#36: It ain't my life, just my passion!

[Claymatron]

Clay, honey, that shirt will fit in very nicely up here. You look just like one of us!!! Come back to Canada!!!

Oh, and for those of you who knew I was waiting for the results of my wine test to know if I got to keep my job, or not....found out today...

I PASSED!!! YAY ME!!! :11:

[HeidiHo]

Been busy, dudes, so I’ve been absent. Some of this is older so you can read or not. I did actually self edit before posting – this is what was left.

Good Lord - no one can say anything without someone dissecting it. Everybody is so damn testy today!!!! I think I'm out of pretty pictures.

Testy? Of course it seems that way when people are disagreeing with you. Why is it that some are allowed to read in emotion, yet others are not? When I disagree with anyone they read testy because they don’t like what I’m saying. Makes THEM feel testy. Their problem.

As for dissection - oh the perils of a message board!! Comes with the territory.

You put something out there and people are going to respond. Won't apologize for that.

Yes, but it could be a little less of a putdown, couldn't it? And I'm not speaking for myself if Heidi is lurking. I dont' feel put down, or attacked, or tomatoed. K?

Funny, comments like this make me less inclined to believe that is the case. Someone is certainly feeling attacked, or you feel someone else is being attacked.. You use the word “put down”, for example. Choice of words is often very telling. People say one thing with a sentence, then insert words like “put down” and imply something else entirely, possibly unconsciously. It’s rather telling and fascinating.

BTW, I don’t “lurk”. Lurking implies that I’m out here (I’m so flattered that my opinion is so important :::preens:: just reading away and not responding for one reason or another. I do, however, go away for periods to work or do other stuff. If I disagree with you on something I like to talk about, you will hear from me. The only time I read and don’t post is if the prevailing conversation is about a particular song or something similar. I've explained my lack of participation in that area before.

2. Disagreement doesn't mean you're being tomatoed.

3. Strong personalities on this board..if you give, expect to take.

Ahhhhh…..my two pet peeves in one place. Thanks.

Why I should edit for tactful ness - For example

Whoo Hoo!! Yes. <g>

Jesus Christ, I'm completely out of the loop.

When did Clay announce he was never getting married?

What in the hell does IIU mean?

I feel like that stranger in a strange land.

Bwah! Well, from what I understand, getting one woman knocked up precludes you ever, EVER getting married and having babies with another woman. Apparently, a LOT of people are currently breaking this rule. <g>

I like Clay blond. I like Clay dark. I like him with shorter hair, I like him with longer hair. I tend to prefer him on the scrawny side, for some bizarre reason. So, basically, he looks fantastic to me most of the time. But his hair does look like shit once in great while. Luckily we haven’t seen that in a while. He’s a good man – that’s a whole lotta crap to go through to travel to Africa. Not so sure I would be up to it.

I’ve been watching AI Rewind as it cycles back through again and I still think he’s a much better performer and singer than he was back then. That’s not to say he wasn’t always fabulous, I just think he’s better NOW.

I lurve him.

[luckiest1]

:04:

:laola0:

and a

:nana:

for Claymatron passing her test! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Iseeme]

Heidi - I'm so glad I can be the brunt of whatever pissed off mood you happen to be in on any given night. Your post reflected stuff that happened and was said TWO nights ago and has been resolved. Why bring it up again!!!! Why not let it go? People have more than moved on. We had a newbie that was LEAVING the board - that is who I was speaking of. In fact, I don't believe she's posted since. What a shame!!!! She was looking for a board where she could speak her mind and not get thumped......alas and alack, this was not the place for her.

[playbiller]

Claymatron passed a whine test? (actually the original type of "assed a test" was funnier) I have been whining all my life and no one ever graded me on it.

Yay Clay - I hope this means people can be happy for 15 minutes or so. <- me being sarcastic and tactless about how quickly the joy of an appearance disappears in this space time continuum

[Bella19]

Oh, and for those of you who knew I was waiting for the results of my wine test to know if I got to keep my job, or not....found out today...

I PASSED!!! YAY ME!!! :11:

I guess that makes you the ohffishal wine taster at the FCA, RIGHT? You knew I never had any doubt that you'd pass this test!

Iseeme - I'm jealous that you're working in a garden centre! I LOVE to garden (ask the lovely Claymatron who's seen my back forty a few times) and even if it's work, would love that type of job. Ah, maybe one day....

:1:

[KAndre]

Eh, people come and go...they're entitled. This place is good, in my [pseudo]humble opinion, but it ain't necessarily for everyone.

If people have something to say, they get to say it...and frankly two days ago ain't all that. But if you don't like it, you get to say that too. Lord knows I will occasionally comment on something that happened a week ago - but wasn't able to post then. People get to move on at their own pace, just like about the baby/nonbaby/blond hair/dark hair/the glory that is As Long/the muppetness that is Everyone of Us

Heidi, I'll give you performer - will spork you over the singing though.

I love this so very much:

[Couch Tomato]

Yeah we had a day or two of prickly fun but let's read the room and move on. It was a bit tiring but we have turned a corner. In the words of Rodney King... .blah blah blah. There seems to be a lot of personalty clashes lately which is inevitable while communicating but hey taking the "sting" out of your responses will make it fun for the rest of us. With the linear thread we are all in different places but reading the room currently is an important thing to do.

Short term memory folks..believe me it works.

Work week is over. I've got my margarita and it's chill time. And I'm ALL ALONE. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Now off to see watch my boyfriend. I love him....even while he blinds me with that shirt. heee.

ETA: heee.. KAndre..well one thing you can say about us..there's no lipsynching modspeak

[KAndre]

Hey, consistency is way overrated!

I will say reading the board is a very, very good thing though...

[Couch Tomato]

Hey, consistency is way overrated!

I will say reading the board is a very, very good thing though...

shhhhh

they might figure out the plot to keep them confused and dazed.

Ah that was short and sweet...he's really filled out kinda nicely in 5 years.

[Cotton]

Happy Independance Day!!!

Happy Capitol 4th 2004 YouTube!

[Scarlett]

While I feel honored to be accepted by the "popular groups" in several major Clay Aiken boards (if ever Jerome picks up my cellcert phone, it'll read like a who's who in Clay Nation) it is saddening to know that these groups/things exist. I do miss Belle and wish we hadn't pushed her away so quickly. I follow the man because of the voice but also because he cares for the "lost sheep", the forgotten one in the corner, the one who was left out by the crowd. I'm proud that despite everything else that is going on in his world, he finds the time to brave hardships, inconvenience and physical danger to highlight the efforts being done to help children across the globe.

[jmh123]

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

ETA, much later (midnight):

Like couchie said, we have strong personalities here. Whenever people come here saying, "Oh, it's so great here; it's so much better than X place," I always think, "Oh boy, rude awakening to come." People are outspoken sometimes. We fight but we try not to brawl. Colored ink is a rarity--it's up to people to work things through. Or just let it go and move on.

We would never promise you that you can post whatever you want here and get no reaction. I'm not sure where that idea came from. You just won't get inked. Some people have come here complaining about colored ink somewhere else, and not long after are going--where's the colored ink, where's the colored ink, are you going to let her SAY that?? Pretty much, yeah.

Not getting inked for what you say is a liberating thing. But you will get argued with here. Not every day is fun and light, but IMO it's what you do about it while it's happening and after it happens that's important. Couchie, ldyjocelyn, ansa, KAndre and I once received a group admonishment at another board for being argumentative (and KAndre didn't even do anything). Way long time ago I also argued with had deep discussions on the opposite "side" from every one of them. I don't think there was a single moment when I felt like they were my "enemies"--we just disagreed about something important. I learned a lot from talking it out, and now they're among my most favorite people.

(And I need to say that none of those folks is the argumentative type--they just have strong opinions and want to express them. We have that in common. I think they are the most fair-minded people I know, and easy-going, nice folks. I think this is where there's some confusion. It's good not to censor or hide dirty secrets. It's good to say what you think. It's good to hear what other people think about what you think too.)

Fess up now, quite a few of you have seen a lot of ink other places too, haven't you? I don't think arguing is a bad thing, within limitations. Such as, it's not good to make it a hobby, and people will get tired of hearing it.

So we can party now?? :013085001176249046:

[Couch Tomato]

Hey DJS...I'm watching a special on Natalie Wood... hee that's who I though you bore a striking resemblance to.

So Scarlett, do you and PerusingOne have ANY damn plans yet for CA or will you play it all by ear. Definitely those in the area..we should get together at least one day!

[Cotton]

[Claygasm]

It is just past midnight here on the east coast. That makes it July 4th. Yes, its a holiday that celebrates the birth of our nation. Yes, it marks the one year anniversary of Keepingfaith losing her Clayginity. But there is something else this day marks. Another birth, another new beginning.

Yes, its a very special day.

ITS MUSKI'S BIRTHDAY!!!!

:bday2: :bday2: :bday2: :bday2:

:04: :04: :04: :04: :04: :04:

:Pogo0: :Pogo0:

Have a great one, my friend!! :F_05BL17blowkiss: :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Iseeme]

jmh - it all comes down to TONE!!!! And letting things go when they are wayyyyyyyyyyyyy past over. Other than that - there isn't anything in your post I would disagree with - believe it or not!

MUSKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII -

Even though it isn't July 4th for another 2 1/2 hours on our side of the nation. I hope the coming year is happy, healthy and full of Clay for you.

[FearofH2O]

Have a great birthday muskifest

:EmoticonRingAround: :hb2:

I hope your family treats you with respect and admiration today. And gives you a great tasting cake.

[Iseeme]

[Couch Tomato]

Couchie, ldyjocelyn, ansa, KAndre and I once received a group admonishment at another board for being argumentative (and KAndre didn't even do anything).

K? I was the innocent one. I was barely posting by then.

[KAndre]

I swear I was TOTALLY blindsided! I wasn't posting by then either. Not something I'm used to - they probably thought I was that troublemaker PerusingOne!

Tone is important - on all sides.

I hope we don't "push" people away - but I think people have to make a little effort to stand their ground as well. I also think it's only fair to give this board the benefit of the doubt as well - we in general are not the people who jumped on people on their last board. Fresh starts as much as possible - on all sides.

So Scarlett, do you and PerusingOne have ANY damn plans yet for CA or will you play it all by ear. Definitely those in the area..we should get together at least one day!

Plans? We don' need no stinkin' plans!

[Scarlett]

HBD, Muski!!! :bday:

Hey DJS...I'm watching a special on Natalie Wood... hee that's who I though you bore a striking resemblance to.

So Scarlett, do you and PerusingOne have ANY damn plans yet for CA or will you play it all by ear. Definitely those in the area..we should get together at least one day!

They're "guidelines"...

I'm flying in on the night of the 17th (w/ Perusing One) and leaving early on the morning of the 22nd. The others are flying iin a day after us, I think. If annabear is arriving on the 21st, it would be great to meet up with her when she arrives. Otherwise, how about sometime on Sunday the 20th? I think we'll be in Half Moon Bay on either Friday or Saturday or both -- depending on hotel availability -- in case you prefer to meet up over there.

Oooh, can we pick the one we can claim to bear a striking resemblance to? I'm taking Audrey Hepburn.

Congratulations on the wine test, Claymatron!!! (so, when can we see you demonstrating your skills?)

ETA: I wasn't talking about debate or non-censorship, which I'm all for! Hee, I'm the only person I know who let her children read, watch and surf anything and yet ended up with kids so nice the other parents and teachers wanted to take them home. What I'm speaking to is how I find it both surprising and sad that groups like our scraggly little band of anti-social misfits who get ganged upon time and again on OFC find ourselves on the other side of the fence in some eerie Lord of the Rings/Animal Farm nightmare, and because "we in general are not the people who jumped on people on their last board" [tm:k] I expect us to be better than them.

ETAA: I miss being an outcast because they have more fun.

[Couch Tomato]

I'm flying in on the night of the 17th (w/ Perusing One) and leaving early on the morning of the 22nd. The others are flying iin a day after us, I think. If annabear is arriving on the 21st, it would be great to meet up with her when she arrives. Otherwise, how about sometime on Sunday the 20th? I think we'll be in Half Moon Bay on either Friday or Saturday or both -- depending on hotel availability -- in case you prefer to meet up over there.

Congratulations on the wine test, Claymatron!!! (so, when can we see you demonstrating your skills?)

I've meant to ask..what's a wine test..is it sorta what KAndre did when we went wine tasting in Temecula?

Ok Scarlett..you guys keep your guidelines..but I may want to play hooky one day and I'll need to know before I get to my desk. My acting is not as good in person as it is over the phone..if you get my drift

[playbiller]

Happy birthday, Muski

Happy birthday USA

[jmh123]

Scarlett, having trouble understanding your ETA because I cast it in such different terms in my own frame of reference. In my mind I cast that whole poddie thing in terms of a big disagreement over facts and interpretations, with jumping on people a plenty to go around on both sides. Never felt like "we" were misfits or that we were ganged up on. I did find it to be an occasion when I was moved to gravitate towards those who shared my POV, cause it felt like the world had gone mad. I'll think on it and try to rearrange my frame a bit and see if I can grok what you're saying.

Muski, have a good one! :bday: