methodwriter85

Chapter 20 -When Will and Kai go shopping. "Love Don't Cost A Thing" by J.Lo There. I finally allowed the J.Lo fame of the late 90's/early '00s to show through. God, she annoys the shit out of me. -When Will admonishes Stefan and Brad for getting judgemental about Kai. "What Would You Do?" by City High This song was kind of anti-thetical of popular 2001 hip-hop...socially concious hip-hop wasn't that popular by this time period, so it kind of stands out for that.

I think the only person I can see flat out not being involved in the family business at all, in any capacity, would be JJ. He very much strikes me as somebody who'd want to set up his own life, free of the family expectations and obligations, in an area that isn't anywhere close to the family base. Even if he got interested in acting, I don't think he'd hit up Robbie for connections- I see him toughing it out in New York City instead of the L.A. scene. The biggest difference between Brad and Will is that Will doesn't care about having power over other people...he wants to control his own life, but not the lives of others. Brad in Be Rad pretty much treated his friends like they were his Chess pieces to move around, or they were his status symbols of how powerful he was at Gunn High. Will has never treated his friends like that, and he's never been one to fake friendship with people in order to further his social game.

Hey, guys, our esteemed Adam Phillips gave his group a heads-up about this new gay-themed country song by an amateur Youtube singer/songwriter that's going viral. I think we've all been there, but what I really love about the message of the video is that it's becoming a reality that a straight guy can be kissed by his gay friend, and it wouldn't end in a bashing and destroy their relationship. Pretty cool. I really do love YouTube's ability to allow people to showcase their talent that they'd otherwise never get a chance to do.

It's interesting to think about. 9/11 directly impacted me because it happened when I was 15, and really becoming aware of the world. I think if I had been Tommy's age (he would have been about 9), it probably would have been a blurred childhood memory like the way the Oklahoma City bombing was, but 9/11 hit exactly at a very vivid time in my life- the teenage years, when all those hormones/emotions are surging through you. Here's an interesting article by the Huffington Post about how 9/11 shaped the Millenial generation: Post-9/11 Generation: Millenials Reflect I think when 9/11 happened, I was old enough to really internalize what happened, but not old enough like Mark to really work through the emotions of it. It's such a vivid day to me- my biggest worry that day was whether or not I'd get a part in our school's production of Arsenic and Old Lace. I remember finding out about it when I went to my computer applications class. A guy was talking about, and I (being a very young 15), asked if any of the people on the plane survived. He just gave me this look, and said, "A jumbo jet crashed into the World Trade Center. No one on the plane would have survived that." We spent that period looking up the information online and freaking out over all the mis-information...I posted about it on the I Hate Jen message board, and everyone thought I was making it up until it was on the news. Then school got cancelled, and I'll never forget looking up into the sky, and seeing that the big beautiful blue sky was eerily empty and quiet. Then going home and seeing that MTV had completely cancelled all programming in order to run videos that were themed around 9/11, and asking for Red Cross donations. This was a video that ran on MTV during that period...still gets me choked up now.

Okay, this is a debate we already went through with Private Tim, and I'm not going there again. We'll just agree to disagree. One thing that I do wonder about...would Darius drop out of UCLA in order to sign up? Mark has said no way because of the way his family is, but I don't know- it'd be one thing to drop out just because, but another to drop out because you want to enlist. It'd be harder for JP to argue against, considering the military history tradition of the family.That could be interesting. It does happen.Or Darius could join the UCLA ROTC and graduate in 2004, which would be a year into the Iraq War. So...the teen characters like Marie and Will...shouldn't they be school on 9/11, anyway? If JJ had stayed a junior figure skater, he would have been at the Junior Grand Prix in Bulgaria...he could still skate in junior events, I believe- as long as you're under 19 and you don't skate as both a senior and a junior at the international events. Both Johnny Weir and Evan Lysacek did both, especially Evan. Allthough I think we have JJ going to the 2001 Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany from September 4th to September 7th. Did classes get cancelled on 9/11 on the West Coast? I know they did here in Delaware, as our governor declared a state of Emergency because we were 3 hours away from NYC, 90 minutes away from D.C., and Philadelphia was an hour north and a considered a target, but Cali would have been a different story.

It's doesn't matter if Darius isn't particularly Persian-looking. Since day 1 of Darius's existence in the story, he has been seen as "not white" by the characters in the story- and it's something that's been commented on by almost every protagonist we've had- that Darius is a little more exotic than anyone else in his lily-white family. He's going to get comments after 9/11. I could see a character joining up with the military to prove he's straight. I thought that might have been Tony, but I'm thinking that it's not so much Tony's angst about being gay that's the problem. I'm not sure I can see Tony being that desperate to make himself straight now.

Yeah. Now, it's not really my concern what tuitition is at UD, but man does it suck for anyone currently going to school.

From Delaware Online: *** Tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students at the University of Delaware will increase by about $430 next school year – the lowest percent increase in about a decade, university officials said today. The 3.7 percent increase brings UD’s in-state tuition and mandatory fees to $12,112 for the 2013-2014 school year. Out-of-state students will pay $1,160 more, bringing tuition and fees to about $29,932 – an increase of 4 percent. Graduate students at UD will pay $1,578 per credit hour, an increase of 4.25 percent, which is $65 more per credit hour. The tuition rates for in-state and out-of-state students were announced this afternoon. The university waits each year until after the state’s budget is approved to announce tuition rates. Those costs were approved by the university board of trustees earlier this summer, but they only announced dorm and dining hall costs at that meeting. The cost of living in campus housing and eating in dining halls varies based on why type of dorm or meal plan a student selects. The costs for “standard” housing and dining is about $11,200. **** It does boggle my mind though- when I went to University of Delaware, tuition ranged between 7k to 9k a year...pretty crazy that just four years later it's now 12k for in-state, 29k for out-of-state. It's still not quite as ridiculous as what it costs to go to Penn State, but still. University of Delaware has been on this decades-long building binge, which to me explains why the tuition is going up so high...I did notice that this year's increase was smaller than in year's past, so hopefuly it'll stay steady. I do think that if/when college enrollments in the country start to decrease, UD is sooo screwed.

I was thinking though...what if Hank doesn't die at 9/11, but she dies of cancer that she develops as a result of breathing in the debris at the WTC? I'm also thinking that at least a few characters will wind up in the War on Terror.

Tim must be so disapointed you don't have Tony as an option. That's also a pretty limited list there. I'm surprised Wade's parents aren't on the list, or that Ella Hayes isn't on the list, either- isn't she going to FIT in Manhattan for school?

I'm not so sure about that. JP never pressured Brad about going into the family business, and I can't see Brad pressuring Will to into his family footsteps. Darius is a good example of their parenting style- when he didn't go Ivy League like Brad or Robbie did, Brad didn't really care as long as Darius went to college. (It'd be interesting see how Brad reacts if/when JJ announces that he's not going to college in order to prepare for the 2006 Olympics.) The thing is that the business isn't really a local "family" business anymore- it's more like a national (possibly international) conglomerate being run by business associates, not family. So it's not a big deal for them if they don't follow in their foot-steps. It would be great though if Will does wind up a professor- it'd be kind of a full-circle deal.

Right. The general point here is that John probably wouldn't view Will as a non-risk hook-up, because of their history together and because of Will's personality. It's true that Will's changed at least somewhat, but if I were John, I wouldn't risk getting on Will's bad side just to get him in bed. I'm sure John has this Abercrombie and Fitch polo with matching flip-flop collection that he doesn't want to find torched. It'd be funny though, if Will's ego took a slight ding if he found John messing around with another guy and realized that it's not about John not wanting to hook up with other guys, but about John not wanting to hook up with Will. Anyway, my idea that it's possible someone did have a talk with John is that Stefan basically had that talk with Will about how he can't go scorched earth on John because he's his cousn. Stefan probably isn't that close or perceptive of John to have had that kind of talk with him, but I think it's possible Stefan did, and that John might have listened to him. John isn't as mature as Will, but he's still depicted as being mature for his age, and I think John could have gotten it. But yeah, like you're saying, regardless of whether or not John got a head's up, John would have learned that a hook-up with Will would not be worth the grief that he could possibly get himself into. Will's bad side is NOT a place you want to be on, and unlike Tony, John can't hide himself away at school should Will become pissed at him.

That's the thing though- it's not "no-risk" fun for John to mess around with Will. Will is his cousin, and they go to school together, and they're only a grade apart in a school that appears to be on the smaller side. Will has a big temper, and a tendency to blurt out things that people might not want to talk about. Will is also not exactly known for his discretion, either- is there anybody from that family who doesn't know that Will is engaging in some statutory with Jeff and Tony? And even though Will is different from last summer, I think John is still wary of the fact that Will basically had himself picking out china patterns for their future wedding. It's entirely possible that at some point during the Poor Man's Son Summer, Stefan took John aside and let him know that Will's feelings for him might not match his own. I think it makes total sense that John would not want to go down that road again with Will, because given their history I'd have a hard-time believing that John would think he could have no-strings attached fun with him. It was cool to be bisexual in the performing arts high school I went to, but only if you're a girl. For guys, you were either straight, or you were expected to be Carson Kressley from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Although around 2005-2007 I remember it became "cool" for emo guys to kiss other guys at parties, and then post it in videos on YouTube or on their Myspace accounts.

Chapter 19 -When Will muses on his life with his shrink, and the consequences that come with doing or having whatever you want. "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" by Rufus Wainwright I remember in 2001 having all these e-friends who were just *raving* about Rufus Wainright. He was the go-to street cred name drop for people who wanted to have cool music taste during this time period. I like his stuff now, but in 2001 I was 15 and more interested in listening to poppy punk like Good Charlotte and Sum 41. *shrugs* -When Will shares these life epiphanies with Robbie, who shares a few of his own. "Movies" by Alien Ant Farm -When Will and Robbie hit the Hollywood premiere. "South Side" by Moby ft. Gwen Stefani -When Will wonders if maybe there's a lesson to be learned about cheating, and Robbie agrees that there probably is. "Stand By Your Man" by Tammy Wynette

That's basically how I read John's sexuality. There's Darius, who's straight as a board, and then there's John, who I'd call "straightish leaning towards bi." I think that since John has/had a girlfriend, and the people at Menlo basically know him as having a girlfriend/being straight, John doesn't really engage in that side of himself anymore...possibly because of the near-mess that he had with Will. It'd be too much trouble and too confusing to people if John suddenly started dating a guy, so he goes where his attraction is stronger to keep things simple. I do think Mark's doing a good job of showing how attitudes are changing regarding sexual orientation- I remember when Brad/Robbie/Max/Marcel, etc were the youth generation, you were either gay, or you were straight. Note that when Brad mused about the sexuality of his children in 1999, he thought either "gay", or "straight"..."bi" didn't even come up as a possibility. It's starting to get murkier, especially with characters like Gathan and with John. In any event though...John will look like this when he's college-aged. I'm hoping we will get some sexual encounters from John's p.o.v. by that time period, because damn, that kid is going to be sexy as hell. Anyway, I thought the Trevor Morgan thing was funny, because I actually thought he was pretty cute around that time period. Although around that time period, I was all about Josh Hartnett, David Boreanaz, and Nick Lachey. I'm also loving that Will is really getting what the difference between being in lust and being in love is. He's waaayyy ahead of most 25-year olds in that regard.

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the final day of fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg, which was the turning point of The Civil War. Thought I'd mark that day by sharing a YouTube documentary about it: The Battle of Gettysburg (2011 Documentary) Part of me really wishes I could be in Gettysburg, but eh...priorities change. It's funny though- I did a Gettysburg encampment in 2004, and I was so excited to think that I'd only be 27 for the 150th annivesary encampment. Now it's here, but Civil War re-enactments don't really interest me as much. Maybe when I'm middle-aged and 37, I'll be out for the 160th in 2023...possibly. I would like to try and visit this summer or in the fall, when it's not so crowded. But anyway, let's hear it for the brave men who sacrificed their lives to try and keep this union together in the Civil War!

I finished inventory on my third box, and now I've got two more boxes to go through. After that, I'll go through actually accessioning the collection. I found a packet of photos that ranged from 1957 to 1982, as well as a photo album from 2005. This was a very wide-ranging box in terms of the years. One really cool thing I found was a very old newspaper from Saturday, August 1st, 1987. It was pretty crazy- the paper was actually in really good shape considering that it was twenty-six years old. One of the front-page stories was about Ronald Reagan getting surgery from skin cancer- I don' really remember Ronald Reagan as president, but I know '87 had the whole Iran-Contra affair going on. On the back of the paper were a bunch of advertisements for VCR's, ranging from 300 dollars to 500 dollars. Crazy to think how expensive that was back then- nowadays you can get a DVD player for 59 bucks, which would be 30 bucks in 1987 money. The advertisements also listed a "Big Screen TV"- at 26 inches. LOL. Another really interesting item I found was a 1989 police statement investigating a fire incident at the State Theater. (The State Theater was located on what is now the 1996-built Galleria Mini-Mall, anchored by Grotto's Pizza.) It had been built in 1929 and put on the National Historic building list in 1983, but had closed down by the late 1980's. Here's a photo of the theater I found from 1981: Here's what's there now: Gotta love progress, right? Anyway, according to the police statement I read, four men in their early 20's snuck into the closed theater while being very intoxicated. The guy giving the statement said that they wanted to visit the theater, because it held sentimental value for him since he worked there before it closed. At some point, the theater caught on fire, and the statement was basically the guy saying that they did not intentionally set the theater on fire. The statement basically indicated that there was no way to salvage what was left of the theater, which makes sense, since seven years later there'd be a mini-mall on the site. It was really interesting learning about the history of a site I've gone to many, many times in my life. I cannot tell you how many times I've parked at the parking lot behind this mini-mall, or gone to Grotto's Pizza/Kildare's when I went to UD.

It's weird though, Blue. I almost feel like you're part of a different generation even though we're only technically 21-months apart from each other in age. Like, when I talk to people born from about 1980 to 1984, it just feels like their childhoods were different from mine, in terms of the references and the like. I think there's also something about the fact that post-January 1985 people started high school in the 2000's and not the 90's, whereas the late 90's were high school for people more your age. It makes me wonder if there was just that much of a pop culture turnover in the time period where we were growing up that it created some kind of schism of between the First-Term Regan Babies vs. the Second-Term Regan ones. I just feel like I have more in common with people born in 1988 than I do with people born in 1983, even though they're both technically the same-age difference from where I am. It's interesting how hard it is to define all that...Generations usually have to have sub-generations in there. For example, Mark Arbour is technically a Baby Boomer, having been born in 1963. (The Baby Boomer generation is considered anyone born from 1946 to 1964.) But Mark is too young to have any memories of the Kennedy assassination or to have been influenced by his administration. He's also too young to have worried about getting drafted and sent off to Vietnam, another hall-mark of the Baby Boomer experience. Mark's college years weren't marked with war protests or draft cards- they were marked with tight Ralph Lauren polo shirts and Reaganism. That's why Mark and his peers might be clusetered into a sub-genre of the Baby Boomers called Generation Jones- a term describing the second half of the baby boom from 1954 to 1964- describing the people who were too young for Woodstock and were teenagers during the economic malaise of the 1970's. I'd call Mark Arbour and Sharon's co-hort "The Dazed and Confused" Generation.

It's funny when you think about how records are actually doing pretty good business as opposed to CD's, at least in terms of indie stores.

Bart Baker did a parody: Bart Baker is hit-or-miss with me, but I thought he was pretty funny here.

I'm with you on that one. Twitter fan bitch fits are hilarious. 1D vs. TW ones are pretty funny. The thing is that Justin is trying to transition to a more adult sound, so it makes sense for there to a younger guy in the same vein waiting in the wings.

Tensions in the Middle East were nothing out of the ordinary, though. That place has been a mess since at least the 1970's. As my classmate who grew up in Israel put it, Americans had become pretty blase to violence in the Mid-East, until it came here in the form of 9/11. 2001 was described as being a slow enough news summer that a series of shark attacks became big news in the U.S. I think the big story right before 9/11 happened was Aliyah dying in a plane crash in late August. I do think it's interesting that gay marriage in Holland hasn't been mentioned yet...I thought it was weird when they didn't mention civil unions on Vermont in July 2000, either. I would have thought that would have been at least a semi-big deal, considering Stefan threw a party when homosexuals were declared sane in 1973. Does John still have his girlfriend? I mean, 8th grade girlfriends usually don't last long, but eh. I'm glad we're going with "mostly straight" instead of plain straight with John, because it'd be a damned shame to waste John's looks on him being totally straight like we did with Darius. LOL. (It also goes with what Adam's talking about, how more and more guys are owning up to the idea that they're not quite so rigid in their sexuality.) In all seriousness, I think you're hitting on the awkwardness of being "broken up" without really being broken up because they were never really together...John saw their sexual interaction at 12/13 as a fun extension of their friendship, while Will had himself picking out china patterns. It makes sense that John now feels self-concious around Will about trying not to lead him on.

There's a new singer being touted as the next Justin Bieber...his new video "What About Love" has already garnered 10 million views in just three or so weeks. What do you guys think? *waits for what will surely be a funny reaction from Tet*

Here's Private Tim's suggestion for chapter 18 of 9.11: Bumped this one up just for you, Tim!

I do think that's understandable, given that he's been a protagonist for three straight stories now. Hopefully 2002 will see somebody else- I personally would welcome another Wade/Matt story, being that 2002 is their college graduation year and there's plenty of angst for them to work through. Anyway, I really liked the bit where JP muses on how quiet the world is being right now. Of course, there were signs- like in March 2001 the Taliban started destroying relgious monuments, but yeah...2000 and the first three quarters of 2001 were fairly quiet. 1999 had major stuff going on, like Bill Clinton's impeachment, Columbine, the Kosovo revolution, but not much seemed to have happened in 2000. I remember my biggest concern the morning of September 11th was whether or not I'd get in the school play. Man, it'll be interesting to see how they react to things that change.