Welcome back to my blog and the first Q&A with AQ 👑 (Adulting Queen).
Basically, I just call up my friends and tell them to ask me 5 random questions, then voila you get a blog post and fun facts about me!
Suede and I met in June 2019 at the NASPA Region II/III conference in DC. I immediately loved his zeal for life. He is also a fellow Bey-hiver! 👑🐝
Let’s see what random things Suede asked....
What is the last piece of culture (movie, book, song, podcast, etc) that really impacted you?
AQ- The podcast that impacts me the most is The Read hosted by Crissle and Kid Fury. It just reminds me that my identities matter and the world is a mess. They do black excellence, hot tops, listener letters and then read people. It's a very unapologetically black podcast. Also, Fruitvale Station has forever impacted me since I saw it at the Magic Johnson Theater in Harlem when it came out in July 2013. The movie is about Oscar Grant who was shot by the BART police on New Year's Day. This came out only 5 months after Trayvon Martin was killed and protests were still going on.
Suede- Since Big Rona's reign started (aka quarantine), I have been doing a lot more reading, which has been so refreshing for my mind. One of the books that really moved me was a memoir by Saeed Jones called "How We Fight For Our Lives". In the memoir, Saeed reflects on his life, from his upbringing as a Black male in the South through his coming out experiences to his anxieties and fears about applying and going to college. A lot of Saeed's experiences, especially his relationship with his mother, resonated heavily with me and had me in my feels. The book was so great that I bought three of my closest friends copies. How Saeed navigated life possessing various intersectional identities was just...so powerful.
What's one thing most people don't know about you?
AQ- I'm an introvert. Everyone assumes I'm an extrovert, which I was in undergrad. The shift happened as I transitioned to graduate school. (Read my blog about it on The Student Affairs Collective here) I enjoy being with a small intimate group of friends or being by myself. I need time to recharge. I am drained after so much interaction.
Suede- Most people do not know that I had a very bad stutter until I was about ten years old. It was to the point to where I wouldn't talk in public or to anyone that was not my momma or my sisters. I don't really have a stutter anymore because I went to a pathologist for it, but if you get me excited enough about a topic...it may come out, and I'll have to quickly collect myself.
What's one thing you do when nobody else is around or looking?
AQ- I love driving by myself, especially long distance and blasting music. I scream all the words to my favorite songs. I usually pick one artist and go through all their albums on my drives to and from Virginia. I've done Beyonce, Kanye and Drake. When people are in the car I don’t typically sing.
Suede- Besides have full on conversations with my dog, you mean? Hmmmm. I am always dancing. Or at least I'm always doing some type of choreography in my mind. Dancing has always been a big hobby of mine and when I'm dancing, I feel like I'm channeling my inner Beyoncé.
What is your favorite thing that you own or possess, and why?
AQ- Hmm..this is hard because I have a decent amount of meaningful things. I think I'll go with my mug collection. I have a lot that display all the things I love like Broadway shows, cupcakes, Spongebob, education, Sippin' Sunday, etc. A few were given as gifts from my favorite people. Also, I love my Kyrie Spongebob and Patrick sneakers. I went to 2 different stores and called another looking for them.
Suede- I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan (Hufflepuff pride, here!) and I actually have quite a few character wands. For a few years, my grandparents would get me a new wand every year for Christmas and I always looked forward to them. I think I have about...14? I'm a nerd. But these wands are HIGH QUALITY.
What are your three biggest pet peeves?
AQ- Loud chewers, people that are late without communicating prior, water being splashed all over the sink or outside the shower. I never can understand how people get SO MUCH WATER all over the place. Also a bonus pet peeve, waking me up!
Suede- Woof. I don't like to be able to hear you eat. I don't like it when people send a jumble of multiple text messages in a row rather than just sending one long message (please collect your thoughts before talking to me, lol). And the last peeve is when I see someone being negligent or mean to an animal...I will pull a Christian Cooper and call you out.