#35: You mean, it’s not all dressing up and dancing at FCA?

[luckiest1]

And luckiest was somewhere nearby too.

Yep, I sure was! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

No, here's the updated quote from butterflyshine via CV:

BFS says Clay's hair is not red....it's really more of a dark brown!!!!! very nice!!!!!!

....or what KF said....

Oh, one more update....

Ter said his hair is kinda like All is Well hair.

from irishbookgal at CV.

Wheeeeeeeeeeee! IIT (heh, the hair, not the baby) I could like that a LOT!

All of this talk lately of precious children and hands-on parenting is sorta cracking me up. First, let me say that I am truly sorry about those who had bad or abusive parents. I so wish things had been different for you. *HUGS*

However, I'm in the middle of parenting two teenage daughters (like Muski), and right now they just don't seem exactly precious. Demanding? Self-centered? Ungrateful? Expensive? Yup, all three.

Of course, I do love them. And I remember how utterly thrilled I was when they were born. And, I still have moments of pride and joy and fun with them. But right now, parenting is sort of an unpleasant, unrelenting slog through the marshes. I'll make it through because I'm determined to be a good parent, and hopefully won't make too many mistakes.

But, I don't really share of the happy, feel-good, warm fuzzy parenting feelings right now.

I hear ya. I have my good days and my bad days, too.

I have updated the FCA Media CITH recommendations page - check it out!

[muskifest]

However, I'm in the middle of parenting two teenage daughters (like Muski), and right now they just don't seem exactly precious. Demanding? Self-centered? Ungrateful? Expensive? Yup, all three.

Oh, GIbby...had a bad day at the parenting office, did you? I did, too. At least with the 13 year old one. May I add 'defiantly disrespectful' to that list of lovely adjectives? :glare:

Everybody has her own parent story. I had two male 'parents'-- a father who basically crossed me off a list of 'things to do' when he and my mother divorced around my second birthday and then, years later, an alcoholic stepfather whose idea of fatherhood wasn't exactly anything to use as an example. Luckily, my mom---with all her faults---was a good mom, the best one she knew how to be. I tend to think that has been Clay's situation, too. His mom's no saint or paragon of parenthood, but she obviously did some things right when the two men she brought into Clay's life didn't. And he obviously loves her, so any failings she might have shown evidently haven't shaped their relationship.

Clay was at Spamalot! Woo Hoo! And the evil twin in me hopes that it's Jerome's big hand that shoves some paparazzi appendage this time, if such action becomes necessary. They'll have to take the asshole to the ER to get that camera pried away from his face! But I REALLY hope that Clay got backstage and gave Hannah a big, sloppy wet one and that she reciprocated!

Can't wait to find out the new REAL color of Clay's hair! :lmaosmiley-1: Although I swear I worry about all this hair coloring that man has done! I think he needs someone to give him a good scalp massage and perhaps a hot oil treatment. His hair should remain soft and silky. Not all things should be hard and stiff, you know?

[Thankful4Clay]

Edited to add, what the heck was he doing in row T? There are some fans who could have gotten him some choice seats. Unfortunately, I am not one of them since the closest I have ever gotten was somewhere past the 10th row. I need some connections dammit.

Probably for his protection. It's close to an exit and it was reported that Jerome was standing in the back. That way, he could watch Clay's back.

[Cotton]

Yes, Muski, it does get better.

Although I had one son and no dramadaughters! hee

High school. Heaven forbid I should be seen picking him up! Heaven forbid I should speak to him in front of his friends.

College. Hugged me right there right in front of God and Everybody!

And now - he comes to visit us today for Father's Day (DH is his step dad, not his dad), plans to just stay a few minutes, and ends up staying several hours and having dinner with us. Nice relaxed visit, talking sports with DH. Even let me play with his hair that's getting longer and curling in the back without commenting!

Hang in there, Mom!

[playbiller]

Ah, crap, I should have gone.

Heh, When Hanging up my jacked from the suitcase, I found the original charger, somehow, it ended up in the jacket sleeve which is why I did not see it while looking in the suitcase, . It fell out while I was hanging it up. - so now I have two - at least verizon did not make me pay for the charger,sine they dont eem to be selling them, they gave me one for free.

A hands-on Dad, TO ME, is not someone who has to fly in somewhere to see the child, doesn't have visitation rights every other week or once a month or during the holidays or summer vacation. He's there in the morning when the little kiddle wakes up and is there at night to tuck him or her in. He lives with the child.....not just visits the child. Yes sometimes his work takes him away, but he always comes home to that child! I believe I've explained this before but I am the product of a broken home, my son is the product of a broken home, and now his daughter is a product of a broken home. Believe me - in my personal experience, having a Dad "visit" is akin to not having one at all. No matter what the quality time is - it ain't enough! Again, this is my experience through 3 generations in the family.

Now I'm sure there are people who feel differently, but that's MY definition of a hands-on Dad!

Well, until told otherwise, I am not sure that the father was to ever be known.

How many families really have hands on Dads? I know some people who had their dads in their homes every day and wished they didn't, fathers that abused them physically or mentally. Being a good father is complicated, but until told other wise, I am assuming Clay was supposed to be an anonymous donor.

I have heard many entertainers talk about having to be away from their families and some families can accommodate that, others can not. I don't think I can tell anyone how to live their life as long as they live it the best way they can and do no harm.

I can't have a belief in rigid family systems, well, there are few perfect families. If you study the history of the family you will find that the idyllic 50s TV family is far from the norm. Over half the families live with only one parent now. In the not too distant past (before the 1920s) the father could throw the wife out at any time with nothing and keep the children. In some social circles, the children are shipped off to boarding schools at a young age and only see their families at holidays - are they to be condemned? Some people with lots of money have the nannies raise the children. Some families are cash strapped and the parents work so much they rarely see their children. There s no perfect world. The important thing is that who ever is the parent really love their child. A strong family support system would be nice as well. Then again, if Jaymes looked at her brother as an idyllic father, how offten has he been inthe home of his child? Isn't he on his 4th wife?

[justclay12]

I wonder if Clay will also be there for Jonathan Hadary's and David Hibbard's last day. I thought in the beginning there had been something about how David had been especially supportive of Clay but can't remember if I imagined that. And Jonathan Hadary was always so gracious in how he treated Clay. I wonder what those two will be doing once their run is over. I would definitely go to see any of the cast in whatever they appeared in, that is if I have any money left after spending it all on Clay. If I aint spending it, then I'm saving up for when I can spend it on something Clay. Sure hope to be able to spend some of that money soon.

[Cotton]

Good Night, All!

I'm so happy that Clay got to go see his friend's closing performance!

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Tijala]

Wow...lots to catch up on. First, canfly, Iseeme, MamaCouchie, Playbiller...and I know I've forgotten someone...I'm so sorry. I'll add to the drama...we had a kitchen fire today. I put my purse on the stove by the back burner and my granddaughter turned it on. All of a sudden there was smoke everywhere and my daughter got the little one out of the house so she wouldn't have to breathe in the acrid smoke. We got it out in time before it spread to the wall thank goodness. I was able to save my drivers license and credit cards but lost my checkbook and just a small amount of cash...couldn't have been over maybe $10. But next weekend we have to wash walls.

FromClagary, I'd love to take you up on your offer to stay at the Claydorm! Damn...that means I have to get a passport. Seriously, I'd love to come visit sometime. :F_05BL17blowkiss: And I've met Jaymes too...Raleigh 2005. I liked her very much.

I have a Jerome story. It was the JNT04 in El Cajon. A friend and I were standing in line outside waiting to enter the venue. My back was bothering me, so I decided to sit down...it must have been on some sort of ledge or something. Anyway after a few minutes I saw Jerome. There had been something I wanted to ask him, so I started running towards him...in heels. I got to within a foot or two and while I was calling out his name, I turned my ankle and stumbled towards the ground. All of a sudden this huge arm grabs me and pulls me up before I hit the ground. You cannot imagine how incredibly embarassed I was. I wanted to slither away and die. Anyway, we talked for a few minutes and thanked him for taking such good care of Clay. I also wished him a happy birthday, as it was a day or two before that. He said thank you, then leaned down...waaaaay down, because I'm only 5' tall...and gave me the biggest bear hug. I then gave him a kiss on his cheek and thanked him again.

