Stemming off of my previous journal...

There was going to be a small group of friends and myself getting together once I get home to Chicago and we were going to hang out. This is now becoming a full blown party, and it's pretty much an open invitation to whom ever would like to come. It will be August 2nd in my hometown of Carol Stream Illinois, which is a 45 minute drive from Chicago. Those who are interested in coming, please state so in the comments box below, and I will DM you the information.

Secondly, the road trip from Chicago to San Diego has shifted dates. I am leaving Chicago early in the morning on August 7th. It's not going to be a crazy, demanding drive every day, it's just that I won't be able to spend as much time in each place as I would've liked to, and I'm also now skipping the visit to Phoenix in lieu of visiting my family in Las Vegas. My Grandfather who was an architect in Las Vegas always told me that when I got old enough, he'd take me to the casinos on his wallet. SOOOOOO that being said, I'm spending time in Vegas with family.

Lastly, the party in San Diego is still in development at the moment. When I figure out what is going on, I will let you all know!

~Ace

Well guys, it's Ace here! I'm still alive and well! I have just over a month before I am back home stateside from deployment! I'm so excited to be back home again to hang out with everyone and eat real food!

I will only be home in Chicago for a short while, so if you're in the area, hit me up and we'll see if we cant get together! The reason why I'm in Chicago for a short while is because I am packing all of my worldly possessions into a car, and then driving said car from Chicago to San Diego, making a few stops along the way. The stops (as of right now) are St. Louis, Topeka, Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix, and lastly San Diego. If anyone lives in, near or not too far out of the way from these cities, I'd gladly stop by and grab a quick bite to eat and to stretch my legs. Hell, if we can call together a quick little meet up, I would love to throw a little party and relax!

There's one slight problem with this though... So far, all three of my potential co-drivers / driving buddies have had to cancel their plans to join me on this trip. If you're interested in joining me, please let me know. I can "help" with airfair if need be. Please let me know if you're interested in joining me. I'd be covering gas and logging expenses, as well as my own food expenses. You would really only need to pay for your own food and anything else along the way you wish to spend your money on.

Lastly, once I get to San Diego, my birthday is on August 27th. That weekend, I was thinking of maybe throwing a little party / bbq / cookout. If I can get enough people interested in this idea, I'll go ahead with making plans and going from there, but for now, the only official plans are, IT WILL BE AUGUST 30TH. I will ask the  sandiegofurries and  socalfurs to spread the word around as well.

Anyways, that's about it! See you all soon!
~Ace

Hey guys, Ace here!

I'm still currently floating around in the middle of the water on my little boat. I'm alive and I wish I could say I'm well, but thanks to the terrible food, not only have I lost 5 pounds (due to a lack of appetite to say the least) but I've also managed to get sick!

Anyways, that's besides the point. Let me jump straight to the heart of what it is I'm posting this journal about!

As you all know (or should know) I am transferring to Coronado (San Diego) California and I'm probably going to spend the rest of my life there. However, once I return from deployment, I am heading home to Chicago for a weekend, and that following Monday, packing up the car and hitting the road to do something I've always wanted to do, which is a cross country road trip! Except it's more like, half a country, but to be fair, I've driven from Norfolk Virginia to Chicago and back, twice! Consider this an add-on to the previous road trip if you will. I am giving myself 2 weeks to drive from Chicago to San Diego, leaving me plenty of time to cruise at my own pace and stop to visit friends.

That's why I'm posting this here on FA (Don't have access to Twitter or Facebook while out to sea (Usually don't have access to FA either but I'm taking it while I can get it))

Does anyone live in these areas that wouldn't mind me crashing by for a day or two? I'm not trying to get a hotel if I don't need to and if necessary, I don't mind sleeping on the floor or a couch. So long as I have a place to spend the night and enjoy the company of my friends.

So without further ramblings yet again, here's where I plan on stopping.

Chicago
St. Louis
Kansas City / Topeka
Denver
Las Vegas
Phoenix
San Diego

I'm open to making a stop in some other places that I didn't list, so long as they're on the way / not too far out of the way of my next destination. If possible too, I'd like to hang out with more than one person, like a group movie night or a BBQ or something. I know people are in school or at work and I'm not expecting you to take time off from that. I'm interested in seeing those cities and being a tourist. I mean, how often do you get a chance to drive across the country at your leisure?

No details are set in stone obviously, so anything is up in the air at the moment. Hell I honestly don't know if I'll have a car to drive when I get back. Sold the Lexus and the 240 is being... Well, a 240...

ALSO! Before I go, there's a good chance that is joining me on this epic journey cross country and if not, my sister volunteered herself to drive me crazy while I'm driving. So if I am able to visit, keep in mind that there would be an extra person other than myself.

See you all soon and let me know what you're thoughts are. Comment on this and I'll see it when I get on FA next (be it randomly or in port)

Also! You fuckers are lazy! EMAIL MEEEEEE!!!! I'm losing my mind already (seriously, walking around the hallways and making car noises, pretending to clutch kick and drift)

stiemamj[at]cvn77.navy.mil

Well it's been a long time coming but it's finally time for me to go on deployment once again. I'll be gone, separated from phone, internet, friends and family for a while. If anyone of you would like to stay in contact with me while I'm on deployment, feel free to email me, but make sure to keep it relatively PG rated.

If you guys want to send me things while I'm on deployment, I'd GREATLY appreciate it, just keep in mind that it would take a few weeks for it to get to the ship, so make sure it isn't perishable like fresh, home made cookies or something like that.

In fact, I'm kind of on a health food crazy lately so if you know some healthy-ish snacks like Cliff Bars, I love those. Beef Jerky and those canned Vienna Sausages are always good too!

I'll be sure to keep in touch with everyone as much as possible and pop online when I'm in port! Otherwise, I'll see you all in a few months when I go to San Diego!

stiemamj[at]cvn77.navy.mil

YN3 Stiemann, Matthew
Engineering Department, Engineering Admin
CVN 77 USS George H. W. Bush
FPO AE 09513-2803

All I need to say is wow....

Sorry it took so long to get put out, but I'm still living in the afterglow of how awesome it really was.

I'm not gonna talk everyone's ears off about how awesome it was, nor go into specific details, but this con has done what I thought it could do. It became the best con I've been to, which WAS AC 2013 and before that, FC 2012.

I met soooo many new people, and hung out with so many old friends of mine. It was a pleasure to see each and every one of you! All the hugs, smiles and laughs would be memories I would cherish forever, if only I could remember them! Due to my friends as well as my own self, I think this was probably the MOST drunk I've ever been at a con, but hey, if there's any time when the term "YOLO" is acceptable, it's at FC.

I want to throw out a special thanks to my buddy  musicpaws for not only wearing my suit in the dance comp, but for also taking runner up at said dance comp!

Thanks again to all of you! These memories will hold me over while on deployment and then I anxiously look forward to seeing you all again somewhere in the future!

~Ace

Time for FC to take it's rightful place as my favorite con once again!

- Staying at:
San Jose Marriott

- Arrival and Departure?
Arrive: Wednesday at 3:30pm
Depart: Monday around 7pm

- Mode of transportation
Airplane (stealing an F18 from the Navy)

- Rooming with
 teguso  yawnilutrova and  DJWolf

- Who Will I likely see you with?
I well my usual crew for shenanigans is not going (losers!) so I guess I'll have to make new friends!

- Con Plans:
Wake up, shower, get dressed, get food, socialize, get lunch, socialize, suit, drink, suit, drink, suit, drink, drink, drink, drink, suit, dance, drink, suit, dance, suit, pass out. Rinse and repeat!

- How can I find you?
If you have my number, text or call. Twitter and Facebook work just as well. Otherwise I'll be the guy who's dressed nicely, smelling good, walking around aimlessly and chatting with everyone I can. Otherwise I'm in a bright ass orange fox suit. I'm also pretty damn tall o.o

Do you do free art?
Sure, if you wanna put me in it I'll gladly take it for free!

Do you have prints/Cds?
ummm.... Queen "Greatest Hits"

Will you be fursuiting? if so: What suit(s)?
No, I'm flying to the complete opposite end of the country where all my friends are gonna be at a convention, meanwhile I'm gonna be looking at the birds.

Will you be going to parties?
Invite me, I shall come

Will you be performing?
I sing randomly, so have a request and if I know it, I'll sing for ya

Smoke?
Been 2 weeks without a cigarette, so no. I have a vape, so yes for that. Hookah? Maybe...

Drink?
Oh yes, I'll take one!

Gender:
Does it matter? I'll be sitting in your lap all the same, though I do suppose if you'd like something to hold on to, you can do that too!

Can I hug you?
Only if you've showered that day

Can I talk to you?
As long as you're not a creeper, trying to talk to me while someone else is talking or I'm not doing something, sure!

Will you be at any panels?
A what now?

Can I touch you?
Well if you're dressed in a bright orange walking and talking fox, I'm pretty sure people are gonna touch me regardless, so sure. If you're daring enough, a quick grope it also welcomed, though if you get me worked up, be prepared for an extended hug cause I'll not going around with that thing showing.

Can I buy you drinks?
Who buys drinks at cons? Gimme a drink, sure!

How old are you?
Old enough to party.... (21)

Can I snuggle with you?
Refer to questions above.

If you're pissed off, should I approach you?
Depends on how I look. If I look mad, then no. If I look sad, then yes.

Are you nice?
The biggest asshole on the planet. Oh, we're not talking about my butt? (seriously, I'm not that stretchy) Yeah, I've been told I'm one of the nicest guys around. You can be the judge though.

Cliquey?
This damn remote!!! *clicks it*

How tall?
6'2

Can I Take pictures of you?
In suit, sure. Out of suit, sure! Want my autograph too?

Will you get anything commissioned?
Dunno if I want a stranger to be penetrating me in an artists rendition, but hell, we'll see where it goes!

How can I get your attention?
Ace, Ace Fox, Fox, Navy guy, squid, YN3, Petty Officer, Matt, Matthew.

