Well, Honey Don’t! was a disappointing Coen Brother movie. I really liked the first two thirds, but the last third was a confusing mess. A mystery was set up and then not solved. I wish I could rewrite the ending so it’s satisfying. I remember liking Drive-Away Dolls much more.
The rest of our Labor Day weekend stuff was nice. I got pumpkin spice lattes every day. I bought a new novel about pumpkin spice lattes because I couldn’t help myself. We checked out Spirit Halloween and ordered something from their online store because they didn’t have it in person. We’ll probably go back at least one more time, though. I love browsing Halloween aisles. We went to Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen and ate too much, then went to Guapo’s and ate too much again. It was a good time.
I worry less about work stuff than I used to, because my job allows me to stop thinking about it. It’s less stressful, with less things looming in the future. Still, I always look forward to having time off. My next long weekend will be when we go on our anniversary trip. I’ll be off for three days plus a weekend, so it’ll be wonderful. But, before then, we’re planning to see John Green at the Book Fest and see the coatis in the zoo.
This coming weekend will come sooner, but it’ll go by much quicker, too.
It feels like I’m in the home stretch of my story, even though I’m at around 68K words and it’s going to be about 85K words in total. There’s still a lot left to write, but somehow, as if by magic, I’m getting near the end. My last day of writing is scheduled this month. Things are falling into place and I can see the happily ever after. I think I should always write in 500-word spurts.
Pumpkin spice is back on the menu. Spirit Halloween is open. My favorite time of year is coming. I’m not looking forward to the Always Darkness, but I’ll get through it. I always do.
In Superman (2025), Clark tells Lois he’s making her favorite dinner: breakfast. “You love breakfast!” he explains. “For breakfast,” she retorts. This launches them into a big argument about journalistic integrity and Superman’s moral dilemma of whether or not he should get involved in countries’ disputes. The “for breakfast” has stayed with me, though. What starts out as a run-of-the-mill argument turns into this big, philosophical question. I really love James Gunn’s writing.
They’re working on installing a few security cameras in my office, mainly to keep track of the mail handling. I think it’s more of a concern in our Miami office, because it’s much busier and bigger, but they’re trying to be uniform with it and have all of the offices the same. So a guy came to look at the places where we’ll put the cameras, and then we’re going to order them and he’ll install them. This process has taken a long time, but hopefully it will be useful eventually… I don’t foresee misplacing any mail items, but who does? I think it’ll mostly showcase how calm this office is by comparison, and how organized I am. 😇
Last weekend, we saw Weapons. We went into it not knowing much about it. I thought it might be metaphorical about school shootings, so I was prepared to cry. I really like the story structure of it. The perspectives change, like the screen says Justine and then we see her part of the story, then James or whatever. I thought that was cool. It all pieces together nicely and things gradually make more sense the more you see. I thought it was building up to something interesting and (like I said) tragic. But then it just got dumb. It became less unique in the last bit of it. There were still some good moments, but I get annoyed at certain types of movies. I don’t want to give it away, but if you’ve seen it you know what I mean. Hereditary is the same way. I really liked it until the end. This one could’ve done so much more. Also, there was a random moment that seemed like it was referencing school shootings, but then it never came back*.
So frustrating. I’m surprised how well-reviewed it is. I guess no one else is over it like I am.
We have some fun, casual Labor Day weekend plans. We’re going to see Honey Don’t! starring Margaret Qualley and Aubrey Plaza. I saw the poster a few weeks ago and knew we needed to see it because I like both of them, and I like the 70s aesthetic. We’re also going to have dinner with my parents at Hell’s Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant. We’ve been there once before, and once in London. We like him. Especially his sticky toffee pudding. And then on Labor Day, we’re going to relax and enjoy the day off. I hope to finish reading at least one of the books I’m reading. (Not House of Leaves; that’s going to take me at least a year to finish.)
We started watching One Night in Idaho, about those poor college students who were murdered in their house. I don’t know very much about it yet, just that it’s sad and horrible. I didn’t know one of the victims was a triplet. His poor brother and sister… Sometimes it feels weird to watch things like this for fun, but y’know. It’s interesting and a way of remembering those lost. It’s also not as exploitative as some of those true crime shows can be.
On the writing front, I’m at 64K words and the pieces are all falling nicely into place. I’ve noticed I’m having an easier time pinpointing the places to edit, and the things I know have to change. Sometimes I just wish I could wave my hands and make paragraphs better, like when the kids decorate the tree in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
* Please don’t misunderstand me. A movie about school shootings would be very sad and I’m not sure if I’d be comfortable going into one knowing that’s what it is. I just thought it would be alluding to that sort of subject matter, and be a drama, not a horror movie. This is why reading about movies first is sometimes better.
Sara Mazariegos 