Father's day story...We lived in San Francisco and my birth father left us when I was close to 2 years old. He drank and was abusive to my mother, so we were much better off without him. We came up here to Montana to live with my grandmother and we all lived together until she passed away. My mother did not remarry until 1983 and she married a wonderful man much to the chagrin of his children. They made it work despite his kids. He treated me just like one of his own and often times he said I was more of a daughter to him than his biological daughters. My mother had a stroke in 1994 and for 8 years he took such wonderful care of her. He refused to send her to a nursing home until he absolutely couldn't care for her anymore. We lost her one month later in 2002. Dad suffered from emphysema and was declining for several years. I went to the SRHP concert in Cary last summer and I hadn't been off the plane for 5 minutes when I found out that he'd passed away. I'd found out from a friend of mine who had seen it in the newspaper the day before I left. His family didn't have the deceny to call me until the day after I got to Raleigh. The funeral was already scheduled and there was no way I could have made it back in time, and I believe the family didn't want me there anyway. I felt just terrible and I actually had a horrible time during my trip. For Father's Day last summer I had sent him a DVD of my granddaughter's first year...he never got to see it, as he was in the hospital and no one bothered to tell me. So I'm so grateful to him for everything he did for me and my mother. I sure miss him a lot.

Clay's hair back to brown?!?! Oh...YES!!!! (tm Sir Robin)

[Couch Tomato]

El Cajon 04 .. I was there..one of my favorite concerts! Sorry about your freak accident!

I can't concentrate on work..I keep checking for new pictures.

Oh BTW,..sorry forgot who asked...Kizzy was Kunta Kinte's daughter in roots...in other words... I've been waiting on my mom hand and foot since the incident LOL.

[liney23]

Ha! What is this -- an organization or a movement?

See I told you it was a Clack claque!

merrieeee.... BWAH!!!

tijala... how scary!!! Glad everything came out ok... welll, except for you have to wash the walls. I've had to do that and it ain't fun! You may have to get some special cleaner from a cleaning supply place as grocery store cleaners just aren't enough... at least all the ones I tried. Good luck!

Glad Clay made it to her last night. Hope he went backstage at the end to spend some time. I would love to know what he thought of his replacement and how his leaving changed the show.

[Iseeme]

G-daughter playing some electronic game....Iseeme runs to the internet.

FromClaygary - I think you misinterpreted me! I never said Clay would not be a good father or any of that. I said I HOPED he wouldn't be a long distance father. The other thing - what do you mean Clay lives in LA with Jaymes? How often has he been in LA. He himself said he hadn't been there in 9 months. He was in LA in early August for the Greek, and on tour. He might have been there a bit between tours but from the beginning of the Christmas tour until the end of Spamalot I don't think he had an extra day - UNICEF trip to Mexico, etc. So I think that's a bit of exagerration that he "lives" with Jaymes when he's in LA. That almost makes it sound like he's there all the time. We also have no clue how often she's in North Carolina. None of that's the point, however. I still go back to I HOPE he isn't a long-distance father. As I child I was told repeatedly that my father loved me - but since he didn't love me enough to see me more than once a month or so it was a little hard to grasp as anything but a throwaway line. It isn't enough to tell a child he or she is loved! They have to feel it. And that doesn't happen across the miles. (not looking for sympathy here - I'm way beyond caring about that stuff. Long ago came to peace with it. But it still is a button and can be pushed easily.)

Playbiller said:

Well, until told otherwise, I am not sure that the father was to ever be known.

You must be kidding! Seriously. I haven't described some unusual instance of fathering. I have many friends and acquaintances with fathers like the one I described where two parents live in the same house and are there rearing their children - healthy and happy. I don't think that's the exception! I know alot of retired couples who raised their children together and they're still married and happy.

