#38: The man just oooooooooozes awwwwwness

[FromClaygary]

Here's where I was today!

....and, BTW, to the know-it-all man who stood behind me as I was taking these pictures telling me it was not possible to take a photograph of a rainbow...?? PHHHHHHHHHTTTTTT!!!!!!

Kempenfest

I worked until 3 AM this morning and didn't even get up until around noon...so I didn't spend my full day down at Kempenfest....but I walked for about 3 hours and now I'm pooped! Saw some very, very cool stuff at the vendors, most of which it would be impossible to describe...bought a neat bracelet and some goodies to make a necklace from....sat on the beach under the shade of an umbrella and had the obligatory hot dog, lemonade, and cookie...enjoyed a great band with the worst singer in history ...people-watched....altogether, a great day!

I'll probably go down for a bit again tomorrow and try to catch the part I missed.

[luckiest1]

Hey, FromClaygary, glad you enjoyed Kempenfest! I miss it......I miss having the lake so close. We are about 30 - 45 min drive now, which isn't too bad I guess. I am looking forward to going camping later this week.......there is a nice beach there within walking distance. The only downfall to camping, for me, is no internet access. But I like to rough it, which means no A/C site. Too tempting to bring along the comforts of home that way! I will make do with my iPod and some books for a few days. I find it quite relaxing, actually. Will probably be the time when all Clay will break loose, hee. I rely on cindilu2 to text me any breaking news.

[liney23]

Went to the Fair. Saw a baby zebra and two baby camels and the other normal farm animal babies. Saw a chicken coop just like the one I used to gather eggs from when I was a kid and get pecked to death.

The rides are ridiculously expensive! The grandkids loved them, tho. I think the food booths and the rides are in competition as to which has the most and I think it was pretty even. Saw a fried "everything under the sun" booth. I contented myself with a frozen banana.

I spent most of my time finding shade to be in with the stroller but I'm still dead tired.

Ya' know, the drought of '06 was longer than this, but I guess I have forgotten what it was like cause this just seems so long and it hasn't been, dang it. Now that sentence was just so perfectly constructed, wasn't it? LOL

FromClaygary... I took some beautiful pics of a rainbow forming in Hawaii, so yeah, that guy was pfffftttt-worthy to the max!

[Iseeme]

Home from work. Tired. Muddy. But I'm actually able to answer alot of questions these days....which is nice. Our credit card system was down ALL FREAKIN' DAY - so everything had to written out by hand. Of all days.

Ya' know, the drought of '06 was longer than this, but I guess I have forgotten what it was like cause this just seems so long and it hasn't been, dang it. Now that sentence was just so perfectly constructed, wasn't it? LOL

Well - I think it seems longer because of the Maybe Baby and the "blink and you'll miss it" promo of a CD that he seemed to initially be thrilled with. Kind of leaves some unanswered questions so people start surmising and speculating, etc. etc. At least that's why it seems like a loooooong drought to me! We have no idea what to expect next and there's nothing to look forward to except for those lucky people who are going to the gala - in 70+ days or so.

I really love those pictures of Clay from JBT where his hair hasn't been styled yet. Did y'all know that JBT hair is my favorite>

[ldyjocelyn]

No offense Iseeme, but we do have "Paula's Party" to look forward to -- probably in September. And of course...we could speculate -- what do you think he will cook? From that preview, it looked to me to be a scalloped potato of some type.

I know it does feel like we haven't seen him in for-freakin'-ever, but in my mind -- we simply don't know what else is planned. I don't like looking back, in this respect, but looking forward. I have hope -- nay, FAITH in Clay, and what he has planned, whatever it may be. He will be back -- and in the meantime, I hope he is enjoying whatever he is doing at the moment.

My Sunday was pretty typical -- church, come home and read the newspaper, do some laundry, grill dinner, do some grocery shopping. I did go for a walk though, as therapy for my knee. Fortunately, it was very nice here today in the afternoon. I guess tomorrow the heat wave hits here. *sigh* I hope all those in the eHP are keeping cool!

