George Pérez: Yes. And a lot of it is to get some exercise in, because I know I'm likely going to be sitting down for several hours during the con. Having been a good deal heavier in the past, walking was the primary way I eventually lost a lot of weight, and keep myself fit.

How important have the simple things like maintaining health and fitness become to you as you get older? Hey -- you're now 60 years old!

The amount of energy I gained after I stopped carrying the weight equivalent of a pygmy on my back -- or perhaps more correctly, around my waist -- was a life-changer. And in my case, being a diabetic, it became a case where if I didn't start doing something, I wouldn't be talking to you now. I realized I had a lot to live for, a lot to enjoy, and I wanted to be there to enjoy it. [My wife] Carol tried helping badger me into I-don't-know-how-many diets, but finally there came a time where I said, "It's all up to me. No one else will do this." So I started walking. It became the low-impact system that worked for me. Now, I've been up and down the weight ladder a bit, but since dropping the initial 50-plus pounds, I've thankfully never been back to the larger size I once was.