Carolina Clay

The new Carolina On My Mind blog features Drop Dead Diva Weekend -- the promos, the previews, the parties planned for Clay Cyberspace and beyond. Revisit the weekends interviews with Clay, including The Talk and new articles/columns appearing about this episode. Art includes photos by Jim Mahoney and Curtis Brown, as well as a graphic by Fountaindawg. Thank you for your blog comments/visits, tweets, FB posts, etc. Every little bit helps us stay near the top in the Google blog search for Clay. Now that we have the Starry Constellation interview, I'll add that link. Those are definitely very long graphs. Journalists are taught that shorter paragraphs are more conducive to readers staying with a story. Still very grateful for the interview! WORD!!! Have an awesome afternoon and weekend, all! Caro

Thank you again for all the birthday greetings here and at Facebook. Scarlett's video of the DDD panel discussion is featured in today's Carolina On My Mind blog. Also included are three of her screen caps, brief recaps, and a download link. Be sure to read Scarlett's "best birthday ever" summary near the end. As always, thank you for your blog visits/comments, tweets, Facebooks posts, etc. Have an awesome new week, all! Caro

Hello, FCA! Thank you again for your birthday greetings here, on Facebook, and in the Carolina blog. True to form, I wrote a July 17 entry about Clay's participation in Outfest 2011, my co-celebrant Scarlett, etc. I hope you will drop by Carolina On My Mind even though you have seen the pix. There will be updates! Have an awesome day, all, and thnx again! Caro

WOOHOO for the Saturday Outfest pix! Thank you for your early morning birthday wishes. Here is my grandson Kai's cellphone greeting: Wishing Scarlett and playbiller blessings and all the best on our special day! Have an awesome day, all! Caro

The new Carolina On My Mind blog includes a review of Clay's weekend Outfest 2011 events, a link to the InfoBarrel piece spotlighting the singer and other celebrities who "help people in need," The Way We Make a Difference - Gala connection, and -- FINALLY -- photos from a recent romp in the park by grandchildren Kai, almost 4, and Lia, 2. A Fountaindawg graphic leads the blog. Thank you for your blog comments, tweets, Facebook posts, links, etc. Belated birthday greetings, jmh123! Happy TGIF! Looking forward to all that happens in California this weekend! Caro

The new Carolina On My Mind blog provides an overview of Clay's appearances on the 7/24 Drop Dead Diva segment, the accompanying Outfest 2011 panel discussion (7/17), and The Talk (7/18). Thanks to a CA fan, there is even a map and link detailing detours affecting the LA area July 16-17. Also included are graphics by Ashes and Fountaindawg, one of which is her new July Retro design. This morning I added the screenwriter's blog, bio link, and excitement about her episode being screened at Outfest. Like others, she seems very, very pleased to have Clay in her episode. Thank you for taking the time for blog comments, retweets, Facebook posts, links, etc., all of which help spread the word and affect Google/search engine placement. Sending good thoughts for your husband's upcoming surgery, Fear. So much talk about birthdays, so I checked the calendar. I'm going to spill the beans right now. On the 17th, be sure to include Scarlett. She will be at Outfest and can kick me later. July is going to be fun. Have an awesome week, FCA! Caro

The current Carolina On My Mind blog has a little bit of everything from Clay Aiken montages (gerwwhisp, molino79) and graphics (AmazingCA, cindilu2, Clayquebec1, claystruck) to the fun Scarlett and I have watching movies together 1100 miles apart. Some of our favorites are listed, and we would love to hear your suggestions! Congratulations to your son on the job, luckiest1! Your garden sounds divine. Good news about your husband's retirement, aikim! All the best with the remodeling, ldyj Have an awesome rest of the week, all! Caro

Happy July 4 Weekend! The new Carolina On My Mind blog is celebrating July 4 with rewinds of Clay's Capitol 4th performance ( Yollie950's montage), recollections (xxx4clay plus six others) of the Frisco festivities that launched the 2007 SRHP Tour, with graphics by AmazingCA, A Beautiful Mind, Ashes, CLAYPERFECT, and Fountaindawg. Enjoy the blog, but also be sure to read the comments. This one posted earlier today is what it's all about: The blueberry pie sounds yummy, aikim! Reckon you could post some slices for everyone? Wishing all a very special July 4! Caro

