#33: Let's all chant "I think it can! I think it can! I think it can!"

[Tijala]

It seems that some can get into CV and some can't. I brought this over from the CV emergency forum via dancermom2:

The server company had a fire at their data center and had to shut

down the power and the back up generators. The DNS servers are housed

there and it looks like some can get on the board and some can't. The

vault is also down.

They are now in the process of bringing all the servers back on line

so hopefully all the problems will resolve themselves soon.

Sorry about this!!!

Clayversity Emergency Forum

I was at OFC and the train wreck of a thread was finally closed. Upon further reading, I found this...

You guys have made me laugh a LOT today...thanks.

[muskifest]

lajeterfan--no problem bringing my post over...I was going to do it, too, and then saw the conversation had moved on to computer games...

Basically, FCA women...someone on CH brought over something from a yahoo page about the controversy. Some ignorant, anonymous nobody associated with Yahoo.com decided that she just had to write some degrading and shitty post about Clay and his being a father...and I wrote this:

That Lyndsey asshole post has me really wishing to do grave harm to something/somebody. I'm not going there to give it hits and because I know if I went there, I'd read comments and I just can't. I just can't. It hurts too much.

But as to the rhetorical (maybe) question, "How can people be so vile, etc.", I can only feel...afraid for us--the universal 'us'. It's the media, it's societal, it's individual---a regression or dilution of standards? A fuck you to courtesy and respect? I honestly don't know. But it's pervasive--from a large, far-reaching arena such as the mass media to a lack of individual respect.

[edited for space]

I don't get it. It's lack of self respect and of others. It's...

...how I see the treatment by the media of people they don't even know--a kind of hit-and-run attitude, a drive-by killing of reputation that people armed with a keyboard and some advertising dollars commit, leaving scarred and sometimes shattered human roadkill in their wake. It truly makes me sick.

I hope all is truly well at the end of this latest media onslaught of disrespect and cruelty. I hope---whatever the truth is---all the people caught in the sights of this particular attack will be able to find a way to make it all well. Including us---Clay's fans.

Basically, seeing the venom spewing against Clay and Jaymes just has me totally disheartened about the state of our world. That's sorta hyperbolic, I know, but unfortunately it has some validity.

Anyway...I sat in my car and watched Alex play soccer this afternoon. It was freakin' cold! And I was parked right at midfield so I had a great view! I sat there and listened to OMWH through my noise-canceling headphones and watched a bunch of high school girls play their hearts out...and then I even listened to ATDW...I'd forgotten how much I LOVE Lonely No MOre!

AND ATTENTION, CLAYGASM! I listened to the Muppet Song and after about the third time, I started to really like it. His voice is glorious in it, for sure. I love that it starts with JUST the sound of his voice. And I love the part when his voice can be heard harmonizing with him...

In general, his voice just DOES something good to me. It makes things seem...better, somehow.

[Couch Tomato]

ok with all the techies around here.. .. S.O.L (some of ya'll met her in NYC)..she's having trouble accessing an invision site through vista IE and firefox. She's never had trouble before..and I Can access it just fine now so it is up. She can access other invision sites. Is this some sort of security issue? Vista did some automatic updates recently.

LAJeterfan--oh thanks for the explanation. Fortunately I haven't had that problem. There was one guy that used to tease me a bit but then he was in love with Shakira so I just teased him right back. And one other person said something to me about Clay being gay and I just looked at him blankly and he never bothered me again.

[Scarlett]

Gosh, I didn't realize how many people were feeling down about things. {{{Hugs to everyone who need them}}}

I wish things were better. But this is how things work. That world that Clay sings about in MGUCL? It doesn't exist. What we have is our world today. It isn't fair. Being good or deserving or working hard or being the "best" doesn't guarantee that things go your way. S**T happens. But here and there, sometimes good things come and if we keep chugging along, good will prevail. Babies are always nice because they help us remember what is good about everything. They bring joy and hope.

Each of us (including Clay) needs to find joy in ourselves (nope, nobody swallowed it). There's no one else who's going to provide this and so we need to take care of ourselves; what good does reading and responding to nasty stuff do? Nasty people will always exist, like cockroaches. Responding angrily to them will not change things. There are some good people out there and we need to surround ourselves with the right sort. Family, we can't choose, but we don't have to take cr*p from them either.

Meanwhile, play nice songs and good interviews -- like the AP Broadway one. Get some hyacinths for the soul. Hang with good people. Laugh at the nasty ones.

I'm not so worried about Clay because I think he knows how to handle things like these. Somehow, more than ever, I think he's going to be ok. Really.

