Tag: Writing Break

Time, he’s waiting in the wings.

Sara Mazariegos

Love-Hate relationship with the Metro. Next month, the DC Metro is going to be shutting down 4 stops along the Red line in order to do some big construction for the new Purple line and some needed repairs. I take the Metro into DC for work every day, so this has been a source of stress for me. Luis pointed out that I can take a bus to the opposite end of the Red line and go to work that way, avoiding the points where I’d have to exit and take a shuttle. I’m relieved to have that opportunity, but I’m still dreading it. Commuting is so draining.

The other morning, my train was delayed for half an hour because someone was on the tracks. Police came and escorted them off the tracks, and I’m very glad the person wasn’t hurt, but a whole lot of people were late to work because of that. Thankfully, because I’d caught an earlier bus, I ended up only being about ten minutes late, so it could’ve been much worse. But this is a week in the life of a DC Metro rider.

I am very grateful to have access to a rail system that fairly reliably gets me where I need to go. I also appreciate that many other people in this area see the value of it. Fewer people drive around here, which is better for the environment and safety of others who have to be on the road. I wish more people had reliable rail and bus service in their areas. The Metro has a lot of issues, but hopefully a lot of them are being worked through this summer while the crews work on the several stations that will be closed.

Das Boot has nothing to do with German footwear. Last weekend, we watched Das Boot, Luis’s long movie choice. We took a break in the middle (it’s about three and a half hours long) to go have pizza and a peach margarita (for me) at an Italian restaurant near our house that we’ve never been to. The movie is really good, and definitely claustrophobia-inducing. I’d never want to go into a submarine. I told Luis, I wouldn’t even want to go down the ladder. The subs in World War II didn’t even have screens or windows to look out of, if the movie is accurate. They had to rely on sonar and physically going up to see what was around them. I would hate to be in an enclosed space with zero windows. I remember staying at the Z Hotel in England and our room didn’t have a window. Thank goodness it was only for one night. I would’ve lost my mind if it was for longer. I didn’t sleep very well. When the guy lost his mind in Das Boot, I totally understood, although he wasn’t going crazy because of the tight space; he was going crazy because the Allies were torpedoing his U-Boat. Which…fair. He was my favorite character. He reminds me of Andy Serkis.

It’s about a German U-Boat in World War II, so you can’t completely cheer for them, but it’s interesting to see that perspective. It’s not like all German soldiers and naval officers were Nazis. A lot of them were, but the guys in the movie (minus one) aren’t really into that stuff. Anyway, it’s a really good movie. We watched in in German with subtitles, so it was completely authentic. I’m interested in reading the book it’s based on now, but I have so many books to read. It’s not like Hamlet, which feels more like a “duh, you should read it at least once” kind of book.

Local Pride events. On Sunday, we went to our local Pride event with some friends, and saw one of our friends perform some original songs. It was nice. We got a lot of swag. We also got Lebanese Taverna and margaritas. It was very hot outside, so it was good to be able to take a break inside. I’m glad it wasn’t raining. There were some brief thunderstorms during Das Boot, which was thematically appropriate, but if it had rained on Pride it would’ve been sad.

Getting into Hamlet. I checked out Hamlet from the library and I’ve been reading it on the Metro (when I can manage to get a seat.) Watching the Kenneth Branagh movie and having it fresh in my mind is the best way to read the play, in my opinion. I can still hear the inflections and imagine the characters, which makes it easier for me to follow. I definitely think that reading Shakespeare can be tough, and seeing it can make it clearer, so seeing the plays and then reading them might be the best way to understand and appreciate them.

There’s a part early on in the Folger version of Hamlet that I borrowed where the editing team basically wrote “there’s no consensus on what this means.” 🤣 Great. Love that.

Writing <break> update. I’ve still been enjoying my break from writing. I have ideas I’ve written down, and I’m thinking about my next novel a healthy amount. My goal for writing the first draft is to try and take it a chapter at a time, instead of pressuring myself with lots of future ideas. I tend to get ahead of myself, particularly when I’m excited.

During my break, I’ve been enjoying the ARC novel I mentioned last week—the one I can’t tell you anything about yet—and I’m dreading finishing it because, like I said, once I’ve finished it I’ll never be able to read it for the first time again. I told my sister-in-law about it and how much I love it, and she asked to borrow it when I’ve finished. But she has to give it back to me and be gentle, because it is precious to me.

Reading has been helpful in relaxing my brain while simultaneously inspiring me and awakening my imagination for my next writing project. I haven’t been reading as much as a writer, since I’m taking a break, and I think sometimes it’s better to quiet the analytical thoughts and let the story take me for a ride.

Caught between the moon and New York City.

Sara Mazariegos

Sort of as predicted, I was sad to leave New York. I kept telling myself as we took the train and Metro and Uber home that I shouldn’t regret it was over, I should be glad it happened. It helped a little, but it’s still sad when fun time together has to end. The weekend will be here soon enough, though. And we will most certainly go back to NYC again.

Luis and I had a more casual anniversary vacation this time, which was good. We didn’t super-pack days with activities, and we were flexible when the weather or shutdown got in the way. For example, since we couldn’t go inside Hamilton’s house, we strolled around the grounds and the park directly near it, then walked all the way to the north in Central Park and explored that a little, too. A different day, we were supposed to walk on the High Line but the rain meant it was closed. It’s a pretty outdoor trail with a bunch of plants and views of the city, sort of like an urban Living with the Land. We moved it to a different day and walked it then; it was much nicer in better weather than it would’ve been if we’d attempted it on the rainiest day we were there.

We also went to the Museum of Modern Art in the morning on the day we were supposed to walk through the High Line, and there were so many people in there. I think it was both because it was rainy and because it was a holiday. Probably not the best planning on our part; it was the day with the most people of any of the places we went. But it was still good to see several of the famous art pieces by Dali, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Warhol. One thing I quickly noticed about tourists in art museums is that a lot of them go up to paintings just to take a picture with their phone, then they move on to the next one. I find that sad.

Luis and I stood at The Persistence of Memory for several minutes, admiring it and appreciating it after watching a lady stand directly in front of it, move her arm in the way of everyone to snap a picture, and then leave.

We did take pictures of the artworks, to have proof memory of seeing them, but we also paused in front of each of them to admire them. Paintings, after all, weren’t made to be photographed.

While on our trip, we also saw several Muppets, a Reagan puppet from The Exorcist, Jim Carrey’s mask from The Mask, Robin Williams’ mask from Mrs. Doubtfire, several Broadway theater marquees, several dogs and squirrels, and even a cat sitting in a window in Queens. We also took the subway a lot. It gets a bad reputation, but the New York subway is great. It’s also modernized with the times, of course, so it’s even more convenient than it used to be.

On our anniversary, I got brave and requested for one of the singing waiters at Gayle’s Broadway Rose sing “Being Alive” from Company for us. And he did! And I cried. It was his first time ever performing it for an audience. It was very sweet.

It was a nice visit. I love going to New York often enough that it feels like a normal place to be. Does that make sense?