Happy Canada Day! Clay Aiken fans recall fondly the night the singer was joined by Toronto concert goers for an impromptu A capella rendition of "O Canada." The Carolina blog celebrates July 1 with that montage (Ashes/canfly172), history, and graphics by AmazingCA and Fountaindawg. In the Canada Day blog before her death, Ashes provided a wonderful graphic of the lyrics for "O Canada" -- so everyone can sing along. Graphic by AmazingCA Thank you for your visits/comments. Enjoy the festivities, Canada! Happy Weekend, all! Caro

Sounds like a wonderful birthday dinner, Fear! Belated birthday greetings to you! Knowing my Winston driving record next time I'm over your way, I will certainly call you! Thank you for your good thoughts, FCA! Have a great rest of the week, all! Caro

Thnx, Fear. My sister did the driving, so no bread crumbs needed. We're getting the same rain. WOOHOO!!! This morning was the two-week followup with my surgeon. I have a clean bill of health -- no cancer, will see my dermatologist in three months and the surgeon in six months. Thank you for all your good thoughts. Also, thank you for your Carolina blog comments and the lists that are cropping up. There are some interesting ones appearing in this entry. Have a great evening! Caro

The new Carolina On My Mind blog is built around "favorite song lists" proposed on message boards this month. I used two lists by katymom and added one for videos/montages. The latter could easily be expanded into tours, "best of" a specific song, with montages divided into albums and other categories. I listed/linked to five videos, and I hope you will add your favorites, too. In the process, there are visuals by hosaa, goldarngirl/luckiest1, Aspiegirl, Wowzers4Clay, AmazingCA, scrypkym, and irishbookgal, to name a few. Thank you for your comments/visits, tweets, Facebook posts, links, etc., all of which help boost the blog's presence on the Internet. Plus there are lots of visual artists to thank! As the lists (hopefully) grow, I will add an addendum, as well as links to various videos and montages mentioned. I quoted your neat post about the new CA fan you met in the OFC Chat, aikim. **ducks** I meant to PM you for permission, so I guess this is for forgiveness. Great news from New York on Friday! I am thrilled for Ben, Sean, and all who will benefit from the vote! In the morning, I have an early appointment with my surgeon in Winston-Salem. If you have been reading my blogs, you know that's my driving waterloo. Hope to see y'all tomorrow afternoon! Have a great evening, all! Caro

The new Carolina On My Mind blog tells a story you already know. Special thnx to Rhode Island Fan for allowing me to share her "making a difference" retirement story. Incorporated are an overview of the National Inclusion Project's 2010 Gala and deadlines/news/links for the 2011 event. Thank you to LovesClaysVoice for her excellent 2010 Gala montage and Fountaindawg, Irishbookgal, and farouche for the visual art. NOTE Southwest Airlines' 72-hour special on fares for travel 8/23-11/16 will retire at midnight PT Thursday, June 23. American Airlines will match the fare in some cases. Thank you for your blog visits and comments, tweets, Facebook posts, links, all of which register with Google and other Internet search engines. This is a story we want out there about Clay as well as Clay fans, and your comments/visits will help. Mama Mac, my mother, would have been 99 today. Her goal was a century, but she made it to 93! Have a wonderful day, all! Caro

Hope everyone enjoyed a special Father's Day Weekend! You probably noticed or figured that I posted a Carolina blog on the topic. It is really tough abiding by Clay's wishes about no Parker photos, so I wrote around that, mostly about the fathers in my life and Clay's advocacy for children. The opening graphic links to SueReu's new MOAM montage. Some readers reflected on their dads in the comments. Scarlett, in particular, linked to the amazing piece she wrote about her father in "Notes" on Facebook. Couchie, I hope you had a wonderful birthday :04: celebration. Sorry I missed being here for the festivities. Friday I taught my first lessons after Monday's surgery. At first, naive me planned to stay on schedule with Tuesday lessons. The "no driving for 24 hours" rule nixed that and moved the schedule to Wednesday. The way I felt bumped them to Friday. We will stick to the Tuesday plan this week, and I return for a follow-up with the surgeon a week from today. I had quite an incision, and I hope my shoulder won't look so much like a "Halloween costume" once the stitches are removed. Have an awesome new week, all! Caro

