methodwriter85

I came this article in the News Journal today. It's about the sentencing of a former UD student, who got put in jail for 10 years for his assault on a WVU student named Ryan Diviney. The article focuses on Ryan's dad, Ken, who has devoted his life to taking care of his now-comatose son.Former UD student gets 10 years in VA assualt. I thought I'd post this up and all that because I was just reading it, and I was so incredibly moved by the father. He's put aside his entire life- everything- so he can take care of his vegetative son. Mr. Diviney refuses to give up on him despite all logic dictating that he's fighting a losing battle, because it's his son and that is the power of his love for his son. It's amazing to think how strong the bond between father and son can be, especially if you've never experienced it for yourself. I'm pretty stressed- I'm sure most of us are- being this time of year and all...but reading this article made step back a little and think...don't sweat the small stuff. I'm lucky that I'm alive, I'm lucky that my brain is still functional, and I'm lucky that I'm sitting in my dorm stressing out over how to get the comparative book review done than sleeping in a vegetative state on a hospital bed completely missing out on life.

I feel like JJ's blond. I picture him more like either this: Or this To be honest, now that I'm thinking about it, Jesse McCartney is more Drew than he is JJ. I think Jeremy Sumpter-during-his-Peter-Pan era hits JJ closer. Mark, what's your thought?

JJ's collection of Louis Vuitton purses? Lord knows JJ could afford them. LOL. You gotta admit though Mark, I have their perspective cars nailed. Although the JJ selection comes courtesy of Tommy B, who mentioned Mini-Coopers being driven by some Malibu kids. I saw the 2005 one and I was like, "Damn, that's totally JJ." The car is just flashy enough for JJ, without being over-the-top, and it's also got a European flair that someone like JJ(who probably admires the European figure skating world over the American one) would go for. I can't see JJ driving some American muscle car- that'd be more Darius. Will's more an Hummer SUV-type. JJ's a total compact Euro car type. At the same time, it also illustrates how JJ sort of sticks out in the crowd, not getting the type of car that's typical for young American guys to want to have. John will drive a BMW, while Marie will drive a Prius. I get the feeling that John will be the conservative preppy of that group, while Marie will buck against her mother and become a stoner bohemian hippie girl. One of the running themes in CAP is how much cars reflect the driver, and that's how I see that. Alright, so back to the story...I really enjoyed the fireworks, and the comparison to the story characters who did not make it to 2000. Really heartening. There was so much hope in the United States at the start of 2000 for the new coming decade, and by 2001 a lot of that got shattered with 9/11.

Yeah, I don't think it's that weird that Will carries around a knife. He likes to surf; I'm sure he likes camping, and most outdoorsy people I know carry around a swiss knife. Mark, you've made Will one butch little gay dude here, as he hates shopping but carries around a switchblade. LOL. Although yeah, I'm calling it- when Will's a senior in high school, he's going to drive this: http://www.automedia.com/New_Cars/hummer_h2_2005_photos_SUV_Exterior_2005-Hummer-H2-ext-1.jpg I'm assuming he's going to need the room for the countless camping and surfing excursions and whatnot. And he's popular openly gay guy, so he needs the rooms for his friends. JJ, I think, will drive this: http://image.europeancarweb.com/f/8687486/0512_z+2005_MINI_Cooper_S+Front_Drivers_Side_View.jpg A 2005 Mini Cooper. Smaller, more compact, plus it's European and pretty cool. Plus I can't see either of his brothers driving something like this, or Brad or Robbie feeling this car, so that would be an added bonus.

Chapter 46 -New Year's Eve, 1999. The party to end all parties, where Brad and Robbie find their newfound committment to each tested yet again. "Hey, Girl. Hey, Boy" by The Chemical Brothers -As the gang watches the ball drop, and see 1999 turn into the year 2000. The 1990's, and the 20th century, are officially over the CAP saga. Thank. God. "1999" by Prince http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSqYAbBFhzc -When the guys look at the fireworks, and think about their loved ones who did not live to see the New Millenium. "Da Crossroads" by Bone Thugs N Harmony Quite possibly the best R&B/hip-hop ballad that came out of the 1990's, in my opinon. I thought about using this one for Matthew Shepherd, but it didn't work for me. I think this song works so much better for this scene.

