The penguin in my room...

At some point, every MacWorld, I have to eat at Chevy's, because I like their food, they make killer margaritas, and there's still not one any closer to me than Chicago. So tonight I went to Chevy's with a friend, and I came home with a penguin.

Across the room, we spotted a guy wearing the most amazing balloon hat, topped with a penguin. I assumed he was one of those random magician/entertainer types who haunt restaurants (and who I normally find annoying)... but it turned out to be a 14-year-old kid, building his college fund by making the most amazing balloon animals. He can't drive yet, so his mom drives him, and the two of them seemed to be really close. So this nice, bright, articulate young man made me a balloon penguin, who is now gracing the Really Ugly Chair in the hotel room.

A nice way to brighten the end of the day...

We'll miss you, Dave...

Dave Alway, tnatj, passed away Monday morning.

Dave has been a kind and smiling presence at almost every con and filk circle that I've attended in the short time I've been involved in the filk community, and I'll never forget getting a Duchy of Filkhaven button from him with my name on it, before I thought anybody in the community even knew I existed, much less who I was.

Dave will be missed... a truly wonderful gentleman taken from us much too soon. My thoughts go out to his brother peteralway and the rest of his friends and family.