methodwriter85

I'm pretty sure a recommendation from Stefan would have been a major plus for someone trying to go to Chicago. Right. In any event, I still think Zach and Will's attitudes and unwillingness to be a team player more than anything else would have kept them out of the military, forget DADT.

You do realize that Matt is not just openly gay, but his romance with Wade has been broadcasted in tabloids since 1999, right? It would be like if 1990's Chad Allen post-outing tried to join the DADT army. There's no way it could happen because you can't really turn a blind eye to it.

I totally forgot that Matt being openly gay would prevent him from being in the military. It's funny how it's only been legal for two years or so, and I've forgotten that it even used to be an issue. It's like when Brad and Robbie had the conversation about how there was no place in the world where gay men could get married, in late 1999/early 2000, which was true and seems crazy in retrospect. I can't see Zach in the military for the same reason I could never see Will in the military- they're too fiercely individual, and not really a team player. One of the crucial things about the military is breaking down the individual so that they reform and conform into a unit, and I can't see Zach ever doing that. He's too much of a lone wolf. In any event, Matt clearly never brought up future grad plans other than some vague stuff about him and Wade being together, so I can't blame Wade for making a clear-cut decision and going with it, with Matt either being with it or not.

I agree- I think the mid-part of the decade had the best music. I can't wait to use the Killers. I'm not thrilled with being stuck with 2002 music, but there's still some good stuff. Although damn, was Ashanti everywhere or what? The good thing is that the White Stripes are around now. 16. "Fell In Love With A Girl" by The White Stripes And the Strokes: 17. "Someday" by The Strokes I think the White Stripes and The Strokes had a massive influence on how rock music evolved for this decade, away from the post-grunge sound.

Justin Bieber's dad is only 38. If he was wearing backwards baseball caps, it was in 1990's style: Speaking of...I kinda wish Mark Wahlberg would take Justin Beiber under his wing and teach him how to go from bad boy teen idol into a respectable adult.

I really like that they look like actual teenagers, especially Augustus. Ansel Elgort was inspired casting- he very much reminds me of a teenaged guy, very bright and intelligent, who tries to say meaningful, deep things in an attempt to seem debonair and worldly, but he still pretty much just looks like a 17-year old boy, especially with that quirky face, lopsided grin and lanky body. It would have looked wrong if they had gotten some 25-year old conventional cookie cutter hunk in the part. I'm glad they didn't. (Glares again at the casting directors for The Giver.)

So it's November in CAP-World, and we're heading towards the year 2002. What were your songs for that year? Here's my '02 Playlist: 1. "Lose Yourself" by Eminem Come on, this isn't even a question. Clearly the best tune from that year. 2. "Your Body Is A Wonderland" by John Mayer I had a friend who was kind of an early adopter of John Mayer, so it was kinda cool to see when he broke out later that year with this song. The interesting thing about this song was that it wasn't a top 10 huge hit, but it stayed on the charts and in considerable radio play for at least an entire year after it came out- I remember still hearing this on the radio in late '03. 3. "Just Can't Get You Out Of My Head" by Kylie Minoque Just a great dance tune all around. What a nice comeback. 4. "Just Like A Pill" by Pink I remember thinking that this was the tune where Pink basically admitted that she didn't want to be a hip-hop artist and was more of a rocker. 5. "Only In New York" from Thoroughly Modern Millie I saw this on Broadway back in '02, and oh my god, I just fell in love with this song and the city of New York City. I think I had this soundtrack on endless repeat during the summer of 2002. Every time I hear this song, I picture myself wide-eyed, 16 years old, and absolutely in awe of Manhattan, which just seemed like a wonderful dream. 6. "Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous" by Good Charlotte Good Charlotte. I'm so embarrassed now to admit that I ever liked them. LOL. I think the last time I liked them was about the time they put out "Hold On"...which was like...'04? After that I just couldn't. 7. "Head-On Collision" by New Found Glory I loovvvveeeedddd Sticks and Stones, which I bought from Hot Topic. Oh my god, I loved this tune. 8. "Screaming Infidelities" by Dashboard Confessional Emo music. You've gotta love it. I remember when people would jam on this in a guitar. 9. "All the Things She Said" by TaTu Another guilty pleasure...we used to call it "that lesbian song" in 10th grade, and given that there were a lot of bisexual and/or lesbian girls at school(or girls who thought being bi was cool), it was kind of an anthem. I remember watching a queer retrospective called "Totally Gay!" where Melissa Etheridge thought that it was cool and progressive that blatantly exploiting lesbian imagery was being used to advance a music group. 10. "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne The Avril Lavigne look, i.e. looking like Hot Topic threw up all over you. Man, those were the days. I actually had a friend this song reminded me of, and I'd listen to it in my 10th grade angst and think of him. 11. "She Hates Me" by Puddle of Mudd 12. "Wasting My Time" by Default 13. "Oops, Oh My" by Tweet 14. "Hot In Here" by Nelly 15. "Hands Clean" by Alanis Morisette

I kinda think it would be good for them to separate and go to different schools in different cities...I don't think they were going to grow together, and I think if they split and get a chance to grow and evolve separate, if and when they get back together they'll know that they really are meant to be together.

It's interesting- he does have a bit of the Hayes self-destructive gene, but at the same time...we all have to remember that Matt doesn't have the baggage of growing up a Hayes in Claremont, where everyone sees those violet eyes and assumes that you're some some trashy alchoholic only good for playing football. And he is resillent- remember, this is a guy who survived slipping into a coma when he was 18. I do think Wade's frustrated because Matt made him a promise that they were going to be partners junior year, and it's a year later and he still has refused to grow up. Which is fine for a 21-year old, but Wade's in the head space that he wants to raise his son and he needs someone that can be a husband and secondary father, which so far Matt is showing that he's not ready for that yet. Matt doesn't even really seem to have any plans about where he's applying to grad school, and it's already November.

It's here- the movie trailer for the Fault in Our Stars! In case you guys don't know, the movie is the adaption of the best-seller by John Green, which follows a terminally ill cancer patient named Hazel, and her whirlwind romance with Augustus. You would think that you'd get a maudlin terminal illness novel, but it's not that at all- it's about two teenagers having a romance that is as funny and real as it as sad and tragic. As someone once put it, reading the novel was like having your heart shattered in a million pieces, but being glad for the privilege. I hope the movie can achieve that, as well as keep in John Green's wit and humor. In any event, this could be the movie that turns the former Secret Life of an American Teenager actress into a big star. I really hope the movie can be even half as good as the novel was.

If JJ moves to Boston, that means that he'll be competing against Johnny Weir at the 2002 Eastern Sectionals for a spot in the '03 U.S. Championship. Holy shit, the fur is going to fly. If Wade goes to Harvard for Law School as the class of 2005, I'm guessing then that he'll be the first one to discover FaceBook when it roles around in '03-'04. It's a damn shame that the Winklevoss twins don't look like Armie Hammer in real life. LOL. My vote is for Matt to wind up at U. of Chicago's fiance masters program. If there's anyone I want to see enjoying Boy's Town, it's Matt.

I think that what Blue's trying to say is that he thinks it's a stretch to say that Will is so family-focused, given that he's incapable of ever putting himself into an awkward position of being around a family member and being polite to them even though they're warring with each other. For example, Wade still has Elizabeth at family functions, even though he'd ban her if it didn't meaning breaching family conduct.That's what family obligations are, and so far the closest we've seen Will doing that was pretending that Matt doesn't exist instead of exploding at him at family dinner. I always kind of figured that given Robbie's interest in architecture, and the fact that this family does construction, Robbie probably helped out every once in awhile when they had renovations. The family sounds like they update their homes pretty regularly. I'd kind of like to see if Will could make French toast.

I think the kid is pretty attractive in that artsy, kinda effeminate way who may or may not be into heroin. You gotta remember that Yang Bang seems to like his guys to be generally of the "bro" type of beauty.

Active College Football Player Comes Out As Bisexual Good for him.

Matt, probably followed by JJ. Will and Darius are too much about family duty and honor for them to ever really run off and start a new life away from their family.

Well, yeah, that was implied there. Tebow can tell himself it doesn't count because there's no vagina. I think I'm rooting for Tebow to eventually end up with Manti Te'o. They'd be one hell of a cute Christian fanatic couple who tell everybody that they're "lifelong roommates."

Parker Young is hot. That's pretty much about it.

It'd be funny for Zach to run into Abstinence Poster Boy Tim Tebow at some point, though.

