texwriter

Thanks Couchie, Ansamcw, and CG, for letting me know that I accidentally stepped into a minefield! Sometimes not knowing the history of a board can make for dangerous navigation. I truly am not a supporter of Consp***cy theories, and I made it a point to avoid OFC when most of that discussion was taking place. What I do believe, is that there has been an effort by disc jockeys and celebrity gossip rags nationwide to portray Clay in a way that is completely inaccurate. And I think this has had a definite negative impact on how he is perceived, especially by young males. I just spent the last three years working in a middle school and I know that kids pay attention to radio gossip much more than they should. When I said that I thought the rest of the world would eventually see Clay the way we do, I didn't mean that they would love him in the same way. Only that they would hopefully see him as he really is, and not the false identity that is being promoted by the "underbelly" of mass media. I think his appearance on AYSTAFG will help a great deal because a lot of kids and teens love that show. Clay Aiken is a remarkable, talented man who has a lot to offer the world. I think that's something we can all agree on! :medium-smiley-070:

Absolutely! I've never known anyone who takes lemons and makes lemonade better than he does. And it seems to be something he's been doing for most of his life.

Since my post this morning seems to have set off a lot of discussion, and at least one rant (waves to Claygasm), I feel the need to defend it just a little. Yes, the rocket ship was fueled by AI, but I haven't noticed any other AI winner (or almost winner) come off the show with anywhere near the same degree of popularity. His record tying Christmas sales came a full year and a half after AI ended. It wasn't until January 2006 and the subsequent "mandated" album that the rocket seemed to run dangerously low on fuel. I, in no way, want to be responsible for rants or heated debate. As I said, when I joined last week, I am in this fandom for the FUN. However, I do enjoy intelligent discussion regarding this crazy ride we've all been on for the last few years. I saw a lot of intelligent discussion yesterday and this morning, and have enjoyed reading all of it. I think we are all entitled to our opinions, and hope that mine will be taken as just that, my opinion. Regardless of the factors that have brought Clay to this place in time, or the potential factors that will lead him down the road not taken, I'll be following right along behind him. I'm having the time of my life and I'm appreciating the opportunity to post my reflections here. :F_05BL17blowkiss: ETA: I guess I had no idea that using the word "conspiracy" would be categorized as beating a dead horse. I will certainly make note of that and remove it from my vocabulary. :medium-smiley-070:

I absolutely love this quote. He was on a rocket to the stars and he was shot down. Whether it was a conspiracy or just a series of incridibly stupid decisions on the part of the industry, we'll never know. The only thing I know for sure, is that the man who was driving that rocket ship is even better than he was then. He's more confident, more talented, and more accepting of his supporters. Eventually, the rest of the world will see what we see, and most of its citizens will embrace him. It's just going to take a little longer than we hoped.

I agree with you Merrieeee! My favorite was the Tyra hair. That's the longest I ever want to see it.

After looking at some of the photos that were posted last night, I think testacle sensuality would work too!

I do remember you, and I think it was Creole. :F_05BL17blowkiss: Rcknrllmom, thanks for the welcome!

Hello everyone! My fandom began with "Take". I know that's become a cliche, but it really is the truth. My love and admiration grew each week and by finale night he owned my heart completely. I didn't discover the internet fandom until his Labor Day performance on the Today show. That's when I decided to google him and discovered there were thousands of women who had it just as bad as I did. Since then I've seen him in concert 24 times, most recently in Tampa and Orlando. My DH is my concert buddy, and the funny thing is that before Clay we'd only attended one concert together, and that was in 1968 when we were dating. We always used the excuse that we didn't like crowds! We are having the time of our lives and always eagerly anticipate the release of concert schedules so we can plan our next trip. I've been blessed to meet many wonderful fans on my journeys, and am pleased to see that many of them are members here. I noticed that this board has many librarians and book lovers. I happen to fit both of those categories. I am a full time elementary school librarian and a part-time reference librarian at my municipal library. I''ve been an avid reader since "Dick and Jane" and even published two romance novels in the 80's. Before Clay, books were my greatest passion! I've been married for 38 years to the same guy, am the mother of 3 grown sons, 2 of which are happily married, and 1 of which provided me with 2 beautiful grandchildren. I am blessed with a profession I love, good health, a loving family, and the ability to support the greatest singer in the history of the world! Life is good!

I just joined this afternoon, and I can attest to the fact that Jamar is not responsible! Although I did sit next to her at the JBT in Indianapolis, and think she's terrific! I joined because I saw a post by Wandacleo at Chexxxy's Place that was brought over from this board. I had no idea there was a forum here! I had the great pleasure of meeting Wanda in Florida and have always been a great admirer of her posts and her politics! Since December of 2004, I have been a member at CV. I enjoyed it immensely for the first few years, but the continued "protection" of a certain member who embarassed the entire fandom in Orlando (and yes I was there in person) has left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. I absoluely adore Clay Aiken and the online fandom has been a great source of joy since June of 2003, but this past week I've been seriously considering bailing on it. I've spent the afternoon reading here, thrilling to the appearance of people I've met at various concerts, reading comments from posters I've long admired, and feeling that this board has the potential to rejuvenate my fandom. I believe with all my heart that Clay needs us. But he needs the positive element much more than the naysayers. Unfortunately, they have a way of pulling the rest of us down at the most inopportune moments. I don't want to let them run me off, I just want it to be FUN!