Tag: Tim Curry

Little notes that sing, little words that rhyme, make the mighty memories and the dreams of time.

Sara Mazariegos

PowerPoint Party! On Saturday, we went to our friends’ PowerPoint Party. I’ve heard tell of such things *tips cowboy hat* but I’ve never been to one before. I made a PowerPoint (actually a Google Slide, shh) about Tim Curry. It’s mostly silly, with pictures of some of my favorite characters of his, and amusing sound clips. Example: the slide for Hexxus from Fern Gully plays, “A special kind of horny!” Which is from the complete version of “Toxic Love” he recorded for the soundtrack.

I hope I haven’t lost you already.

Anyway, the party was fun. Everyone’s PowerPoint presentation was interesting and amusing in its own way. I think Luis’s zombie escape one was the best, but I’m also biased. He made a PowerPoint like he makes escape rooms: well thought-out, cool graphics, humorous, and fun. There was another guy there who made one all about people named Kat and it ended with Kat, my friend who was hosting the party. That was very cute.

Getting in the Spirit (Halloween.) I’ll see myself out. On Sunday, Luis and I went to Spirit Halloween. The one closer to us didn’t open this year, so we went to one all the way in Wheaton, which means I had to ride the dreaded bus again, but with Luis it didn’t feel as long and I didn’t have to worry about cars. I set out to get a new Haunted Mansion item, though, and they didn’t really have any. At least we’re going to Disney World soon. #privilege

However, they did have something I really want but probably can’t have maybe ever and I’m sad about it. They had the Freddy Fazbear animatronic. I made it move several times and posed for pictures with it, but I want one of my own so he can live in my house. He’s so cool. The only thing I’d change is that I’d make his jaw move. Then he’d cost even more, probably, but whatever. The cost is less of an issue than the fact that none of the stores have the supply to meet the demand. 😭

Widow’s Bay is so freaking good. Speaking of spooky things, a few weeks ago, Luis recommended that we start watching Widow’s Bay since it’s a Halloweeny show. Oh my god, it’s so good. I’ve said it’s like Parks & Rec mixed with Stephen King stories. It’s everything I wanted Castle Rock to be. It’s spooky, it’s quirky, it’s a small town, it’s full of weirdos, it’s funny. Castle Rock feels too much like a lot of other police shows to me. It’s too slow. I also thought it would be a little more fun. How fun would it be to live in a town made up of Stephen King characters? I mean, in real life, it would be awful, but for a show? It’d be kooky and cool. Sadly, the show isn’t. But Widow’s Bay has that. Plus Stephen Root, and who doesn’t love Stephen Root?

Widow’s Bay won all of the Emmys this year, which is fun and exciting. We started watching right before it won, so we were a little late to the party, but it still feels cool to be able to say the big winner is a show we like. Matthew Rhys won best actor for it, and he also won for a dramatic, limited series, so he has two acting Emmys this year. And he was Nite Owl in the great, animated Watchmen miniseries we watched recently. I like him.

We’re usually behind on watching a lot of the popular shows. Being behind on Shogun or Severance would be okay, though…We caught up on both and now we have to wait until next year (at least.) Widow’s Bay also uses a lot of special effects, so the second season of that might take a while, too. Ahhhh, I hope not.

Writing update. Things are coming together in my story. There are definitely a few areas where I want to add more detail or subplot stuff, but for the most part this story is coming out the way I envisioned, which is reassuring. Normally it takes a few more drafts for me to think, “Ah yes, I’m on the right track now.” So I take this as a sign of real improvement.

It also helps that I wrote a slightly different version of this story once before, though I didn’t get very far. The ideas have been flowing around in my mind for a few years now.

Relatedly, Luis and I are seeing John Green tomorrow! 😀 I’m so excited to hear more about his new book, Hollywood, Ending and see other Nerdfighters. Last time he went on a book tour for one of his novels, Turtles All The Way Down, Luis and I got married three days later. So it’s been a while*!

* Yes, we saw him twice last year, but that was for his nonfiction book. Not the same thing.

