#52: "He doesn't need the spotlight. He just glows."

[FearofH2O]

One day she came over here to give something to her daughter, and I told her no Irish people were allowed in my house. Stupid bitch.

Now that's really funny luckiest.

Part of the problem in NC is that religion is so influential that no matter what their religious leader says some people will believe it without question. It is absolutely entwined in our political system and many politicians use this to their advantage.

Several months ago several religious leaders got together to declare that NC was a target this year to pass an anti same sex marriage law. Every year, supposedly, it is brought up and defeated in the legislature. A mother spoke for the group and said she didn't want her kids to go to school with people like this (gay). They would corrupt her children. If I had been paying attention I would have written down their names.

I'm sure that this man, Stam, is monitarily supported by people like this. We even have one city in the state, a tiny one, that passed a law against same sex marriage and said it was for the good of those people so they won't get discriminated against. Left me scratching my head.

I discontinued our local newspaper when they supported the woman running against the man I worked for in the House of Rep in DC. because she had more experience. She later embarrassed our state by coming out against the Matthew Shepphard bill. Her name is Virginia Fox. She is dangerous and looney. But she is running in very rural areas where people hate the federal government.

On another note I hope you all have a great day. Off to work for me soon.

[FromClaygary]

I know politics and religion are supposed to stay off of here, and this seems to be a little of both! but I'm just so curious...so fear or anyone alse from down that way...

After following Clay's link I noticed the idiot is the House Minority leader (!) and has been in government for 5 terms.....people have re-elected this maroon 4 times!! I thought perhaps he was a newbie idiot, but it doesn't look that way.

For some reason that won't come to me, I recognize his name....has he been involved with other idiocies I might know about in the past?

It always just blows my mind when I encounter this type of thing in the area...because I normally think of Raleigh in particular as being quite forward-thinking, technologically current, certainly medically progressive. I'm not quite sure how someone who is scientifically sophisticated~can equate that knowledge with this kind of prehistoric crap!

Justclay12 we have our moments....but just yesterday on the news there was a big brouhaha because the Minister of Tourism donated half a million $ from her budget to the Toronto Gay Pride parade. Which seems fair to me.....it IS a big tourist attraction! (and that's a whole other story...but I digress...) She was pictured doing so, on the news, surrounded by a group of people from the parade, in full costume; transsexuals, drag queens etc. People blew a GASKET apparently! And now they are considering removing her from the post. WTH???

So....y'know....everywhere has its bigots.

I used to ride into the city every now and again with someone who thought "cruising XXX street" in Toronto was an entertainment opportunity. This was long before Clay came out. I still see her on the boards, but I wonder as well how she reconciles that with caring about him. Needless to say, I do not ride in with them anymore. I can't even begin to tell you how much that offended me.

[goldarngirl]

GDG,

Am I still supposed to be asking for some clack from somebody for you? And if so...what again?

Yes I do. I will send you an email with what I've asked for and will hope that that helps. Thanks.

[Couch Tomato]

Hey guys - please keep up is your thoughts and prayers. My mom is visiting her second home again-- but hopefully she is coming home today. I see my controversy king has spoken again -- except what he said SHOULDN'T be controversial but hey, it's Clay . Go Clay.

[luckiest1]

{{{couchie}}} I hope all will be well.

[liney23]

Wish I was joining you all at the Gala, but I guess someone has to hold down the fort and make sure everything is all neat and tidy when you get back! So who else isn't going, we need to plan some sort of party while the mice are away!

Kim

aikim... I'm not going, so I can keep you company! I think a board party is definitely called for. Maybe one of the persons at the breakfast can call someone on the boards and we can do a breakfast-cert. Just remembering that 8:30am back there is MUCH earlier out here in SoCal.

That NC GOP idjit (perfect use of the word) is freakin' unbelievable. However, he is not alone and that is so sad. I will say, though, that things are a lot better than they used to be. They are doing prep work to get the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law repealed in Congress. That will be a major step. The ex-Iraqui war vet that is sponsering the bill said he was in Iraq for 6 years and he didn't care what sexual orientation his platoon mates were, just whether they could shoot an M16 and break down a door and cover his ass. Good point!

