#46: Avoid the crazy, enjoy the good, and chill.

[muskifest]

Maybe since I haven't been on the boards for a few hours I've avoided the angsting element of the gerbil wheel elsewhere. When I was reading I didn't really gather the same degree of RCA=EVIL that used to overtake the masses in times past. Seems a bit more 'clinical' these days--like, "Hmmm....looks like it might be splitsville...wonder what's next" vs "OMG! Clay's going to be buried by uncaring RCA execs! He'll never be a success as long as Clive has him by the short hairs...!!!!" etc.

Whatevah.

I'm more concerned about how the HELL I'm supposed to eat the pizza sitting here next to me. My mouth is still a mess (shut up) from the oral surgery but the danged pizza smells and looks soooooooo good.

Now THAT'S worthy of angst, lemmetellya!

[Gibby]

Actually, I can't believe I left out MY pet peeve, Your and You're.....

My pet peeve (like anyone cares) in the grammar world is "its" and it's".

My grammar pet peeve is 'they're' 'there' and their'.

Ooooooh, I hate all of these mistakes, too. I find them very distracting when I'm reading. Many people just don't care at all about spelling, grammar or the correct position of the apostrophe!

Many thnx for the hits and the comments in the MLK blog. According to the Google searches in the "Clay-less" Carolina "live feed," I have provided both lesson plans for teachers and homework for (their) students.

I really enjoyed your MLK blog, Caro! It's very moving to think that Obama will be inaugurated right after we celebrate MLK day.

We did it, we did it, we did it!!!!!!!!!!!! We are now sponsoring a junior golfer at the GFI

Thank you so much! I will PM payment information later today.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

WOOOOHOOOOO!!! CONGRATS!!! :clap:

Bottle, those tall long ones are DELICIOUS!!!

Aw, Muski, good luck with the pizza! I hope your mouth heals soon.

[justclay12]

I agree Muski. It does seem different this time, maybe because the one's who were shouting the loudest before about conspiracy have been recognized as the loonies that they are.

[wandacleo]

I need a drink! A LONG TALL one.

Tied up with a bow tie, I presume.

[claytonic]

All this talk about English class.

Just reminds me of when I worked in a video store. All the movies are sort of alphabetic order but the most popular ones are placed at eye level. One day 10 mintues before closing a lady

took down most of the videos and brought them up to the desk. She said "I am an English teacher and am so tired of this mistake. These were not in apbeatically order." We had to stay later to clean up her mess!

Clay is going on tour with me

Clay is going on tour with I

guess it does not really matter as long as he is going on tour

Will tell you that I have a learning disability so any mistakes in grammar/sentence structure department are not intentional.

First of all, let me concede that while I am very good at picking up other people's spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors, I tend to miss my own even if I proof read my own work. I type VERY fast and typos are a fact of life. And sometimes even though my brain knows better, my flying fingers actually make errors that look like grammatical errors! OK, that's my story and I am sticking with it! The truth is that no one is infallible, we all make mistakes even at things we are good at.

I, too, have a learning disability when it comes to certain things, trust me, most people do. However, mine are in subject matters that aren't showcased on a daily basis, i.e. written communication, something we all do pretty much all the time, especially since the internet burst into our lives. This is why I feel that anyone who doesn't have a natural aptitude for written and verbal language should receive private tuition from a tutor who specializes in remedial teaching.

I have a friend who teaches 8 year olds. Some of the students who are promoted into her class can barely read or write, despite 3 years of school. Yet, by year's end, she has those students caught up (or almost caught up) to the rest of the class. Teachers like her are pure gold. The parents of those students thank her with tears in their eyes. The students themselves, when they reach an age old enough to realize how much her dedication has changed their life, thank her at every opportunity. Reading and comprehension is critical, even for stay-at-home moms, because they need to read and understand instructions on the bottle of medicines prescribed for their kids.

Language is the foundation of learning, if you are proficient in language, you have an advantage in any other subject, including math. I also believe everyone is teachable, some just require more patience and perhaps a different teaching method, one that is more compatible with the way their brain works. Clay certainly found that out, and that is what excited him about special education.

Tribeca, sorry if I sound like I am preaching but, even as an adult, if you can find someone to teach you the way you need to be taught, and if you make a point of reading on a regular basis, you will be amazed at what starts to fall into place for you. After a while, it becomes second nature to know how to write clear, grammatical English with the minimum of errors. Whether you improve by 10% or 50%, the fact is, you WILL improve and the confidence it gives you... money can't buy.

You know how people always think that Asian kids seem to be so smart? Much of their "smartness" came from their parents, i.e. their parents would work two jobs, whatever it takes, to pay for after-school private tuition, to give their kids an academic leg-up. That's is why so many of them do so well at school, and even have exceptional English language skills despite English not being their mother-tongue, i.e. not spoken at home.

(gets off soap-box)

ETA: haha I just fixed an error I found in a paragraph above, quoted in another post!!!

[merrieeee]

You guys are the best! We pledged, paid and sent the money to BAF all in one day.

It is great to have such members in the FCA.

I am going to try and meet the golfer that gets to play and maybe take them a shirt from the First Tee of Houston/Redstone.

[Carolina Clay]

Caro... I really enjoyed your blog and tho I was an adult when the civil rights movement was at it's peak, I was going thru having two babys 17 months apart by c-section and really didn't pay all that much attention. I loved your DH's story.

Grammar... part of my job is proofreading. I have come to love typos that are funny. One time someone wrote a one-page flyer and in the title they used the word Butt instead of But and after passing around the upper eschelons of the company before it got to me, no one else noticed that. I was dying laughing.

My boss types roll instead of role every single time and spellcheck doesn't pick that up. He is smart enough, tho, that after the Butt episode, to declare that nothing goes to a client before I proofread it.

Thank you, liney23. Glad you enjoyed it. :clay:

I wish I had saved all the typos that somehow made it into the newspapers where I worked. One I remember was a poor bride whose name was unusual, something like "Shirla." It came out in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal as "Shitla." We ran the wedding story a second time with the corrected name.

I'll point out that this is my first go round on the RCA/Clay train.

Don't worry this is the tune that never ends! You'll read it over and over again. It is seriously like a merrie-go-round! Some of us decided to jump off and have never regreted it.

Yeah for FCA and couchie!

WORD!!!

Awesome news about the SAU montage and the GFI sponsorship here!

Have a great weekend, all!

Caro

[jmh123]

You guys are the best! We pledged, paid and sent the money to BAF all in one day.

It is great to have such members in the FCA.

I am going to try and meet the golfer that gets to play and maybe take them a shirt from the First Tee of Houston/Redstone.

Try and get us a photo if you can!

[kimiye]

You know how people always think that Asian kids seem to be so smart? Much of their "smartness" came from their parents, i.e. their parents would work two jobs, whatever it takes, to pay for after-school private tuition, to give their kids an academic leg-up. That's is why so many of them do so well at school, and even have exceptional English language skills despite English is not their mother-tongue, i.e. not spoken at home.

Interesting concept. However, I must say that absolutely all of the Asian FCA'ers that I know don't just "seem to be so smart". They really are smart. I wouldn't say they're just average people who have parents who gave them a leg up.

Just saying that stereotypes, and explanations of stereotypes, aren't necessarily true. I will say that many Asian families may have a high regard for education, teaching, and high goals. But that alone will not result in extraordinary achievement.

[annabear]

From toni7babe at CH:

Friday night treat!

I found these on a PUBLIC FB just fooling around the other night after following some links after other pics had been posted.

I wasn't quite sure if I should post them but they were on a PUBLIC FB as I said AND I figured if I didn't post them someone else would and claim to be a insider.

FLOCKS OF SEAGULL

from Spamalot

ENJOY!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/ton...386151_8983.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/ton...386147_3611.jpg

Don't ya just love him to death???????????

ETA: Links fixed

[Gibby]

:cryingwlaughter: :cryingwlaughter:

I was so hoping that we would someday get a better pic of this hilarious hairstyle! And the look on his face - it's the the perfect "I'm soooo cool, I don't even need to smile" expression that just fits the whole look.

[claytonic]

You know how people always think that Asian kids seem to be so smart? Much of their "smartness" came from their parents, i.e. their parents would work two jobs, whatever it takes, to pay for after-school private tuition, to give their kids an academic leg-up. That's is why so many of them do so well at school, and even have exceptional English language skills despite English is not their mother-tongue, i.e. not spoken at home.

Interesting concept. However, I must say that absolutely all of the Asian FCA'ers that I know don't just "seem to be so smart". They really are smart. I wouldn't say they're just average people who have parents who gave them a leg up.

Just saying that stereotypes, and explanations of stereotypes, aren't necessarily true. I will say that many Asian families may have a high regard for education, teaching, and high goals. But that alone will not result in extraordinary achievement.

I didn't intend to generalize or stereotype but having lived in Asia for almost 10 years, including attending school where 99% of the students are Asian, they weren't ALL smart. There were those who were average or a little above average but did very well because of the focus and extra-curricular activities placed on academic achievement. Of course, there was always a bunch of wiz-kids that would have done brilliantly, no matter what. (I also attended a small private school in Asia where 99% of the kids were NON-Asian, and let me tell you, the difference was stark).

[kimiye]

I didn't intend to generalize or stereotype but having lived in Asia for almost 10 years, including attending school where 99% of the students are Asian, they weren't ALL smart. There were those who were average or a little above average but did very well because of the focus and extra-curricular activities placed on academic achievement. Of course, there was always a bunch of wiz-kids that would have done brilliantly, no matter what. (I also attended a small private school in Asia where 99% of the kids were NON-Asian, and let me tell you, the difference was stark).

I'm certain you know so much more about it than I do. Sorry to have questioned your expertise.

[luckiest1]

Wheeeeeeeee, new pix! Love the hair, love the expression!

[Couch Tomato]

OMG I love those photos... do we know who everyone is?

[tribeca]

Tribeca, sorry if I sound like I am preaching but, even as an adult, if you can find someone to teach you the way you need to be taught, and if you make a point of reading on a regular basis, you will be amazed at what starts to fall into place for you. After a while, it becomes second nature to know how to write clear, grammatical English with the minimum of errors. Whether you improve by 10% or 50%, the fact is, you WILL improve and the confidence it gives you... money can't buy.

(gets off soap-box)

I really only have issues with some things. Not enough to go pay someone for anything. Certain things just take me longer (reading & writing ) and I see words & numbers backwards a lot of times. I did get my Associates Degree in Social Services and was on my way to a BA when I run out of money.

[claytonic]

I didn't intend to generalize or stereotype but having lived in Asia for almost 10 years, including attending school where 99% of the students are Asian, they weren't ALL smart. There were those who were average or a little above average but did very well because of the focus and extra-curricular activities placed on academic achievement. Of course, there was always a bunch of wiz-kids that would have done brilliantly, no matter what. (I also attended a small private school in Asia where 99% of the kids were NON-Asian, and let me tell you, the difference was stark).

I'm certain you know so much more about it than I do. Sorry to have questioned your expertise.

I am no expert, and I don't like stereotyping either but generalizing from knowing the Asian members on a small(ish) forum is also stereotyping, no?

[Clayzy]

Wow! What awesome+hilarious pictures! (No stubble, sadly, but I'll take what I can get. )

And, may I just add that nope, Asian people don't have any genetic predisposition to smartness--unfortunately! *iz A-jhen* Unless that particular gene just skipped me, in which case--

OK, so my mom and I are playing a really ridiculous game of "Name that Clay Song". She went out to look at washing machines today (ours got brokeded... and I'm going to apologize if my 'Net-English is really bugging any of y'all English majors....) and apparently heard a Clay song in Sears, to which I was totally like, "How many times have you dragged me off to look at washing machines/dishwashers/furniture/etc. and I have never heard a Clay song? You go alone and you hear one! Argh!" Anyway, she comes home and she tells me that she heard one of his songs but can't remember the tune or any of the lyrics, just that she's pretty sure its a Clay song because it sounded like his voice.

Well, what's a Claymate to do? I started singing any Clay songs I thought had ever gotten airplay--Invisible, WY, Solitaire, OMWH, RHW, The Way, TITN--but apparently it's not any of them. Apparently it has a long note in it, but it's not loud "like he usually does"...

ETA: It's really funny b/c if I had been there or she could give me, I dunno, 3-4 words I would be able to tell her the song.

[justclay12]

Couchie, the only ones I've seen identified is Rick C.(I think) who has his arm in Clay's crotch, and Andrew Fitch who is in the overalls. All I gotta say is Rick C is one lucky bastard.

And clayzycoffin, just noticed that stuff under your post. You don't want to sleep with him? That's just all kinds of wrong.

Now I need to go to bed. Night FCA.

[annabear]

OMG I love those photos... do we know who everyone is?

I believe the guy in the blue shirt is Rick Spaans & I believe the guy in the white shirt w/black jacket and tie is Andrew Fitch. I also believe the pics came from his FB page.

In case anyone wants a "refresher" on the reason for 80's Clay, here's a link to the Kimmel clip on YouTube.

[Gibby]

Um, I just want to comment about the right arm of the guy in the bright blue polo at the bottom of the pic. Rather interesting placement of the arm, doncha think?

[jmh123]

Education is a wonderful thing, no matter who you are, where you live, or how smart you are. There are a lot of flaws in the American educational system. I know I benefited tremendously by having parents who taught us kids a lot of the basics at home, and who put a huge emphasis on the value of education. I have had relatives by marriage who were very down on education, probably because that's what they were taught to believe--who discouraged their kids from learning and mocked school constantly. I think this comes from sour grapes--they probably deep down wished they could have had better opportunities themselves, and that's why they were so negative about it--but it's still very sad to me. I can't even imagine how difficult it is for kids whose parents don't have a basic education and can't help them and/or don't encourage them. I've also had good female friends whose parents discouraged them and told them there was no point in girls getting a higher education. Both of them were tough enough to go for it anyway, but both felt as if they could've done so much more with encouragement and support.

Speaking of a thirst for education, I saw this a few days ago in the NY Times: Afghan Girls, Scarred by Acid, Defy Terror, Embracing School:

But if the acid attack against Shamsia and 14 others — students and teachers — was meant to terrorize the girls into staying home, it appears to have completely failed.

Today, nearly all of the wounded girls are back at the Mirwais School for Girls, including even Shamsia, whose face was so badly burned that she had to be sent abroad for treatment. Perhaps even more remarkable, nearly every other female student in this deeply conservative community has returned as well — about 1,300 in all.

“My parents told me to keep coming to school even if I am killed,” said Shamsia, 17, in a moment after class. Shamsia’s mother, like nearly all of the adult women in the area, is unable to read or write. “The people who did this to me don’t want women to be educated. They want us to be stupid things.”

It's a long article. I won't quote the whole thing. There's a photo slide show too.

And that CUTE Clay Aiken guy went to Afghanistan to see schools like this one, and a lot of us donated to help build more and provide supplies.

[Clayzy]

When the arms of others and the crotch of Clay come in close proximity, it creates a bit of a tizzy, doesn't it? I guess I'm not much of a smutter or anything then, since I concentrated on the wicked hair, not the arm/crotch combo.

ETA:

Couchie, the only ones I've seen identified is Rick C.(I think) who has his arm in Clay's crotch, and Andrew Fitch who is in the overalls. All I gotta say is Rick C is one lucky bastard.

And clayzycoffin, just noticed that stuff under your post. You don't want to sleep with him? That's just all kinds of wrong.

Now I need to go to bed. Night FCA.

Well, in my defense, if I was to spend a night in bed with Clay... there wouldn't be much sleeping going on.

EATA: Perhaps I should change the word "wanting" to "expecting" ?

[tribeca]

Couchie, the only ones I've seen identified is Rick C.(I think) who has his arm in Clay's crotch, and Andrew Fitch who is in the overalls. All I gotta say is Rick C is one lucky bastard.

And clayzycoffin, just noticed that stuff under your post. You don't want to sleep with him? That's just all kinds of wrong.

Now I need to go to bed. Night FCA.

When my niece gave Rick Clay's poster to sign (no idea why?)

he said "I think I will sign his crotch"

[annabear]

I really only have issues with some things. Not enough to go pay someone for anything. Certain things just take me longer (reading & writing ) and I see words & numbers backwards a lot of times. I did get my Associates Degree in Social Services and was on my way to a BA when I run out of money.

Don't give up on going back at some point to finish your BA if that's what you really want to do. I just finally started back this past summer after lack of money, fear of working full-time & juggling school, and life in general got in my way for quite a while.