carnaval

(I know, I know, Carnaval was over a month ago. But some shit was buggy with blogger, so pretend this is March.)

Carnaval is over, and I have to say I'm relieved. I was getting sick of hairy dudes who look better in dresses than me. Plus joy and laughter can be really tiring. 

I'll have more to add to this soon. Mark took way better videos with his fancy camera, of a samba school rehearsal in São Paulo and a small town Carnaval parade in Chapada dos Veadeiros. I'll post those when we get around to it. 

But for now here are some images of pink dudes at a pre-Carnaval street party in Vila Madalena. 

livin out loud with ali - a song

My friend A-hole is pretty great. For example, she lets me call her 'A-hole.' 

Also, she came to visit me in Brasíl.

Furthermore, here is a photo of her making me dinner:

She's resourceful. Like here, see how she uses my dog as a pillow:

She's smart. Like, her blog is actually attractive and sophisticated.

She's kind. Here she is giving me great snaps for bringing her a magazine about making jam.

She has great taste. Like, I'm pretty sure these snaps are sincere.

She's great with kids. Here she is entertaining a small blond child we stole who is also her niece.

Also A-hole runs a farm. In Queens. Seriously. A farm that shows city kids about goats and vegetables.

Here is a list of stuff A-hole saves on a daily basis:

• the kids, by running a place where they learn joyful things about circles of life. and goats.
• the planet, by working, blogging about, and supporting sustainable life and work practices
• the world, with her ivy-colored masters degree in social work and years working in city schools 
• my life, by always letting me vent about really stupid things even though they're stupid
• my sense of fun in this world, by always being ready to LIVE OUT LOUD.

What is it, to LIVE OUT LOUD, you might be wondering?

LIVIN OUT LOUD can mean several things informally. 

For example, the Oxygen Network, who arguably coined the expression, seems to think it involves making cakes, engaging in cat-fights while wearing high heels, and/or murdering someone involved in a love affair. Or just someone whose money you want. Or being murdered I guess. 

But after many drunken nights of (inexplicably) watching said programming, and hearing various women bark "LIVE OUT LOUD!" at the camera while we puzzled over why yet another exurban housewife had murdered her husband, A-hole and I adopted the LIVE OUT LOUD! slogan, and have been raising it as our own ever since.

And here in Brasíl, when A-hole visited, we made it official, later ceremoniously defining LIVIN OUT LOUD! - as follows: to LIVE OUT LOUD is to sit on a beach, eat roasted corn, and drink cans of Brahma beer. That is the definition of LIVIN OUT LOUD.

Now you know.