Meet and greet recap courtesy of stripedshirts from CV.
I think I'm finally able post my Chautauqua m&g.
I am still on a little pink cloud from last Friday, July 20th; although it happened a wk ago, I cannot mop that stupid grin smile off my face. I still cannot believe how and why I won that m&g...well, I know the 'how' part -- I entered just like everyone else -- but as of to why it happened when there must've been hundreds upon hundreds to choose from, there's no one answer. The only thing I can think up was just sheer, stupid luck.
& truly, I felt guilty for a bit for having won, when there are so many folks who want this so badly. I do hope & believe given time, those who wish for it, will get theirs.
There is already 1 Chautauqua recap posted on the OFC & it's a cute write up from one girl's perspective. I'll post highlights from my perspective, the best I can remember for all to enjoy......
Jerome came around 6:30. We were instructed to arrive around a quarter to 6...so it was a bit of a wait. We took a long stroll to the theatre. The scenery around was lush & beautiful; the houses cute & quaint. My only regret was not having taken a moment to take some snapshots, as the foliage & the happy children playing on the grass are all part of the experience. But these images are embedded in my mind whenever I want to do a replay of when it all happened & what I saw.
It was great to chat w/ Jerome for a few minutes along the walk. When we reached the venue, we all looked towards right to see fans crammed up against the closed gates @ the other side, w/ the venue employees on guard @ the other side....people have been there since 10 a.m. waiting, my goodness....but here is where it got really funny. I've long suspected Jerome to have a naughty sense of humor, & I was right. He saw the crowd behind the gate, grinned & said to me, "Watch this". He yelled out "Release the gates!!" to the gatekeepers, prompting one of them, an older lady dressed in those staff vests, to come running towards him in a sort of panic, waving her hands up in the air as if to say, "no, no, no, no not yet!" the others stood there looking at her, at Jerome, at us w/ a dumbfounded look.....you have to visualize it in your head, it really is funny. Jerome was having a bit of fun w/ folks at both sides of the gates. He was pleased w/ his own joke.
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We sat in the front pew while Jerome administered the rules. Very specific....having to also literally spell out what I think, a 'no licking' rule due to having seen one feisty older lady in her 70's (his words) getting frisky w/ Clay's neck (or ear) @ one m&g. I would've loved to have seen THAT. & of course no hugging....but who's going to stop Clay if he initiates it?
Jerome left to check the room out. We sat, waited & made small talk. There were 7 in my group. All women, a diverse mix; me & someone else were the only CVer's there. I forgot her screenname, forgive me - but her first name is Carole. So if she comes around reading this, I just want to acknowledge her :hello: Jerome returned & took us in to the production office, which was tucked away backstage. We sat, horseshoe format. Mary & Jamie came in, said hello; & sat down across from us at some desks. We said hello.... & waited & made more small talk.
At that point, I was getting cold, hungry & a little bit cranky because I was cold & hungry. Mary found some of the caged agitation amusing & remarked "They're not to see us, Jamie" :biggrin: There are 2 doors in the room - right across the ways from eachother. We didn't know which one Clay was coming from, but we were facing the one opposite of the one we entered. One of the girls who sat farther back from me, I believe said "I can see his hand"......at that point my ears pricked up & my eyes gunned towards the door. & sure enough, less than a few secs later, Jerome appeared, followed by Clay's foot (they were coming up the steps) & then, the rest of Clay.
Clay has finally entered the room. "Howrya?" I forgot all about my hunger, cold & crankyness & my mind went blank.
From my viewpoint, he looked a little worn, tired. It had been a 4 day grind for him & I think it showed. Poor guy.....but tired or not, he was alert, businesslike, & friendly. I can't gauge the immediate reactions in the room, but I will sum it as a mix of strangled gasps, flushed faces lighting up.
Clay turned around, got a chair, planted his little butt down & sat across from me, so I got a nice look at both butt & partial stubbly profile. He sat slightly hunched, legs apart, both feet on the floor. He wore a rumpled blue plaid shirt, rumpled khaki shorts & flip flops. Though he was all wrinkly & such, he looked very cuddly. SO hard to resist NOT to go over & squish & nuzzle him.....
He was in control from the start. Started the conversation w/ Teacher Clay - discussing Chautauqua & its history. I remembered from an old interview he admitted digging up facts about a town so that he could tell everyone else what he knew about it....smart alecky that he is :biggrin: From him, I think he said this was the 1st town or 1st hotel, to have electric lights. He also said Chautauqua felt like a retirement retreat. I dunno what that meant, but it was funny coming from him.
Then he opened up the forum for the q&a. There were quite a few that were tossed, all at random. & of course there was a list here & a couple of us had more than 1. Voices were on top of eachother. There were others who were content it seemed to sit, listen & observe. Clay does not give one liner answers.....he has a back up reason for every one of his answers & he talks at machine gun speed...SO fast that I had to strain myself to follow.
ORANGE by the way, was not unanimously chosen for the next m&g group. I asked why he didn't choose Red, to which he replied "because it's too easy". "Then why don't you choose a non primary color, like Chartreuse?" I asked. He said "Because not everyone knows what Chartreuse is" Well....some of us here in the community are artists & work w/ a wide palette, so I believe some of us WOULD know! I wonder what Clay will do when he runs of out of colors - will he have recycle them like his clothes, or move on to prints, polkas & plaids?
Other things I remember....
He likes visiting NY. Would live in NYC so he wouldn't have to have a car. He wouldn't reveal to me who was responsible for the new M&G format - wanted to protect the person from criticism because they discovered not everyone enjoys a 1/2 hr. group m&g. He did say that the person responsible is in the room, & would be happy to know I approve. Mary who sat in the back listening, joked, "if you liked it, it was me. If you didn't, it was Jamie" we all laughed.
I asked about who'd be his first guests when/if that talk show ever happens. I loved his expression after that question because his eyes widened, prompting laughter from everyone. He said the topics would have to be timely. Would like to talk to Larry King & Diane Sawyer since both have interviewed just about everyone in the planet. My 3rd & last question to him was what his catchphrase is, which he had no clue what that is or if he has one. I had to help him out by throwing some out into the open. He asked "I tell Mary to Shut Up, does that count?" Then he added that Quiana likes to say "I've got ya hooked!" which he is thinking about borrowing & admitted he is too nerdy to have one of his own.
: He has to plagiarize from other folks to help him out.
He is just fascinating to talk to - different subjects were tossed. There is no tremendously 'big reveal' from him, it was more of a group chat feel where we randomly bandied trivial, fun subjects. In this case, felt a bit more like a date (minus the wine & makeout session):P
My fave parts were the last 10 minutes of the m&g. Honestly, the time spent w/ him is like being in a suspended bubble - & speaking for myself - I just sat, focused & absorbed him in like sunlight. It was fascinating to watch him transition from formal, to casual, to playful! At the tail end where we all gave him things to sign & get our pics, I loved how he says the word 'sign'....you all know his accent, he pronounces his 'I's' like 'aah'. So it tickled me to hear him say 'saaahh-n' I love his quirks. he has so many of them, right down the way he fixes his eyes right onto yours.
During our m&g, 2 people came into the room @ different times. Sean McDaniel, who was cute & sheepish, & Jesse Vargas, who came in to steam his pink shirt down, 15 minutes before showtime. Clay guffawed at Sean for having 'opened the wrong door' & surprising everyone. That laugh of Clay's is so infectious - he REALLY loves his 'HA HA'S', or in this case 'HA, HA, HAAAAAAAAAAA's'
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I still haven't gotten my pic. I rearranged my pose where I asked for his cheek to mine - when he didn't hear it at first because he was so amused w/ what I was doing, I had to repeat 'Cheek', which he then dipped to meet mine. It was plump, warm & fuzzy. Felt like a prickly kiss. :wub: I loved it.
It would be redundant to say how beautiful he is, but heck, I have to say it - he is BEAUTIFUL to the nth degree. He radiated intelligence, mirth & wit. HOW someone can not succumb to his charms is beyond me unless you really had a personal problem w/ the guy.
I know this has been a MILE LONG READ.....but really, there is so much that I am amazed I remember & cherish.
In closing - there will always be more questions to ask, more that you'd want w/ & out of Clay after a special m&g.....he leaves you wanting to run back & do it all over again. & while you have it, make the most out of it. I am so incredibly blessed to have gotten so lucky, don't know if I'd ever come across something as rich & fulfilling as this. I do hope each & everyone of you will be lucky as I have been.
I am going to lock the wondrous gifts of Clay's time, personal attention, & his touch into my heart forever.
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