#42: We're still having fun, and you're still the one!

[FearofH2O]

Sorry muski, we've lost a lot of cats over the years, and some just stay in your heart forever.

[spikesmom]

{{{{{{{{{muski and muskifamily}}}}}}}}}

[Couch Tomato]

Aw Muski so sorry about Shadow. I know what he meant to you and your family. And he was such good company for us on our walks. :F_05BL17blowkiss: I wish I could have made it over today.

[jazzgirl]

I thought 'judgement' was the British spelling and 'judgment' was the American spelling. But I frequently don't know shit.

You just might this time.

Per Wikipedia (FWIW):

judgement vs judgment: judgement is preferred in British English (except in the sense of a judge's decision, in which case "judgment" is preferred), judgment in American English.

The Wikipedia link is interesting, theatre and theater always confuse me.

ETA: Linguistics Forum

[justclay12]

muski, I'm sorry about your dog. I've been there too with both dogs and cats and it's always hard. Hugs to you and your family.

On a lighter note, annabear it looks like your family keeps getting bigger. How much room you got for when Clay tours near you?

[duckyvee]

I thought 'judgement' was the British spelling and 'judgment' was the American spelling. But I frequently don't know shit.

You just might this time.

Per Wikipedia (FWIW):

judgement vs judgment: judgement is preferred in British English (except in the sense of a judge's decision, in which case "judgment" is preferred), judgment in American English.

The Wikipedia link is interesting, theatre and theater always confuse me.

Ah, but preferred doesn't mean more accurate:

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

judge·ment (jŭj'mənt) Pronunciation Key

n. Variant of judgment.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

judg·ment also judge·ment (jŭj'mənt)

[ldyjocelyn]

{{{{{muski and family}}}}} I'm so sorry to hear about Shadow, and how much Shadow meant to you.

Good luck with the dentist aikim!

I :::heart::: annabear's Mom. That is all.

The blog is still impressing me greatly. I love that he decided to have the blog shared over all the boards. Smart decision.

OK, off to bed for me. 'night all!

[Lotus]

Cotton

I still think some folks just want to be begged to stay. They really NEED to be there and are looking for a reason. IMO

I just can't see how someone could read Clay's blog - really read it - and not see his humility and Grace.

How many times does he have to shout from the rooftops that he loves his fans? That blog was filled with love.

More love for some folks than I have to give, that's for sure.

Bolding mine...I think you are quite right Cotton. One of the things I have felt about this fandom is that it is a Sisterhood. Wonderful friendships have been made through being a Clay fan and time spent reading and posting on the boards can for some fill up some pretty lonely empty places in their lives. It must be awfully hard to contemplate giving that up.

I love being a fan of OMC and can't imagine giving it up. If someone, 3 years ago, had told me, an agnostic, that I would become a fan of a Southern Baptist boy I would have said they were nuts...yet here I am and here I will stay.

Hugs to you, Muski. How hard to lose Shadow. He looked like he was a sweet dog, on seeing his photo I wanted to stroke his head. I don't have a dog myself but was raised with them. I'm fortunate in that I have friends with dogs who love being fussed over and patted. I get my doggy fixes where I can.

It is pouring here, the skies have been dark most of the last 3 days and we have at least 3 more days of it coming.

Winter is a comin' in,

Winter is a comin' in,

Winter is a comin' in,

Sing goddamn, goddamn, goddamn!!

[Ansamcw]

((((muski and family)))

[luckiest1]

{{{muski}}}

It is pouring here, the skies have been dark most of the last 3 days and we have at least 3 more days of it coming.

Winter is a comin' in,

Winter is a comin' in,

Winter is a comin' in,

Sing goddamn, goddamn, goddamn!!

I hear ya! Trying hard not to give in and just turn on the freakin' furnace, but not sure if I can make it much longer. I hatesssssss the cold!

I peeked at the OFC earlier, closed it pretty quick. Same old, same old, some people just don't know when it's time to walk away.

[Bookwhore]

Cotton

I still think some folks just want to be begged to stay. They really NEED to be there and are looking for a reason. IMO

Bolding mine...I think you are quite right Cotton. One of the things I have felt about this fandom is that it is a Sisterhood. Wonderful friendships have been made through being a Clay fan and time spent reading and posting on the boards can for some fill up some pretty lonely empty places in their lives. It must be awfully hard to contemplate giving that up.