The just-uploaded Carolina blog features SueReu's This Is the Moment montage, highlighting the past eight years with Clay. Also included are June anniversaries and graphics of some of these magical moments designed by Fountaindawg, AmazingCA, and cindilu2, as well as a plug for the Clay Aiken Kids site. Carolina On My Mind: Montage Honors Special Moments The final portion contains an update and special thnx for all the good vibes, prayers, messages, RE Monday's melanoma surgery. Thank you for your blog visits and comments, tweets, Facebook posts, links, all of which help with Google and other search engines on the Internet. This entry will also be posted at the OFC. I have pinged the blog, but Google is still showing an older edition. Thnx again for your assistance. You can't imagine how many people drop by and right-click every available graphic without saying a word. I really appreciate your complimenting the visual artists, who keep us entertained while Clay is out of sight. Happy 400th Week, MOAM! Have a wonderful week, all! Caro

LOL, I've written blogs about some of my crazy experiences. To me, it wasn't crazy to host three online friends I had never met. However, my family (sister and BIL) thought I had lost my marbles and insisted we have a code word if the person I was picking up at the airport wasn't the type person I thought she was. They called that evening and asked what we were doing. It gave me great pleasure to say, "Looking at pictures of your grandchildren." We then proceeded to locate Clay's buses and a ton of other adventures. I have been listening to Clay sing "Home" quite a bit today. Just discovered how to view YouTube videos/montages on my TV. I featured SueReu's new montage in the current Carolina On My Mind blog with accompanying graphics by Fountaindawg, AmazingCA, and cindilu2. Thank you for your visits and your props to these visual artists who are entertaining fans during the drought. Wake Forest Hospital has certainly been on the ball today, calling and making sure I know what to do in the days/hours before Monday's surgery. I told both contacts that I was typing everything they said. Have a great weekend, all! Caro

Interesting discussion about the cities that prove mazes to each of us. These are all reflected in the Carolina On My Mind comments. Several agreed with me about my Winston nemesis, while others didn't understand. Thank you, shortyjill. Having lived in Lubbock for several years, teaching band/orchestra or writing for the Avalanche-Journal, I agree completely. This is probably one of best laid-out cities anywhere. Congratulations on the internship! Several people who commented in my blog agreed with you about Raleigh, Fear. One couldn't understand my problems with Winston. I'm just glad my sister and BIL are around to guide me back on track. Austin is a doll, aikim. Thnx for sharing him with us! Have a great week, all! Caro

I have successfully driven in large cities with winding roads and numerous street changes, but point me in the direction of Winston-Salem and it's a total disaster. The current Carolina blog describes my latest foray to Wake Forest University Medical Center in Winston-Salem, appropriately accompanied by Clay's OMWH track, "Everything I Don't Need" in a montage by gerwhisp. No offense to your city, Fear. I've just never been able to navigate successfully in Winston. The driving part is true and a way I could tell people who read Carolina On My Mind and might be interested in the upcoming surgery. There is also a brief Fan Fest 2011 report with photos/screen caps by Scarlett, next year's dates, and Fountaindawg's wallpaper with photos by farouche and toni7babe. Thank you for supporting the Clay blogs with your comments, tweets, Facebook posts, links, etc. for all who are in need. Have a special Sunday, all! Caro

I spent the morning casually paying bills and catching up on RL. I didn't even know about SueReu's neat new montage until after lunch, but my afternoon was a little more Clay-productive. The new Carolina On My Mind blog highlights SueReu's new Retrospective montage -- Clay Aiken: Knights on Broadway -- and incorporates other videos from the series, Spamalot graphics by AmazingCA and cindilu2, and MIX 96.5's feature, "Musicians' Real Names," with a visual by Ashes. Thank you for your blog comments, tweets, Facebook posts, links, etc., all of which help us spread the word on the Internet. Btw, I included links to all the Retrospective montages. One other thing I did this morning was move the OFC comments for the Student Recital entry to the Carolina site so my young musicians and their parents can read the remarks. I'm going to send a fall/summer enrollment reminder tomorrow and include the link. One mother has already said how nice the comments are. Thnx to those who dropped by this entry that does not even mention "Clay Aiken" at all. I saw this posted at CV by Playbiller of the CH: I visited this gal's blog. It is well researched. well written, and thorough. She doesn't have a link for comments, so I sent her an email. I also listed the blog in one of the Carolina sidebar rolls. Have a great week, all! Caro

