keepingfaith

There may not be peace at the beach around here for a few days. I've been through two hurricanes, Carla and Alicia. Both of them tore up the area where I now live, and Carla completely destroyed Kemah and Seabrook, so if it's coming this way, merrieeee may be seeing lots of me in her future. Solo, I'm so glad you're going tonight. I was in the 18-hour hell drive to Dallas during Rita and it's one of the worst experiences of my life. It was a scene out of the Great Depression happening in front of my eyes -- all night and all day in 105 degree heat and nobody could use air conditioning because there was no gas to buy, and no way off of I-45 if there had been. As a result, my dad refuses to ever evacuate again - the worst case result of such a mismanaged and chaotic evacuation. I'll never forget how that looked and felt with people and animals desperate for food and water, and that tragic bus fire outside of Red Oak.

Hey there, Scarlett!! Yes, I'm ok. I'm more than ok, way more than ok. Then there's Gustav, and so far I'm refusing to freak about it, and hope it goes through one of those UNinhabited areas around the Gulf Coast. Right now they are forecasting the eye from High Island to Mobile. That would put our Solo in harm's way. Hugs for all of us. When I take time, and am in the right state of mind, I have a lot to write in the political thread. But for a hint, I've watched the Obama speech on C-Span over three times from the biographical film at the beginning on through to the end of the music and fireworks, and I can't get through it without big tears and a box of tissues. It puts me way past verklempt. txflwrgrl, my dad grew up in northeast Texas on land that went to the Red River, north of Bonham, and then he lived in Paris when he was a teenager. There's beautiful country in North Texas. Here's the Fannin County Courthouse in Bonham (home of Speaker Sam Rayburn): My dad showing me where he played ball as a kid, next to his school. It was called "Liberty School" and he's in this picture as a four or five year old because he had to go to school everyday to help his older disabled brother: Where my great-great grandfather's house once stood. He came from Ireland and settled this land: I love it up there. My mother is from Deep East Texas and it's even more beautiful country, dramatically beautiful, but a completely different way of life.

Someone didn't like Clay's hair at the Sedaka Tribute last year? Hey, just goes to show the subjectiveness of the eye and ear. I thought he looked as gorgeous as I'd ever seen him. My memory is jogged that the day of that tribute, October 26, 2007, was exactly nine months and 12 days before the birth of Parker. I also recall someone saying that they saw Jaymes walking down the street in NY that weekend holding hands with a gentleman, and I snarked that maybe it was her cousin. However, in retrospect, maybe it was her gynecologist. Poor quality from a screenshot, but I love it anyway ........

I don't have time for a cogent thought, but always time for great pictures, and the mosaics may be my new favorite art form. Couchie, ask and receive: It took me a good while to adjust to the very blond hair, but nights like this made it easy:

I love the Prime Time Live interview with Diane Sawyer. And, it's always stayed with me that Clay said he was not an optimist in that interview. He's a realist. To me, he's a passionate person who can be a silly prankster while committedly serious about the things he values. Now for my favorite YouTube right now, the Stay At Home Dad Rap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8wCmrnAyXA

You are too cool for any skool atinal! Are you going to see The Eagles on this tour? They are playing two blocks from where I work, but I'm going to be out of town exactly then, on a long planned trek to pick up my aged aunt and bring her here to visit my parents. Timing is everything -- or nothing in this case. Pooh. Now, I have another Walmart confession with a silvery lining somewhat. I go to that God-forsaken place every few weeks to pick up cans of sugar-free whipped cream. Now, I have made every effort to get Randall's and HEB to carry this product, but they sent their regrets, so I'm stuck with WallyWorld. And, I check the CDs as a matter of conditioning at this point. The last time there I was disappointed that there was nothing in front of the Clay Aiken name card; however, I found one ATDW and two OMWHs in the wrong spots in the A's and replaced them. The first thing I noticed yesterday was the entire CD/DVD section was rearranged and there is now only one aisle for CDs. It had been extremely condensed, to say the least. So I was mucho happy to see that Clay's CDs were freshly stocked and there were 2 MOAMs, 2 ATDWs, and 10 OMWHs. Yes, I bought one, and yes, I needed it. {{{iseeme}}} I understand your situation with your MIL completely. I was close to my first husband's family and never divorced them. They lived in Dallas, and I was invited to many functions at their home when they called me first so that if I could attend they wouldn't invite their son. The stories are long and mostly hilarious, but my former MIL and I were close until we lost her rather quickly to the ravages of a vicious case of Parkinson's when she was 63. KAndre and Scarlett -- thinking about you!

jmh, a couple of nights ago I heard some familiar sounds coming out of No. 2 Son's guitar and I was amazed that he was playing another Creedence song because he's 29 and most of his repertoire isn't classic rock friendly. But the kid discovered my old Green River album a couple of years ago and he's become a bit of a CCR fanatic. I asked him which Fogerty song is his favorite and he said, I Put a Spell on You. Made me think of you. YouTube has the Woodstock video, but I really like this one from about ten years ago. For you, my dear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOjla3hOUSg

