Mark Arbour

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

Happy Birthday!

Thanks everyone! I actually had a pretty dull birthday. I spent it grading. But I'll celebrate this weekend.

I'm not so sure about this. Cam was the first guy that Matt was with sexually, and the first guy he had feelings for (even if it wasn't love). I think that would make him a major character...at least to Matt.

Another great review. I snaughed when I read your response to Will's statement about Josh, because you're seeing things in black and white just like he is. I don't think there's a "right" answer here. I think that you have to judge people's performance based on the activity they're doing (within reason). It actually takes me back to the Lewinsky-Clinton deal, which is timely, since she's back in the news. Did Clinton's affair with her justify his impeachment? (And don't give me that crap about it being about they lying).

The guy is going to be running a gay club. You're wanting top-secret security clearance? (SMILE) I missed that detail (ChicagoPride). Can't get them all.

Thanks for a great review. "...is this natural progression or did the breakup with Wade set him on this course?" I think that losing someone you love, like Matt did, even if they still have a bond, can be one of the most life-changing things to happen. I have to believe that's had a big impact on Matt. "Does he have a gameplan in place or is he just going to let his life unfold?" Matt tends to have the larger issues planned out, but not the smaller ones, and not the romantic ones.

LOL. Sometimes shit takes a while to hit the fan!

Thanks Kitt. Sometimes I'll develop a character and they just don't work out at that point. That doesn't mean they won't work out later. ;-)

Thanks Miles! To be honest, I'm not sure where it's going to go, but I hope you're right!

That's too funny. I'll have to talk to Jeremy about getting some good cliffhanger music. :-) I'm sure Josh isn't very happy right about now.

Thanks! Cam was a compelling character in Bloodlines, so I thought it was time to check up on him. :-)

Thanks Maarten. There are three main points to this chapter: 1. To set up the relationship between Matt and Josh. 2. To show how Will and Matt are building their bond. 3. To introduce Cam Heely to the story.

Cam's facial reaction. I'm betting he was facially glacial. :-) Every once in a while I have to toss you a cliffhanger.

You won't have to read far...Cam's the guy Matt boards in the first chapter. :-)

We haven't seen Cam since "Bloodlines", so I thought it was time to find out what was going on with him. I can't see Matt keeping quiet about this; he has too close of a tie to Cam. I thought that if I was going to have a bar vignette, we might as well show the poor sap who gets taken advantage of.

June 24, 2002 Chicago, IL Matt “This place is pretty dead,” Will said, as we stood by the bar, drinking watered down cocktails. They were so bad; I was determined to switch to beer when I was done with this one. Not only that, they were freaking expensive. That would have been OK if there were people here, but it was seriously dull. There was this huge room with a big dance floor, and not many people. Not only that, but the few dudes that were here were pretty lame.

Do they not have dentures in Spain?

I'm so glad a chapter was able to cheer you up! Thanks for the review. I think that Matt living over the bar will prove to be an interesting experience for him...it has the potential to really derail him, or it has the potential to help him grow. We'll see which one happens.

Great review. I'm not sure if Matt truly realizes the gold mine that Google is at this point, but he's got to know it's worth some serious cash. In the meantime, the $15MM should help him get by. :-) Stef has been slowly grooming Will, not necessarily to take over the business or even work for him, but to understand how to interact and analyze projects. I'm thinking back to "Paternity", when Will was in the Anders-Hayes board meeting, and even though Stef had a different purpose, he encouraged Will to speak up and ask questions. We're not really seeing an obnoxious teen browbeating someone, we're seeing an apprentice learn from the master.

HAVE A GREAT BIRTHDAY!!!

Go Rams!