I think Mark has set the Schluters and Cramptons up as being a peace-loving, pacifist family. I think if they had been in Pennsylvania or New York instead of Ohio, they would have become Quakers. The Hayes family is written as being the type of guys that want to fight. Although it could be interesting if Darius breaks that like Billy Senior did by joining up with the military after 9/11. Or if Matt Carrswold's dormant Hayes side comes out and he wants to join as well.

It really was sad that at the time, there really was nothing Aaron and Steven could have done if they were in the U.S. I really like following Steven. He was a pretty cool guy. Crazy to think what he could've done if he had survived his teen years.

Yeah. I wouldn't mind following Darius. Maybe for a small, summer-set story? I'm more excited for JJ and Will, though.

Yeah, I know. The Dow basically stays stable until 9/11 rolls around, if I remember correctly.

Right, although I don't get the impression that Mark intends to write a story for every year in that decade. I do think he might write another four or five stories, and that the "end" likely won't happen until 2012 or so. A four-year run of stories feels about right, I think. I just don't want the CAP saga to turn into something that keeps churning out just for the sake of turning out stories. It'd be akin to television shows that go on for way too long. In any event, I'm really excited to see how the CAP family is going to navigate the tough decade we just got out of. It's kinda weird for me- the '80's were my toddlerhood, the '90s were my childhood. The 2000's were my teen/college years, and luckily Mark's written into the story four contemporaries- JJ, Will, Marie, and John- and I'm excited to see my generation getting covered. Mark's done a good job with making JJ and Will interesting enough characters to cover. This thread isn't so much about the "end" anymore, as it is speculation about the future of the CAP family. I wish I could edit the title thread, but I can't. Since we're talking years, what years do you think Mark is going to cover? My guess would be 2001, 2004-2005, 2008, and then end with 2010. Maybe 2006 added in as well so we can see JJ at the Olympics.

They were heady, strange times....I remember when the Dow hit 11,000 in 2000 and I thought it was amazing. I think I started following the Dow in 1997-ish, when the bull market was in full swing and the DOW hit, I believe, 7,000 or 8,000 for the first time. When I was in 6th grade during 1998-1999, they had us play the stock market with theoretical money. The kids who won were the ones that invested in Dell stock, I believe. Seems kinda funny in hindsight, no? MacIntosh was considered dead and gone, and Microsoft and Dell were the big things to have. And then the IMacs came out in late 1999 and changed the whole game. And then Microsoft had to split up in 2000. It's been strange how the CAP saga is coming closer to "our time", so to speak. I like how Mark incorporates technological changes into the story, like how the boys get Playstation for Christmas and everyone has cell phones now. Which was true in my own 1999/2000 experience- kids stopped carrying around beepers and cell phones became norm by 2000. And kids were glued to the internet by 2000- I remember one of my high school teachers bitching about the fact that people no longer write letters, because of how e-mail had taken over.

Did some research. X-box comes out in North America in November 2001. PS2 comes out October 2000. Game Cube is out November 2001 as well. Pretty close- you're right. I don't see the guys as hardcore gamers, but they will be playing stuff like Grand Theft Auto, Madden NFL, and Tomb Raider with their friends.

Results Thrill and adventure seeking - you score 1 out of 10 This consists of items expressing desires to engage in sports or activities involving some physical danger or risk such as mountain climbing, parachute jumping, scuba diving, speeding in a car, etc. Experience seeking - you score 9 out of 10 This descibes the desire to seek new experiences through the mind and senses by living in a nonconforming life style with unconventional friends, and through travel. Disinhibition - you score 10 out of 10 This describes the need to disinhibit behaviour in the social sphere by drinking, partying and seeking variety in sexual partners. Boredom susceptibility - you score 7 out of 10 This indicates an aversion for repetitive experience of any kind, routine work, or even dull or predictable people. Other items indicate a restless reaction when things are unchanging. Your total sensation seeking score is 27 out of 40 *** I like to party as well, Mark. Let's get some SoCo Lime shots over at Deer Park.

Well, there's that, and I just view as Matt being one of those guys who just don't have to work very hard to pull off a 4.0 GPA. We all knew that guy in high school/college who could party as much as he wanted to, and still get straight A's. I thought that added to Matt's whole "Golden Boy" aura.

You like to party, Mark? I'm shocked. ;-)

This is where I get baited by Mark, and I bite, freaking out. *freaks out*

Keep reading. It should still be a major worry for people Matt's age, but when JJ and Will get to college-age, it won't be. You'd be really shocked at the utter lack of the fear of AIDS in a circa 2005-2009 college campus. The Stanford stuff actually makes sense, but I'm assuming that they get their homework and studying done off-story. I'm more interested in seeing them party. And besides, it's the first semester of freshman year. Everyone parties that semester more than they probably will for the rest of their college experience. I'm giving that one a pass.

Happy birthday, Tiger!

One thing Mark's never really done is show what professional athletes go through, which is going to be really interesting road for him to tackle eventually. It's why I'm glad he's made JJ into an aspiring professional figure skater- from all accounts, it's a HARD and unbelievably dramatic thing to deal with. I had a friend who tried to make the '04 Summer Olympics as a runner, and man...I remember him sitting me down once and telling me he wasn't going to try for '08 because at this point it was really making him miserable, and getting to the Olympics Trials only to find out he wasn't quite good enough was a tough, tough pill for him to swallow. Coach Deej graduated from college in 2000, and had basically put his life in this holding pattern where he coached and subbed on the side while training for '04. At 26, he had to figure out an entirely new lifepath. It was tough- but he's been doing pretty good. The other similiar thing I saw was the absolute obsession with weight. Both sports require a really lean body type, and it was amazing to see a 5'10" guy try and maintain himself at 140 pounds when 160 was more natural for him.

I actually thought the reverse was true- Darius and JJ were actually pretty well-developed characters before Millenium. Mark did a good job of developing them throughout If It Fits and Bloodlines. I felt like there was a good sense of what Darius and JJ were like as children. But I didn't think Will was that well-developed of a character, and I've talked with a guy that Mark holds in high esteem who agreed that Will never really registered with him, either. So Mark's spent some time in this story developing the Will character, and I thought that was pretty cool. I get a sense of who Will is now, and also the sense that he won't be just some Brad re-tread. (As much as I love Brad's loving recollections of high fashion, I'm glad that when we get around to Will, he's not going to be a preppy clotheshorse.) As for JJ...he's being set up for some MAJOR disapointment about the Olympics. I mean, he might make '06, but '02 is out of the question, and I think that'll he take it really hard when he realizes that. Mark's set up two great future protagonists when it comes to JJ and Will, I think. In any event, I agree that I love the interplay between family and find it the most interesting in the story.

So Brad finally acknowledges that he plays favorites with his kids, and he doesn't know jack-shit about one of his sons. At least he gets points for realizing that. I'm thinking that conversation was a bit of a foreshadowing, for when JJ realizes he *can't* make the '02 Olympics. That's going to be really, really bitter for him. The conversation between Brad and Will was pretty heartening. To be honest, that's what I'm more interested in- Brad's family and how they interact with one another- not so much on the sex with the twinks stuff. And I was happy for a My Girl reference- good way to work in generational touchstones for JJ and Will.

Chapter 45 -When Brad and Will talk about Drew, and about why Brad and Stefan became blood brothers. "Vada's Theme" from the My Girl soundtrack "Now we're blood brothers for life." God, that movie scene is just emblazoned in my mind. -When Robbie and Brad talk to each other at the end about Brad's epiphany about not being as good of a father as he could be, and Brad's pledge to never let him go. "She's Got A Way" by Billy Joel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkVWyfkhpl0&feature=related

I love the word snaugh. Don't stop using it on the account of what's-his-Texan-jock.

Yeah. Hoskins has tried, but yeah- the only purely nuclear family branches I can think of in the CAP saga would be Claire and Jack's, Tonto and Barry with Steven and Jim, and Nick and his wife and their two sons. Everyone else is either adopted, illegitimate, or the result of a gay man and his boyfriend deciding to have sex with a chick.

I'm Smitty. I sent Jeremy off on a three-day bender in New York City.