spikesmom

One of my most favorites... this photo is my mousepad photo at work... it's verra nice to see each day.... And I know what you mean, ldyj, about finding my life again... not a bad thing at all... I'm trying to watch the seasons of Sex and the City and catching up on my reading (which will take a while for sure!)... it's kind of nice actually... I've always felt we were very, very blessed by how much Clay was touring, etc. And I sure felt a bit spoiled. The withdrawal may be a little hard at first, but I've got so many other things I enjoy, that I just need to do something about it! It will certainly make the time go quicker I do believe... it will be great when he's back touring and the boards explode again with happiness, but I can wait... it will make the next time all that more fun and exciting!

perma - hey, that's cool! Now, this Library thingie... do you have a link? Lord knows I can never keep up with what I've read and what I want to read... I too discovered that I bought the same book (a hardcover no less! ouch!) of the same James Patterson (Double Cross)... and just last week, read a book that I read back in 2003 (must have been right before my Clay life!!) - luckily I really didn't remember it so it was like reading a new book!

Well, it appears I don't have much to choose from... and what I do have is so old, nothing seems to be tagged so I don't know who's photos they are... so here's one I took (bwah!) in Spencer, Iowa while Jerome was doing the singing audition thing. Sis and I stood and watched so I clicked off a couple of pics... let's see if this worked... testing... testing... ok, crap, that didn't work... hmmmm... off to try a different link... hooray!! I did it! now I will have to figure out an avi... oh the pressure.... eta: yippee, that worked! I'm feelin' all computer geeky now... if only!! seriously, I guess I'll have to find a cool pic of Clay now, but for now, this one will do... since my spot has been naked for so long, it seemed fitting....

Awwwwwww, pretty pics!!! Thanks annabear! Took a break from my book (Beautiful Lies, Lisa Unger, first time to read anything of hers) and saw we started a new thread!! Been reading a lot and just checking in periodically to see what's up. As much as I miss any news, it's kind of nice to focus on something else for a bit... I miss reading books (versus the board!) and so it's been kind of fun to get back to it... and I love bookstores... my dream job for retirement is a bookstore with a coffee shop in it! Of course, I'd probably get fired for spending my time reading and spend all my earnings there! So maybe for retirement, I'll just plan to hang out at the bookstore reading everything and drinking coffee! The heck with the work part!!! eta: Ruh roh... I think I was supposed to post a picture for first page?... eek... off to see if I can figure out how... do I need my Photobucket account?

Gibby - WOW!! Beautiful pictures!!! We've had issues around here with different wild animals "moving into" neighborhoods where you wouldn't think one would see them. I think one of the other issues besides the ones like Iseeme noted is the continuing move of man into areas where people haven't been before. The population continues to grow so the cities and towns continue to grow, folks are moving away from the "city" parts and one of the choices is to move to unpopulated areas where the animals lived free before. I'm always amazed when I make the drive from Milwaukee to Madison how much the area in between continues to shrink relative to open, unpopulated land. I think man is actually moving into some of the animal's "neighborhoods" and people are then surprised when the animals come out to play... just another perspective - not to say that it makes the animals any less dangerous - they are for sure - I mean, they're wild and people moving into their turf isn't going to make them less so... not sure what the answer is other than people have to be smarter (and follow some common sense rules like Iseeme noted) if they're going to keep trying to find untouched land and more quiet away from the city. Not an issue for me as I'm a city girl through and through - I like me some sidewalks and street lights and noise at night other than crickets... heh. But I do appreciate the love of the country and the desire to get away from the hustle and bustle. playbiller - before I forget - love your emoticons, etc... a couple were especially LMAO funny! And those cargo shorts? The same kind of thing my son has worn for years now. He loves them and some of them came with the shaggy "hems"... it's what young men seem to like to wear... as long as they're clean, I guess I can live with it... Off to take my chocolate chip coffee cake out of the oven and then to find that clip eveyone is talking about!