ldyjocelyn, am I ever in compliance with this, LOL! Wow, I can tell I'm behind reading at least two pages to catch up at FCA. Besides the Wake Forest visit on Tuesday RE upcoming surgery (melanoma on my shoulder), my week has literally been the topic of the new Carolina blog: Student Musicians Enjoy Butterfly-Free Recitals. I must thank Scarlett for changing my iPhone mp4's to mp3's and for helping with Badongo, which was an extreme pain this time. Guess the last time I used it I had beginner's luck working for me. All my students/parents received a link to the Carolina blog. Your blog visits and comments will be appreciated by everyone. I caught it last night when it reaired. I like Chris and thought it was a great interview. Definitely had a few "that sounds familiar" moments in there. I just happened to catch this,too, and thought the same thing. I've never seen "Glee," but I sat here thinking how much this guy reminds me of Clay. Have a very special Memorial Day Weekend, all! Caro

With Season 10 coming to a close next week, today's Carolina On My Mind is featuring the two most viewed Idol Finales, 2 and 5, both of which Clay played a key role. I incorporated a montage by SueReu for AI2, a video and Sally's graphic from AI5. I noticed that deemer has been reporting from Fan Fest at CV. Scarlett has been my "stringer" today, sending photo updates from York, PA, all afternoon. Currently, there are eight clickables (including Scarlett holding her own caricature) in the blog with more to come. Faye is the guest speaker at tonight's dinner for this National Inclusion Project fundraiser, and I believe there will be video. Thank you for your comments, tweets, etc., that support the blogs! Have a great weekend, all! Caro

The new Carolina On My Mind blog celebrates a decade with Clay Aiken in montages (Hope, SueReu), graphic designs (AmazingCA, cindilu2, ABeautifulMind, Sally, Fountaindawg), and the many contributing videographers and photographers. NOTE: This should help those saying they "need some Clay." The title comes from the fact that two of Hope's videos include some of Clay's pre-Idol performances in Raleigh. Thank you for your blog comments/visits and assistance with tweets, Facebook posts, links, etc. The more interaction at the Clay blog sites the more the entries are seen on the Internet by fans, the NJU crowd, and others; so come share your favorites and help thank the artists who contribute to this special stream of clack with which we are blessed. Wishing all an awesome day! Caro

Glad you are feeling better, treenuts. Getting older is not for sissies. There's a new Carolina On My Mind blog featuring this weekend's 2011 Fan Fest in York, PA. Links to the festival's website provide a world of information about the annual fundraiser for the National Inclusion Project. A new wallpaper by AmazingCA is also highlighted as is the "stolen laptop mystery" that unfolded in real time on Twitter last Thursday. You can still read this fascinating stream in the blog linked at the Carolina site. Have a great week, all! Caro

Friday the 13th arrived at Blogspot two days early, obliterating blog entries, comments, etc., across the Net. Some have been restored, and some have not. This is "Take 2" of the Carolina On My Mind entry featuring the WRAL video/Cotton's screen caps from Clay's interview/insight RE finale week at Idol. Thank you for your blog comments/visits and assistance with tweets, Facebook posts, links, etc. All the best to the Final 3! Happy Birthday to granddaughter Lia, who is two-years old today! Photos from the festivities will be shared as soon as possible. Hope all is well with Ringo, luckiest1. We went through some expensive vet visits (sick on the very first weekend, etc.). Our vet began calling Button "The Million Dollar Dog." Have an awesome weekend, all! Caro

Today I literally uploaded Carolina On My Mind and dashed out the door to teach music in High Point. The blog features Clay's national anthem performance with photos, graphics by Fountaindawg, the video, etc. I missed hearing everything "live" by a few minutes, but appreciate the caps that I heard the minute they were uploaded. Thank you for your blog visits and comments, which help in the Google scheme of things. Have an awesome evening, all! Caro