I agree, but I really don't get why anyone would need to give it up. Someone was here last week (sorry, don't remember who) who said they hadn't posted much because they thought all along that Clay was gay and didn't want to post when it was a prohibited topic. But now that he's out, they feel they can post. At the time I thought WTF??? It's not like Clay is all we ever talk about, and his sexuality even less so. We discuss politics, tv shows, hobbies, pets, food, vacations, families...gosh, it runs the gamut. Clay's sexual preference has never been the focus of this or any other of the mainstream Clay boards. There's still plenty to talk about, plenty of friendships to be enjoyed.

On another very small board I belong to there's a friend who really isn't even much of a Clay fan anymore and hasn't been for a couple of years. But she still posts regularly and enjoys the friendship and cameraderie (sp). One doesn't have to be a fan to be welcome, they just need to refrain from being interfering with others' enjoyment of him.

Wow, my grammar and spelling are atrocious tonight...I must be tired. Nite all. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Gibby]

Well, I had a fun day! I played piano for a couple of choirs at a huge Women's Choir Festival. A bunch of women's choirs got together to perform their own pieces, and then they all sang together in a mass choir. It was thrilling to hear 500 voices singing together! They did some really fun music - a gorgeous piece that was composed just for this event, a piece from Zimbabwe (complete with African percussion instruments), a Vivaldi piece, and a gospel number. Fun times!

WOW, what a FANTASTIC blog!!! I'm going to be gone all day at rehearsals and performances, but decided to check in here before leaving. And am I ever glad I did!

Like all of you, I'm enormously impressed and pleased with what he had to say, and how he said it. As I suspected, he tried his very best after that RS interview to never definitively answer regarding his sexuality. He really tried NOT to lead us to believe he was straight, and yet retain his right to privacy. I really don't think he could have tried any harder.

He is such a turn-on! He is articulate, intelligent, kind and assertive. That kind of man, whether gay or straight, is amazingly attractive to me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LIMEY!!!

:bday:

And now, I'm off to play the piano.

See ya'll tomorrow - have a great day!

Gibby... I agree with the bolded above a LOT!!! However, I need to say definitively that my name is not Limey!!! I do drink sparkling water with lime all the time, but not enough to change my name to Limey! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Heeee, liNNNNNey - sorry 'bout that. That's what happens when you post when you're feeling (1)schmoopie about a fantastic blog, and (2) rushed for time cuz some musicians are gonna be pissed if you're late!

CONGRATS on the weight loss!! *CLAPS WILDLY*

Annabear, your bio entry was really cute! I loved all of the Spamisms.

Oh Lord, OTT....Just got a call from the daughter of my mom's boyfriend at the senior residence. They're moving him back to S. Cal. Mom doesn't know....Oh, Lord.

Now THIS, my friends, is what I call a REAL 'crisis'.

Yikes! You're going to have a heartbroken Mom. And I'm so sorry about Shadow. What a week you've had! *sends positive energy to Muski*

That OFC "support" thread has turned into a farce. Unfortunately, I know one of the players...and at this point, I just want to slap her upside the head. Some of those "Christians" are making this Christian have very unChristian thoughts and feelings. As Clay would say "Oh crap."

[liney23]

Gibby.... :F_05BL17blowkiss: your heart was in the right place, just not your finger...

Thanks! I started my morning with a full heart (blog) and then a laugh from your misspelling! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[HeidiHo]

If I said I were leaving, I'd leave.

Because I don't lie.

(And, I aint EVER leaving FCA.)

I don't make announcements. Period. If I felt I had to leave, I just would. That's what I did at my previous board. But no, I'm not planning on going anywhere.

{{{{{Muski family & Shadow}}}}}

Yeah, very sorry Muski. I've had to have kitties but down and it's quite devastating. It's hard to believe the feeling of loss over what some call "just" a pet. They're not just anything - they're your best friend and a part of the family.

I did see three spelling errors, Liney - I can't help it, I do it all the time at work. <g> The ones I saw were all right at the end, so I wonder if he added that AFTER Jaymes or Jerome edited him. Heh. I so agree with the person who said there were probably multiple drafts - he's such a smart man, after all, and smart men know to get a proof reader for the big, splashy posts. <g> I would so do him.

Don't forget the third paragraph: "judgment", not "judgement" (*tries to be as educational as KAndre was in prompting me to look up "polyamory"*)

Well, somehow you have quoted merrieeee saying the above, jazzgirl, but it was me. <g> I'm the nerd. As for judgement, I see someone down thread discussing how neither way was really wrong. I had to look up polyamory too - and I've never had to do that on a message board before (although I did have to do it on a blog from a dude who used a ten dollar word every other word and that's just obnoxious - not impressed, dude)!! I hate when that happens. <g> Although looking at the word I should have been able to figure it out without looking it up. Me lazy.

