#23: Lordy. He is one more hunkalicious dude!

[playbiller]

Such a beautiful day, I am almost done with laundry and will be going to the new dog park today - what a great day!

On topic. Mike packs. I notice that just about everyone has a problem with it. You would think they would have made them smaller by now. Where are the technocrats and do they no know what is important!!!! Firs smaller mike packs, then food for the hungry. Clay must look good from all angles, even the rare ones! Personally, I am distraced by the mike packs on TAR nd other reality shows. It gets difficult on the romanitc shows where they climb into the hot tub, I hope they make them waterproof someday as well.

Psst, Couchie, I am going to put a few Welcom emoticons in the emoticon thread.

Have fun to day kiddies, I will be outta here in a 1/2 hour.

[annabear]

From the couch to Starbucks - that's my kinda day, Muski!

[Couch Tomato]

From the couch to Starbucks - that's my kinda day, Muski!

ha ha make that from the couch to the couchie and we're going to fresh choice so that's good right?

[cha cha trusty]

The back flap issue was brought up during the Wildcard Show; when he walked off stage you can see that he didn't clip the thread; of course everyone thought it was so adorable then.

Kim

Sheeesh! Some people never learn!!

~~~~~~~~~

I was checking the comments on my youtube videos (OMG I have 35 up there now!) and followed a link back to a blog posted this year (in Oct) on the anniversary of Bing Crosby's death. It has vids of both Bing and David Bowie, and Clay and Bing. It's interesting to see the two side by side. Here's the link if you want to check it out: Brian Cormier's Blogtastic World! There are a lot of other Bing vids up there too. Gotta love those crooners with stickin' out ears!

KarenEh? - get better fast! We need your wit around here!!

To paraphrase good ole Abe Lincoln: You can please all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot please all the people all the time. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[muskifest]

From the couch to Starbucks - that's my kinda day, Muski!

ha ha make that from the couch to the couchie and we're going to fresh choice so that's good right?

Yes, Fresh Choice---all those salads and whatnot. Will make me feel a little better about the Pumpkin Scone I'm going to have at Starbucks. Oh wait. I won't need to feel better about that by lunchtime. I'll have a NON-fat latte to go with it and that should even that sucker out.

I was thinking about how crazy Clay's life is---the tour and then straight to Mexico with UNICEF and then---when's he supposed to leave there?---and then...OMG! not long at ALL before opening night on Broadway! Then it's non-stop--8 shows a week!---for months! Holy moly!

Well, Clay's doing Broadway and

[annabear]

From the couch to Starbucks - that's my kinda day, Muski!

ha ha make that from the couch to the couchie and we're going to fresh choice so that's good right?

Sounds good to me! Wanna swing by Ohio & pick me up??? I'm debating about whether to go out for lunch or not.... it's cold & rainy, my head feels like it's going to explode at any moment and I'm bored! Yes, I'd like some cheese with my whine, thankyouverymuch!

To paraphrase good ole Abe Lincoln: You can please all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot please all the people all the time.

Ya got that right, cha cha trusty! I think someone else sorta said that in his blog not to long ago - and I *loved* it!

[amazed in nj]

HE BLOGGED!

[cindilu2]

you shouldn't fall in love with someone and then ask them to become a different person.

(crap...now I've forgotten who said this)...anyhoo, this to me is one of the MAJOR ways to keep a relationship---a marriage or a life-long friendship---alive over time and through inevitable twists and turns.

A crush? Infatuation? Obsession? Not so much.

Change through natural progression, maturing, living your life? Yes ma'am. Change because I demand it, and it's neccessary for me to keep loving you (even though you are still the person you presented to me in the first place) and not be embarassed by you? Not so much.

[cha cha trusty]

Hey annabear! I keep forgetting to welcome you and all the other the newbies!!!

Thanks Playbiller!!

Just a quick tidbit if you have Photoshop. We started a Photoshop Techniques thread over in the "Fun, Fun, Fun" section about using Photoshop. It's kinda been on hiatus for the Holidays, but I have some more ideas for some new techniques and hope to get some posted after New Year's!!

What're You Doing New Year's Eve? Everyone!!?? :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[jumpingjacks]

HE BLOGGED!

Welp, I'm guessing United will go bankrupt now!!!!

[FearofH2O]

I have noticed for years that Clay has a large number of skating fans among his fan groups, probably a bit more than average. If nothing else it made for a lot of enjoyment. See Fear - she loved skating since she was a teen and this was her first big time professional show - combining two favorites made the show more worth the trip for her.

The interesting thing to me is that Clay never seems to do teh same thing twice on TV - he did the AI Christmas special the one that got ratings. he did ACAC, he did a bunch of other things, but not repeated. (we know that he would have repeated R&K if not for a certain unfixed pooch)

Just to correct the record, my husband did surprise me a few Christmas' back with tickets to a pro ice show at the Greensboro colisium. Enjoyed it then but loved the "Holiday on Ice" show. As a kid my friends and I would go to ice rinks in our little blue corduroy skirts lined with red satin and matching red satin panties. Great memories.

I was all set to go alone to LV when playbiller decided to come too. Unfortunately in the condition she was in, I don't think she had the bestest of times. We set closer to the middle of the rink so we didn't have the best view of Clay but were able to watch the skaters. I thought Clay's voice was outstanding there. And bad fan that I am I didn't see that his flap was still sewed up. Who knew what I would have thought had I known that.

I didn't notice any problems with DSIAFCD and it appears the show promoters didn't either since they showed bits of it over and over on the tv show. I think he intentionally uses that gruff voice, just listen to RHW on ATDW. I can't believe I am using all those acronyms. I used to hate them.

Hope you all have a great day. My husband wants to go furniture shopping so who am I to deny him that pleasure.

[aikim]

I think the kids are attracted to more than just the UNICEF shirt; I think the man wearing it probably has something to do with their reaction!

Kim

[luckiest1]

Awwwwww, I love his blog. And I love the PS! Hee, do you think he was a bit ticked with United?

[cindilu2]

I think the kids are attracted to more than just the UNICEF shirt; I think the man wearing it probably has something to do with their reaction!

Kim

Yup.

Part of my post to him:

Clay, those kids may not recognize your face, but it's plain to see they

recognize your heart. It's just as obvious as those Unicef shirts! You really

are amazing, and you make me want to be a better person.

Hee - soooo United is on the shitlist huh? He cracks. me. up.

[cha cha trusty]

HE BLOGGED!

Welp, I'm guessing United will go bankrupt now!!!!

I think United were the ones who lost my daughters' bags when they went to Ecuador. They were found eventually, a week before they left the country! They had delivered them to the hostel where they had sayed only on the first night. There were instructions for them to be delivered to the conservation project barracks ('house') so it's a positive that it was a total screw-up. Do you think there is a language barrier?

My daughters also didn't know about the "exit tax" to leave Ecuador either and got stranded at the airport, and this was after they had arrived too late to get on the flight anyway. (No, they aren't really total screw-ups!) Anyhow, they didn't have enough money to pay the tax so we had to get some to them so they could leave!!

It was wonderful having them both home for Christmas!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

On topic........ can I play that game again?? I've thought of a few more faves in the meantime. Like, every time someone mentions their favorite, I go "oh yeah!!!!"

[00lsee]

Karen Eh? ACK! So sorry you're sick! Hope you feel better soon. (((HUGS)))

playbiller

...he would lipsync to make sure every note was done prefectly every single time.

Not to pick on your spelling, but somehow this just cracked me up. lol

[KAndre]

sniff...

My lover is a true traveler - he hates an airline!

HA HA!

I am waiting patiently for the day where he hates airports too!

[annabear]

HE BLOGGED!

Aaaaand we're off! :thRoadRunner:

I think the kids are attracted to more than just the UNICEF shirt; I think the man wearing it probably has something to do with their reaction!

Kim

I think you're right!

Hey annabear! I keep forgetting to welcome you and all the other the newbies!!!

And welcome to my fellow newbies!

[cha cha trusty]

Karen Eh? ACK! So sorry you're sick! Hope you feel better soon. (((HUGS)))

playbiller

...he would lipsync to make sure every note was done prefectly every single time.

Not to pick on your spelling, but somehow this just cracked me up. lol

(yeah, I'm a postho today...)

the fact that you caught it is brilliant!! I didn't see it!

Are you thinking "Ickle Widdle Prefect"? like Fred and George in Harry Potter? Or the fact that the guy from the vicinity of Beetleguese picked that as a typical surname so as not to stand out as in Hitchhiker's Guide? (I love them BOTH!!!)

[Clayzorback]

HE BLOGGED!

Welp, I'm guessing United will go bankrupt now!!!!

I think United were the ones who lost my daughters' bags when they went to Ecuador. They were found eventually, a week before they left the country! They had delivered them to the hostel where they had sayed only on the first night. There were instructions for them to be delivered to the conservation project barracks ('house') so it's a positive that it was a total screw-up. Do you think there is a language barrier?

My daughters also didn't know about the "exit tax" to leave Ecuador either and got stranded at the airport, and this was after they had arrived too late to get on the flight anyway. (No, they aren't really total screw-ups!) Anyhow, they didn't have enough money to pay the tax so we had to get some to them so they could leave!!

It was wonderful having them both home for Christmas!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

On topic........ can I play that game again?? I've thought of a few more faves in teh meantime. Like, every time someone mentions their favorite, I go "oh yeah!!!!"

That reminds me. I'm so glad my hubby changed his mind about moving to Ecuador. (Well, maybe I had a hand in changing it for him. Hee!)

karen eh I hope you get well soon and settled in, in your new home. Now off to read Clay's blog.......

ETA: Well, Clay's blog should rake in another $10,000 in UNICEF donations, don't you think? If it was Delta airlines I might could have helped with the luggage problem. I know people...............

Okay, I need to go outdoors and do some work. Later...............

[bottlecap]

Welcome back, ldyj! and welcome to the newbies! And hey, babe! to KarenEh...I've been wondering about you and wishing you were here! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

I was gonna say the same thing, but I'll just quote you instead. Welcome back to the travelers and welcome to the delurkers / newbies!

:big hug: <= This dude looks a little handsy.

HE BLOGGED!

First it was Continental and the crazy chest whacking lady, and nows it's United and the lost luggage? Dude, you may just have to convince Sarge to come out of retirement so you can bus it from place to place instead of flying.

I'd like to jump on hug that newly blond guy in the bright blue t-shirt, too. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[liney23]

See, I wouldn't even call him a blonde. If I saw this guy on the street (uh...of course, AFTER I attacked and debacled him thoroughly ), I'd think he was a redhead...especially with the long sideburns...strawberry blonde? Okay, but I've always considered that color 'red' anyway.

I'm with you, playbiller. Mr. Ambassador is Clayton Holmes Aiken, not Clay Aiken. He USES his Clay Aiken persona to allow Clayton to do what his heart tells him is important, but the person he shows to all the people he meets through UNICEF and BAF is Clayton---that guy who took Mike Bubel to a grocery store and admonished the 'normal' people who stared at him during a meltdown, the guy who got the YMCA to accept their first developmentally challenged child, the guy who got down on his knees in a tux to dance with a girl who most likely spent her life being ridiculed---he's always been Clayton. He's hawt Clay for the fans...but he's still always Clayton.

He's amazing and I'm feeling pretty damned smug that I recognize how very, very terrific he is.

muski... I agree with every single WORD of the above! I actually wondered, as the CITH tour went on and his hair got lighter and the glasses didn't go away and the sidburns came back if he wasn't seeing if we would still see him as sexy and appealing as Clayton as we do Clay. I wondered if he wants to be more himself/Clayton all the time, not just when he is UNICEFing or BAFing or lecturing.

I mean, who knows what is in the man's head at any given moment, but he has kept the two separated pretty much by appearance these years. Wonder if he's just tired of needing to.

Or, Clay may come back with a vengence when he does promo for Spamalot!

Enough of my musings for the day! WELCOME to the newbies/delurkers!!! This is the bestest board eveh!!!

clayzorback... Those pics/gifs you posted a couple pages back were the coolest!!! I loved them! I should have QUOTED them and brought them forward to see again, but I didn't know it would take me so long to get here, dang it! In fact, I think I'll just go get them now! Be right back!

[liney23]

Told you I'd be right back!!!

muski you reminded me of one of my most favorite pictures of Clay ever. Him on his knees dancing with the elderly lady who is sooo short. This picture, more than any to me, says a thousand words about Clay Aiken, the man.

This is another one of my favorites:

And these pictures says a 1000 words about Clay too:

clayzorback... thanks again! YUM!!! SWOON!!!

[00lsee]

Okay, off-topic, but I need some techie help. My dad wants to capture some flash videos from a website and burn them to DVD. He is vision impaired and would like to play these videos on his big screen tv or even send the DVDs to friends. So...I found software to capture swf files (comes with an flv player) and if all I wanted to do is watch the clips on my computer, it would be fine. But I need to go that one step further and convert flv to DVD. It would be even better if there were fewer steps, say, saving the flash to the format you want in the first place.

*sigh*

I know just enough to be dangerous, y'all! Can one of you brilliant computer people help me figure this out for my dad?

Gibby, I've been meaning to tell you that this is gorgeous!

And this is one of the sweetest pictures ever.

It reminds me of that other picture with a little boy with his arm around Clay's neck...taken, I think, in Banda Aceh. Can't find it quickly. I think the child had on a Disney mouse shirt.

I've been meaning to say WELCOME to the new people!

[skybar22]

Couch Tomato wrote:

My pasty white boyfriend is living up to his name. Isn't it funny how you can separate Clayton from Clay? I admire Clayton a lot and think he's adorable. Clay Aiken though... he's hawt. I wonder if he slips into the pop star persona easy as a glove or if he gets whiplash. Or are the two much more integrated these days.

I'd say Clay/Clayton is much more integrated these days. I don't see him live that often and the difference from JBT to the summer tour was astounding to me. I think the past 2 years, though challenging for him, has added a degree of maturity that serves him well. I love how comfortable he seems to be in his own skin, haters and critics be damned.

I'm pretty easy when it comes to Clay. I think his talent is so beyond most of what is out there that any criticism I have is minute compared to the enjoyment of what he does. Add his humanitarian efforts and I'm toast. I also love his humor and ability to laugh at himself.

When people are continually critical of him I have to wonder what it is inside of themselves that they don't like. There are a few people, who shall remain nameless, who think they know better than Clay and his professional advisors. It's as if they could fix him and make him be what they want him to be if only they could get on his team and I do believe some aspire to that even if they know it is unrealistic. Whatever happened to "let Clay be Clay"?

I don't think Clay is perfect. In fact I think he has lots of growing up to do but don't we all. For a 29 year old guy, he is doing just fine. I prefer to acknowledge someone's stengths rather than focus on the little things that actually, ya know, make them human. As for flaps and such, well...damn...how could he?

I am so looking forward to what 2008 brings and I have good feelings about it all.

It's nice to see some familiar names here. I wondered where some of you disappeared to so now I know.