#61: Eight years of freakishly fun tours...and yes, he's still the one!

[gbmifan]

MOAM - I Survive You

MCWL - Mary Did You Know

ATDW - Without You

AIW- AIW

OMWH - Sacrificial Love

TNT - It Only Make Believe

Saw elsewhere its again gloom and doom day. The gerbil wheel goes round and round

[aikim]

Spent the morning doing homework, we have to read articles and then journal what we read..trying to get a lot of that done and out the way now.

Hubby is outside putting down more pea gravel and then is going to work on some landscaping behind the house..hotter than blazes outside, but I am not going to complain after all the cold weather we had.

My roses are blooming and all the veggies are doing nicely..spinach is coming up!

Kim

[FearofH2O]

MOAM- Invisible

MCWL- What Are You Doing New Years Eve

ATDW- Without You, but I also liked A Thousand Days

AIW- Christmas Waltz or did I imagine it on there?

OMWH- Where I Draw the Line or As Long as We're Here

TnT- It's Only Make Believe

I can never decide on one.

[shortyjill]

It's my naptime but I HAVE to get this in!

MOAM - tie; I Will Carry You and I Survived You

MCWL - tie; O Holy Night and HTHAS/OCAYF

ATDW - Broken Wings

AIW - All Is Well

OMWH - another tie(!); Ashes and Where I Draw The Line (<--this is the song that soon as it comes on I turn it up as loud as I can stand it and just soak it all in. This song reaches SO deep within me!)

TnT - Unchained Melody (although if you were to give me YDHTSYLM live that would be tied with UM)

The gerbil wheel is still going? I won't have to worry about reading up then. I'll just get the short version tomorrow night.

[treenuts]

Sad day, my pc has died! Im now on my Nook which is problematic to say the least, to type on, but here goes...

Peets low fat mocha is my drink of choice.

Fav song selections -

MOAM- ISY

MCWL- WAYDNYE

ATDW- 3way tie: RHW, HYCA, LNM

OMWH - WIDTL & TRM

TnT- SM & IOMB

Ok, that wore me out

[luckiest1]

"Timmies" is a cup of coffee from Tim Hortons. It's a ritual here, you should see the lines in the morning....any time of day, really. There is a Tim's on practically every street corner, or so it seems. I used to drink the stuff, and it was a hard addiction to break. Some people believe they must put something addictive in the blend (I've heard rumours of nicotine, but I don't believe it. )Thankfully, there are quite a few Starbuck's in town, too, since that is my current addiction. And when I travel in the states, it's wonderful!

I haven't read anyone else's answers yet, because I didn't want to be biased. Tomorrow I might give different answers (except RHW) but here they are for today:

MOAM - Perfect Day

MCWL - O Holy Night

ATDW - Right Here Waiting

AIW - All Is Well

OMWH - Everything I Don't Need

TnT - I have fallen in love with Moon River!

It's a lazy Saturday, and I've just made a batch of pizza dough that is rising. I'm going to try a recipe for Oaxacan pizza (Mexican). It sounds delicious.

[whatavoice]

MOAM: No More Sad Songs - Love the angst in this.

MCWL: Mary Did You Know - Loved it the first time I heard it, still do.

AIW: My Grown Up Christmas List - Love how he "connects" to the lyrics.

ATDW: Broken Wings - Already liked this song, loved it after hearing Clay's voice on it.

OMWH: As Long As We're Here - I have an emotional connection to this, because I heard it right after my mother passed away.

T&T: You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Absolutely love his voice, and the way he sings this song.

Brought to you by the word "LOVE". ;-)

[aikim]

I cannot believe I left T&T off my list..I kept looking at thinking it was too short...so anyway:

T&T: What Kind of Fool Am I..I was in heaven in Waukegan when he sang that song about two feet in front of me!

Kim

[ldyjocelyn]

treenuts, sorry to hear about your PC. I hope you get it fixed soon -- and cheaply!