Thank goodness the anti-bullying bill passed. Hope it does some good.

My DGS#2 was being bullied by some older kids and it got to the calling the police stage. It was a different situation than most kids cause DGS has a black belt in Tae Quan Do and is advancing very well in Ultimate Fighting. His fear was that these idiots would make him lose his temper and he might really hurt them and get into deep trouble. He's a good and smart kid and his instructors have taught him well that what he can do is a sport and only to be used to defend his life or someone else's life! Not against stupid bullies and their stupid words.

{{{{{couchie}}}}}} Sending good vibes at you and your mom.

[treenuts]

Wish I was joining you all at the Gala, but I guess someone has to hold down the fort and make sure everything is all neat and tidy when you get back! So who else isn't going, we need to plan some sort of party while the mice are away!

Kim

:3: aikim & liney, I'll be glad to bring some party supplies

That would certainly be better than sitting around feeling sorry for myself since I can't get to the Gala

[jmh123]

Sending good thoughts to couchie and mom!

[ausdon]

Wish I was joining you all at the Gala, but I guess someone has to hold down the fort and make sure everything is all neat and tidy when you get back! So who else isn't going, we need to plan some sort of party while the mice are away!

Kim

:3: aikim & liney, I'll be glad to bring some party supplies

That would certainly be better than sitting around feeling sorry for myself since I can't get to the Gala

Count me in,of course!

Canfly eHp = evil Houston posse. Or, since I read back where everyone is in it, in my case it could be evil HelluvalongwayfromHouston posse.

Good thoughts to Couchie and Mom.

My Dad hasn't been well lately. Ordinarily they would do some tests but he is severely allergic to anasthetic and many medications so that rules alot of things out. He said the Dr says it might be "something going around" but I am worried. I think Mum is too but she hasn't let on.

[aikim]

, we have a party to plan!

Prayers going out for Couchie and her Mom and for Ausdon and her Dad.

Kim

[Carolina Clay]

One day she came over here to give something to her daughter, and I told her no Irish people were allowed in my house. Stupid bitch.

You go, girl! Sendings hugs :thbighug-1: and applause to you, luckiest1!

Couchie and Mom

In an attempt to combat the bile competing with the positive posts about our singer in Google searches, nine Clay bloggers today wrote about "CA Looking Good!" from distinctly different approaches. I titled the Carolina On My Mind version "Clay Aiken: Looking and Doing Good" and led the UNICEF/TBAF piece with cindilu2's animated design:

Links to the other eight blogs are included in mine. Thnx ahead for your hits/comments, which always help immensely.

Love reading your gala plans. I'll be making a reservation with the online gang right now.

Have a great evening, all!

Caro

[FromClaygary]

I have taken the liberty of adding a thread HERE for those who are looking for, or can offer, a ride back and forth between RDU and the Marriott for the Gala weekend.

Hopefully we will be able to hook some people up!

Also, I have finally been able to confirm our private room at the Marriott for breakfast today...please see the first post in the thread HERE if you are interested in the details and possibly joining us.

Good luck to those vying for tickets on the 11th! (of August, that is....)

[treenuts]

In an attempt to combat the bile competing with the positive posts about our singer in Google searches, nine Clay bloggers today wrote about "CA Looking Good!" from distinctly different approaches. I titled the Carolina On My Mind version "Clay Aiken: Looking and Doing Good" and led the UNICEF/TBAF piece with cindilu2's animated design:

Links to the other eight blogs are included in mine. Thnx ahead for your hits/comments, which always help immensely.

Love reading your gala plans. I'll be making a reservation with the online gang right now.

Have a great evening, all!

Caro

Great job, Caro!!! I actually went through and read many of the blogs today. Geez, I didn't realize just how many there are. Nice pictures, videos and some very good write ups too! Good effort, team :thbighug-1:

[Scarlett]

I wonder what's the best way to bring our online party to the Gala with us. We'll have the standard cellcerts but we've been doing those for years and so much has changed since then...

