methodwriter85

Skidfest, the local charity rock event that has been held every semester in a block of row homes known as Skid Row since 1990, has been denied a permit because of the university bookstore construction going on behind it. I knew this was going to happen as soon as I realized that the construction would take up the two parking lots that surrounded Skid, because it would severely limit access to the event. And you could feel it at the last one that the end was near when the cops closed the event down early because some stupid kid fell off a railing and had to be taken away in an ambulance. This sucks. I went to my first Skidfest when I was a 17-year old reservist townie. I made some great memories there- like when I smoked sage with my buddy Grant while some weird drunken chick kept trying to hit on me, the time I literally got up on a soap box and gave a speech about medicinal marijuana, the time I puked all over my arm because I tried to chug Hurricane, the time I got really drunk and then walked over to the academic building across to Pearson Hall to watch a play...just all those wonderful, precious memories that I owe to this place. The event was more than just a bunch of drunken, stoned kids slobbering over themselves while garage bands played. It was a dedicated charity event in which members of the community-students, alumni, townies- all came together for a cause. It lasted for twenty years, and it became something of an institution not just with the students of University of Delaware, but within the city of Newark. It will be missed, and I hope it can indeed come back in some other kind of fun. The University, in its obsession with obtaining Public Ivy League status, has done whatever they can to kill the party scene over the last 10 years. In doing so they've also killed the local music scene. What they fail to grasp is that it's memories like going to places like , or - those are the kinds of memories that make their average student feel a fondness for the university and turn them into alumni that want to donate. But hey, I guess they're getting what they wanted in shutting down something that was just too great and too wonderful to be allowed to continue.

This is my guess as to what Arbour looked like in his late 20's/early 30's...I got backing on this assertion by a credible source who agreed he'd be great casting for a Young Mark Arbour. I would give as many red peppers as possible to a fortysomething version of this. LOL.

Actually, Dom's younger than I thought he was, too. I always figured that "The Ordinary Us" was somewhat autobiographical, and I had deduced that it took place somewhere around 1998, which would have put Dom at being about 30 years old now.

The baby's due towards the end of this month, right Adam? Let us know and we can pass out cigars.

You are old now, and that is awesome.

Right, right. So Brian's basically a JP who has yet to develop a soul, and maybe won't ever do so. Brian's about 26 or 27 at this time of the story- the same age JP was at the start of CAP.

I think that was SUPPOSED to be the intention, but then Mark changed his mind and tried to soften up JP as the saga went on. And there are non-violent sociopaths...mainly the successful ones who learn to play by society rules. They say non-violent socipaths make great CEO's or politicians. Brian spend the rest of his life with Aaron? Aaron's in his mid-70's. I think there's maybe another ten years left in Aaron's life. Maybe. I think what would be interesting would be if JP somehow set it up that Brian got caught with drugs in customs, and had to spend the rest of his life in some Taiwanese prison or something.

The other interesting quirk about this...aside from being his brother, Brian is supposed to be an exact replica of JP at that age. I think JP can't be objective about Brian because he sees himself there. Another interesting thing- wasn't the orginial set-up about CAP the fact that JP was actually a bit of a sociopath? It'd be interesting if it turns out that Brian is basically a JP who just never learned to play by the rules the way a successful socipath can.

This is one of those moments where I REALLY wished Adam had the time to post. I would love to see Adam's reaction to that line. Personally, I can't see JP doing it. And I'm still thinking Brian is not totally evil. He's a villain, yes, but I don't think he's gotten to the point of no-return like Neil did. He'd cut total contact with him and disown him, but he wouldn't actually have him killed.

I gotta admit it's been bugging the hell out of me that neither JJ nor Will seem to have the faintest clue what's going on. They are 14 and 13 years old, not 2. They should know, and they should be pissed. You're seriously telling me that kids who are in the entering phase of puberty are somehow taking the drama of Brad and Robbie like it's no big deal at all? Darius has had some reaction, but not by much. I get that Mark doesn't want to get too heavy into what the kids are doing because they're periphereal characters at this point, but it's been bothering me that the kids just don't seem to care. It feels wrong, remembering that age, that these kids haven't freaked out on them. I'm hoping there's been a delayed reaction and Will and JJ will seriously rebel during their latter teenage years. But again, I guess this story is already got a big enough canvas and it's already getting too long that I guess Mark didn't feel like it was important enough to include the reactions of Brad's kids, and we're moving away from that part of the story anyways. Maybe when JJ's like 19 and in therapy(you just KNOW that kid is destined for therapy with all the mounting issues he has to deal with), JJ can tell Brad and Robbie about how much their issues five years ago confused and bothered him. I bugged Mark enough about Brad never acknowledging his sexual molestation, and lo and behold he actually had that happen with the Box. I figure this is another dangling thread that can be left hanging and to be dealt with when the boys are the focus of the story. And Mark, no, JJ is not the youngest, although I can see why you'd think that. JJ acts pretty young for his age. The order for Brad's children is Darius(January 19th, 1982), JJ(December 7th, 1985), and Will(September 14,1986.) As for Will's "coming out"...I gotta wonder...is it really a coming-out if Will's never really been in the closet to begin with? He's 13 and understanding his newly forming sexuality. I don't think he ever really presented himself as interested in girls the way Brad and Matt did, and never really tried to act straight or anything but what he is. Could it be more "acknowledged his sexuality" or something? Mark doesn't really get to use the "coming out" theme for a future Will story the way he did for JP, Brad, and Matt, because Will already worked through those issues at 13. Which will make for an interesting take on a gay coming-of-age story when it's Will's turn.

