Rita Arens's Blog, page 35

The Man at Pizzabella

Last night I was having dinner with a writer friend of mine. I'd brought her my extra copy of THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED by The Book Doctors (Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, who let me introduce them and their darling child to Jalepeno's and Reading Reptile on their last swing through Kansas City). My friend left the table toward the end of the meal, and a man about my dad's age leaned over from the next table (which was very nearby), gestured to the book and a...

More News From the Island of Misfit Cats

Remember how we put Petunia down in November because she had late-stage diabetes?

SOB!

I took Sir Charles Buttonsworth to the vet yesterday because he peed in the little angel's closet and was acting weird. Turns out he was severely constipated and had to stay overnight getting enema after enema.

Before I left, I told the vet to also run labs on a gut hunch.

The vet called a little bit ago. Buttonsworth has diabetes.

I cried. I asked for another vet to give me her opinion. She said he's an...

But the Road Was Clear

This last snow was tornadic in its pattern over Kansas City -- a few inches here, a foot there. My front yard is snow up to my knees even in the areas that aren't drifted, and lanes are blocked on the road unexpectedly with piles of dirty snow. Last night, I was supposed to meet my friend for dinner a half-hour drive away. "I have to wait for Beloved to come home with the 4x4," I said, expecting the entire world to look like my street, which is plowed but peppered with snow chunks that have f...

Momo Showed Me Taylor Swift and a Goat

Today we woke up to more snow! Lots more snow!

That's the driveway! But never fear, we have a snowblower!

There are currently 40,000 people without power in the Kansas City metro, but since that is not yet us, I give you the video Momo Fali shared with me this morning of Taylor Swift singing with an awesome goat.

That Time in Childhood I Forgot About

"I feel anxious," she said, as I opened the book. Then her face turned red and she asked if Daddy could leave the room.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

She told me she'd been at a friend's house and they'd been watching music videos on YouTube. They came to the P!nk video for Perfect. She thought it would be okay because I've showed her P!nk videos before -- the lawnmower, the acrobats -- I don't blame them for thinking it would be fine.

This one was not fine.

In the video, the girl carve...

Thundersnow

Twitter: Welcome to my inner monologue.

I just saw lightning during a snowstorm. Cool.

— Rita Arens (@ritaarens) February 21, 2013

@lifewithroozle That would be an awesome dystopian YA book title.

— Rita Arens (@ritaarens) February 21, 2013

THUNDERSNOW. I can just see the trailer.

— Rita Arens (@ritaarens) February 21, 2013

The Second Cat Who Can't Wipe His Own Ass

Me: "How far away is Cargo Largo? Because I need more of those between bath pet wipes and they're 50 cents there and $8.99 online."

Him: "Why not just use baby wipes?"

Me: "I was afraid they might be toxic to cats. Babies don't lick their own butts."

Him: "Remember Bella? Besides, if he could lick his own butt, you wouldn't have to use the baby wipes."

* Butt was clean in this pic.

** Thank God it doesn't happen every day.

*** It could be worse.

The Best Way to Pick a Giveaway Winner, Ever

Thanks to my friend Alice for hosting a giveaway of a copy of THE OBVIOUS GAME on her blog, Finslippy. Alice's idea was to have people comment their most awkward teenage moment, from which she would then chose a winner. I highly approve of her selection:

When I was 14, I had the biggest crush on this football player (with
a bowl haircut? what?). So of course, my idiot friends, Bowl Cut, and I
thought it'd be super cool to sneak little bottles of booze into the
woods outside of a big German f...

You Seem Happy

My parents and sister were down last weekend. Right before they left, my mom looked at me and said, "You seem happy." And she's right -- I am happy fairly consistently right now.

I would say I'm in a good place, only I no longer believe in good places and bad places, only places. One might think I'm happy because my novel just came out, but in actuality, I got totally anxious and angsty when I signed my contract, so good things happening for me professionally don't necessarily translate into...

The Birds Are Back

Every year there is one day when I realize the mornings aren't quiet any more as my girl and I wait for the bus. This was that morning in 2013. The birds are back.

No matter how life is going, the day I realize the birds are back is a good day.

My sister says February is the worst month. I used to think it was October, when I was younger, because that meant winter was coming. Now I love October and hate February, too, even though it's the month of my birthday and Valentine's Day and express...