I just wanted to share this, 'cause it's awesome. :) I work at the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky, where I often do "Penguin Encounters," bringing guests behind the scenes to meet our African penguins up close. Well, we had a special guest visit the aquarium today unannounced, and I recognized him as he entered the aquarium lobby, because I am a geek. :P

It was none other than David Prowse, the man who physically played the role of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy! Well, long story short, he and the younger gent he was with (his driver, methinks) were invited to do a free VIP backstage tour and Penguin Encounter. Well, guess who got to do the Penguin Encounter for Lord Vader himself. ;)

I had the pleasure of introducing my fluffy little feathered friends to Mr. Prowse, who thoroughly enjoyed meeting them. He got to touch a penguin for the first time, and he had some good questions about them as well. The birds were a little too short to be stormtroopers, in spite of the proper color scheme, but that's all right.

In the end, Mr. Prowse seemed really appreciative of the special visit. I even got to slap an "I met a penguin today" sticker on his chest, which is just kind of funny to think about. :P Meanwhile, it just so happened that he had a few 8x10 photos in his bag, so he gave me a signed picture! It certainly turned a slow, boring Tuesday into a pretty awesome one!

(By the way, the four penguins visible in this photo are, clockwise from upper-left, Randi, Green Bean, Blueberry, and Simon).