methodwriter85

I can't picture Alex having that much ability of being able to study in a hotel that will probably be swarmed with people. He might be distracted at Goodwell, I also think, given the amount of competitions JJ has per season, that he doesn't demand a private jet for every single one, especially ones that aren't overseas.

Let's listen to some 70's Pop/Soft Rock! 1. " 2. 3. "S 4. 5. 6. "Paper Roses" by Marie Osmond 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. " 12. " 13 14. 15. "Band of Gold" by Freda Payne 16. 17. " 18. 19. "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band 20. "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac 21. 22. 23. "Hot Child in the City" by Nick Gilder 24. 25.

I think I was just being petulant with Mark. In any event, it's not something I'd get into a knock-down drag out fight with Mark over. LOL. You're actually right, by the way. Very good point that locals are nothing but backdrop to him. When I picked up Pittsburghese, it was because I actually interacted with the locals. Have you ever been there, by the way? That is one hell of a funny accent. I'd say it's a weird mix between East Coast and the Mid-West.

No, you're wrong. Seriously though, JJ does strike me as someone that could be pretty fluid about the slang/idioms/dialects that he uses, because he travels so much and he's not particularly rooted in one place. It would totally make sense with his character. Blue's right that it's not like he'd consciously try to lose his Cali accent (which probably not strong in any event), but I can't see him sticking to regional sayings and expressions just because he's from that area.

So tonight was my second and final night of Halloween weekend. I danced up a storm at Kildare's, and then walked around for a bit on Main Street. I was walking down the street, in my cowboy outfit, when a group of guys started hassling me about dressing up as a cowboy. The reason? They thought I was a Cowboys fan, because I was dressed like a cowboy. Like, seriously, what the fuck? I know there's drunk logic, but seriously, what the fuck? I kind of backed away, telling them I'm just a cowboy and not a Cowboys fan, and then they started on some guy who was actually wearing a Cowboys hat. They got pretty heated, throwing insults back and forth...like about how Romo's going to be out this season, and how this dude was a "fag" for wearing a Cowboys hat. They even knocked the guy's hat off his head. It didn't get into a physical fight, but still...it's so fucking frustrating that people turn "fan wars" from light-hearted affairs into verbal and sometimes physical, heated fights. Like, why? Why do you think you're showing your loyalty to a team when you harass someone for being a fan of the rival team? There's a line between fun, light-hearted trashtalk (like when I joke about how I think the Cowboys need to have at least a 20-year Super Bowl drought to get really hungry for one, or when Adam jokes about how he hopes that the Eagles will never get a Super Bowl), and then downright nastiness, like what I witnessed tonight. The sad thing is, I bet if I walked in Downtown Dallas wearing an Eagles jersey, after some big game where the Eagles won over the Cowboys, I wouldn't get shit. Maybe some trashtalk, but not verbal and physical intimidation. I just fucking hate it sometimes that Philadelphia fans seem to think they need to be these badasses just to show their love for their team.

Honestly, I thought it could have been a lot more salacious. I needed more scandal than watching Screech smoke pot.

Right. I agree completely. I do think that Mark's idea that JJ would stick to saying "freeways" instead of saying "expressways" because that's how they talk in California doesn't really suit JJ and how he thinks.

Chapter 21 -When Zach powers his way into the end-zone. "Move Bitch" by Ludacris -After Zach hangs up the phone when talking to his mother. "Cleaning Out My Closet" by Eminem The era of Eminem's dominance. Man. So many Eminem wannabees back then. -As Alex and JJ leave the symphony. ""Alborada del Gracioso" by Ravel

I can see JJ trying to fit into East Coast Old Money society, easily. He wouldn't affect an Southie accent, but I'm sure he'd try to sound more like Boston Brahmins. I mean, Mark said that he can see Zach ditching his Ohio dialect to sound more like a Californian. Wouldn't the reverse be kinda true for JJ- that he'd ditch sounding like a Californian in order to sound more like old-money aristocrats from the East Coasts? Or just try and sound like something that sounds vaguely Continental, like Audrey Hepburn or that weird accent the Kentucky-born Johnny Deep affects? Or you know, Queen Madonna and her English accent. It's a character trait that would actually make a lot of sense for JJ- him adopting and changing his accents/dialects to suit wherever he is to the point where you can't pinpoint where he's from- it'd fall right into how JJ uses his passport instead of his state I.D. to show off how worldly he is.

