LonCray, I went to Origins the year it was in San Jose, followed it back east, and have gone every year since. However, I probably won't make it this year. :( Finances. The turquoise chainmail was 3 years ago, IIRC... the same year that the one dealer of a religious game invited the local evangelical church to visit the convention... without telling ConCom. The neatest hall costume the last couple of years has been the lady with the monkey. :) I was sitting playing Magic (our group is the "Fire Breathing Black Sheep" and we have held the far end table in the promenade since Origins moved to Columbus) and said "wow, I wonder how she is manipulating that monkey!" and deduced that pneumatics were involved by the way she flicked her hand. A half dozen guys all said, "what monkey?" Now that monkey must have been a foot tall with another foot or so for the tail! It was bouncing all over creation!!! She passed more than once. They didn't see the monkey. Finally, a couple days later, one of our group faced her in a Magic tournament, where he got the choice of staring at her cleavage or at the monkey... and talked to her about its operation. Last year, one of the group had his 14 year old son at the table when she passed. The boy didn't see the monkey. Carolly