Well, my years of Ticketmaster training have paid off once again; I have GOOD tickets to see Weird Al Yankovic tomorrow night! I've been searching for tickets all week, but nothing good coming up -- until today. Suddenly 8th row appeared on the aisle appeared! Woohoo! I've loved Weird Al's parodies for YEARS, and he's got a new album coming out in a few weeks. This should be a blast!

Love reading everyone's choices for songs. Yes, my choices will probably change tomorrow as well, but it's a good exercise...right?

[shortyjill]

"Timmies" is a cup of coffee from Tim Hortons. It's a ritual here, you should see the lines in the morning....any time of day, really. There is a Tim's on practically every street corner, or so it seems. I used to drink the stuff, and it was a hard addiction to break. Some people believe they must put something addictive in the blend (I've heard rumours of nicotine, but I don't believe it.

<snip>

Since I don't drink real coffee I've always gotten their flavored stuff but their French vanilla is AMAZING.

[jmh123]

I like Earl Grey tea that I make myself with a brand of tea that has been in business since 1869 but has been discontinued by the food conglomerate that had absorbed the little company in the last few years. Not too long before it was absorbed, it was Williamson & Magor, and they grew their tea in India. Since 1869 for realz. Then Williamson who had somehow parted with Magor became Williamson Teas, and grew their tea in China and SriLanka. It tasted the same to me. And it is such fantastic tea. I still have three boxes and some loose, and then that will be it, unless someone miraculously brings it back to life. I must have this tea nearly every day or I get very shaky.

But wait, since I was talking about it I googled as I do periodically, and they have come back, hooray. You can buy it through Amazon, and lots of other places. This is obviously a new company, a blend of the old and a new fair trade/green/community awareness branding. Ugh, I hate that word, but this is the kind of branding that keeps a business in business since 1869 youknowwhatImean? before twitter and everything! I think the people behind the new company are still people who have been in the tea business a long time. Their fields are in Kenya: Williamson farms. And now they are "Tea Farmers since 1869." So I'm hoping it's the same tea.

I like my Earl Grey strong, with honey and half and half. I also like Tazo Chai, which I drink the same way.

I started drinking tea in Japan, but it was this, which came at just the right (hot) temperature from a vending machine (I love the internet):

My big accomplishment of the day was washing some coats. I have so many coats, because I used to live somewhere that I needed them. I finally now have a washer big enough to wash them myself and now they are hanging to dry. More to go. And more cold season bedding too. I washed my pillows also. I haven't done that in forever.

Switched the clothes last weekend, switched the shoes tonight. I made a pretty big stack of things to take to the thrift shop, I was proud of myself.

We had a good spring this year, but it's now summer. With an exclamation mark. I'm reminding myself now that there are bugs and humidity issues that have only just now begun to ripen. But we've had a lot of days in the 90s, even high 90s, already.

[FearofH2O]

Love your tea story jmh. It happened to me with a Spice Island combination of spices. I searched everywhere to find it as it made my homemade soups and stews distinctive, at least to me. I found it on the internet but had to order six bottles of it as a minimum. I figure each bottle stays fresh as long as I don't open it.

I couldn't fall back to sleep tonight after my male cat came in meowing really loud and I had to get up and see what the problem was i,e, mouse or other animal he might have brought in, but he only wanted to be petted.

ETA: Did you wash wool coats too?

[luckiest1]

Fear, no you didn't imagine Christmas Waltz! That is definitely one of my favourites as well, I just love the tempo so much.

No fair that so many people had two or three way ties! If I knew I could do that, I would have! There are really no clear cut winners for me on any album, except for Right Here Waiting on ATDW. God I love that song.

jmh123, fascinating about your tea. I am so addicted to chai tea. It began in the 80s when my next door neighbour introduced me to what she called "Indian" tea. She was of East Indian descent but grew up in Liverpool, England. Her husband was from the Punjab region of India. Every time I would go over she would make me "Indian" tea, which meant she would boil a black tea bag (Tetley or Red Rose, orange pekoe) in a mixture of half milk and half water, on the stove, with some green cardamom pods and a cinnamon stick. She would sweeten it with sugar and serve it hot. Since then, we moved away and lost touch, but I still made it for myself. Then one day, when Starbucks came into fashion around here, I discovered their Tazo chai and realized it was my "Indian" tea! And I've been addicted ever since. Most people order their chai latte made from a syrup, but I always order mine made with a tea bag instead. That way I can control the amount of sugar that I add (or sweetener). Starbucks is expensive (over $5 for a 12 oz chai latte now) so most mornings I make it at home myself and take it to work. I keep a stock of Starbuck's brand Tazo chai tea bags on hand, but lately I find myself going back to the old way, using the green cardamom pods and an orange pekoe tea bag on the stove, with a cinnamon stick. I also add fennel seeds, all spice and black pepper corns to give it more of the same Tazo chai flavour. Fennel seeds are also very good for the tummy. I often use honey or maple syrup as a sweetener instead of sugar, or Spenda if I'm trying to keep the calories down. And I don't drink milk much anymore, I'm onto soy milk now. Also better for my tummy!

treenuts, sorry to hear about your computer. I hope you can get it fixed soon. I love that the FCA gang is back and chatting! Whether or not there is any Clay news to discuss.

[shortyjill]

treenuts I hope your computer is fixed soon.

I like all the little chit chat too. I can learn a bit about everyone!

I can't believe I'm awake at this hour again. Especially after not getting home till 1, and to sleep after 230 (texting about boy problems that cropped up last night....UGH).

Last of the estate sale today and then I'm seeing The Hangover 2. It FEELS like I have one even though I don't, yesterday was just so long. I need breakfast though...

[aikim]

Adventures in Babysitting...getting there was half the battle. Monster thunderstorm rolled through while I was driving to Emily's and the worst of it occurred while I was stuck in traffic trying to get through a construction area (for some reason the state of Illinois always decides to construction on an every road at the same time..ugh!). Pet peeve no. 45..people who know the road is merging but wait until the very last minute to get over and then expect you to let them in. Just so you know, I won't...yeah, I can be a bit of a bitch about that...not going to let you cut in front of me after I have gotten over and have been waiting for 10 minutes to get through the stoplight. So we finally get through that mess, the storm finally begins to abate and then it is time to play "dodge the puddles (well more like small ponds, LOL) all the way there. I have never seen so much standing water...had to do a lot of swerving and driving around huge amounts of water and low areas. One dead stoplight later and we are finally within a minute or two of Emily's house. By this time I have to pee so bad my teeth are floating; turn down her street and there are branches in the road and we pass by one house where the owner is standing outside looking at a huge tree that was felled by the storm and is half in his yard and half in the road. Finally get to Emily's..make a mad dash to the potty before I even say hello and then it is on to the actual baby-sitting.

Part II...Been only two weeks since I have seen Austin but I swear he has changed...he is trying to sit up now and he loves to stand. I was sitting on the floor and standing him in front of me and I could actually hold him with one hand and he would just stand there and look around..I think he will probably be walking before he crawls. He has not turned over yet, and does not like being on his stomach. So we had a fun time "talking" to each other and watching TV..he likes watching the TV...he found Jeopardy especially enticing. Bottle time, diaper change and Jammies on and I figure he is ready to settle down for the night. Nope...not sure if he was over-tired; has gas or a combination of both but at 8:00 he suddenly had a meltdown and I spent the next hour walking around with him trying to get him to calm down. He finally did fall asleep and then I walked a little more to make sure he was really out before I put him down. Success! Nana then collapsed on the couch with a pepsi until mama and daddy got home. Got home at around 10:30, tired, smelling like baby spit up and with an achy arm and shoulder from holding him...carrying around 15 pounds of baby is an armful.

But it really is all worth it when he flashes that toothless smile at you!

49 Days until Clay is on DDD!

Happy Birthday to all celebrating!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[Carolina Clay]

I have successfully driven in large cities with winding roads and numerous street changes, but point me in the direction of Winston-Salem and it's a total disaster. The current Carolina blog describes my latest foray to Wake Forest University Medical Center in Winston-Salem, appropriately accompanied by Clay's OMWH track, "Everything I Don't Need" in a montage by gerwhisp.

No offense to your city, Fear. I've just never been able to navigate successfully in Winston. The driving part is true and a way I could tell people who read Carolina On My Mind and might be interested in the upcoming surgery.

There is also a brief Fan Fest 2011 report with photos/screen caps by Scarlett, next year's dates, and Fountaindawg's wallpaper with photos by farouche and toni7babe.

Thank you for supporting the Clay blogs with your comments, tweets, Facebook posts, links, etc.

for all who are in need.

Have a special Sunday, all!

Caro

[luckiest1]

aikim, I look forward to those days. Don't see it happening any time soon though....I am not destined to be a young Grandma, I don't think. But probably for the best if they wait until they're ready, and don't go my my schedule, right?

[aikim]

aikim, I look forward to those days. Don't see it happening any time soon though....I am not destined to be a young Grandma, I don't think. But probably for the best if they wait until they're ready, and don't go my my schedule, right?

I never thought much about being a Grandma until I was one..I just figured it would happen at one point...but never thought I would enjoy it so much. I had 4 kids in 6 years and it was such a whirlwind, I felt like I never really got to enjoy them so it is nice being able to just enjoy having a baby around without so many other distractions. And of course, than I can give him back to his mama..best of both worlds actually.

Kim

[ldyjocelyn]

aikim, sounds like an interesting night for you. We've got rain and thunder here right now, but it looks as if the major storm went north of us (and a secondary one will go south of us in about an hour). I just hope it's decent weather for traveling to my concert tonight.

shortyjill, I know what you mean about being up at silly hours. My husband is subbing in a band (he plays guitar) and the gig was an hour away. I woke up twice hoping he'd come home soon. He finally made it at 4:00 a.m.! And then the storm watches hit, so I've only been drifting for the last few hours, and finally gave up even trying to go back to sleep about 2 hours ago.

Ah yes, drink addictions. Mine is Cafe Americanos -- in the evening, no less! My husband started making them (basically, espresso mixed with hot water) a few years ago at night, and then he got me interested. Now, unbelievably, I CAN'T sleep unless I have one (because of the headache I get). The problem now is our espresso machine is dying and to get a really good one, you have to shell out an awful lot of money!

luckiest, while the "rules" for our game yesterday weren't set in stone, I was hoping people could pick ONE song from each album. That means those of you with ties cheated. [/jk] I also think I was hoping that people, if they could do so, explain why they picked each song. I know, sometimes it's just a gut feeling...

I would love to ask Clay if HE could name one favorite from each album...

[aikim]

Ldyj That would be a great question for the video chat!

Kim

[FearofH2O]

I thought Clay picked the songs for "The Best of Clay Aiken". Despite fans refusing to buy the cd, it has become one of my favorites. If I were going to give someone a cd that represents Clay, that's what they'd get.

Caro, no offense. It still confuses me to go around the airport in Greensboro. Seems like they build a new road around it everytime I'm headed that way. And Raleigh, forget it. A few years ago I was on a committee that had meetings every month at the same place and I don't think I went the same way twice.

[shortyjill]

Following Caro and Fear's statements, this is one reason I like the Detroit area. All the main E/W roads are Mile Roads. All the major N/S have names. You can't really get lost till you're downtown. *g* I've been to Lubbock, TX twice and they have a road system similar to ours, numbered avenues E/W and then USA city names N/S. It makes it easy to find out where you're going.

Caro best of luck to you with your surgery.

[aikim]

My smiling boy Austin:

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j165/aikim_2006/IMG_6592.jpg

[FearofH2O]

He's so cute aikim. It's great that you can spend time with him.

[aikim]

He's so cute aikim. It's great that you can spend time with him.

Thanks; I wish your situation was different

Kim