ETA: We all deserve to work in a place where people respect us and treat us well. If co-workers cross the line regularly, someone needs to get reported and/or maybe even sued.

[JennaZ]

Great post, Scarlett!

I used to be addicted to Sim City in college. Early in the year, I decided to buy an updated version and play it again. Spent five days in a row staying up until 1 am playing it! And then, I haven't felt compelled to play it, since. Strange.

[muskifest]

Meanwhile, play nice songs and good interviews -- like the AP Broadway one. Get some hyacinths for the soul. Hang with good people. Laugh at the nasty ones.

Scarlett, I agree...and that's why, in my post upthread there, I talked about this:

In general, his voice just DOES something good to me. It makes things seem...better, somehow.

Clay's voice can ALWAYS make me feel hopeful.

[laljeterfan]

Gosh, I didn't realize how many people were feeling down about things. {{{Hugs to everyone who need them}}}

ETA: We all deserve to work in a place where people respect us and treat us well. If co-workers cross the line regularly, someone needs to get reported and/or maybe even sued.

Unfortunately, when you're a civil service employee, you practically have to kill someone before you can be fired! The woman who is the worst offender was reported by me already one time for undermining my work relationship with an off-site colleague. We had developed a good working relationship, so she would regularly call me with any problems. She sent a nice letter to my supervisor commending me, and brought me a gift for going above and beyond the call of duty for her clients. My co-worker didn't like that, and sent a letter to our colleague- ostensibly from our whole unit- telling her not to come to me with questions/problems anymore. I had no idea this had happened, until one of my other co-workers found out, and filled me in. What happened to to the person who did this?- absolutely nothing! Only consolation is she will be retiring sometime this summer!!

I do so appreciate all of the words of wisdom. Thank you all! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[playbiller]

I am telling you, I had one guy tell me Clay was gay and I asked if he slept with him. He never said it again. If it is a woman, I would ask if it were her husband/son or father or boyfriend - how else would they know?

[annabear]

They aren't friends or family- they are mainly co-workers who have made a point of just saying the rudest things- not always directly TO me, but sometimes to someone else, just near enough to my desk that I can hear. Friends and family I can take down verbally if I need to, but at work, where I have to try to retain some semblance of professionalism (although others don't seem to feel the same need), it's a little harder.

:F_05BL17blowkiss: laljeterfan

I work with people like this, too.... Thankfully I no longer have to sit directly across from one the biggest offenders in our office. This woman lives on gossip, celebrity and otherwise. As much time as we spend on Clay mb's? She spends on CRAP sites & DVR'ing every "entertainment" show on TV. The money we spend on concerts and CDs? She spends on tabloids. Literally. She knows the people at Krogers/WalMart/Target who stock the magazines and every week she buys them all, then brings them in to the lunch room at work.

The only thing we ever had slightly in common was our pets - I have 2 cats, she has 2 dogs. I sometimes volunteer for an animal rescue shelter and we had talked about that at one time. One day she told me she had this GREAT website that I just HAD to visit. I was thinking it would have something to do with pets. Silly, naive me! She writes it out on a post-it note and hands it to me. I looked at and almost had a very violent reaction - it was for PH's site..... :kotz0: I wadded up the post-it, dropped it in my recycle bin, picked up the bin and proceded to the big shredder bin in the copy room, explaining to her that I have absolutely no use for his ilk, would never intentionally give a hit to his site and felt better thinking about him being shredded to tiny bits. She's never brought up any celeb gossip to me again. Surprisingly, not even with the latest Clay "news" this week.

[laljeterfan]

annabear- your co-worker and mine must be related! Sounds just like her!

[merrieeee]

I think the really bad thread over at the OFC has been deleted as I can't see it anymore. it was way overdue and I can't believe that it was allowed to go on for as long as it did.

[liney23]

I got my computer back... I got my computer back...

Maybe it won't take me an hour and a half to catch up once a day now!

Bringing over a post from yaknelle at CV which has made me cry- and now I'm actually having trouble stopping!

QUOTE(yaknelle @ May 31 2008, 08:28 AM)

I love this young man. This enigma named Clay Aiken, who posses a voice as close to a siren's song as I have ever known. A young man whose talent has yet to be completely defined, a man of faith, loyalty and love. A man who has taken his life back, and is making his own choices and living a life that will make a difference. I couldn't ask for more.

