Dolly & Tim. Last week was rough. I desperately want to be eloquent about how wonderful and beloved both Dolly Parton and Tim Curry were, but it is hard to find the words for two people who meant so much to so many around the world.
Dolly was an angel on earth. She was loving, supportive, generous, fiercely loyal, open-minded, and of course talented. She was an example to all of us of how to be a good human being. There’s a reason people from all walks of life loved her, and why everyone was sad when we found out she passed away. I hope the number one thing we take away from her passing is that we can all be more like her. Life is not often fair or easy on us, but it makes everything better if you’re kind and gracious to everyone. We should remember that, and make Dolly proud.
Tim was unique and always seemed larger than life to me. I’ve been a fan of his since I was around eight years old. He’s great in every role he was cast in. Seeing his big, toothy grin and hearing his booming voice with that outlandish, affected accent was always a joy. My earliest memories of him were Fern Gully and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. We used to watch the latter every Halloween when I was growing up. I think it helped me grow up a more accepting person. Sure, it’s a strange movie full of bizarre characters, but that’s life, too. I believe seeing that movie at such a young age meant that I grew up respecting other people and fully embracing if someone was LGBTQ+. In fact, fully embracing myself for being a part of that community.
Wear the fishnets, Brad. You look good in them.
I’m going to be sad for a while about Dolly and Tim, but I am so glad we got to have people like them in our world. I think others will come along who take up their mantles, at least a little.
Last days of the longer commute. Finally, the days of this hellish commute are nearly at an end. I only have to deal with crossing the street to catch the bus and riding the Metro into the city from Wheaton for two more days. After Friday, we’re going to celebrate.
Luis has been coming with me for the last of it, and it has been nice seeing him in the early mornings. It makes my days start out more cheerfully. The bus drivers on the other end of the line have been friendly and nice, and the train has been fine, but it has been draining. Next week, everything will hopefully feel much easier again.
It’s funny, because it wasn’t long ago that my commute shifted to slightly later when my job changed. At least, as Luis pointed out, that was a change I signed up for. The long Metro maintenance is not the way things were supposed to go. I won’t be complaining about it anymore, though. It’s finally at an end!
The sagging middle. I’m working on writing the part of my novel that’s referred to as “the sagging middle” because it’s the second act of the story and a lot of tension can be lost in the plot, etc if a writer’s not careful. I’ve thought of a few twists to write in here to keep the story from losing its momentum and intrigue. One thing that amuses me is that, as I write in my little 500-word sessions, it seems like the story is slow-going, but it’s only because I’m taking my time to write it. Once I’m in editing mode, it will be interesting to see what the pacing is actually like.
Another thing this story’s made me realize is the kind of guys I used to be attracted to. As you know, if you’ve been paying attention to these parts of my blog, I’m writing a story involving going back in time. So I’ve made a love interest that’s sort of based on a combination of all the guys I ever had a crush on. It’s amusing how my tastes have changed. No offense meant to the guys I used to like. I never told any of them, so they’ll never know I wrote about them.
Sara Mazariegos 