methodwriter85

Just as a reminder, my Mary Ellen fancast is Stereotypical Barbie. That is one hundred percent an outfit I could see Mary Ellen actually wearing. This feels like it would be Mary Ellen's idea of a Jackie O outfit.

Since this is clearly going to be a spoiler...

Well hey though, Brad and Robbie are going strong after about 9 years of commitment to each other. I'm so glad they were able to thwart Bitty with Stefan's help.

I remember really liking the Brian reveal scene. Goddam though, these people run into secret family doppelgangers a lot. LOL

Cody is an empathetic person who can read people very well. Brad is...not.

LOL true that. I figured it would happen around 2008 because that's going to be an interesting year for finance bros like Matt.

So on Sunday I went to the bench dedication ceremony that my friend's Steve family threw for him. I was hoping there would be at least one college friend showing up, but it was just me. Steve's parents actually came from New Jersey but they decided to move to the University of Delaware area about six years ago. It was a really interesting experience- the bench is in a park that was built on the site of a dorm that was next to the dorm that I used to visit a lot because Steve was an RA there. Both of the dorms (Rodney and Dickinson) were these standard issue 60's dorms that managed to stay open all the way up to about 2015. Rodney became the park with the retention pond, while Dickinson became the site of new student apartments. I managed to hold it together until I realized that the bench is basically in view of this railroad underpass that you had to go through in order to get to Rodney and Dickinson if you were coming from the rest of the campus. There was this sidewalk that paralleled the train tracks that would take you to Rodney, and then Dickinson. I cannot tell you the amount of times I walked under that underpass in order to hang out with Steve in that dorm. I kept looking at that underpass, and then I started tearing up as I kept getting flooded with the memories of a friendship that I thought was going to be lifelong but I only got to have 6 years of. After the ceremony I wound up going to the parents house, where they were having a luncheon. The family was pretty welcoming and I stayed for about three hours. I wound up having a talk with Steve's dad and Steve's brother. Steve's brother looks so much like him that it was kind of hard to not be reminded of him. There was this bit where I told Steve's brother that I think it was an interesting coincidence that his parents moved to where Steve went to undergrad and he replied "It's not a coincidence" in a way that just reminded me so much of how Steve would talk. (The brother's voice was not quite the same, so it wasn't too freaky on me, but still.) Steve's dad, his brother, and I basically sat on a bench in the backyard that they put Steve's name on and had a conversation about our mutual grief for Steve. I get the feeling that Steve's dad wanted to talk to Steve's college friends because that's a part of Steve's life that he wasn't there for. Steve's brother asked me if I would be interested in spreading a part of his ashes on their family property farm. I think I will take them up on that offer, but only if I can get Ian (our mutual friend) to be there. Ian unfortunately lives in the Midwest and wasn't able to come out for the bench ceremony. When I decided to leave, he wound up giving me one of Steve's pocketknifes. Steve collected them. I remembered that, and took one, and then I took off. It was a good experience. It felt a bit like a redo of my experience in 2014, when I tried to attend Steve's memorial but a lot of crap went down so it didn't go the way I wanted it to. This redeemed it for me, honestly. I do wish I had actually known people there, but there were very welcoming regardless and I'm glad I did it. Later that night, I wound up going to the Riverfront in Wilmington and silently watched the water, remembering my friend. I started crying and playing the song "Pursuit of Happiness" by Kid Cudi, which was so who Steve was. I've moved on, but that loss will always be with me. And that's okay.

Oh, you're right. I was worried about nothing. 😉 You gave Matt and Wade their happily ever after and I totally trust you won't explode it up. Totally.

Dolph Lundgren is 65 and just married his 27-year old bride who was his personal trainer. LOL My Lou fancast is Matt Bomer. *sign* What a hottie.

I mean, the fact that he asked Corbin to "make love" kind of says it all. Uh, dude? LOL

I just realized that Ryan Gosling is how I think Lark would have looked if he had aged (somewhat) naturally instead of getting his face entirely rearranged.

I do think people who live in the Great Lakes region believe they have beaches, though. Not that this applies to Mark. LOL

I got it- Claremont. Who the hell is going to look for Travis in Ohio?

See, like I said, I think the Legally Blonde experience would be good for Will, just like the Devil Wears Prada experience has been GREAT for JJ. Culture shock is an interesting experience. I mean, you did it- Missouri is pretty different from Northern California. I did a milder version of it, going from the East Coast to living in Western Pennsylvania. It's not Hardcore Appalachia, but it's like the outer edges of it, and for a guy who's been raised no further than 90 minute drive from the coast since the age of 9, it was serious culture shock. At the same time, I'm worried that having Will in Boston will bring just too much drama to the nice little family that Wade/Matt/Tiffany have set up. LOL (Although I do wonder if at some point Cody will try to get custody of his daughter Maddie from Tiffany.)

I wonder if the high speed rail thing will ever actually happen in California.

It's been one hell of a 15-year ride. A very fun one.

See, I'm the opposite. I'd like to pile more drama on these characters. Like imagine a fanfiction

Mark did a lot of consulting with a doctor who began practicing in the early 80's, as well as a different guy who lived in Portland's gayborhood since the late 1970's and was in his mid-30's when AIDS hit. AIDS really hits hard by the mid-80's, but the mass funerals start tapering off after about 1996 because they started having effective medicines that could keep people in the HIV stage.

I LOVE that David turned out to be even nuttier than Lee. LOL

Bumped up because JWolf released another chapter of English Year. I kind of want to see if I can get Private Tim to read the story because I imagine he'll get quite infuriated at Corbin and make more reviews I love reading. LOL

That seems to be the tack that Mark is doing with

I kind of wonder if the reason why Brad didn't mark art into his living was because he needed to keep it as an emotional outlet rather than letting it be something he was obligated to do as work.

No, I think Brad will be a wonderful, stern but strict dad like Michael Landon on Little House on the Prairie.

Yeah, especially because I missed Steve's funeral. I did attend the wake, but yeah. I'm thinking about just going "fuck it" and renting a hotel room in my college town and just going out the night before. Hopefully hang out with some of my friends from college. I feel like it's going to be pretty heavy.

Oh my god, that explains so much about your reactions to Will. LOL