Unreasoning Enthusiasm

fa·nat·ic
n.
A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause.

At Christmas, Sally’s family gave me a gift that fed my inner fanatic: an LP of the Empire Strikes Back soundtrack – signed by all of the major cast members and John Williams. At age 31, I’m only truly fanatical for one thing: Notre Dame Football. At one point in my life, though, I was a true fanatic for Star Wars movies. As a child, I collected the action figures. I saw the movies on opening day, and multiple times in the first week. I choreographed lightsaber duels (alone, of course) with my brother’s Star Wars vinyl playing at full blast. Even now, somewhere in my heart, I believe that deep universal truths are revealed by the original trilogy of Star Wars movies.

When I wrote about Darth Vader’s blog back in April, Sherrie saw it and understood that I am a fanatic at heart. Thank you all for the fantastic gift.

In the spirit of unreasoning enthusiasm, check out this house. Gus and Pam have assembled a collection of Star Wars memorabilia unmatched outside of Skywalker Ranch. Be sure to check out the link to Gus and Pam’s first basement room. There, you will find a trophy case with the high school and college yearbooks of several Star Wars cast members. That’s impressive. A touch creepy, but impressive.