Is it just wrong that I have Wii arm right now?

[annabear]

Yeah, very sorry Muski. I've had to have kitties but down and it's quite devastating. It's hard to believe the feeling of loss over what some call "just" a pet. They're not just anything - they're your best friend and a part of the family.

Absolutely. I was devastated when I lost my last kitty in 2005. I'd had her since high school, through college and jobs and moves and happy and crappy times. She never said a word about my weight or my grades or the dust bunnies. *g* Hell, I like my pets better than some people...

I'll let my mom know that she's got some pending adoptions in the Clay Nation!

As for space in my new place, justclay12? I'll have a huge living room, sleeping bags, a comfy couch, an aerobed, and a futon... next time Clay tours (prays for spring/summer 2009) and has a stop in Ohio, y'all are invited!

[wandacleo]

Muski I'm so sorry.

[annabear]

Stage door pics from tonight via dancermom2 and a recap from the CB:

from Starry:

I haven't seen this mentioned yet, so I'll mention it.

When the Lady Of The Lake walked off stage after "Divas Lament", she had dropped one of the roses off of her boquet. When Clay came out to do the guard scene, he sort of accidentally kicked the rose across the stage and then paid a lot of attention to it as it slid. It was funny and I don't know how to describe it! After Prince Herbert's father went into the castle again, Guard 1 (David Hibbard) picked up the rose and started smelling it, Clay made a "oo" face and was doing the same. LOL I thought it was hilarious.

Also, he was very talkative during SD, talking to a lot of fans and taking pictures with a lot too!! He came out pretty quickly after the show was over. I have pictures I will upload and post tomorrow morning. I'm too tired right now!

Clickable....

[muskifest]

Thank you all for your hugs. They made me feel better. As I just wrote to someone in a PM, I believe that our pets are here to teach us humans what unconditional love is all about. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Oh...Claygasm called me tonight from the stage door scene. She said there were quite a few more guys around the door this time around than during Clay's first months in Spamalot... AND she said he looked "adorable" in his hoodie...I'll let her give a real report on the actual play, but in general she said it had a very different energy about it--most likely from the different combination of the actors on stage...but that Clay was still terrific.

Anyway, after getting all the snacks ready for Alex's soccer game tomorrow (it is our family's turn to provide the snacks, but it just worked out that neither hubby nor I will be able to go to the actual game---he's across the country taking care of HIS mom and I'm getting up at 6 am to get Carrie to her god-awful-early double-header softball games! )...and having pretended to clean house (only got some laundry done, actually...heh)..I'm gonna go to bed to read. Carrie asked if she could read with me and then sleep with me tonight.

Sure...that'll be nice.

(Oh, JennaZ---I got that book from the library that you mentioned---the one about "A Year of Living Biblically". It looks like a fun read!

'Nite, all! and may I say that I'm soooooo glad to be an FCA'er!

[keepingfaith]

I'm going back over those SD pictures above. Maybe it's my imagination, but I swear that I see something in Clay's whole demeanor that I haven't seen since he was on Idol. It's like an abandonment to joy or something like that. But God he's beautiful!

{{{{Muski}}}}

Happy Birthday, Liney! Remember -- Libras never grow old, just cuter!

[JennaZ]

I hope you enjoy the book, muski. Hugs to you an your family.

I'm so glad that Clay posted what he did. I have to say, if some don't have it in their hearts to try and understand his point of view, it's their loss. As I've said, I think there are some who really aren't trying for any kind of peace or acceptance. The vast majority have moved on.

Clay does seem happy at the stage door. Thanks for bringing over the photos and recaps.

[cha cha trusty]

to muski and fam - I remember having to put my last 2 dogs down, and it wasn't easy.

JEEZ!!! I'll never catch up. I'm like 17 pages behind. I've been spending time with my girls and hubby.

ALSO.... reading TWILIGHT. I can't seem to get away from it. I'm about halfway thru. The movie is coming out in November!!

THIS.........

is BEAUTIFUL!!!

Look at the fascinated look on the young boy's face - the one in the baseball cap behind the blonde woman. It's like he's seeing thru new eyes.

And how un-tha-rilled does that security guy look?? Someone needs to get him a chill pill or something.

[Scarlett]

Catching up to everyone and wishing belated HBD to liney!

