I’m off to the Tcl conference this morning; the shuttle arrives to pick me up in ten minutes or so. So I’ll be spending the next few days near Chicago, where it’s expected to be cold and wet, with storms on Thursday. I fly home on Friday; pray for me (if you’re so inclined) that my flight won’t be delayed.

There won’t be any book reviews this week, and I won’t be responding to my e-mail, but I might make a blog entry now and again.

Which reminds me…we emptied a 24-pack of Diet Pepsi yesterday. My 9-year-old asked to have it; he wanted to make a Halloween costume out of it.

“Do you know what it’s going to be?” he asked.

“A mask for your head?”

“No, a costume for Panda!” Panda is his teddy bear.

I was surprised. “Panda’s going to Halloween dressed as a case of Diet Pepsi?”

“No, as a Vending Machine!”

And a little while later he showed me Panda all dressed up as a vending machine–with the ability to vend cans of soda, I might add.