Ideas? How many webcam-enabled netbooks do we have among all of us here? Does anyone know how reliable the hotel's wi-fi is? How about iphones as modems? How about streaming more than audio? I wish the Gala organizers would just register audio and webcam connections for a fee -- there will be intense competition for the Gala tickets so I don't anyone will willingly stay home just because a feed is available. How about $10 for an audio stream and (if it's possible) $20 for a video stream? Then for a hard souvenir, $15 for an audio CD of the proceedings and $25 for DVD? I bet this could raise a good amount for the foundation (whatever the new name will be), as well as reach people who can't do the $250 ticket + travel costs right now. Some work-related conventions I've attended charge $90 for a DVD of 3-days worth of seminars so this doesn't sound unreasonable. But if this isn't done formally, the least we could do is set

things up & get organized so that updates can come in a more timely manner. The technology's available we just need to know beforehand where to connect and how.

Might be interesting to set up an online party date on a weekend in August or September, both as a board "Internet party" and as a sort of dry-run on how many people we can get connected at one time and the various ways we could do it. We can just call it our 2009 pre-Concert party -- there will be a concert someday, don't you think?

For example, many of those going to the Gala will probably use their phone to update fb, tweeter, flickr, pb, their blog, or some other server but not all of them at the same time. We need a dry run to simulate the real event and see if the whole thing works or if we need to set up some ways to enable things (eg. like when someone listens in on a cellcert and types up the conversation on to a thread here) to make it easier for everyone. On the "fake" party date, we just connect the way we plan to in October, report imaginary things, and see if the whole thing works on its own.

BTW, airfares have gone up again. Congrats to all those who were able to buy during the sale & a huge thank you to all the enablers!!!

Thanks for the lovely blog as always, Caro!

{{{couchie mom & ausdon dad}}}

[FromClaygary]

Love the ideas, Scarlett! I hope to have a netbook by that time and would be glad to participate. I believe the hotel internet last year was OK....but y'know....it's hotel internet!

[Scarlett]

Love the ideas, Scarlett! I hope to have a netbook by that time and would be glad to participate. I believe the hotel internet last year was OK....but y'know....it's hotel internet!

FromClaygary, most of us are still getting our stuff together (I haven't upgraded my phone, either), so we probably should set the dry run for September, maybe Labor Day weekend in the US? I know I'll be meeting up with some of the eHP on that weekend (some of them don't know it yet, hee!) so we should have some interesting updates.

We do need someone to 'scope' out the venue beforehand & report on the strength of both the Wi-Fi and 3G (if it exists) connections. Any chance you'll be in the area over the next month or two, jmh?

O canfly, the 'e' can mean anything you want it to mean!!!

ETA: Fear, I was thinking of both the night of and the morning after. Yes, a laptop would probably work best at the breakfast but the way I've known this fandom is this: as long as there's something available, 2nd- & 3rd- hand breathless recaps included, there will always be someone who'll either stay up late or wake up early to get it.

[FearofH2O]

Great idea Scarlett. I don't have a netbook but my laptop has a webcam. Sorry to say I've never tried it.

There'll probably be more people at the breakfast than would listen to it. Isn't 9:00on the east coast 6:00AM on the west coast?

ETA: caperkeeper at CV mentioned that within the last 13 hours Clay's myspace was updated to add the video ATD.

[Couch Tomato]

Update: They kept my mom another day because her blood pressure was too high but she seems to be doing well. Off for my night visit!!

[annabear]

Prayers going out for Couchie and her Mom and for Ausdon and her Dad.

:hug:

Been busy, busy, busy! I think I missed a few birthdays so to all celebrating recently.

Clay's latest blog? Glad he seems to be feeling freer to speak his mind.

The moron he blogged about? Fucking ignorant

[FromClaygary]

FromClaygary, most of us are still getting our stuff together (I haven't upgraded my phone, either), so we probably should set the dry run for September, maybe Labor Day weekend in the US? I know I'll be meeting up with some of the eHP on that weekend (some of them don't know it yet, hee!) so we should have some interesting updates.

