Fancy Brain
This is a post about photographs, writing, my friend, and his dog.
I recently went to a writing retreat. It is the first official thing I've done as a writer, besides print business cards. I had business cards printed. Rounded edges, because that seems classy. They say Evelyn Hornbarger. Which was a big choice. I haven't legally changed my name. Did I want my business cards to say McNeill or Hornbarger? And then underneath my name, they say, "Writer." Then I have my cell phone number and email address. I haven't shown them to anyone. Ian may have seen them on accident.
My friend Robison Wells was the inspiration to my going on the writing retreat. He was in fact, the only person out of 10 that I knew. He writes books, mostly young adult fiction. We met a long time ago when he was on his mission in New Mexico. Fun fact. He served 13 of the total 24 months right in my hometown of Grants, New Mexico. He was there during the tomato plant years. Kind of like a tomato factory. It was open for a year, maybe two. I digress.
Robison Wells has been a friend of mine for 15 years, half my life. Within the past few years, Rob has been diagnosed with a few mental illnesses, OCD, panic attacks, the panic attack preceding the possibility of a panic attack, which makes his brain fancy. Fancy brains need approximately 19 pills a day. Rob also likes to drape the security blanket his grandma made around his shoulders, and he has a dog named Annie.
Every couple of hours Rob will say,"Annie, where are you?" Then, Annie will run from wherever she is laying and trot over to Rob. Not quickly. Annie isn't a fast dog. Usually, she is laying right by his feet. Then he says,"I was just checking on you." Then she lays down again. Annie keeps Rob's fancy brain calm. She's his compadre.
So, about a year ago Ian and I got a pretty great camera. I don't know names of things, but it is a Cannon T something, and we have a 50mm lens, that I really love. It takes great portraits. My favorite kinds of pictures are the ones that capture the moments that weren't even supposed to be remembered. But, then I took a picture, and all of a sudden an image that wasn't anything at all is now beautiful. Those are my favorite. The moment between moments.
I took the camera to the writing retreat, and I took some really awful, blurry, over and under exposed pictures. I am learning to use the manual settings. It is not going well. But, if I take enough pictures, I get some good ones. I took some pictures of the cabin, the writers, the giant moose head on the wall. I took one of Annie. Well, to be honest, I took many of Annie. One is beautiful.
Sort of like my words. Writing. So many words. If I write enough of them, some of them turn out nice. And people. I am lucky I've made friends with so many of the good ones. Fancy brains and all.
I recently went to a writing retreat. It is the first official thing I've done as a writer, besides print business cards. I had business cards printed. Rounded edges, because that seems classy. They say Evelyn Hornbarger. Which was a big choice. I haven't legally changed my name. Did I want my business cards to say McNeill or Hornbarger? And then underneath my name, they say, "Writer." Then I have my cell phone number and email address. I haven't shown them to anyone. Ian may have seen them on accident.
My friend Robison Wells was the inspiration to my going on the writing retreat. He was in fact, the only person out of 10 that I knew. He writes books, mostly young adult fiction. We met a long time ago when he was on his mission in New Mexico. Fun fact. He served 13 of the total 24 months right in my hometown of Grants, New Mexico. He was there during the tomato plant years. Kind of like a tomato factory. It was open for a year, maybe two. I digress.
Robison Wells has been a friend of mine for 15 years, half my life. Within the past few years, Rob has been diagnosed with a few mental illnesses, OCD, panic attacks, the panic attack preceding the possibility of a panic attack, which makes his brain fancy. Fancy brains need approximately 19 pills a day. Rob also likes to drape the security blanket his grandma made around his shoulders, and he has a dog named Annie.
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| These are pretty cool, right? |
Every couple of hours Rob will say,"Annie, where are you?" Then, Annie will run from wherever she is laying and trot over to Rob. Not quickly. Annie isn't a fast dog. Usually, she is laying right by his feet. Then he says,"I was just checking on you." Then she lays down again. Annie keeps Rob's fancy brain calm. She's his compadre.
So, about a year ago Ian and I got a pretty great camera. I don't know names of things, but it is a Cannon T something, and we have a 50mm lens, that I really love. It takes great portraits. My favorite kinds of pictures are the ones that capture the moments that weren't even supposed to be remembered. But, then I took a picture, and all of a sudden an image that wasn't anything at all is now beautiful. Those are my favorite. The moment between moments.
I took the camera to the writing retreat, and I took some really awful, blurry, over and under exposed pictures. I am learning to use the manual settings. It is not going well. But, if I take enough pictures, I get some good ones. I took some pictures of the cabin, the writers, the giant moose head on the wall. I took one of Annie. Well, to be honest, I took many of Annie. One is beautiful.
Sort of like my words. Writing. So many words. If I write enough of them, some of them turn out nice. And people. I am lucky I've made friends with so many of the good ones. Fancy brains and all.
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I love that fancy brain of yours!
ReplyDeleteIt loves you right back, Diane.
DeleteThat's the best way to think about writing and words that I've heard in some time. And how awesome are you for printing business cards? That makes me giggle and feel happy. Bravo.
ReplyDeleteI have the business cards. And in large quantities. I have 100 of them. Why? I don't know, but it seemed important that day.
DeleteLove this! So glad we got to meet/hang out/write together.
ReplyDeleteYes. Me too.
DeleteThe tomato factory closed???
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nice article. And you're a writer, business cards or not.
Closed. Which is really too bad.
DeleteThat's a pretty good analogy for life. Often when we compare our life to others' we're looking at their one good shot of Annie and have no idea there are dozens of blurry and over-exposed shots. People look at a novel and don't realize that the three hundred pages in their hand represents 600, 800, or a 1000 other pages that had to live and die to make those 300. I'll look forward to all of your "Annie" shots.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Chris. You said it the way I was thinking it, but way better. Life is made up of so many moments and choices and most of them aren't at all perfect. The Annie moments are what it is all about. Well said. Thanks for cutting through what I was trying to get at and explaining it perfectly.
DeleteEv, how did I not know there was a tomato factory!!
ReplyDeleteRob, I remember listening to your book that may or may not have had a whole lot of fun ties to people who may or may not have lived in Grants. hee hee. We laughed and laughed. I need to know the names of your other books. Long drives from AZ to WY should be filled with more laughs like those :)
I find myself enthralled by fancy brains. I'm an appreciator of tender, funny, and unexpected things that fancy brains write. I especially like fancy brains live and impromptu.
ReplyDelete