FromClaygary

My sincere condolences to Clay and his family. In Memoriam

Hi Alison! Haven't seen you in ages...how are things in Red Deer? I think this thread is a great idea. I'm sure there are lots wondering, from the warmer climes. What we do for Clay! I travel for business, so feel qualified to mention a few things: I'm from Western Canada as well, although I now live in Ontario. I would definitely agree with the layer, layer, layer approach. As Alison suggested, a polyester fleece jacket (which you can wear as a sweater inside if necessary) and a windproof, waterproof outer layer are a good choice and really versatile. You may need gloves and a scarf but they'll be readily available in Minneapolis (you can buy excellent fleece gloves for $1)...and if you don't need 'em, just don't buy 'em! They're also bulky to pack if you don't really need them. Airlines~most airlines now base their fares on the popularity of the flight...more people booking, the more expensive the flight is. I've flown NWA and liked them, but as Alison said they've had some problems lately. I've never flown or even heard of US Air (but I do live in the east...it may be regional SW). Best piece of advice ever? Do . not . even . THINK . about flying the same day as the concert! It's a recipe for disaster. Packing~pack in "outfits" so you can just lift them all together out of the suitcase. Longest item (pants, skirt) goes on the bottom, then the coordinating top or two folded like you see in the stores for presentation (someone in your favorite store will be glad to demo for you). The tops then get placed inside the folded edge of the pant/skirt so that it stops them from creasing. This is hard to explain in writing, but it works great! You should end up with a "package" with the bottom om the bottom, and the tops inside the folded-over length of the skirt or pant. All heavy items (rechargers, makeup bag etc)go in the WHEEL end of your bag so they don't crush other stuff when you lift the bag to wheel it. Stuff socks etc in the corners of the bag. A sock makes a great "case" for anything you don't have a case for~camera, GPS, rechargers etc. I travel enough that I just keep an extra makeup bag stocked with travel sizes of my favorite stuff and just throw it in the bag without having to worry I'm missing something. And on that note~GRAB those sample sizes of your favorite lotions etc when "gift" time comes around! An extra pair of headphones for your Ipod (or Zen in my case) and an extra recharger for your phone always in the suitcase means you don't have to worry about those either. Oh yes...and remember!....NO LIQUIDS IN CARRYONS over 3 oz. I don't want to be the person in the security line behind you! Looking forward to seeing everyone in Minneapolis!

Wow. Gosh. Well.... I've read everything from today, and that's about all I can come up with. Can't even find an emoticon that works...maybe this one. :xmas07a: Cuz I could use some giggles.

So, I'm just going to say this...Scarlett, you don't know me, but I know you. And I love you. :F_05BL17blowkiss: I promise I won't stalk you or post raunchy pictures of you on the internet. I have lots of opinions on what down between Kim and Clay as well, but that's all they are. I used to be a fan of Kim's. I'm still here. And that's enough of that. And THANK YOU for that adorable pic of Clay and Jolene! Looks like it might be a M&G pic?

I am soooooo behind, as I want to read every . single . word of what went on here over the last couple of days....VERY interesting and thought provoking posts, and thanks so much for the great responses to my questions! Crap, I hope I'm not screwing up these quotes...if I've misquoted you accidentally because I pressed so many buttons, forgive me! I definitely agree with both of the above points...really, really agree with the bolded. Nahh....really agree with it ALL. Nope...it definitely is not only your opinion. There is still one of the "venerated" fans who probably will run over me in an alley if she ever meets me, for telling her the exact same thing at that time. In no uncertain terms. I do not enjoy hurting people's feelings, but sometimes you have to just tell it like it is. Consequently, I get "modded" at that board continually, for stuff the next poster posts without comment or interference. I'm the same way love all the vitK veggies and can live without chocolate, but give me some candy corn or good and plentys and I'm happy. To add one more disgusting thing about food, we used to fight over the chicken heart, stomach and liver when my mother cooked chicke. Cooked of course. :F_05BL17blowkiss: Oh, DEAR GAWD!! I think we were separated at birth! Although....the good and plentys....I dunno... Me too...in a slightly different fashion. At at time when I was struggling trying to support my kids on my own, it just about put me out for the count. Consequently, I have NO tolerance when I see it happening to others today. None. Zero. One of the Admins might come along and explain it better, but I understand that was set up recently to help in screening out spambots trying to register at the site - it helps ensure you're a "real" person. As a mod, I can see it for everyone, but I think the regular members only see their own. Thanks for asking and answering that! I wondered the same thing....and once again, I MUST head off to bed to be able to get up tomorrow and get to work. Thanks for the good time!

Just needed to mention....love broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts...even without the cheese. Don't really care for chocolate. And I clap off-beat too.

Again, I think I agree about the timing...but do you think that caused it? Or was it just an ignitor, somewhere to place the anger? Where did the anger originate? And why? (If I'm starting to remind anyone of their three-year old, just scroll)

I'm behind, as you see, and just catching up... I am endlessly fascinated by people, their motives, their reactions to things. I'm kind of a fish out of water, I think, in this fandom as most of the people I see on the boards are numbers people ie they love to extrapolate the relative position of Daughtry or Kelly C. on the Billboard 200, given the exposure from their appearance on...yatata yatata. While I can appreciate these people's dedication to keeping track of this shit...quite honestly, I personally couldn't care less. But I DO care, and am fascinated by, comments like jmh's above. I tend to agree with you somewhat; I might agree more if I had ventured to poke my nose out of here (which I did not). But I'd LOVE to hear~why you think that is? What has caused the huge turnaround from the days of wine and roses....to the days of whine and noses out of joint? And do you think we'll ever get it back?

Nodding....me too. Love the analogy! Well, I'm crying a small, silent, selfish little tear over here for the lost green-eyed soul tour....but hey, I'm easy! I'll love whatever Clay ends up doing next Spring. BUT for those of us who would lOVE to see Fantasia in NYC but don't have Clay's budget....can we ask him if he brought us back Fack?? PS to Kareneh...I had forgotten you were here!...hope your trip back to Houston (one of my favorite cities) was a good one...and you know, seriously??...we probably passed one another on the highway to the airport! Now, how cool is that?? small things.. All my stress over getting lost in downtown Halifax worked out fine...I had GPS AND good directions...and once I got from the area that is new, that GPS and mapquest knows not...I got to the hotel with no problem. Off to work!

Good God! I just realized there's noone around because it's....5:35 AM EDT! WTH do I book these flights at this time of the day? Oh yeah...it's because I gotta go to work when I get there, and I get lost in Halifax in the dark....waah! If you never see me again, someone look in all those windy roads around the McKay bridge in downtown Halifax! Clay.... :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Thanks for scanning that! I'm proud he's included as well. Berk's schmoopy post? :F_05BL17blowkiss: Loved it! Nightall...have to be up at 4 AM to catch a flight to the Maritimes...WHAT am I doing here??

OK, having gone to work and put some thought into this (yes, I have kind of a mindless job sometimes)...I'm excited! Now, if it doesn't happen, I'll suck it up...but, if it does.... I love the sound of this: Ooooh...yes! Yes!! The bolded! ^ Indeed!! At one of the venues this summer (likely SH, now that I think of it) he commented that they had discussed a tour where people just sat around and "jammed". Maybe this is the tour! I would LOVE that. Adore seeing him use his instrument! :19: I'd also enjoy seeing a mix of new and old (ie, stuff from AI); I still play some of the group medleys on my Zen and thoroughly enjoy the ones I have. In any case and I hope it comes to a stop near me if it's happening.

I think this might be in reference to my comment, so I'll post-ho. I definitely think they are friends now. I definitely think there was a time when they were not speaking, likely because of some hurt feelings. Keep in mind, I know absolutely nothing beyond my observances, so don't take it as gospel from me! I am very pleased to observe that they seem to be friends now.

I'll give that a try! I had someone in Calgary that would actually talk to me at an HMV store, but not here. I'll have to cultivate a new acquaintance. I tried to find it in Buff as well, but no go.

*knocks softly on FCA's doorframe...cause I can see the door is open* Could I come in? I been bad... :eusa_whistle: I been over at that place I've called home for a few years. Don't wanna be there any more. DO wanna be here with happy people! I think I love you guys. I've realized once more that I don't do well with: a)large boards b)negativity. So...I'll just wade right in, if I may? The Clay/Kim/Ruben thing? Don't know if it's going to happen...but if it does, I'll be there with bells on!! It's CLAY!! SINGING!! Does there NEED to be another reason?? I loved, loved, LOVED the three of them together on AI and am glad to see that it appears that Kim/Clay have made it up...and I know Ruben is a good bud. I suspect that Clay would have a blast doing this, and so would the others. Do I see it as a "6 hour tour"? Probably. But if I can get to one of those six hours, I'll so be there! I have Kim's first CD, which I play very frequently and still love, and would love to have been able to get the second (luckiest where did you get yours? It was apparently not released in Canada, I couldn't find it in the US, and even Amazon doesn't have it. And, BTW, do you like it?). I don't care for Ruben's work on his CDs, just not into that type of music, but hey...if he's duettin' with Clay, let me repeat....I'm there! In fact, and because that gives us a "look forward to" for the Spring, when he is normally out of sight doing UNICEF stuff...and I miss him. I'm tha-rilled and I hope it happens! Oh.... sorry.....can I come in??

Ooooh! I never saw this pic before!!! Why is Angela touching his hair like that? That looks SO sexy! GAH!! Couldn't bear to remove the picture tags, sorry!....and how could Angela NOT touch his hair like that?? Sometimes I don't know how either of them keeps their hand offa him onstage! OMG, luckiest, she's adorable!! Off to work in the rain...we sure need this rain, but it's kind of depressing.

Sorry, folks, I didn't really intend to post and run but it was WAAAAY past this old poops bedtime. Honestly, it was nothing to anyone but me...I had been reading "Teacher Man" by Frank McCourt, and added a comment that it reminded me of Clay the whole time, and I thought he would find it interesting. I also asked if he still had time to read, as I knew he was a BIG reader earlier in life. I said I would love to hear every now and again what he was reading. A friend posted after me, and meaning to quote something in my post, instead "reported" it accidentally. Apparently he sees those, 'cause I doubt he would have noticed mine otherwise. The result? The blog about "The Kite Runner". It couldn't possibly have been a coincidence. Everyone but me hated the blog....but hey...this was me Oooh!! Oooh! I'd forgotten about that! Me tooooooo...

OMG I would have died!!! Did you believe at first it was from him? I would have wondered, I know. Oh, no, no, no!! Sorry, I was obviously not clear! He didn't email or PM me...he just responded directly in his blog to a comment/question I had added to it just before he wrote the next one. Sorry, I didn't mean to get you all excited for nothing! I wish! It WAS very, very nice though....I went around like this for days...

As others do, I completely agree. Message board? Haven't been there in ages, though at first I tried. Fan pack? More stress to get it than I'm up for at this point. Meet and greets? Not unless he gets "invited" to Toronto again, I guess. Blogs and messages from him? Priceless. Worth every penny and then some...I will SO be there. Love him to bits and love being able to see a little corner of his mind, in person. Once, he actually responded to me...I've never forgotten the thrill. Exactly. My M.O and reasoning precisely.

Thanks for the clarification!....and can you hear my eyeballs rolling back in my head from over there? Can't snip a durn thing. Must be a Canadian thing, as we're apparently related. Heee.....do you suppose at some point there'll be a GIANT ex-hale and all our screensavers will explode??

Yer all so smart! Ah think I'll just keep on nodding and shaking my head and let y'all just GO! Yeah....that! Although, let me rephrase...if it has something to do with John Paulus or Perez Hilton....I don't care, and I don't want to know. ...but especially the above!! OK, actually, I changed my mind! The OTHER ones I would like to boot in the ass are the ones who take advantage of others' good nature...cadging free tickets, transportation, asking for people to bring and send them "stuff" which they never intend to pay for....it just makes me crazy, and I feel for the disrespect to those who fall for it. End rant. Hope everyone's having a good Labour Day!

That was his response to the "letter". WHAT . A . BOD!! Great convo tonight!

Eeeeh! Do I get to be a first-pager with 87 posts? Am I allowed?? Could you hear my head rattling "Yeah, yeah!" from way over there? In fact....I married him! No worries, peeps, he's long gone. Hee...ldyjocelyn Love all of this thought, but particularly the bolded part...maybe I need to look harder on a day to day basis. I too have my moments of looking around at a Clay event and thinking "Wow"...Wow at the people's faces I can see, and their rapt attention to the man on stage....Wow at where we might be, and how we all were drawn there by him, often to somewhere we never dreamed we would visit. Wow to the love in the air. Wow that I'm sitting there with good friends I would never have known if it wasn't for him. Just....WOW. I have this happen at least once every tour. And ever time it just blows. me. away.

I need that man's address! I barely recognized my car when I walked out to it in the hotel parking lot this morning. Barrie to Timmins to Sudbury to Sault Ste Marie...to Barrie tomorrow will do it to ya everytime. Currently sitting in Sault looking fondly across the water to sweet memories of Interlochen. Me, too. I also noticed when I was going through photos, here, that the little curls at the neck opening of his shirt were missing, too! What was he thinking? My His little curlies? Ripped out right out from under my fingers his throat? Yes, Clay, some things hurt….not just you. I’m glad to see that they’re back, too. What the h* did he do?? Dunk himself in a vat of bathtub cleaner?? ...and WHY? Was there every any consensus? Heeeee's so fine...*cough*...oh YES, I'll have some of that!

Pick me! Sure hope I'm not alone in the hall! :xmas07a: Wait...maybe I DO hope I'm alone in the hall! So....can't get color etc to work, there's no dropdown. Just me? Do I have to do something to my profile to enable them?