Chapter 37 -When Cody talks to Brad, and Brad realizes that Cody is falling fast for Sergio. (I mean, Kevin.) "Quit Playing Games With My Heart" by the Backstreet Boys -When Robbie and Brad make love, and involve a popular pasta dish. "I Wanna Know" by Joe -When Robbie promises that Brad will never have to share his heart with anyone. "I'll Never Break Your Heart" by Backstreet Boys

Well, think about it. Kevin Flamme is a high-fashion, runway-type model. It's not going to be as easy finding nude pics of him, because his sort of modeling focuses on his angular face and how his angular body works the designer clothing. The emphasis is more on his face than it is on his body, and so we're not really going to see Abercrombie, beef-cakey type nudie poses for him. It's not like Evan Wadle(aka Matt Carrswold), who is more of a beefcake model and thus being nude or in skimpy undies is pretty much par for the course. It was not hard at all to find ass pics of Evan. LOL. I agree Mike must have been freaked out at seeing Brad. Brad's close to the age of his biological father when he died, right? I think Kevin must have been around his mid/late 30's in 1968. I think he had to have been a couple of years older than JP/Billy, because wasn't he Billy's superior?

Have a great day!

Look him up yourself. My job is done. LOL.

So it turns out that Brad's biological family has come back to haunt him. Man. He thought it was just a high school thing, but it went back even further! Strange to think that this woman has held a burning vendetta for close to forty years. Makes Alexis Carrington look like a sweatheart.

Chapter 36 -When Brad drives down to San Diego, determined to get answers from his long-lost half-brother. "All Right Now" by Free http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR2V60yLIaw -When Brad meets his half-brother at the base, who fills him in on the wicked stepmonster that is out to wreck his life. "Killer Queen" by Queen

Way to freak out your readership, Mark.

Hey, Tet, are we ever gonna see a photo of you? I have you pictured like most of the ROTC guys I've known- around 5'8", 140 to 150 pounds, shaved dark hair, pale skin, really lithe body, and constantly wearing a pair of workout shorts and an army t-shirt. Cute boy next door all-around.

Matt Carrswold from Bloodlines.

The role of Kevin Carmichael will be played by French model Kevin Flamme.Flamme 1 Flamme 2 Flamme 3 Kevin Flamme 4 Flamme 5 After a long and hard search, Mark finally agreed on my pick of a guy. I knew I'd have to go outside the All-American jock type to find the guy. Figures he'd be French. And Kevin Flamme is frickin' cute without looking cookie-cutter. I love this guy's gaze.

Chapter 35 -When Robbie and Brad hope that this time around, things might work. "One More Try" by George Michael -When they go to a party, and Brad helps out an extremely drunk Robbie, and they wind up in bed with Cody. "Touch It" by Monifah

Canuk, it's pretty much a given that someone in my age group will have friends in the military. Enlistment levels in the United States really are that high. And you will see a lot of military kids around the college campus. That's the primary reason a lot of people will go into military- to get a free education in a country where a college education will rountinely cost a person 20k a year. Just as it's inevitable that Wade will likely know someone who will die in 9/11, it's inevitable for Darius, JJ and Will to have at least one friend in Iraq.

You're a sweet kid, and your posts in my college thread are nice to read. Thanks and have a happy birthday!

He had a hilarious cameo in "Paris When It Sizzles".

Interesting. And you're right about that- our generation spent our childhood in what had been the generally stable era of the 1990's- the Cold War was over and the Economy was booming. I think Columbine High School was almost like a dress rehearsal for our generation in terms of how shocking and dumbfounded a lot of us were at the time. High school shootings after that seemed almost rountine until Virginia Tech came along and moved the threat into the college setting, which I think shocked me and my friends that it could happen in college as well. Darius will see his friends in Aghanistan at the start, while I think Will and JJ will see friends who wind up in Iraq since their friends won't be old enough to join the military until about 2004-2005. My cross-country team captain decided to go the military route instead of college and wound up in Iraq. He's still alive, thank god, although he's now missing part of pinkie finger. I like your analysis of why you could see a big chunk of Darius's friends joining the military. I'm betting Darius and his friends aren't really the "Ivy League" college-bound type, and I don't see Darius as the type of guy to only stick to the rich kids. Matt seems least likely to have friends that will wind up in Iraq/Aghanistan, since it seems like he runs with the Yuppies like Brad did in his youth. I'm thinking Matt's circa 2006 life is more likely living in a refurbished loft in Greenwhich while working at a mid-town office in NYC, and occasionally going down to D.C. to visit Wade, who's working as a lobbyist and nobly living in a one-bedroom apartment because he won't touch a dime of his parent's money. Matt, Darius, JJ, and Will are coming-of-age in one hell of a turbulent decade, and it's kinda interesting to see the innocence of these kids at the end of the 90's, knowing what the '00s are going to bring.