Human beans

There were lots of beetles on the trail today, so I had to watch my step. They're so big and shiny and fast - like rolls royces. Gorgeous out there - so lush. Mmm.
It's been a productive weekend. Got my 12th envelope finished, and am loving the process. Spreading out farther for materials to scavenge, learning better techniques for folding the pocket, making the flaps interesting shapes, etc. They're all really different, and I'm not sure yet who will get which one, but it will be fun to decide that later on.
I'm enjoying this 4-a-week game, even though it's a bit of a push, and I had an idea today for another mail-project to start once I'm finished all these letters. I'm going to keep making crazy post, 2 envelopes/letters a week. I will send one of them to somebody ridiculously out of my league. The other one I will send to a random stranger, chosen blindly from a phonebook. The letter will basically contain well-wishes, a few statements about why I'm doing what I'm doing, and an email address in case they feel like saying hello back. It'll be my way of keeping up the creative (non-musical) flow, of practicing giving freely, and saying F-YOU to Facebook, online dating, text messages, and impersonal, lazy communication. I love the idea of throwing things out to the world at random. Of spending a few hours making something with great care and love, and then sending it away to a stranger. It just feels good.
Also, it's another way to practice being less concerned about what other people think... I will never know how any of these recipients will react when my letter arrives. And it totally doesn't matter. Here's my little revelation: It's the same thing with my music. Same thing with this blog. It's coming from honesty. I'm not a bad person and if people don't dig what I do, if they don't like me, that's okay. Yes, everyone is going to judge me- that's what humans do. We judge, we like, we dislike. I won't ever find out 'the truth' about 'what people think' of me. It's better to be seen as me, and have someone dislike me and stay away from me than to keep people around by being a lie.
I watched an awesome movie today: Temple Grandin. I love movies that are about real people and true stories. They're always more interesting and crazy than fiction. Temple is autistic and famous for designing humane slaughterhouses. Sounds strange, but it's amazing - she's amazing. It's really boggling how much human beans can differ from one to another. Can you imagine being able to see the world the way animals do?

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