methodwriter85

Despite all the shit I've given Mark about how traumatized I think these kids are going to be about Brad and Robbie playing musical beds, I actually think the kids will be fine. I don't see Darius, JJ, and Will running into the same kind of problems that Brad, Ace, and Billy did. All of them come across as pretty nice kids- JJ is somewhat stuck-up when it comes to hockey players, but in general they're laidback people who don't walk around like they own the world. Will does not seem to have inherited Brad's quick temper, and Darius has Ace's joviality without Ace's uncontrollable rage issues. Will also does not have the same kind of baggage that Brad had about coming out- with Will we're seeing a symbol of a new generation of gay men who were out by early puberty and never really experienced being in the closet. That especially is going to make a big difference, I think. Also, these guys come off as really protective and close of one another- the bonds between the previous three brothers just felt so much more tenuous. I think it would take A LOT to break apart the bond between Darius/JJ/Will. I get the feeling that, before all this stuff went down, Brad and Robbie were generally good parents with Jeanine really keeping the kids grounded. Or maybe they just lucked into really good kids. In any event, I really feel glad that Mark is writing the sibling dynamic of Darius/JJ/Will completely different from the way he wrote Brad/Ace/Billy. So much of the conflict of Be Rad was about the way sibling rivalry tore at the three brothers. It was great to read, but I don't really want a repeat, you know? I trust when Mark gets around to it, he'll craft a story about these three brothers in a new, fresh way that will be interesting to read, but in a completely different way from Be Rad.

Well, it didn't make it here, and the story is news to us, and I think it's a cool one.

I got this idea from Dom Luka's board. Mark generally has models for his characters- Tony Dow is the basis for the Hayes look, for example- but I thought it might be interesting to ask how YOU picture the characters. I'll start. Actor Ryan Devlin is how I picture Mark in On the Mark. Of course, at this point he's too old to play teenaged Mark, but I think he'd be a damn good mid-20's to early 30's Mark. I've got Mark pictured as having a narrow, triangular face that's cute, very whitebread, and endearingly dorkly. So, any of you have an actor or a model that you've pictured as one of the characters in Mark's stories?

Kind of a stark contrast to Brad's fictional coming-out in 1980 Gun High, huh?

Gunn High School in the San Francisco Bay area staged a counterdemonstration against the West Baptist Church. Check it out: Gunn Sings Away Hate Group Any of you familiar with Mark Arbour's stories know that some of his characters went to Gunn High School in the early '80's. I know that if he were real, Brad Schluter would be damn proud of his alma mater. Those kids...man. Looking into their faces and knowing that they are the future of this country, I feel a sense of pride and hope.

Chapter 28 -When Robbie presents Brad with a new sports car and a fancy vacation. "Material Girl" by Madonna http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CQHIP-38jA&feature=related -When Brad explains to Robbie that while the new material stuff is great, it's the emotional stuff that matters far more. "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain You could not escape Shania Twain back in the late '90's. She was EVERYWHERE. -When Brad lets Robbie know that it's not going to be that easy, and that there's still a lot of work left and the road might not end up with them together. "What Do You Want From Me?" by Monaco http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucUEEN974Mo

All good things have to come to an end at some point...I figure Mark won't get to a conclusion for at least a year. I don't think having a story set for each year is the greatest idea if its only for the purpose of extending the saga, though.

Chapter 27 -When Robbie and Brad enter the fancy party, with Brad showing off his diamonds. "Life in the Fast Lane" by The Eagles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DF6nWrxrlg -When Carmella inspects Brad's diamonds. "Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend" by Marilyn Monroe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZtGybjFjOU -When Cary's brief moment in the sun is interrupted by something called karma, and the gang walks out of the auditorium after letting the words speak for themselves. "Rich Girl" by Hall & Oates http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQxRy30qs0g I've always wanted to use "Rich Girl". I'm glad I finally found a place for it.

According to Mark, this is the second anniversary of when he started posting the CAP saga to GA! Let's all congratulate him on two years of giving us one addictive soap opera! Kinda funny though- in real-time we've gone from 2008 to 2010. In CAP-time it's gone from 1962 to 1999. Sheesh. LOL.

Chapter 26 -When they spy on what Brandon says to Dan and Cary using a special watch. "The World Is Not Enough" Theme Song by Garbage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRPWFzONm88&feature=related -When Robbie presents Brad with some VERY expensive diamond cufflinks. 1999 DeBeers Diamonds Are Forever Commericial -When everyone learns about the scene that Brandon caused when getting fired. "Instant Karma" by John Lennon

Adam Phillips could write a dissertation on why Jeff Hayes shouldn't have died. LOL.

Ya think? With the personel file Brad could write for Brandon, he wouldn't get a job bagging groceries. He just wasted what must have been at least seven-plus years of post-secondary education.

Happy 90210 day, guys! Here's an article that talks about this holiday that only comes once every hundred years....Happy 90210 Day Man. If only the new revival had a tenth of the heart that the Original Recipe Bev Hills 90210 had. In a sense, I felt like I grew up with these kids. And Shannen Doherty was just awesome in so many ways. What was your favorite Beverly Hills 90210 moment? Surely I'm not the only one who watched this show. Mine's gotta be when when Brenda talks her play rival out of committing suicide. See, Brenda and this girl were completing for the lead in their college production of "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof". Brenda gets it, and her rival goes completely nutso. It was pretty over-the-top and campy. I loved it.

My overall GPA sucked, but starting second semester of junior year I never had less than a B+ in my history class, which is my major. You are right. I started classes this week, and I have a pretty good feeling about them. One thing I'm doing is breaking up my syllabuses and putting down my assignments into my academic planner. I found it makes everything feel a lot less intimidating. I'll try and be less scared. I think I'm getting there.

I'll try to stay strong, dude. Anyways, I loved the Harry Potter reference.

Chapter 25 -When Robbie shows up, Brad gets rid of Dan. "I Got A Man" by Positive K http://www.youtube.c...h?v=jwWb0lbw4W8 -When Robbie explains his reasoning for modifying the plan, and then the two make love as they know there's still a lot to muddle through. "God Of Wine" by Third Eye Blind -When Brad and Robbie come up with a plan for their relationship that might hopefully work. "Sway" by Bic Runga **** "God of Wine" is probably my favorite by Third Eye Blind. I'm glad I found a place for it. edited because I put the wrong link in for "God of Wine".