We do need someone to 'scope' out the venue beforehand & report on the strength of both the Wi-Fi and 3G (if it exists) connections. Any chance you'll be in the area over the next month or two, jmh?

ETA: Fear, I was thinking of both the night of and the morning after. Yes, a laptop would probably work best at the breakfast but the way I've known this fandom is this: as long as there's something available, 2nd- & 3rd- hand breathless recaps included, there will always be someone who'll either stay up late or wake up early to get it.

Yes, at this point Labor Day weekend should work for me; I may even be living at my very own house at that point! ....as opposed to a hotel room somewhere in the world.

They do conventions at the hotel (obviously...). Do you suppose they would rent us a better connection for a nominal fee? That might be an option.

[justclay12]

to Couchie and Couchie mom.

[jmh123]

FromClaygary, most of us are still getting our stuff together (I haven't upgraded my phone, either), so we probably should set the dry run for September, maybe Labor Day weekend in the US? I know I'll be meeting up with some of the eHP on that weekend (some of them don't know it yet, hee!) so we should have some interesting updates.

We do need someone to 'scope' out the venue beforehand & report on the strength of both the Wi-Fi and 3G (if it exists) connections. Any chance you'll be in the area over the next month or two, jmh?

I couldn't check out 3G because I don't have a device that uses it. While I do have a wireless computer, I don't have a wireless internet plan. Does the Marriott have free wireless in the lobby areas for non-guests?

[jazzgirl]

{{{ Couchie and her Mom and Ausdon and her Dad}}}

[jmh123]

I was just outside enjoying my little spot in the back. Does anyone remember my mystery creature--the one I had a photo of from the rear hastening away as fast as it could? I think it was a groundhog. I don't know if groundhogs have a defensive mechanism that involves getting down close the ground, kind of flopping down to try to merge with the landscape, while bristling their fur, but if they do, that's my creature. A week or so after I saw my creature, I saw a groundhog walking down the sidewalk of the main drag, about a mile from my house. That was a clue, but I had never seen a groundhog in NC before so I still wasn't sure. A couple of days ago a groundhog just sauntered by my back door in broad daylight, and that cinched it for me. From my description, and I tried to memorize the look of the thing since I had no idea what it was, you'd never think it was a groundhog. I wrote this back then (there's a photo at the link too, of the creature running away):

I saw this creature yesterday in my yard of a type I have never seen before. It was about the size of a raccoon, but definitely was not a coon. It looked flatter and floppier, if that makes any sense. It was a very floppy-looking creature, almost like a stuffed animal. I ran to get my camera while it ran to get away, so all I caught was a shot of its rear while on the run. Here's that photo. You can sort of see the tail and the body, but not much in the way of shape. Any ideas??

Right after that, classic KAndre:

Maybe an escaping coonskin cap?

So I have wildlife on the mind because late this afternoon I saw a large buck deer, large for this neighborhood that is, with 2 or 3 points, and I think there was another one there as well, not quite as large, but also male. The big one was just on the other side of the fence, in the woods, which are very dense this time of year, maybe 15 feet away? It retreated only a few feet, but it was in dense foliage the whole time so I could just barely see parts of it at a time as it moved. It even came back to the fence (they like the honeysuckle I think) after awhile, but in a different place farther away and it stayed more within the foliage. I once glimpsed a deer on my side of the fence but it vaulted the fence from a standing position like a show jumper the minute I opened the door. And then there were the two young uns who were being chased by two cats one time. I usually see does, not males, and usually pretty young adults or a family of a doe and young ones.

Ausdon, I hope everything is alright with your dad.

I'm heading off to mom's for another Fri. to Sun. stint. Lots of southern Gothic family behavior this week. I spend a lot of time pointing out reality to the other family members and having them yell at me and say, no, no, you are mean, or you are wrong, or, look, a kitten. ARGH!! Then stuff happens and they all go, oh, OK, but you're still wrong about everything else.

[aikim]

99 Days until The BAF Gala!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim