methodwriter85

Gas finally hit 1.99 in Delaware. It was awesome. I haven't seen gas that low since like 2004.

Yeah, if JJ and Alex were still together by the start of 2004, I'd call bullshit on this, but Alex really does make sense as JJ's starter love interest. We got to keep in mind here that JJ doesn't really relate to people his age because of his lifestyle, and said lifestyle tends to make it hard to actually hold a serious relationship. Alex is hot, doesn't mind JJ's crazy schedule, and he is interested in JJ's career and treats him like a princess. It totally works. (For now.)

I gotta agree with Tim here. If you were sexually interested in women, and you're 16 years old, you're telling me you wouldn't rail the shit out of a woman who looked like THIS even if you knew that she was a shitty person? I mean, I think Brody Jenner is a vapid tool, but I sure as hell would jump in bed with him if I had the chance. (Any gossip on him by the way, Private Tim? Brody's always struck me as a guy who wouldn't be opposed to messing around with a guy or two. Like in the frat boy "Oh, I was SO drunk!" kind of way.)

I actually think JJ would go along with it, as long as Alex constantly assured him that he was Alex's favorite. I really didn't expect this kind of reaction to the storyline when I first read it. Hmm. Mainly because I thought it actually makes a lot of sense- Alex being willing to marry for money, setting up a "real" partner as opposed to his legal wife, and JJ being okay with it, because he's that infatuated with Alex and he can convince himself that Mary Ellen means nothing to Alex and he's still his favorite. Remember, he's 17. (Well, nearly.) JJ is a lonely kid in a lonely sport without that many opportunities to have relationships. He's willing to do what it takes to keep Alex. Will it work in the long run? Probably not, but I've never gotten the feeling we're supposed to see Alex as JJ's forever love.

I live near a college town, which is the perpetual land of 20-year olds, and I'm at Firefly Music Festival every year, which is also the land of perpetual 20-year olds (who come from all over, not just Delaware), and I've seen this look a lot. I do think the hat he's wearing in the picture is more 2007-2009, but other than that I'd say he's largely reflective of a lot of trends I've seen going around this decade. Especially the striped tank top, rolled up tight jean shorts, and the tattoos. It's not a frat boy look, but more of that "I'm hip and cool and different although a lot of other people dress this way" look. He'd probably have a fixed gear bicycle somewhere. I get the point about the O.C., although it's kind of shame. You missed a lot of great music. The O.C. had one of the greatest music soundtracks, and luckily, it came out right when t.v. shows started negotiating for DVD music rights, so the soundtrack hasn't been gutted like the previous teen greats, Dawson's Creek and Beverly Hills 90210 (Private Tim's generation!) were.

I hope you're right. Something tells me that Mary Ellen isn't used to bedding guys that can also be a total diva-bitch.

Yeah, I do remember hearing that places like Anaheim were much more racially diverse and off-beat cool instead of the whole Nouveau Riche Stepford Whites only view that The O.C., Laguna Beach, the Real Housewives of Orange County were showing. I remember the show got criticized for not having any black characters, but people pointed out that Newport Beach really doesn't have many black people there. It's crazy to think though that Newport Beach, at the time of the show, really was 90 percent white. That's just crazy to me- people joke about how Delaware is some backwards swamp, but we're a pretty diverse state because we're so close to Philly and Baltimore/D.C. I had an experience of a town like that when I went to IUP, as the surrounding town was 88 percent white or something, but there were a fair amount of minority students at IUP to make up for that.

You don't seem like you hang around hipsters, though.

