This is going to be a long one with the last part so crazy that it actually made the news, so stay tune for that. June had been a bit wild to say the least, lots of up and downs with some crazy moments to finish off the month.

Earlier in the month, I heard news that a co-worked had died. He was out for a good while with brain cancer and did came back for a short bit before succumbing to the illness. I still remember the funny laugh he had. I also heard that a former worker also passed away. So sad but this is going to happen as we get older and older.

A few weeks ago, we finally had services for my mom (who passed away in April after a long illness). My brother was supposed to arrange for that since I work full time but didn't for some reason. Anyway, I got a day off from work (use it or lose it kind of deal) and called our local church but said that the priest doesn't do cremations unless the ashes are buried or interned in an mausoleum. I don't know if it is a Catholic thing or due to the priest.

But luckily the home hospice care was having a service for those that passed during the last year a week after I made the call. So I took advantage of that. It went well enough though the church was across town. The pastor did repeat himself for quite a bit. Eleven friends and family came so that was nice. Two couldn't make it though. But at least there was some Closure. My mom didn't want anyone to make a fuss about her funeral so something simple like that works well enough.

Just a few days ago another death occurred, this time our cat. He was very old (something like 18 years give or take). Cats tend to live 15 to 20 years so he lived a long time. He was getting quite thin despite having plenty of food to partake. On his last night, I gave him some can food along with the usual kibble and he ate all of the soft stuff and most of the kibble. He seemed well enough for his age and was not lethargic at all. But he passed sometime late or early morning. I took him to the vet to be cremated before I went to work. Just like my mom, I though he had a little bit longer to go but not to be.


Now the crazy part. After attending the furmeet at the Japanese Tea Garden, I was eager to attend another one. There was a pride event just north of downtown coming up and I wanted to go. But it was very hot at the tea garden and I almost got heat exhaustion, so I wasn't keen on the heat. I kept an eye on the weather but in the meantime made a more powerful fan than the standard flat fans that many fursuiters wear around their neck with a lanyard.

I used a dual-axial fan sourced from a server power supply. Normally they run at 12 volts and are stupidly loud. I tested it at 5 volts and it ran fine at a much lower speed but massively quieter (still a little loud but not as insane). That way I can use a 5V USB power bank like what I use to power the built-in fans and stuff. I had to rush getting it done for the pride event so it didn't have an outer casing covering the wires going to the USB connector (foreshadowing). In fact, I finished attaching the 3D printed flared inlet and outlet nozzles along with wiring it up the night before.

I looked at the forecast one last time and it wasn't going to hit 100°F that day (very close though) so I decided to go despite still going to be hot, hoping it'll be okay enough. So I brought my new, homemade fan along with the usual flat fan as backup.

I had the fan inside the insulated bag that also carried my water bottle, ice packs, my hat, and a few other things. I took it with me during the furry walk around the park and set it down on the ground whenever someone wanted to take a picture of the fluffy group. Did that many time but I must have forgot to pick it up or dropped it at some point. I didn't realized it was missing until we got back to the gathering point (a circle on the side of the park).

I retook my steps along with the furmeet organizer to see if we can spot the bag. It is black with a bright neon flap so should be easy to spot. We went to the front entrance and the side one to see if the event staff seen it. None of them did. I also gone to were the police had their setup in the gazebo on the other side of the park. Nothing there but at least the police was aware of it... or should have been as well shall see.

I was back at the gathering spot after making more rounds around the park. I got some street tacos and ate like half of it but not feeling well. I had to use the restroom and left my tail and head with a couple of furs that stayed around the circle area after taking the group photo. I left for the Porta Potties type temporary restroom located on this side of the park and was stopped by a police officer, telling me I had to go around to the other side to use those there. I made my what there and thankfully there wasn't line. The Porta Potties where quite clean and not the pit of hell I usually experience. They looked quite new. Kudos on the event organizers. But anyway, I left there and visited one of the rare evaporative cooling fans they set up by the wrestling ring. I cooled down just enough and headed my way back to the circle. Here is where things got crazy.

