#44: We think we'll keep him!!!!

[bottlecap]

I don't think this picture from last night got posted over here yet.

Stripes and sideburns - so good to see both of them again.

[Clayzy]

Bottlecap, that picture? Wow! I can't muster up anything more intelligent than that. Wowza?

And I love that picture of him with the blond hair, dark jacket, jeans, and sandals. So pretty!

Hm... I just heard MDYK again. I know someone (merieeee?) said that OHN is getting a lot of play, but I haven't heard ANY versions of OHN in the last three days that I've been listening to a lot of Christmas radio, except one--Josh Groban's. Nothing against Josh and I like him just fine, but I prefer Clay, darnit!

ETA: Oh, but at least he got his name mentioned after MDYK played.

[Lotus]

ldyjocelyn Thanks for the pretty pictures. I loved his hair in the last one but I can totally understand him wanting a hairstyle that is easy to take care of.

Gibby I sent the Doghouse video to my brother who replied telling me that he had once given my SIL a wok for Christmas but inside he had wisely placed a pair of diamond earrings.

The discussion of Clay's "lying" has been going on for yet another day over at the CH. For those of you who don't read there regularly I just wanted to let you know that berkeley posted at 1:26 GMT a very long and thoughtful piece on the whole discussion that is well worth reading.

I have it saved to my Fan writings folder if anyone wants it PM'd to them.

ETA berkely's post is #2482 at CV

[aikim]

I hate to butt into the conversation, this is really off-topic...but looking for a little advice from any cat owners out there that might have experience with a problem we are having with our cat Cinnamon.

Took her to the Vet today because she was limping and favoring her back leg and it turns out she has a partial tear of a ligament in her knee and also hip dysplasia in that leg which is congenital. She is 18 months old. We have two courses of action, surgery which would be about $2500 which we can't afford or 2 months of rest, which entails keeping her in my bedroom, no jumping and running around. She is also on anti-inflamation medicine and pain medicine. I also have to change her diet since she will not be as active...adult diet formula; Pro-Plan.

We are going for the two months of rest. The Vet took x-rays and is pretty sure it is a partial tear since she can put weight on it and if so, it should heal with no problems.

Any advice would be appreciated...you can PM since we seemed to be in a serious discussion and I agree wholeheartedly with Berkeley...she is an asset to this fandom and I hope we don't lose her.

Thanks so much,

Leaving for bowling in a few minutes, so I may not get back until 9:00 or so.

Kim

[FromClaygary]

Kim, you need the feline equivalent of a dog "cage", which is NOT inhumane; it will allow the cat to move about, but not, as the vet said, to jump and run. I'd check again with your vet.

I'll second the motion about reading Berkley's post; it's a MUST read.

....and that picture is just to die for!!

[liney23]

I hate to butt into the conversation, this is really off-topic...but looking for a little advice from any cat owners out there that might have experience with a problem we are having with our cat Cinnamon.

Took her to the Vet today because she was limping and favoring her back leg and it turns out she has a partial tear of a ligament in her knee and also hip dysplasia in that leg which is congenital. She is 18 months old. We have two courses of action, surgery which would be about $2500 which we can't afford or 2 months of rest, which entails keeping her in my bedroom, no jumping and running around. She is also on anti-inflamation medicine and pain medicine. I also have to change her diet since she will not be as active...adult diet formula; Pro-Plan.

We are going for the two months of rest. The Vet took x-rays and is pretty sure it is a partial tear since she can put weight on it and if so, it should heal with no problems.

Any advice would be appreciated...you can PM since we seemed to be in a serious discussion and I agree wholeheartedly with Berkeley...she is an asset to this fandom and I hope we don't lose her.

Thanks so much,

Leaving for bowling in a few minutes, so I may not get back until 9:00 or so.

Kim

Aikim... do you know anyone handy? I saw someone walking their dog the other day that had built a tiny cart for the hindquarters that was attached via straps around the chest and had wheel in the back. It kept the hind quarters/legs off the ground. They said the dog had hip dysplasia. She was tripping along quite happily using her front legs and the wheels/cart for the back legs. Since your cat is so young, something like this might work when she gets older.

I have had experience with arthritis... the same thing that works for humans, works for pets. Chondroitan sulfite/whatever it pairs with. The vet said to use it and it works nicely. Not sure if it will work on hip displasia, tho.

That Berkeley post was awesome. Over at CH, skybar also just posted a short, but very true post from her viewpoint as a pyschologist. Since I do counseling, too, I agree with her totally. We are responsible for our own feelings.

Some are still up in arms cause Clay is doing a bit of hyperbole in the last couple of interviews about it "not being an announcement" and they have interpreted that as him saying he wasn't in the closet. I don't agree that is what he means, but what I think is that the man was raised to believe that being gay was bad and wrong. He's allowed to do a bit of re-inventing in how he sees things as he adjusts to living an openly gay life. Richard Chamberlain said he didn't come to be fully at peace with it until his 60's.

I get to go home now! Yay!!! Weekend, here I come!

[claylove]

Berkeley's post was awesome. Thanks for pointing it out! I think Clay's response to "the news" mention in interviews is really just his way of saying his sexuality shouldn't be considered news in the first place. He does not define himself by his sexuality and doesn't want others to define him by it either. It may be part of who Clay is but its not all that Clay is. I just wish some people would see that.

[muskifest]

I ditto the thumbs up for berkeley's post AND I'd like to add a suggestion to read skybar's as well. skybar's was more about working with the different ways people are dealing with Clay's news/no-news...the 'struggling' issue and others' treatment of those 'struggling' I commented on CH and added a cheer!

Sorry if this isn't feeling too supportive of those who are still hurting and struggling but in my work, I believe we all need to take full responsibility for our own feelings. Working things out with loved ones is different from expecting a celebrity to work it out with us. That is just not reality.

skybar, I loved your whole post, but this part especially had me wanting to grab my pom poms---no, not THOSE pom poms!--and yell, "Gimme a Y! Gimme an E! Gimme a S! Gimme another S! What's that spell? YESS!!!!! Say it again! YESS!!!!!!"

Because that's EXACTLY my opinion re: struggles vs non-struggles. Thank you.

And now for something comPLETEly different!

Although I usually do NOT have many complimentary things to say about the San Francisco Chronicle's opinions of music, I have to say that reading this was rather interesting. Basically, the writer bemoans the sad state of pop/rock music today and how that has translated into a particularly sickening year of Grammy awards.He hit on a number of areas that we fans have discussed on message boards when studying why Clay isn't 'making' it in mainstream music..

What Have They Done to Our Songs?

Key quotes for me:

"It is the complete and utter absence of any major work by an industry that once shipped masterpieces weekly."

"The pop music panorama in the 21st century is a bleak landscape of commercial songwriters and professional producers who long ago traded away creativity and imagination in favor of craft and cunning. Artists working in anything less than the lowest common denominators have been <snip> cut out of any access to mainstream audiences."

"Today's pop stars are manufactured by management firms in sleek offices...publicists, stylists, marketing consultants--Pussycat Dolls anyone? Their records have been Pro-Tooled into submission, every wrinkle smoothed out....into a perfect, lifeless aural confection."

"Nobody makes records anymore simply because they like the music and, truth be told, many people in the industry don't like the music they are making."

Discuss.

Oh...and I'll let you guys know tomorrow evening but color me SHOCKED and AWED! I actually got the iPod seller on the phone, claimed he misrepresented the iPod and asked to meet again and exchange again. He...well, after a second call, he agreed to meet me tomorrow! We'll see...but DAYUM! If it really happens, I'll be soooooooo encouraged about the state of humankind!

[luckiest1]

Helloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

aikim, sorry to hear about your cat woes. I have been told to keep one of my cats quiet before, and other than locking him in my bedroom (which involved bringing his litter box & food up) I don't really have any helpful advice for you. Good luck!

Pop music today? I'm sorry, I'm obviously so out of tune with the rest of the world that articles like that just make me shake my head and say "what are they smoking?" Here we have, IMHO, the best pop singer of the freaking century of all time who has just released a wonderful CD and he doesn't even get a comment, let alone a Grammy nod. I'll never understand it. But I don't get myself worked up over stuff like that anymore. I just enjoy him and thank God that I discovered his voice when I did. For the critics and music snobs who don't? As they say, it's their loss.

Wheeee! I started packing for NY last night. At work, we are on mandatory overtime, so I figure I won't have much opportunity next week. Hey, at least the days will fly by, because I will be so busy. Current countdown 5 days! until I am seeing this for myself:

[luckiest1]

Ok, time for more Spam reports, via CH!

dancerdad went to the Stage Door...I feel like it's the wrong time to post it in the middle of the discussion...but here goes anyway...

1

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ETA: Hee GBB...dancerdad and I have an agreement...he goes to the stage door to try to take pics and I do the dishes. That's usually his job!

From CV:

Just got a call from SusanDavis. She said the show was wonderful. He didn't do anything special with the Amen or his top hat but he did pull his pant legs up at the finale to show his mismatched striped socks!! She, Clayanne and LOML all had their picture taken with him and were very excited. They are now standing in line at Juniors waiting to eat.

Oh oh oh oh - I forgot to mention. Susan said Clay's hair looked WONDERFUL!!!!! And from the pictures it looks like he's got the curlies at the nape of his neck.....awwwwww. Also that during ALOTBSOL he must have had a hair or something hanging in his face from under his wig that he kept futzing with. Finally she said he just yanked it out. She said it was hysterical. (did you ever realize how easily amused we are???? innocent.gif ) Any other man pulling a hair out of his head would just be another ho-hum WTF is he doing moment. Clay does it and it's a topic in a phone call and I'm posting it on a message board.....bwaahahaha!!!!

[jmh123]

Random stuff I saw at the CB:

OHN charted on the Radio and Records chart:

http://theclayboard.yuku.com/topic/27679?page=1

which links to http://www.radioandrecords.com/Formats/Charts/AC_Chart.asp

(#20 in recurrents, scroll down)

MCWL has been out so long that the recurrents chart is the only one its eligible for.

I also read somewhere that RCA sent out a Christmas compilation CD to radio, with OHN on it, and that's probably why it is getting so much airplay this year.

Also on the CB, here:

OMWH is #31 on the list of "Best of 2008: Top 100 Customer Favorites" (albums) on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=U...11&plpage=2

[bottlecap]

I like Clay's WTH! expression in this pic.

[aikim]

Good Morning Everyone,

Thanks everyone for your advice on the kitty; first night in my room went okay. She did wake me up a few times to be lifted up on the bed and I did hear her scratching at the door to be let out. This is going to be interesting.

Clay is looking especially good these days at the stagedoor. I love his hair...just natural, no spikes, no goop and a little longer.

29 Days until The Closing Night of Spamalot!

51 Days until Golfing For Inclusion!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[FromClaygary]

OMG, those pictures are wonderful! I absolutely love them...the hair, with a little bit falling down in his face looks great, although those sideburns have gotta go Not too likely I'm gonna rescind my fandom over it though.

We OWE this guy ( I mean Dancerdad) bigtime for all these wonderful pictures!

And thanks jmh for bringing over all the charting information. The Christmas promo CD has appeared every now and again on ebay~going for atrocious sums of money as I recall

Amazon? That's awesome; I can't for the life of me figure out why it isn't reflected in his sales numbers! Just goes to show how few CD's Amazon sells, I guess? ....or maybe those sales numbers haven't been published yet, as they're reflective of Christmas purchases.

In any case, woo-hoo!!

I'm off for a 4.5 hr flight out West shortly....attending the company's AGM next week and celebrating an early Christmas with my family at the same time. Hope we continue to get all the good stuff brought over here, as it's the only website I can access on my laptop. Thanks to those who do bring over the info!!

[Couch Tomato]

Yay it's saturday -- the week from hell is over. Now off to see what my boyfriend has been up to.

[Couch Tomato]

WHOA! ldyjocelyn! You posted some of my very favorite pictures of Clay!

I absolutely ADORE the one of him in Somalia...all the kids look so full of excitement and joy and that laugh/smile on Clay's face is pure, unadulterated happiness!

(and the white pants ain't too shabby, either... )

That Somali picture is one of my favorite pictures. It was my screen saver for the longest time. It was the joy on the kids faces. I understand that a lot of the photos that these ambassadors do are photo ops (not saying they don't care deeply about what they do) but it just felt like REAL engagement. The face of clay and the kids was to quote my sister in law AWESOME.

Some are still up in arms cause Clay is doing a bit of hyperbole in the last couple of interviews about it "not being an announcement" and they have interpreted that as him saying he wasn't in the closet. I don't agree that is what he means, but what I think is that the man was raised to believe that being gay was bad and wrong. He's allowed to do a bit of re-inventing in how he sees things as he adjusts to living an openly gay life. Richard Chamberlain said he didn't come to be fully at peace with it until his 60's.

Here's my words of wisdom over this whole thing. GET THE FUCK OVER IT. Really, I'm sorry to start off the day like this is starting to bug the shit out of me. Good thing I'm not reading it because my words of wisdom might be a little less "subtle."

And to the people who are so over Clay and glad about it..they'd have to find somewhere else to interact with their Clay friends.

Now let me go look at some pretty pictures and remember that with the country falling damn apart that Clay Aiken is a pop star. All this pyscho analyzing of him needs to stop and people need to look at their own damn self.

Or maybe I should have just posted this:

:boo-hoo:

slinks away

this is my personal opinion and does not reflect any sort of FCA consensus. Feel free to try to understand

[annabear]

Couchie, please, tell us how you really feel. So many here tend to just hold in their feelings...

Ahem. I woke up to this morning! Not much, just a little more than a dusting. Pretty. It was also nice to not have to wake up at any certain time and to not *have* to do anything today. Although the boxes piled in my living room aren't going to unpack themselves, dang it!

Off to make some coffee & then do whatever the hell I feel like doing today!

[bottlecap]

Pretty pictures? I might have one or two of those....

[Couch Tomato]

thank you bottle..they had a calming effect

[aikim]

Couchie I think you put that rather succinctly and are right on the mark...please don't ever feel you have to hide your feelings from us, LOL!

Kim

[bottlecap]

The ongoing conversation the CH is having may not be everyone's cup o' tea, but what I've read has been pretty respectful (for the most part) and articulate, and is probably helping more people than just those that are participating. IMO, it's better than reading page after page of complaints about anyone who ever even looked sideways at Clay. The scroll bar has been my friend lately.

Off to bake some cookies. Visions of sugar plums and all that jazz...

[Couch Tomato]

My comments were strictly about the idea that every time Clay makes a comment his fans will be psychoanalyzing him and his motives and using the fact that they remember every word he ever uttered against him in some way. Of course this is in no way different from anything else the past 5 years. I hope the conversations going on DOES help someone but really I just don't care. I know that makes me the mother of all bitches and unsympathetic and totally the antithesis of this guy I admire so much although I wonder if Jaymes would understand my point of view. I just don't think this is EVER going to end and even the people who are over him just won't go away ever. Just isn't my idea of fun. I've been shocked before though.

[muskifest]

bottle, I agree re: the tone of the discussion at CH. It's actually been interesting..However, I must express my concern over Couchie's blood pressure and wonder if perhaps I should make a quick drive to Casa Couchie to check on her?

and luckiest....It's interesting, too, to read your reaction to that article. I actually came away from reading it with the impression that the writer is seeing the same things that we here have talked about (without the specific reference to Clay's music)...that the current state of music is horrid and that what is considered Grammy worthy doesn't come CLOSE to what used to be applauded as good, let alone GREAT...Those particular quotes I used were things that DID specifically make me think of points of discussion about Clay's music.

bottle, I've always that pic of Clay in the blue shirt with his hands in his back pockets. And every time I look at it I see that bright horizontal brand label in his right front pocket POINTING the way to where my eyes SHOULD go!

Beautiful, crisp day here in the Bay Area.

ETA: Couchie, I was evidently writing and posting and doing all that smilie finding and whatnot while you were actually posting---I'm just funning with you, you know.

[ncgurrl]

My comments were strictly about the idea that every time Clay makes a comment his fans will be psychoanalyzing him and his motives and using the fact that they remember every word he ever uttered against him in some way. Of course this is in no way different from anything else the past 5 years. I hope the conversations going on DOES help someone but really I just don't care. I know that makes me the mother of all bitches and unsympathetic and totally the antithesis of this guy I admire so much although I wonder if Jaymes would understand my point of view. I just don't think this is EVER going to end and even the people who are over him just won't go away ever. Just isn't my idea of fun. I've been shocked before though.

This makes you me. That should scare the shit out of you.

[Clayzy]

bottle, I agree re: the tone of the discussion at CH. It's actually been interesting..However, I must express my concern over Couchie's blood pressure and wonder if perhaps I should make a quick drive to Casa Couchie to check on her?

and luckiest....It's interesting, too, to read your reaction to that article. I actually came away from reading it with the impression that the writer is seeing the same things that we here have talked about (without the specific reference to Clay's music)...that the current state of music is horrid and that what is considered Grammy worthy doesn't come CLOSE to what used to be applauded as good, let alone GREAT...Those particular quotes I used were things that DID specifically make me think of points of discussion about Clay's music.

bottle, I've always that pic of Clay in the blue shirt with his hands in his back pockets. And every time I look at it I see that bright horizontal brand label in his right front pocket POINTING the way to where my eyes SHOULD go!

Beautiful, crisp day here in the Bay Area.

ETA: Couchie, I was evidently writing and posting and doing all that smilie finding and whatnot while you were actually posting---I'm just funning with you, you know.

I agree about the state of music thing--seriously I only have one problem with most singers today... THEY CAN'T SING!! Just a little thing to ask, really, that maybe the music could be... I dunno... musical, have a tune, some semblance to rhythm, maybe even a note or two stuck in...

Anyway, as to the part I bolded, I love that picture too! (Un?)fortunately, I'm not quite as smutty as dear muskifest because my favorite part is the way it stretches over his chest and makes him look like he has pecs!

Also, this isn't really important or anything, but my local radio station that's been playing Clay's MDYK has been crediting Kenny Rogers on yes.com's widget thingy, so I emailed yes.com, not really expecting anything back... but I got an email today saying it had been forwarded on (to the proper people, I assume) so here's hoping that crediting problem gets fixed!