Like a Phoenix from the ashes...

My black ass is back! Okay, I didn't die or anything but I haven't been here for a minute. So, what's new with me? Well... 2018 has been a hard year. If we're talking about death, it's certainly been around. January brought the loss of two dear friends, within two weeks of each other. It was extremely surreal, painful and I still don't feel like I've completely recovered.

I'm still here in Madrid and loving it. But my body hasn't been loving me back. Late last year I started to notice a pain in my right knee. I figured it was nothing much that a little yoga couldn't work out, and I just tried to take it easy in spinning class. But it didn't get better. It got progressively worse until I had to drop my dance classes, stop going to the gym, and eventually - I had to stop walking altogether. Turns out I tore my meniscus. Yeah... that hurt. This brought forth a series of firsts: the first hospital stay, first surgery, first time using crutches... you get the idea.

Last month I turned 39 years old. Five days later, my [maternal] grandmother died. That was the biggest blow of the year. I flew home to New Orleans for the funeral and was able to spend some time with my family. I'm thankful for that. When I arrived back in Madrid my sister and family decided to surprise me with their own visit. It was great because she hadn't been here since 2014. My nephew Christian made his first trip abroad at 17 years old, and I loved having him here and showing him around. So just like everything else 2018 has been full of ups and downs.

Through all of this is something I haven't posted about before on my page. I'm a comedian. No, really: I started doing stand up comedy 2 years ago. If you've encountered my page before, this may not surprise you. But I finally worked up the guts to get up in public and do the damn thing and turns out I'm not half bad. I'll post my debut here (it was my first time. Be gentle. Oh, and take your headphones off/turn volume down at 7:28. You're welcome.), and there'll be more to come. You have been warned.

So: where is my head at with MiE? Well, I just want to write more. I've already written some articles, which I look forward to sharing with you. It's been five years now (can you believe it?) since I received the letter that changed my life and plopped me into Madrid. I've taken a lot of trips, had some great experiences, and I want to finally share the old and the new. Thanks for being here. See you soon.
-K-