Sharon, Mark Arbour's editor, linked this wonderful essay on the subject.

In a bid to end street sexual harassment, the non-profit Hollaback has released a video that shows a portion of the catcalls and sexually suggestive comments that a woman receives during 10 hours of silently walking through Manhattan while wearing a relatively modest outfit. The video has gone viral, having received over 20 million views. Check it out: 10 Hours of Walking In NYC As A Woman As a man, I definitely find that pretty eye-opening. I just don't get why some men feel like they're entitled to treat some random woman they don't even know like she's obligated to flirt back with them.

I remember being in the library once, and this good-looking college guy was ranting on the phone to what I'm assuming was his now-ex as he ranted that he would rather spend a night in the homeless shelter than spend any more time with his ex.

Yeah, like I said- I don't think Will, Darius, and JJ would have strong Malibu accents/dialects. JJ especially- he travels around a lot, doesn't go to school anymore, and he's transplanted himself to Boston. Awhile back, I pointed out to Mark that JJ referred to a Boston expressway as a "freeway", and he told me that he did that because JJ's a Californian. Still, I'm not sure I entirely agree with that- I think JJ would actually pick up different ways of slang and talking as a result of his travels, and maybe the idea that he wants to seem worldly and continental as opposed to just being seen as some California kid. I think he'd pick up on Boston slang at this point, and he'd definitely say British slang as a result of Alex. For sure. I mean, I lived in Western P.A., and I learned to say "pop" instead of soda. At least while I was there. I can't see JJ stubbornly hanging on to his California accent, now that he's living in Boston.

Chapter 20 -When Brad celebrates his 40th birthday at the gay bar. "Rising" by Elle Patrice The Queer As Folk soundtrack is really, really useful for these kind of scenes. -When Brad and Cam go at it. "Fell In Love With A Girl" by The White Stripes -When JJ wins the New England Regionals "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson I wasn't wild on this song and found it bland compared to the stuff that Kelly would do later, but still, American Idol was a hugggeee part of 2002 pop culture, and I can't think of any other American Idol that has topped Kelly Clarkson. America really did chose right that year.

Tim, you reminded me of a story that E.G. Daley said about when she was making 1983's Valley Girl....she absolutely refused to do a Valley Girl accent, and instead decided that her supporting character Loryn was a Malibu transplant. In any event, I see your point, but "sick" and "rager" are pretty universal...and Will's first boyfriend WAS from Orange County, so he could have picked it up that way. Still, you do have a point. We might just wait until The O.C. comes out in August 2003 before we start having these characters throw around those terms. And, of course, Laguna Beach. Oh my god it was like every teenager was watching that show. These characters should actually have pretty wide-ranging accents/dialect, because they travel so much, and they're exposed to so many parts of the country and the world. I doubt Will, JJ, and Darius have pure Malibu accents even though they grew up there. It'd be funny to picture Will having an accent like Chad Rogers from Million Dollar Listing, though: Can you picture Will having his big, "Fear of God" speeches in that slurred, slow Malibu accent? That would actually be kind of funny, but again, I don't think Will is going to have any kind of definitive accent because of how continental and worldly he is. Are most SoCal accents slow like this? The Valley Girl accent is actually pretty fast and lyrical, while the Calabasas accent seems to have this "whine" to it. The O.C. accent seems more slow like Malibu's, at least if you go by Laguna Beach. Northern East Coast accents generally tend to go fast, although that's not quite true of Southern New Jersey/Philly/Northern Delaware...it's not quite as fast-sounding. I remember getting off the bus at New York City and having a hard time understanding what this cop was saying when I asked him for directions. LOL.

We're starting to get oh-so close to 2003. The O.C. premieres in 10 months, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy in 9 months. Both had enormous pop culture impact, although Queer Eye's impact lasted for a longer period. I can't wait for when these characters start referring to things as "sick", and for JJ to "tszuj" (zhuj) his hair. I really feel like 2003 was when the 2000's really started feeling like a different decade than the 90's, and the last vestiges of the late 1990's were fading out. Bright colors and preppier styles made a big comeback that year. Also, Birkenstocks. For some odd reason though, Birkenstocks stopped being a hippie symbol, and it became something that preppie kids would wear with their distressed Abercrombie jeans and Hollister t-shirts.

So it's late 2002 in California...people should be saying things like "sick" and "rager", right? I got those terms from watching The O.C., which is going to premiere in about 10 months.

I just realized that we've seen Brad go from being a baby, to being 40 years old. This is a strange feeling. It's like I watched a nephew go for babyhood to middle age, without having to hit my elder years myself.

I like my trashy entertainment and I'm not ashamed to admit I'll read total crap for shits n giggles.

For this Throwback Thursday, I wanted to take a moment to remember the 1989 World Series Quake. Check it out these videos: I've always been fascinated by earthquakes...I wonder what it must have been like to have experienced one that big. I was only 3 years old when this one hit, but I do remember the episode of Full House that was about this. It's said that the fact that so many people were at Game 3 of the "Battle of the Bay" series (62k) is the reason why casualties weren't as heavy as they could have been, because the roads were usually light for peak rush hour. Do any of you have strong memories of this quake?

Chapter 19 -When Brad gets "arrested." "Breaking the Law" by Judas Priest -When the cops turn out to be strippers. "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard I kind of wished Mark could've had a story set circa 1987-1989. It would have been fun to have done a lot of hair band tunes.

I just got finished with two books, very different, but very enjoyable reads. The first was The Wolf Of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort, where he details his experiences as the leader of the circus that was his stockbroker firm Stratton Oakmont during the heady days of the 1990's economic boom. Its 500 pages and pretty dense, and it took me awhile to read...I started back in August, took a break until a couple weeks ago, and then go to the end. It was a pretty eye-opening read, dealing in a world where men earn and lose millions of dollars a day. The hedonism was pretty cool to read about as well, especially since it didn't come with the kind of moralizing you expect. Jordan doesn't go, "Well, you know, I feel really horrible about the bad things I did." It's more like, "I did it, I lived it, and it was one hell of a ride that I'm lucky to have survived." He might be a greedy slimeball, but you can't help but like his candor. I would beg Mark Arbour to read it, but I'm assuming he already has. The guy who wrote Millennium would enjoy the hell out of The Wolf of Wall Street- all that financial mumbo-jumbo greed stuff. I'm sure he probably knew quite a lot of Jordan Belfort types in his former life. The second was Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, which follows the story of Louisa Clark, a small-town English woman who takes a job caring for Will Traynor, a former high-powered businessman who became a quadriplegic after an accident. Having lost his will to live, Louisa takes it upon herself to show him that life is still worth living. Which is a pretty cheesy premise, but the book manages to elevate itself by refusing to make things clear-cut or easy, and the way in which we get to see Louisa come out of her shell as she starts to take steps beyond the provincial life she has cocooned herself in. Definitely worth a read if you're into romantic stuff.

On more serious stuff, I really liked that Mark included references to the D.C. sniper shootings. I remember that being pretty big news over here. I mean, I live about 90 minutes away from D.C. and it was a pretty big deal when it happened. Protests against the proposed War in Iraq should be coming up as well. I remember the following March, just when it was about to happen, I took part in a student walk-out against war and stayed there chanting anti-war stuff until our Dean threatened to expel us. I mean, Wade goes to college in the world's biggest college town. There HAS to be some protesting going on in Boston.

See, Blue, aren't you glad you still pass for 25? Well, I'm guessing you look young for your age. You seem the type who would be. I can sense these things because I can still pass for about 23 or 24 and I always get asked if I'm in college.

Firstly, I grew up during the 80's revival, and I remember a lot of pastel polos with upturned collars. Secondly, agreed, Tom is a seriously cute guy. (Thank god he's legal. LOL.)