Rita Arens's Blog, page 21

The First Leaving

The other day on the radio I heard that song from Pretty in Pink. You know the one.

I touch you once.

I touch you twice.

And the kill shot: You always said we'd meet again, someday.

I'm back to revising THE BIRTHRIGHT OF PARKER CLEAVES and nineteen years old again in my head, and that line might summarize eighteen, nineteen, twenty and twenty-one for me. A series of leavings. Wondering if we'd stay friends, stay in love, stay in fucking touch.

Watching people on whom we hung the future smile...

Heat in the Skin

I got a bit of sunburn today, rolling around in my 1997 convertible, top down, radio up, DMV waiting to get duplicate titles on the sailboat and trailer I've owned for eleven years and sold tonight. I remember my best friend's father writing out a bill of sale on a slip of paper, selling Puffer to me for a dollar and a tow away on a brand- new trailer my brand- new husband and I bought. We brought her home from Iowa, worrying over every bump on I-29 until she rested safely in Kansas City. I s...

Stuck in the Boot

I felt it right after I ran my first half-marathon. The twinge, right at the base of my middle toe. It was not quite the same twinge as those around my arches. Those faded each night after mercilessly rolling a golf ball along tendons lining the soles of my feet. No, this twinge didn't respond to that, nor to ice. This twinge pricked instead of ached.

But I didn't really want to think about it.

Then at Zumba on Monday night I pulled up from a weighted lunge, and as I rolled the entire weight...

In Which I Long for Tailored Oxfords

I'm obsessed with Netflix's House of Cards. Partly because I have over the years inherited my sister's respect for and his I-look-perfectly-normal-and-now-I-will-eat-your-face acting and partly because I've adored since I first glimpsed her cheekbones in The Princess Bride. She's got an uncanny poker face; she had it then, and she has it now.

I've discovered something about myself, too. I think I love House of Cards and Mad Men and Downton Abbey and pretty much anyth...

Please Help Ka'Vyea

My heart has been hurting for the past week or so. Two Fridays ago, my daughter's friend Ka'Vyea Tyson-Curry was shot in the parking lot of a gas station. So was his dad. His dad died. Someone walked up to their car and unloaded eight rounds, killing Ka'Vyea's dad and paralyzing Ka'Vyea. The bullet hit his hand, lungs and spine. He's in the pediatric ICU. He's having trouble breathing. He has a breathing tube and a feeding tube. He's sedated. I've said just a little bit about it because it is...

I'm Giving Away a Pair of Tickets to the KC Listen to Your Mother Show

Last year, I had the huge honor of being part of the inaugural Kansas City cast of Ann Imig's national Listen to Your Mother Show. Reading my piece in front of an audience was incredible, but the life-changing part of the experience? The friendships branded the minute I met these women in Erin Margolin's basement for a read-through.

You call me up, because you know I'll be there.

This year, I'm excited to sit in the audience with my girlfriends and let the experience wash over me. And I'm g...

We Can All Acknowledge That I Really Suck at Pancakes

Beloved informed me this past week that he will only be gone three of the four weeks in May.

He is home for one week and two weekdays in April. He was home for two weeks in March, one of which was our vacation and the other of which his father died. He was home for no weeks in February. I wrote about it on BlogHer when I was really in the abyss, then the sun came out, and the time changed, and the days got longer, and the little angel started to play with the neighbor kids after school again...

Reading a Good Book on a Saturday Night: BAM

Thanks to my friend Nordette for making me aware of the existance of these two awesome ladies. BAM!

Rock the Parkway: So Then I Ran a Half Marathon!

YOU GUYS, I DID IT! I can hardly believe it.Click here if you want to read about it. This isn't really a running blog and I don't do timed splits or personal records or tempo run reviews. I mostly just try not to pee myself too bad while running.

I Guess It's Video Week: The 5 Elements of a Story Rap

My girl showed me this last night. LOVE.