jmh123

hey! technically, we came back with the same number we left with! people need to pee faster!

don't be hating on our committed electronic relationships.

and couchie has a position in the eHP - she's just in denial.

i will post the true tale of our adventures tomorrow...

Eagerly awaiting your recaps.

I think he wanted to go to his natural color before his 6 months in wigs. It will also let him pass anonymously in NYC, most people won't know, only the truely crazy fans. Or he is trying to challenge O'Brien on his own color. Or he is really feeling that hometown connection since he won't be home for 6 months.

Do we really know what the natural color is? I have two kids who were blond as children and teenagers and now have brownish hair. My assumption would be that Clay's hair is a brownish-auburn color. For the Gala in March, and in Afghanistan, would he have dyed his beard and moustache? Damn that was a good color for him. And that seemed to be the color of his hair in all the college pictures I've seen of him. As for NYC, I think Clay could walk down the street with spiked hair and a red leather jacket and no one would bother him. If JFK jr. could successfully navigate the streets of New York, anybody can.

I think it was once decided that these pictures were close to representative of his natural color. Of course, with the lighting, even though both pictures are from the same event, his hair appears to be different colors in the two pictures. There appear to be blonde highlights, but besides that, his hair looks to be a dark reddish blonde. I think his beard is darker, but I do think he dyed it a bit darker for Afghanistan. Man loves to color his hair, always did. That's what makes it hard to pin it down.

Maybe this? I dunno. Looks like it could be dyed here too.

Anyone want to speculate why Clay went blonde??

I had heard they were going in that direction, but why?

I loved the reddish hair!

Is this a conspiracy to challenge my shallowness??

First the glasse

Then the parted hair.

And now blonde hair????

What's next - a crew cut??????

They are making it more and more difficult to be shallow!

Not bad. Not bad at all....

Good googledy moogledy - ain't nuttin' shallow about that! That's a grownup hot stah.

Angie's back. YAY. I'm so used to the shows starting late that I missed OCOCE. It's neat thinking that so many FCAers are there.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. You have made me schmoopie. I was fascinated by what I could hear on the cellcert not knowing it was you (was out until intermission and wasn't caught up), and it's 10 times better now that I can understand all the words. I love what you say about the joy. I can really relate to this part, when it comes to death:

For a while, I thought maybe there was something wrong with me; maybe there was something wrong with the fact that I still loved this holiday so, something wrong in my joy. I thought maybe I was a bad daughter. But then I realized that we each take our own path in life, and I had gone a different way. I chose not to look at the sadness of that day, but to celebrate the joy and the love I remembered.

I'm on top

Couchie, travel safe and have a blast!!

And zena, :bday2:

Zippers on pants often make a fold like that. Fold or no fold, we know he's hawt. As this pic illustrates:

I was just bringing that over. Good lord.

Gosh - it's almost over.

There were stories--at least one might've been read by a boy. I thought Clay was reading the first one, but then the fourth started out sounding like him and then I realized it wasn't. Honestly, I couldn't understand the words so wasn't playing close attention.

Well, I do not think everyone who hates RCA is a "poddie" or whatever... it's just that there was a contingent of folks that diluted the real thoughts by real people by spreading rumor after rumor of Clay sending them personal messages that RCA was out to get him. Unfortunately it was all wrapped together, just like all complex issues are, and anyone who hates RCA got bundled with the ones pushing it.

There are plenty of real reasons to not care for RCA if that's one's bent, but again, it's down to genuine feelings vs. pushing agendas based on lies and manipulation.

Exactly. If you hear something over and over and over, if a critical mass of people start to express a certain POV, at a certain point it can become the popular POV even when some of the information it's based on is suspect. In my mind it's a bit like the swamp creature and his lies about Clay. A lot of non-fan types wanted to believe it, so it didn't concern them so much that the source was unreliable. It made sense to them because it fit their picture of how things are; they wanted to believe it, so they did.

I don't think we mean the same thing. Or maybe we do and I'm reading your post wrong. Heh. Cuz I can be stoopid that way. LOL!

I don't care if every single person in the world hates RCA and expresses it. Except those that make up lies to convince other people to agree with them. Or even pester people enough to try to convince them to agree with them. I'm saying there are plenty of reasons to dislike RCA and some do. For their own reasons. Not reasons kludged together and presented by some fake Clay or other falsehood. That's what I mean.

