FromClaygary

OK, who else had to go over to OFC to see if it maybe was back? Just me? Yah, I didn't think so....(little mama voice) Sure hope he's OK.

Kids....are sent to us as revenge for our childhoods. My Dad told me it would happen, and it did.

Fortunately, they're all grown up now and are (most of the time) responsible adults, with good jobs, good lives and good friends. And as far as I know, as they're old enough to now have confessed most of the major transgressions I didn't know about at the time....noone was killed in the process. Including me.

My youngest son, as I've mentioned, has spent the last two months in SE Asia and I have received neither requests for money nor requests for a lawyer....now THAT's an accomplishment!

He should be home today and I'm dying to hear more about his trip when he visits me next month.

Further prayers are going out for all those in SoCal who have lost their homes; I hope it's over with for y'all soon.

I have lived in SoCal since 1966 and have been thru many fires, but this one beats them all as far as number of fires and how they are just all over the place.

The news tonight said that the number of people evacuated in the SD area alone equals the city of Pittsburgh. That is mind-boggling! They are being extra careful, cause these winds are frickin' unbelievable and unpredictable.

I hope none of our FCAs are in the direct path of any of these fires. I'm far from any fires at this moment, just always concerned about my son, of course.

Prayers going out to all those in SoCal, especially the firefighters. I've been out of touch as well and was not aware of the extent, once again, of the fires. What's the solution for this happening every year? What isn't happening that should be? Or what is...that shouldn't?

(((Ldyj and family))) Every stroke is different; I'm hoping that your family's experience is one of the better ones.

Last night, for some reason, I started thinking of busline experiences. I must have seen a pic before I went to bed or something, although I don't remember having done so.

In any case, it awes me still the tactile and audible memories I have, sometimes years later, of some of my busline experiences. For example, I can still remember vividly the feel of his hand in Colombia, SC as his fingers curled around mine...and his kneeling down to my left to talk to Andrew, the young man with MS who was with us.

I remember Chautauqua, and the lady from the house behind our spot in the line who came down to join us and have us "teach her what to do" when we were finally able to convince her what was going to happen. I remember her squeal when it did.

I remember Canandaigua and the busline in the mist.

I remember Asheville, and the busline that never ended...and the feel when his hand touched mine, like an electric jolt. My hand tingled for hours afterwards, and it still remembers.

What a treasure trove of experiences we have received with this man!

It absolutely blows my mind.

So this entire week apart from the pile of research, background work, drafting & editing presentations and the ridiculous hours to find common time with both Singapore and Budapest (eep!), it seemed like everywhere I turned I faced a wall of disbelief. People spent most of our meeting times just trying to find out if I really knew what I was supposed to know, if I was who I claimed to be and whether or not I was really going to provide value to their precious projects.

<snip>Yes, I accept that I should show some patience because I'm sort of breaking ground here; a lot of people still don't expect to meet techie people from the Philippines. At least nowadays, when I walk into a room people usually don't pause to wonder if I'm there to clean it or make a presentation but this week it felt like the last 12 years of solid work got chucked out the window. I guess people do live for the moment after all. (btw, this doesn't bode well for the career model that I and the rest of FCA picture for that guy up there)

<snip>ps. I still have a ton of work and am seriously about to toss Sedaka; will decide by Wednesday morning. If anyone's interested in my ticket PM me before then. Thx!

pps. Luvya, FCA!

Here comes a bigger hug than I could find an emoticon for! Are ya ready?? MMMMMMMMMMM'Mmmmm!

I can SO relate!! In my job, I am an (older) woman in a man's job, in a (fairly) power position. It's interesting how people relate to me. At my company, I generally find that there is no issue; people who've been around for a while know me, so no problem...new people are skeered of me, so they don't cause trouble

Travelling, though....wowie! As I visit remote stores, I am frequently the only female business traveler in the hotel; that means that in a lineup at the checkin desk, I am without fail the last served regardless of my position in line...and the men literally elbow me out of the way at the breakfast bar. I couldn't possibly have someplace important to be...I'm a female!

Internet service is crucially important to me at hotels (no, not just to visit FCA); when there is a problem with it at a hotel, I am invariably patted on the head and dismissed. Honest to God, there was an 18-yr-old whose throat I wanted to rip out in a hotel this summer.

She completely REFUSED to believe I knew how to use my laptop; it HAD to be my fault their hotel had no internet. Reboot? What's that?

Hmmmm...hot button, obviously! Sorry for the second rant!

And BTW, PLEASE do go to Sedaka! Now's exactly the time you need some Clay!

Scarlett, I can relate on many levels, even though not the ethnic one. Being female, being small, doing a job that people don't expect someone who looks like me to be doing, being continually condescended to by people. GRRRRRR. I can only imagine the extra wallop of yet another social barrier to transcend.

Fuck 'em--you're better than any 10 of them put together!!! Sic us Claymates on 'em and there won't be anything left bigger than a toothpick. Heh. We'll be like Aiken's maenads.

Question for our US friends please....what DATE is Black Friday this year?

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

Nov 23.

Thanks much! I wasn't sure if it was the day after Thanksgiving. Hoping to buy a suit for my meetings the next week, in Buffalo!

Question, as I've never been to NYC let alone a Broadway show....what is the dress code, and/or normal dress?

Pants OK? (I HATE dresses whine whine, but for Clay anything)

Glittery? or reserved?

Question for our US friends please....what DATE is Black Friday this year?

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

Claygary, you must have great memories of your experiences during those three years! The picture is great. You're beautiful! How did you manage to keep your hair on top of your head without the wind blowing it down?

Copious hairspray!! You could knock on it! And thanks so much, but there has never been a moment in my life where I was beautiful!

Hey, Lori!

Switch that BeeHive to a crew cut and it's ALL YOU!!!

And, yes, I can see you dancin' your little butt off! You're still a cute ball of energy!

Here's a bit (hee!) more recent one...

Awwww what a great picture...hee the hair is something else...

Isn't it though?? I was coooooool, man!

When I was a teenager, my family moved to the big city, we acquired a TV and I fell in love with American Bandstand. When I was 18, I was auditioned for and won, a role on the Canadian version~Teen n Twenty, which was syndicated across Canada. I worked there for 3 years, and met many of the "stars" of the time as we performed with them. Most were a big letdown. Met my husband-to-be there too...he was a big letdown as well.

How cool is that!!!

Laughing about the cool part since that seems to be a theme today. Seriously, that sounds really neat--bet it was interesting. Not primarily the "stars" but seeing all the goings-on from behind the scenes.

It WAS interesting; lots of hard work, too! As ours was a live show, we didn't do a lot of retakes, but we DID do lots of "promos" ie filming the live show at various locations that wanted us for advertising purposes~club and restaurant openings for the most part, but sometimes everything under ths sun.

We filmed to tape for most of the "live" performances on the show of "stars"; I met all the "Bobbys" (Vinton, Rydell, Goldsboro, and I think there were more I'm not coming up with ), Paul Anka, The Kingsmen, Dion, Petula Clark, Roy Orbison (whom we weren't allowed to go near )...and tons of others I've long since forgotten!

Keith Hampshire (there's an obscure reference for you) led our in-house band; Dixie Lee Stone (see previous) was at that time his lead singer.

Dixie Lee and the Original Caste

The Bruce Innes that Dix later married (see link) was one of our floor managers.

Summers, I worked fulltime for one of the news co-anchors as her go-fer; that was interesting too, and she was awesome to work for.

FromClaygary, you said you auditioned and won - but what does that mean? You were a dancer on there all the time?

Details, Girl!

Yup! One of the "regulars", just like on AB. Never know it to see me now, huh? I danced my little butt off every Saturday from noon to 1 for three years!

ETA: a picture from the summer before the era above: From left to right my sister, her boyfriend, and me in 1963.

Drugs? I prefer Miss Consciousness Expansion of 1969. You know, all the telepathy stuff, Alan Watts ("The Wisdom of Insecurity," "The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Really Are"), the magical mystery tour .... are you familiar with the synchronicity of coincidence, ClayGary?

But above EVERYTHING, The Music. The Music -- rock, blues, country, jazz, and beyond categorization. I would put Texas up against anyplace for producing successful musicians and access to live music ... and the Hall of Fame ranges from Buddy Holly to Willie and Waylon to The Winter Brothers to Kris Kristofferson, Roy Orbison, Steve Earle, Steve Miller, Steve Stills, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Janis Joplin, Big Mama Thornton, Don Henley, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Lightning Hopkins (who almost caused Ringo Starr to miss being a Beatle!), Norah Jones (daughter of Ravi Shankar), T-Bone Walker, T-Bone Burnett, Boz Scaggs, ZZ Top, Selena, Doug Sahm, The Dixie Chicks and tons of country artists including George Jones (who used to sing in my aunt's joint in Port Arthur way back in the day), also BJ Thomas (Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head), Mike Nesmith (the Monkees), Kenny Rogers, Johnny Nash (I Can See Clearly Now), Seals and Crofts (Summer Breeze), Meat Loaf, the genius of Townes Van Zandt, and Destiny's Child/Beyonce, oh I can't forget Pantera, ... and I'm tired of thinking of people.

The synchronicity of coincidence, and consciousness expansion? Peripherally....1969-ish I had a 2-and a 3-year old, and a husband who loved to spend money and hated to work...so higher learning, TV, and the music and themes of the time were out of my reach. I was intrigued by what I heard from others, but unable to pursue the interest.

I see it now as the Universe's way of pushing me to do what I eventually did; start a fund to make dreams come true for families that were the "working poor".

Consciousness expansion, at least.

Cooking some chicken curry now...thanks FromClaygary for the recommendation on the sauce!

Ahhh, you succumbed to the craving! Enjoy..... but that doesn't excuse you from our date!

As for cool. True cool is in the heart of the true cool. Not in the force feeding of failed celebrity and dubious talent by the corporate media. And the definitions change.

<snip>And the bands that performed semi-regularly included the 13th Floor Elevators, the Moving Sidewalks, and Shiva’s Headband. Never heard of the Elevators and their legendary singer/songwriter Roky Erickson? <snip>

So what did cool ultimately deliver for Roky and Janis? Cool ain't shit.

Well, you know what? THAT was cool! I don't remember the name of the band, but I definitely do remember that music; I didn't know the story behind, but I'm sure going to try and see that movie.

Chills.....chills.

I am endlessly fascinated by people and their lives.

I have always been tremendously influenced by music, but I was a "young married" in the '60's, so didn't experience the whole force of the era as I was immersed in babies and dirt, dirt poor. Had I been 5 years younger I would probably have ended up in San Francisco. As it is, the first time I ever got there, the one and only thing I was really interested in seeing was Haight Ashbury.

I grew up in a remote area in British Columbia (western Canada); the genre of choice there, as in many little towns, was country music. I saw Patsy Cline, Hank Wells, Dolly, Kenny Rogers as a young man...all the old time greats in concert, thanks to my older sister who dragged me along so my parents would let her go. I love them still and despise the shift to pickups and booze and cheatin'-wimmen that more modern country music has taken.

When I was a teenager, my family moved to the big city, we acquired a TV and I fell in love with American Bandstand. When I was 18, I was auditioned for and won, a role on the Canadian version~Teen n Twenty, which was syndicated across Canada. I worked there for 3 years, and met many of the "stars" of the time as we performed with them. Most were a big letdown. Met my husband-to-be there too...he was a big letdown as well.

Never once did I have a crush on any of them...until a certain young man with red hair and glasses walked across an audition floor in Atlanta, GA.

Music gives me joy, brings me to tears, and has defined my life in many ways. I lost it in about 1990, when for about 5 years things were really bad for me. I'm so thrilled to have had it brought back to me by this guy.

I am so enjoying discovering some of the things I missed in the interim, and discovering him.

Know what I've been doing for the last two hours? (well, except for a couple loads of clothes)...I've been sitting ALONE in my house watching DCAT Orlando on my tv...with the surround sound jacked up...and drinking cabernet while laughing and crying and drooling and feeling downright overwhelmed by how much I can love someone who's not even in my 'real' life...

News Flash! Clay Aiken is a bona fide entertainer of the ages!

Damn. And I was freakin THERE in Orlando! But watching this tonight? God ,I missed some things the first time around! Holy shit.

This man has such a voice. Such a stage presence. Such a talent for making you feel loved and genuinely appreciated. I dare ANYBODY to watch him singing BYLM that last night of the tour and then suggest that he does NOT love us, does NOT understand us, does NOT feel a bond with us...

He is such a smart person. So wise. I sat here and enjoyed that DVD as though I'd NEVER seen the damned show before. As though it was my first time, yet I...knew, too. I felt I was his friend, yet I don't even know him.

