#40: He simply makes me smile when I see him.

[cha cha trusty]

Hi all - - been off the boards for a couple of days! I spent most of yesterday tracking IKE since mrchach's brother and family are in Houston, on the west side I discovered, away from Galveston Bay. One of their Irish cousins is there also, and has booked a flight to come here on Monday. Whether she makes it remains to be seen!!

I just got a message via Blackberry that their power is out and there's a tree blocking the driveway. They had the foresight to park a car at a local parking garage, so it's only a couple miles walk away!

& :F_05BL17blowkiss: to all - especially those affected by the storm!

I hope it isn't two weeks to get your power back!!

[playbiller]

This is what I posted last year - and filed under the dumbest name!

Well, adding in the new WFI total and he additiuonal figures that were provided by Poshpenny and from other sites, we have a new total. Sorry if this is too repetitve,there just seems to be moreand more money

January

6 Degree's of Separation - $43,731.00 + $10,000 for being in the top 6

February

Valentine Gifts: CH, CV, CB - $17,0289

March

BAF gala - $333,238

To Unicef - $181,783 for Afghanastan

June

Kimberley Locke & Idol Friends - Clay's Shirt $4,020.00

November

AYSTA5thG - $300,000 + $78,000 in matching pledges to the BAF

Christmas present to Clay (heifers Int.) $180

Ticketmaster BAF Auctions - $54,560.00

December

Rosie's Gala: Building Dreams for Kids $5500

WFI - $102,167

This unknown entry? Not-A-Gala $15,912

UNICEF Mexico - $110,000

Good Search - 4735

Empties for Cash (through May) - $2,428<-- need updated figure on this!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Fan initiatives:

Scrapping 4 Inclusion - 10,325.00

the Kalamazoo book drive for Clay's Birthday that raised over $8,000 worth of books and credits

Clayboard birthday gift $12,000 for BAF

LemonAID Stand (minimum) - $1000

Cruise'n 4 Inclusion - $2,107.00

The Inclusion Bracelet - $4,326.00

Jesse's baton/Classics Medley sheet music auction $3,231.00

346 Our Friend Mikayla Books

Striped Socks $1200

Fan Pre-concert parties (3) - $8480 and probably a lot more = let me know if you raised money at a gala in 2007.

Final Total over $1,313,672

Not counting all the other gifts through the year,

LA skating preparty 7000

Houston summer preconcert party 1200

Georgia Claymates preconcert party 2080

I am sure it was much much more.

[Gibby]

Thanks for the update on Scarlett, Iseeme. I hope all of our other members in the path of the storm are doing okay! What a devastating storm.

Play, it's good to see your totals posted again. Wow, Clay really is a force for good in the world, isn't he? It's gratifying to know that he's been making a difference, just like he said he wanted to when he first became a celebrity.

[jmh123]

Any word from merrieeee, keepingfaith, Desertrose???? I'm glad everyone we've heard from so far is OK. It's going to be no fun without power for a long time.

And playbiller's numbers are just for 2007!!!

[Cotton]

Play, is that from just one year?

And thanks for gathering those figures. I'm terrible with facts and figures!

[playbiller]

Those figures are from 2007 and do not include any of the individual contributions or a lot of the BAF initiatives like annual auctions of various groups and small fund raisers. It just includes what I could track down and get figures on. After a while, people started sending me figures to include, which was helpful. It took a while to assemble. I guess I should have been tracking this year. I know the CB founded a camp+ early this year, I know it was not all Clay fans in the BCA/EB, but believe me, we did our part, when I was buuying things like posters and playbills, I spent a lot for just the stuff I sent out. Thanks for credit cards, float and quick paying fans and the people on CB bought a lot more!!! like hundreds of copies more a day! it will be hard to separate that stuff out.

[ldyjocelyn]

For a little diversion away from Ike...

The Broads have the championship round up! BOTW from AI2 versus Solitaire from AI3. My vote is registered!

I'm glad to hear from some in the path of Ike. I hope the rest check in soon!

[playbiller]

Anyone hear from Keeping Faith or Desert Rose? I think they were closer to the more dangerous areas.

[PerusingOne]

Any word from merrieeee, keepingfaith, Desertrose???? I'm glad everyone we've heard from so far is OK. It's going to be no fun without power for a long time.

Merrieeee has no power but so far no major damage.

PerusingBro lives in the southeast corner of the inner loop and is ecstatic that major rain has stopped since the rain was coming up to his door. The drainage system is doing its job and the water is receding.

[Couch Tomato]

Thanks everyone for the updates on those weathering the storm! Keep us posted.

[playbiller]

What about PerusingBro's basement? Gee, the SE corner was hit pretty bad, how was the wind? I thought you evacuated to much further north.

When we had the great floods in NJ in the 80's, more damage was done by people pumping their basement's dry, while the water presure in the ground was still strong and the basement walls collapsed. They would have been better if they left the waster in the basements. The houses had to be trashed after that.

[jmh123]

Thanks, PerusingOne. Close call for your brother's house. It sounds like everyone is without power but KAndre, who is without cable, and therefore, internet (except for magic telephone device). I'm worried about Desertrose because she was in a mandatory evacuation area. I'm guessing keepingfaith needs to conserve her cell phone battery but I hope she'll check in with someone soon.

