methodwriter85

And I just remembered that JJ's actually Ella's uncle. Man. How funny would it be to have an uncle that's two and and a half years younger than you? God, this family tree is complicated. Thank god we never had a scene where JJ tried to flirt with Ella or something. That would have been icky. Sometimes JJ being an immature little kid saves him in ways he can't fully grasp yet. LOL.

We haven't really gotten a lot about the Hendrickson family, have we? They haven't really been a part of the story since the orginal CAP story. I don't remember hearing much about them after JP's scene with Bill. He's gotta be dead at this point, right? And he should be at least a great-grandfather. JP would be Kristin's great-grand-uncle or something like that, right? Can we just make Kristin an only child, as well as her father and grandfather the only child, so we don't have to deal with other entanglements here? Let's keep it simple and streamlined. LOL. My guess would be that Jim would try to use the information to force JP to share his family shares in the company to give to Rich, but then that really wouldn't work because of the dirt that JP has on Jim about JJ, and the dirt they have on Rich about Ella. So I'm stumped to see what kind of actual drama this would really cause, if it doesn't have to do with disinheriting JP and Claire. JP has the bulk of his money NOT tied up in the Crampton business, so I can't really see what that would do, either. I guess the main point of this storyline would be JP and Claire learning more about the Hendricksons. Mark used the last story to explore the history of the Carmichaels. He used The Letter to explore the Schluters and the Hayes. I guess the Hendricksons have to be next. Edited because I consulted the family tree. The Hendricksons have been there, just under the Crampton name. So Bill and Marjorie Hendrickson had Donna, who is JP's half-sister and sister-in-law, that got to married Jim, who is JP's half-brother. Bill and Majorie needed to have had a son that carried the family name, but I haven't really seen that son mentioned. That son needed to have had another son, who had Kristin's father. So there needs to be a "legitimate" son that Bill had, who we've never seen mentioned, for all of this to work. Or Bill needed to have had a brother, that is actually Kristin's great-grand-father.

Tommy, you realize you're only four years older than Will, right? I'm just saying. *looks from Mark and Sharon* Yes, guys, I realize the immense hypocrisy here. LOL. But for me, this chapter was worth it because of Will's conversation with Stefan. I agreed with everything Stefan was saying. I'm hoping that Will is not going to go crazy like Brad does during a break-up, if he breaks up with John.

I made the final edit to John's birthday as being July 22nd, 1987. Hopefully that's the last time I have to jig John's birthday around. LOL.

In college, you are ONLY allowed to use Times New Roman. It's been like that in school for as long I can remember, going back to at least middle school. I wonder if there was a time that Times New Roman wasn't the standard school paper type.

Trust me, it is worth it. Andy Sharpe is kind of annoying blowhard who needs to be right all the time, but he's also a kind-hearted, intelligent, wonderful human being with a heart the size of Texas. I think Andy's whole Alpha Male jock personality can be somewhat off-putting to people who remember getting bullied by those guys in high school(I didn't, because we didn't have sports), but when you get past that you see a pretty worthy protagonist. And the love story between him and Matt Price is pretty well-worth the read. I agree that we really don't get enough face-to-face time between Will and John. I'm sure the Paris trip will fix that. But from what I've seen, I just don't think that it's there with them. And a "forever guy" at 14...I don't know. Maybe it's just more how I view the world and my own cynicism about relationships than them not actually being "forever" material with each other. I'm sure it can happen. But we don't know. I'm also sure that the CAP saga ends before Will and John hit their late 20's, so even when Mark ends the story we can't really know for sure. But...I don't know. What vibe I'm getting right now is that Will seems more willing to build his life around John than John is interested in building his life around Will. The two examples I can think of would Will wanting to go to Gunn High so he can be close to John, and John delaying going on the trip so he could do lacrose. I think John's making things like his sports more of a priority than Will, as he should be at that age. I just think it feels like Will's much more serious about John than John is about Will. I'm letting my own views that people shouldn't be settled until their early 30's kinda color my own viewpoint in this case. I do think that I could see Will getting settled down in his early 20's like Brad did, but I could also see that not happening. Darius is definitely going to follow the route of becoming a family man in his early/mid 20's, though, bucking the generational trend of delaying marriage and parenthood. JJ seems like the most like me in this regard- from what I understand, figure skaters tend to delay serious relationships until AFTER they're done with competing, and I can see JJ having a really wild period in his 20's like Marcel did. JJ's whole latebloomer persona would suggest that he'll start having sex when he's about 19 or 20, spend a whole decade making up for lost time and having fun, and then possibly settle down when he's 30-ish in the mid-2010's. But probably not to have kids. I think JJ would take his partner of whatever gender and live in a cool, funky hipster neighborhood in New York City or maybe London.