[FromClaygary]

Here's some totally off-topic laughs for anyone who has ever been in retail, or customer service.

The Customer is Not Always Right

[Couch Tomato]

no comparison to 06 to me. Maybe it's because I'm busy or because I expected this since he told us he was taking off the summer, or maybe because we have been through this before. I figure we'll know what we need to know in due time which of course means in time to buy tickets. IIT, even just the part of Jaymes having a baby, then I hope everything is going well. My VP wasn't due until mid August and she had the baby already so I'm assuming any old day now, if it hasn't already. IIT...cuz I swear on that last picture I'm doubting it. Then of course the next day I take the opposite view. But he seems to be living his life just fine so that's pretty cool to me.

For you Next Food Network star folks..did I miss Aaron's new show? I don't see it on th schedule for tonight.

[FromClaygary]

Hey, FromClaygary, glad you enjoyed Kempenfest! I miss it......I miss having the lake so close. We are about 30 - 45 min drive now, which isn't too bad I guess. I am looking forward to going camping later this week.......there is a nice beach there within walking distance. The only downfall to camping, for me, is no internet access. But I like to rough it, which means no A/C site. Too tempting to bring along the comforts of home that way! I will make do with my iPod and some books for a few days. I find it quite relaxing, actually. Will probably be the time when all Clay will break loose, hee. I rely on cindilu2 to text me any breaking news.

Yes, I love having the lake so near! Where I grew up~in BC~we lived right on the shore of the lake, and when we moved to AB I really, really, really missed it! Every vacation I ever took away from there was to someplace with water.

Camping~have fun! I don't do camping unless it has running water, a shower, wireless and a manservant. :lmaosmiley-1:

[ldyjocelyn]

couchie, you missed Aaron's show, Big Daddy's House. It was on this afternoon -- it was on at 12:30 p.m. for me (part of their "In the Kitchen" series of shows that they usually do on weekend mornings...) I thought it was great, and I want to try his chicken fingers, coated in tortilla chips!

Uh...nothin' else. Sorry. Hee.

[jamar1700]

no comparison to 06 to me. Maybe it's because I'm busy or because I expected this since he told us he was taking off the summer, or maybe because we have been through this before.

I agree Couchie. No comparison AT.ALL. to me. Clay said he was going to take a break, spend a first summer in his new home. I was ready for it. But will say a big Thank God for the MLB schedule. Honestly I'm not sure how I did it last year with/concerts and games on the same nights. Am I nuts? Don't answer that.

For you Next Food Network star folks..did I miss Aaron's new show? I don't see it on th schedule for tonight.

Apparently it's on in the afternoon at 1:30. I missed it too.

Or what ldyjocelyn said. *g*

[Iseeme]

OOPS - forgot about Paula's Party ldyj!

Well - we're all facing this drought differently. For those of you comfie with the drought - when he said he was "taking some time off" ( when did he say "the summer off" - I don't remember that exactly) did you honestly think his vacation would go this long with a new CD out and all? Yes, we'll see him on Paula at some time or other, but that was taped awhile ago and I doubt there will be any CD promo. I'm not complaining - just being honest. I miss him and I want to know what's happening! And quite frankly I'm still a little irked that OMWH was released and then pretty much walked away from after 2 weeks. It's such a beautiful CD.

So there's your topic for tonite! Hee!

Wasn't Pala a year ago on this date? Flat Clay in the hotel room. Too funny. Too friggin' hot that day, too.

[treenuts]

Well - I think it seems longer because of the Maybe Baby and the "blink and you'll miss it" promo of a CD that he seemed to initially be thrilled with. Kind of leaves some unanswered questions so people start surmising and speculating, etc. etc.

I tend to agree, Iseeme, although I wasn't a fan back before ATDW. But it is definitly a combination of things aside from just his absence. I know I am a skeptic when it comes to the IIT shit but I vasilate so much that it makes my head spin. There is one thing that we can't overlook and that's the point you made about putting out such a kick ass CD that they worked so hard for and then pretty much just let it ride. True, there may be much more happening behind the scenes with future promotional plans that we know nothing about. I CAN ONLY HOPE & PRAY!!!!!!!! And/Or maybe it's all about the intent to get it out and get home before the baby is due. Ack! I said that out loud didn't I?! Yep...sho nuff did! tic tic tic

Well, I went for one longass bike ride today. The temps were a tad bit cooler with a slight breeze so I went for it. I'll pay the price later!

I'm leaving tonight for my moms. She's having eye surgery and I'm going to stay with her for a few days and make sure she's ok. So I'm hoping maybe some "news" will break while I'm away :clay:

Hey, just tryin' to do my part!

Am I nuts?

Nope, I am

[Gibby]

Well - we're all facing this drought differently. For those of you comfie with the drought - when he said he was "taking some time off" ( when did he say "the summer off" - I don't remember that exactly) did you honestly think his vacation would go this long with a new CD out and all?

Actually, yes, I did expect that Clay would be on vacation this long. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he's on vacation for a couple more months at least. I'm pretty sure that said he would be taking the summer off, and it's still summertime. And he was hesitant to say that he would be touring this fall, so I kind of thought that he would be on vacation into the fall months.

Also, he had been working so hard for so many months in a row that I really feel he deserves the break. When he's ready, he will be back with something great. He's been off for several months before and had no trouble coming back with something that surprised and delighted us. And since I went through the drought in 06, I know I can survive it.

[Iseeme]

His last drought didn't occur 2 weeks after the release of a new CD. That's my point!!! I know he's worked hard - but I also think you need to work hard when you're young and still building your career.

But the bottom line is - I miss him.

[jamar1700]

For those of you comfie with the drought - when he said he was "taking some time off" ( when did he say "the summer off" - I don't remember that exactly) did you honestly think his vacation would go this long with a new CD out and all?

Uh yes. I did. He spoke about taking a break after the CD promo and UNICEF trip. He also talked about not ever having spent a summer in his new house in Raleigh. TO ME, that said he was probably going to take the whole summer off. He did the planned promo. He took the UNICEF trip and now he's taking a break. Exactly like he said.

You might not agree with what he chose to do but it seems to have been his plan all along.

[Couch Tomato]

Just in case anyone forgot...here is the timeline from 2006.

2/28 -- Radio: Clay sent DJ Madison of Sunny Lite 93.9 a birthday greeting.

05/10 UNICEF: Clay Aiken visits Middlesex Middle School in Darien, CT. They won the first ever UNICEF Kids Helping Kids Challenge, which raised $14,209.34. In support of the challenge, Procter & Gamble donated $150,000 to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. UNICEF ambassador Clay Aiken surprised the students to thank them for their tremendous fund-raising efforts.

05/24/08 The Insider and ET: speculation on whether Clay will appear on the AI finale

That's what he did in the first 6 months of 2006 and really does anything before the finale even count? Those 3 things are clack lite. I won't even bring up what else was going on then. This, IIT, is happy news for Clay no matter how it's spun by anyone else.

ETA: my spinning statement has to do with the baby and the media only - I'm saying if it turns out to be true then it's happy good news for clay and something he wanted and planned. The rest of the noise surrounding the story is not something I concern myself with.

I honestly didn't think he was taking a two week break, why even mention or focus on a two week break. It may be an assumption to make, but the summer is one I did make from what he was saying. I also wish more people bought the album so you're not alone there Iseeme. I just concentrate on what I have control over so I'm not incredibly sad over it. I have a great album. Anticipation can be fun though...I'm looking forward to hearing his voice again soooooo. heee.

[Iseeme]

Well - it's certainly nothing to argue about but I think some are stretching his words quite a bit. "Taking some time off" and "never spent a summer in his new house" I guess could be construed to mean taking the entire summer off plus more months. Whatever. It's semantics. I still miss him. And I still wish he'd promoted that CD more. But those are MY wishes. Y'all have your own. OMWH could go down as one of Clay's greatest musical endeavors that less than 200,000 people felt the burning need to buy. I just find that incredibly sad and I'm not spinning anything.

He'll do what he's doing to do whether I miss him or not!

[jamar1700]

Well - it's certainly nothing to argue about

Your right, it isn't.

Clay's taking his break, just like he said he would. You can be irked eta .... about the lack of promo for the CD. You can miss him. That's your right. But you asked if we thought it would go on this long and we are being honest with you. That doesn't mean we don't miss seeing him.

---

eta...ugh couchie...put in black and white like that brings it all back *shudders*

[Iseeme]

Just to clarify my posts - I'm NOT irked because he's taking a break. I said I missed him. MISS and IRK are two completely different feelings. Not sure how that was so misunderstood. The "irk" part comes in with the lack of promotion for a beautiful CD. Maybe some day we might be privvy to why! In the meantime, I play it all the time and still love it as much as the first time I heard it!

And on that note - good night all.

[jmh123]

did you honestly think his vacation would go this long with a new CD out and all? Yes, we'll see him on Paula at some time or other, but that was taped awhile ago and I doubt there will be any CD promo. I'm not complaining - just being honest. I miss him and I want to know what's happening! And quite frankly I'm still a little irked that OMWH was released and then pretty much walked away from after 2 weeks. It's such a beautiful CD.

Yes, I honestly thought his vacation would be going on this long. I never expected to hear anything from him before the fall.

IIRC: The drought of '05 was nearly half a year, an album anticipated in that year didn't happen, and we had no idea for most of that time what he would be doing next. The TV Guide cover and GMA appearances that got people all excited led to a move back to NC and no album news at all. Lots of weeping and wailing. I have a tee-shirt that says "I survived the drought of '05." In '06 there was nasty tabloid crap and pigs and frogs; there was cover album angst, and we didn't hear from Clay for over half the year. Drove some people crazy. In '07 there was a long quiet time until the summer tour started--can't remember the details exactly. So now we haven't heard from Clay for a couple of months, less if you count UNICEF, and there's supposedly a drought? Clay told us very clearly that after a bit of album promo he was going on a trip for UNICEF and then he'd be taking a vacation. There have been many times in the past when he's been out of our view for much longer than this, and there's been at least as much uncertainty.

The rest of the conversation we've had before--no need to repeat it yet again. I'm just here for the party. Lots of new clack from old tours to watch, not to mention old clack that I never got around to watching, and I still haven't finished picked my best versions of WTOW.

[Cotton]

:00000462: . . . and one of these days we're gonna know WHYYYYYYYYYYYY . . . :00000462:

. . .maybe . . .

[ldyjocelyn]

From the charlotte.com article, "Five Questions for Clay Aiken" (located in this thread in the Fast Forward News Section here):

What's next on your plate? "I'm going to take some time off, actually. I've not had two days off in a row since October. I'm looking forward to doing nothing. I'll be back in Raleigh at the end of May. I'll be taking a trip for UNICEF in the summer. But I'm going to take several months off this year because you know how lovely and breezy and cool the summers are in Raleigh. I haven't experienced that in a while, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to handle it."

*shrug* Several months, to me, is at least 3, maybe even more. *shrug*

I too think this album should have sold more, 'cause I love it dearly, and I would have loved to have Clay on my TV for several more weeks after the album was released. BUT -- I also don't want the man to burn out, and I think he made a choice in that direction. Was it a choice that was good for his career? We'll never know, IMO.

While I understand the idea of missing Clay, because he really is a source of joy in my life, there's a lot of other ways to keep him IN my life. I listen to him a lot; I watch old clack. And, in the process, I'm finding some of the other joys in my life too -- walking outside. Cooking. Watching DVD's with my husband.

I guess what I don't necessarily understand is what I feel is a NEED to know what he's going to do. I get the feeling that some plan their lives around Clay Aiken, and I don't understand that. As much as I love Clay, he's not my highest priority in my life. I've also learned, in 5 years in this fandom, that knowing about what Clay has planned doesn't necessarily translate into being prepared for what he's going to do anyway. I've gotten to the point that not knowing increases the surprise, and I like that.

jmh -- WOW. Thanks for that timeline. Perspective is a good thing.

[Claygasm]

Annoying. I had no electricity all day. No storms. In fact, it was a gorgeous day! Just no pwoer. Which also means no water since I have a well.

Annoying.

His last drought didn't occur 2 weeks after the release of a new CD. That's my point!!! I know he's worked hard - but I also think you need to work hard when you're young and still building your career.

But the bottom line is - I miss him.

I agree with you, Iseeme. I guess I will NEVER understand why he would release that wonderful CD and then give it a half-assed promotion. I just don't see what the rush was to release it when he did. I would think better and longer promotion would trump any residual effect from Spamalot and Mother's Day! Maybe there is something we don't know that would explain it. I hope so.

As for his vacation - gee, I wish I could work hard for 5 months and then just take 3, 4, 5 months off! And he's only 29!! He shouldn't get that tired that easily! I guess that's one of the perks of being rich and "famous"!

Not that he doesn't deserve some time off. It just all seems like such odd timing. It would have made more sense to have taken the summer off, released the CD in September when he would have had plenty of time to book good promotional appearances, when he would have been able to release the single well ahead of the album release so it could maybe have been heard and picked up some momentum before the CD dropped. He could have had his vacation, gone to Somalia, had more vacation time and then he would have been well rested for the CD promo.

But then again, there may be something we don't know.

But I do know this. If Clay was sooooooooo exhausted after Spamalot and recording the CD that he needed several months off to recover, he needs a complete physical (and I volunteer to give it to him.... ) because he is too young to get soooooooooo tired.

And I miss him too.

[saltwaterdog]

The first one was taken behind the amphitheatre at Cary, before the JBT concert. I don't know who the photographer was, but it wasn't me. I was there and I did see him walking around, from a great distance. It was pretty cool to see him prior to the performance like that. I guess that is what the JBT hair looked like without gel and styling! It's one of my favourite pictures.

ETA a couple more from that day (clickable):

The second one was taken by my daughter at Spamalot in March. I also like it because of the composition - all the cameras pointed at him!

More pretties! Thank you! I thought that his hair was even too short for JBT. I like it. He looks so young there!

....and, BTW, to the know-it-all man who stood behind me as I was taking these pictures telling me it was not possible to take a photograph of a rainbow...?? PHHHHHHHHHTTTTTT!!!!!!

I got really lucky and captured a rainbow behind a neighbor's sailboat years back. 35 mm camera. It's one of the best pictures I've ever taken - just one of those "see what happens" shots. I'm no photographer!

. . .maybe . . .

Yeah, maybe.

I miss Clay, too, but I envy him taking summer off. I love summer and he deserves to enjoy this one after the lovely tour he gave us last summer. If he should want to come back sooner, that would certainly be fine, too!

[duckyvee]

For you Next Food Network star folks..did I miss Aaron's new show? I don't see it on th schedule for tonight.

Apparently it's on in the afternoon at 1:30. I missed it too.

Or what ldyjocelyn said. *g*

I missed it, too. I'm really pulling for this guy!

ETA: I didn't expect to see Clay this summer, but was still holding out hope for a Fall tour for a while there.

I'll survive, but I hope we hear something about his next career moves soon. It's not about CD promo for me. It is what it is.