Before I get started: Oh, for a spare 200k.


The cutest thing I've ever seen a child do, was right in front of me this weekend. It was so cute, the witnessing of the event has quite possibly made me diabetic.

This is how it went.

To make a long story short(er), an aluminum R2-D2 dome I have partially finished was a small part of an exhibit at a rather large public event this weekend. Judging by the average response to my handiwork, the attendees were people who have never been exposed to a well done R2 dome, which is good news for me in that mine is clearly the first attempt of a rank amateur. The reception at this crowd was more enthusiastic than the one who saw the same thing at C3, let's say roughly by several orders of magnitude.

Honestly, friends of mine who used to work at a well-known themepark, dressing as well-known characters, described to me the same surprising response from very small children. Only, my R2 seemed able to work as well on the over-30 crowd as it did on those under 12. Even though I haven't had any time (or, frankly, the required motivation: Ever since C3, I've been immensely tired) to animate my unit, people would run up to him as if they'd just spotted a long-lost best friend.

And as if that wasn't cute enough all by itself...

One young boy, must have been about 8 years old, spotted R2 across the crowded street. With an immense squeal of joy, he tore off toward my astromech at top speed, but as he got closer it registered with the kid that there was something terribly wrong with R2.

He slowed and stopped, all the while staring questioningly at R2's main eye. Gape-jawed, he got up on his tiptoes presumably to better acertain the source of the problem.

He was now about half a foot away from the droid's lifeless head, straining to be taller, staring eye-to-eye with R2. Then slowly, carefully, he reached up with one half-sized fist, and very, very gently knocked on the side of R2's head. When nothing happened, with a wide-eyed look of concern he leaned in as close as he could to the main eye, so close that droid and human foreheads were barely touching, when he quietly whispered: "Are you in there?"

Sometimes, I forget why I bother to maintain my peculiar hobbies. If ever there was a good reason to keep it up, I think I've got it: Next time, that kid's gonna get an answer.