I'm not saying you can't find your soulmate at a young age....in Andy's case from Cross-Currents, he was eight years old when he met his. I'm just saying I don't get a soulmate vibe from Will and John particularly. I could be wrong, but that's my gut instinct- it just feels more like John views Will more of like a best friend that he can fool around with as opposed to Will, who seems to think they're true love. I think John has the view that he does want to go out there and explore, and he's right. He's 13. You should not be tied down to one person when you can't even get a learner's permit yet. It just feels very much like a junior high/high school relationship, because it is. Whether or not it goes past that remains to be seen. (Hopefully the storyline will pick up and it won't be another ten stories before Will hits his 20's.)

God, was there ANY male sports team that had no homoeroticism? I was on cross-country and they were pretty homoerotic, too. LOL. I liked Cooper get burned with that one guy. It was seeming too easy at this point.

Chapter 15 -Zach's theme. "Punk-Ass Bitch" by Wheatus - When Will and Stefan talk about his teenage angst stuff, and Stefan gets extremely blunt about his feelings on John and Will. "Teenager In Love" by Dion and the Bellmonts -When the gang is on the jet to Paris, and Gathan gets presented with the obligatory trust from Brad. "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" by Notorious B.I.G.

I like that you're adding in the negative side of the new world that Gathan's been thrust- mainly that it's causing a rift between him and his parents. I hope that can be fixed at some point, but it's pretty realistic that it happened. I loved Stefan's brutally honest conversation with Will. Part of growing up is being able to handle hearing something you don't want to hear. He's right- John's just shy of 13, WIll's not-quite fourteen. It's ridiculous for Will to think that he's found true love at 14, but...the thing is, when you are that age, that is exactly how you think. I loved Stefan's speech. This was exactly what Will needs to hear, and I'm glad he got told that. I don't think "true love" when it comes to Will and John. I think "adorable puppy love that'll end before high school does." I mean, John isn't even in high school for another year, and I get the feel Will's already planning a wedding in his head or something. Aside from just the age, I'm just not feeling a palpabe, soulmate connection between the two. I think the gold standard for me in that regard would be Matt and Andy in Cross-Currents, who had that palpable connection even when they were Will and John's age. Matt and Andy were two guys you could tell were meant to be together. Here, in Will and John's case, they feel like very good friends who care about each other, but not "True Love" in any sense. It's so painfully adolescent what's going on here- Will's so serious and so committed to John, while John seems to think of themselves more as being best friends who can fool around with each other. I'm just cringing for Will. It's bringing back some pretty cringe-worthy memories. But when you're in love with someone for the first time, or think that you are, you're convinced they're the only person you're ever going to love and you must be together, forever. That's a very teenaged view, and you're capturing that well, Mark. Good chapter.

I remember thinking that when you had that scene in PMS where Gathan showed Will his car, it would have been funny if Will said Gathan's car was "sick" and then Gathan got pissed off because he thought that was a diss. It would have been a great callback to this part in Be Rad. But then I was thinking, "2000 is a little too early for people to be saying something's 'sick." Oh, well. Maybe we can save that for JJ in 2006 or something. I could just see JJ saying something that pisses someone off unintentionally, or annoying some anal-retentive dude with his use of the word "sick". Sick is to my generation what "bad" was to yours, so it'll be cool for you to have some fun with it at some point. Robbie and Brad's first meeting...aww. Anyway, I'd go with Courier New, too.

Pretty appropriate for today, I think.

Tim's recs made me decide to move up this thread. I think 1992-1995 was a damn good era for music. Let's hear it for the grunge era! 11. Rhythm Is A Dancer- Snap, 1992 12. Connected - Stereo MCs, 1992 I really wish I had thought to use this one when Stefan was checking out the club scene. *sigh* It would have been perfect for an X scene. 13. Today - Smashing Pumpkins, 1993 14. Plush (acoustic)- Stone Temple Pilots, 1993 http://www.youtube.c...h?v=HMvsBUGb0aM 15. When I Come Around - Green Day, 1994 God, they look so young here. Geez. 16. 100 % Pure Love - Crystal Waters, 1994 I used to have a dance I'd do to this whenever I heard it at the Copperas Cove skating rink. No, I'm not going do it for you guys. LOL. 17. The Sign - Ace of Base, 1994 My strongest memory associated with this song is the episode of Full House where Stephanie and her new girl group sang this song at Uncle Jesse's cafe, and BOMBED. And then learned an important lesson about how you have to work hard at something to be good at it. 18. Total Eclipse of the Heart - Nikki French, 1995 19. Paninaro '95- The Pet Shop Boys, 1995 http://www.youtube.c...h?v=4uhnfMbVvkk Have I satisfied your craving now for 90's dance club music, Tim? 20. Back for Good- Take That, 1995 Gotta love UK pop. This one appeals to my inner sap.

