Trying to decipher between a fan and a fanatic

I have been pondering some of my interests lately and trying to think of those activities/interests of which I am a fan and those of which I am a fanatic. When I think about it, a fan is someone who enjoys following a certain team/activity/interest while a fanatic takes it to the next level.

In reality, I am a fanatic for one thing - airplanes. I am a fan of things such as the Redskins, Harry Potter, Independent Movies, NCAA March Madness, the sports section of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Bagels, Gyros, etc.

This past weekend in Silver Spring, I was exposed to various types of fans and fanatics....

First , on Friday night we went to the Book Release event in Downtown Silver Spring (second largest in the country if I may give SS some props!) for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The main street in Silver Spring was transformed into Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series. There were a ton of people there and lots of them were in costumes. As the clock struck midnight, they started giving out the books and I actually won one of the two raffles. A signed poster of the book signed by the illustrator Mary Grandpre. I got so many offers for this poster as soon as I got off the stage. Hello eBay! I can tell you there were many fans and fanatics at this event. It was pretty awesome. Click on this link for the pictures of the event.

Second, on Sunday, Karyn and I witnessed our first Grand Prix bike race. Downtown Silver Spring was transformed into a high speed bike race and it was pretty awesome. And let me tell you, there were some crazy bike fanatics there. People who really took this stuff seriously! I snapped some shots with my cell phone. Karyn and I actually really enjoyed this fun event - we ended up learning various different bike race terms and cheered on the winners!
I guess it's totally normal to be a fan or a fanatic. All of those things helps us get through the day to day repetition of life and work. Lucky for me, I get to include my fanatical aviation interests in my job!

I won't be blogging for a little while since Karyn and I will going on the Mann Family Beach Vacation to Lewes, Delaware next week! Stay tuned to Concourse H for the return of my random thoughts!