There once was a gal who felt fine.
Though she was expecting decline.
Her mood it will plummet, right down from the summit...
And then she'll just grumble and whine.
I expect my inner (insert unpleasant Creature here) to show up, probably tomorrow. I thought I would try to eke out one last post that is not overly introspective and/or whiny. I wonder how many thoughts will come out here? My mind feels pretty blank...
1) I mentioned recently that I can't read anything new right now, and for the past few days I have been re-reading one of Karin Slaughter's novels. I have read a LOT of crime and mystery novels, and hers are some of the best, if not THE best. Patricia Cornwell's first novel, Postmortem, is the only one I can think of that comes close. Ms. Slaughter does a great job developing her characters while also coming up with really disturbing crimes. Plus, there are autospsies - although not as pleasantly gruesome as Ms. Cornwell's. She did a very brave thing and killed off one of her main characters a few books ago. That made a lot of people angry, but I respected her for it....oooo, I just checked the library website and she released a new novel in June!
2) I have gotten a few Post Secret books out of the library recently - I love those books. If you are not familiar with Post Secret, it is a mail art project originally started by a man named Frank Warren. These books would make a great contribution to what I consider the core coffee-table anthropolgy library, which consists of Family, Family of Man, Family of Woman, Material World and Women in the Material World.
People send in postcards that are usually a combination of words and images, on which they share a secret that they have never told anyone. There are tragic secrets, hysterically funny secrets, criminal secrets, sexual secrets, mean secrets, religious secrets, hopeful secrets and every other kind of secret you can imagine or may have hidden yourself. I always have to paper clip a few pages together before I can let my 16 year old Moppet look at them! But the older she gets, the fewer I censor.
If you are the judgemental type who likes to think everyone but you is going to hell in a handbasket, you won't like these books. But if you are a sinner and know it, and have compassion for all the other sinners out there, I think you will love them. This is the kind of project I could see being used as an illustration in more "progressive" Christian churches - not as part of the service, but as an audio-visual demonstration of how God remembers our sins no more, once we are in Christ
I am always impressed with how your average person can make a really compelling layout - I am assuming that most people who send in their secrets have not spent lots of time visual journaling or doing mixed-media artwork, but there is a lot of beautiful stuff. Some people choose imagery that goes pefectly with their secret in a logical way, while others make great use of incongruity.
3) I have been wondering lately if I really have any desire to sell handmade things. I love making stuff, but I don't love the pressure that comes with trying to have a business. I usually remember that right now, when I have lots of kids around, is not the best time to try that...but I don't know if it would ever be right for me on anything but the smallest scale. Of course, I would enjoy making money using some of my knowledge and/or talent, but I think I would do better being a workshop instructor. I have long wanted to have a zine-making workshop - and visual journaling workshops and book-making workshops would be simple and fun as well. I could make money doing that, but I would not have the stress of needing to produce things, usually on a deadline. Yes, I would have to plan the workshops, get materials together, make handouts, etc. But I could plan workshops at the time of the month when I am most patient and energetic. I truly think I am a better encourager and creative enabler than I am a producer.
There was more in my brain than I thought...but now there is a big dry gulch that is calling for a double-strength decaf latte!
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