Updates?

Considering that Bart and I are living in a new city, Bart has a new job, and we have acquired a new cat, I have surprisingly little to blog about. I think, though, that it all comes down to perception, and I am willing to bend mine to give a little of myself to my readers ("There is no spoon" name that movie). First things first, our new addition, PJ has firmly set herself into our hearts. She has become an instant playmate for Sherlock, with them running up and down the hallway and wrestling at 2 in the morning, and an extra little fuzzy thing for Bart and me to love on. She is truly precious and our little family is more complete with her around. She's actually sitting on the desk as I type this, as if she knows what I'm saying. Now, what else haven't I told you? Oh, my dance card is getting a bit fuller these days. I am thrilled to say that Angela is coming to see me next weekend and I can't wait for her visit! We don't have solid plans yet, but I am totally excited. Anyone want to join her? After Ang leaves, I'll be going out to visit with Mom and Bill for a long weekend and I'm really looking forward to that as well. It'll be nice to have some down time with them, since the last time I saw them we were all running through an airport trying to get home. March is bringing a trip up to Nashville with Conley (ROAD TRIP!!!) for Laura's wedding and a much-needed Diva reunion. And last but not least, Beth and Stephen are making their way to the Big Easy to visit Bourbon Street, and I'm sure a bead collecting contest will ensue at some point (or at least the guys wish). All this to say, I'm really excited about the next couple months. There's tons to do and fun people to see, so that helps the whole "perception" thing a bit. I think right now I'm just a bit down because of the whole not-having-a-job thing. It is so strange to have worked every day for so long and now have nothing. As I told Conley and Bradley earlier today, I find myself letting things go around the house just so I'll have more to do later. I mean, I organized our CDs the other day! Yes, I'm totally bored. The worst part, though, is that boredom + lack of job = lack of good moods. I am finding it harder and harder to be positive about things and I'm sure Bart is totally sick of me being such a baby about stuff. I keep trying, though, and that's all I can say. So, with all that on the table, my job search is in full swing (anyone know of any openings in NOLA?). I'm searching daily and will continue to do so. The one thing I know for sure is that I am totally blessed to have a wonderful husband and 2 loving cats to share my evenings with. I also have the most amazing family and friends who are always willing to commiserate and "cope" with me. Who could ask for anything more?

Voluntarily Unemployeed

Ari says:
Here I am looking for words. Searching for an anecdote with which to entertain you. However, with less and less on my mind right now, I find myself more lonely than ever. That's right Dear Reader, I am now one of the unemployed (it was completely by choice, so no worries there). I will say though, that with fewer things to focus on at work (or nothing, for that matter), I find my thoughts becoming more and more mundane. I worry about my next bank run or grocery visit. Honestly, I've been planning which day I should wash my sheets since I have a possible visitor coming to town (not that I haven't washed them recently, but one doesn't want to wash one's sheets too early or too late). Really?! Really?!!!?!!!? These are my worries? I thought I had a little more substance than that (not that cleaning and/or house keeping isn't substantial, please don't read that). It is just very odd for me to go from a lifetime of school and then move on to the day-to-day grind only to find myself in the midst of nothing. I have several days of packing ahead of me, but thanks to the weather, my attempts may be delayed. I don't know where this post is going, but be warned that, if you are a frequent reader, you may be in store for a few more random and rambling blogs. Forgive my "mundanity". I will find something interesting very soon. Promise.
Promise Fulfilled: The University of Kentucky Wildcats soundly defeated the University of Louisville Cardinals in their annual competition for the Governor's Cup (football). We won 27-2, with an amazing turnout from the defense (who scored 21 of our points), but with a bit lacking from our offense. No worries guys, it's the first game of the season with plenty of room for improvement. I'm hoping for a highly entertaining season.

