MIA

Last time I wrote, Zeca was in the bathtub with her rubber duckies and then days and days passed. Don't worry - she's not still in the tub. I seriously do not know where the time went and, as much as I'd like to offer some profound reflections today - I don't have any. I have a cold and haven't slept well so I'm not feeling very smart and/or witty.

I will share some exciting news with you, however. Last weekend, I went to the cabin with my friend Kristen and we finished a draft of a little book we've been working on for two years. This project has been through many ups and downs but this is the first time that we've actually had a draft of the complete book. There is still much to be done but I can't help but feel that the hardest writing is behind us and now we're left to shape it into the book we want it to be.

So, see - I have been doing a little something with my time after all.

More soon...I promise.

Miss Alany

There are things you should know, tiny little bits of things that cannot stand on their own. So, it's time for  an Up Popped A Fox Randomness Extravaganza! This is necessary from time to time. Think of it as taking your blog-reading medicine. You may not enjoy it but it will be good for me. I mean you. Whatever. So, let's do this thing! Zeca turned 6 last Friday and she was very excited about her birthday but we took care of that! Miguel told her that, as she ages, her responsibilities will increase. I told her that once you turn 6 you have to do everything your parents tell you without questioning them at all. Furthermore, you must do these things without any attitude at all. She said, "Right." I explained that she was off to a very bad start. She rolled her eyes, flipped her hair and walked away. It would seem that her sixth year will be more of what we have experienced every other year of her life.

Zeca shares her birthday with Luca and they like to celebrate with sushi. Look at how lovely Luca looks and then look at my two weirdos on the left. Is it any wonder that Luisa and I are exhausted all the time?

Speaking of exhausted, I've developed a little soy latté habit. I started treating myself to these Cups o' Delicious Energy during vegan week and am still treating myself. I now want a latte every single day. The more lattés the merrier! Lattés for all! Last night, I told Luisa that I wanted to buy a fancy espresso machine so that I could drink espresso ALL DAY LONG. She claims that, a couple of years ago, she wanted to buy a fancy espresso machine and I said, "For what?!" She allegedly explained that she just really liked espresso which was, according to reports, not a good enough reason in my mind and the fancy espresso machine never came to live with us. None of this has been confirmed by a neutral third party, however, so it never happened. Also, I'm not sure what relevance it has to the current conversation.

Speaking of veganism, people have asked me if I'm still vegan and I don't really know how to answer that. I am still trying to eat vegan but I am not as strict as I was during vegan week. Veganism is hard. Sometimes, I feel really good about the choices I'm making with food and then, other times, I just want to roam the savanna and chase down the first wildebeest I see and eat it...raw...with a nice Bairrada. Last Saturday, I was doing some writing at the library when I became so weepy that I had to return home. When I arrived, I clung to Luisa and said, "I just want to eat what I want to eat!" She then drove me straight to Jimmy John's where I ordered a Vito, one of the meatiest subs they have. I ate it with no remorse. Then, we went to Costco and I had a gigantic frozen yogurt. And to all of you who worry that so much meat and dairy would be hard on my stomach after a month with none, I say "HA HA HA!" It was good and there were no consequences whatsoever - unless you are talking about deep satisfaction and pure joy - then "Hell yeah!" I spend a lot of time blaming things on veganism which has become a most enjoyable sport. I have blamed veganism for the following:

  • my new highly caffeinated lifestyle
  • hip pain
  • insomnia
  • my addiction to Netflix
  • the fact that my shirt sleeves seem shorter
  • hummus dependence
  • weepiness
  • winter

No one ever mentions these things when discussing the impact of a vegan lifestyle, so I thought you should know.

This concludes today's randomness. I'd write more but I have to price espresso makers.

What's in your Trunk?

Remember when I wrecked my car? I do because I've been driving our Saturn ever since and my iPod is incompatible with the set up in it and the silence is a painful reminder of how things used to be. Thank goodness I talk to myself or the quiet would be unsettling. Anyway, I was talking to Deborah about the car accident and how I couldn't feel my feet and hands by the time the tow truck came and she suggested that I have an emergency kit in my car that included a blanket. I then laughed at her practical suggestion and and said, "I would never sit in my car on the side of a busy road wrapped in a blanket because people would think I was weird..." and then the extent of my neuroses became clear to her. Strangely, our conversation ended shortly thereafter. Before it did, however, I asked if she carried a blanket in her minivan and she said that she didn't and then said that she did and now we'll never know the truth. We did decided we needed a bigger sample size than just two. So....

1. What's in your trunk? Ha.

2. Do you have an emergency kit?

3. If so, what's in it?

4. If not, why not?

I have an ice scraper and some dashboard conditioner in my trunk. That's it. Razzle dazzle me with your emergency kits!