luckiest1

Yikes, it sure is quiet around here! We have decided to leave tomorrow after work and stop in Ohio for the night. That way, we should be in to Charlotte Friday at a decent hour. Not sure what we'll do all day Saturday until gala, but hopefully eat some yummy food and sight see.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a tweet that previously had been tweeted and deleted? I have so much to do before leaving for gala. I need to get my butt in gear tonight.

OMG after posting about being in the balcony, I went searching through my emails for my gala tickets to print them, and came up empty. Apparently I never received them. Luckily, I was able to log into the site (after retrieving my password) and do the "chat with an agent" option and get them resent just now. So happy I remembered now and not next week! It made me really smile to see that tweet.

I'm also in the balcony.

Oooh, we used to have an annual balloonfest here, and I loved it! So cool to watch the balloons being inflated and they go up, up, up! I have never been in one but I would go if I could afford it.

Oh, both of your classes sound right up my alley, aikim and couchie! I love classic rock, British invasion stuff, and Stephen King! I bought the new book Doctor Sleep last week for my ereader, and have been reading a little bit of it each day. You can only watch so much TV LOL. Speaking of, I get most everything I download from torrents. If my PVR is too full to catch something, that's what I do. I only have a makeshift PVR, meaning I attached an external hard drive to my HD cable box and made it into a PVR. I can only tape one channel at a time, so I have to use the time shifting channels to try and catch things that are on at the same time in my time zone. Today is the last supper. My sons & I are getting together for a goodbye dinner for Lindsay. Then tomorrow I am taking the afternoon off to drive her to the aiport. She is going nuts, trying to get vet papers in order, for a dog and a cat that don't even belong to her. Her friends, a married couple who moved to England about a month ago, paid to take these animals with them, but the cat ran away a few days prior and then the dog was refused entry to the plane at the aiport on a technicality. So Lindsay is trying her darndest to get things in order, but it's crazy how picky it is. You get it all straightened out on this side, and then the people on the UK side say no, not to our liking, do it again. I don't know what's going to happen if they refuse the animals entry to the plane tomorrow. I just know I can't take them in! I already have 3 dogs (one of which is really Lindsay's) and 2 cats in my house.

Doesn't really bother me, since I'm not particularly worried. I'm sure he's a busy man and it sounds like he is making some big personal changes (i.e. moving) as well as career changes. These things can take time. I will continue to check in once a day or so until something happens. *edited for clarity* I can't believe that some people think that fans who aren't freaking out don't care. I care plenty. If I could never hear Clay sing again I'd be pretty upset. His voice transports me to another place, and while it's great on a recording, there's nothing like hearing it live. I once was a huge fan of a figure skater who up and quit skating, and moved to Mexico. I still get a bit pissy when I think about it. What a waste of talent! But it's his life, not mine. People have to do what makes them happy. I just happen to think that performing, in some capacity, makes Clay happy.

I've thought about doing that too, ldyj. I know I can download anything online that I can PVR, and since I'm paying fairly big bucks for unlimited internet, I probably should. It's just so freaking convenient to PVR. I am not sure why some fans think that Clay is going to give us news at the gala. I don't see it as a really good place to relay news, since not everyone there is a fan, some are just NIP supporters. I figure we'll get news the old fashioned way.....through a blog or ferret it out ourselves prior to it being announced.

I'll be honest.....I don't get to claim any of my NIP donations, which really sucks, because I could use the tax break for my gala ticket. To do so, I'd have to have US income. So if Clay should, for some reason, not be affiliated with the NIP anymore, I probably would stop donating, and donate to something locally. But I just don't see that happening. ldyj, I PVR everything. I watch nothing live. I save things for a rainy day, when I'm bored. I generally only watch an hour or two of TV in the evenings, and I'm in bed by 9 pm. So I haven't watched Homeland or Amazing Race from last night yet. Sometimes I get bored of a series and just delete what i've PVRed. But I figure if I'm paying the big bucks for cable, I might as well use it!

I think it's sad, because the new system is much more fair, and less biased. It's harder to understand, especially if you are just a casual viewer, but ultimately the best skater wins. It's no longer just a jumping contest. Thankfully, we still get lots of coverage here in Canada, and I'd say it's still pretty popular. This season is even more exciting, because it's an Olympic year!

Thanks, jmh123! It works! Congrats on your weight loss, couchie! TV...I have so many shows that are starting back up again...Grey's Anatomy, Glee, Elementary, Homeland, Bones, Criminal Minds, The Voice, Blue Bloods, Survivor, Drop Dead Diva, Revolution, Battle of the Blades (Canadian show that pairs figure skaters with hockey players), Biggest Loser (watching to support Ruben)....sad to see Dexter end, it was my absolute favourite! I also watched the first two episodes of the new Michael J. Fox show, and while I'm not usually into sitcoms, I will continue to give it a chance. I just finished watching the Canadian version of the Amazing Race, which was pretty neat, so I have PVRed the premiere of the US Amazing Race tonight for fun. Seeing as I already have so many PVRing, I will probably just wait until January to watch Downton Abbey, when it comes on PBS. I do have Tunnel Bear, and use it to watch British cooking shows mostly. It might also be handy once my daughter is in the UK, if she watches something and wants me to follow along. Haven't read any boards this weekend. I get bored at work so I probably will check them out tomorrow. I keep hoping the tide will change.

Tijala, there is still a Stars On Ice tour but in the US, it's down to something like 10 or less shows. Luckily, it's still doing ok in Canada. I used to cross the border for Champions On Ice too. This year, I am going to Skate America in Detroit in a couple of weeks. Skate Canada is too far away for me (New Brunswick). Detroit is just a hop, skip and a jump! LOL I hope they give you guys some TV coverage of the event. Argh, I still can't do a new line on this forum. I tried to put some white space in! Anyways, I haven't been to any other boards today. I need a break from it, I think. I just hope something changes before gala, so people are happy and excited, like they usually are for a Clay event.

I have so many different fandoms, I just rotate through them whenever I feel like it. If one is dormant another is usually active. Right now Clay is dormant, and figure skating hasn't quite started up yet ( a few more weeks!) but one of our Canadian supermarket chains has decided to partner with British chef Jamie Oliver. Now that excites me! So I took a run up there this morning (not my usual area of town) and had a field day with all the different promotional displays, merchandise, etc. It was like Christmas! I bought a few things for myself, and a few groceries that I needed. Now I'm off to the usual (less expensive) grocery store to buy the rest. I amuse easily.

Hey ldyj - yes, I bought it on iTunes but haven't had a chance to really listen to it yet. Hopefully this weekend.

{{{Fear}}} So many emotions running high lately on the boards, fans are hurting other fans in the process. I am just hopeful that things calm down prior to gala.

It's a fine line they walk, for sure, because to make them less Clay-centric is to make them less attractive to fans. I know last year, while I really enjoyed the Gala in Washington, my daughter was a bit disappointed. She felt there wasn't enough Clay. She is not coming this year because she will be in England by then, but I am hoping we get more than 3 or 4 solo Clay songs. I am also looking forward to hearing what he and Keala will duet on!

It would be nice if the fans who need it could gets some sort of reassurance prior to the Gala, just for my sanity! LOL All animals seem almost back to normal here today, but I'm working from home to keep an eye on them, just in case.

Sounds like I picked a good day to stay away! I ended up at the vet not once but twice yesterday. Cat with a respiratory infection, and then a dog ate two big bars of chocolate. Cat is on a variety of meds but seems to be getting better, and the dog had a rough night but is on the mend now. Did something happen or is this just more of the negative downward spiral that has been going on?

So, Friday I took the afternoon off to shop for my mom's birthday present, and cut the grass. I started some light cleaning and then Saturday got into the heavy stuff. Also went to the market and grocery store for all ingredients needed for what cindilu2 coined our "Thanks Birthday Going Away" party. My daughter arrived Saturday with a steam cleaner, and we proceeded to do the couches that the dogs have destroyed (what a chore!) and the carpets upstairs. Then I made a broccoli casserole, pumpkin pies and two batches of cupcakes. By the end of all of this, I wasn't even thinking straight, I was so tired, so no wonder the cupcakes didn't exactly turn out the way they should have. Sunday was more cleaning (yeah, it was dirty!), preparing veggies, icing cupcakes, and of course the turkey, which was stuffed and in in the oven by 6:10 a.m. There were 10 of us in all at two tables, and we ate on schedule at 1 p.m. Craziness! But we celebrated my mom's 78th, my ex's 50th, my daughter's impending trip to England, and of course, an early Canadian Thanksgiving! It was a great day, it all went off as planned, and I think everyone who was being honoured really enjoyed themselves. I went to bed for a nap yesterday about 4 p.m. and was in bed for the night by 9:30 p.m. I plan to lay low this week and eat left overs.

oOOOOH love the pictures you posted - particularly the top one (brown shirt, great expression on his face!) or the last one that everyone else seems to like. Both expressions are kind of apropos for what's going on this week, IMO. Either of them works for me for a banner if someone can make it. Since I got this new laptop (Windows 8, ugh) I have no editing software installed. So great to see so many people checking in here! I will post about my crazy busy weekend once I get to work this morning. Sometimes, I feel like I go to work for a rest.

Ok I'm done. I've said my piece, but the panic is so widespread that I feel like I'm just speaking to myself. I'm going to stay here for the next little while. Please bring over anything pertinent, those who venture out!

Oh I'm jealous too! She has friends already over there, waiting for her, and yesterday, they were IMing her pictures of them on a day trip to Liverpool, in a pub! In my dreams!

And when the fandom goes insane like it currently is, I busy myself with other things until it calms down again. Otherwise I would have run away screaming years ago! So many of you know my daughter (aka crimsonice), who has been on almost every single Clay trip with me....I think I may have seen 3 or 4 concerts (out of 50+) without her....well, she's taking off for England in a couple of weeks. She has a 2 year visa, and plans to use Leicester as a hub to travel to other European destinations. She quit her job, she sold her car, and she's selling (or storing) all her stuff. It's really happening. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage without her, but I'm thrilled for her to have this opportunity! I'm already planning a trip to England next year for a visit.

I'm still running iOS 5 on my iPhone. Ooops. I have no idea what Clay is doing but I do think he'll still be performing in some way. I have enough upheaval going on right now, I refuse to even consider anything else.

Have a great day ldyj!