#43: Even more beautiful now, inside and out!

[claylove]

Cotton, our conference is in Charlotte...but I'll be visiting a friend near Raleigh on my way to Charlotte! She's one of my very first friends from the Clay Friends Network! She, Claygasm and Totally were my charter Clay friends.

Actually, this lucky friend lives in Clayton, NC.

No lie!

Hey, that is where I live too! In Clayton, NC! Small world :-)

[liney23]

Cotton, our conference is in Charlotte...but I'll be visiting a friend near Raleigh on my way to Charlotte! She's one of my very first friends from the Clay Friends Network! She, Claygasm and Totally were my charter Clay friends.

Actually, this lucky friend lives in Clayton, NC.

No lie!

muski... are you going to visit Ms.P??? I remember her well. She was ultra nice! Say, "hey" for me, will you? Hope your conference goes very well.

[slightly political rant] If the idiots in the media wouldn't keep playing up how bad the economy is, it might not be. Gawd![/rant]

[Cotton]

[slightly political rant] If the idiots in the media wouldn't keep playing up how bad the economy is, it might not be. Gawd![/rant]

Ya' think?

What, muski? No job? hee

Ah, yeah. Clayton. Passed the exit sign on the way to see DS when he was at NC State many times. Always makes me smile!

[FromClaygary]

So - between the Matt Lauer roast and the Wicked thingy, maybe Clay can just rock Parker for a day or two! He could do both of those on crutches if he had to!

Wonder how little Sweet P is doing?

Did y'all see that gorgemous picture of Jaymes that Permaswooned took??!!!

...and she looks even better in person....lovely picture, though! She is sooooooo little!!

Sending virtual mp3's of all his songs back to him (can't think of anything else that eases pain better)...

(((Hugs))) to our brave knight!!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

And have a great weekend to everyone else!!!

Ok, 2 playbills total: Thankful4Clay & Cotton

No, don't stop, Cotton -- laughter is the best medicine!

Scarlett, if there's a chance for 3 I would LOVE one too!

[djs111]

[slightly political rant] If the idiots in the media wouldn't keep playing up how bad the economy is, it might not be. Gawd![/rant]

I live near Tampa. Tampa almost leads the nation in job losses and foreclosures. It is bad. The jobs are gone, and now the restaurants and small business are failing, at the same time that cuts in property taxes are cutting services and putting gov. employees out into a failed job market. So people need to pay attention and plan, IMO.

The media did not send the IT jobs overseas, nor did they cause people to stop charging things and stop going out to eat, etc. Oil prices and corporate greed did that.

Sorry if that sounds like a rant, but yes the economy in some places is very bad indeed.

[gbmifan]

Well, I live in Michigan, and the economy in our area sucks. Everything at one time was auto related. My husband is being forced to take a early buyout. He is only 56 with 38 years in. He is working on his resume but knows the job market here is bad. I have no problems because we still have a great nurses shortage. I think the average age for nurses is like 48. Young people have a hard time getting into what programs are out there, plus some do not want to do what I call floor nursing. They only want to be managers and make more money. I have always enjoyed taken care of people so manage work does not even appeal to me. I do not want to go full time when my husband is done. The only time I would have to consider is if they drop our health insurance. I have been in the role I am in for 28 of the 36 years I have worked at the hospital. With being occassional with no benefits,because my husband carried them, I have been able to tell them when I want to work. My contract calls for two weekdays a month, one weekend day every three months, and one holiday a year. Every month I give them the days I want to work. It has been nice, and I do not want to go back to full time, working every third weekend, every other holiday, and not much vacation time.

Now back to Clay! I hope he is feeling better. Sometimes the injury is worse the next couple of days then starts feeling better. I feel for those who have plans for this weekend. I know when my time comes,if it was iffy if he was going to be able to be there, I would be really concerned with the money I have out. I do understand that this is the risk that is taken when airfare, hotel, and tickets are purchased. But it is really important that he does not injure himself more.

[liney23]

[slightly political rant] If the idiots in the media wouldn't keep playing up how bad the economy is, it might not be. Gawd![/rant]

I live near Tampa. Tampa almost leads the nation in job losses and foreclosures. It is bad. The jobs are gone, and now the restaurants and small business are failing, at the same time that cuts in property taxes are cutting services and putting gov. employees out into a failed job market. So people need to pay attention and plan, IMO.

The media did not send the IT jobs overseas, nor did they cause people to stop charging things and stop going out to eat, etc. Oil prices and corporate greed did that.

Sorry if that sounds like a rant, but yes the economy in some places is very bad indeed.

djs... I'm sorry, I did not mean to belittle where it is really bad, but I honestly believe that consumer confidence being so low that people are not spending money is making it worse and that is being fueled by the media's insistence that we're on the brink of another Great Depression. Our company is actually hiring and things are fine and going to stay that way for us. There are lots of companies out there that are fine, lots of people who are fine. The media only focuses where the story is awful, which scares everyone to death and makes them stop spending, which fuels more fear....

[djs111]

A lot of those who stop spending money do so because they lost their job, and have no money to spare. Or those who have a fixed income - when you only have $100 to spend, and must go from spending $30 to spending $50 on gas, then what do you do? Charge food or stuff you don't really need, and hope you don't lose the ability to pay it back?

It is almost funny to see the stacks of the new 8-pack Pepsi and Cokes sitting around at the local Hess station. People are not dumb, they know the price went up, they are doing without or buying store brands. I love Diet Pepsi, but won't be buying it again, I will not pay higher prices, and soon I won't miss it anyway. I make a lot of iced tea with bargain teabags now. I won't be changing back to soda.

We are told to always be prepared to lose our jobs, it now seems a good bet for a lot of people that they might lose their job, so it only makes sense to stop spending.

Twice last year, my telecom IT job got sent to India. I did not lose the job to someone more skilled, or through my own shortcomings, it was a business decision made by the company to lower costs. And then they complained because the number of employees/contractors buying DSL or FIOS was down. DUH!

Those jobs are gone, not just filled by someone else here who will spend money here. And the people who got those jobs are not spending money in this country.

Spending even more here to make up for that is irresponsible. I didn't break the economy, I am not going to fix it by spending more.

I wonder how the roast is going, or how it will go, it starts at noon, I believe.. I would imagine that this will be quite "interesting" for Clay, but he would have been a target anyway. Everybody gets roasted, really.

[aikim]

I just got gas this morning and it was $2.99 a gallon.

The other day I got my husband's 401K statement in the mail and it had actually gone up...I was expecting the worst and was pleasantly surprised.

My husband has two more years to work and then he will have 30 years in the company and will be able to retire (he works for Frito-Lay)...looking forward to it, but I am also worried that they may try to push him out before then or that the benefits we are counting on may not be there. Hubby doesn't think we have anything to worry about...he never worries about anything...kind of ticks me off at times.

Even though we are both working, we are still living paycheck to paycheck and I have to scrimp and save...coupons are my friends at the grocery store and I have cut down on extras, don't buy a lot of snacks...besides homemade cookies and such are better anyway.

What really annoys me is that the size of boxes and containers are getting smaller, but they are charging the same prices or more...do manufacturer's really think we are that gullible and can't tell?

It will be interesting to see how much money will be spent at Christmas this year...I know I will be cutting back.

But that said, I always try and remember that there are people worse off than I am and to count my blessings...we may not be rich but we have a roof over our heads, and food on the table and life in general is pretty good!

Looks like the Roast will be covered on ET tonight and Access Hollywood and The Today Show will have highlights on Monday.

Kim

[muskifest]

...and she looks even better in person....lovely picture, though! She is sooooooo little!!

I hate her.

Cotton, right now in these crazy times right before the big conference, dealing with an internal staff that includes six who've never experienced this event due to the massive job turnover recently....

uh....you can have MY job!

And yeah liney, I think we're talking about the same "MsP" You're right! She's a keeper.

[Cotton]

Real Simple Quote of the Day

October 24, 2008

The love we give away is the only love we keep. — Elbert Hubbard

[jmh123]

I was unable to find a job for more than two years, after coming back to NC to help take care of my mom. Never expected it would be so difficult. I've really worked at the job search too, but I'm middle-aged, female, and inexperienced in some of the positions I've been applying for. I've been living off money I saved for retirement, and cutting lots of corners. I also collected unemployment for 26 weeks and got the 13-week extension on that which Congress voted in a few months ago. Now I have a job for a few months, freelance, that pays really well. But no benefits. And it's just temporary. If I get "real" health insurance it would cost me a fortune, so I have a temporary policy, but I don't know if I can renew that again and it runs out at the end of this month. Right now I just don't go to the doctor. The good news is that over time I've learned to live with the "it's temporary" situation and have a decent attitude most days.

[djs111]

Chrysler just now announced they are laying off 25% of the salaried workforce.

Chinese are rioting because the credit crunch has caused Christmas toy orders to drop deeply, and factories are closing. Not to mention the lead paint and melamine shit. Gotta say, though the Chinese seem just as wlling to sell that stuff in China, equal opportunists. And how much of that was caused by insistence on more and more profit, even though the end game is set - people will stop buying altogether.

Keep spending? Not possible for a lot of people. Keep charging? I must say I had no idea the whole world depended so much on Americans charging stuff.

OPEC just announced that they will be cutting oil production, driving prices back up, because they are not getting enough profits. Fill that gas tank now.

Looks to me like a big problem is that consumers are expected to keep spending even though they are getting less for their money, so that investors and businesses can continue getting the same or greater level of profits.

Yeats - "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold...". Americans cannot keep spending money they don't have.

Yes, 401Ks will do better for a bit since funds are buying up stocks at bargain prices. That buying frenzy is done, though, I think. It drove the market up for a little bit, but then reality set in, profits and stocks are tied to people spending money, and if people don't have it, or are afraid they will lose it tomorrow, they ain't spending it.

jmh123 my boat is quite similar to your boat! Luckily for now, I am healthy!

Listening to and looking at Clay makes me feel better, though, I am sorry about ranting!

Plus I would be in a much worse situation if not for friends I made through this fandom.

[Cotton]

Oh, I don't think there's any doubt that the economy is BAD.

We've had restaurants close in Wilmington.

DH and I see our retirement accounts decline. (I took out my retirement when I left teaching and put it in mutual funds. Safer than individual stocks - can't go below our original outlay - but still depressing.)

But I agree that the continual harping in the political ads and in the media feeds the fear, therefore adds to the economic decline.

I don't know what can be done, though. The media will stay with the story until there's no story left.

In the meantime, real people are seeing real problems in their lives.

And it pisses me off that some of the very ones who created this mess have their multiple houses, etc, in their wives or children's names and get to go on their merry way.

I think the AIG people should have to pay back every cent.

I'm probably not making any sense. I majored in English not business or math!

[crimsonice]

Just thought I should pop my head in and say thanks to everyone for the well wishes, and for keeping my mother sane while I was busy worrying her Anyone that knows her, knows exactly what I mean {{{{luckiest1}}}} Thankfully, I am feeling better. Still not great, but it helps me milk one more sick day out of work! Who wants to be going up and down the elevators to the CN Tower until 2am if they don't have to? Not me! But, thank you all again. It was much appreciated

{{{{{{ CLAY }}}}}}

[Cotton]

Oh, lookie!

Getting sick brought crimsonice out from lurkdom!!!

Glad you're feeling better!!!

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

Notice that's a blown kiss.

I don't wanna get them germs!

[luckiest1]

*waves to crimsonice*

Fancy seeing you here! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[wandacleo]

Life goes on for me--I have retirement and income from freelance writing--but I can see that I'm a lucky one. My daughter (in St Louis) lost her job and it took her 4 months to find a new one. She thought her fiance's job was fine--working for Verizon in technical support at a big center--then the company made an announcement that they were closing the entire center at the beginning of November. Talk about anxiety! They are praying he can get another job soon--even if it pays less. LOTS of people are really having a bad time with the economy so bad. I see it everywhere.

[Lotus]

Well here is something to cheer you up. The programme for the roast today with OBF's name first on the list.

I know, it's in alphabetical order but I still get a little thrill seeing his name at the top.

It's a good thing that he titanium balls...he must have needed them today since he'll be roasted along with everyone else.

Roast programme

[merrieeee]

http://www.filmmagic.com/ItemListing.aspx?...&navtyp=gls

Lookie lookie!

Singer & Actor Clay Aiken

Yess!!!

[Thankful4Clay]

Sure thing, thankful4Clay!!! (and I'm sorry about the Gala, I think I was in a daze!) -- & lol, muski!

I met some people who remembered me and I just stared at them blankly. It's so hard to remember everyone.

If you have an extra Playbill, send me a PM and I'll PayPal you the postage and my address.

[lilyshine]

http://www.filmmagic.com/ItemListing.aspx?...&navtyp=gls

Lookie lookie!

I love it that he's just "singer and actor" ! No AI, no gay Dad, no comments. Maybe he's finally graduated!?!?

[annabear]

http://www.filmmagic.com/ItemListing.aspx?...&navtyp=gls

Lookie lookie!

"Singer and actor Clay Aiken..."

[ldyjocelyn]

Via the CH:

Newscom Picture

User name: NCFOTONA

Password: Guest

[aikim]

Clay looked great! And yeah, "Singer and Actor Clay Aiken" has a very loverly ring to it!

Kim