I will never, never apologize to ANYONE for being this man's fan. He is a blessing. He could rest today, knowing that he has already done more to change others' lives for the better than most people can lay claim to in their entire lifetimes.

And he's hot.

Oh, and just one more leetle thing? Keepingfaith, it was you eating the apples last night, right?

I just about spit honeycrisp right.on.the.screen! because right at that very second I was...well, you know! Are they the BEST or what???! I don't know what I'm going to do when they're all gone.

From CH:

Very interesting article from ABC News about Celebrities and Charities. Clay was interviewed for this article.

Paris to Rwanda: Socialite Becomes Latest Star Hitched to Charity

WOW! This is a wonderful article, full of quotes from Clay about Uganda and being a Unicef ambassador in general.

What a great article! Thanks for bringing that over. Clay sounds well-spoken, dedicated, and intelligent...all of which he is.

I'm behind, but glad to hear Holly is on the mend!

Good morning from beautiful downtown Corner Brook, Newfoundland! Where the water main to the hotel is burst, and it's supposed to snow tomorrow! I'm getting out of town today, thank goodness.

Actually, Corner Brook really is beautiful, but this has been quite the stay.

Anywhooo....

Interesting to see the conversations about children in SE Asia. My youngest son is just completing a 2-month trip (tourist, not business) to Korea, Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia and Hong Kong. He and his girlfriend have a friend currently teaching English in Korea, and decided to take advantage of that to see as much as they could of the area. He's been saving for years, as it's someplace he's always wanted to visit.

I've just gotten 4 or 5 emails as he was able to, from wherever he was at the time; he is coming to ON to visit me next month and I'm dying to see pictures and talk to him about the experience. It sounds like it's been quite an experience. They did not, for the most part, do regular tourist stuff. I believe they booked some things with an adventure specialist, and as much as you're able to in some of these countries, went out on their own.

He says it's been life-changing.

He is now 32, but at age 18 went to Europe with a high school friend who dumped him in Holland after one week and came home (he was too homesick to go on). Sean continued for another month, traveling alone to Switzerland, Germany and Italy. As far as I know, no bailbondsmen were hurt in the process, and noone was killed. I think he has his Mom's itchy feet!

I am STILL so excited about Spamalot, and so proud of our guy! It's been a real joy, I must say, to be on a board which isn't into buzzkill at the first hint of something good happening for him.

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

I'm trying not to have a panic attack for not having tickets or a firm plan or any Christmas shows or my old standby tour partner to do the planning with... Ohhhmmmm. Thanks jmh... that feels a little better. There are a shitload of dates; I'll just have to not worry and let it play out and see how winter goes. It's that beginning of a tour feeling when I'm all scattered trying to figure it out all at once. But, for this many shows... I don't have to. Yeah. I don't have to. Phew.

aikim... Congrats again on your little misty lovenote. How cute is that?!? It was a great post. I'm glad you could share that with him.

God, I can't wait to see him being his "silly, stupid self". LOL!

Yeah...all that! I've used up all vacation time this year, imagine that?!! I SO want to go, but would need a roomie for sure, and my dates will be limited to weekends...ack! I'm skeered I can't do it.

Aikim, thanks so much for verbalizing what so many of us were thinking, and getting it to Clay! I'm so thrilled he saw your post, and extra thrilled he let you know he did, and that he loved it!

I've decided I'm never going to bed again, just in case something happens. I'm so glad they were able to post a transcript of the chat. What a lot of work that must have been!

EEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

BWAH. Is that Canadian for EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeee? WORD!

I've been watching the entire show on You Tube (London version I think), trying to imagine Clay in the role. I think he will be amazing. I mean, I know I've already seen it before, but there's a lot I didn't remember. So I read somewhere that he will also need to play one of the guards, and brother Maynard, because those parts go along with Sir Robin. For the life of me I haven't figured out who brother Maynard is yet.......

Hee...it's Canadian for :04: :00000442: :laola0: :ura: :00000441:

I've been up since 2:30 AM today (to catch a flight) and I HAVE to go to bed before I fall over!

Sweet tight dreams, everyone! How the HELL am I going to sleep???!

EEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

He DID it!! He really did it!!!

I know you've already eeeehhhhh'd and are over it, but I just got back from work and haven't had my chance yet, so please bear with me!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

OMG, I'm so excited for him!!

When I opened up my frickin' email here in the hotel room, I literally jumped up and down and screamed! The people downstairs must think I'm nuts. :lmaosmiley-1:

OMG, I SO want to go!!! How the hell am I going to do that???!

ET break up the eeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhs!!

Just bringing this over from CV via Rainlover....

iTunes has up "Groban, Aiken and Buble - A Beautiful Christmas Mix". 22 Songs - $21.78

12 Clay Songs

9 Groban Songs

1 Buble Song

I don't have access to American Itunes...can someone have a look and tell us what it's all about?

Reruns or new ones (and I'm NOT talking Groban's )

ETA: Oh, for heaven's sakes..... this followed.....sorry to get everyone all excited!

It's a user generated imix. It's not an official record. It's essentially a recommendation list by itunes users. The only restriction is that the songs have to be songs that can be purchased at itunes (nothing uploaded from your PC to itunes).

Eeeeeeeehhh! Awesome new pictures over at Clay Aiken Pix from AYSTAFG!!

A sample:

Am I the only one that sees her strong resemblance to Marie Osmond?

That's it! It's been bugging me...and especially in these most recent pictures.

Eeeek! No internet first thing this morning for about an hour...withdrawal! There might be more clack! I'm missing something, I just know it!

Oh....phew....it's back!

jmh123

Oh, and she also reminded me that he said when he first saw Clay with all those women he said, "Who's that red-headed guy with all those women around him?"

Good for him! Just sayin'

His banter was good--not laugh out loud crazy funny like Clay's, but he gave a nice context to some of the songs with some nice stories. He acknowledged the audience and NC and really connected with people. He talked about how he was in the area doing that program in Durham last year and everybody was so good to him, he especially mentioned the people at Whole Foods and how good they were to him. He talked about going to church four times a week when he was a kid and didn't understand why he had to go so much--and then quoted an aphorism I can't remember about how these things become a part of who you are. He talked about education and how important it is--stay in school. A little boy right in front of us and his teenaged sister knew all the songs and hooted and hollered throughout the concert. The little boy could barely contain himself he was so excited to be seeing Ruben.

Awwww....I'm so glad you had a good time! I would have loved to have been there.

You know, Amanda Marshall fans are pathetic. Maybe it's just that she doesn't have an online presence/fan club. But there have been like maybe 4 posts on the one fan board that seems to be active, since the concert on Saturday. No one even wrote down the set list. Pffffft. I think I'd go crazy if it was that way for Clay.

:lmaosmiley-1: I think we're a weeeeeeee bit spoiled! :lmaosmiley-1:

In other words, he looks like an average 28-year-old guy who doesn't live at the gym, used to be excessively skinny but age is catching up with him.

BWAH HA HA HA!

Yes, I have mild jealousy issues with exceptionally skinny dudes! I accept it!

Yup you are absolutely right. I remember my BIL having a similar weight gain even when he does work out. He finally had to change his eating habits too to get rid of the pooch. Which is suspect is still around. My hubby is always pretty conscious of it cos he was a fat child so he is always careful. His brother...always skinny...then mid 20's...it caught up to him.

Yup, I think that's exactly it as well...combined with any medication issues that compound the problem.

One of my "jobs" when my middle son was growing up was to search every city I got to, for size 28/36 jeans....ie....28 waist, 36 leg length He is now 38, and wears a 36 jean (ie, waist). By no means is he fat, his job is extremely physical, he plays fastball practically 24/7 year round, AND does the gym. It's just a natural aging process.

I often thought when I first saw Clay, that he was about the same size Steve was as a young adult; and having seen the clothes in the museum, I think he was probably even thinner than Steve. They are unbelievably small! So he needed the "expansion". I think he looks absolutely wonderful.

Eeeeeeeehhh!! Just got home from work to clack and pretty pictures of our BF's night out! I'm so glad there was a decent turnout for the concert!

Merrieee that video is just adorable! Thanks for posting it. I've watched it WAY too many times already.

Now I can go to bed with a big grin! Night all!

What a great concert last night! Made even more special by being able to share it with friends.

I HAVE perfected the art of sleeping in, unfortunately; unfortunately, because I've gotten so good at it I want to do it every day in the winter!

And soon I have to be off to work....(sigh)

Although, I did mention to luckiest1 that it was a weeeeird feeling to look around at an audience...and not know everyone! :lmaosmiley-1:

Scarlett, is it wrong to want to come to Minneapolis just to get one of those hats?

Best available single ticket for Ruben now at N05-O-seat 25, which is high on the side most of the way to the back. I think he's done it! I think that's fantastic.

Just how many relatives DOES Clay have, anyway?? (no disrespect to Ruben intended at ALL)

to all that's been said about Clay's sense of self. The man is 28 years old. Recently at a staff 'retreat', we were asked to list positive qualities about each other...

There is only one person in my office older than I am. She's 64 and is a pistol. She wears bitchy high heels every day; she NEVER wears a bra, but doesn't shy away from wearing sweaters or tops that make it clear that she's braless; she speaks her mind.

She's a widow but is only alone when she wants it that way---plenty of male attention. She jokes about sex--mainly that she likes it a lot----and is a helluva lot of fun sharing a bottle of wine! Anyhoo....at this staff retreat someone in her early thirties said about this woman something to this effect: "I so admire ___because she has such a strong, unfailing sense of herself. She doesn't apologize for herself and instead seems so very comfortable about her life, her SELF...I want to know that kind of comfort and acceptance about myself, too. I hope I can get there some day."

Clay is 28 and I think he's found that place already. I admire the crap out of that.

Head nodding vehemently here....off to see Amanda Marshall at the casino just north of us, and have supper beforehand with luckiest1 and luckiest1jr...latah!!

Colorways are patterns of colors used to make hand-dyed yarn -- eg. the self-striping yarn that can be used to make those socks he always wears. I've been making some based on his appearances, eg. I have a Raleigh NAT, Unicef 07, Fantasy (from AI3), SCC, AAF, etc.

I've been meaning to ask....have you gifted Clay with any "striped socks" from your colorways based on his pix? What a unique gift that would be!!

I haven't though I've been learning to make socks and I know I have enough yarn for it (my stash is getting to be quite embarassing. *puts hand over Solo's mouth*). I just have no idea how to make one that'll fit. How long should the leg & cuff of a size 13 sock be anyway?

From my experience with my size 14 foot son? There is no such thing as too long-legged socks! Too short, now, is definitely a PITA. Cuff width might be an issue; Clay's legs are slim like he is. (Fat...pffft!!!) I could measure the cuff of a pair of Sean's socks...or, could you knit elastic thread in with the last few inches?

My local concert buddy asked me if I wanted to go to see Ruben. I'm still trying to decide. Fair traffic is a bitch! I felt pretty guilty sitting at Kim Locke's show watching Clay. (Couchie, once I realized he was right in front of me, I was like KLo who. Sorry.) On the other hand, to have a chance to see him.....and if he were to get up and sing with Ruben and I could've been there.....

Please go! For me, who can't....I'd love to honor Clay's wish to have a good crowd there for his friend, but it ain't gonna happen from Toronto (besides, I have to work tomorrow night).

...and I'm confused as to why there is discussion about whether Clay will be there or not? He SAID he was going to be. ...???....

ETA: I just looked at the seat selection for Ru's concert on Sunday night...it's currently at North-M-Seat 21 for best available, which is high on the side about the second section back...so I think it's happening. I understand there were floor seats second section Row A/B last night. It didn't give me any floor seats today.

Morning! OMG I'm so glad I didn't have to get up at 5 AM this morning! I'm so not a morning person...

Re the Raleigh sighting...every time I see/hear one of these, I am once again SOOOO thrilled for him that he was able to "go home again"...and it's worked. He is able to get out and about more and more it seems, noone really swarms him, he can do things he enjoys like the theatre...it's all good. I'm just delighted for him!

And yes, I bet he really stands out in a room in more ways than one!

That would be so neat! A Clay open studio tour! I'll make sure it's Clay all the time in the Gallery.

The volunteers are basically the organizers and do all the PR. Just getting a dozen artists to agree on date is like herding cats. We design and print all those pretty brochures, do the marketing, write the press releases, make the signs and maps, gather sponsors and a dozen other tasks nobody thinks about! Like putting on a big party, it's fun, but a lot of work to make it come off smoothly.

Ah, OK! I wouldn't mind volunteering for the one up here, and I was curious what types of things might be involved. Thanks for the info!

Eeeeeeeeeehhh for the promo! I LOVE him!!! :F_05BL17blowkiss: