I think I underwent something of a rite of passage today, in the form of my first fur-meet. Not something as large as a convention, but a meetup for lunch that happens to the north of Boston every month, organized through the Bostonfurs Livejournal community. I vaguely knew a couple of the people who post there, so when I remembered that there was one this morning I decided to finally go along.

I was the first to arrive outside, even though I had gone to the bookshop across the road beforehand in an attempt not to be. About a minute later I was joined by  BaronBach (I'm unsure whether to use Matrix names like this in real life or not, but most people didn't mind either way), and we proceeded to wander around separately for a couple of minutes looking at the Halloween decorations and each trying to avoid asking the other if they were there for the same thing, because of the inevitable explanations that would have to follow if they weren't. Eventually he came up with the idea of asking me something about the menu, which prompted me to ask if he was around for the meet, so we were at least actually talking before anyone else came to join us.

 SoreThumb,  sedge and  kiffakitmouse came next and we headed inside - I had thought that it would be quiet at first because of the slow start, but over the next half-hour or so people kept on coming in to eventually make up a table of 22 (though I never ventured down to the other end so only talked to the six or seven immediately around me). I hadn't been sure about the level of costume that people would come in, but only a couple of ears and tails worn by a couple of people gave away the theme common to this gigantic table.

And we talked about artwork, music, Bostonian universities, cycling versus the T, Scottish cuisine and place naming, horrifying teen magazine articles, was told never to lose my accent especially not for a Boston one, and a whole lot of other things over the next couple of hours. Paperclipped to my shirt, I was wearing a printed badge made from the same picture as my icon, though I wasn't sure whether it would make me look a twat or not - but a few others had them as well, and I was very pleased that a couple of people recognized the picture or the name. It served as a place to write down usernames that I'd met - which I needed to, seeing as I was having to learn two new names for everyone I talked to. And in the evening, I think that everyone's watchlist fattened up by at least a couple of people.

 lone_wolf_666,  raymondfrostwolf,  sylrynn,  magwolf11,  silvanoir and everyone else above - it was nice to meet you all in person, and I hope to make it a regular thing :) If I've missed anyone out whose name I got... sorry!

I'm exhausted now, even though the whole thing involved no physical activity. I can only gues that I seem to have tired myself out by talking.

Anyway, nice people. Not like what you see on CSI at all.