At my age, I don't need a role model. I need an inspiration. I found one, when I found Clay Aiken. I saw one on top of the Shubert marquee. I'm here for the duration.

laljeterfan... thank you for bringing this over, it's beautiful! Bottomline!!!

calurker!

laljeterfan... I love this, so I'm "borrowing" it... calurker... welcome... keep posting, k!!!

If muski is here, (oops, I see you just posted) just wanted to say that I just saw your post at CH, and you're feeling the same way that I've been feeling all day. (Don't want to bring the post over without your permission.) I went to whatever site they had that damned poll on earlier, and cast my vote for what I think about Clay. And then I felt sick to my stomach that I had even gone there and played their nasty little game with them, because it's something that I JUST DON'T DO- give hits to crap sites like that. So, I found their feedback area of the site, and told them exactly what I thought about THEM for contributing to a world where there is already so much ugliness.

My son and his best friend had tickets to our local AAA baseball team's game for tonight. I was debating dropping them off and picking them up after the game, or buying myself a ticket and going too. My son actually decided that I should go too- although once we got there, he didn't want me to sit with them. Shocking, I know!

Anyway, it was a beautiful night, and as I sat there by myself at the game watching the sun go down, I thought about Clay and just started to cry. I really don't understand the world that we live in, and the ugly way some people treat their fellow human beings. This is a truly wonderful man, and he gets shit on-constantly- by people who are just so vile and soul-less that I seriously want to do them bodily harm. And yet, he goes out there time and time again, and smiles, and is civil and personable- even to people who he knows have made nasty comments about him before. It breaks my heart!

I posted the other day that I had stayed off the boards within the first 24 hours of when this whole thing started because I was working through my feelings, and I wasn't particularly proud of some of them. One of the things I was worried about was what some people- people who know I like Clay, and have made it their business to make nasty comments to me about him in the past- would say when they heard this news. I knew that the story would of course give them another opportunity to spout their gay crap. And I admit that I wondered if perhaps it was true, and how I would feel about having to admit to these people that they were correct- incredibly selfish and wrong on so many levels for me to even be concerned about having egg on my face. It's a hard thing for me to admit.

I'm just feeling really sad and powerless right now, and wish I knew what to do. I'm still crying just typing this out. Sorry to be such a downer.

laljeter... for some reason, I seem only to be talking to you tonight...

I had a discussion with a friend today who just lost her son to leukemia (she's 84, he was 57). She was talking about someone who had made her son miserable and was totally nasty to everyone. She made the comment that, "she must be in a lot of pain." People who are cruel to others are striking out outta their own pain... to try to make others feel as badly as themselves. Pity them if you can. Don't stoop to their levels by fighting back, just feel pity.

All we can do against the lack of integrity is to make sure we act with as much integrity as we can. There really are a lot of good people out there, they just don't get the attention that being bad does, unfortunately. I have often felt that Clay is such a target because he is a good man and has made no bones about wanting to be a good role model and thinking less of those whose souls are rotten. Those who he was talking about want to bring him down to their level and he just won't let them do it, tho I do sigh when he seemingly gives them ammunition. But, that's Clay... he's not gonna change himself to suit idiots who want him to be other than who he is.

The media is very scary! You honestly cannot believe anything you read anymore and unless it is a live feed, I don't believe anything on video or pictures either. Everything can be slanted by editing/photoshopping to make one thing look like something else. I learned a lot about that from watching the Making of Lord of the Rings video... lol

Play...I love your response to the "he's gay" thing... think I'll borrow it, if you don't mind... BWAH!!!

[laljeterfan]

AWWW, liney, you had to bring back that quote from earlier, didn't ya? Now I'm really crying!

My husband just got home from work, rounded up the boys, and headed out to camp overnight. I think the best thing I can do for myself now is take all of your advice, go up to bed, and do the one thing that brings me the most pleasure- turn on Clay!

(I WISH!!!!)

[annabear]

I think the really bad thread over at the OFC has been deleted as I can't see it anymore. it was way overdue and I can't believe that it was allowed to go on for as long as it did.

I hope so. It was way overdue. I went over there once today & that was more than enough. Talk about depressing. And endless circles of arguing.

[jmh123]

Welcome calurker!! Post again, whydoncha??

Yay got my broadway cares DVD!! whoo hooo

Me too--it's fantastic. The picture is so much clearer than the fan video, the camera work is much better--you can see all the "action" but the focus still is on Clay and Hannah, and the audio is to die for! GAH!!!

I feel like we need to have an FCA "Retreat" somewhere--maybe in a Santa Fe type setting---to be present and in person with each other. Sit around and have great conversations over this. See and really listen to each person's opinions and rationales. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Some wine and cheez doodles and all of thee....

Love the idea, but wow, don't know if I can make it from NC to Santa Fe.

CG, I do not discount your feelings. Feelings are real, and they can't be controlled, and I'm sorry that you are hurting.

That said, I do think you are overreacting, and I think this is your problem to work through.

When you go against the flow it's very hard NOT to think it's just all a pile on - and I wont' say that some people aren't a bit agressive in their posts - but we are strong women all along the spectrum. I guess I Just expect people to be able to handle it because really what's the other alternative.... edit, deletes, colors, constantly. I'm not going down that road at all.

And I love that about this board. There are a lot of different personalities here, but most of the time we manage to get along. For each member to take responsibility, as opposed to putting it all on the admins, is hard, and not always perfect, but it sure beats the alternative, IMO.

heee I love that game...I've tried all sorts of strategies and can win enough (under 100 moves) to keep me playing.

I hate you. I will never win in less than 100 moves, ever, but it's your fault I play. It was your post about it that got me curious. When I started I didn't think I could ever play at the "difficult" level. Now I have a 9% win average (briefly got to 10% once) at that level, and that's good enough for me.

All these other games y'all are talking about, I've never played. I tried a little once upon a time, but I totally suck at computer games. Whatever part of the brain they use, I think I'm missing that part.

[muskifest]

During all this latest 'scandal' from that 'scandalous' Clay Aiken, I've been thinking of a Gandhi quote I used to have as part of my signature elsewhere...it seems appropriate again now...

ETA: I'm glad the OFC thread was taken away, too. It did no good for anyone, IMO. Especially on Clay's own website.

[jmh123]

Nice quotes, muski! (I like the other one too.) This song keeps going through my mind re: the topic of the day, and I snagged a bit of it last night for my siggy, but I keep going back to it, so I thought I'd quote the whole thing.

"Eyes of the World"

Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia

Copyright Ice Nine Publishing

Right outside this lazy summer home

you don't have time to call your soul a critic, no

Right outside the lazy gate of winter's summer home

wondering where the nuthatch winters

Wings a mile long just carried the bird away

Chorus: Wake up to find out

that you are the eyes of the World

but the heart has its beaches

its homeland and thoughts of its own

Wake now, discover that you

are the song that the morning brings

but the heart has its seasons

its evenings and songs of its own

There comes a redeemer

and he slowly too fades away

There follows a wagon behind him

that's loaded with clay

and the seeds that were silent

all burst into bloom and decay

The night comes so quiet

and it's close on the heels of the day

CHORUS

Sometimes we live no

particular way but our own

Sometimes we visit your country

and live in your home

Sometimes we ride on your horses

Sometimes we walk alone

Sometimes the songs that we hear

are just songs of our own

CHORUS

[claytonic]

All this talk about addictive computer games... I don't believe you, I don't believe it is possible for you to find the time to feed your addiction plus have enough hours left over to go to work, do your housework, feed yourself, DH and the kids, and every other little thing that takes me forever to do; plus SLEEP!!!

Obviously the universe has been lying to me my whole life about only 24 hours in a day

ETA: Muski I love your Gandhi quote!

[annabear]

Bwahahahaha!!! SLEEP, claytonic? Who needs SLEEP?

Ok..... yeah, I do.... Nighty night all! :856:

[Couch Tomato]

All this talk about addictive computer games... I don't believe you, I don't believe it is possible for you to find the time to feed your addiction plus have enough hours left over to go to work, do your housework, feed yourself, DH and the kids, and every other little thing that takes me forever to do; plus SLEEP!!!

Obviously the universe has been lying to me my whole life about only 24 hours in a day

ETA: Muski I love your Gandhi quote!

housework? BWAH!!!

[ausdon]

They aren't friends or family- they are mainly co-workers who have made a point of just saying the rudest things- not always directly TO me, but sometimes to someone else, just near enough to my desk that I can hear. Friends and family I can take down verbally if I need to, but at work, where I have to try to retain some semblance of professionalism (although others don't seem to feel the same need), it's a little harder.

:F_05BL17blowkiss: laljeterfan

I work with people like this, too.... Thankfully I no longer have to sit directly across from one the biggest offenders in our office. This woman lives on gossip, celebrity and otherwise. As much time as we spend on Clay mb's? She spends on CRAP sites & DVR'ing every "entertainment" show on TV. The money we spend on concerts and CDs? She spends on tabloids. Literally. She knows the people at Krogers/WalMart/Target who stock the magazines and every week she buys them all, then brings them in to the lunch room at work.

The only thing we ever had slightly in common was our pets - I have 2 cats, she has 2 dogs. I sometimes volunteer for an animal rescue shelter and we had talked about that at one time. One day she told me she had this GREAT website that I just HAD to visit. I was thinking it would have something to do with pets. Silly, naive me! She writes it out on a post-it note and hands it to me. I looked at and almost had a very violent reaction - it was for PH's site..... :kotz0: I wadded up the post-it, dropped it in my recycle bin, picked up the bin and proceded to the big shredder bin in the copy room, explaining to her that I have absolutely no use for his ilk, would never intentionally give a hit to his site and felt better thinking about him being shredded to tiny bits. She's never brought up any celeb gossip to me again. Surprisingly, not even with the latest Clay "news" this week.

Good for You! Go Anna! She was probably scared....

[canfly172]

Yay got my broadway cares DVD!! whoo hooo

Me too--it's fantastic. The picture is so much clearer than the fan video, the camera work is much better--you can see all the "action" but the focus still is on Clay and Hannah, and the audio is to die for! GAH!!!

How did you get those?

I totally resisted going to either the CB or OFC threads cuz I heard that they were insane. It sounded like the OFC one had gotten so crazy that I decided to go look at the last couple of pages and it truly was nuts. It got locked about an hour before I looked and mod posted that she was going to start editing but there was too much and that she'd discuss with the other mods, so they must have pulled it.

I sure hope that Jaymes and Clay only read what was posted there and aren't judging the whole fandom by that insanity.

I found one really nice thing there on the second to last page:

Verra nice montage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B85bbH78o6c

Here's a sendspace:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/myjnzj

[clayzedover]

Couchie, I'll second you with your housework philosphy...it will be there waiting for me when I get "around" to it. That's the nice thing about retirement. You find it is so easy to postpone things. Been doing that for about a year now. Was going to do some of it right after Clay finished his promo...you know, during the "down time" with nothing going on. Well crap, who'd a thunk???

I've really been interested in the posts today, a lot of deep thinking going on. I'd not considered the ramifications of having a child associated so directly with Clay. That baby might need his own Jerome, and THAT is a scary thought. How do you protect such an innocent child?

Whatever we learn about all that this story has to reveal to us, I'll be here supporting this good man whose moral principles I've never doubted. My time on this earth should not be spent judging others; each of us has our own challenges and we need to work through them individually...that is what makes us so different from each other. Whatever Clay's choice in the matter, it is HIS and not MINE or ANYBODY ELSE'S. Don't want to get to mystical here, but have always felt we were all called to Clay for some purpose. I love his foundation and I love his voice and personality, but have always felt it was more than that. Not sure what, but know that there is a purpose we have found our way to each other...kind of like "everything happens for a reason."

Now, talking about that, can I still be a member if the only game I even recognize is PONG?

Yeah, go ahead and laugh.

[playbiller]

People are crawling out of the wood work. I am so glad that these old fans who don't buy albums are returning. I guess it is because they are so worried about Clay. Yeah, right. My skin is crawling now. I think the next few days will be trolls amusing themselves on the weekend.

I guess I am amazed at the feeding frenzy, itr is far to disgusting. it is bad enough on the blogs and the tabloids, then the official media needs to prove how stupid they can be, and now we get old "fans" coming back? Some long time fans it is good to see again, others not so much. Yesterday someone came back and announced they didn't buy any of Clay's albums but the wanted to talk about this "news". News- lets see, a crane crashed again in NYC and killed someone, There is a rather biting primary going on now, there is a mouse in my house and Holly does not smell it and is not chasing it. I have to check the hole in the floor again to make sure it is gone. There wa a major earthquake in China and some rapper's house burnt down and the police are questioning him, but the headlines! the headlines are Clay?

I want to go to sleep, but there is a mouse in my house!!!

[muskifest]

play....just say no. Just don't go to these sites. That's what I'm doing this go around. Can't be upset by what you don't read/see/hear, etc.

My sandboxes are very limited this time. Here and main of CH...that's it. I even deleted my Google Alert before even opening it when I checked my email because I'd forgotten to stop them altogether. Don't need to read the next bullshit site's own version of the skeletal 'news' 'facts' from 'multiple sources' as 'reported' by TMZ.

Tomorrow I have a full day watching softball---two scrimmage games between Carrie's summer tournament team and two nearby tournament teams---friendly first-game get together of the season---just for fun. Hope it's warmer than it was outside today!

G'night, all! :F_05BL17blowkiss: