Mark Arbour

I think that under extreme duress like this, it is possible for Matt to lose perspective like Robbie, but I think Matt learns and adapts from his mistakes better than Robbie did.

Thanks Miles. You're too funny. I'm not sure that it's fair to evaluate people based on how they act when they're at their lowest. What we're seeing here is desperation, and that leads to bad decisions.

Everyone (especially Will) seems to have forgotten that advice Tony got from the shrink. Sometimes it pays to listen to those guys. ;-) You're right about Wade being a good guide/role model for Will. Their personalities compliment each other, but I think the respect they have for each other is even more important.

I think we can say that. And I think Matt's behavior is already self-destructive. It seems appropriate that those two rocks of stoicism (Wade and JP) would be drafted to be the peace emissaries. :-)

I think that Matt's motives actually make a lot of sense in the context of his response to grief. He is systematically pushing the people he loves away from him. Subconsciously, he probably knew this was a good way to do it.

There's this problem with stereotypes: they're usually wrong. In this case, it's impossible to take a huge state like California and come up with some set descriptor. I lost touch with the culture of my home state in the early 2000's, when I stopped traveling as much and didn't get back to visit as much, but there were some stark differences then, and I'm sure they still exist, in some form or another, today. First of all, there was the great San Francisco-LA divide, with two very distinct cultures in those two metro areas. Add in the inland areas, like the lovely metropolises of Fresno, Stockton, and Bakersfield, not to mention the northern, pot-growing regions (Humboldt and Chico State), and you have a place much too diversified to make such broad sweeping generalizations. And that doesn't even start to take in the racial/cultural melting pot that is the whole state. See, and I usually think of Alf.

That's great news! I'll skip past all that personal, touchy-feely bullshit (Insert smiley) and get to the Wiki sight. I can't wait to see what you put together, and I can't wait to work my ass off trying to find any mistakes you made. (Insert additional smiley).

You have a blog. Use it.

October 31, 2001 Escorial “What a surprise to hear from you,” Mary Ellen said as she answered the phone. “Don’t bother to program my name into your phone. You probably won’t need to,” I said, only unlike the past, I was actually joking. She chuckled. “Too late,” she quipped. “So what do you want?” “You mean besides calling to wish you a Happy Halloween. I know this is your favorite holiday.” She laughed. “I can

This is just one of the reasons why hockey is the best sport.

There are similarities between Zach and Robbie, but there are a lot of differences. The same thing goes with Brad and Will. I don't think a long-term relationship is really viable for the two of them, at least not one that resembles the relationship Brad and Robbie had, since Zach can't be out of the closet.

That's an excellent point, and you're absolutely right. But the pain does become duller, and more manageable. Where do we go next? My objective for this story is to basically work through the near-term impacts of 9-11, and that means getting people through the immediate crisis. "Through" can mean a lot of different things.

I think you have some interesting surprises waiting for you in the next few chapters. ;-)

It's funny, but we're seeing Brad act more like a man now, and less like a twenty-something success story. How much of that is him maturing, and how much of that is due to him being alone, remains to be seen. Or maybe they're linked. I think that a few chapters ago, when Will wanted to rip Brad a new asshole but stopped himself, we saw the new dynamic between these two. There is a lot of love there, and they won't purposely turn on each other in that situation.

I am so glad I could give you some closure, along with Brad. I think that would be a terrible feeling in that situation, where you don't have a body, and the possibility exists that the other person isn't really dead. Even if Brad didn't think about it consciously, it had to plague his psyche. And thanks for your nice compliment. I dreaded writing this story for a while, because I knew this would be a pretty wrenching topic.

I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. It was time for us to visit Brad's brain. I'm not sure how Zach will take the diary (I haven't written that part yet), but I think it will end up being more of a curiosity to him, rather than a life-changing deal. He has his life charted out, and he knows the sacrifices he has to make. As long as he's healthy, nothings going to change that.

Thanks for the great review. One line really stands out: Two souls that click. I think that really does describe Zach and Will, at least at this point. Brad is a shrewd man. He sees Zach's influence on his son, who has been in extreme pain over his losses, and is probably elated that Zach has helped Will live again. That's going to turn out well for Zach, since now Brad will give him the benefit of the doubt.

Thanks Kody! I'm glad you got where Brad was, and I can certainly see him falling into a work-obsession trap. Right now, for all of them, that probably seems like a small price to pay for some peace of mind. And you're right about him not really being in the dating scene, but that's not why he's avoiding it. I think he knows he's damaged goods, and for someone like him, a rebound-based relationship could be a disaster he doesn't need. Zach and Will are good for each other, but whatever ends up happening between them, it's unlikely they'll learn lasting lessons from it. Because they're teenagers. ;-) Brad is probably sounding more like JP because he's getting older, and more sophisticated. Getting old sucks. :-(

I think that you are using the word "immature" a bit too broadly, and I'm really not following your point. Will is definitely obnoxious at times, but in this chapter anyway, I thought he acted very maturely. He sacrificed his evening with Zach (read: 15 year old forgoes sex) to head over to Manhattan (which would be pretty painful for him) because he's worried about his father. I'm not seeing the negatives there. And for the sake of accuracy, I'll point out that we never saw Brad at age 15. Be Rad kicked in when he was 17. JJ is a peripheral character in this story. He has his story lines, but they're not ubiquitous. This is the first story, in fact, where I've introduced him in a narrative capacity. I wouldn't expect too much from him in this story.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! :wizard:

I think him going back to NYC was either going to be a disaster, or an epiphany. Brad was due for some luck.

Thanks Kitt. I think Zach is making all the other guys pale in Will's mind.

Wow. Thanks. I don't quite know what else to say. Regarding Alistair and Ryan, my experience (and I'm pretty sure it's the norm) is that we go through life and have people who are important to us, but events or changes move us in different directions, and the friendship/relationship fades. That's where Will is with those two right now. They've all moved on. Now that's not to say they can't reconnect someday. ;-)

October 27, 2001 Tribeca, NYC “Are you sure you don’t want me to wait for you, Mr. Schluter?” the limo driver asked. “No, I’ll be fine,” I said. He looked worried. “I’ll just take a cab back when I’m done here.” The last thing I needed was the nagging feeling that I was keeping a limo driver waiting for me when I had no idea how long I’d be here. “Yes, sir,” he said, and drove off, leaving me in front of Jeanine’s condo building.

Nelson looked on while at the same time he whined and bitched to St. Vincent and the Admiralty about having Smith be sent to Acre and NOT be placed under his command. Nelson reminds me of one of our modern day divas, who are brilliant but temperamental and insecure.