Whether or not they were the source of the RCA hate isn't even the issue.

It is for me. That's my point. Hee.

Sorry, I mean to delete the "Exactly" after I edited. I think the scammers were ONE source, one contributing factor. That's really all I'm saying whether that's what you are saying or not. My brain is tired now so I'm dropping the subject.

Well, I do not think everyone who hates RCA is a "poddie" or whatever... it's just that there was a contingent of folks that diluted the real thoughts by real people by spreading rumor after rumor of Clay sending them personal messages that RCA was out to get him. Unfortunately it was all wrapped together, just like all complex issues are, and anyone who hates RCA got bundled with the ones pushing it.

There are plenty of real reasons to not care for RCA if that's one's bent, but again, it's down to genuine feelings vs. pushing agendas based on lies and manipulation.

(edits of quoted stuff in red so as not to cause confusion while clarifying) Exactly. I agree with you. I also think that if you hear something over and over and over, if a critical mass of people start to express a certain POV, at a certain point it can become the popular POV even when some of the information it's based on is suspect. In my mind it's a bit like the swamp creature and his lies about Clay. A lot of non-fan types wanted to believe it, so it didn't concern them so much that the source was unreliable. It made sense to them because it fit their picture of how things are; they wanted to believe it, so they did.

Actually, the pod is not whether RCA is good or bad. There is no such thing as a good label and from what I have heard (oooh, unsourced rumor, wheeee), one label is pretty much like another except in what they can do for a performer. hence my dsidain for smaller labels that cannot get you on television shows or on store shelves.

In the beginning I must admit, I liked it as a description because it aptly did describe a few people who behaved quite differently as if they grew new personalities. One in particular got to me since she seemed on the edge of hysteria constantly and it freaked me out. Then the trashing of me on certain boards began and so I got an attitude problem from which I have yet to recover.

The pod people should come out from is the cult of fandom. The cult of the famous fan and being yes people. The mass mood. I don't care if people still hate RCA. I never really cared, except that it made the whole fandom crazy and dissention was verboten.

I think you're right playbiller. For me, the Pod was always about the way people changed, and we now know that some of them changed because they were being scammed, and others changed because they believed those folks.

What bugged me as well was the tone of bitterness and unhappiness that took over the boards, and in that, I think the scammers got exactly what they wanted. Whether or not they were the a source of the RCA hate isn't even the issue to me.

Y'all will love this. Two of the biggies in this mess who tried to get me involved are now telling the admins that I am the liar. That I was the one who "doctored" the crazy ones PMs to me. WTF? Can you believe this shit?

Good lord! Unfortunately, the jig is up for them. Vindication isn't as sweet as people think it is, because the damage is already done, but at least you know, and some of us know.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO WANDACLEO and KELDANKER!!!!

:00003653: :04: :00003653:

I'm going to steal this one cause it's purdy. The happiest of birthdays to you both, and so sorry about that additional year, wandacleo.

Thanks couchie, but we've decided not to chance it. The roads are just terrible and the snow is falling at an alarming rate right now. We still have hopes of Merrillville next weekend though.

AWWWWWWWW - so, so sorry.

Right now I can pretend he's the little Shetland pony I wanted to play with as a child. hee.

BWAH!!!

Scarlett, you didn't tell us what the big bristly is for! Do we break it up and burn it, or what?

Oh, you have such a dirty mind! It was too big and too bristly. And there was a scrapey thing on the other end too. Apparently it's something that's in common use here, a snow brush. I'm keeping it because people assured me I'll need it today.

MUAH to Scarlett and all the brave souls in the tundra today, be they residents or people who came from far away for concerts. All of you be careful!!

Car brushes and snow shovels are What I Miss Least About the North. Imagine being shorter than most adults on the planet and old to boot, and dealing with that mess all winter! I remember trying to explain to my mother why I had to clean the snow off my car. She thought it would just melt away when the sun came out, right? HAHA. Of course the first winter I was in PA, there was a 22 inch snowfall in Raleigh.

OK rhia might be a little off the chart - but does anyone know what snow, and freezing cold wether does to black hair. I simply don't have time to sit still for 6 hours today to get my hair braided and I'm wondering if I should go with normal nappy or try to get a perm.

Just remember you're going to have hat head anyway, so there is no hope for your hair unless you are willing to freeze for beauty. I vote for normal nappy.

Even though info is king in the fandom I do think having that connection to Clay is probably what drove all this. Apprantly this has been going on for 4 years and for ClayNation i think it was held pretty close to the vest. And fake Clay was indeed bemoaning how he hates RCA and wants to go elsewhere but they won't let him loose and he was so depressed about it. Well I can certainly see then why even a slightly different opinion was not acceptable to say. Ya'll know Ansa..she's not extreme yet she was basically told to shut up as she was hurting Clay for offering alternate views. It's all just very odd. I would just never believe that Clay was emailing and texting and pming me. I'd go..ok if this is you..you need to add the word garana to your concert banter tomorrow heh. But I'd just have a hard time getting past the portrayal - it goes against everything I know of the man and that would be hypocritical territory for me and I'd have been long gone. And in all this time did not any supposed PM or communication conflict with Clay's schedule. We learn quite a few things after the fact when it comes to some things.

I'm bringing this over from page 1 cos I need a hug right now!

He sure sounds good to me tonight. I just found out my MIL has Pneumonia! She had a spontaneous fracture in her back a few days ago, eneded up on her head for 2 hours till they found her and was sent to hospital. Now this! She is 89 so I'm hoping for the best. He is soothing my soul tonight!!!!

Oh merrieeee!! So sad. I'm sending good thoughts.

I know--me too. Funny, I couldn't understand the story AT ALL, it just sounded like her voice. Someone at the CB said it's a lady named Lynn who lives in Charlotte.

Must not have been her--the CH reporter would've said, I think.

I don't know, was it? Merrieeee?

Is that KAndre, talking slowly? It sounds like her, but I've never heard her talk slowly before.

Hi everyone!

I am hoping PuddinsJoy and I can still make it to Omaha Friday. Much of our area including us have been without power since 12/11. They are hoping to have it back on by 12/22.

I'll check back later.

How awful not having power that long!! You must be freezing and starving!! Please take care of yourself and go someplace to get warm whenever you can.

Here safely and easily...no problem with the roads at all...and SO glad I came! Tomorrow is another day

I can hear Clay practising in the venue under my window....eeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Thank you so much for checking in with us. Can't wait for the cellcert tonight!

Awwww, CG, I was hoping for better news. Good for you for choosing a life-affirming action!!

Playbiller, nice recap!! Thank you.

A little tidbit from last night's meet and greet that got overlooked. The gal who has reported hers mentioned that Clay said he had done some promotion work (more than one thing) for Spamalot, so hopefully we'll see some original stuff instead of photoshops in the next round of advertising.

One thing I would like to know...is this the secret source that created such crack in the fandom over ATDW early this year???

Is this the person who was asking the fans to fight for this album and that he is no longer with RCA???

ya know...the sad thing about this is that this person would never have gotten anywhere if fans were not soo ready to believe Clay would act this way. I really do believe there are fans that are so eager to get enmeshed with him that they are willing to beleive he is all messed up and would impregnate fans...have cybersex with them and financially abandon his child...just the thought that Clay would ask the fans to help him fight RCA is so hard to believe. What kind of image do these fans have of Clay to be taken in...

I mean I have no idea what kinds of stuff fake Clay was saying to people but I wonder if this is why folks were so rabid about cetain things. They felt they were getting info directly from Clay and were really doing his bidding. Who knows. I'm sure there were some who just thought..oh the object of my affection sought me out and is making me feel special. It's truly sad. But I won't wallow. Clay handled it. And frankly there are more fun and exciting things going on. As Duds said...I HOPE some true lessons were learned.

Number one being..CLAY AIKEN IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. PERIOD.

Good points, both of you. It was definitely hinted that Clay was the source for the RCA stuff by some, or there was a lot of IF YOU ONLY KNEW MY SOURCE WHOM I CAN'T NAME YOU'D BELIEVE. Wonder if it was all part of the same crap?

{{{Couch Tomato}}} What a heartbreak!

As for the M&G gossip, it's just that, we don't KNOW anything. Some people elsewhere are taking gossip as truth, but we don't even have a first hand M&G report. Just what someone said someone told someone else.

{{{Lilyshine}}}, sorry you are missing the concert. You are smart not to take chances with this storm, IMO.