I saw a piece of LKL last night with the AI7 Idols on tour, and poor little David Archuleta can sing so much better than he can speak. I'll be shocked if he's able to carry a talk show appearance on his own. I thought Michael Johns had the best comment: I mean, I'm 29. I've been waiting for this opportunity my whole life. I've always seen tour buses parked in front of hotels and going, I want to get on one of those. For me, it's the opportunity of a lifetime. But for all of us to get to play in front of 10,000, 15,000 people every night, you've got to sell a lot of records in your own career to get back to that kind of level. Not being tuned in to the goings on in the year following AI2 with the Clay/Ruben and Clay/Kelly "competition" but being brought up to speed in the last couple of years, I was a bit dismayed by the headlines I saw yesterday at AOL and Comcast and other places I frequent for email, etc., trying to gin up competition between the two Davids, saying such things as, Archuleta Crushes Cook On Charts, trying to be cute with the title Crush. To me, this sort of thing can inhibit sales overall because if people are drawn into the competition angle of the releases, they'll only buy the record of the one they like most, rather than both. And then there will be the Two David Fan Wars, and all that horrible nonsense. Competition is great at the Olympics, but not at all for art, music and literature. I just don't get the angle of trying to stir up a perceived career deathmatch between artists. Who wins? ETA: CHIKEZE: I've decided I'm not going to be a singer, I'm going to be an entertainer. I've always sung. I've always been a, quote, unquote, singer. But going on tour, being able to get on stage, see all these people, it is a whole different experience. It's an entertainment experience, rather than just an audio experience.

So is it monsoon season in Houston too? It has rained most of the day ... again!

I love the pins, and am good for at least two of each. Also, (iseeyoudownthereatinal :F_05BL17blowkiss:) I would LOOOOOOVE an OMWH keychain. If there's any possibility of those, keep me in mind.

So is this World Vacation Day and I didn't get the memo? Scarlett and KAndre headed across the Arctic Circle to Asia, muski headed out on a nice vacation, and my sister called me from the plane this morning on her way to Vancouver, headed for two weeks in Alaska. For me, school started this week. Vacation is SO over. ARGGHHH. Wait a minute? Did I have a vacation? OMG, I forgot!!!

Scarlett and KAndre, are you all packed and ready to go? I'm looking forward to hearing of your great adventures in Hong Kong and some recaps along the way and in-depth reports when you return. (Still can't imagine going off during the political conventions. Oh yeah, I seem to remember discussing that already, didn't we, like in the middle of the night?) Anyway, have a GREAT time in Asia. And, if you run into some Prada knockoffs ..... :F_05BL17blowkiss:

I understand what you're saying muski, and no doubt people inclined to view things in a certain way will. But to me, there's a world of difference in reading that Ricky Martin had a surrogate mother to deliver and disappear, and reading that Clay and Jaymes will raise their child together. Whether they sleep together or not is immaterial, 'cause I once knew a couple who were married, had two children, and didn't sleep together at all after 10 years, and didn't divorce because of religion. I know he slept around, the a-hole propositioned me, but she had no interest in sex whatsoever and didn't seem to care what he did. A family of four and their only car was a Corvette. I had to take her to the grocery store every week, and pick up her out of town family at the airport. There are millions of stories in the Naked City!

I'm perfectly happy with WIDTL being released as a single. I've always thought that it was radio material. Same with Falling. Not so much Ashes, which may be the song I play least on OMWH. I'm still a big lover of WOTW and FIEKY. I think The Real Me and As Long As We're Here are as powerful as anything Clay Aiken has ever sung. For some reason, The Real Me has a bit of Annie Lennox flavor to the arrangement, and I dig that. It's all good for me. There's nothing smoother than his voice in Sacrificial Love, and I think Something About Us was a classic upon release. Since that song has been popularized as the Obama Love Story song on YouTube, if Obama is elected maybe they'll have Clay sing it to Barack and Michelle at the pre-inaugural gala. That would be cool. But back to the album, you know when you turn on the ignition in your car and the CD music starts whereever you left off, well this morning I got in my car, turned the key, and heard .... you come to me again .... and I just about died. I had to sit there for a second or two before continuing. I need to put that on a loop. It's ungodly good. And his voice in the last third of EIDN is spectacular. I crave that sound now. But, if RCA wants to release WIDTL, I'll be very happy. The first couple of times I heard the whole album I picked that one out as the potential best single. It has a glory note and it's better than anything I've heard yet on AC radio, and it could work on Hot AC as well. Reading the AOL homepage, I found it odd that Ryan Seacrest claims that Simon Cowell is jealous of his success. That seems to be a stupid move on Ryan's part. I was reading the Idol Chatter at USA Today, and apparently the AI tour this summer isn't doing gangbusters business, with some 60% - 70% ticket sales at some venues. I wasn't around online for the AI2 tour, but didn't they have a lot of sell outs? Last night on Keith Olbermann, he was talking to the NYC dj that he has on the show semi-regularly, Maria somebody, and she said that Idol auditions are going on now, and nobody cares. She thinks the show has officially jumped the shark and lost the magic. I think Clay will be around and thriving long after the idol crew has packed up and moved out. ETA: Idol may be reaching the limit. If people get burned out on gossip overload, Ryan Seacrest may end up being Mr. New Year's Eve at Times Square. His Denise Richards show was canceled. Paula's reality show didn't last long. Maybe, just maybe, people are getting a little sick of it all. My DIL was watching that god-awful show on VH1 Sunday night, I Love Money, and if that show is a hit, then America is hard up for entertainment. It's inevitable that the reality shows will run their course as a unit. Big Media loves it because it's incredibly cheap to put those shows on and their return is vast. But when people tire of it they just may have to return to programming that requires decent writing, acting and directing; or true investigative journalism; or variety with the best talent in the world; or am I dreaming again? Oh, and according to Ken Barnes, Clay sold 900 copies of OMWH this week. Not great numbers, but a boost over the 500 sold the week before.

This time last year I was trying to get out of Orlando on a plane delayed for several hours because the toilet was broken. Hours, I tell you. Twas a good thing that I had all these fresh memories to occupy my time .... This is the "Yellow Submarine" shot: Does Quiana have a treble clef tattoo?

Gibby, what pretty girls you have. I love that sweet picture with them in the blue sweaters and arms around each other. How precious is that!

Thank you guys for kind words about the picture of me and Paul. He's 35 now, which means I'm 35 years older, but he's still my Sweet P. Speaking of older, I'm approaching the birthday that shall not be named this year. Therefore, I've been blocking the word birthday lately, so Happy Birthday to all you Leo Lionesses. Hope you got to really roar on your day. I'm just staying in denial for now. Hopefully, I'll adjust by next year. ETA: {{{Cotton}}} That situation fully sucks. Big Corp = Heartlessness

I wonder how many albums I must have purchased for the cover art.

Postho'ing -- browsing through my photobucket albums today I ran across this article from the Wall Street Journal which I cut, scanned, and intended to post, but I don't think I ever did. Anyway, it's about Walmart and retail sales of CDs. I found it interesting.

I was born old. I'm younger than that now.

Me and #1 Son -- five years after my daughter.

I had just turned 19 with my first, and was without a clue. Nobody told me anything and I wasn't prepared for childbirth, or taking care of baby. I had one of those deliveries where the doc said go to the hospital and I'll see you later in the morning. She was born at 5:40 a.m. without doctor, without anesthesia, without my knowing what the hell was going on. But when she was born, the thrill of a lifetime. I was high as a kite for at least a week -- without pain medication. The pain medication calmed me down. She was born right before Christmas, changed her planned middle name to Noelle, and she came home in a tiny red and white Santa's helper onesie with the cap too. She was 6lb. 7oz. and 17 inches, and fit into my daddy's cupped hands. She slept in a frilly bassinet beside my bed for two months until she was ready for her crib. I was scared to death of falling asleep in the big bed with her, having heard horror stories, one being a cousin of my mother's. With my first I did relatively little other than nurse. She was the first grandchild on both sides of the family and I had more help than I needed or wanted. What a relief when everyone left. Then my husband had to start dancing with her in the middle of the night. I went to work when she was 10 weeks. Had to put that sorry m-fking asshole of an erstwhile husband through college, so he could leave three weeks after graduation three years later. What a blessing that was.

Luckiest1, I've had Father and Son on the brain all day, and that's a good thing. I think it's Cat Stevens' masterpiece. Maybe because I like it even better than Hard Headed Woman, and he could melt a 20-year-old kf with that one. Father and Son, it stunned me the first time I heard him sing that song. The line, "from the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen" was so riveting and "you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not." Still W-o-W. Killer song: ETA: What the heck, I'll throw in a little Hard Headed Woman, too. It's always good for me! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-gBnv_FSmg

I googled it and who knew? the practice of burying the placenta seems to be an international custom -- Japan, Turkey, South Pacific Islands, Native Americans, and that was the first page. Didn't see anything about Southerners per se. Maybe it's a Native American tradition still practiced in the south/southwest.

Except, this is still just speculation. Clay could conceivably leave Jaymes and Parker at home, and travel on days off. He could have all sorts of reasons for doing so too - none of which would make him any less wonderful a father. If I recall correctly, didn't Andy leave his newborn to go out on the road with Clay for the JBT (or was it JNT?). Lots of parents do it - and it's two months from when he was born, not two days. Do I think he will? Prolly not. But to say it's ridiculous to think so, or to imply that he would be somehow lacking if he did - not right either. Not without all the facts. I was just telling you something about myself. Not about Clay. I said I can't conceive of it, so there's no speculation in me. I don't need proof to believe things that are self-evident to me. I never say anything to try to convince others I'm right. I just express how I see something, or feel about it, how it does or doesn't strike me and move on to the next thing. I'm not infallible, you know. Regarding Andy, I have no idea about his family situation but there's a difference in taking a newborn on the road in a bus traveling with a band, and living a settled life in a nice apartment in the city. I wouldn't take a newborn on the road if it was an elective. I don't expect to be informed as to the whereabouts of Parker and Jaymes while Clay is in New York. I'll assume they're all together, unless I'm told differently, and it works for me.