How, exactly? The song is about a woman and her boyfriend dreaming about leaving behind their troubles in the inner city and getting better-paying jobs and living in the suburbs.

I think it's funny when guys in his age range talk about how much they hate Justin Bieber. It reminds me of when people used to bitch about Zac Efron.

Tet, I AM from the NorthEast, and they wouldn't touch condom use in middle school or in my 9th grade health class. Then again, Delaware's this weird place where things can be very ultra liberal, but every once in awhile things get inexplicably conservative, like how we can't buy beer in gas stations. I'm guess we had to have "abstinence only" education in my state because Delaware appreciated the funding.

Crushes tend to fade pretty fast if there's nothing reciprocal about them and you get to know them as a person instead of as a fantasy.

It's 2002, man...you would have been 24. Matt is still younger than you would have been in 2002, though. For me, I was Matt's current age in 2008...man, that was a crazy year. My jam for that year was "Paper Planes". I doubt this will show up because they seem to be leaning towards an indie vibe, but if they somehow have "Sk8ter Boi" in the movie I will laugh my ass off. Easily the most annoyingly catchy tune of 2002.

I think you're reflecting the fact that Brad, Stefan, and JP have lost a lot of people to AIDS, so Will has often been careful, but at the same time...he's 15. You're invicible up until you're about 25 or so. And if we're being honest here, people in Will's generation just aren't that concerned about AIDS. I remember talking to Adam Phillips, who is about Matt's age, and he talked about how he used to get tested regularly when he was in college and not in a comitted relationship...and he seemed more concerned about it than people my age and younger are. We have two things going on here- the first is that AIDS stopped being a death sentence by the late 1990's, which is when people Will's age started getting old enough for the "sex conversation". Secondly, "abstinence only" sex education started getting mandated in public schools when Will's cohorts were in middle school and high school...my health education teacher actually told us, "Well, I can't really tell you this, but please use a condom." It started off with Clinton and then got pushed hard by the Bush administration. I didn't bother with condoms because I stick to oral sex so I didn't learn how to put one on until I was 21, and my friend told me about how this girl he was hooking up with didn't know how to put a condom on him. It feels like a distinct difference from Gen Xers who came of age during Bush I and Clinton Era(people around Private Tim's age in that late 30's to mid-40's range), because they seemed pretty concerned about avoiding Aids in a way that my co-horts, and the current late teenaged/early 20-somethings aren't. I think the people in what would be Courtney's age co-hort (the people born in the early/mid-90's) are probably even worse than Will's co-hort. I read a comment from YouTube with someone who didn't know what AIDS was. I pray to god they weren't past middle school age, but I wouldn't be surprised if a high school kid asked that. There's a really interesting documentary I watched, called The Education of Shelby Knox, about a young girl trying to get comprehensive sex education in early 2000's Lubbock, Texas. Mark's flat out told me that he's not going to have any characters into the whole abstinence only, chastity movement of the 2000's, which is understandable because they're in pretty liberal areas. Still, it's pretty crazy stuff- they actually hold "purity balls" where girls make a vow to wait until marriage and it's like a father/daughter dance. I kinda thought it'd be funny to see Will lust after some hot guy and then found out that he's some hardcore Christian virgin purity type. I once met a 20-year old preacher's kid, actually pretty good-looking, who told me that he had never engaged in ANY kind of sexual activity, which I thought was a shame. Because my school was near a tabernacle, we actually had a fair amount of Mormons so I knew a bunch of kids that "pledged to wait"...although considering that most Mormons are married with kids by their early 20's that's probably not that hard.

Well, since these guys are fluent in Spanish, Italian, and French, I figure it's time for them to learn Chinese and Arabic. Those seem like the "hot, useful" languages for this decade. Especially if Stefan wants to get in on the building boom of Dubai: It's a shame that the economic collapse derailed the World Islands, which really would have been awesome to look at. In any event, how awesome is Dubai? It's like back in the early 20th century, when the United States was the leader in skyscrapers- now that torch has been passed on to Dubai, and they've done a beautiful job reaching for the sky. Anyway, I really like how the Zach and Will friendship/boyfriendship/whatevership is progressing. The scene on the roof was just sweet...awww, teenaged youth and elevated feelings at their best.