I have been known to wear funny hats. There's a restaurant in Darlinghurst (dunno if it's still there) we called 'The Hat Place' which we regularly frequented...'we' as in my lunatic mates who seemed quite sane by comparison to moi. The restaurant raided all the local op shops and gathered quite a collection of school hats, wedding veils, floral hats, large hats, small hats, hats of all descriptions and made them available to patrons. Mind you, it took several glasses of wine before patrons were sufficiently uninhibited to actually wear them. After that, one went from table to table offering to swap a hat for theirs.

But that was when I was... whatever. Now, in my senior years, I'm demure, discreet and reasonably well behaved. It simply doesn't do to be mature and crazy simultaneously. BUT... there's an escape from the mundanity of compromise and that's why I write stories. Hahahahahahahaha! I can let loose on the world with my eccentricities and lunacy through my characters!

Fear not! The characters do not leap from the pages, dear Breth. Close the book and you're safe and sound once again. :wacko:

Seriously, I think if one is not a tad mad and eccentric, life would be insufferable. One might wrap a belt of explosives around one's waist and detonate oneself in a restaurant. Think of the carnage...hats everywhere. A sense of the ridiculous, I find, is the savior of sanity...relatively speaking. And you know something? Once you accept your madness you discover that you have a great deal in common with the rest of humanity...except for one thing...you're the only one who is aware of it.

By this stage, you're either convinced I'm mentally deranged or a genius. Take your pick. Meantime, check out my free books in PDF format at www.kellytrader.com GA Kevin wrote a welcome note to me and said he was looking forward to knowing me better, hehehe. I wonder what he thinks now.