methodwriter85

Do Harvard-Westlake students get the day off for Election Day, or not? That was the norm for my public school days, but I'm assuming it might be different for private schools.

I don't think JJ has to die, though, in order to explain why he doesn't get the Olympic Gold medal. From what I understand about 2006, nobody but Evengei Plushenko was going to get the gold medal. And in 2010, Johnny Weir was the odds-on-favorite, and Evan Lysacek got the gold medal instead. There are so many variables that happen in the world of sports that it's completely believeable that someone with massive talent doesn't reach the heights they should have reached. Although if JJ does die at 9/11, he'd be 15 years old, same as Billy's age when he died. That would really freak Brad out, I think. But if we're going for likelihood, JJ would be in either Bulgaria for the first Junior Grand Prix of the 2001-2002 season, or he'd be at home. I think if Kristin was named Christian and looked like this, you'd be all over that character.

Bieber isn't a boyband, though. Anyway, this was fun. LOL. Gotta love TW.

Over in reviews: I don't think JJ is equpped to handle his own emotions, let alone the negative emotions of a crazed mother. He's coming apart here, I think. I don't think a total breakdown will happen, though. At least not until JJ watches Evan Lysacek take the gold medal at the '10 Olympics(and likely his last chance at them as being 28 at the 2014 ones would be pushing it), and realizes that he traded in his entire childhood and adolescence on something that never panned out. I agree with that, for the most part, but I think that if JJ REALLY believes wholeheartedly in something, and it's important to him, he'll be really, really stubborn on it. But he's not going to make a big mess about something if it's not something deep down in his gut that he believes in. I think for the most part, JJ would avoid being a rebel, because figure skater rebels don't exactly get rewarded in this sport. It seems very much like being good little boys and girls who do what they're told and say what they're supposed to say. I think that's a big part of why Johnny Weir never got gold, because he wouldn't do what he was expected to do. I honestly can see them being close brothers in adulthood that Skype regularly- who live either on opposite coasts with Will in L.A. and JJ in NYC, or even countries- maybe JJ winds up living in Paris or London. I think it'd be good for JJ to be in an environment where he can't blame the fact that he doesn't have friends on Will hogging up all the attention- maybe at Tisch School of the Arts? (If and when he decides to drop skating and go to college.) You've got two brothers, so opposite in so many ways, who've essentially been raised as Irish twins. It can be so tension-filled and explosive in those teen years; that I can really see them getting closer if they don't live in the same area, because then JJ will have to make his own friends without riding on his brother's coattails, and come to some realizations about why he's not as popular as they are.

I found this article from the Washington Post. I thought it was pretty interesting- it covers the 5-year reunion of the class of 2007 at Dickinson College, a small school in Pennyslvania. It looks at the class of 2007 in terms of being the final class of my generation to have graduated without the recession and horrible economy hanging over their heads. The Class of 2007- Reunion After A Tough 5 Years I was a sophomore when the class of 2007 graduated. It's kind of interesting to realize their place in history. I loved the context they put for them: This class first met in fall 2003, when jobs seemed plentiful, if you had a degree. George W. Bush was president, and Sept. 11 was a horrible Tuesday morning in their junior year of high school. Dorms had land lines, and cellphones were for making calls, not text messaging or checking e-mail. Their college days were marked by Hurricane Katrina's destruction, the television finale of "Sex and the City," the debut of Facebook. In some ways, the Class of 2007 was the last one to have it easy. It graduated into a workforce with an unemployment rate below 5 percent. For the Class of 2009, the rate was at 9.5 percent. Now, it is just above 8 percent. I should have graduated in 2009, but I had to take an extra year. I had friends who graduated in '08 and '09 and pretty much none of them were on the pathway of having a job and most were living with their parents. These were the kids who got to the party just before the punch bowl got taken away, which is kind of interesting to think about.

I didn't realize how much it bothered me until I read it being used in a story A LOT, but "effin" and "f'cking" being written in place of the actual word. I mean, really?

It'd be interesting if/when we get to the Penn State scandal in CAP. I don't think it's likely any of these characters would go there, but I'm sure they'd have reactions, especially since we know at least Robbie likes college football and Zach seems destined for college ball. People protested. In favor of Joe Paterno. From what I understand about Penn State, it's a party school where football is god and big business.

MAJOR personality type from the 1980's. So popular it even inspired a movie.

If Robbie goes through trying to ban Jeanine from having to do with JJ's career, he's going to be one very big rage diva ball. Jeanine and JJ are extremely dependent on each other.

A fast-talking girl from Cali. I'm assuming she's a Val, you know?

I'm not sure what style you'll call this, but it's ugly as hell. This is what they built for the new library on Kirkwood Highway in Delaware.

Fandom wars are always funny. Of course, this particular fandom war is stoked by the fact that these girls all have Twitter and the like. It's funny though- how does The Wanted's success threaten 1D's, and vice versa? N'Sync and BSB ruled the airwaves back in my day. There was room for both.

If Will does wind up going to Menlo School in Paly, I think it would be a pretty good thing for him and JJ as brothers. When you're in the same grade and in the same school, it's really, really hard not to be biting each other's heads off. I've seen that a lot of times. It'll suck having wasted all that Harvard-Westlake research and development we did, though. In any event, if Robbie does go through with trying to ban Jeanine from JJ's career...holy hell, I'd hate to be Robbie because the claws are going to come out. In terms of "JJ the Empty Diva" stuff, I don't doubt for a second that Mark is going to add layers to the guy, but as it's only 2000 and Mark seems like he has a hell of a lot more stories planned, you can't develop JJ too much or you won't have anywhere to go with him. I do feel like 2006 is going to be a pivotal year for JJ- he's 20, it's the Olympics,and if he doesn't make these Olympics when he's at his peak, it's not likely he'll ever be good enough for the Olympics. How he deals with that should be pretty interesting. As for the Darius stuff, I can see your point- but the other thing to keep in mind is that sometimes, people just aren't meant to be major scholars. Not everyone has that capacity, even if they try hard at school and get good grades. Just because someone's in a scholarly family doesn't mean they're actually scholar material themselves. It doesn't make them stupid- they're just not wired that way. Darius seems like he's very emotionally intelligent, in terms of being able to read people, which isn't something Will exactly excels at, and JJ flat-out sucks at. Even though Will was trying to be an ass in trying to call Darius stupid, I thought there was likely a kernal of truth there- that he's just not as smart as Will. The jury's still out on JJ- I think he probably could do well in school if he wanted to- but I could also see him thinking "Well I'm going to be a professional figure skater so what do I need with college?" And I'm relenting on the relationship stuff with Brad- they do have one, just not a particuarly tight relationship because there's just not that much JJ has in common with Brad. And because, as Darius pointed out, each parent took a shine to one of the kids.

Thanks. His name is Jarrett Sleeper. He's on a web tv series called MyMusic. Kind of reminds me of what a scuffier, less pretty boy version Robbie Amell would look like, which seem suited for Cole.

JJ's not even 15 yet. There's plenty of time for that. Even then, I hope he stays a fierce diva bitch. My thoughts: 1. It does seem like Jeanine's issues go way deeper than just post-partum depression. On one hand, the cool chick we met in Man In Motion doesn't seem like someone that would become that cold and distant to her son. On the other hand...I can almost see how living as a glorified live-in nanny for 15 years would slowly turn her bitter. It almost feels like Jeanine is being prepped for an exit...I can't see how she redeems herself at this point. Isidore and Brad had their differences but Jeanine just seems to hate Will. It makes me think of Mary Tyler Moore's cold rage towards Timothy Hutton in Ordinary People. 2. Why didn't they bring up bisexuality as a possibility for JJ? I got Mark's reasoning when he said Brad wouldn't think of bisexuality when he was musing on JJ's sexuality in Millenium, but there's no way two openly gay teenaged guys in 2000 wouldn't have thought of bi. I knew what the term "bi" was when I was 9 and watching My So-Called Life in 1994. There's no way Will wouldn't think of bi as a possibility. Especially since Will's buddy Gathan is bisexual himself, and he's not a "confused" bastard. 3. JJ's attitude towards Evan...god, that kid is hard to figure out. It might just be that JJ's bitchmeter is always on, even when it comes to people he likes. I think JJ is probably charming in a superficial way- traces of the happy cheerful kid he was pre-skating- but he can't maintain interest in people long enough to be an actual friend. And because Evan is competition for JJ(Evan places second at this meet), I can see that the diva act being on high. 4. Claire, once again, being the voice of reason. I loved that. 5. Also, JJ has a relationship with Brad? Really? Wasn't the whole point of Will slamming Brad and Robbie and shaming them into going to Norway in the first place acknowledgement of the fact that JJ DIDN'T have much of a relationship with his Dads? Wasn't the whole Norway trip Brad basically acknowledging that he had to work on both Will and JJ? Then again, teenaged pity parties aren't always the most logical.

Chapter 51 -As the tension mounts between Will and Jeanine.

The End of Joe Paterno University I really do feel for the alumni of the school. "I went to Penn State" is going to be a cringe-worthy line for a long time. But this is what happens when you base what the school is about on its football program and the gnarly parties the students throw. Those riot videos showed the deep roots of what's wrong with that school, and it's going to take a good two-three years to change that culture. Honestly, if Penn State football isn't banned for a year, USC really should just be given their championship season back.

I'm not fixated on the boyband, per se. I'm fixated on the parodies of the boyband.

Aside from Robbie Amell, I could see a 20-pounds heavier version of this guy as Cole, too. Cole does strike me as a guy who'd probably neglect to shave often and have messy hair.

I cannot imagine what the school will look like after all of the lawsuits run their course. Penn State is a high-tuition school already. I can't imagine how high the tuition is going to get after the school has to dip into their endowment. "Joe Pa" indeed. What a freaking joke. You know that when Joe Paterno passed away, people in Western PA were treating it like a saint had died.

I'm posting this here because it was filmed in Malibu. Also, it's funny. As a side note, the blond guy they have playing Niall is actually kind of how I picture Private Tim.

Frank Lloyd Wright...now THERE was an architect.

I definitely agree that in a lot of ways, JJ was "hers" in a way that Darius and Will weren't. He was the preemie newborn with a crack-addicted mother and a dad for whom his existence was an inconvience to be ignored. How could your heart not go out to him? Brad didn't develop those paternal instincts for JJ in the same immediate way that Jeanine developed those maternal instincts for him, and he was, for the most part, wholly her child all throughout his childhood. I think once JJ became a figure skater, Jeanine's identity went into being a figure skater mom, and her whole being was dedicated towards making sure that JJ's a future Olympian. I mean, remember when Jeanine was telling Brad that JJ was considering dropping out of school to fully pursue skating? I don't doubt that Jeanine had something to do with putting that idea into JJ's head. Although I don't think it's just Jeanine that doesn't want JJ to grow up- I think JJ himself isn't ready to grow up yet, either. He's in an environment that encourages you to at least put on the image of childlike innocence. And it's easy for JJ to do stay that way, because he's a latebloomer. Which makes a great contrast- you've got Will the 14-year old who wants to be 20, and you've got JJ the 14-year old who wants to stay 12.

Yeah, those buildings are pretty fugly.

1960's and 1970's buildings are just horrible. It's like the architects of the time were on a collective acid trip. I'm bothered when solid buildings from the 1950's and before get demolished, but I have no such sentiment for the "groovy" era buildings. I wonder how many acid trips THIS architect went on.