See, like I said upthread, my oldest sister started going out to concerts and the like at 13. It was kinda like a circa 1990 version of the movie Thirteen. Plus, my brain is wired to think that you being 34 meant you were born circa 1971 or so, and were thus a college student in the early '90's. I cannot believe people who went to college in the mid '90s are hitting middle age now. Or that people born in 1993 will be in college in a few months. Ugh. Time. Ugh. Anyway, nice reminiscence, there. I used "Total Eclipse of the Heart" to score when Greg died in If It Fits. "Gangsta's Paradise" was used for when Stefan met Jason living as part of the Mexican mafia as well.

Coincidentally, I was at my favorite bar from college when I read this one, Blue. Anyway. It's bit of a mix of both, Blue. Although it does vary. Sometimes I feel as I'm 19, and it's 2005 and I'm a college freshmen. Other times I feel as if I'm 21, and it's 2007 and I'm a college junior. Every once in a while, I feel as if it's 1996, and I'm a 20-year old college student. And then, of course, there was that one time I felt like a 35-year old in present day feeling nostalgic for his grunge era college days. That was a trip. You're also right that staying in the "2000" range has done a number with me. I feel as if I'm 14 again, in love with David Boreanaz, and trying to remember when it was a battle between the boys bands and Limp Bizkit/Korn for the top of the charts.

He would have been 13, right? When my sister was 12-13, she was sneaking out to concerts and going to parties. I mean, Tim still must've had music that he really like dancing to in 1989-1990. Still, good point. I kept thinking that Tim being 34 meant he must've been born in 1971 or so. I keep thinking being born in 1977=being about 28 or so.

Patrick Duffy? See, for me, Patrick Duffy is the dad from Step by Step. Funny how one man's sex symbol can be another man's father figure. I mean, I've heard that people actually used to have crushes on him back in his Dallas days, but it's kinda neat to actually get it confirmed that he was once considered sexy, and not just the well-meaning-but-kinda-dumb dad from a 90's sitcom with Suzanne Somers. It's weird to think of him as anything but the middle-aged Dad, though. Or in some kind of sexual way.

Tommy, if I'm guessing right, you were born in either late 1992 or early 1993. You weren't even a gleam in your daddy's eye when these songs were hits. When you get to be as old as I am, you'll find yourself knowing lots of groups that the 18-year olds of 2018 likely will have never heard of. I've been watching MTV since 1989...so I've stored some of that knowledge in my brain. Anyway, let's continue with this trip down memory lane for me...LOL. 26. Heaven Is A Place On Earth- Belinda Carlisle, 1987 27. Wild Wild West- The Escape Club, 1988 28. The Right Stuff - New Kids on the Block, 1988 29. She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Canibals, 1989 http://www.youtube.c...feature=related 30. The King of Wishful Thinking- Go West, 1990 Late '80's/start of '90s pop was so joyful. Gotta love it. Come on, Tim, you have to have some dance tunes from circa 1989-'91 that you really love. You were out and about at that time, right?

I wish JJ was there. I think JJ's destined to fall in love with either Paris, New York City, or London. I'm sure his time will come, though. I don't think he's quite ready to "come of age" yet, so to speak. Anyway, this was a pretty great chapter. I've never really had the chance to speak to older relatives like that, so it's nice to read about it. When do we get to Gathan's 18th birthday? It's in a week. I'm not sure how many chapters that translates to, though. LOL.

I'm bumping this one back up because I really feel like listening to this era's music again. And I don't have any chapters to score right now. Alright, here's a song that reminds me of the Hayes family. 21. In the Living Years- Mike and The Mechanics, 1989 What a great tune. 22. I Remember You - Skid Row, 1989 23. It Must Have Been Love- Roxette, 1990 24. Unbelievable - EMF, 1990 http://www.youtube.c...h?v=waacof2saZw I like this song a lot, and listening to it, I think it's a great example of the switchover from the 80's sound to the '90s sound in music. It came right at that transition point, and it definitely feels more 90's than it does eighties. These guys definitely had a grip on the sound for the next few years here. 25. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana, 1991 I like to call this, "The music moment that officially killed 1980's pop culture and ushered in the new decade."

