Once more I was Head of Security. This was my third year in that role, making me the longest continuously running Head of Security of Fiesta by a factor of three.

For Executive Staff, the convention usually starts far sooner than people realize. Lots of last minute things have to be handled.

Wednesday: My con officially began on this day. I started this by picking up all the shirts found in the Sponsor+ bags or sold at the con. I have a large pickup, so I was able to transport the huge number of shirts to the con. The shirts this year looked amazing. We started by getting access to certain rooms by lunch time. All the shirts had to be taken up to our staging area and we began stuffing all the bags. We started with the Super Sponsor bags because they were the most complicated. Each bag had to have a bunch of stuff in it, from the shirt to two different types of soap to a leather bookmark. It takes a lot of work to prepare all the thousands of bags for the convention. During this time, the Executive Staff had a meeting with key Hotel Staff to talk about final preparations and to gain some familiarity. We also had the final staff meeting to talk about our plans and try to minimize any last minute issues. I left the hotel around 11pm, with many bag still needing to be stuffed.

Thursday: This day I showed up in stealth mode. I was wearing a red, customized polo shirt to indicate I was Head of Security, along with cargo pants. Many attendees used to seeing me in more notable attire didn't recognize me immediately. I'm the only person at the con who can wear a bright red shirt in order to be less obvious. While others were finishing bag stuffing, I met several Security fluffs bright and early to start deploying the barricades for traffic in the auxiliary lot. These barriers had to be assembled and staged. This was my first attempt at parking control and while it worked alright, I learned a lot and think I can do better next time. Still, this meant that no one got parked in over the weekend, though there were complications.

After parking deployment, I took some personal time to run home and pack for the weekend and checked into my room. By mid afternoon we were handling the line for Registration. I spent much of the afternoon helping on various small things and frantically attempting to get the convention space prepared for the evening. I was able to see a lot of friends far, far too briefly this day. I had the first of many, many meals at the hotel restaurant that evening. By the end of the day, I had taken over 18000 steps and covered 14.5km.

Friday: Putting on my now iconic Sheriff's attire, I was on duty bright and early. I would spend much of the time handling small issues to ensure they did not become larger issues. I gave a safety briefing to the dealers in their Den. Soon it was time for Opening Ceremonies. Everyone seemed to have a good time at this event. I managed to pick up my fursuit made by the awesome   SkyproFursuits , but I would be too busy to wear it during this con.

I did attempt to try the food trucks, but they ran out of food before I could reach them. All of my meals therefor would be at the restaurant in the hotel. After this, I began patrolling in earnest. I tried to solve a number of issues in a calm, friendly matter.

As an aside, my philosophy when it comes to Security is simple. We are not police and have no actual formal power. Our power must therefor be based on Charisma. We want everyone to have a safe and fun time. This means not being authoritarian when people are causing trouble. They may not know better or may just need to be moderated. People respond well to being asked or gently encouraged to moderate their actions. The two Lieutenants I put on the task took quite a while to find and take care of them all.

As the midnight drew near, I finally left security matters in the capable paws of my security team and retired to my roost. I had walked another 14065 steps, traveling over 11km.

Saturday: Wearing a red dragon vest instead of the teal of the day before, I once more started the day with a patrol and a quick meal in the restaurant. The breakfast buffet is a little expensive at $15, but this includes tax and tip, so it's manageable. For this, one gets quite a good spread, from various muffins to cereal, smoked salmon to croissants, and the usual staples of eggs, thick bacon and sausage, and more. A drink is also included in the price. It's a good experience.

I then had to run off site as we had run out of peace bonding ribbon. This would shortly become quite important as more costumes were on display and more individuals brought their toys out. We did have one ninja cosplayer come for peace bonding that had FORTY TWO different toy weapons.

I found it useful to carry around multiple pocket schedules, as I would frequently be asked when or where events were. When lunch came around, it was time for me to attend the GoH lunch. This year it was held at Maggianos, so we bused all the Super Sponsors out to that fine Italian restaurant. It appeared to be a big hit. The first course was an artichoke dip dish and fried mozzarella, followed by three courses including Fettuccine Alfredo, Lasagna, and Balsamic Chicken. Finally, desert was comprised of Tiramisu and Apple Pie.

I returned to the hotel to find a brewing disaster. The parade route had been changed due to a scheduling error and the planned ending room being untenable due to how the chairs and tables were setup. We took a look at the schedule and the area and I made the call to change the route once more. I pissed off several people, but it seemed the only option at the time. This was done 15 minutes before the start of the parade, with me having to steal a number of staff to handle the route. So, if you had any problems with the route, that is my fault.

I did have a moment to visit the Charity Auction just in time to see our big ticket item go.   LunoVulpes had donated a partial fursuit to the auction. This orange Jackalope sold for an incredible $777. It looked amazing and Luno can be proud of himself.

By late evening I had walked another 15037 steps, covering 11.9km.

Sunday: Wearing my silver vest, I was once more ready to go early. I walked into an incident in progress and helped deal with this security issue immediately, before getting breakfast a bit late. It proved to be a busy day.

For many this was their last day of Fiesta. It had started to rain this morning and weather predictions were becoming dire. My Lieutenant   Usb and I moved the traffic barricades to the pickup spot in the auxiliary lot. This was a lot of work and we were soaked by the end of it, but the temperature was dropping this day, so it was the best time we had.

I continued patrol as my security staff began departing to beat the weather. An ice storm had been forecast for slightly after midnight. Closing ceremonies was much quieter due to the rapid departure of many of our guests, but this hurt our Charity as fewer people were there to donate. I then attended the Scritch and Bitch after closing ceremonies. I was heartened by the fact that the only comment regarding security was a compliment. During the middle of this, I had to briefly depart to oversee another incident, finding it being expertly handled by my staff.

By the end of the evening I was in pain, having walked another 16300 steps and covering 13km. I was sad I only got to see my friends in passing. I didn't even had time to wear my fursuit. I need to trust my staff a bit more and take more time for me, but there always seems to be an emergency brewing I must deal with.

Monday, the hotel was eerily quiet. I dressed once more incognito. I helped ensure most of our rooms were already cleared out. It was clear that taxis and shuttles were not running. Having a truck and ice driving experience, I took   hali and the red panda drummer whose name I forget to the airport. On the way back I dropped my own stuff off at my apartment. I then returned to the hotel and helped clean up the main ballroom.

Finally, I had time to sit and hang out with the few friends still remaining at the hotel. I got to sit and chat with   chipfox   DaDingo   laches and   tape . I also had a wonderful time hanging out with Alexander James Adams, the musician. He's an interesting individual whom I got to talk about all sorts of stuff with. When it became clear that the super shuttle for Chip/AJ/Growl/Laches wasn't going to appear, I also drove that group to the airport. Yay huge truck capable of hauling five people plus luggage.

Returning to the hotel, I hung out a bit before a third group,   Rikoshi and   yippee were stranded and needed a ride. We were joking because last year, Yippee also needed a ride to the airport which I provided. Still, they were able to get to their flight safely. Returning from this, I met a group of people at the Flying Saucer to wind down the final bit of the weekend.

I hope everyone had a good con, even with the weather, and I'm sorry I didn't have time to hang out with many of you for more than in passing.