:bday:

and welcome to crazycoffin

and for anna's Mamabear

and {{{Muski&family}}}

I love the stage door pictures and I wonder if any knitters might be interested in trying to get a picture of Clay with a sock-in-progress for the Yarn Harlot's Challenge -- if anyone a knitter gets a picture of a major politician or celebrity or cool person (and I think Clay qualifies), then the Yarn Harlot and other knitters will send donations to MSF / KWB. But you mustn't tell him it's for a good cause, just say "could you please hold this sock while I take a picture"? Someone already got a picture of Barak Obama holding a sock-in-progress and they got one of Greg Kinnear the other night. I want them to have one of Clay too! It'll also give him a lot of visibility in the knitting world. (for equal coverage, if anyone gets a picture of McCain holding a sock-in-progress we'll post a link too, and if it helps any, Yarn Harlot is Canadian but is well loved everywhere)

Oh, and of course we hope it's a striped sock-in-progress...

ETA: Correction - The person who hands him the s-in-p should be a kniiter.

[claytonic]

claytonic...

thank you so much for the birthday wishes, but I'm not sure I like the reminder of how many birthdays... haha! I don't really mind, I just wanted to tease you about revealing my age! I'm in the prime of my life.... almost!

Well, I figured those who are sensitive about their age wouldn't be revealing it in their profile, and of course I grab every opportunity to post one of my historical quotes!!!! But heck, every additional year means more life experience, greater wisdom - hopefully! Personally, I wouldn't want to go back to my 20s... I was so naive. But you can't put an old head on young shoulders, so we all have to live through those stumbling years!

http://www.people.com/people/archive/issue...6030526,00.html

I was at the People.com site and did a search on Clay Aiken and it brought up that page (above). It shows the People cover in May 2003, with Clay, Kim and Ruben. I realize this is very, VERy old for most of you but

does anyone have a scanned copy filed away and easy to access or know of a site that have compiled scans of press articles?

Claytonic, if you go back to your link, there is a .pdf right on the page that you can download. It says it contains the whole magazine....I didn't check.

FromClaygary, THANKS for that, I found the article in full!

Wow, my grammar and spelling are atrocious tonight...I must be tired. Nite all. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

HA join the club! When I was reading Clay's blog, I kept finding errors (looks like he doesn't like the possessive apostrophe, amongst other things!)... then I saw my post about People.com quoted by FromClaygary, and there's my grammatical boo boo immortalized in her post! I've always been considered The Grammar Guru and The Human Dictionary BC (Before Computers.... when people were too lazy to look up something). Goes to show no one is perfect....and how much easier it is to see other people's error than one's own. Although I was surprised Clay's blog looked like it hadn't been proof-read and scrutinized by Jaymes and/or his publicist, the fact that it wasn't grammatically perfect indicates to me that it was probably entirely his communication, spoken with his loving heart and intelligent mind. He didn't really need to prove anything else.

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.d...50313/-1/NEWS10

The author of this blog really pissed.me.off.

I replied to it as freethinker1. I can't stomach so-called Christians who spend all their time pointing the finger at others (especially decent people who don't meet THEIR approval) while quoting from the Bible.

Muski, so very sorry to hear about Shadow. I raised my German Shepherd from puppy to 14 years, and anyone who says a dog isn't family has never known the unconditional love of a pet, and the heartbreak involved when it is time to say goodbye. My dogs have taught me so much about humans, including myself.

ETA: scarlett, that is a wonderful idea, and shouldn't be too hard to achieve (says claytonic who lives too far away to be of any assistance...)

EATA:

I've just updated this thread for a list of all the YouTube videos

featuring the songs from On My Way Here.

http://findingclayaiken.invisionzone.com/i...st=0#entry63685

The main idea for this was so that the list can be sent to people to listen to, and hopefully they will buy the CD themselves. (While it is nice to buy the CD to give to someone, it is better if they buy it themselves because they love it)

[merryclay]

I got these YouTubes from CB. It looks like he had a good crowd for yesterday's stagedoors. That makes me very happy.

You guys have a great Sunday.

I love Clay Aiken and I'm so proud of him.

[aikim]

Good Morning Everyone,

For my Cubbies...such a great year and such a crappy ending.

13 Days until The BAF Gala!

19 Days until Clay Roasts Matt Lauer!

56 Days until Clay's Golden Birthday!

91 Days until The Closing Night of Spamalot!

111 Days until Golfing for Inclusion!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim