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#47: That's not just any man... That's OUR man! You're a GOOD MAN, Clay Aiken!


ldyjocelyn

Thread Title Poll  

68 members have voted

  1. 1. What should be the next thread title at FCA?

    • President Obama needed advice from a Stimulus Package Expert.
      0
    • I will watch with Clay on it. And TIVO it, and wat it multi-times, and in freeze frame.
      0
    • Let's celebrate what's good about him, his music, his philanthropy, his good looks, his great voice, his everything!
      3
    • He was just a singer on a stupid reality show and would disappear like Kaiser Sose!
      0
    • This guy is worth all the love we can bestow on him!
      3
    • What a joy it was to sit right there and watch "naked" Clay singing "naked" songs.
      3
    • Clay is Wicked Awesome!
      16
    • Two words: Aiken Fog.
      1
    • ...phone book...mumble...mumble...
      0
    • Clay Aiken has wicked game
      2
    • 6 years and counting and he's still curling toes.
      1
    • My game is wicked...
      2
    • No matter what Clay says or does, SOMEBODY will get their panties in a wad.
      2
    • He's Clay Aiken. He sneezes in style.
      3
    • Clay Aiken=Me fan Squared to the nth degree for life!
      0
    • He is...therefore I fan.
      21
    • The perfect mix of voice, comedy, and just plain humanity.
      5
    • I never said I wasn't crazy. I just said that I wasn't a Claymate.
      6


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eyes claytonic's list...

The only one I like is Hugh...and since I'm only interested in hot Aussie guys for my prurient interests, I don't care about their priorities! We're good to go.

OMG! Stephen Colbert was HILARIOUS tonight! He had on Paul McCartney! Please, please, please let keepingfaith to have seen this! And Sir Paul agreed with me that his biggest hit of "She Loves Ya"! I think Colbert is the 5th Beatle now. And to me at least, Sir Paul looks like merrieeee. He sounds like her too. Freaky!

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Justclay I get you..but I think Queer is an example of a negative that has completely turned into something to be proud of. I'm sure there are others. But like I said I do understand because the N word is still the N word and I hate that it is proliferated by rappers and black comedians. That stuff is so impactful and cool to so many kids. I think I mentioned this back when I was taking the bus to work ..standing there while these kids (jr high or early high school) kids talked to each other using the n word every five seconds like it was a term of endearment. They didn't care one whit that I was standing there. And they weren't even black not that would have made it any better, probably worse...it was maddening.

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Happy 6th Anniversary, FCA! :goaround:

I've been trying to get here all day. I went straight from blogging to teaching, but I do have a commemorative entry at Carolina On My Mind that includes remembrances by 11 fans about the night they first heard Clay sing, graphics, and montages by Pixieglitter and Aspiegirl. Hope you enjoy! :)

Here's to many more years! :nanalove:

Many thnx to Scarlett and Goldarngirl for the wonderful clack from GWI! :clap:

Have a great week, all! :BlowKiss:

Caro listen.gif

Caro... where did you get that song on the little black box... When I Need You. I have never heard it before and thought I had heard every song Clay has ever sung. Can I download it somewhere? I LOVE it! I enjoyed your blog a bunch! Thanks for sharing!

My sixth anniversary isn't until May, as the first time I heard him was the finale week when he and Ruben both sang 3 songs. First they did the clip of his journey and when I saw the change in his appearance, my jaw went down. When I heard his voice, it went all the way to the floor and is still there.

I don't think of Clay as a Strawberry Fruitcake... he's my Strawberry Cheesecake... :cryingwlaughter::cryingwlaughter: And, I love him with all my heart! I have a framed picture of him from the LA CD signing mixed in with all the pictures of my kids and grandkids. He is family. Course, he never calls... he never writes... but I love him anyway!

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I went to Australia during their winter, close to spring. It was summer here. The weather was nice. Did not see any hot guys Kandre, and I was there for a month. Loved Sydney, and Melbourne. They are so different. Went to Uluru and Alice Springs, was dissapointed that I did not see a dingo. We did learn a lot about the Aborigines who inhabit Alice Springs. We went into the outback, but did not see any kangaroos or wallabies except in the reserves. We saw Koalas in the preserves also. We rode a camel through the desert and also did a hot air balloon ride hoping to see Kangaroos and the like, but did not see anything except brush and desert. Went to Cairns for a week, and from there took a train to the Great Barrier Reef. We had been told that Cairns was like our Miami Beach. NOT! The train stopped at a place called Korunda,, up in the mountains. where the aborigines live. It was very beautiful. There was a colony of artists there, and we decided that if we ever came that way again, that was where we would stay instead of Cairns. Port Douglas was on the way to the reef and it looked beautiful too! Another place that we would have preferred to Cairns.

We went to Tasmania for a week. We rented a car and drove through Tasmania. It is gorgeous. We saw rain forests in all their splendor. We went to a resort high in the mountains and covered with snow, where their brochure says that the wild animals come up to the door of the resort kitchen for left over scraps that are thrown to them. Every evening guests would gather for this event. We saw no animals. Once returning to our cabin there was a wild animal hanging on a branch over our doorway. It scared the hell out of me. It was big and I thought that I had finally seen a Tasmanian Devil. My friend said, "I can't believe you are scared of a possum." I live in Houston and had to go all the way to Tasmania to see a possum. They are all over Houston, but I had never seen one. That is the only animal in the wild that I saw in my month in Australia.

Kandre, I did see a lot of hot guys in Italy though and I was only there one week!

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Im one that hates those nicknames and terms (no I didnt comment..I havent commented on an article or blog in...ever I dont think lol) I think terms like that is another way to make gay people different, and it seems dehumanizing, yes it may not be..yes gay people (or some) may use them all the time, but I personally dont like the terms..its no different then if black people used derogatary terms for themselves..I still dont like it, even if they are referring to themselves and not me..Ive always taken "queer" as meaning odd..or different and I dont like it..

HOWEVER

the article itself was fine, Im a big girl, I can get past the terms that I dont like, to the meat of the article..I dont expect to like every word or every piece of every article ever written...and the meaning and I was very happy with attention being given to philanthropic efforts that clay does. I can understand that it is my dislike of such terms, and in no way am I projecting whether Clay would or would not like those terms..or anyone else who uses terms that speak about themselves in what I would consider a derogotary manner.

I dont know if that makes sense, but its how I feel lol it makes sense in my head :)

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Smitten,

It makes sense to me. I agree with everything you say. I have to add that I can't see Clay using those terms to describe himself or anyone else. Those terms take away from one's humanity IMO. Other than that the article was very good.

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I gotta admit, I'm not quite getting the "too young" thing about covers...hell, one of Destiny's Child's first hits was Emotions, which was a big time cover...not to mention the whole "Moulin Rouge" thing with Lady Marmalade...but then, all I tend to want in music I like is for the artist to bring something new to the table...

Australia, Australia...hmm, I haven't been to Australia yet...full of hot guys, yes?

YES -- and some prety ordinary ones also!

I also have this fantasy of seeing Clay cover Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. I really think he could pull it off!! (now my secret is out. hee)

We gotta hold on to what we got

It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not

We got each other and that's alot

For love, we'll give it a shot

Ohh We're half way there

Woah Livin' on a prayer

Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear

Livin' on a prayer

Livin' on a prayer

Claylove ITA. I love this song and I bet Clay could rock it. Actually I hope Clay ages as well as Jon BonJovi. IMO he's one of the best "aged" of the 80s singers out there.

Winter here, summer in Australia! I'm thinking Qantas has a zone thingie - some of our Aussie buds need to tell us which is the best itinerary as Australia is a titch large...Qantas mentions a Wine and Culture one (Los Angeles to Sydney to Melbourne to Adelaide to Brisbane to Los Angeles) but it doesn't seem to include koalas and the reef (I'm a touristy tourist!)

The reef is a must.

I want to see Ayers Rock & Alice Springs

(and stand on top of a bus in a long dress flowing behind me*g* Ha! I kid...just a scene from one of my favourite movies.)

.....Singing "I will survive".....

Visiting Australia

Must Sees:

Sydney Harbor

Get the city bus/ferry pass and use it. Use it to see the sights and ride the ferries and rivercats all over the bay and down the tributaries.

Take the bus out to Bondi Beach. Shop at the street fair at The Rocks. Stay in botique hotel in The Rocks area under the Sydney Harbour Bridge within walking distance of the Opera house and Circular Quay.

ULURU

Spend at least two nights so you will have one full day and two half days.

Stay in the Emu Walks apartments at the Ylara area and rent a car. Lots to see. Go in the shoulder season but no later than mid-September unless you love flies- flies swarming your face and settling all over your back. Those silly hats with the corks bobbing all over the front or netting to cover your face are not a joke.

Get there by way of Alice Springs or fly direct. Do not take the overland bus from Alice unless you really want to spend 6 hours staring at desert bush. You will see plenty of that at Uluru. It is not respectful to climb the Rock but lots of people do it anyway. Go out to Kata Tjuta. Drive yourself or take one of the SMALL van tours with a guide. Skip the big bus tours.

Must do a night tour. Either spend the bucks for the catered dinner out in the desert complete with digeridoo concert and story telling with night star viewing or do the really cheap Night Sky Observatory tour. Do anything to get away from the lights to see the sky. You will be right under the thickest part of the Milky Way.

Great Barrier Reef

I go by way of Cairns or Port Douglas. Both are fine with lots of boats going out to different places on the reef.

Favorite place to stay: Silky Oaks raintree forest lodge in Mossman. It is not on the coast but it is on the river and there are no crocs.

Must see if time is not an issue

Perth

I love this town.

Tasmania

Take the ferry across the Bass Strait, rent a car and drive from one end of the island to the other. Eat lots of Raspberry goodies and buy lots of local cheese to take home.

Darwin area

Tiwi Island

Kakadu (Where the original Crocodile Dundee movie was filmed.)

Katherine's Gorge

[b]Do New Zealand on the way to or from Australia. Just fly in, rent a car and start driving. It is easy to get around. When you want to stop, find an Information office and let them make local reservations for the night.

Do not travel in either Australia or New Zealand during the school breaks unless you like to travel when all modes of transportaion to be jammed and all hotels booked.

I want Clay to go to Australia.

Also fantastic if you have the time are the Whitsunday Islands. You can see the reef from there as well. There is diving and snorkling as well as a submarine for the non-water sports inclined (me).

Australia, Australia...hmm, I haven't been to Australia yet...full of
hot guys
, yes?

Hot guys?

Well, the ones you already know about....

-
Hugh Jackman
- SexiestManAlive. And he's ours!

-
Mel Gibson
, not a true Aussie... born in the USA and spent his formative years there. You can have him back if you want.

-
Russell Crowe
- born in New Zealand but now calls Australia home.
He's an Aussie when he wins Oscars. He's a Kiwi when he throws things around in American hotels.

-
Heath Ledger
. Yesterday, today and forever an Aussie.

We have many other hawt men that you haven't heard of. However, beware that some are notorious for having priorities in this order: - beer, football, SHEilas. Also, consider yourself warned that Sydney is the San Francisco of the southern hemisphere, and I'm not talking about the hilly terrain.

The hottest thing about Australia is the climate.

Right now, Melbourne (one of our major cities, known usually for having 4 seasons in one day) is enduring consecutive days of 40 degrees Celsius. Right now it is 43 C, and still climbing. That's 109.4F and still climbing...

Russell Crowe :cryingwlaughter: :cryingwlaughter: so true

Adelaide got down to 30 odd degrees overnight the other day. And even though we are much more humid where I am it has been very hot. Cairns in the summer ? Only for the serious humidity and rain lovers. Actually, they don't have the four seasons there- just wet and dry. I lived there for 15 months in the early 80s. My parents couldn't take another wet season so they moved us about halfway down the coast.

Any beach lovers out there? Claytonic and I could show you some beauties in our area!

I went to Australia during their winter, close to spring. It was summer here. The weather was nice. Did not see any hot guys Kandre, and I was there for a month. Loved Sydney, and Melbourne. They are so different. Went to Uluru and Alice Springs, was dissapointed that I did not see a dingo. We did learn a lot about the Aborigines who inhabit Alice Springs. We went into the outback, but did not see any kangaroos or wallabies except in the reserves. We saw Koalas in the preserves also. We rode a camel through the desert and also did a hot air balloon ride hoping to see Kangaroos and the like, but did not see anything except brush and desert. Went to Cairns for a week, and from there took a train to the Great Barrier Reef. We had been told that Cairns was like our Miami Beach. NOT! The train stopped at a place called Korunda,, up in the mountains. where the aborigines live. It was very beautiful. There was a colony of artists there, and we decided that if we ever came that way again, that was where we would stay instead of Cairns. Port Douglas was on the way to the reef and it looked beautiful too! Another place that we would have preferred to Cairns.

We went to Tasmania for a week. We rented a car and drove through Tasmania. It is gorgeous. We saw rain forests in all their splendor. We went to a resort high in the mountains and covered with snow, where their brochure says that the wild animals come up to the door of the resort kitchen for left over scraps that are thrown to them. Every evening guests would gather for this event. We saw no animals. Once returning to our cabin there was a wild animal hanging on a branch over our doorway. It scared the hell out of me. It was big and I thought that I had finally seen a Tasmanian Devil. My friend said, "I can't believe you are scared of a possum." I live in Houston and had to go all the way to Tasmania to see a possum. They are all over Houston, but I had never seen one. That is the only animal in the wild that I saw in my month in Australia.

Kandre, I did see a lot of hot guys in Italy though and I was only there one week!

:) Hee, My son told me that at school a few months back the kids had to stay in their classrooms until a teacher had chased away a big kangaroo! We also see koalas from time to time at the school too. This is unusual because we are definitely in the suburbs.

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"our favorite Strawberry Fruitcake" is my personal favorite. It sounded endearing to me. Actually, none of the language bothered me in the context of the article. Now, if people who didn't respect Clay used it in other contexts, that would be an entirely different thing.

The Cook, The Thief, the Chef and his Lover or whatever that title is..... that's the only movie I ever walked out of. I lasted 3/4 of the way through the film when it occurred to me that I could actually leave. It was just too gross for me. That scene in the fish truck..... yuck.

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Justclay I get you..but I think Queer is an example of a negative that has completely turned into something to be proud of. I'm sure there are others. But like I said I do understand because the N word is still the N word and I hate that it is proliferated by rappers and black comedians. That stuff is so impactful and cool to so many kids. I think I mentioned this back when I was taking the bus to work ..standing there while these kids (jr high or early high school) kids talked to each other using the n word every five seconds like it was a term of endearment. They didn't care one whit that I was standing there. And they weren't even black not that would have made it any better, probably worse...it was maddening.

Couchie I think you have a very good understanding (bolding above is mine). My daughter and her friends who are gay use words that, if uttered by anyone else, would be considered an insult. But they use them as terms of endearment or playfully joking around with each other. I don't think that article was really meant to be read by anyone outside of the gay community.

ETA: For me, I didn't grow up "out and proud". I grew up surrounded by prejudice.....homophobia, racism, sexism, you name it, I endured it. I grew up in the closet, married, raising my kids, going to preschool and PTA meetings.....I don't think I met a real "out and pround" gay person until I was well into my 20s. I am still not comfortable using the language the way my daughter is. But I am thrilled to death that she has that level of comfort.

Damn I knew about Paul M. guesting on Stephen Colbert last night, but I completely gapped it and went to bed. Hope it'll be up on youtube or available for download somewhere. Sounds like it was a good time!

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luckiest1, the Comedy Central website usually has clips from Colbert up almost immediately after the show. Although, being in Canada, you might run into a problem...I'll keep an eye out for you...

I think, for me, the language in that article threw me the first time I read it. They weren't terms I would necessarily use for someone, even in endearment. But, I did appreciate the play on words for many of them (especially queenyboppers -- maybe we should start to use that instead of Claymates? No?), and after reading the article again, I was able to move past those words to what made the article special. IMO, the writer GETS Clay, even if she doesn't get his music. She appreciates his heart, his soul, and his voice, and this made the article worthwhile reading.

And yes, context is everything.

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Happy 6th Anniversary, FCA! :goaround:

I've been trying to get here all day. I went straight from blogging to teaching, but I do have a commemorative entry at Carolina On My Mind that includes remembrances by 11 fans about the night they first heard Clay sing, graphics, and montages by Pixieglitter and Aspiegirl. Hope you enjoy! :)

Here's to many more years! :nanalove:

Many thnx to Scarlett and Goldarngirl for the wonderful clack from GWI! :clap:

Have a great week, all! :BlowKiss:

Caro listen.gif

Caro... where did you get that song on the little black box... When I Need You. I have never heard it before and thought I had heard every song Clay has ever sung. Can I download it somewhere? I LOVE it! I enjoyed your blog a bunch! Thanks for sharing!

My sixth anniversary isn't until May, as the first time I heard him was the finale week when he and Ruben both sang 3 songs. First they did the clip of his journey and when I saw the change in his appearance, my jaw went down. When I heard his voice, it went all the way to the floor and is still there.

Liney23, thank you. The "first times" shared in comments at the Carolina and OFC sites could almost fill another blog on the anniversary subject. :lol:

As for the song, it is listed in the QVC group. Here is a Sendspace mp3 download for When I Need You. Enjoy!

:hello:Scarlett!

Have a great first day of Year 7, FCA! :BlowKiss:

Caro listen.gif

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Heh, I wonder if the entire fandom will now embrace "Claymate", since I have decided it is an endearing term.

Desertrose - when I was in Australia, I fed and petted lots of kangaroos, plus the place where we rode the camels, near Alice Springs, had both kinds of kangaroos we could feed, lots of baby camels (velvet-covered and gorgeous, all craning their heads out to be petted!), plus a large collection of venomous snakes that I passed on holding. Even when the keeper said he would show me how to do that safely.

I understood from the guide at Uluru that petting a dingo would likely result in getting bitten or snapped at, he was a bit horrified that I had wandered off towards one!

We went to a little zoo near Christchurch NZ where we drove into the lion enclosure and then chunks of raw meat were thrown in front of the line of cars and we watched lions eat up close and thankfully not personal.

Saw some saltwater crocs in a little aquarium on Sydney Harbor that made me realise that yes, they are quite dangerous and will stalk you. Shudder.

Saw some Tasmanian devils in another little zoo (yes, I wanted to see animals!) and found out that when it is very hot, their scrotums descend on a thin tendon or whatever - and it was very hot, and I figured out that Tasmanian devils might be mean because their balls keep getting banged up as they scramble through the brush - ow owowowow! It was fun to hear kids ask Mommy, what is that hanging off that poor thing? Heee.

Went to a koala preserve and the guide did not want people bothering the koalas, so he announced that all the females had Chlamydia, which caused all the tourists to step back immediately.

Went to Phillips Island (stopped at a place where we fed lots of kangaroos day-old bread and petted them!) and saw the teensy penguins come in from the sea at sunset.

And yep! some asshole tourists used flash cameras even after it was explained at length that this not only frightened the penguins, disorienting them so that they might not make it to their burrows before getting grabbed by predatory birds, but that it could actually harm their eyes.

Snapflashflashflash. People who got caught got their cameras confiscated and had to come back the next day to get them. Not easy on a tour. Heh.

Took a helicopter ride over the Reef while my boyfriend SCUBA'd - awesome! Even better - he said he would pay for the helicopter ride, thinking I would turn it down because I am afraid of heights and flying - heeee! Then, bless him, he tipped the guide so I would get the front seat next to the pilot, nothing but Perspex beneath me. Beautiful!

And yes, context is everything.

What ldyjocelyn said.

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I am impressed by the number of you who have been to Australia, and impressed in particular by the person who knew about the "stolen generation". However, I can't seem to find that post and I can't remember who it was who mentioned it!!!! In an earlier post, I mentioned an old friend, one of our best-known Aboriginal actresses. She was one of the stolen children. She was removed from her mother when she was about 10 and put into a convent school by the government of the day. Her mother searched for her, on foot, for years. They were reunited many years later, but the damage was done.

Justine was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to the performing arts and Aboriginal Theatre. It was a huge honor. However, she, like thousands of other Aborigines, needed to hear an apology from the government for the years of the stolen generation, as the experience had ripped her mother's heart to shreds. When there was no sign of the apology ever being made, in fury, she returned the OA medal. Ironically, she died in 2007, and a matter of months later we elected a new Prime Minister.

On 13 February 2008, just 10 months after Justine passed away, the new Prime Minister stood up and officially acknowledged the pain and suffering caused to the Aborigines, and officially apologised. It was a historic moment, and how terribly sad that Justine wasn't around to hear it; it had meant so much to her.

BTW, Justine Saunders was an extraordinary actress. She had also studied Shakespeare at NIDA, Australia's most prestigious acting academy, and spoke beautifully; yet she was forever stereotyped. It drove her nuts. Of all her work, my favourite was the series "Women of the Sun", I saw a preview of it with the cast before it was aired on television. I highly recommend it. There's a lot more to Australia than Kangaroos and Koalas. If you are interested, you can watch that historic moment, a huge step forward for our country.

Australia says sorry to the Stolen Generation

p.s. A number of you have mentioned Ayers Rock/Uluru. It used to be known mainly as Ayers Rock, but the Aboriginal name, Uluru, is now more commonly used. It was the scene of the baby Azaria tragedy, recounted in the movie A Cry in the Dark, starring Meryl Streep as the mother of the baby that was taken by a dingo. That was such a sad story. I always knew she was innocent because an old Aboriginal tracker who saw the track marks, confirmed a dingo took the baby. Yet she was convicted and went to jail.

djs111: You mentioned the 'friendly' dingo at Uluru. That was the part of the problem, tourists would feed them and they would therefore wander into the camps. But they remained wild animals and there have always been incidents of dingo attacks.

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liney23' date='Jan 29 2009, 12:18 AM' post='99714'

Caro listen.gif

Caro... where did you get that song on the little black box... When I Need You. I have never heard it before and thought I had heard every song Clay has ever sung. Can I download it somewhere? I LOVE it! I enjoyed your blog a bunch! Thanks for sharing!

liney, it was on one of the many different versions of the OMWH CDs. My memory fails me as to wheter it was on itunes, or WalMart or whatever but hopefully someone will get the answer to you.

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Good Morning Everyone,

38 Days until Daylight Savings Time!

:yahoo:

50 Days until The First Day of Spring!

:yahoo:

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

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Good Morning Everyone,

38 Days until Daylight Savings Time!

:yahoo:

50 Days until The First Day of Spring!

:yahoo:

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

bwah

I think someone enjoys doing the countdown as much as I enjoy seeing it. I might have gone through withdrawal when you were offline those few days.

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djs111: You mentioned the 'friendly' dingo at Uluru. That was the part of the problem, tourists would feed them and they would therefore wander into the camps. But they remained wild animals and there have always been incidents of dingo attacks.

Claytonic - it never occurred to me that it was not a stray dog...like I said, our guide was horrified that I was trying to approach it (I didn't have any food) and realised he had not mentioned the dingo situation. The dingo was hanging back, not friendly, but wary.

I guess we went to Uluru at the height of fly season (Thanksgiving week here) - I have never seen so many flies. Thousands followed us into the van we were driving in and we had to drive with doors and windows open to flush them out.

We didn't climb on Uluru, after the guide said it was disrespectful, but some guys from Europe announced they had come all this way to do that, and they did. We didn't wait for them, though, they got another ride back to the hotel. Our guide said this is not the United States, if you break a leg or whatever, you can't sue.

The guide also told us that the aboriginal drawings on Uluru were getting washed away due to people throwing water on them, so they could see them better.

I never thought in a million years I would get to visit Australia or New Zealand, but I started dating a guy I met through work, and on the second date he told me he had enough United miles for two first-class tickets to Australia, and he would pay for the entire three-week trip, and did I want to go with him?

Hell yes!

We ended up being together for five or six years, he passed away in 1999, and that trip to Australia/NZ is still bright and fresh in my mind!

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From CV:

QUOTE (03jersey @ Jan 28 2009, 10:15 AM)

My GFI summary

Most notably, our golf foursome was the team that came in last and we were still given a prize to recognize our efforts. YEAH TEAM! We had a blast, the day was beautiful, Marisol is awesome, and BAF went above and beyond to make our entire day there so memorable.

First, I’m very proud that BAF had a successful event and their efforts continues to bring such happiness to the lives of those children who benefit so greatly from BAF’s programs.

Second, I absolutely bow down to our Clack goddesses.

I’ve tried several different ways to explain what was happening during Proud of Your Boy, from my perspective, but it’s not working very well. It’s difficult because, for me, this wasn’t about Clay Aiken, the multi-platinum recording artist, the performer, the Broadway star, singing to me. So there are no freckle or hair or sock reports. I certainly can’t begin to surmise what was going through Clay’s mind—except he was trying to remember the words to the song.

So I’ll just say I never would have imagined that the words to POYB (which I’ve listened to over and over in the past) could ever take on such a whole a new meaning.

As best as I can recollect my personal feelings when Clay was singing to me, he was just having a conversation with me, looking me straight in the eyes, telling me about his life and hoping I would/could someday find it in my heart to be very proud of him. I know there were many people out in the audience, but at that moment, they were looking in through a window, and really couldn’t hear our conversation. The moment was just that personal for me.

At one point, when he was still singing, it took every ounce of energy for me to not jump off the stool, tell him to stop “talking”, and just hug him. I wanted to explain to him that I understood what he was saying and they were words that he didn’t have to be speak. Of course, all I could manage to say was “I am”. My tears (which were instantaneous the moment Ben began playing the piano, so I knew I was going to be in trouble) were just a natural reaction to a young man honestly and sincerely and softly “talking” to his “granny”. For Clay, he could have just been singing a song. I wasn’t in his mind so I can’t speak for him, but he sure made POYB a very special moment for me.

That sounds so over-sentimental, but that’s the best way to describe it. Somehow, to me, the hug at the end (and it was one mighty big, warm bear hug) wasn’t a “thank you” for winning the BAF auction. I wanted to feel that somehow, someway he knew what was in my heart. The experience was absolutely priceless. His voice, up close, without being filtered through a mic or speakers, just really can’t be described.

I remember nothing else.

Forgive me dropping this on a new page, but I got excited when I read it.

I just loved that recap. I thought she seemed really nice.

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liney23' date='Jan 29 2009, 12:18 AM' post='99714'

Caro listen.gif

Caro... where did you get that song on the little black box... When I Need You. I have never heard it before and thought I had heard every song Clay has ever sung. Can I download it somewhere? I LOVE it! I enjoyed your blog a bunch! Thanks for sharing!

liney, it was on one of the many different versions of the OMWH CDs. My memory fails me as to wheter it was on itunes, or WalMart or whatever but hopefully someone will get the answer to you.

Actually, it was on the K-Mart extra of ATDW, and as someone has already pointed out, the QVC version of OMWH.

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liney23' date='Jan 29 2009, 12:18 AM' post='99714'

Caro listen.gif

Caro... where did you get that song on the little black box... When I Need You. I have never heard it before and thought I had heard every song Clay has ever sung. Can I download it somewhere? I LOVE it! I enjoyed your blog a bunch! Thanks for sharing!

liney, it was on one of the many different versions of the OMWH CDs. My memory fails me as to wheter it was on itunes, or WalMart or whatever but hopefully someone will get the answer to you.

Actually, it was on the K-Mart extra of ATDW, and as someone has already pointed out, the QVC version of OMWH.

That was If You Don't Know Me By Now. :)

I'm loving all the talk of Australia, its history & culture. Something to investigate.

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I'm arriving late to the shores of the Australia conversation, but I visited NZ and Australia and loved them both. When I taught college English, one of the books that I used for my students was The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, by Keneally. It's a powerful book about racial injustice in Australia and the terrible toll it takes. (I think a movie was made, too, but I haven't seen it.)

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I am impressed by the number of you who have been to Australia, and impressed in particular by the person who knew about the "stolen generation". However, I can't seem to find that post and I can't remember who it was who mentioned it!!!! In an earlier post, I mentioned an old friend, one of our best-known Aboriginal actresses. She was one of the stolen children. She was removed from her mother when she was about 10 and put into a convent school by the government of the day. Her mother searched for her, on foot, for years. They were reunited many years later, but the damage was done.

Justine was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to the performing arts and Aboriginal Theatre. It was a huge honor. However, she, like thousands of other Aborigines, needed to hear an apology from the government for the years of the stolen generation, as the experience had ripped her mother's heart to shreds. When there was no sign of the apology ever being made, in fury, she returned the OA medal. Ironically, she died in 2007, and a matter of months later we elected a new Prime Minister.

On 13 February 2008, just 10 months after Justine passed away, the new Prime Minister stood up and officially acknowledged the pain and suffering caused to the Aborigines, and officially apologised. It was a historic moment, and how terribly sad that Justine wasn't around to hear it; it had meant so much to her.

BTW, Justine Saunders was an extraordinary actress. She had also studied Shakespeare at NIDA, Australia's most prestigious acting academy, and spoke beautifully; yet she was forever stereotyped. It drove her nuts. Of all her work, my favourite was the series "Women of the Sun", I saw a preview of it with the cast before it was aired on television. I highly recommend it. There's a lot more to Australia than Kangaroos and Koalas. If you are interested, you can watch that historic moment, a huge step forward for our country.

Australia says sorry to the Stolen Generation

Thank you for the information about Justine Saunders.

That post you mention was from me. I started visitng Australia in 1995. I went to speak at a library conference, made friends and returned every two years from 1995 through 2005. I missed the 2007 conference. Attending library conferences gave me the opportunity to meet people and be introduced to how things work in the communities. Starting off with a trip to the Tiwi Islands was educational. The first museum we visited had lots of photographs of community life. However a number of the photos had tissue paper strips covering some of the people in the photos. When asked about them the young man showing us around explained that after a person died his or her family determined the length of the mourning period and during that period the persons name was not mentioned nor were pictures of that person viewed. Since it was a community museum they abided by that custom, hence the covered photographs.

Later when I visited the Northern Land Council library in Darwin they connected that practice to the practical problem of delays caused by witness deaths in land grant cases. Not only had the witness died but all traces of that person's evidence evaporated until the family said the mourning period was over. There are other cultural issues to consider such as both women's and men's taboos that involve what can be said to whom. I vaguely remember a long standing conflict over a bridge right away. There were Aboriginal complaints but for years no one could explain why. Later it was revealed that the right away infringed on land covered by women's taboos that could not be revealed or even said to exist. I think something was waivered to be able to give general statements. I am not sure the bridge was ever built on that spot.

That library was the only one in the Northern Territory at that time with both closed stacks and closed catalog. Everyone else was busy setting up on-line catalogs but this library had to maintain the confidentiality of its records. I am not sure if their collection is on line now. Their general references may be but the archival material may still be restricted. That is an issue as I understand the land council is coming up on its 30 year anniversary and freedom of information rules may kick in on some stuff.

Australian relationships between anglos and Aboriginal peoples are interesting because they are so right there. Now there is the influx of other cultures into Australia that have their own points of friction. There is still a lot to learn but they are hashing it out in public from what I can see. I think that is a good thing.

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