[PerusingOne]

What about PerusingBro's basement? Gee, the SE corner was hit pretty bad, how was the wind? I thought you evacuated to much further north.

I don't think PerusingBro has a basement. He moved to that house about a year ago and I haven't seen it. His previous place in the Heights didn't have a basement. He still has wind gusts now and then but not the constant barrage. He stayed put since they didn't put his area under mandatory evacuation.

ETA: Just spoke to KAndre. She's still bitching about her lack of internet. She's one of the few who still has electricity. Her sister found out and has invited herself and the kids to KAndre's. Sis has a broadband wireless card so I expect KAndre to grace us with her presence soon so she can bitch in person.

[playbiller]

never mind

[KAndre]

Excuuuuuuuuuse me, but I neeeeeeeed me some cable.

And of my group of family and friends, the only one with power and water...but no damn cable. I expect others to come wandering by later.

It really wasn't that bad for me and the cats.

[jazzgirl]

When we had the great floods in NJ in the 80's, more damage was done by people pumping their basement's dry, while the water presure in the ground was still strong and the basement walls collapsed. They would have been better if they left the waster in the basements. The houses had to be trashed after that.

I woke up to a flooded basement here in the Midwest, about two feet of water, and just had a guy come over for an estimate on pumping it out. Interesting. It does seem to be receding and I'm debating what to do. Either way, I've got a mess on my hands.

Excuuuuuuuuuse me, but I neeeeeeeed me some cable.

And of my group of family and friends, the only one with power and water...but no damn cable. I expect others to come wandering by later.

It really wasn't that bad for me and the cats.

MSNBC just said that Houstonians have been advised to boil water as a precaution (or drink bottled water). Glad to read that everyone seems to be OK!

[HeidiHo]

Excuuuuuuuuuse me, but I neeeeeeeed me some cable.

And of my group of family and friends, the only one with power and water...but no damn cable. I expect others to come wandering by later.

It really wasn't that bad for me and the cats.

Let me get this straight. Scarlett, who likes to keep it very cool (like me!) has no electricity and therefore no AC (and it's freakin' hot in Houston), and KAndre who likes it ungodly warm has AC and electricity. <g> Hmmm...

I kid, but I'm very glad that you both are okay so far. I hope we hear from Desertrose somehow, soon.

[Couch Tomato]

Hey KAndre it could be worse. You could be here with me packing up pins. I'm going real low tech this time heh.

[lilyshine]

Basement? What's a basement?

My son's wife is a native Houstonian and she has been fascinated by the basements in the different places I've lived. She'd never really seen on before and the concept is totally foreign to that area.

If you watch "Extreme Makeover:Home", you'll notice that they rarely put in basements and only in certain areas of the country.

I'd have a hard time living without one. Where would I put all my crap?

[annabear]

OK, I know there are some here who don't like Tom Hanks, but I also know there are others who do. *g* Anyway, Clay connection moment....

I'm sitting here eating lunch and have BIG on WE TV. It was the part where he's staying at Elizabeth Perkins' house, it's the middle of the night and he's homesick. They're playing this song in the background and I thought it was familiar and started to sort of hum along - "It's In Every One of Us"!

[Cotton]

Whoa!

Somebody doesn't like Tom Hanks??!!

Is that even legal in America???

[kimiye]

We put all our crap in the garage (because most of us don't have attics, either-- don't need the highly sloped roofs that keep the snow from getting too heavy, so there's no room up there). It's rare to find a basement in Texas or Florida, but we do love our big garages that never have enough room for the cars. I don't remember basements in Arkansas, either, although many folks had a small root cellar/storm shelter.

Just talked to my sister in Sugar Land-- they have no shingles and not much tarp left on their roof, quite a bit of leaking, and a hole in the ceiling of one of the upstairs rooms. Two large trees uprooted in the yard and a swimming pool full of debris. They have a generator and are holed up in the master bedroom. My mom and nephew slept through the storm. Looks like they did pretty well, considering. I was surprised to get through on the cell phone long enough to have a good chat.

Sure hope they get their power back soon-- the neighborhood has underground lines, so it could be worse. I remember two weeks of misery after Hurricane Charlie, and wouldn't wish it on anyone. Our houses aren't built with breezeways anymore, so the heat and humidity just sit on you.

Just for fun, this recipe of mine has been on line at a friend's site since I wrote it shortly after the storms of 2004.

[playbiller]

Crap, I have a full basement, a full attic with an oak floor and large closets in a house that a family of 6 with 3 dogs used to live in, why don't I have any space?

I have to throw out those Clothes from high school, don't I? I don't think I will ever sell them on e-bay.

[Cotton]

Okay, Play.

I give.

What's with the little dude sitting on the pile of money??

Unless that's Clay with everything I've spent on him in the past 5 years!

[playbiller]

Why, yes, Cotton, that is exactly what it is. Some people were making remarks about poor broke Clay not affording things, and I just have to laugh. How big is his wardrobe budget? Ha!