Fforde Ffiesta is Not a Car.

In a few minutes, I will be heading to Logan airport with my husband and son.  Woohoo!  We're off to Swindon, UK, home of literary detective, Thursday Next.  We'll visit a few other places while we're in England, but Swindon is our primary destination.

Swindon you may ask?  Is that even a real place?  It is, indeed.  It is also the location of the 3rd Fforde Ffiesta.  With this trip, we will have made all three.

That's Fforde as in Jasper, the author of a series of wildly imaginative books that defy definition or genre placement.  If you have not heard of him or read his books, I urge you all to do so tout de suite.  They are brilliant, and the most fun you will have without leaving your chair (or wherever it is you generally like to read a good book).  

Some of the wacky activities we have in store for us this time (taken from the Fforde Ffiesta website):

Hamlet Speed Reading:  Fancy yourself as the next David Tennant? Then why not try your hand at our Hamlet Soliloquy Speed Reading Competition.

First Legion of Danvers:  Enjoy dressing up in old, grey wigs and black dresses? The 1st Legion of Danvers is just for you.

Grey Angst:  Feeling dull and unimaginative? Sounds like the perfect time to create a literary work of genius for this year's competition.

And of course, no Ffiesta would be complete without the return of ffestival favourites such as Name That Fruit!, and Live Audience Participation Shakespeare (Hamlet, Prince of Zombies).  And with the gracious backing of our ever-glorious sponsors The Goliath © Corporation (For All You'll Ever Need™) these events will now be provided in glorious 3-D technicolour!

 If you're not going to be there this week, I'm sorry.  We'll try to have fun without you.  To those of you who WILL be there, let me repeat myself -  WOOHOO!!  See you soon!

The original Ffestival fforganizers.

Authentic Drama Queen

I am passionate about many things, and when I'm talking about one of those things, I move my hands around. I get loud. When I was a kid, my parents used to tell me I should be an actress. They said this when I was being "overly dramatic," which I guess I was. A lot.

I love drama. I seek it out everywhere: in fiction, in theater and movies, music. Even historical re-enactments, of which I am fond. Every good story has drama. The vivid, highly emotional, conflicting interests that make it glorious fun to get lost inside the details.

That's why, when my husband emailed me this photo (which he found at his favorite antique auto/gear head message board -- even gear heads get embroiled in drama, which is why someone posted the picture in the first place), I had to use it. It's so me. If not physically, then spiritually. I offer it here for anyone who might stop by. So, go ahead. Embrace your passion a bit. We could all do worse than to occasionally be a truly, utterly, authentic drama queen.