The Purple House Project -Recovering from traumatic brain injury and rebuilding a life worth living, one day at a time.

The Purple House Project

Jen and her service dog, Nala, at the Donner Pass. June,2018

Hello! My name is Jen and I'm here to tell you about the time I traveled around the United States for a year, building a tiny purple house on wheels.

It was on my bucket list so, when I learned I had cancer, I packed up the truck and set out to bum around the country, building The Purple Princess Palace and rebuilding myself.

That was seven years ago and, now, I live in her full-time and off-grid while I navigate post-traumatic brain injury and try to figure out life.

A Word About My Writing Process

“Jen? Stop farting around with the layout and just write!”

That’s what I hear, often.

No, it’s not the voice of an agent or an editor or a publisher whom I have managed to frustrate - though there are several. It’s the voice of one of my dissociative identities. There are five of us in here that I am actively trying to associate with but there’s a big problem. I don’t like most of us, most of the time. We don’t agree on much.

So, usually, that little chiding is followed by an all-hands-on-deck committee meeting where I get to weigh in with myself and four other identities about whether we should focus on a snazzy website or write the content to fill it.

“I vote we just eat a moon pie and watch TV.”

We’re not all on the same page.

If, eventually, the committee votes to just park our ass in a chair and write, it then becomes another debate, entirely, about what we should write. Then, once we finally all agree on a topic - if we agree on a topic - I end up chasing my tail for the next two hours (or four, if we elect the moon pie option) searching for suitable words - in the correct order - to tell you what we want to say.

It’s exhausting.

I was told by some very important people with very important titles and letters after their names that this is NOT considered an acceptable ‘writing process’ but is actually an indication that I am not managing the committee very well. I was also told that, “It’s my own damn writing process, now leave me alone!” is not an acceptable response to receiving that information.

Nonetheless, though there was some concern about ‘executive functioning’ and ‘decision trees’, and my inability to climb one due to the big boo-boo in my brain, when it came time to identify a ‘Primary Identity’ I was the one elected to wrangle this herd of psychic cats into a cohesive body that can function as a whole.

Yeah, good luck with that. May God help us all.

Meet The Committee

Jen: Project Manager

Little Jeni: Creative Director

Jennifer: Technical Lead

Hello, I'm Jen. I hold a B.A. from Morgan State University, a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, and advanced certificates in editing and grant writing from Valdosta State University.

As project manager, it's my job to oversee the timeline and decision flow, facilitate consensus, and employ processing techniques learned or

As project manager, it's my job to oversee the timeline and decision flow, facilitate consensus, and employ processing techniques learned or developed in treatment to resolve conflict and expedite project completion.

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Meet Jen

Jennifer: Technical Lead

Little Jeni: Creative Director

Jennifer: Technical Lead

I'm Jennifer, the self-taught tech guru of the bunch. I'm responsible for identifying and selecting the software and tools used for writing, image creation, and posting on this website.

I handle all the formatting and publishing duties, and I bring years of website design experience to the table. I create the canvas upon which we paint our word pictures.

Meet Jennifer

Little Jeni: Creative Director

I'm Little Jeni. I could read and write long before I was hit in the head with a Louisville Slugger at age four but, after that, I found new rhythms and patterns and songs in the words swirling all around me.

I lead decisions about visuals, photos and videos, and propose image and tone concepts.

"I am Harold and the words are my purple crayon."

Meet Little Jeni

Jeni: Editor-In-Chief

Jen's Brain: Experimental Treatment Subject

Little Jeni: Creative Director

Yes, that's me, 20 years ago. And that military contract awarded to IBM? That's me, too. My name is Jeni and I'm here to tell you, as Paul Harvey would say, "The rest of the story."

It's my job to ensure clarity, facilitate coherence, and moderate tone in all our writing, and to integrate the contributions of each member into a single voice.

Meet Jeni

Mia: Quality & Ethics Reviewer

Jen's Brain: Experimental Treatment Subject

Meet Mia

Jen's Brain: Experimental Treatment Subject

Meet Jen's Brain

💜In memory of Cory Haim, one of the gentlest, sweetest spirits to walk the earth.💜

With Gratitude

Yes, that's me, 20 years ago. And that military contract awarded to IBM? That's me, too. My name is Jennifer Lang and I'm here to tell you, as Paul Harvey would say, "The rest of the story." But, first, I'd like to acknowledge some folks without whom this journey home would never have been possible.

First and foremost, I offer my heartfelt gratitude to Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Former Governors Larry Hogan, Martin O'Malley and Bob Ehrlich, the Maryland State Legislature (most especially the members of the Judiciary Committee), the Maryland State Police, the Harford County Sheriff's Office, the Town of Bel Air Police Department, and the people of Maryland for the attention, time and devotion you have committed to improving the human condition, here at home.

A big hug and thank you to every man, woman, child, soldier, wounded warrior, cop, survivor, housewife, drag queen, professional, professional drag queen, NFL team owner, actor, musician, stand-up comedian, athlete, ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend and billionaire antagonist across the country who answered the call for warm bodies and showed up in the middle of nowhere at four in the morning to support me in a treatment scenario because it was the only thing that was working, when nothing else did.

To Jane Fonda and Jodie Foster: Thanks for the best advice you ever gave me: "Sometimes, you gotta take shit." This is NOT one of those times! 😉

To ViziePop and the whole crew at A24: "Act selfless. Don't steal. Stick it to the man."

I'd also add, "Don't drop the baby!" Thank you! 💜💜💜💜💜

And I owe a huuuuuugggge debt of gratitude to the Hotel California, Class of 1980, who staged a really cool 45th class reunion. "What happens in international waters, stays in international waters." Seeing you all again reminds me that it's just A Symptom of Being Human.

But the biggest portion of my gratitude is reserved for the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who lay down their lives every day to preserve, protect and defend the safety and security of each and every American child in every state.

This isn't a story about one little girl in Hometown, America. This is the story about every little girl in every hometown in America.

It's the place I call home.

Editorial Note: It has been brought to my attention that I forgot to include my gratitude to Bo Burnham, to which I reply: "Maybe I didn't forget. Maybe I'm just ignoring you. White Woman's Instagram? Really?" 😂👏🖕

Front page of the Poughkeepsie Journal, Thanksgiving Day, 2006

It's never too late to have a happy childhood!