Catalyst-mic

Ari says:
During our now-traditional phone conversation last evening, Katie and I eventually got onto the topic of emotional roller-coasters. Not to be a complete gossip, but we were discussing our husbands and how (like most of the male species) they have their extreme ups and downs which are in direct relation to certain factors in their respective lives. For example, Bart will decide that he wants to lose weight and will drastically alter his lifestyle for a period of time until he reaches his goal and then will find something else to occupy his time (like a new board game, computer game, cooking show, etc). His mood is proportional to where he is in this transformation. Usually at the beginning he's mad at himself for getting to the point that he has to do this, then the mood gets better as he does something about the issue, which then progresses to elation as the job is completed. You get the picture (sorry I used you as my example subject, honey, but you really are an intriguing study and I'm sure Katie wouldn't like it if I discussed how much Neil likes to...never mind. I'm sorry and I love you!!). The flip side of this conversation was how different Katie and I are from the men in our lives. I described my moods as being volatile situationally (hormones, bad day, etc) but in the grand scheme rather stationary. My overall mood (again, not the crazy girl stuff) and outlook on life will remain rather stagnant until some sort of catalyst throws me in another direction. I try to be an optimistic person, but my mood has been so "blah" for so long that even I'm getting bored with myself. One of the contributing factors of my blah-ness is my job. I am very ready to be out of here and I'm sure that not having to attend the Baptist Vatican every day will completely change my outlook. The major issue of my blah-ocity is that Bart isn't around. I usually envision him winging through the skies, looking dapper in his flight suit, while he silently dreads going home to his humdrum wife. (Now, I know that's not true, but you know how the mind works sometimes.) I am hoping and praying that with our upcoming move, my vision will evolve to include me in his oh-so-exciting life. Now, all that being said, there are also smaller and less cataclysmic catalysts in the day to day. For instance, I was minding my business last night when Katie called. My first question to her was "Are we drinking?" Her response was "We're drinking." So I quickly poured myself a drink to settle in for our talk. That may seem very minor, but it has greatly affected my outlook on the day. To be honest, I really don't have a point to any of this. I guess I'm just waiting for the next big thing in my life and that is coming right around the corner. Plus, Katie and I decided that we should blog about catalysts, so I did. Have a great Friday everyone!

Nervous Nelly

Ari says:

Ok, don't tell Bart, but I'm a bit nervous. Angela and I are heading to New Orleans this weekend for a rather important adventure (I promise I'll tell you next week what all this secrecy has been about). I've rented a car, confirmed the hotel, got my maps (several of them), my contact and appointment information, and my rarely-used camera. I'm not forgetting anything and am as ready as I'll ever be, but there is always the chance that I am going to mess something up. I don't know if you've noticed from other posts or not, but I'm a bit accident prone and Murphy's Law has never quite applied to anyone so forcefully. Bart has assured me that I'll be fine and that there is very little likelihood of me ruining something so completely that he won't talk to me again, so that's reassuring, but there are still a few butterflies. Many details to come next week, so wish me luck and stay tuned!

