Near midnight, back from AC which was beyond anything I'd expected. I've been to bigger events, but none with such an overriding churn of community... furs gathered on the balconies, strolling down city streets, hanging out in front of the Westin and filling all the nearby restaurants. I was hugged and appreciated and told I was awesome more than ever in my life, yet this was nothing unusual or even remarkable. It's just the way we roll.

It was strange to leave behind streets I'd walked, landmarks I'd come to know, now filled with Monday morning business suits armed with coffee and briefcases and the right kind of tie. They cluster at the crosswalks just like we did, but carefully, formally ignoring each other and keeping polite and blank faces. At the airport I'd note the odd person among the crowds, the one dressed just a little too casual, a little too geeky, and wonder if he had been "one of us" a few hours previously.

But Pittsburgh still has a few small reminders of our presence, written on dusty windows of the streets we so recently made our own. Smiling cat faces, "AC '09" and "Furries Rule!" marked unnoticed where the working crowds must pass them, at least until the next rain washes them away.