Several years ago, when Mark and I were debating about JJ's sexuality and how it might turn out, we got input from a female figure skater that it would actually be easier for JJ to mess around with other men even if he's also into women, because his female figure skaters peers are under serious scrutiny at all times, and he's going to be around guys much more anyway. It doesn't seem like dance where the girls and a few guys are with each other at all times. It makes total sense he got to men first given where he's grown up and the sport that he's in. I like how nuanced JJ's sexuality is. It's not really black and white. I wonder if he'll be like a bi friend I have, who tells me that his sexuality tends to ebb and flow between "gay" and "straight". If MaryEllen wasn't a raging bitch and JJ wasn't an immature nearly-17-year old, I could see this working. But I can't see this turning into another Wade/Matt/Tiffany deal. JJ is also no Matt, and he really, really can't stand children. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to get a vasectomy. It might be better for him to do that anyway given that he's a biological Crampton and those people spawn illegitimate children like crazy. I am kinda disappointed that it looks like we're not going to get a JJ/MaryEllen bitchfest like I was expecting here. I also expected JJ's first female love interest to be a classy Natalie Portman or Alexis Bledel type.

Joe Paterno's wins are restored to Penn State. Is this fair, or not? I will say, I lived in Western P.A. when the Jerry Sandusky scandal happened, and I was shocked at the riots and everything that went on at Penn State when this happened.

The Dover, Delaware police posted a video of one of their own lipsynching to "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift, and it went viral with close to 7 million views. I knew there was a reason I didn't hate Dover cops when I went college in that town. LOL. It's going viral because there's something funny about a big, burly middle-aged bald cop bopping along to Taylor Swift. It's nice to have a viral video featuring Delaware, especially considering that it's got 7 million views, which is more than 7 times the amount of people that actually reside in this tiny little state.

I meant when Tiffany was pregnant with Riley. That would have been overkill to have given her twins on top of Maddy coming at the same time. Like I said, you gotta spread out the ages, and you got to keep them from being too blood-related. I really think that's why Mark had an Alex/Mary-Ellen combo.

It set up a whole new fashion aesthetic for the decade, away from the urban, baggy, muted Tommy Hilfiger look that was popular with suburban teens in the late 90's/very early '00s, to pastels, Boho peasant blouses & skirts for girls, striped polo shirts for guys, and a more fitted look in general. This biggest influence was Seth Cohen, who kind of became the ultimate nerdy teenager that was also cool and not the general "nerd" that you usually saw on T.V. He made nerdy culture kind of cool, I think. (I wanted to be Adam Brody so badly.) And it's soundtrack was seriously amazing. I'd say it had a huge influence by exposing people to a lot of indie music. We'll also go with what they say on the Wikipedia page about the legacy of the show: The cultural phenon aspect of the show was really only for about the first two seasons, but man, EVERYONE you knew was talking about the show, from my fellow students to middle-aged adults. I think that's the only time I followed a show that everyone was watching/talking about. On a shallow note, it seemed like the first teen show that allowed the parents to be just as hot and sexy as their "teen" kids where. Kelly Rowan and Peter Gallagher are damned attractive people. Mostly though, the music is the show's biggest legacy.

Seriously though, Private Tim, I think men are at their sexiest between their mid-30's to about their mid-40's. It's a great age- you have some "seasoning" on your face now because of the emerging wrinkles, but still traces of boyish youthfulness. I hate it when guys get "man-tox"- the lines really add some interesting dimension. 20-year old guys, while hot, just look so blank-faced to me. Not really related to CAP, but I had these thoughts about guys in your age range while looking up pictures of Bradley Cooper. Gawd, he looks hot in the bearded bear look. Although to bring it back to CAP...I picture JJ sooooo being the kind of guy who starts to get Botox injections when he's still in his 20's. Will won't care. I actually could see Darius being more vain about it than Will, although not as vain as JJ, who will absolutely freak out once he hits his late 20's. Matt and Wade I can't really judge, although both would be in their mid-30's in "real time". I think Alex is pretty much making the best out of a situation he didn't really want, but now that it's here, he's willing to make sure his kid is well-taken care of. I also think telling JJ he really wanted Mary Ellen to get an abortion was his way of softening the blow to JJ, who sure as hell does not want to see Alex get excited about having a kid. JJ strikes me as a "never having kids" type, and he is not going to be excited about sharing Alex with a wife and a kid. I suspect whatever kid they have will be mostly raised by nannies and British boarding schools, which will probably be for the best. Well, until it's the late 2010's and the kid of whatever gender comes to America and entangles with Tiffany's as-of-yet unborn child, Maddy, and Riley. They'd all be cousins but whatever. Mark's really busy building the foundation work for Generation 4 of CAP. LOL. I gotta admit, I really thought Darius would have been the next one to contribute- he strikes me as someone who'd have kids young. Although I think having Alex do it works- he and MaryEllen makes it so that save for Riley, whatever kid they have isn't going to be a biological first-cousin to everyone in that generation. (Although technically, Maddy belongs to Will's generation- still, she's basically being grouped with Gen 4 because of her age.) That's soap generation planning 101. You can have second cousins or "by-marriage" cousins, but you can't have too many biological-by-blood first cousins. That's why I was glad that Mark didn't give Tiffany twins like people wanted, and didn't make Brad or Robbie Maddy's father. You can't have too many characters on the canvas that are the same age group and directly blood-related to each other. We get a little more leeway here on the incest deal because the bulk of what we're seeing are gay relationships, but still.

Chapter 38 -When Alex and JJ talk it out. "The Scientist" by Coldplay

Mark's feedback: Honestly, I think Alex on some level wants this. Marrying Mary Ellen solves a lot of his family's financial problems, he's convinced that it's his baby, and he doesn't want his child to be a bastard. That they're not in love doesn't change the fact that it's mutually beneficial to both. And it provides a perfect cover for his relationship with JJ. When I think about it, I can see JJ being really, really hesitant to get married, either in legality or in spirit. He had a pretty big front-row seat to the meltdown that was Brad and Robbie, then again for Tiffany and Jeanine, and he wasn't a huge fan of Jeanine and Hank. That's not to say that he won't have committed relationships, but I can see him balking at making a formal life commitment. It's actually a nice contrast from Will circa Poor Man's Son, when he was thinking that he was going to marry every boy/man he fucked around with. I think Will at that time was actively seeking life partners, like in that high school kind of "we're going to be together forever and ever" kind of deal. JJ doesn't really seem to have the same kind of deal. Yes, he's infatuated, but we haven't exactly seen JJ mention any wedding fantasies when it comes to Alex.

Why deny your age? I wear each and every one of my 29 years with pride. Although sometimes I'm tempted to shave a few years off my age because I look young for my age and I can easily get away with saying I'm 24 or 25. At Firefly this year, I lied and told some 22-year olds that I was 26. They said, "Oh, wow, I can't believe it- you look like our age!" I mean, come on, Firefly Music Festival is basically the land of the 22-year olds. It does kind feel hard to stand out as the lone people in your late 20's/early 30's range. That's an interesting idea. I think the idea is that women hold the power over the men because they can have children, and in order for these gay/bi men to continue their "blood lines", they have to negotiate with the women, who are bargaining from a position of maternal power. As for Brad, I hope he kind of realizes that it's not his job to look out for his 20-year old grown son now. Darius can and should be allowed to make his own decisions. Speaking of, I LOVED Darius calling Will out on his hypocritical bullshit. I think Darius, Tiffany, and maybe JP are the only people that can get away with that when it comes to Will.

You're missing the hat, Blue. And the shorts need to be higher and tighter. Still, lookin' good! It's always weird to see pictures of people from online. I had you cast in my head as JD Pardo from Revolution. Now I have to re-cast the images. LOL. Speaking of Twilight, god...I hope we manage to get a few references to that when we get to 2008. That was the best snark material from that decade. I once told a guy that he reminded of Edward Cullen because he was wearing the same kind of jacket, and god he got pissed. It was basically like the equivalent of telling a guy he reminded him of Zac Efron.

There's a new t.v. show on VH1 called Hindsight, . It's a pretty cute, charming show if you're into fluffy romantic comedies, and ESPECIALLY if you're into 90's nostalgia. Anyway, this is the theme song. I'm enjoying the hell out of the soundtrack. The 1993-1996 era of music was so damn good. Anybody remember this tune? I had totally forgotten it, but yet it sounded so familiar when I heard it. Anyway...if you were given a time machine and traveled back in time, is there anything you would do differently? Me, I would basically re-do almost all of 2007...so many freaking mistakes and mis-steps that year...the only good thing that came out of that year was my friendship with Steve. I'd also run to the nearest Sublime concert in 1995, damned my being 9 years old. I am so patently jealous of the people that were old enough to be college aged in the 90's, because so much good music was coming out then. What about you guys?

I'm going off of when Alex was introduced in Flux, and JJ was very much in deference to him, "Lord this" and "lord that." JJ is generally an asshole to people unless you give him a reason to like you, yet he was sucking up to Alex right off the bat. And I think that's largely to do with Alex's title. If you've noticed, JJ is very drawn to people that have power/superior status- he was like that with his coach, he was like that with Evan Lysacek when Evan won the Norway competition they were at while JJ bombed, and he's like that with Alex because Alex's title made him superior to JJ, which JJ finds attractive. Of course, it probably helps that Alex resembles Jamie Bamber. (Who just keeps getting hotter with age.) So we'll compromise and say it's title and good looks that were the initial draw. BTW, Private Tim...happy belated 38th birthday! Can't believe people born in the late 1970's are pushing 40 now...feels like you guys should still be in your late 20's. I'm jealous...40 seems like a pretty cool age, and you're almost there! Did you do anything fun?

He wouldn't admit it, but more than anything, but Alex's title and "good breeding" is what attracts JJ to him. JJ is the ultimate snob, who comes from a family that's almost top echelon (not quite the Kennedy family, but close) in America. Therefore, most American men and women aren't going to be "good" enough for him. But Alex with his title and air of British nobility manages to be "better" than JJ, so therefore that makes JJ want him. Of course, after the initial attraction, the fact that Alex treats JJ like his princess is what keeps JJ coming back for more. JJ very much wants to be on someone's pedestal. I just can't see her taking the Claire route, that's all I'm saying. She does not strike me as someone who would be content to become a married socialite running in the Junior League like her mother. Note how getting her to do Cotillion was like prying teeth. I can't say exactly what route/future I see Marie having, but that particular one would contradict everything we've come to know about her character. It would be like JJ deciding to become a nursery school teacher. I kind of like the idea of Marie going the Anderson Cooper route. I always thought it was funny that Anderson Cooper is basically American Royalty, and he chose to become a war correspondent. I loved it when Oprah joked to him, "Why do you have a job?", because he's a freakin' Vanderbilt, after all. Did you have a crisis when you hit 30 and think about alternate career paths because the one you wanted didn't pan out? Man, it sucks. LOL.

Emo boys have largely disappeared as of late. They seem to have been replaced by hipsters.

*shrugs* RIght. I just thought it might be an interesting daughter/mother conflict. I've had at least four feminist teachers/professors/courses in my life, so I pulled it out of thoughts of Title IX and Women's Lib and Women Going into The White-Collar Workforce, etc etc etc. The only woman we've seen that you could actually call high-powered business woman would be ABC, right? Or am I missing somebody? As for being 16, you're right, although Marie keeps screaming "future hipster" to me. I know at 16, I wanted to be a Broadway actor...unfortunately I can't sing or dance so that dream fell away quickly, LOL.The only teenagers who know what they want to do are JJ and Zach in this story, but they've both in something you can't really do over the age of 35. (30 for JJ.)

It's possible that Claire's parents-in-law wouldn't have been cool with Claire being a "modern" woman, and she felt "encouraged" to follow Jack Hobart's mother's mode of being a socialite running charity/social functions rather than being a high-powered businesswoman like her own mother. It was the neo-conservative 1980's, in any event. I wonder if Claire's willingess to conform is what made Marie the way she is- Marie comes off as somebody who really wants to be different and unique and cool. As in the opposite of her mother, who generally stuck with the status quo. As for Mary Ellen, you're probably right that she wants to get married and pop out an heir because it's a way to get control of her trust.

But the off-set to that is that UK towns are very close together, there's great public transit, and you can walk anywhere.