Mark Arbour

September 4, 2000 Malibu, CA Will School started tomorrow, my first day at Harvard-Westlake. I wasn’t nervous, but I was trying to be prepared. I laid out some clothes (some long baggy shorts and a T-shirt from Scott Slater’s surf shop) and decided that would be good enough. I went to my computer and checked my e-mails again to see if there was something from Tony, but there wasn’t. I’d refused to admit to myself how much his reaction, his rejection hurt me, even thou

Thanks to all of you who have sent me nice e-mails or posts on the forum. I'm doing really well, but I've been hella busy. That's pretty much why I needed to take a break. I'm hoping that my schedule eases up soon and it will allow me some time to actually write.

Well, your pic didn't show up, but your choice is excellent!

I've written all kinds of kink, from e-stim to fisting, but I don't think I can do Mormon. That's just too out there for me.

So what would you rather do: Change the world and live a life like Jobs, then die at 56. Or live the life of a drone until the ripe old age of 100?

Happy Birthday Paya. I love our mind melds.

Happy Birthday big guy!!

That's debatable. Thanks. People like the Hayes would be vulnerable to the bible-thumping fire-breathers like the Reverend White.

I don't have time to look it up right now, but in 1968 at Jeff's funeral, they were in some sort of church. That would be the Hayes' church. Fuck. I had to go and bring up Jeff's death.

Me too. Happy birthday Cammy!

I'm late to the party here, but my good wishes are not diminished as a result. Congrats guys! And welcome to the baby girl!

When I used the term "Brahmin", I wasn't thinking of Boston, but of the social caste. I can see where that may have been misleading. The Schluters were originally German, as I wrote of them in "The Box". They've been in America so long, though, that they're heritage is probably so broad that it may be hard to pin it to one nationality. Until, that is, we get to Stefan, who is half French.

I can't recommend this series highly enough. I first read "Beat to Quarters" when I was 12, and devoured the series after that. It is what drove me to love the era, and was the impetus for the Bridgemont Series.

Brad didn't know what Darius grades were? Did I write that?

I don't know that they let Darius "slide". It's not like you can be a total slouch and get into SCU. Darius, to me, is the ultimate party boy. He's smart, but not brilliant, and he's into having a good time and enjoying life. I think that he, probably more than his brothers, have interpreted what Tim was talking about. He knows there's no great pressures on him; he doesn't have to eat what he kills. So he can just go through life at his own pace.

Oh. That banging. I thought you meant I was dissing the guy.

"All that banging"? Well, there was that post, and then there was... I'll keep looking for all the other banging I've done.

Great wave. I thought about this, and while I get where you're coming from, Brad really never had money issues or worries. His issues/worries revolved around his psychotic mother. Claire and Ace didn't have worries either. But I agree that after a number of generations, it can be just assumed. JP didn't do that, but Brad and Claire did, and now Will and his brothers seem to do it completely.

Thanks. I was referring to Conner's less-than-tactful feedback. I've pondered that, only that makes 3 narrators in a story. That may be a bit much. That's a great idea, but the only problem is that I've done this story in the first person to make it a little more personal. I'm not sure how it would handle a switch to third person, especially at this point. Food for thought.

The problems aren't insurmountable, but I had to figure them out. My problem with where I'm at now really has nothing to do with whether Will and Gathan can be interesting, my problem is the sequencing of events. There are some events that I'd rather narrate through other eyes (Wade's, to be specific. Paya, you channeled my mind yet again!) while there are others that I want Will and Gathan to tackle. The problem is that they aren't sequential, in that some of the issues Wade would have to deal with would come BEFORE the issues that Will and Gathan are facing come up. That means that I can't just end PMS and start a new story, unless I include Will and Gathan in the new story as well. So I'm trying to figure that out, and I first did it by just musing about it, but I'm kind of at the point now where I'm banging a few things out to see what they look like. I'm taking my time to try to make sure we don't publish anymore "crap."

Who says it's his own story? Being poor involves more than not having money.

No, it could still be about who dies. But probably not.

Happy Birthday Steve!!!

That was what? 10 stories ago? Besides, I try not to repeat the same pattern.

Just because someone goes to a Catholic School, doesn't mean they're Catholic. The Carrswolds and the Danfields are Episcopalians, the staple religion of the American East Coast Brahmins.