a photo a day

last weekend i went to florida with some of my duke friends!  it was awesome.  we ate and drank and sat on the beach and played games and caught up, and the weekend ended far too quickly.  i took exactly one picture - shortly after chauffeur Q picked me up at the airport and drove me back to our condo - and this is it:

i wish i lived close to these friends every day of the year!

super Q

my friend Q just graduated from an EdD program (a PhD in education).  it was three long years of weekend classes, presentations, and tons of papers, but he did it, and i'm so proud of him.  for his graduation present i knitted him a superhero version of himself: super Q.

introducing super Q:

i modified a pattern in one of my knitting books, and was pretty pleased with how it came out.  super Q is wearing black shorts and has a rainbow shirt and cape.  he also has a "Q" charm around his neck, which i don't think i'd put on when i took the picture above.  i tried to mimic real Q's hair, too.

ruby inspected it and found it acceptable.

when i was in charlotte, i gave super Q to real Q.  they posed for a picture together:

and Q took super Q to his graduation!  i was so honored.  apparently super Q even walked across the stage (in real Q's pocket)!

congrats, Q!  we love you and are so proud of you!

my sleep cycle

when i was in atlanta in january willis told me about a new iphone app that he'd purchased that monitors your sleep.  you tell the app that you're going to sleep, then put the phone on your bed for the night.  when you turn over or move, the app registers that and thinks you are either (a) in a less deep sleep than before, or (b) awake, based on the amount of movement.  after he used it the first night and we pored over the results, i obviously had to buy it.  99 cents!  fun information about yourself!

the app rates your sleep from 0% to 100% based on...i don't know what, because sometimes it is wrong.  i'll wake up thinking i had been tossing and turning, but the app doesn't care and rates my sleep as very good.  who knows.  i love it anyway.  i think it must have something to do with how long you are in "deep sleep" and how often you wake up...

this is my best night of sleep, according to the app:

it clearly took me like 45 minutes to fall asleep, but somehow that didn't matter...

and this is my worst night of sleep so far:

i didn't get into the deep sleep very much at all, so apparently it was not pleased.

also, let's note that i am kind of the luckiest person ever, because i consistently get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.  the reason for this: i never have class before 9am.  i'm going to enjoy this life while i can.

you can also tell the app if you worked out or drank caffeine or whatever (you add the options) and then it will tell you if you sleep better or worse after doing these things. the app says i sleep 5% better when i work out and negligibly better if i drink caffeine with dinner, but both are based on just a couple data points, so could presumably change over time.

and that, friends, is probably more than you ever wanted to know about my sleep.

last night i watched the first two episodes of HBO's game of thrones with andy and a bitter willis (willis did not want to watch this show and was forced to by me and andy.  willis hates fantasy.  willis needs to get over it).  yes, this show aired LAST spring, but andy just finished the book and i haven't had access to HBO until recently, when a little (awesome) birdie made it possible.

people, this show is amazing.  i may or may not have been on the edge of my seat (literally) when watching the crazy-beautiful opening credits.  also, i definitely had to clutch willis's arm with my germ-y paws* during the opening scene of scariness.  he is a good friend for letting me do this.  also, he had no choice.

the books are so addictive and now this show is even more so.  I LOVE IT.  and...since i'm watching with andy whenever we can get together, i can't just plow through the whole season in one 24 hour span, which is absolutely what i would be doing otherwise.  ugh!  it's like waiting for christmas morning.  which is very fun.


*i'm a little sick.  boo.

i went to limerick junction this weekend with some of my favorite people.

(other favorite people not shown but definitely present.)

pretty close to the best night ever.  elevated to "close to the best night ever" status by the fact that willis got on stage and sang with the guy who plays live music there every other weekend.  it was incredible.

willis alert

this is a small child whose last name is willis.  i know this because his dad was also wearing a willis shirt and, well, if your first name is willis you shouldn't name your kid willis jr.  and i'm assuming they know that.  i made other claire be the stalker who got this picture on her phone.

we were at the braves game.  it was a glorious evening.  we arrived with 55 seniors and left with 53.

(but that was okay because two kids got picked up from the game.)

awesome senior retreat...but when i got home at 12:10am i was pretty glad it was over.  i'm a tired girl.

happy saturday, everyone!

gay men draw butch things, part 3

a tank.
by willis.

(in related news, we won our trivia night last night!  hooray!)

the "gun" that the tank driver (probably not the technical name) is holding looks like a hair dryer.

also, the tank is driving on...barbed wire wheels?  what is going ON, willis?

oh, i love these drawings...

gay men draw butch things, part 2

last night at trivia (2nd place!  final question: which of these authors was a spy and ladies man during world war 2? choices: maurice sendak, roald dahl, a.a. milne, dr. seuss) we continued our game of making a gay man draw a butch thing.  willis was instructed to draw a man cutting down a tree with a chainsaw.  this is a very butch thing, obviously.  his work has improved considerably, though the tree is a little bizarre:

why the man chose to cut down the tree while standing on the hill to the left of the tree instead of the flat area to the right of the tree - we'll never know.  perhaps because he didn't want to fall off the cliff where the world ends?

good work, willis.

you should also know that willis played in a gay volleyball tournament last weekend (the men playing are gay - not the volleyballs themselves) and not only did his team win 3rd place, but willis was voted onto the all-tournament team!  go willis!!

gay men draw butch things

when my friends and i go to the pizza place down the street from my house for trivia on tuesday nights, we have a good time.  regardless of whether we win, but obviously winning is more fun.  DUH.  at the end of the night there are usually leftovers to be transported home in white pizza boxes, and this blank surface has inspired a new game: gay men draw butch things.

here is how the game works.  a gay man (usually willis) is instructed by a straight man to draw something butch.  week 1: a tractor.  and a bass fish.  the tractor ended up with squiggly wheels and the bass fish had a frenchy hat and mustache.  not very butch.  but pretty funny.  week 2: willis is instructed to draw the delorean from back to the future.  it is tragic.  and thus HILARIOUS.  i kept meaning to get photos of these pizza boxes, but never got around to it before throwing them away once the pizza was eaten.  this week (week 3): willis is instructed draw a G6.  now, willis is relatively butch because he knew what a G6 was (a plane, apparently), but this is what he drew.  i made fun of him STEP BY STEP, particularly when what i thought was going to be the wings turned out to be the body of the plane.  that willis - he's tricky!

this is the weirdest plane ever.  it looks kind of like the oscar mayer weinermobile with oddly shaped wings.  and somehow the perspective is off...so we're looking at a plane from the side and from up above at the same time.

stay tuned for more iterations of this game that never fails to make me laugh.

trailing of the sheep

have you ever seen 1,500 sheep parade down a town's main street?  if this something that you want to check off of your life's "to do" list, i would suggest going to ketchum, idaho's trailing of the sheep.

the back story: every fall the ranchers of idaho move their sheep from the summer grazing areas in northern idaho down south to...graze in the winter?  get slaughtered?  this was a little vague, so we didn't dwell on it.  for the past 14 years, ketchum and hailey, idaho, have had a little festival to celebrate this event, as well as celebrate the three main ethnic groups that are involved heavily in sheep ranching in idaho: peruvians, basques, and scots.  so there was a parade with lots of playing music and dancing and traditional costumes by these three groups:

(note that the bagpipes look like sheep!!!)

and then: the main event - the sheep!

the sheep were very well behaved and did what they were supposed to...thanks mostly to the sheepdogs that were hanging out with them.  i liked this guy because he looked a lot like the sheep.

and then they were gone!

fun note: before the sheep made their way down main street, willis proclaimed that sheep "cannot run" and that he can "move faster than a sheep."  i told him he was ridiculous, lily looked up facts on sheep speeds on her phone (apparently they have been clocked at 30 miles per hour), and after the sheep walked/ran/jumped [the crosswalks freaked them out]/made their way down main street, willis was forced to admit that (a) sheep CAN run, and (b) a sheep could beat him in a race.

this was an excellent way to spend an afternoon.

willis v. watson

really interesting article on a new computer that can beat people at jeopardy!  willis: watch out.*

(i would like to urge everyone to click the link in the article to play a fake game against watson the computer.  watson was pretty impressive, i thought.)


*for those with short memories, willis qualified and tried out for jeopardy in person!  any time between now and 18 months from now he could (emphasis on could) be called to appear on the show.  OMG.

and boy did he need one...

"oh my god they're glistening!"
--willis, forgetting he'd gotten a pedicure with me & jenny hours earlier, and re-noticing his polished toenails.

(he would like everyone to know that his toenails are painted CLEAR.  just enough to sparkle in the sunlight.  pedicures: this is what happens when we're in sandy springs with two hours to kill before dinner.)

alex, i'll take "life goals" for $400.

i have a couple life goals:
1. be happy/fall in love/get married/have kids/love my job/all that jazz.  i mean, this is really the primary goal.
2. be an elector in the electoral college.
3. appear on jeopardy.

willis is about to beat me to the punch on #3.

in january willis and i both took the online test in an attempt to qualify to be on jeopardy.  willis and i then immediately called each other and talked through every question on the test, and out of the 50 questions, willis appeared to have gotten about 5 correct more than i did.

time passes.  (in the movie of my life, this portion will be shown by snow falling and then melting and spring arriving and pollen falling and then staying forever.)

a couple weeks ago, willis receives The Email.  The Email informs willis that he has qualified for the next round of testing in order to be on jeopardy.  willis will go to philadelphia in june, take another test, and sit through a fake interview to see if he is interesting enough to appear on the show.  assuming he does well on the next level of testing, willis absolutely will be found interesting enough to appear on the show.  i mean, have you guys met willis?  jeopardy needs a multiracial, gay, volleyball playing, fashionable dressing, educator like willis from small town missouri through duke and michigan to atlanta.  I AM SO EXCITED FOR HIM.

drag race

for people who are tired of reading about basketball, i offer this:

on sunday i went to a drag race with willis and dani.

that is, i went to an event in which drag queens raced in high heels.  they call it a drag race.  this entertains me greatly.

it actually sounds more interesting than it was.  it was fun, certainly - we scoped out boys for willis, saw lots of men in tacky drag outfits, were horrified when families with small children walked by, and giggled at the races.  but it was also hot, and i melt in the heat.  we stayed about an hour and then left for air conditioning.  because it was in the high 80s this weekend.  WHERE DID SPRING GO?  WHO TOOK HER HOSTAGE?  I DEMAND SPRING BACK!  it is supposed to cool down a bit starting thursday, and rain some, which we need.  then, hopefully, i will have my spring back.

an odd preference

"i wish we had the stuff to make vodka tonics.  that's my favorite drink to have in the shower."
--willis

drive all night

willis, dudley, irving, and i departed atlanta at 1:05am last night and arrived at the beach house at 6:55am.  and magically, we weren't grumpy.  i know you can't believe this, but it's true.  we then slept until 1:00pm. my neck hurts like a bitch right now from sleeping in the car, but otherwise, all is well.

willis drove the whole way.

THE WHOLE WAY.

because he's bad ass like that.

awesome text from willis while we were lying in our beds in different rooms, waking up this morning:
"i don't like that both dudley and irving have white aristocratic names and i have a second class black name."

(apologies to all people named willis out there.)

i informed willis that we can't change his pseudonym now.  my mom just figured it out.

embarrassing my mom

mom: so i was reading your blog the other day and i read the story about willis's letter to the new president of grinnell, and i said to john, "is willis really [willis's real name]?"
me: wait, mom, are you kidding me?
mom: no!  i thought that this was a new work friend who i hadn't met before, but then he described himself in the email and i was like, this sounds like [willis's real name].  why don't you call him [willis's real name]?
me: sometimes i tell stories about him that might be embarrassing, so i've given him a pseudonym.
mom: does anybody else have one?
me: no, not so far.

note: mom and dad are pretty much BFF with willis.  they've known him since i was in college with him.  they met him at a duke football game (so this must have been the fall of my senior year), and i have this really vivid memory of the moment they met.  willis walked up and i got ready to introduce them and my dad stood up all weirdly, but i didn't think much of it.  after willis walked away dad confessed that he thought willis was a security guard who was going to yell at him for sitting in the wrong seat.

hehe.

physically, willis looks like he could beat you up in a back alley.  nothing could be further from the truth.  willis loves words, like me.  and if you met willis in a back alley, he would not beat you up.  unless crushing you with a hug counts.

in other news, i am about to embark on a four day beach vacation with willis, dudley [pseudonym alert!],  and irving [pseudonym alert!].  yes, readers, claire and the gay boys (it's like a band.  i will play the tambourine.  no, no - the recorder.) are going on vacation together.  i anticipate the boys doing embarrassing things, and i want to be able to blog about it, so i'm preemptively giving pseudonyms.  theme: old people names.

a willis story that isn't embarrassing

have you heard about this?

(i don't know why you would, necessarily, but i thought i would ask.)

grinnell college in iowa - where my dear, dear friends abby and aaron (hi abby and aaron!) went to college - has chosen a new president who is black and gay.  this is news is 2010 - and maybe it won't be in twenty years, but it is now.

willis is a little bit beside himself about this.  you see, willis wants to be president of duke university one day.

and willis is the kind of person who would do this:


From: [willis]
Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2010 9:27 AM
To: Kington, Raynard (NIH/OD) [E]
Subject: Congratulations and Thank You

Dr. Kington-

Good morning. I'm [willis]. Since I was a young boy, I knew that I
wanted to be in education. I'd often stay behind and talk with my teachers
about why they chose the profession, what they liked about it, and as
importantly, what they would change. I made worksheets and lesson plans
that I kept, certain I'd be a teacher one day. Throwing my mortar board
into the air in a small farm town in Missouri, again at Duke University, and
once more in Ann Arbor, I was certain that education was the path and the
more I matured, the more I knew that leading an institution of higher
education was "it" for me.

I did what all young adults do --management consulting (in healthcare and
higher education) -- for a couple of years before I arrived at my current
position, the creator and Director of the [our school] Program in Global
Citizenship. Using servant leadership, citizenship and diversity as its
pillars, we strive to create experiences for our students that encourage
them to think through problems in the world with lenses of justice,
fairness, and social entrepreneurship. Being at an Episcopal independent
day school in Atlanta has again reminded me of why the collegiate experience
is the one I want to shape and mold.

I say all that to say this. You, with your recent appointment as the 13th
president of Grinnell College, have paved the way for me to achieve my
lifelong dream of becoming a college president. Growing up as a biracial
gay male, the possibility of becoming a university president seemed
unattainable at times, regardless of the effort I put forth, the experiences
I sought out, or the people to whom I introduced myself. And you have
changed that. Your work, your dedication to your career, and your interest
in the education and growth of others has made it possible for individuals
like myself to continue down this track.

I never wanted to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a fireman when I was a boy.
What I wanted was to live and exist in a community in which we cared about
the growth of young adults. A community that we fostered opportunities to
develop citizens of the world. A community that demanded--without
demanding-- concern for social justice, equality, and the pursuit of
knowledge and wisdom.

I realize you don't know me. But I needed you to know these things. Good
luck as you embark upon your tenure at Grinnell. Should an opportunity
arise, I'm only an e-mail away.

Regards,
[willis]


and the new president of grinnell WROTE HIM BACK.


From: "Kington, Raynard (NIH/OD) [E]"
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 10:35:51 -0500
To: [willis]
Subject: RE: Congratulations and Thank You

[willis] -- First, let me apologize for taking so long to respond to your
kind note -- I am slowly working my way through a mountain of email! Of
course, I am delighted if I can serve as a role model for bright young
people such as you. I wish you the best in your career, and I hope your path
can lead you to your ultimate goals. Leading Grinnell will be a big
challenge, but I plan to do my best. It helps to know that people such as
yourself are behind me!

Take care,
Raynard



are you a little teary yet?  if you haven't already, watch the video that i linked to at the top of this post - grinnell's new president seems awesome, if only because he is so great with his cute little kiddo.  and because he took the time to write willis back.  some people write fan mail to movie stars and pop singers.  willis writes fan mail to university presidents.  willis = adorable.

(thanks to willis for letting me share in his excitement of getting an email back(!!!), and for letting me post it here.)

comparison

willis's breakfast - a sausage mcgriddle and a large sprite.
sausage mcgriddle:
420 calories
22 grams of fat
1,030 mg of sodium (43% of recommended daily value)
11 grams of protein
(i made him read all of this to me from his mcdonald's wrapper.)

eww.  before he told me all of this and i'd just seen the mcdonald's bag, i tried to guess what willis had gotten for breakfast.
me: "a ham and cheese biscuit!"
willis: "gross!  i don't trust mcdonald's ham.  it's a sausage mcgriddle."
me: "but you do trust their sausage??"

my breakfast - a wallaby organic lowfat maple yogurt and water
140 calories
2.5 grams of fat
85 mg of sodium (4% of rdv)
6 grams of protein

i've never been a person who can eat a lot in the morning.  i get up at 6:30,* take a yogurt with me to work, and eat it at about 7:45.  and i have to force myself to do so.  i'm not hungry and eating does not appeal to me that early in the day.  i know that if i DON'T eat something, though, i will be SO HUNGRY I COULD PUNCH SOMEONE at about 10:30am.  at that point, i will eat whatever i can find, and lots of it.  but if i eat a yogurt before work, i'm fine until lunch.  i do not understand how human digestion and metabolization works, but i do know that this works for me, so i do it.

now, i can put away some food at dinnertime.  sometimes, an obscene amount of food.  yum.

that is all.


*already, i am lying to you.  my alarm goes off at 6:25 and i get out of bed at 6:45.  i like the snooze button.