Yay for Clay being at Spamalot seeing his friends. Boo for dark hair. Not a fan. I love natural Clay. The reddish blonde. But I'm also waiting to see a picture. Chris Seiber really is a supportive friend, isn't he? Didn't see the Tonys as I was involved in a serious game of Yahtzee. I will be hearing dice in my sleep tonite.

LOVE the pictures from the Father's Day celebration. Looked like alot of fun.

My son's Father's Day was spent bringing g-daughter to me and then falling asleep in front of the TV in front of the Open. He was thrilled for the quiet time - so I guess that was a good present for him.

I think alot of people get tired of Tiger Woods winning. It's not like he does it out of luck. The man is incredibly talented and has the mind game to boot. And he really, really works hard. I feel sorry for Mediate having to play one on one with him tomorrow.

As for parenting......it isn't easy but it is rewarding - eventually. I didn't have much trouble raising my son because he was an athlete and that was more important to him in high school than partying. After he went to college I have no idea what went on.

Goodnight FCA. Will check in when I can. Hope everyone has a nice week.

[Tijala]

Ha! What is this -- an organization or a movement?

See I told you it was a Clack claque!

merrieeee.... BWAH!!!

tijala... how scary!!! Glad everything came out ok... welll, except for you have to wash the walls. I've had to do that and it ain't fun! You may have to get some special cleaner from a cleaning supply place as grocery store cleaners just aren't enough... at least all the ones I tried. Good luck!

Glad Clay made it to her last night. Hope he went backstage at the end to spend some time. I would love to know what he thought of his replacement and how his leaving changed the show.

Yeah liney, I don't think Formula 409 is gonna do the trick. We live pretty close to a janitorial supply store, so I'm sure they will have something. Funny thing is, I've had my eye on a new purse for a week or two, but this wasn't the way I wanted to get it.

Couchie, I had the best time at that concert. My friend who lives in SD was driving us to the venue and we were at a stoplight. The light turned green and I spotted Clay's bus and let out a yelp...she flipped a U turn and nearly killed us. When we got inside the venue, I told her I wanted to buy a t-shirt. She said ok and said she'd be waiting for me in the line. I didn't see any line, but I thought ooookkkkk. I got my shirt and she actually was standing in a line... it looked like a line had formed to actually get into the seating area. We waited...and waited...and waited, and the line wasn't moving. I told her I thought it was really strange that this line was going absolutely nowhere and other people are going right in. I happened to look up and I saw that we were in line for the women's bathroom! I still haven't let her forget that!

[Couch Tomato]

Couchie, I had the best time at that concert. My friend who lives in SD was driving us to the venue and we were at a stoplight. The light turned green and I spotted Clay's bus and let out a yelp...she flipped a U turn and nearly killed us. When we got inside the venue, I told her I wanted to buy a t-shirt. She said ok and said she'd be waiting for me in the line. I didn't see any line, but I thought ooookkkkk. I got my shirt and she actually was standing in a line... it looked like a line had formed to actually get into the seating area. We waited...and waited...and waited, and the line wasn't moving. I told her I thought it was really strange that this line was going absolutely nowhere and other people are going right in. I happened to look up and I saw that we were in line for the women's bathroom! I still haven't let her forget that!

Yeah I make a point never having to use the bathroom at a clay aiken concert. I serioously loved that Good News and floated out of that show happy as can be.

Iseeme..Yeah I know some are tired of Tiger winning but I think it has more to do with closing in on certain other icons records.... and yeah I "hate" the Yankees so I get that..but I never wish for Jeter to break a knee. In fact I have mucho respect for such a talented and clutch player. Feel the same way about Paul Peirce although he's kicking the Laker's ass. Jamar how are your sports boards cuz I'm hating these juvenile men. Is there no female only sports message board anywhere? Anyway about golf, I can honestly say as much as I love sports..without Tiger I would not be watching. I never watched it before him and haven't found any other truly compelling reasons to watch when he's not in the mix. I did love Rocco today and would have been just fine with him winning. Loved his personality.

Where is that picture of Clay? I can't wait to see him!

[Claygasm]

BFS says Clay's hair is not red....it's really more of a dark brown!!!!! very nice!!!!!!

....or what KF said....

Oh, one more update....

Ter said his hair is kinda like All is Well hair.

from irishbookgal at CV.

I liked AIW hair!!!

Not as much as AMA hair, though.... All time favorite hair!!

Ha he's in disguise!!! Everyone is looking for a blond sex god!

Funny thing is, I bet the average Joe on the street would be more likely to recognize him with the dark hair than the blond hair!

Hmmm. Maybe he and Hannah are more than friends. I never liked shipping them before, although I think just about everyone else here did, but I sure would like it if it were true now because it would mean most likely the baby stuff is not true. Of course, it could also mean he and Jaymes are just friends since she would have been pregnant before he ever met Hannah, but I am going with it would mean it isn't true! It would definitely mean he and Jaymes aren't a couple, though!

Yes its rationalization but so what!

So, anyone want to start a rumor? Maybe his hair is died brown for some reason - like a movie role! Maybe that's the big surprise that will change Clay's professional life Faye was referring to!

[playbiller]

Of course, I am serious, it was my opinion. I know of a family that has raised their children together and one day I walked in and took the youngest (5 years) home with me for a month and told them to get their act together or I would have child welfare on their case. They tolerated me for a while and then, a year later, took a restraining order against me and ended my interference. I have a cousin that loved her father, still has issues with her mother Which she and her sister keep dragging me into!!!!.

Sure there are lots of intact families and some are lovely, others are not. There are lots of non-traditional families and the same holds for them. You never know what goes on behind closed doors. I am just trying to say that having a loving family of any composition is god for a child, they don't need a specific combination of one of these, and one of those.

[Couch Tomato]

hee CG...

Well a side benefit of it not being true besides the media ass kickin'..is my love of the Clannah returning full force. It doesn't seem right at the moment LOL.

ETA: Ok i'm going to clean up my kitchen and when I'm done there will be brand spanking new pictures of Clay from tonight available.

[cha cha trusty]

I just finished watching the Tonys - Whoopie did a lot of cool Broadway related spoofs. I guess that was her schtick this time. It was good! She did a great job!! (was not crazy about her ruffly shirt outfit!) I loved the LOTL impersonation, and loved that Rick and David were there! I'm sure someone probably capped it, but if they didn't, I can get a semi-reasonable copy by taping it from the DVR and then recording it onto the hard drive. I'll wait till tomorrow to find out

couchie - didn't you have some tapes of a show you wanted to put on DVD? I can do it if no one else has stepped forward.

We had a great time today, all the kids were here, with their respective hubbys and SO's. The turkey burgers turned out great! And here's the recipe (and correct name if anyone is interested!! Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers

Two on my SILs then colaborated on some "Walnut Burgers" - I had never heard of such a thing, but since I had walnuts on hand, we gave it a try. They were good too! Here's that recipe. So I guess we had a bbq after all! mrchach's Father's Day present was the kids all going to the garage to help reassemble the Morgan body that we just got painted. Will get a pic of the whole car for you when it's reassembled!

Can't wait to see pix of Clay and his new hair. I'm glad he got to go to Hannah's last show. I wonder if he threw flowers on the stage after her Diva number. I always thought that would be a good idea, throwing real flowers.

I never got around to sharing these pix of Rick and David I took in February!!

[liney23]

Dang, those paparazzi's are slow, slow, slow! I'm going to bed. I'll have to see in the morning. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Goodnite, couchie... goodnite, CG... goodnite, play... goodnight, cha cha... :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[cha cha trusty]

g'nite liney, g'nite Johnjohn..........

[Couch Tomato]

Dang, those paparazzi's are slow, slow, slow! I'm going to bed. I'll have to see in the morning. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Goodnite, couchie... goodnite, CG... goodnite, play... goodnight, cha cha... :F_05BL17blowkiss:

goodnight john boy

[clayzedover]

Saw a post by Butterflyshine who was at the show. She said there was NO press. So, I don't know what to make of the other reports saying cameras were put "in his face." Also read he took seats in the last row and showed up for them following Intermission. He disappeared when the wedding scene was over. Geez, I love a mystery. He probably knows every nook and cranny in that theater by now. I'll bet there is a way backstage without going through the orchestra section. Or maybe they had a gathering for Hannah at the bar downstairs.

BFS said she had pics of cast members that she would post, but didn't mention Clay or Hannah.

Sooooooo.......if you're debating staying up, it might not be worth your while.

Sigh. I miss him too.

But it did make me happy to hear that Clay was able to be at the show tonight, and that he was left alone. I am glad he was not "sold out" by people in the theater who might have made a few bucks from professional photogs if they spilled the beans on him. It was probably a happy coincidence that the Tonis were tonight, because the press was probably THERE in full force, not at the Shubert Theater. The two locations are just far enough away to make it difficult for them to hit both places.

I hope he has a nice time seeing his former castmates. And I hope SOMEBODY got a picture of him.

[Couch Tomato]

thanks for the update Clayzedover.

[jazzgirl]

Interesting Tony Awards trivia: the actor who won for best musical performance, Boyd Gaines, was Barbara Cooper's dentist boyfriend in the 1980s TV show "One Day at a Time". It is amazing what 25 years does to a person!

http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldde...gaines-not.html

[Scarlett]

I know it's late but I just wanted to say hi and belated Happy Father's Day to everyone!

I had a truly fine day today with my father and family -- there were nine of us out for crabcakes, stuffed shrimp and zydeco at Pappadeaux's in Seabrook. Wish ya'll could have been there!

So glad you had fun, kf -- how about dragging the ehP to Seabrook sometime?!!

I was out for the weekend and so missed out on all your interesting discussions; not caught up, but I'd like to share my father's day story / opinion too.

But first, to Iseeme. Columbus was also without electricity intermittently on Thursday and Friday.

laughn, thanks for noticing my posts and I'm sorry to have missed you on this Ohio trip. I *will* stay home one weekend v. soon (and I mean home-home, not KAndre's or merrieeee's), and will render your Cleveland Christmas story.

Back to my father's day story...

My Dad worked for the Foreign Service and was abroad from when I was 3 years old until I was 10. He and my mom decided that it would be better for me to grow up and attend school back home instead of at various posts around the world, so I didn't see him very much during the school year. My mom and I stayed home and visited him in the summer (or vice-versa) -- and boy what summers he planned for us. I think he spent the entire year mapping out what we would do for a couple of months. He also wrote us individual notes v. often and years later, it was fun for me to "discover" the bundles of letters he had written my mom; I also kept all my letters from him and learned to read early so that I didn't have to get others to read them to me. It ended up that I was closer to my dad than to my mom, but maybe it was a "daddy's girl" kinda thing. Nowadays, this situation is common for people back home because a large part of our income is from overseas contract workers -- construction workers, "enteratiners", household helpers, pilots, merchant marine, you name it -- and many homes consist of 1 parent working abroad and another staying home to take care of the family. There are many challenges, especially since the parent living abroad is transported to a whole new world where he/she is probably better appreciated, feels empowered and has more freedom than any job back home. Long-distance relationships are always difficult. I'm not saying that this is the ideal situation -- it would be great if the world economy were such that people didn't have to work so far away from home. What I'm saying is that people cope in many ways and unless we know of other people's situations, it isn't easy to view our own v. clearly.

*yawn* Goodnight, everyone!!!

[ivy]

I wish I knew where these idyllic families are to be found because I know very few of them. My Dad worked all the time and rarely had any time for the kids. We knew he loved us but he did not spend time with us. When he wasn't working to earn a living, he was working on the house or car as out of necessity he did his own repairs. None of the men in my area spent much time with their families for the same reasons. It may only be recent generations where families take more quality time as a family. One of my nieces is having a lot of children. Nothing wroing with that. I would have loved to have had more kids myself. The only problem is that her husband is holding down two jobs to support them and is repeating the pattern of my parents. He has no time to spend with the family. These stories are nothing because at least the children were safe and happy which is not true of many families. In my mind, the idyllic family is a myth.