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Anthrocon 2012 Detailed Report
13 years ago
Chitter chit!
Warning, this will be a long one. This is how I spent my time at Anthrocon (as far as I can remember it):
Thursday 6/14: It all began 3:30AM (Central time) as I woke up, showered, ate breakfast, and then double and triple-checked that everything was packed. I left home at 5:30 and drove to the George Bush airport in Houston. I arrived a couple hours early and waited for my 10:21 flight to Pittsburgh. I got on the plane, watched the take off, and then slept until we were nearly there. The plane landed as scheduled around 2:15PM (Eastern), I grabbed my stuff, and jumped in a cab to the hotel. The cabbie was very friendly and even pointed out some fantastic views on the way and some nice places to eat once we were nearly there. The scenery on the way was gorgeous and I fell in love.
I arrived at the Omni and ran up to the hotel room where I met my roomie for the weekend,
doornob! Apparently our other roomie bailed, and rather than split what they would have owed, she said she'd cover the entire hotel bill. I offered to pay my original share, but she kept insisting. So we went to the convention center so I could get my badge, and then went out to eat pizza since neither of us had had lunch yet and it was getting into late afternoon. We found a pizza place and ordered up a pizza, and got toppings for free since they had one that had been sitting there for over 45 minutes that was supposed to be picked up. We then headed back to the hotel and determined a game plan for the rest of the evening. We went to the Precon Social, had some cookies and milk and brownies, and met some people. I fell in with a group playing Munchkin, and we had some pretty epic moments during the game. X3 I went to an improv panel called "Whose Lion is it Anyway" for a while and watched the shenanigans unfold. After it got late I went back to the hotel so I could get up for Opening Ceremonies the next morning!
Friday 6/15: Got up, went to Starbucks in the hotel lobby for breakfast, then went back to the hotel room to put on my Spooks kitty partial! We went to the Convention center, and as we were lining up for the opening ceremonies, a security member called out to me. What I did not know is Sponsors get their own special lines for events, so I went to the shorter sponsor line to get into the opening ceremonies! After opening ceremonies, I went down to the dealer's den, where I started to wander around looking for a
poprockgrey. She called out to me, and I said hi! I also nommed on the rat tail and ears she made for me (I was still wearing my kitty partial :P). I then wandered over to artist alley to say hi to an 
iggi! She handed me my badges and I then decided to go back to the hotel and get changed out of the partial since I didn't want to tire out too soon on the first day.
I went back to the convention center after changing and putting on my rat tail and ears. I went to a place called Fernando's to eat, seeing as how it was getting so much publicity after a bunch of furries gather together and donated money to keep it running at least through Anthrocon. It was delicious, and I went back over and over to eat there throughout the weekend. X3 I went back to the Dealer's Den (now that I could see better) and browsed around. I also said hi to poprockgrey again since I wasn't a kitty anymore and we could really meet. She gave me the other ears she had made for me, and she was picking up the squirrel tail she made to hand to me...and the curl popped. >.< She told me she'd try to get it fixed by tomorrow morning and couldn't stop apologizing even though I said it was okay. I wandered around the dealer's den some more and found a DVD I didn't know existed. Alakazam the Great! A translation of a movie by Osamu Tezuka, my favorite manga artist/anime creator of all time! I had to have it! So I bought it! X3 I then wandered artist alley, met iggi again and picked up the sketchbook she made for me! I browsed the Art Show and decided to wait until the next day to bid on anything. I went back to the hotel room with the stuff I did grab and switched to fennec ears and tail.
At 6 I went to a performance by a special guest from Japan, Sarduyon. He did all sorts of acrobatic stunts...while in fursuit! It was insane! He started off slow by wiggling his way through a small hoop. Then he started hoops and balls. Then came the most impressive part. He set out a table, grabbed some folding chairs, and began stacking them on the table. He climbed on top of them, and balanced on top of them. Then added more and balanced on top of that. Then he grabbed a flat board, balanced up on one arm, and stretched himself out horizontally. It was insane! After that, got more food and unexpectedly ran into poprockgrey! We hung out for a bit before she headed back to her hotel with an upset tummy. I went back to the convention center to watch 2 the Ranting Griffin do a performance. All I will say about that is "pancakes." After that I watched a puppet show that was pretty good...until the audience started participating without being asked. Afterward it was getting pretty late so I ran back to the hotel room.
Saturday 6/16: I got up, put on my kitty ears and tail, and went to the convention center. I derped around for a bit and checked up on my squirrel tail, which poprockgrey was still having trouble with getting the curl to stay stuck without popping again. I went ahead and bid on some stuff in the art show, then ran back to the hotel room so I could dress up for the fursuit parade! I got to the hall where we were all supposed to meet up, and there I met David Sutak in his Statik partial and I also met an artist friend of mine,
rusheloc in his Badger Loser partial. We lined up for the big group photo, and began to march out in the parade around the convention center. After the parade I derped around in the Dealer's Den a bit and then went back to the hotel room to clean up since i had been in suit for a little while.
I went back to the Dealer's Den just wearing my squirrel ears, and lo and behold, Pop had finished fixing the squirrel tail! I tried it on, and it was awesome! It stood without any supports and the curl was lovely! I went to Artist's Alley and commissioned some badges for my characters that didn't have badges yet, then I went to Uncle Kage's story hour. I went and got some food, derped around a bit, and decided to take a look at the MLP: FiM panel. I never realized how fanatical some bronies can be. I left after they started just showing an episode of the show. I could do that at home if I just wanted to watch the show. It was getting sort of late, so I went back to the hotel room.
Sunday 6/17: Got up, put on my squirrel tail, and of course went to the convention center. I planned to meet up with rusheloc while there, and I finally bumped into him out of suit in the Artist's Alley. We chatted a bit and he drew up a sketch in my Sketchbook of my fursona turning into a badge! Then I went to Art Show to place my final bids before returning to the table we were sitting at and trying to draw up something for rusheloc in return. It didn't turn out very well. Doesn't help I had no real idea what to draw even while drawing it.>.< Anyway, I shopped around the Dealer's Den for a while, trying to find some souvenirs for my family and deciding what to spend my left over cash on. I grabbed a bunch of plush toys after deciding I needed at least one for each of my characters. I also picked up the art I had won in the art show. I'm sad I missed out on a couple of pieces, but clearly someone else wanted them more. X3 I took everything back to the hotel room and switched to the rat ears and tail since the squirrel tail gets heavy after wearing it for hours on end.
I returned, ran by Artist's Alley to try and pick up my badges, but none of the artists I had commissioned were there anymore (which made sense since it wouldn't be long before they started shutting everything down), so I'll have to wait to get those in the mail. I got some food and got me doggy bowl to eat it in! I then went to a furry research debriefing before going to closing ceremonies. At closing ceremonies some staggering numbers were announced. $20,000 was raised for this year's charity, "Hello Bully," a pit bull rescue operating locally in the Pittsburgh area. 1044 dressed up for the fursuit parade, and over 5000 were in attendance altogether for the con! And the con chair, Uncle Kage, ended our Midsummer's Night Dream and awoke us all as the con was officially closed. Me and doornob then went back to the hotel room and derped around for a bit, watching "Fantastic Mr. Fox" while trying to decide on where to have dinner. We got food and stayed up for a while before going to bed.
Monday 6/18: doornob and I got up early, and she left around 10 to catch her plane. I stayed and got a late breakfast at the Starbucks in the hotel, the stuck around a little bit longer since my plane wasn't leaving until 5:37. I managed to pick up one of the badges I didn't yesterday since the artist hadn't left her hotel yet, but I still need to wait on the other two to get mailed. I finally left a little after 11 since I figured I'd be doing the same stuff waiting at the airport that I'd be doing waiting in the hotel room, so I grabbed a cab and was on my way. I will say this...never again will I plan on waiting 5 or so hours at the airport for a flight if I can help it. That suuuuucked. Anyway, got on my flight back to the Houston airport, had a brief scare with my trunk holding my partial (it was set aside at a different baggage claim for stuff like golf clubs and oversized luggage for some reason), and got the parking lot where my truck was. I loaded up and headed out to home.
I had a fantastic time and would love to do it all over again, and I definitely wanna spend more time with many of you the next time around!
Rachael Twidom
Warning, this will be a long one. This is how I spent my time at Anthrocon (as far as I can remember it):
Thursday 6/14: It all began 3:30AM (Central time) as I woke up, showered, ate breakfast, and then double and triple-checked that everything was packed. I left home at 5:30 and drove to the George Bush airport in Houston. I arrived a couple hours early and waited for my 10:21 flight to Pittsburgh. I got on the plane, watched the take off, and then slept until we were nearly there. The plane landed as scheduled around 2:15PM (Eastern), I grabbed my stuff, and jumped in a cab to the hotel. The cabbie was very friendly and even pointed out some fantastic views on the way and some nice places to eat once we were nearly there. The scenery on the way was gorgeous and I fell in love.
I arrived at the Omni and ran up to the hotel room where I met my roomie for the weekend,
doornob! Apparently our other roomie bailed, and rather than split what they would have owed, she said she'd cover the entire hotel bill. I offered to pay my original share, but she kept insisting. So we went to the convention center so I could get my badge, and then went out to eat pizza since neither of us had had lunch yet and it was getting into late afternoon. We found a pizza place and ordered up a pizza, and got toppings for free since they had one that had been sitting there for over 45 minutes that was supposed to be picked up. We then headed back to the hotel and determined a game plan for the rest of the evening. We went to the Precon Social, had some cookies and milk and brownies, and met some people. I fell in with a group playing Munchkin, and we had some pretty epic moments during the game. X3 I went to an improv panel called "Whose Lion is it Anyway" for a while and watched the shenanigans unfold. After it got late I went back to the hotel so I could get up for Opening Ceremonies the next morning!Friday 6/15: Got up, went to Starbucks in the hotel lobby for breakfast, then went back to the hotel room to put on my Spooks kitty partial! We went to the Convention center, and as we were lining up for the opening ceremonies, a security member called out to me. What I did not know is Sponsors get their own special lines for events, so I went to the shorter sponsor line to get into the opening ceremonies! After opening ceremonies, I went down to the dealer's den, where I started to wander around looking for a
poprockgrey. She called out to me, and I said hi! I also nommed on the rat tail and ears she made for me (I was still wearing my kitty partial :P). I then wandered over to artist alley to say hi to an 
iggi! She handed me my badges and I then decided to go back to the hotel and get changed out of the partial since I didn't want to tire out too soon on the first day.I went back to the convention center after changing and putting on my rat tail and ears. I went to a place called Fernando's to eat, seeing as how it was getting so much publicity after a bunch of furries gather together and donated money to keep it running at least through Anthrocon. It was delicious, and I went back over and over to eat there throughout the weekend. X3 I went back to the Dealer's Den (now that I could see better) and browsed around. I also said hi to poprockgrey again since I wasn't a kitty anymore and we could really meet. She gave me the other ears she had made for me, and she was picking up the squirrel tail she made to hand to me...and the curl popped. >.< She told me she'd try to get it fixed by tomorrow morning and couldn't stop apologizing even though I said it was okay. I wandered around the dealer's den some more and found a DVD I didn't know existed. Alakazam the Great! A translation of a movie by Osamu Tezuka, my favorite manga artist/anime creator of all time! I had to have it! So I bought it! X3 I then wandered artist alley, met iggi again and picked up the sketchbook she made for me! I browsed the Art Show and decided to wait until the next day to bid on anything. I went back to the hotel room with the stuff I did grab and switched to fennec ears and tail.
At 6 I went to a performance by a special guest from Japan, Sarduyon. He did all sorts of acrobatic stunts...while in fursuit! It was insane! He started off slow by wiggling his way through a small hoop. Then he started hoops and balls. Then came the most impressive part. He set out a table, grabbed some folding chairs, and began stacking them on the table. He climbed on top of them, and balanced on top of them. Then added more and balanced on top of that. Then he grabbed a flat board, balanced up on one arm, and stretched himself out horizontally. It was insane! After that, got more food and unexpectedly ran into poprockgrey! We hung out for a bit before she headed back to her hotel with an upset tummy. I went back to the convention center to watch 2 the Ranting Griffin do a performance. All I will say about that is "pancakes." After that I watched a puppet show that was pretty good...until the audience started participating without being asked. Afterward it was getting pretty late so I ran back to the hotel room.
Saturday 6/16: I got up, put on my kitty ears and tail, and went to the convention center. I derped around for a bit and checked up on my squirrel tail, which poprockgrey was still having trouble with getting the curl to stay stuck without popping again. I went ahead and bid on some stuff in the art show, then ran back to the hotel room so I could dress up for the fursuit parade! I got to the hall where we were all supposed to meet up, and there I met David Sutak in his Statik partial and I also met an artist friend of mine,
rusheloc in his Badger Loser partial. We lined up for the big group photo, and began to march out in the parade around the convention center. After the parade I derped around in the Dealer's Den a bit and then went back to the hotel room to clean up since i had been in suit for a little while.I went back to the Dealer's Den just wearing my squirrel ears, and lo and behold, Pop had finished fixing the squirrel tail! I tried it on, and it was awesome! It stood without any supports and the curl was lovely! I went to Artist's Alley and commissioned some badges for my characters that didn't have badges yet, then I went to Uncle Kage's story hour. I went and got some food, derped around a bit, and decided to take a look at the MLP: FiM panel. I never realized how fanatical some bronies can be. I left after they started just showing an episode of the show. I could do that at home if I just wanted to watch the show. It was getting sort of late, so I went back to the hotel room.
Sunday 6/17: Got up, put on my squirrel tail, and of course went to the convention center. I planned to meet up with rusheloc while there, and I finally bumped into him out of suit in the Artist's Alley. We chatted a bit and he drew up a sketch in my Sketchbook of my fursona turning into a badge! Then I went to Art Show to place my final bids before returning to the table we were sitting at and trying to draw up something for rusheloc in return. It didn't turn out very well. Doesn't help I had no real idea what to draw even while drawing it.>.< Anyway, I shopped around the Dealer's Den for a while, trying to find some souvenirs for my family and deciding what to spend my left over cash on. I grabbed a bunch of plush toys after deciding I needed at least one for each of my characters. I also picked up the art I had won in the art show. I'm sad I missed out on a couple of pieces, but clearly someone else wanted them more. X3 I took everything back to the hotel room and switched to the rat ears and tail since the squirrel tail gets heavy after wearing it for hours on end.
I returned, ran by Artist's Alley to try and pick up my badges, but none of the artists I had commissioned were there anymore (which made sense since it wouldn't be long before they started shutting everything down), so I'll have to wait to get those in the mail. I got some food and got me doggy bowl to eat it in! I then went to a furry research debriefing before going to closing ceremonies. At closing ceremonies some staggering numbers were announced. $20,000 was raised for this year's charity, "Hello Bully," a pit bull rescue operating locally in the Pittsburgh area. 1044 dressed up for the fursuit parade, and over 5000 were in attendance altogether for the con! And the con chair, Uncle Kage, ended our Midsummer's Night Dream and awoke us all as the con was officially closed. Me and doornob then went back to the hotel room and derped around for a bit, watching "Fantastic Mr. Fox" while trying to decide on where to have dinner. We got food and stayed up for a while before going to bed.
Monday 6/18: doornob and I got up early, and she left around 10 to catch her plane. I stayed and got a late breakfast at the Starbucks in the hotel, the stuck around a little bit longer since my plane wasn't leaving until 5:37. I managed to pick up one of the badges I didn't yesterday since the artist hadn't left her hotel yet, but I still need to wait on the other two to get mailed. I finally left a little after 11 since I figured I'd be doing the same stuff waiting at the airport that I'd be doing waiting in the hotel room, so I grabbed a cab and was on my way. I will say this...never again will I plan on waiting 5 or so hours at the airport for a flight if I can help it. That suuuuucked. Anyway, got on my flight back to the Houston airport, had a brief scare with my trunk holding my partial (it was set aside at a different baggage claim for stuff like golf clubs and oversized luggage for some reason), and got the parking lot where my truck was. I loaded up and headed out to home.
I had a fantastic time and would love to do it all over again, and I definitely wanna spend more time with many of you the next time around!
Rachael Twidom
tbclycan
~tbclycan
I did not read the entire thing but it sounded really fun, I can't wait until the day I get this. I am currently still on the road with the family and it is fun, but easy to get on family nerves. Anyway, turns out the other fur in my county went and I wish I could have gone, met you, and ran into him and met a lot of awesome people.