On the path back, I was stopped by a cop again, saying that way is being blocked off (expanding the cordoned off area). I was thinking it must be some sort of crime scene or a... bomb threat. Then I thought about my homemade fan thing I made. Could they "found" and thought it could be some sort of explosive device. I am an electrical engineer and I work with such things all the time. But I could see someone not knowing what it is. So I talked to the cop about it and they told me to wait to talk to someone higher up (a pattern starting here). After a couple of minutes, someone came up and I talked to him a bit about the possibility the commotion being caused by my missing bag.

I told to wait for someone else to talk to and waited under the shade of a tree. I was getting quite hot and the water I have was in the bag. A cop saw me and was able to get me a cold bottle water. That helped out a lot. Waited some more and asked about retrieving my fursuit head and tail but was told to wait a little longer. So I waited, and waited, and waited some more until someone finally even higher up came to see me. I describe the fan again and was shown a picture of what they found. Yep, it was my bag. I waited some more until I was taken to it. They moved it away from the park down the street and I was able to pick it up. Since there was no evil intent, I was able to go back to the two furs that stayed to look after my fursuit stuff. All in all I was away a good 35 minutes. Thankfully everything was still there though I had to throw away what was left of my tacos.

But there is a pride center open just outside the park and they had free snacks and drinks along with a place to cool down. We took advantage of that and started heading off there. Along the way I spotted one of the cops I was taking to. I showed the other cop he was with the "device" and he said yeah, that could be confused with something destructive.

After that, our small group of fur went inside the pride center and relaxed a bit. There were some other furs already there and some more came in after going the Juice Joint place a few blocks down the street. Our small group already decided to go there (the other group message us when they were still there). So we headed out the trek. Passed a lot of "interesting" business establishment like the bars, clubs, and even a sex shop.

Got to the Juice Joint place and we got some smoothies. There was a DJ playing right next to the place inside a corridor and had some decent stuff. We made plans to come back for the parade that start at 9PM (The meetup was 1PM to 3PM where the group photo was taken at the end of it). I went back to my car to drop off the bag that caused all that trouble and get ready with my plasma ball and flashing LED lights for use in the nighttime of the parade. The rest went off back to the park before it closes. I had to walk quite a way to my car so I didn't make it back before it close.

But I met a differed group of furs (Anubis that I made that staff for and a couple of others). So we headed back to the Joint Juice place and no other furries were there. We waited for the others to show up for a bit but no one showed up.

Luckily I got the Telegram of one of the furs in the other group earlier in the day and message them where they are. I got a reply back that they was across the street near Jimmy John. We went there and saw no one. Walked down the street for a couple of blocks. Messaged again and replied with they being close to a place called Zerbaz (which turned out to be an "adult" shop - interesting stuff in there).

But along they way, an operator of one of those 3D video station offered to take a video of Anubis. I was able to also able to get a vid took. I'll post it to my Gram of Tele account or something. Pretty cool setup.

We finally found them and got together to head back to the Juice Joint once more. I got a lemonade outside while some of the others got smoothies. Drank that and the fur I got the telegram decided to go to side and dance with the DJ playing. That was good for a few songs but the others wanted to got to a spot further down the parade path. So we headed down it and found another fur (The octopus at ACFI but out of suit). We stayed there but decided to go even further down the path before the parade starts.

An about the parade, oh boy it was an experience. It started with a few people walking pass. I was like "was that it?" at first and boy was I wrong. Another small group of paraders walked by along with some vehicles after a minute of so. This turns out to be the pattern with a group going by and then nothing for a minute to several minutes. It was so spread out. But they kept on coming. After over a hour of this, a couple of furs left. The rest of us kept on watching. And they came in small bunches. Each time we thought it was over, we can see the lights from another group. I just kept coming like that. The last set finally came around 11:30PM. That is over two and a half hours of a long, spread out trains of paraders.

Not as crazy as the "lost bag" situation earlier but still madness. I did manage to get some beads and a lighted fiber-optic stick from the parade goers. And I also "danced" a little when someone played something danceable when they came by.

All in all, I had a good time despite the "incident". I actually made the news. Oh well, I am going to make a cover for the thing to hid the wires before bringing it out again. I didn't even had the chance of testing it out even. But hopefully all the other furry meetup will be inside during our "step outside and burst into flames" season. Despite not hitting 100, it was still freaking hot. There were some good winds time to time and was partially cloudy, which helped a lot.

But anyway, I think you all (that made it to the end of this saga) can agree that was one wild, crazy month with the kicker ending. So how's that for my 150th Journal?