in the fast lane, and younger guys in their pick-ups weaving around them going 75.

I'm glad you liked it. And I think you summed up Matt's situation pretty well. He's closing one door, and opening another, only he's doing it in a rather strange way. He walks into a room and closes the door, then opens it up and goes back into the other room. Then repeats it again.

Maarten, Thanks for the review. You make a good point about the school, but I can understand where the others are coming from. They simply see the old high school as a building that can be repurposed. To them, it must seem awfully wasteful to get rid of something that could benefit the city.

You think things are resolving? I'm not so sure about that. I've already got 10 more chapters roughed out. ;-)

The first Harry Potter movie was released in November, 2001. I have to believe that the bulk of the box office revenue (and the projections for additional royalties) were obvious by June, 2002. In a similar way, Lord of the Rings was released in December, 2001.

I think Jeremy should move out West and live with you for a couple of years.

Thanks for another great review! I think they certainly could have kept Anders-Hayes in their portfolio, but I think it's something that requires a bit more hands-on management than any of them can provide right now...much as you noted.

I think you're right, but I wouldn't term it so much as a 'goodbye' as a closure.

Well then I will thank you too!

I'm glad I made you feel good! I'm sure I'll mess you up again, somewhere over the course of the next chapters. And even if I don't, it's kind of nice to have a run of happiness after the 9.11 story.

Nah. Everything is just fine. Relax. (Insert evil laugh). Regardless of what comes next, I think the family is finally coping with their grief post-9-11.

I love how you say you're at a loss for commentary, then post one of the longer reviews. A big grin for that one! To address some of your points...Will isn't going to butt into Matt's situation with Cam and Josh for a couple of reasons. The first is that he really hates it when people do that to him, and the second is that he probably trusts Matt to do the right thing at this point. Matt and Cam really didn't have much time to talk, so maybe during their next conversation more will come out. Brad is a venture capitalist, so it's his job to look at the numbers. Keep in mind, though, that when valuing a company, they do projections based on what the company is planning to do, so it's not like they're making those decisions in the dark.

Thanks Tim. The museum opening wasn't even on my radar until after I posted the chapter, so it was a lucky coincidence. I'm lucky if I can think of these guys two CAP years out, much less 13.

Thanks Gary. I think that what you're saying about Matt makes a lot of sense. I don't think it's reasonable that Matt would lose his father, his partner, and go through the trauma he did (even if it was partially self-inflicted, and then on top of it, GRADUATE, without incurring some personal growth, or at least personal changes.

I can't believe you weren't satisfied. I usually don't get that complaint. (SMILE). Seriously, this whole thing is a process, and it's hard to make all the chapters unique episodes with a tidy ending. That's the real reason we have cliffhangers...when there's just too much to cover in one chapter.

Thanks Miles. I thought the gesture was a little over the top too, but it's the kind of thing that eccentric moguls do. I think you're right about the Matt that was an undergrad, but Matt's already changed quite a bit. Maybe this is part of his maturation process. I wonder how many people saw 'maturation' and thought it was 'masturbation"? LOL

Happy Birthday!

June 27, 2002 Chicago, IL Matt Time seemed to move in slow motion as I stared at the guy in front of me. I hadn’t seen Cam Heely in over four years. He was the first guy I’d been with. His was the first dick I’d sucked, and he was the first guy to fuck me. He still had dark brown hair, but it was cut much shorter now, and that made him look prettier, ironically enough. That was probably because of his really pointed, chiseled features, the ones that made him seem almost

Good point. It's always easier (and less painful) to believe the boyfriend (or girlfriend) than the person ratting them out. I think that Matt would ultimately feel obliged to tell Cam, if only because he feels so guilty for hurting Cam back in high school.

I agree with you, although I think it's a bit disingenuous to talk about "morals" as if they are a clearly agreed upon set up principles, when in fact they are a broad target. Your morals and my morals undoubtedly differ.

I'm saving the bus for JJ (winks at Sharon). :-)

Evidently, when you take a Californian and put him in Missouri for a couple decades, you get a guy who sounds like he's from Michigan.

The focus here is largely on LGBT issues, but the issues women are dealing with are pretty tough too. I heard this song on TV last night (don't remember if it was Fallon or Myers): I suppose I should tell you what this bitch is thinking You'll find me in the studio and not in the kitchen I won't be bragging 'bout my cars or talking 'bout my chains Don't need to shake my ass for you 'cause I've got a brain If I told you 'bout my sex life, you'd call me a slut When boys be talking about their bitches, no one's making a fuss There's a glass ceiling to break, uh-huh, there's money to make And now it's time to speed it up 'cause I can't move at this pace [bridge:] Sometimes it's hard to find the words to say I'll go ahead and say them anyway Forget your balls and grow a pair of tits [Chorus:] It's hard, it's hard, it's hard out here for a bitch It's hard for a bitch (for a bitch) for a bitch, It's hard It's hard out here for a bitch It's hard for a bitch (for a bitch) for a bitch, It's hard It's hard out here If you're not a size six, then you're not good looking Well, you better be rich, or be real good at cooking You should probably lose some weight 'cause we can't see your bones You should probably fix your face or you'll end up on your own Don't you want to have somebody who objectifies you? Have you thought about your butt? Who's gonna tear it in two? We've never had it so good, uh-huh, we're out of the woods And if you can't detect the sarcasm, you've misunderstood [bridge] [Chorus] A bitch, a bitch, a bitch, bitch, bitch [4x] Inequality promises that it's here to stay Always trust the injustice 'cause it's not going away Inequality promises that it's here to stay Always trust the injustice 'cause it's not going away