:thbighug-1:

Happy Birthday CarolinaClay and playbiller!! Interesting discussion today... I have just enough crap in my RL that I prefer to be positive about most things in my fandom BUT I appreciate being able to read everyone's opinion... even when I don't agree, often times, it makes me think and that's a good thing! When I see the nasty negativity (which I really don't see here but other places), I wonder about that person because it seems they might have found a nicer way to state their not so positive opinion... JMO and all that jazz... you can give constructive criticism without being downright mean (or hateful) about it... hopefully that makes some kind of sense... jmh - agree with what you said - often I'll wonder if I read the same posts when it sounds like a disagreement is breaking out - I think it's hard not to be thin skinned when someone states a different opinion than you might have - I know I've had to learn to not take everything so personally. It often times takes me a long time to compose a post and then many times, I won't even post it. I worry too much about my post being taken the wrong way, even though it's JUST my opinion but I don't want to end up in the middle of a disagreement... it's mostly in conversations like this where people might feel I'm picking on them because I don't have the same opinion - and I'm not. I do respect everyone's right to state their opinion, maybe I just miss the days when folks were a little more civil to each other... again, not sure if I'm really getting my point across or not... ldyj - glad to hear you're doing good!

Happy Belated Birthday kimiye! Happy Birthday jmh! ldyj - good luck with your surgery! Yippee!! Hmmm, what to contribute?!... and where to send it?

I can't figure out how to do a normal one - I'm a complete dolt as far as a revolving one! But it's a nice thought!

Happy Birthday Claygasm!!! Hope you're having (or had if you don't see this til tomorrow) a great day!! Hey aikim - at least you have an avi! I keep saying I'm going to figure out how to do one and then can't make up my mind what picture to use... so I just do nothing...

Hey ldyj - no need to be sowwy - it's all good! I'm not usually the first with any news when I have to work all day... why weren't we all born rich? And now, the company I work for is going to pretty much stop most of our internet use by blocking just about everything... bummer. I don't stop by often during the day but now it will be never unless I have off... oh well, it was nice while it lasted. I'm thinking your bear is just trying to find out which family restaurant he likes the best... hopefully, he won't resort to anything threatening though... that's pretty scarey... we have a couple of foxes and a couple raccoons wandering around our neighborhood trying to get into the garbage carts (and yes, it's the city!) but they're all smaller than me so I'm not quite as worried as I would be about a bear!

Iseeme - I saw this at another board, apparently added to his blog at the UNICEF site. UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken recently returned from Somalia, where UNICEF provides children in the war-torn nation with health care, education, nutrition, clean water and sanitation. This is the first in a series of blog posts he will write about his experience in the field.

rohdy - congrats again on a fabulous idea! It was an honor to participate! And the stacks of books were a beautiful sight to see! cindilu - another beautiful banner! Thanks for the lightened pics! The blog was very sobering and I look forward to the rest (I understand this was one in a series?). He makes me so very proud to be a fan... This is very sobering also... I'd like to think I've got at least another 20 or more... but to think my life could already be over... sure as hell makes me stop and think how blessed I am... and I'm thankful I could raise my son in this country. Danielle - funny story! Thanks for sharing!

Love the killer rabbit!!! I admit to buying the puppet at Spamalot... told my sister that I can too be 12 if I want to!! He's sitting over a water bottle on my computer table at work... heh. A nice little reminder of my trip to NYC! Makes me smile every time I look at it. Well, I'll try to play although I'm not very good at this kind of stuff... 1. Your part in the fandom: how has it evolved? Do you consider it a hobby or an addicition? How much time do you spend on your fandom? I do find that I probably spend too much time on the computer although it's calming down somewhat. It is more of an addiction as I do try to catch the board daily - but at least if I don't, I don't have any serious withdrawal symptoms... It's kind of nice that "nothing" is going on right now... I've read several books, crocheted some market bags, started watching the seasons of Sex and the City, so I'm making more time for other things I like again. 2. What would you considered a "blowtorched puppy" -- in other words, what could Clay do that would make you stop being a fan? I can't think of anything because the things that would immediately turn me off are so outside the realm of who I "think" Clay is that I can't even imagine that any one of them would happen... I'm pretty easy with everything else. 3. How do you feel about "shipping Clay?" Why do you feel that way? I don't have a big problem with shipping as long as it's done in fun. When folks start getting overly invested, defensive, etc., then it's OTT to me. I wish him only love and happiness so I don't have a problem with a little harmless shipping. 4. How does Clay combat the tabloid media? Just like he's been doing - with the big ole IGNORE button. Giving it any attention gives it too much power I think. 5. Should Clay be a "superstar?" A "pop star"? An "entertainer?" Or all of the above? Does he really have to choose? I don't see the need to choose, but that's me. But if I did, I pick entertainer as I see more flexibility in that one. 6. How do you feel Clay's voice has evolved over the past 4 years? I don't know enough about this kind of stuff to give a qualified answer... everything I think I want to say doesn't seem to come out right so I'll wait for someone else to say something smart and just WORD them! (yeah, I'm lazy...).

