I'm more energetic today, so I'll go over my third day at Antheria, as well as the con as a whole.

I cannot remember the last time I had so much fun in a day, particularly Sunday, but also Saturday and Friday as well. Volunteering was I think the best thing I could have done to enjoy the con, and worth every moment of my time.

Sunday starts off with me waking up at 9:30 sharp. I showered and then hit the road to visit the fabled Furry City of Antheria. Light traffic made the trip easy down to Redondo beach where I stopped to get some corndog rolls as a quick bite. I was looking forward to hanging out with the other main volunteers:  realityblows,  pyscho-cat-boy,  TehWolfgang, and Rhey, and found two of the four rather quickly. After hunting down Niles to get my assignment, I did some door duty briefly.

I stopped in to check on  zhivagod to see the commission she was working on and I <3'd it. Can't wait until its posted so I can show it off to people! Volleyball <3 Then I went to Con Ops to visit  beccabunny where I also received a back rub. My shoulders were aching for reasons unknown and she worked out really tight knots in each of my shoulders. Thanks!

After that, there was an impromptu furry walk down the pier/boardwalk, where  pyscho-cat-boy and I, along with some other spotters and Niles and Uncle Kage escorted the suiters down the boardwalk where much shenanigans was held, and children laughed (and a couple cried in sheer terror). I was the 'straw guy' and carried some water and straws for the suiters, while the other volunteers all carried water and cameras and other stuff.

I found it extremely amusing that the suit that caused the most tears was a bunny rabbit of all things (poor  atomisk). I also learned firsthand how ridiculously energetic some suiters can be (I was tired just WATCHING  question-mark). The best quote on the first leg of the trip was definately from an old guy who must have been born in 1909. He walks up to the purple moose suiter and says "I did a lot of drugs in 1969. I think I met your father."

On the return leg of the trip, we break to hand out water and take more photos, and then take a pit stop at the local arcade. Suiters and volunteers were given tickets and quarters and chocolate bars (courtesy of Niles) to play some midway games, ride the tilt-a-whirl, and have fun. Much merriment was had, and then we made our way back to the hotel.

After handing out more water to the undressing suiters, I went back to door duty while the other volunteers were briefed on our future duties with regards to the upcoming lagoon event. Then we broke for lunch. Niles, Pyscho-cat-boy, Realityblows, Rhey, and I went to Subway (eat fresh!). And then we came back. And then we hung out in front of the hotel for a while after briefly scoping out the lagoon.

The brief fursuit parade to the lagoon was fun, but mostly uneventful. No roadkill was created, which is always a good sign. And then we broke out into chilling, doing silly things, foam sword fights, dancing, and relaxing. There was a 10 foot inflatable dragon which was the center of many photos, as well as  question-mark going into the lagoon in full suit. And then the area smelled faintly of wet hyena.

I said my goodbyes and left at around 9:30 due to fatigue, exhaustion, and fatigue.

Now for my bit about the entire con as a whole. Antheria was not a perfect con. Everyone will agree there. But given the amount of misfortune thrown the con's way, it pulled off something amazing. With barely two weeks notice, they lost the original hotel. The new hotel had a second event planned on Saturday which we had to share floorspace with. Hot weather killed some of Saturday. Despite all of this, the con persevered. It found its niche, and it was still an amazing amount of fun for those who knew how to seek it. A con is not just its events. It's the people who work towards making it what it is.

I wouldn't trade my experience at Antheria for anything. I made a lot of friends, I put a lot of effort into helping as much as I could, and I got a lot of laughs out of it all. (Like Niles tripping and falling nearly six feet forward at the start of closing ceremonies). For me, Antheria highlighted why I am furry and why I want to continue to be furry. We are a community. We come from all ages, all spectrums of life. And we're united by our love of anthropomorphic characters. We are who we make ourselves out to be, and we can do almost anything when we put our best paw forward.

In a related note, I want a fursuit now.