Sometimes the best thing to do is face your fear head-on. I've been reading online a bit, about people who are or have failed out of graduate school. What I realize is that I'm not alone at all about feeling scared about failing, or realizing that I went into this process completely blind and uncomprehending about the pitfalls and troubles I could face. There's this interesting site by a woman who left her PhD program four years in. I thought it was pretty interesting: Straight Talk About Graduate School It's good for me to read about a woman who lived through my greatest fear- not succeeding in graduate school- and got through to the other side. This woman was a model student in college- she graduated with a 3.97, and well-loved by faculty. If she could fail, it can happen to anyone- and on the flip side...I remember reading about a guy who graduated college with a 2-something like I did and wound up a tenured faculty member. It really does seem like it's a combination of the individual and the environment they end up in. From her story and from a bit of others....here's what I'm taking to heart, and will keep reminding myself as I go through this experience, for however long it may be. It could be less than one semester or it could be seven years...and I'll keep this all in mind. 1. If I fail, that means that I'm not suited for an academic life. It does not mean I'm stupid or I'm not a talented person. It means I wasn't a right fit. I want a 4.0, and I'll go after it the best I can. If I wind up with a C in all my classes and am kicked out, I will not take that as a mark of me being unable to hold an intelligent conversation or that I have nothing to offer the world because I didn't make it in the academic one. 2. I will not let myself get entirely consumed by academia. I will work my hardest, but I won't make it my entire life. I will try to balance other interests I have- having friends, bonding with family, doing activities like acting, and maybe even occasionally having a beer at the bar. I will not let myself feel isolated, or feel that if I fail this M.A. attempt, I don't have anything else in my life. That could lead to a very dark road with some very dark consequences, and I refuse to go down that. 3. I will continually engage myself into activities that remind me why I fell in love with history, such as going to living history museums and watching re-enactments. I will read or watch something about periods of history that I'm not covering in class for my own personal enjoyment when I have time to spare. There's a Jimmy Stewart museum here, and I'm definitely going to visit it when I get the chance. 4. I will accept that sometimes life takes you in other directions, and what I want at the age of 24 might be entirely different in two years. 5. I will create an escape plan for myself if graduate school does not work out. I'll audit some computer classes, maybe learn about how to temp and work in an office. If I flunk out, I will take community college courses back home and learn some different kinds of trade. Here's a quote from the site above that explains why you need a back-up plan, and it was pretty enlightening: [*]Feeling that you can't leave makes you an easy target for abuse, because the consequences of standing up for yourself could be being forced out.[*]Feeling trapped robs you of perspective on your situation, leaving you with an all-or-nothing, total-success-or-total-failure mindset that is unhealthy and unsound.[*]Feeling trapped adds stress to every decision you make, because when you feel you have nowhere to go, you don't dare make a decision that could force you to leave or get you kicked out. Even relatively minor decisions can carry heavy costs

Chapter 24 -When the gang discusses the upcoming Y2K panic, and Brad dismisses it as hype. "All About the Pentiums" by Weird Al Yankovic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwneqSkwx90 -When Brad listens to Cary and Dan in the bathroom. "Spy Hard" by Weird Al Yankovic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_3IzfdYrOE Weird Al never fails to entertain me. LOL. -When the gang finalizes the details of getting revenge against Amphion. "One Way Or Another" by Blondie

Chapter 23 -When Brad seduces Dan. "Whatever Lola Wants" by Sarah Vaughan -When Brad brokers a deal with the Chinese mafia. "Ghetto Cowboy" by Bones Thugs N Harmony

I start my classes tommorrow. Man. It's been a wild week... Wednesday, I hung out with my friends from college- my buddy Steve and all his former residents that are now entering junior year. Kinda weird- those kids are now the same year me and Steve were when we met during their freshman year. It was a pretty chill, laidback night- we sat around drinking and watching Netflix while they smoked and I watched. It was basically like any other time I've hung out with these guys- which was a good thing. I wanted to have some big emotional goodbye with Steve, but it's a good thing I didn't. He wished me good luck with grad school, and I said, "I'll see you when I see you', and we shook hands and I walked out. Friday my family and I journeyed to the wilds of western PA. Man, it was such a nice day out, and the scenery was just breathtaking. As a boy from the flat coastal plain area, it was so neat seeing all those rounded hills and small mountains! Today, or I guess Sunday, I finally met my roomate. He's not all that physically attractive and he's somewhat of a geek, but he's a nice guy if a bit on the conservative side. Most importantly, he's a grad rep so he understands the inn's and outs of grad school. He gave me a lot of really good advice, and leveled with me about how things like my undergrad GPA will effect me, and what I can do to ameliorate it all. He basically said, "You need to get a 4.0 here." He's right, of course, and I'm going to go after it the best I can. I'm scared pretty shitless, of course. If this doesn't go well, I'm looking at being 38k in debt with little job prospects, a failed attempt at an M.A., and a basically worthless B.A. His advice to me was basically, "Try your hardest. If you wind up failing, you won't be disapointed because you know that you did your best." Which is a pretty true statement, and one I'm going to keep in mind. The stakes are pretty high, and I could wind up losing horribly. Or it could go great, and I'll do well. Or somewhere in-between. What I do know is I'm one scrappy fellow, and I can take what life has to throw at me. So I'll try my hardest, roll with the punches, and make do with what I have. That's all I can really from here on out- sitting around and pouting about the fact that my 2,75 means I got no grant funding at all and have to take out a massive loan isn't going to change anything or make my situation better. What I have is a new start, and a chance to prove myself. I got in because they figured they'd get the most money out of me since I'm not scholarship material. What I need to do, and want to do, is prove both to myself and to the school that I'm a good asset, and hopefully in two years I can say this was a great experience. I need to prepare myself for the worst- flunking out- but also visualize myself doing the best- hitting that 4.0, getting that assistantship, and doing well. Now I need to see what I can do to make the latter a reality, and try my damndest to do so.

I spent my summer temping with Stefan, don't you remember?;-) Nah, but seriously, I watch a lot of realty shows, and I'm from the Philly metro area. Alright, so I'm not directing you to Villanova or Greenville, but I'm also not directing you to Chester or Claymont. I think the thing is, it's really hard to find a vibrandt, liberal, walkabe, small-town that has a large college and has a good school district, and at the same time is not outrageously expensive, when it comes to the Philly or DC metro area. I'm going to be level and tell you that I think it might be really, really hard to find that kind of area. In terms of medium-sized college towns, Newark in Delaware has some pretty good upsides. Yes, you get the rowdy college kids, but when you get further away from the campus and into the nice developments, they're not as much of an issue. I had friends who grew up there, and they would ride their bikes into the Downtown, which has some pretty nice resturants and a various of shops. You can walk just about anywhere, It's a pretty liberal town, and I don't think a kid with two gay parents would get that much crap from people. You also have the amenity of a nice state park, and while there isn't a Broadway, the University of Delaware has a pretty top-notch school theater that offers good productions at cheap prices. Also, it's a not a bad commute to Philadelphia if you want to taste a big city every once in awhile. The problem is, since we're talking Delaware, the public high schools aren't that good, and you'd have to send your kids to a private or a charter or a magnet school, most likely. But since you"re talking about an area that's cheaper than DC Metro, and has low taxes, it wouldn't be much of an issue. Pike Creek and Hockessin are also in that area, and they're pretty nice, but they don't really have a downtown- they're more suburbs. You could look around Delaware County, which is the site of the famed-Mainline. There are other, not-as-outrageously-expensive areas in that county that still have some pretty good schools, like Unionville-Chadds Ford. It's a bit of a Republican stronghold, but I doubt you're going to see that much homophobia in a Philly metro town. I also recomend looking at Doylestown, PA and the general Bucks County area, which apparently has a strong art scene going on. Montgomery County is also nice- it was named one of the best places to raise a family. Suburban Philadelphia can be pretty damn nice without being Mainline-expensive, and at the same time there's a pretty lively gay community in Philly. There's also a ton of Universities in Philly Metro, so I'd give it a shot! BTW, I watched an episode of House Hunters set in Alexandria, VA. Damn, that place is expensive!

This might sound rude, but what sort of budget are you looking at? There are some really nice towns in this mid-Atlantic area, but they can get pretty pricey. I might be able to give you some guesses, but I'd be able to give you better ones if I knew what sort of money you are willling to drop on a house.

Not to mention the song had a revival in 1994, which was still somewhat recent to the timeline of the story. It's become sort of a timeless song, I think.

Chapter 22 -When Brad blows up at Robbie, who's throwing a pity party for himself about losing a lot of money instead of doing something about it. "No Scrubs" by TLC -When Brad and Matt start to get into it, but Brad stops it because Matt smells like Robbie. "My Sharona" by the Knack http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=021WZBh1R4I -When Brad eases his tensions by hooking up with Josh, a bellhop and aspiring massage therapist. "Nice and Slow" by Usher

"Straight" can be added on as an adjective that ups what you're talking about. If I'm saying, "I'm doing straight applications", it means, "I'm doing a lot of applications." Or if you say something like, "That girl be straight tripping!", that means, "That girl is going really crazy."