Gosh, it took a bit of time to catch up! Iseeme - glad to hear your mil is safe... hopefully all will not be lost and she'll be able to get back to her home. cindilu - niiiiiiice banner! boobgate - eh, my initial reaction was "you go Clay!"... was surprised at the backlash... but then I never believed he was the innocent that so many made him out to be... based on that hand rejects me picture, I thought he had a pretty good sense of humor and was an average young guy so the boob picture didn't phase me.... I know some people felt it was disrespectful, but since no one really knows what context it was taken in, I couldn't say it was or wasn't... so I took it as friends joking around.... eh, whatever. Never heard about Ryan's "get off his high horse" comments... that makes the Kimmel bit more funny to me... and my take on Ryan is he's trying too hard to be cute and it just makes him come off as fake... I really waste almost no thought on him... and with that, I've wasted too much! Nice little article on travel - hadn't seen it before - it was interesting to read some new stuff (even if it wasn't new?)...

PoP = Pants of Perfection maybe? Not sure about BoB.... LOL... too late!

play - it took me a minute too because all I see are little boxes... finally dawned on me that I must not have the font (or characters, I guess)... so it makes for some interesting reading for me too! And I'll go with "intense and unserving devotion" too... works for me!

Hahaha! Really? Haven't seen the show yet (although I am eyeing up the movie due in two weeks....) Hmmm... I guess another reason to like the dot dot dots! Oh hahaha! I thought the shirt looked familiar and figured he must own another one, but I had no idea he bought every color! And don't be embarrassed! You saved the rest of us from that search!!

Happy Birthday muski! Happy 4th! You mean, those dot dot dots are wrong? Crap, cuz that's how I always type up posts... it's kind of like I'm thinking out loud (I'm doing that stream of consciousness thing too)... it's good that I don't post (or read) at TWoP as I'd get slammed all the time for grammar I'm sure... I've always been a spelling freak and typos can drive me bananas, but I've learned to blow it off on the boards as people are typing quickly, some just aren't good typists, others are typing with emotion, a key might stick, some are just not great spellers like I'm not great with grammar, etc... so I realized being a spelling freak is my problem and so I move on... hopefully any grammatical errors I make can be taken in the same way and be forgiven/ignored... You know, this really makes me stop to think... and that's a good thing.. I know that I tend to use sarcasm when I talk and generally it really is supposed to be humorous... but it makes me wonder now how it's really being received. Do others in my RL feel like BW would? Now sometimes I do mean to be sarcastic and probably a bit biting, but I really don't mean that all the time. Certainly food for thought for me... On the topic du jour (or maybe it was yesterday's topic), I don't post a lot because I do try to think how my post will be taken. Because I do tend to throw sarcasm into my speaking, I'm trying to be somewhat careful how I post. I realize no one here knows me and it's very easy to develop opinions about people based on their posts... I have definite opinions, right or wrong, about some posters at other boards just based on their posts and how they come across... not too many are people I wouldn't be interested in meeting, but there are a couple for sure that I want to stay away from. I agree that it's better to be able to talk things out on the board as often times there are many others who are wondering/questioning the same things, just not posting it... I had no clue about FBM and the lot until the shit hit the fan... but I did see inking here or there that made me wonder WTF is going on? So talk about being surprised when it all came out and things started clicking. And there, to me, was no reason this should have been hidden... oh yeah, I forgot, the in-the-know crowd versus the not-in-the-know-crowd... are we still in high school? Sure feels that way sometimes... Or maybe it's about power and control? Dunno, just find it to be stupid. Eh, enough, it's a beautiful day here, I need to go shower and take a walk... Starbucks up the street is calling my name... and I neeeeeeed to find out if they are one of the 600 in peril... that could bum me out... although it would be better for my bottom line... Oh, and ALAWH, FLOVE. Actually, I haven't participated much in the song of the day because I really, really love this cd and I feel like I would just be repeating myself over and over... I guess I don't analyze what I'm listening too, I just roll with it. I love reading everyone else's opinions, especially the ones that get into the nits and nats (is that even a word?) of the music and lyrics because I find them interesting and informative... I'm just not wired that way I guess... but I'm learning! Happy day everyone!

I rarely click on Clay related links any more unless I have a pretty good idea what it is and have determined it's worth it... if whatever it is is brought over so I can read it on the board and not give the site a hit, all the better and I might still read it... my skin has gotten thicker over time so I can blow most of the crap off... but I often still scroll too.... yep, the joy can easily be sucked out if you read every little thing and let it bug you... Honestly, it has helped to hear others talk about other fandoms and the crap that gets spewed on all different people, sports, etc. I really wasn't familiar with the internet and message boards before Clay so some of it really took me by surprise... another one of the fandom school of hard knocks lessons but now it's easier for me to ignore...

Yes, I'd agree with this - especially when it comes to Clay. I don't have a problem with people not liking something about him (his words, his hair, his clothes, a particular song, etc.) and stating those facts. But some of the things said are downright nasty... and these are supposed to be "fan" boards? I get that he doesn't read here and the boards are for the fans, but with some of the stuff I've read, I'm stunned these people even consider themselves fans and stick around... And geez, I made a not nice comment about Clive once, I'm not a fan - I don't hate him either and I still feel bad about that... do not these "fans" of Clay not feel anything about being so mean?

Boy, that'll teach me to go out of town for four days.... whew! Took me forever to catch up... it was like 22 pages and too much good stuff to skip! {{{{ldyj}}}} on your knee and glad you have a diagnosis so you can decide what you need to do for make it better... and thanks for posting the Betty897X wallpapers! I've been right clicking and saving each one! They are really very nice! {{{{gbmifan}}}} hang in there... good thoughts and prayers coming your way! Ansa - Happy Birthday late! 3 on 3.... nope, too hard. I can't decide what to have for dinner most days - no way I can pick just three songs for each... but I did see some good choices by others! {{{{muski}}}} glad you found Carrie and that things are being worked out! Grace of God - one of my favorites - I never skip it and often hit repeat... and I've promptly forgotten what the other ones were... heh. So this weekend, my hubby and I were at the Miss Wisconsin Pageant (sorry to those who hate Miss America stuff) but the emcee was Miss Colorado 1987 (La Tanya Hall and damn she looked goooood for being Miss Colorado 21 years ago!). Anyway, she's been off in NYC doing her thing (including a couple episodes recurring role in Law and Order, is touring with someone who's name I forget but this person will be on Jay Leno on 7/7 so she asked us to watch...) anyway, she mentioned last night that she got signed by a major record label (didn't say which one) but her cd, which is coming out this fall, is going to be.... drumroll.... big band classics.... heh. It made me chuckle... but I will say, fabulous voice, deep, smoky, very nice... I suspect she'll sound great... but the classics made me chuckle and think of Clive.

Happy Birthday couchie!!!

Nice Banner!! Thanks to everyone who takes the time to make them for our enjoyment! It's very interesting to read all the music lingo... I don't know nothin' 'bout nothin' when it comes to music other than I know what I find pleasing and like to listen to... but I enjoy reading all the technical jargon... I might even remember some of it... so I appreciate the education... :F_05BL17blowkiss: I only find one song that I occasionally skip and it just depends on my mood and I only skip it if I'm in the car... I am really enjoying the whole cd... as I listen to each of the songs, I do find myself wondering if it's one that Clay relates to for this reason or that reason... I have found several that really speak to me and that makes them much higher on my list of favorites... but overall, I love what Clay did with this cd and it makes me happy to listen to it! I can't say I would know perfect pitch if it hit me in the face, but I sure do know when someone misses a note! Probably because it sounds like me singing!

Yeah, me too. I told my son (who's 20) that I'm officially old because I didn't get them... and I guess I'll leave it at that...