In Seattle, they have this newspaper called the Stranger. In one column, called "I, Anonymous", people are allowed to rant at other people behind an anonymous name. There was a submission entitled, "The Gifts that Keep on Sucking", where a 30-something son is ranting at his materialistic baby boomer parents for depleting their savings and constantly giving him gifts when he would rather they save money. This is what the son said: It's gotten a fair amount of comments, and I think it's a pretty interesting- do we owe it to our parents to take care of them in old age? Should we still take care of them even if they hadn't been very finanically responsible? Another interesting thing at play here, I think, is the generational clash....Baby Boomers grew up in a time of affluence, and were told to spend and consume from a very early age. This Baby Boomer mentality about conspicious consumption helped lead to things like suburban sprawl, massive consumerism, credit card debt, the housing crisis, etc etc etc. It seems like the next generation, the Gen Xers, learned to be more fiscally responsible because they came out of college during the early '90s recession and saw that the material consumption of the Baby Boomers didn't really lead to happier lives. So it's fascinating, I think, to see how two different generations react to the same issue- financial prudence- and see how different those reactions are. For me, I'd help my mother when I can. I don't think she's going to be alive, though, when I hit my mid-30's because she's already 64 and she's got a lot of health problems. She is similar in being pretty financially irresponsible, which does anger her kids, but we already kinda figured out who's taking her if/when she needs to be taken in.

Danny actually grew up pretty nicely, I thought. Very obviously gay, but still pretty cute. Another crush from the late '90s/very early '00s: Josh Hartnett. Damn, I'm glad that wifebeaters were "in" when I started becoming sexually aware. Nothing becomes a hot guy better than a pair of baggy jeans riding low on his hips and showing off his boxers, and a wifebeater.

My reaction was at first, "That kid would only be 10 or 11 by the time Aghanistan rolls around", but then I remembered that there are child suicide bombers. In any event, I'm not seeing Will as someone who winds up in Aghanistan. By the time Will would be old enough to join, Iraq is the going war at that time, and I don't think Will's going to join. I think Darius and Gathan might. Gathan's friends, especially Chord, SCREAM "Future War on Terror Veterans". I think Will and JJ, however, are going to representative of those college kids who kinda care, but they're more concerned with upgrading their Ipods and how long they can do a keg stand while "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas blares in the background at the frat house. My guess would be that if Will winds up involved with anything major from this decade, it'll be when he does his summer internship working with a marine biology lab trying to assess the damage from Hurricane Katrina. JP's going to be so pissed at our generation's near-total apathy about Aghanistan and Iraq. My college, University of Delaware, was especially politically apathetic. Which is kinda funny, since the current United States vice president is an alumni of UD.

Coincidentally, in the updated Parent Trap, they swapped out the Ricky Nelson reference for a Leonardo DiCaprio one. Ricky was to the late '50s what Leo was for the late '90's.

I like that you had Will see kids his age who have much bigger problems than whether or not their mom is letting their boyfriend spend the night, or that their boyfriend had sex with another guy before they got to it. Kids that age who are that sheltered really don't have the perspective to see past their own problems. I mean, there was Drew, but as Brad kinda realized, Drew was a kid who came from an affluent background and that made him much more comfortable to be around. I've had friends like Will, in the sense that they really had a relatively easy time growing up. On one hand, it's great having had that, but on the other hand, they tend to take set-backs and disapointments a lot harder than kids who come from backgrounds like Gathan's. When you get everything going your way, it's kinda hard to roll with the punches when the first significant failures and setbacks start to happen. I know a guy for whom that didn't happen until he was 30, and MAN he took it pretty hard. I had a buddy explain that to me once, when I was pouting about the golden boys who get everything. Dan told me that I needed to keep in mind that inevitably, things stop being golden for those guys. And when it does, I need to be sympathethic to them. I liked Stefan's conversation with Will, especially about how Will is trying so hard to live like he's 18 instead of enjoying the fact that he's 13. I've always kinda been like that- wanting to be some other age than I currently am. Sometimes I would give anything to be eighteen again; other times I wish I was forty years old and settling comfortably into middle age and past all that dumb twentysomething "I don't know where I'll end up working at" angst. Hell, sometimes I even tell people I'm in my 30's. I told my friend Steve that I was born in 1979, and he was all, "Why you trying to be old, man?" LOL. I also enjoyed Stefan's reasoning as to why Will shouldn't move. I agree with it. Will only has once chance to grow up with his brother and his father at their palace on the beach. Why throw it away? Especially on some 8th grade romance?