Friends of mine, stand by me ’cause it’s my time.

Sara Mazariegos

Coyote Vs. ACME. Last Saturday, we saw Coyote Vs. ACME starring Will Forte, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, and a bunch of other people and Looney Tunes. It was a lot of fun and very cute. I appreciate that, even though the animation was obviously done with computers, they stuck to the classic look of the characters and kept them looking like cartoons. It reminded me a lot of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? but it’s different. I think they go well together, like for a fun double feature. It was also nice to see Will Forte as the star in something. I’ve always liked him.

Of course, we spent the rest of the weekend peppering in some of the classic Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner shorts by Chuck Jones. We also watched Fern Gully, Muppets Treasure Island and Rocky Horror Picture Show. 🎶 One of these things is not like the others… 🎶

I was a strange kid. I’m making a PowerPoint for a party we’re having with our friends soon, and it’s making me realize that I was a strange child. I was a huge fan of Fern Gully when I was little. I think I must’ve seen it on TV, or maybe in school. I definitely saw it once in school. And I would pretend to be Batty on the playground, running into poles and flapping my arms. Then I moved on to pretending to be the Genie from Aladdin. Robin Williams was my childhood. I also remember eating grass, though I don’t think that came from anything. I used to love being weird in order to make my friends laugh.

Then, when I was only slightly older, I started acting out The Rocky Horror Picture Show for my friends, teaching them the songs and assigning them roles even though none of the rest of them had seen the movie because, like me, they were eight. I remember using my friend’s wide southern porch to reenact the floor show. My friend’s dad wasn’t amused, but he was pretty lenient about it. I remember him telling me he didn’t like the movie and walked out of the theater when he saw it, and my reaction was just, like, “Oh, well that’s too bad for you.”

I moved on to pretending to be Jim Carrey characters, and my friends still mention this to me. One of my friends and I called 1-800-JIM-CARREY once and left a giggly message for him on an answering machine. And we also made what was essentially a tiny noose out of a shoelace and hung it high in her backyard tree, calling it “the Jim Carrey trap” just in case he flew in a plane over us and fell and needed to be captured. It made sense to us at the time!

There are lots of other stories, but I’ve just been nostalgic lately because Luis and I have been rewatching things. I didn’t even mention the time I had a plot to steal my friend’s pull-string Roger Rabbit doll when I was five. I guess you could say I’ve always been obsessed with movie characters. Especially zany ones.

I have my normal commute back! On Tuesday, I finally got to have my normal commute again. I woke up at 7am and took the short bus ride to the Metro, and took the Metro in the normal direction to my office’s location in D.C. The bus on the normal end of the line is fuller, so I often have to stand, but it’s only about a five minute ride, so it’s no big deal. It’s also wonderful to not have to go to bed as early. I can enjoy my evenings with Luis more. I didn’t have to be in bed by eleven when I was commuting the other way, but I was trying to keep myself from being extra tired. I’m looking forward to everything going back to normal and feeling normal again.

Just getting the words out. I told myself I was going to write every day of Labor Day weekend. I wrote on Saturday, and then my brain wanted to relax and have fun instead. So I let it. Lately I’ve been better at not forcing myself to write when I don’t feel up to it. The writing is better if it’s not forced out of me.

My story is coming along well, though. I’m currently at 44K words. One thing that’s difficult for me sometimes is just getting the words out. I’ll know exactly what I want to have happen in a scene, but writing it all out can be so hard, especially if I’m tired or stressed. Thankfully, with everything going back to normal, I should have an easier time sitting down and writing each evening. I typically write 500 words at the office during my lunch breaks and 500 words when I’m at home, usually before we relax and watch something. It’s a routine that’s been working well for me. I stole this writing routine from Ernest Hemingway, though he no doubt enjoyed a lot more alcohol while he was ‘relaxing’ in his evenings.

The writing is also better if it’s not inspired by rum.

Time, time, time, see what’s become of me.

Sara Mazariegos

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.