The Ants Go Marching 1 By 1

Ari says:
TGINM! For those of you not all that excited about word games, that translates to "Thank God It's Not Monday." I figured Bradley would enjoy it, although, after SOGWEAW, I don't think I can compare. Anyway, enough of that. Usually this is the part that I would recap my weekend, however it was exceedingly boring, so I'll save you the mental death and give you a few highlights. I got completely immersed in the Twilight series of books and spent an immense amount of time reading this weekend. It was so miserably hot outside that you just couldn't bring yourself to do anything. I also packed Sherlock up on Sunday and headed to Angela's house. I needed to spray down the carpet and furniture again with flea spray, so that's what we did. The rest of my weekend was spent vacuuming and doing laundry. See? I told you it was boring. On the other hand, last night held a small adventure. Bart and I have a medium size pile of wood out on our porch. It is really well seasoned, but we won't be needing it this winter, so I had decided to get rid of it. Since it was scathingly hot yesterday, I waited until the sun went down before I tackled this project. I moved the truck closer to the apartment and then started moving the logs down. This was an easy enough task, although it was still very warm. Well, I got about 3/4 of the way done with my little project and discovered that I was invading someone's home. Actually, many someones to be exact. After picking up one long in particular, I was greeted by thousands (most likely millions, but I didn't bother to count) of carpenter ants. My immediate, and rather girly, reaction was to drop the wood I was holding and jump back a step. These guys were not happy with me. My second reaction was to get a little ticked off that my project was being impeded. I have to admit, though, that I did feel a twinge of self-loathing. These ants were minding their own business, making a home for themselves and I came along all Godzilla-esq (because that's how I smurf) and destroy it all. Now, let me add to that by saying that if they had been inside my apartment it would have been a very different story and I would have doused the little suckers with anything lethal I could find. After getting Bart's opinion and trying to figure out the best way to handle this mess, I started kicking the logs off the porch and into the grass. I then rolled them all down the hill to get the ants off. By the time I got them to the truck, they were virtually ant-free. I guess my plan worked. Anyway, I finally got it all loaded up, was able to sweep my "guests" and the debris off the porch and didn't have any other problems. I told Bart that I was anticipating some sort of ant uprising, where they would march on the apartment with miniature pitchforks and torches, but nothing of the sort happened. I think I'm safe, for now.

Randomness Abounds

Ari says:

Today has just been a strange day so far. Now, granted, I'm only about halfway through it, but it has just been weird. First off, Sherlock decided to play "Bite Mommy" at 3 am. Not my favorite at all, and when he discovered that I wasn't going to join in, he went on and started a rousing game of "Howl at the Pictures on the Wall." Again, this wasn't my game of choice, so I decided to remove the cat from the room for the rest of the night. I vaguely remembered on my way into work that today is my brother-in-law, Jim's, birthday today. Happy Birthday Jim... he's a great guy, like all of the Bartolomeas, is very intelligent, confident, talented at the iPod game and has gone to lengths to make me feel so welcome in the family. Anyway, I got to work and was quickly reminded by my boss that we had a Meet & Greet with the band DecembeRadio. Now, I'm sure most of you aren't familiar with this group, but they are releasing their second album and I have several stores that will be doing signings with the group in the next few months (thus making my presence at this event rather necessary). I walked into the room as they started their set and about fell off my chair when I realized that one of the guitarist was the absolute doppelganger for my brother-in-law. Now this guy has longer hair and is a bit more "Nashville" than Jim, but there he was. "Jim" is on the far left in this picture. I was able to talk to Brian (his real name) after the set and he was a great guy. I told him about his resemblance and possible long-lost relative and his only concern was whether or not Jim was a good guy. I reassured him that he was in good company (I had to be nice since it's Jim's birthday). Anyway, after all that, I came back down to my office and was treated to a series of rather unpleasant experiences. Suffice it to say, I'm just thrilled that this all will soon be but a distant memory. Don't get me wrong, I will certainly miss Matt's antics and Angie's wonderful friendship (and lunch demands), but there are several things that I will not be sad to leave. All in all, I'm hoping the rest of this day can turn itself around for the better. If not, I could possibly see inebriation in my future.

I Just Don't Wanna

Ari says:
You know, it's just weird. I had this fantastic weekend with Bart, and then another amazing weekend with my Mom, we've got tons of stuff on the horizon, and there is plenty for me to do, but all in all, I am just in a rut. I'll get back to that. On a positive note, Mom, Bill and I had a great visit. I've told you about Mom's reaction to me showing up, and then Friday we had an "Urban Barbecue" (which consists of amazingly yummy restaurant bought bbq, tons of people and fireworks as far as the eye can see) or an "Ur-b-Q" as Bart called it. Saturday we were wiped out, so we spent the day cleaning up after the party and setting the condo to rights, but also rested, watched tv and just visited. Mom and I don't usually care what we do together as long as we get to talk and shop. Those are our only requirements. Sunday Bill worked around the condo getting ready for a business trip, so Mom and I headed out, ran some errands and of course, did some shopping. We found some fun little items that I will strategically debut through the rest of the summer. We also got rid of some clothes that she desperately needed to part with and made some room in her closet. Ok, so we only cleared a small 2 ft space, but it was definitely progress. Mom was also a great sport and didn't put up too much of a fight with the pieces I told her needed to go. Unfortunately, Monday came all too soon, but we had a great morning and early afternoon, had lunch at a decent Mexican place and then it was off to the airport. Actually, it was a bit of a mad dash since we had dawdled a bit, but all was well and I was able to check in with plenty of time left before my flight. I know, it's all a bit too exciting (insert sarcastic eye roll here). As for me, I'm in a funk. Maybe it's that so much is going on right now and I don't know how to handle it. Maybe it's that all these changes are coming, but not soon enough. Maybe it's that we've got fleas everywhere and I've got to get a hotel room this weekend to bomb the crap out of the apartment. I'm sure it's a combination of all these things, but I just can't seem to get out of it. I know I'll be fine and in true Ariana fashion will get through it like I do everything else, but right now when I think about doing anything at all my general reaction is "I just really don't wanna do anything." Wow, I'm totally depressing. I know we all get in moods and ruts, this just happens to be one of mine. Stay tuned, I'm sure something crazy will happen soon and I'll have a tale of woe with which to woo you (now see, wasn't that fun?).

Hot Cross Thumbs

Ari says:
If I am unable to use my space bar today you'll have to forgive me. You can blame Angela all you want, but you'll have to forgive me. Let me 'splain, Lucy. Angela called me this weekend and told me she had purchased a gazebo for her backyard. This was great for her because she's had a bit of difficulty getting good shade in the yard for Bastian (her precious puppy) and also wanted something to make the yard a little cozier. So, when she asked for me to help her set it up this week, I quickly agreed and figured it would be fun to have a little project. "The box says it only takes an hour and a half to set up." Right. Little project... hour and a half. Right. I got to her place around 6:30 and we promptly set out for dinner. I know, that's the best way to start any project. Got back to her house and began getting everything outside and ready for launch. It took us a few minutes to get all the pieces out and separated into proper groups, according to their lettered stickers (the best were the ones that didn't have stickers). After that we kinda fell apart. We started with one corner, jostling and juggling parts A, B, C, D, J and K (someone didn't know their alphabet) and after an extended period (probably around 45 minutes or so) had the first corner assembled. The second corner proved almost as difficult, but we were starting to get the hang of it. Please keep in mind that as we discovered random maladies (ie: Bar J not fitting properly into a certain A, but would work in others, Bolt CC was not interchangeable with Bolt AA, Bar J and Bar K are in fact very different, etc) a colorful stream of expletives would spew forth from which ever of us had made the discovery. We also found that if anyone overheard someone else assembling a gazebo, it would sound like a sexual experiment gone awry ("You have to twist it to get it in." "There's no hole." "Just shove." and my personal favorite "Yank it back out.") At 9 we finally called a break, went and grabbed some much needed caffeine and returned to finish the last two corners. Luckily the 2nd two proved very easy in comparison and we had those up in no time flat. Then came the frame. It wasn't a confusing item to put together, just physically demanding. Each bar had to fit into another (Insert corner G into bar I, then screw in bar H which will fit into center piece L) (unfortunately, neither the instructions or diagrams were that clear), and was latched with a metal nub that when pushed in would allow the pieces to slide together and then the knob would pop back out into a pre-drilled hole, thus linking the two pieces. Yeah, let me just say that those little nubs are metal spawns of Satan. Miniature torture devices designed to test your courage and thumb strength and coerce you into quitting just shy of your goal. With each one, you were forced to place your entire body weight behind the very tip of your thumb, as the rounded protrusions would gouge into the pad of said appendage. We were not to be swayed. We got the outer frame put together with many grunts, groans and "ow, damn"s and then set to the inner frame. We traded off climbing the ladder and using our force of will and mighty thumbs were finally able to get everything into place. We did a little victory dance and let Bastian come out to inspect his new awning. All in all, it was very rewarding to see it all put together. And I really must say that this gazebo is our bitch.

Much Ado About Blogging

Ari says:

I know it's Friday and I should have a plethora of stories and catastrophes with which to regale you, but I'm tapped. Apparently nothing is going on around here. So instead of me making up something (because I'm really not good at that), I'm just going to list some of the random things that are on my mind:

• I had to take Sherlock to the vet this morning and it broke my heart. Bart and I don't have kids yet, but he's our baby and just handing him over to the nurse is so hard. He gives me that look like I'm the worst Mom in the world and how could I do that to him?! I tried to explain that this was only to make him feel better, but I don't think he was listening.


• I am so excited that Katie and Neil are coming down tonight. We don't have any big plans and I think that makes it even better. Now, if only Beth and Stephen would make the trek, all would be well, but it will be a great weekend nonetheless.


• I am (selfishly) thrilled that I get to spend a little extra time with Bradley and BJ before they head to P-cola. I hate the reason they're staying longer, but am glad for the extra time.


• Although I have wished and prayed for this for a very long time, my life is getting ready to be turned upside down and, although I'm ready, I'm scared and nervous. I'm anticipating a new life and trying not to pre-form it in my head, but allow God to work and make it what He wants.


• I am really hungry this morning.


• I get to see Bart next Wednesday for our anniversary (yes, it's been a year already) and can't wait to get out there.


• It is really gloomy outside right now and the perfect time for a nap. I hope I don't fall asleep in my meeting.

Yeah, I think that's all I've got right now. I know, I'm totally boring, but I promised Katie I would blog, so here you go. Also, here is a random picture that just makes me smile.

Happy Friday to you all. Have a wonderful weekend, be safe and know that you are loved (not necessarily by me, but I'm sure there's someone out there who does...) (oh, give me a break, I don't know who all is reading this, so I don't want to make a blanket statement that I can't back up, right? Ok fine, you're right. I'm a bad person).

Shame on Everyone

Ari says:
Please excuse my mood this morning, but I had a rough night and a rotten commute, which just tends to start the day off on the wrong foot. Anyway, since I've found that ya'll don't like hearing about precious babies that have been brought into the world (or maybe just don't care), I guess I'll just tell you about my drive into work this morning. As I stepped out my door today, I noticed that it was a bit cooler than it had been in recent mornings, and noted that it was going to be a gorgeous day. Maybe my lack of sleep wouldn't affect me too badly. I hopped in the truck and headed for the road. (Disclaimer: Now, I will admit to not being the most calm driver in the world, but I try to keep my "outbursts" within my car, generally commenting on the upbringing and genealogy of other drivers, and then speeding past them.) So, I'm happily driving down Moores in the right lane when (just before a traffic light) the guy in the left lane starts to pull into my lane, however I'm already occupying the spot. This wouldn't have been a big deal (the truck could have done some damage to his little Honda), but he turned on his turn signal and just started pulling over without even looking. It was like he had made a declaration of what he was doing and was then entitled to do so regardless of anyone around him. I was able to find my horn (and keep my cool) and let him know that this wasn't the case. For normal people or even highly functioning social outcasts, this would be the end of the encounter. Not this guy. He responds by laying on his horn for about 15 seconds, throwing his hands up in the air, flipping (flicking?) the bird and actually yelling at me like I could hear him (or cared what he had to say). He finally got behind me and continued on this escapade until we were both on the interstate. I actually had to laugh at him and this ridiculous display. Not only was he just freaking out, but his face was turning really red and he looked like he was about to burst. Now, don't get me wrong, this was all a very humorous situation, but it really got me to thinking (and pre-7 am is too early for that). This is what real "road rage" looks like. Yes, I get frustrated. Yes, I cuss and squirm and pass those that get in my way. But, it kinda got to me that if this guy had some sort of weapon, he wouldn't have been hard pressed to use it. This all just reiterated to me that, as a society, our tolerance for each other is slipping day by day and our sense of entitlement is growing by leaps and bounds. What happened to "please and thank you," or a simple "have a nice day (Bon Jovi not withstanding)?" These things are becoming less and less prevalent and the toll it is taking is becoming more and more apparent. Do me a favor: smile at someone today or say "hi" just 'cuz. I'll make an effort and hope that you will too.

About a Blog

Ari says:
I am in mourning. I would have worn black today, but it didn't go with my brown shoes. In setting up this silly little website/blog, I've actually become rather attached to it. I've taken care in its appearance and have methodically ruled which topics are and are not appropriate. In essence, this is a new hobby for me (too bad I'm not getting exercise while doing this. Side note: doesn't "blogging" or "to blog" sound like it should involve some sort of physical activity?). All this being said, I had quite a moment when I got in yesterday. The day started like any other; I checked my work email, responded to some, scoffed at others and then checked my personal email (followed same procedure), and then I hopped over to the blog to check for any comments or just to see if inspiration would jolt me like a bolt of lightning. Oh, I got a shock all right. The title of my blog had mysteriously moved overnight and the layout was quite changed and disturbing. I spent a bit of time (more than I should document) trying to figure out what was going on and then enlisted the help of the Diva Blogger herself to get this straightened out. However, it was all to no avail. Apparently my template has been changed and I am stuck. There is nothing I can do to return my lovely little blog back to its former glory. I am mildly undone (but happy that I have a topic to lament over). I hope the retched appearance of this layout is not offensive to any of you, but please know this was not intentional and I also hope that this does not assuage your drive to return to this humble place. Please, accept my apologies and grieve with me.

An Apple a Day

Ari says:
Bart didn't want me to blog about this incident, but since he's not here and since he's not an active participant right now, I'm gonna tell it anyway. So there. In true keeping with all things office related, our department loves to celebrate birthdays. It's really just an excuse to eat a lot of junk that you normally wouldn't and get away from your desk for 30 minutes. Yesterday I volunteered to bring in a fruit tray of some sort for our shindig that was taking place today. After quite a long trip to Hallmark last night (no real reason, I just couldn't make up my mind), I headed over to Kroger ("the grocery," Bradley) to pick up said tray. Side note: did you know that fruit trays are a ga-billion dollars now? OMG! Anyway, while filtering through the massively expensive arrays of fruit, I found a smaller tray with sliced apples and a ramekin of caramel. Perfect! Upon further inspection, though, I realized that the caramel in this particular tray had been replaced by "Ranch Veggie Dip." I had a good laugh at this one and in true Ariana-fashion, turned around to share my joy in this mishap with someone else. I found only a small Asian woman who looked like she wanted to shake a chicken at me or something. Oh well. I then put the tray I found and a correct one in my cart thinking: "I would be upset if I got this home and didn't notice it, so I'll give it to someone on staff who can either fix or remove the offending tray." I got the rest of my meager shopping done and found an "employee" standing at a small podium which I assumed meant he was there to be helpful. To be honest, I knew this exchange was going to be bad before we had even exchanged words (I have a keen sense about these things). This worker (würker) was leaning against his podium, staring longingly between a magazine with Paris Hilton on the cover and a Hershey's bar (tough choice). Anyway, I walked up and, as politely as I could, handed him the tray and said that if possible, the store should change the dip in the container. His response: "So, what's your question?" (Yeah, this was not going to go well) I pointed to the ranch and said that, although it is a lovely condiment, it probably isn't the best accompaniment to apples. I added that it probably wouldn't be a big seller for the store and knowing that this was going nowhere fast, I chose to walk away and let it go. I could have sworn I heard him mumble a not-so-nice name behind my back, but I am choosing to believe that there was a female dog walking past at that moment. Whatever. I was more disappointed that I didn't get to share my funny find with anyone at the time (and impressed that he knew a word with so many letters).