A friend of mine decided to take the plunge. The plunge that us mere mortals only dream about. Yes, he bought Stormtrooper armor. Ever since that summer of 1977 in a galaxy far, far away, I have had a dream of someday sporting that intergalactic white getup of imperial greatness.

So last night I took him to Wal Mart, fully suited-up, to awe the masses with a blinding radiation of nerditude. The armor is not as agile as I would have thought and the rigid pieces make for quite an adventure to get in and out of cars. There's something strange about strapping sweaty peices of plastic to your friends thighs in the Wal Mart parking lot at night, but it was a trip well worth the effort.

BTW, I'm the one in the helmet, Neil is the one suited up.

...and if you wanted to know, my guess is that you could go anywhere in Stormtrooper armor. People will either pretend they don't notice you, or just stand speechless as you pass. Quite a night.