# 8 My titanium balled, taking his life into his big hands,

[muskifest]

Hello to all from Albuquerque...for the last time. Whew. I get to go home finally around noon, but there's mucho to do before I leave. Just wanted to say good morning and give {{{{{{}}}}}}}} to all who need them---play, I feel your plumbing pain, believe me..

By the way, I had a chance to get in the rental car and drive around the city somewhat yesterday.

uh...

well....

I hope next time to this area I can go to Santa Fe....

Didn't go to that Neko Case concert after all....listened to a free download from her site and decided I didn't want to...besides, I fell asleep when I got to my room after the conference. Heh.

The site (the little bit I've been able to check out) is so classy...like Clay says, "I'm not classy" so I feel like I need to put on my finest frock to pay a visit. :29:

OMG! Diane Sawyer and company are showing the storm in the Northeast. Amazing! Be careful, everybody!

Later, guys...and by the way....

Clay Aiken is HOT!

[playbiller]

Well, off to the dentist with a dog that won't go outside in the rain and water running much slower in the basement. I checked the water meter, if is not a plumbing problem. I wonder if my neighbors raised probperty is causing this (they raised their yard 6 inches higher than mine a couple of years ago). Still raining, though, but I have a few dry spots in the basement. I hope I will get it down to small pools and it dries this after noon. The water looks pretty clean though. Normally I would be at the beach now, hope the trailer did not float away.

I am going to start the chant - Blog, blog, blog, blog. No, not really. it would be nice to come home and know what the rest of the tour dates are, but I will live.

[Claygasm]

Good morning from the land of the Nor'easter!

Let's see - its been raining nonstop since Saturday night - except when its been snowing! Yup, we have several inches of snow here! One place not too terribly far from my house got 8 inches! We've also had - and are having - very high winds. Lots of downed trees and power outages and flooding. I must have taken 4 or 5 detours to get into work today.

What's the date again??

To top it off my lower back is killing me and trust me when I tell you it is not from exerting myself!

This week is not starting off well.

[Couch Tomato]

CG, I bent down one time to take something out of the oven and couldn't move for two weeks. And believe me it took a variety of drugs to make it happen.

Does notbody here use internet explorer? Heee..Ansa and I both use Mozilla but the site has a few issues when you use explorer.. We're working on them.

God I can't believe it's Monday already...but it's the day I expect Clay to go over that 100K mark and the day I expect to see what those short sighted UNICEF folks are going to come up with to encourage people to keep giving.

Muski, can you give us a report on how it works on your MAC... Can you go to the Independent Tour section and let me know if content in the middle collumn starts way down the page or at the top..thanks..

Happy Monday.

[ldyjocelyn]

Mornin' all! I would say "Good mornin'" except that it seems a few of you aren't having such a good morning! playbiller, I hope your flooding problem works out. CG, I hope your back feels better soon. My husband has been suffering for about a week now with a foot problem -- it hurts on the ball of his one foot, and he can't figure out exactly what is wrong. He may end up at the doctor's office later this week.

I didn't even think to look at the FCA site with IE -- I'm so used to using Mozilla at home. If I was at work though -- and I use IE on the laptop all the time now. I'm an equal opportunity browser!

Ansa has asked me to put together the next title thread poll, so if you have any suggestions, please put them here before 2:00 p.m. ET. That's when I'll put the final poll up. The suggestions so far:

• I really look forward to hearing Clay bring a sexy Moon River back
• All this talk of Moon River has made pour a nice glass of red wine, curl up on my sofa with Waldo
• It makes your girl parts vibrate
• The board of easy women
• It's just that Clay's world is so much more than us. So much more than fans and concert dates and venue choices and juvenile exchanges on his fan site. He's just so much more.
• He's just so much more.
• He's a man of a 1000 faces and all of them are great to look at.
• They have not fallen down on their knees and kissed his lily white ass!

[Claygasm]

[Does notbody here use internet explorer? Heee..Ansa and I both use Mozilla but the site has a few issues when you use explorer.. We're working on them.

I have IE here at work and I didn't see any problem whan I clicked on the link. Yesterday when looking at it on my Mac the lines of text were running into the pictures on the right. On IE I didn't even see any pictures on the right. If Muski doesn't let you know how it is on her Mac before I get home, I'll check it again and let you know.

[muskifest]

Good grief. Haley Scarnato is going to be on Ellen Degeneres' show AND Regis and Kelly this week! And Kelly's husband, Mark, is co hosting today---maybe all week? Maybe for six weeks while Regis recovers from his heart operation?

god.

[playbiller]

Well. all we are getting here is flood news. Damn, I knew when they built those lower income apartments in a flood plain it was a bad idea - but now they have run out of shelter space in so many town. They showed that darn apartment building and the water is in the second story. See, the town built that on the other side of the highway, away from the rest of the upper income town. Turns out it has been flooding regularly. And now.....

A major ground wall collapsed near here and they have no idea if anyone was in the road way - 50 foot high, hundreds of feet long... What a mess. I had to keep changing my route to get to the dentist because bridges are out. Happily when I got home there is a slower trickle in the water (very small yay) and a couple of dry spots on the floor. Will clean it up in a few minutes.

{/end of personal update}

So Claygasm, that back thing you are suffering from - is it a Clayspasm? you know, from watching too much clack?

I use netscape and several of the functions on the message board have never worked, I didn't see anything not working on the new board though.

Hey, did Clay blog?

[Divayenta]

My prayers to all who have been touched by the horrific mass slaying at VA Tech this morning. I don't understand what kind of insanity drives someone to such an act. Psychosis plus bad drug reactions? We will find out soon enough. Many of CipherBF's ( at CH) ,high school students have gone on to go there, so hold her in your heart , too .

eta: Guns are too damn easy to get in this country. :angry22:

Edited April 16, 2007 by Divayenta

[ldyjocelyn]

New thread title poll! See the top of the page for choices and voting!

{{{{{{{{{Those involved in the Virginia Tech shootings}}}}}}}}}}}}

[luckiest1]

Went out at lunch to meet a friend, and almost got blown away! Crazy, high winds here, but so far, no snow, and no rain. But it's darn cold!

The morning started well for me with great seats in the Syracuse ticket presale. So sorry to hear about all the problems others are having today, and of course, the horrific news about the VA Tech shootings. {{everyone who needs one}}}

[artquest]

Muski, can you give us a report on how it works on your MAC... Can you go to the Independent Tour section and let me know if content in the middle collumn starts way down the page or at the top..thanks..

I'm not Muski, but I do have a Mac. I dropped by to see how the new site looks (wonderful!). The tour section is fine, the text on the Independent Tour starts right under the photo.

Hope that's what you needed to know.

[Ansamcw]

Muski, can you give us a report on how it works on your MAC... Can you go to the Independent Tour section and let me know if content in the middle collumn starts way down the page or at the top..thanks..

I'm not Muski, but I do have a Mac. I dropped by to see how the new site looks (wonderful!). The tour section is fine, the text on the Independent Tour starts right under the photo.

Hope that's what you needed to know.

Thanks so much artquest...sigh IE is such a pain...anyway...I had to run to hubby to figure it out. I usually hate to do that but I want my calendar and menu in the side.

sigh...so it might be a bit screwy as my hubby works on it. thanks for your help and patience.

EEEEEEEEEE btw...I hear we may have new contributers...

did you guys read couchie's new blog??? its in soapbox.

OMG..I was so intent on my own problem didn;t hear about the shooting...that's terrible...

(((( to those in need ))))

[Couch Tomato]

Ansa..that is not a new blog..heee I'm transferring over my old stuff from blogger. That's from 2005 but I'm sure everything still applies. heee

Thanks Artquest and everyone for the reports.

I'm home for lunch and watching the news. This world can be so sick and crazy. Hugs to all that need them.

[bottlecap]

There are additional UNICEF pictures posted per the UNICEF Field Blog...

I can't get to Flickr on my work computer, so I haven't actually seen them yet. (Insert puppy dogs eyes here.)

[rcknrllmom]

[Divayenta]

Gah, he is just the cutest, most handsomest, most winsome creature. And it was reported at CH that in an interview with Neil Sedaka, he played Clay singing "Solitaire". So multi-dimensional and hot. Much needed today on this day of sadness and strange storms.

eta: in the top picture he looks like Sean Connery. It's the brows, beard and the expression.

Edited April 16, 2007 by Divayenta

[rcknrllmom]

I went there earlier after reading post after post about so much sadness. I wanted to be reminded of the good in the world....and I saw those new pics!

he does look pretty good holding that baby now doesnt he???? I could stare at that one all day!

[bottlecap]

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Couch Tomato]

I didn't see this one.

[cha cha trusty]

FYI - I am using IE (I usually do) and the url of http://www.findingclayaiken.com/index.html comes up "page not found" - but if I use http://www.findingclayaiken.com/ - the page comes up....

I am breathing a huge sigh of relief. I just talked to my daughter, two of their best friends (a married couple) are students at VA Tech. I am happy to know they are not among those involved in this morning' s shooting.

I really feel for the families and friends of those students and teachers. So tragic and unneccessary.

to all who need them

eta: GAH!!!! I took so long on this post that pix were posted in the meantime!!

ldyJ - I believe that is a Sony camera in his other hand in the 3rd photo. Which BTW - I LOVE his smile in!!

Edited April 16, 2007 by cha cha trusty

[ldyjocelyn]

I leave for a half hour to take my car in for service (thankfully my car dealer has computers with internet access), and new pictures arrive?!?!? Gah! I love the first one with the baby. Wait -- I love the second one, with the hands of the kids on his. But then, that third one, with him teaching the class....*sigh*

What does he have in his other hand in the third picture, though? ETA: Nevermind....with the huge download, I can see that it's a camera. Maybe we'll get some pictures taken by Clay soon?

He's such a good dude.

[cha cha trusty]

Post ho'ing to say

I LOVE THIS SMILE!!!

I lightened and cropped the largest size.

click for the WHOLE CLAY!

wallpaper coming soon!!

OK - nothing fancy - but here is a 1024x768 wallpaper:

(clickable)

Edited April 16, 2007 by cha cha trusty

[playbiller]

What a beau-ti-ful guy, inside and out - nothing more

- cellar is drying out - still don't know where the water came from (suspect hateful neighbors raised property), rain has slowed, so going to walk a very pissy (literal) dog.

[ldyjocelyn]

Clay's Fieldnotes Blog for UNICEF

It's not that fun being wrong.

Fortunately for me, I don't have to do it very often! HA HA!

Okay... I'm kidding. I spend plenty of my time on the side of inaccuracy. But, few of my misdirections or misconceptions could possibly compare to how far off of the mark I was in my assumptions about my trip to Afghanistan.

I doubt it would come as a surprise that my mother was none too thrilled when I told her I would be traveling with UNICEF to a country that many consider to be one of the most dangerous in the world for Americans. My brother had just returned from his second tour as a U.S. Marine in Iraq when I let my mother know, so her blood pressure probably stayed high even after my return. I wasn't so at ease about it myself. Hostage takings, suicide bombings, and insurgent attacks are all seemingly daily occurrences in many parts of the country. At least that's what we see on TV and read in papers and magazines.

I couldn't have been more wrong about Afghanistan. And I couldn't have been farther off target about the Afghan people. With the exception of maybe my grandparent's house, I have never felt more welcomed. The Afghan people are some of the most gracious and inviting people on Earth.

After centuries of having their land filled with travelers and explorers, I guess they have hospitality down to an instinctive science. Everywhere we traveled we were greeted with warmth and welcome. Even on the streets of Kabul and the rugged hills of Bamyan. But nowhere as gracious as the schools and UNICEF programs that we visited. Despite the most meager accommodations, we were always invited in and shown every simple resource with the utmost of pride.

And, why shouldn't they be proud. Until a few years ago, most of these students were forbidden by the Taliban regime from going to school. And now?.... Now over 6 million children are piling into broken down buildings and UNICEF tents everyday to catch up on the lessons that they have missed out on for years. That's if they are lucky. Many, if not most, haven't even the luxury of a tent. Just a dusty ground outside in one of the world's most beautifully scenic landscapes. And still, they come to class. Many walk for miles; for hours.

With frankness I'll tell you, there is little to show off at these schools. The schools I visited had such limited resources that most made the average American 3 year-old's bedroom look like a learning lab. I can remember my own collection of books as a 2nd grader, and it looked liked the Library of Congress compared to the school library I saw at a school for over 2000 students. (And, I doubt I ever read half of them.)

Yet, the hunger and desire to read and to learn is so strong that, despite no enforced laws making schools compulsory in Afghanistan, children are clamoring to go to schools.

As I saw on my trip, UNICEF is there. UNICEF is providing tents so children can study away from the elements. UNICEF is struggling to provide school supplies to every young boy and girl in Afghanistan who wants to learn. UNICEF is providing literacy courses for women who have been forbidden far too long from a right of education that so many of us take for granted. But there is so much more that needs to be done.

Afghanistan is so far from the "lost cause" that I had expected to find in the rugged hills of south Asia. It is, I believe, one of the world's countries with the most potential. The people are perhaps it's most valuable natural resource. They are determined to break through the years of oppression they have endured. They are sponges for knowledge, and poised for success.

Winter is over in Afghanistan. It's time to get ready for amazing growth in Afghanistan's spring.

The people... make that the COUNTRY of Afghanistan showed me and my fellow travelers such AMAZING hospitality despite meager means.

As a people of substantially more means... we can help UNICEF return the favor.

God, I couldn't be more proud of him, and UNICEF as well....