That Kind of Friend

“Can’t you two be together for more than an hour without getting in trouble?”

It was my distant cousin’s mother who asked that question. I think it had something to do with the roast she’d asked us to cook and together Jenny and I had decided to get creative, and not follow her mom’s recipe. In our young minds, probably around twelve, it made sense that if her mom didn’t like the seasonings, she wouldn’t have kept them in her pantry. How did we know that cinnamon and oregano and hot chili pepper, didn’t go well together? Hey, we were young and in the mood to experiment, live a little.

Yup, there was just something about my cousin Jenny and I. We brought out the adventuresome spirit in each other. Things that neither of us would have done alone, we somehow managed to do together.

I specifically remember that same summer when we took off walking, looking for an adventure. We walked until well, we came upon a pasture and a horse. I swear this was Jenny’s idea, but she didn’t have to twist my arm too hard. She looked at that horse in the big pasture and decided right then and there that we were going to ride that animal like cowgirls.

Now, neither of us had any prior horse-riding experience, no saddles, no bridles, and we soon learned that the horse, or rather we later learned that mule, didn’t have any giving-rides experience. We went home that day bruised, scratched, mule-kicked, smelling like the backside of an animal, and what the mule didn’t cause when it threw us, the barded wire fence did when we climbed it to get away from a fed-up mule wanting to teach two girls a lesson.

Oh yes, Jenny and I sparked something in each other and those sparks generally generated trouble. Growing up, I’ve found that type of relationship with several of my adult girlfriends—actually with most of girlfriends of late. Now, I don’t ruin a good piece of meat by going bonkers with seasonings, and I’m smart enough to know a horse from a mule and you couldn’t pay me to climb on the backside of one again. But there are other adventures that still call my name and sometimes get me and my friends into a little bit of trouble.

I think I may have shared the video teaser we did for The Great Agent Hunt workshop. Well, now that the full video is done, it hit me how this little film production is a fine example of how all my friends are “adventure” sparkers. You can see the video below and as you watch it, imagine us photographing this in middle of a hotel during a huge writing conference. Oh, the looks we got when we had my agent tied, blindfolded, and pulling her down the hotel hall was priceless.

Okay, back to my friends, the co-conspirators of this crazy idea. First there’s Faye and I, who together start thinking . . . wouldn’t it be funny if we had pictures of agents with writers stalking them. And then bam! what seemed like a farfetched idea suddenly became a plan—sort of like seeing a lone mule in the middle of someone’s pasture and deciding to try to ride it. But it took more than just Faye and I to pull this off.

There’s Ruth, who when asked to go to the store and by a gun and rope, never stops to question why—or when asked to smile and show off her green seaweed mask for the camera, does so willingly. (Gotta love her.) Teri, who when asked to stalk an agent in the elevator does so with the most innocent of faces. (Though, she’s not near as innocent as she looks.) Jody, who when asked to tie my agent to the chair, smiles and does it with the most evil of faces. (Jody, by the way, missed her calling as an actress!) Alison, who when asked if she will hide in an agent’s closet, smiles and poses for her moment in the limelight. (There’s a sneaky side to Alison, hiding behind that smile.)

Oh, I can’t forget to mention the agents. The look on Kim Lionetti’s face—Kim is my agent—, when I asked her to get in the shower was priceless. Ahh, but she did it. I love that shot of her by the way! (I think she was genuinely scared of Jody.) Now Jessica Faust, was sort of like Jody, I think she should have gone into theater because she even brought some props with her—handcuffs, among other things. (Who but Jessica would keep handcuffs handy?) Caren Johnson, while posed on the john, had some expressions that had me laughing so hard I almost couldn’t hold the camera still.

I can tell you that this video was as much fun to photograph as it is to watch. And a lot more fun than getting bucked off the back of a mule. While this video is about agents, the story behind the video is about friends—friends having fun, joining each other in a crazy adventure. So do tell me, do you and your friends have adventures? What crazy things have you and your girlfriends done that makes you smile when you think about them? Come on share.

Crime Scene Christie

P.S. For any writers who enjoy on-line classes. Check this out: http://pasic.net/workshops.html

The Great Agent Hunt: