Movie Review of Blue is the Warmest Color

Tall Tales II

Tall Tales Part I

My Lynda Barry Excursion

Recently, I spent 5 days at a holistic retreat center, specifically to take a writing class with my favorite cartoonist, Lynda Barry. Instead of my usual comic, I've included actual diary pages from the stay/class. 

 

               
          My GPS ("Bertha Bitch") got me lost.
                   But it was a pretty ride. 

 Animal rears are able to predict the future
(a little known factoid). 

The camp's gatekeeper. 

A garbage bag as luggage: sexy. 

No wifi, TV or cell service: I was unplugged. 

Need I say more?

On the way to dinner, I see this statue,
and add a pretty pink rock to the collection...

I also see a brazen groundhog, staring me down...

And people who look spiritual...

I fall hard for the vegetarian cafeteria.
In fact, I have nothing but love for every meal.  

There is no sleep the first night.
The man next door is snoring.
(It is like being married again.) 

First day of class.
There she is, in the flesh: Braids, big glasses and 
an opening song. This is when I realize the uniqueness and charm of Lynda Barry...

Imagery is the theme of everything we do in class. 

We stick to this daily regimen. 

A Rumi poem helps us focus. 

When classmates read their stories aloud, Lynda encourages us to draw spirals.
It helps with concentration.

The writing prompts evoke memories and lead to my own emotional reflux. As I listen to others read their stories aloud, it's obvious
 we are all busily revealing things to ourselves. 

Lynda tells us about the neuroscientist Ramachandran, his mirror box experiment, 
and the psychology behind fooling the brain.  

Night after night, there is no sleep to be had. 

     I see the groundhog everywhere I look.

I cannot distinguish Lynda the cartoonist/writer from Lynda the comedienne. Jokes, she says, are great examples of stories.
     I laugh everyday in class.   

These prompts become a part of my daily thinking. I find myself paying attention more. 

                                                             

By end week, Lynda Barry has fervent fans,
myself included.                   

But as a recovering Catholic,
idolatry makes me nervous.

The retreat center is already lending itself to a sense of reverence, far beyond my comfort level. 

                                                                     

     Are people starting to sound a little off kilter?

                                                             

Reality check. 

                                                                             

Devotional overheard at lunch.

I would argue that Lynda Barry
does not have all the answers. 

   

She does, however, know that humor
 is what helps us survive...  

                            

and she is a conjurer
 of hidden visuals. 

   
                                                               

What I learned from summer camp.
Express it.