Hello everyone,

First, I will be at Anthrocon in Pittsburgh in just a couple of weeks. I plan to be in Pittsburgh for some extra days before and after the convention, so let me know if you'd like to hang out! During the con, I can be reached via DM on X, Telegram, or notes/messages here on FA. Most of the time, I'll probably be wandering the dealers room, so please say hello if you see me.

And now some major news: After being forced to cancel my art study abroad in 2024 (not once, but twice), I am very happy to share that I've been accepted into a full-time art program in Florence, Italy. This lasts for an entire academic year, so I will be in Italy from September–June (with some short breaks to come back home for holidays). I've been wanting to do this for a long time, so I'm really excited. I'll be studying classical drawing, figure, anatomy, and the like.

So, who's going to Anthrocon this year?

I just learned that  dineegla passed away sometime in the last few days. According to  lionor's journal, someone went to check on Dineegla after he was out of touch for several days and he was found in his car, deceased.

I'd only been in sporadic contact with him for the last few months after doing my best to help him from afar earlier this year. He really struggled the last couple of years with serious health issues and financial problems, and it was difficult for me to watch him go through so much. I wished I could have been nearby to be more helpful, but alas.

I hope that he and  musclewolf are both at peace, now.

RIP, my friends. I always enjoyed our hangout time at so many conventions, years ago. Godspeed.

My father is back in the hospital, so I have had to cancel my trip to Florence.

We expect dad to be fine in the next couple of days, so we're all very much relieved. I'm going to see about rescheduling my coursework in Florence for sometime in 2025.

Hello everyone,

I hope this journal finds everyone in good spirits.

I just wanted to announce that I will be in school in Florence, Italy, for the entire autumn studying art and art history. I've signed up for two intensive workshops, so this will be a lot of work, but I'm looking forward to it! I'm hoping to learn a ton (through many hours of practice, if nothing else) and I'll evaluate next steps in my art studies after I see how this goes.

I depart in mid-September and will be back in the US right before Christmas.

I visited Florence in 2012, but this will be more like student living than a tourist stay. Should be an interesting experience all around. Wish me luck!

Long time, no see, everyone.

This year's birthday went by pretty quietly earlier this week. Many people sent me birthday wishes, which I always appreciate! I didn't mind the quiet birthday because I spent the first half of June traveling around the Boston area, doing a lot of sightseeing and spending time with friends.

For the first time since 2019, I am attending Anthrocon. I'll be in Pittsburgh for several days before and after the convention, so if anyone would like to meet up, please poke me via X (my account is linked from my FA profile) or the usual messaging services. My future convention attendance is in doubt, so we'll see if this con is my last hurrah or not.

Who will I see in Pittsburgh next weekend? It's been way too long.

A very merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! 🎄🎅

It's been an overall very good year for me. I worked multiple jobs simultaneously in the first half of the year (as well as the last 2-1/2 months of 2022), which meant 75–80 hours per week at a desk, and which led to me seriously injuring my trapezius thanks to weak muscles. It's taken a very long time to fully heal, and I even went to physical therapy for 2 months. It's finally healing up well now, over 7 months after the initial injury.

The injury forced me to cancel plans to study abroad during this winter, but I'm going to reschedule that coursework for later in 2024 (or as soon as they offer it again). I'll be studying classical painting and art history in Europe if all goes well. I'll have much more to say about this as the time draws closer.

The major plus of all the extra work is that, thanks to having two paychecks at the same time for months, I'm now 100% debt free. This marks the first time I've had my head fully above water since 2012. I'll take a sore neck in trade for that any day!

I'm looking forward to some career changes in 2024 and I'm glad to have you along for the ride. I'll be talking more about this in the near future.

I'll be at Anthrocon in July 2024. I hope to see you all there.

How are you doing and how has life been treating you?

Exactly 1 year since I posted a journal. I really ought to write more of these things.

Today is my birthday and I was fortunate to be able to spend it with my family. I also received no small number of birthday greetings from friends, which I always love. Thanks, everyone.

I'll save the details on this for a later journal, but I am planning a career shift into more creative work in the near future and it looks like that time is nigh. My current career path has hit a dead end, so it's high time I moved on to something else—and the mass layoffs in the high tech sector are somewhat making this decision for me. I expect I'll have more news on this in the next few months and I look forward to sharing it with all of you.

Unfortunately, I once again cannot make it to Anthrocon this year, but I hope to return in 2024. AC is my favorite con, so I'm sorry to have to miss it 2 years in a row. I hope everyone who attends has a wonderful time! Judging from the massive pre-reg numbers (10,000+ attendees already), it's going to be the largest ever and there's a possibility AC will retake the crown as the world's largest furry con. I'm eager to see what the final attendance numbers look like next Sunday night.

So how is everyone doing these days?

It is now Saturday and thus officially my birthday.

I expect a very quiet one this year, but I'll be visiting my family and will see if I can find some additional fun things to do in the latter part of the day.

14 months since my last journal! I'm currently working as an editor at a large, private university. Not the most exciting work, but it's the steadiest job I've had in over 4 years and is a good place to be as I work my way toward a career change (currently planned for 2024, but the details are still murky, so stay tuned).

I'll have a lot more to say about future plans as they (slowly) come together.

Now some bad news: For a handful of reasons, I am unable to attend Anthrocon this year. I am not happy about missing it because I've attended every one since 2002, but it's just not in the cards this year. I look forward to seeing everyone there in 2023. I'll see if I can find some other events to attend later in 2022, as well, but no promises.

I've been pretty lucky to have a handful of friends visit during the spring and I hope I'll get to see even more during the summer months.

How is everyone doing these days?

A short journal to let everyone know that my surgery went fine and there were no surprises. I'm doing great at home (if still pretty sore) and I am very slowly easing back into my routine.

I start my new job on Monday and I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you all for your support!

Almost 2 years without a journal. Hello, everyone!

Two big pieces of news on my end:

1) I am having fairly minor surgery on April 21st to repair two inguinal hernias. Fun times! I'm not looking forward to surgery, but I will be glad to get these fixed. I've had a very uncomfortable couple of months with a lot of restrictions on my activities and I want to be whole again.

2) I begin a new job on the 26th and—after an almost 10-year hiatus—I will be returning to the game industry (which in hindsight I never should have left). I cannot say where I am working, but I am looking forward to joining this team and I hope it opens some new doors for me going forward.

In case anyone remembers my previous journal from 2019 about buying a home, that purchase did not go through and I am still a renter. The housing market in my area is now so bonkers owing to Covid that I doubt it will be feasible to buy a home here anytime soon. My work situation might also change and compel me to move to parts unknown, so perhaps things have worked out for the best.

I hope everyone is healthy and I can't wait to see you all at a convention once events start up again.

So, Tuesday was my 40th birthday (eek) and it went fine, though it was a bit quiet and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone at Anthrocon.

I will be in Pittsburgh for the convention from midday Wednesday July 3rd until late Monday July 8th. The best way to reach me at the con is via Twitter (my account is linked from my FA page) or the usual messaging services, so please feel free to poke me anytime if you would like to meet up. (FA notes will also work, but I might not see them for hours.)

As always, I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Anthrocon. Who's going? :)

Also, in other news, I am in the process of buying a house! I'm very excited to finally have a home of my own and the sale is supposed to close on July 15th. July and August are going to be very busy with home cleanup, some minor renovations, and moving, but once all of that is over, I think I will be in a wonderful place.

(Edit: I decided not to proceed with the house purchase, owing to too many other commitments of my time and money. I'm going to stay a renter for the time being. More on this later.)

Yes, after missing Midwest Furfest 8 years in a row, I will finally be able to attend the convention again this year! I am very much looking forward to it.

I will be in Chicago for an extended stay full of sightseeing and good times, arriving the Sunday before the con and departing the Tuesday after.

If you see me, please flag me down; it’s always difficult for me to pick faces out of crowds, so please get my attention somehow if you see me walking by obliviously.

Also, hugs are great, but please be gentle and do not bear hug, lift me up, or anything similar. I am still being treated for a serious back injury I sustained at AC.

Who else is going?

Hello, everyone!

I will be at Anthrocon starting around midday Wednesday until late Monday. I no longer live in Pittsburgh, so I have a 5-hour drive to get to the convention.

Please don't be shy about flagging me down if you see me walking by. Many friends are not attending AC this year, but I hope to spend some time with everyone who is going.

I usually hang out in the Zoo during the evening, but if you would like to get together or just say hello at the con, the best way is to poke me on Twitter, Telegram, or by text. My Twitter is SobaTheBear.

You can also Note me here in a pinch, but I may not see it for hours.

Who's going? :)

I really should be more active on this site, though FA as a whole seems to be steadily dying. It's unfortunate (but expected) that so many people are leaving; it's much harder to keep track of everyone these days.

Now for a personal update: As of late March, I am living back near my hometown in upstate New York and I couldn't be happier. Pittsburgh was a very difficult city to live in and I feel a huge amount of relief just being out of there. As I posted in my end-of-year journal back in December, 2017 was a calamitously bad year, and as if to make it more hilarious, another major problem cropped up mere hours after I posted that journal. I am very glad that last year is in the rearview mirror.

Things are already looking up. I plan to start taking classes again in the next 6 to 12 months and I'm working steadily to learn new skills. I am also in good enough health to restart my exercise program, much to my delight.

I am planning a career transition into something more creative in the next few years and prospects for that are looking better than ever.

See you all at Anthrocon in July! Post a comment if you're planning to go. :)

A short journal for now, but I will be at Furnal Equinox in Toronto from March 15–19. Poke me on Twitter if you'd like to find me during the convention, though I will likely spend a lot of time in the Dealers Den wandering and talking to friends.

See you all there! Please flag me down if you see me, as I tend to miss people even when walking right by them. :P

My Twitter: http://twitter.com/sobathebear

I have allowed this place to gather a lot of cobwebs, so I felt it was a good time for an update.

I hope everyone is having a very merry Christmas and will enjoy great peace and prosperity in the coming year!

2017 was not a good year for me. Someone once told me of the belief that how one spends one's New Year's will set the tone for the entire year, and thus what one does on New Year's is what one will be doing the entire year. That proved true in my case; I was extremely ill with the flu on December 31, 2016, and I spent much of my year totally out of commission due to illness.

To recap 2017:

- Began with the flu
- Internal, very uncomfortable injury in mid-January that is still unresolved and requires more doctors' visits
- Hepatitis
- Cancer scare (I appear to be healthy, woo!!!)
- Mystery illness around Labor Day that left me ill for an entire month, forcing me to miss my 20-year high school reunion that I'd been looking forward to all year
- Major car crash on October 12 (I got my repaired car back from the shop on December 21, which is 70 days later)
- Crap housing with plumbing, drainage, and insect issues, yet that nonetheless costs me a fortune every month
- Enormous weight gain owing to spending nearly 4 months of the year recuperating from illness, much of that flat on my back in bed


Looking ahead to 2018, which I expect to be much improved!

- EXERCISE and dropping the 3 pants sizes I've gained since 2013
- New job! I start on January 8 with a major promotion, enormous raise, and 100% work from home at a much better company
- Moving back nearer to home to be closer to family for the time being
- Buying a home
- Returning to school part-time to restart the art and design coursework I was forced to abandon in 2009
- If time permits, taking up the piano again and re-learning to play competently


I'm more than ready to put 2017 to bed, but to repeat what I've said in prior journals, I'm most grateful to everyone for cheering me on and helping me get through all of these difficult times. 2018 should be a great year and I look forward to having everyone's company on the journey.

Onward and upward. Make it a great year.

Just a brief note to let everyone know that I'll be at Furrydelphia this weekend from Friday evening through Sunday evening!

Poke me on Twitter ( SobaTheBear ) if you'd like to find me, though I expect a pretty small con and not much difficulty in tracking people down.

I hope to see some of you there. :)

Sunday was a pretty low-key birthday and I spent the day alone, but I'm looking forward to celebrating later this week at AC!

I'll be at Anthrocon from late afternoon Wednesday through most of Monday. I live just 10 minutes away and will be commuting in every day, but should be on site between about 8AM and midnight every day.

You can find me by sending me a DM or mention @SobaTheBear on Twitter. Anyone who has my phone number or Telegram can poke me directly, or in a pinch, send me a note here. I'll check my FA periodically during the con.

See you all there. Please say hi at the con if you see me. Chances are that my lousy vision will cause me to miss seeing you, so flag me down. :)

I will be at Anthrocon this year (Wednesday evening through Monday) and I look forward to seeing everyone! I live nearby, so it's quite easy to get there and back home every day.

Who's going? :)

It's been a interesting spring. Here's a little update on what happened.

I had a wonderful time at Furnal Equinox, but a week after returning from Toronto, I came down with hepatitis. We later determined that it was a random infection and not one of the scarier forms of it (that is, it was not type A, B, or C, so my liver should be fine), but I was extremely sick and had a very high fever that alternated with chills almost non-stop for 4 days. I took 7 days off of work, and then worked from home for an additional 9 days.

My doctor wasn't sure if I may have had a gall stone, so he ordered a CT scan. When he got the results for my follow-up appointment, he told me, "Okay, we have several things we need to discuss today," which is never a good beginning to a conversation.

The CT scan turned up a suspicious lesion on my liver that had a serious concern for malignancy. Certainly a bombshell that I never expected to hear.

My doctor emphasized that even if it was malignant, we found it at such an early stage that the lobe of the liver could be removed and I would be completely cured. And, that being the case, he pointed out that if it is indeed cancer, then I had "the most serendipitous infection ever" because the lesion is completely unrelated to my illness, but we never would have found it if I had not become sick. At the behest of the radiologist, he ordered a follow-up MRI.

The MRI was unfortunately not conclusive, but it does NOT look like cancer. Also unfortunately, a needle biopsy is impossible because the lesion is very near to the lung and a branch of the portal vein, so the best course is to have a follow-up MRI (which will occur in August) and then take further action from there, if necessary. If the lesion appears to have grown, then I may need an open biopsy (a prospect I am not looking forward to).

TL;DR : I had a cancer scare. From what I know now, it's extremely unlikely to be cancer (my doctor estimates between 1% and 5% chance), but I do not yet know for sure.

Fun times. See you all at Anthrocon?

I will be at Furnal Equinox in Toronto, Ontario, this weekend from Thursday evening through midday Monday! I hope to see a lot of you there. Who's going? :)

I won't have data service on my phone while in Canada, but I should have access to WiFi while in the hotel and convention space. Hit me up on Telegram, text me, poke me on Twitter ( SobaTheBear ), or send me a note here if you'd like to find me.

Again, I want to apologize for being almost totally absent from this site for a long while, now. I've been overly busy and I am about to move again in a couple of weeks (within Pittsburgh, so not long distance). Fortunately I will be at the new house for at least 2 years. This will be my 13th move since the end of 2011, so I am weary beyond belief of pulling up stakes over and over again. Phew.

I hope to post a longer update once the spring gets underway and I'm settled in the new house. I do answer comments and messages here almost daily, so feel free to poke me anytime.

I really should pay more attention to this site! I've been too busy to keep up with much here, unfortunately.

I will be at Furpocalypse in Connecticut this weekend, so I hope to see everyone there. If you're going, please leave a comment and I shall watch for you. :)

I'll have a bigger update sometime soon. All is well and I am living comfortably in Pittsburgh!

Thank you, everyone, for the really kind birthday wishes. I am now 37, and the clock seems to tick more quickly with each year! The journey is a fun one as long as I have such good people along for the ride with me. :)

As I said before, I will be at Anthrocon from Wednesday afternoon until late Monday. I'd love to meet up, so poke me on Twitter via mention or direct message (my username is SobaTheBear), or send me a message by Telegram or text if you have my number. In a pinch, you can also leave a comment or note here, but I won't be checking FA very often during the convention.

I look forward to seeing everyone there! Travel safely, please.

A long-overdue update!

First, the negative: The last 12 months have ranged from "okay" to absolutely nightmarish. Since July 2015, I have slept in at least 20 different places, moving between hotels and temporary lodging in San Francisco numerous times before finally throwing up my hands, quitting my job there, and leaving the city permanently. In addition to the housing problem, the enormous expense, and a job that completely failed to live up to its billing, I was almost assaulted twice while walking home after work and was more than eager to put that place behind me.

Now, the positive: I am in MUCH better condition now and I am living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Coincidentally, the home of Anthrocon.) I've secured an excellent job here and I am in the process of moving into a comfortable condominium, after nearly a year of having no permanent home. I'm not too far from my family in New York and can get back to visit them with only an afternoon's drive.

I need to offer a heartfelt thank-you to  guyver47 for inviting me to live with her and her boyfriend for about a month when I first arrived in the city and needed a home base from which I could job hunt. They are both outstanding people (with adorable cats! And some interesting plumbing…) and I could not ask for better friends. Without them, I would've had no place to go.

Very special thanks also go to  daicymru,  kyoma, and most of all  danandnite for bailing me out. I am red-faced over the circumstances, but they have been truly generous.

I don't mean to diminish anyone's contributions by not naming them here, as I've gotten an enormous amount of encouragement and emotional support from countless friends over the last year and you've all helped me immensely. This has been a very rough ride, but thanks to all of you, I'm on track to financial solvency and getting my career going again.

I intend to restart graduate school in 2017 to make a more orderly transition to a new career. Onward and upward!

So who's going to Anthrocon? :)

To be clear, today is not my birthday. But on April 20, 1996, I created the character Soba!

20 years ago, I came up with him very quickly when a friend and regular visitor to my EFNet Sonic the Hedgehog IRC channel (Joe Fox) invited me to try Sociopolitical Ramifications (SPR) MUCK, where he was one of the Wizards. I needed a character description fairly quickly, drew some inspiration from an issue of Usagi Yojimbo I had lying on my desk, and off we went on my first MUCK experience. Shortly after, he took me to a wedding on the MUCK, which was pretty amazing. Unfortunately, Joe left the fandom and he's proved impossible to track down, but that's another story.

Click here for a screen capture of Soba's creation date on the MUCK. He still exists today!

Soba's design has changed very little even in 20 years. He originally wore a haori (half-coat) over his kimono, though this still shows up from time to time when he's dressed more formally. His kimono also used to be embroidered with the Greek letter pi, but I felt it looked too busy, so this was dropped.

He's stayed almost totally the same for 20 years: Long-lived, time traveling bear who happened to spend a lot of time in feudal Japan, hence his typical choice of attire.

As I've told many people over the years, Soba was never meant to be a fursona; he was just a character, not meant to represent me. At that time, the term "fursona" hadn't even been coined yet and almost no one had personal characters. I think this is one reason he's stayed mostly the same; all of us change somewhat as we go through life, but because he's not me, it's easy to keep him the same.

Happy 20th birthday, old friend. I suspect you'll be stuck with me until my final days.

As for me, a broader life update is coming soon. I'm hoping to have great things to share.