Can I ask you to dance at the raves?
Hahahahaha... apparently none of you follow me on twitter. And not my normal twitter >.>

Well after this big hooplah about my orders and being fucked over by the Navy, it ended up being a bittersweet victory for me. Basically, I won Alameda. It was mine, and I could literally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then they took it from me (no sound proof, but I have my own theories) so my detailer felt bad about making me give up any hope of living in NorCal. So what he did instead was tell me all the open jobs for shore duty in California which was a whole whopping 3 jobs. One was working with the 30th Construction Regiment (Seabeas) based out of Port Hueneme California. Very tempting job to take because of the warfare qualifications I could get with working with the CB's, as well as it's like an hour drive from L.A. The other two choices were based out of Coronado and if you can figure out the meaning of my journal title, then you can figure out the rest. One job was working with the SEALS and SOCOM which would be MASSIVELY cool in it's own right, however I didn't feel like applying for a Top Secret clearance. So instead I took the fall back job which is working for Base Command Coronado.

So! Instead of you Bay Area furries welcoming me to your fuzzy and warm family, hows about all you SoCal furries welcome me to San Diego?! :D

Yeah it's all cool and what not, but still, this is bittersweet like I said. Rest assured though, I'm UBER excited to get my feet into the state that I've been calling my home away from home since I was 10 years old. I'm excited to finally call it my real home. I'm talking about the greatest state in the USA, California.

Also, see you guys at FC and again, welcome me home!

~Ace

The title basically states a phone call I just had with the guy who picks my orders. Alameda / San Fransisco. I'm sorry, but you're a no go....

Sorry to all my friends that I'd already made plans with and to those who were excited to see me....

You'll still see me at FC next week. God I could sure use a hard ass drink right now.

~Ace

Well, what a way to start 2014. Spent time with some good friends for New Years. Hopefully all of yours were memorable and enjoyable!

So, as you all know, Further Confusion is right around the corner (I'm literally counting the minutes until it happens and jumping around as every day grows nearer) But here's some awesome news.

I've been putting in for orders due to my rotation date on the ship being in July and this round I put in for Alameda, Point Mugu, Coronado, San Diego and North Island California. Then the Navy makes you sit around and wait for a month until the results come out. The results came out today and....

*drum roll*


My happy, bright orange ass is gonna be kicking it in the San Fransisco Bay Area for the next 4 years! That's right, I got selected for orders to Alameda California! I'll still be a Yeoman 3rd Class, and still be doing the same job, except I'll be on shore duty at Coast Guard Island in Alameda.

I just found these orders out tonight, and I have no idea what the next step is, but once Monday comes around, I'm gonna do everything I can to make this process be 100%.

If I'm right about how this is all going to happen, I'll be going on deployment again with CVN 77 USS George H. W. Bush in February, then once July comes along, I'll be flown off and back to the US, where I should be attending Yeoman "A" school which is basically a school that teaches me how to do my job (even though I've been doing it for 6 months now). And for that, I should be sitting in Meridian Mississippi for a month or two. Once I graduate class, I should then proceed to my final duty station which is in Alameda California. Along the way, I should be given a few weeks of leave for house hunting and what not.

So to all you fuzzy butts, I'll see you at FC! Welcome me with open arms to my new (dream) home and make this transition as smooth as possible for me.


See ya all very soon!

~Ace

"If you're going to San Fransisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair!"

Well, the time slowly approaches until I have to say my goodbyes to you all once again. I'm leaving for deployment on February 15th. My question to you all is, if I were to throw a party and invite anyone and everyone to come and hang out for a weekend, who would actually show up? It'd be in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, most likely in Virginia Beach. Dunno if I'd just get a friend to let me host the party at their house, or if I'd try to reserve some space at a hotel or something.

Again, how many of you would come down and hang out with me one last time before deployment? Is this something I should do?

Lemme know!

~Ace

p.s. I'm still floating around in the middle of this fucking ocean! >:(

p.s.s I'm going to be home in CHICAGOLAND durring the Christmas break. If anyone wants to meet up and hang out, I'd love to catch up with some of my old friends again!

If you guys remembered from one of my past journals, I was trying to get orders to California to transfer. Next month I get to pick my orders cause I'll be in the 9 month window of transferring. So I'm looking at 2 places as a possibility. San Diego and Seal Beach. I'm going to try my hardest to do what ever I can to get to Seal Beach. Why? It's in the Northwestern part of Orange County, which is pretty close to L.A. I've always wanted to live in So-Cal, specifically near L.A. My mother grew up in Orange County, in the city of Orange, and she keeps telling me how awesome it was. I've been to California a handful of times and honestly, each time I go there, I've fallen in love with that state over and over again (Can't wait to go to FC in January!!!)

Anyways, enough rambling. I'm trying to go to California. I get to pick my orders soon which will be exciting. In the meantime I've kept myself occupied with doing some research. Downtime at work has been spent on Wikipedia, and time at home has been looking at what California has to offer to me (which is quite a lot!) from the beach, to the site seeing, to L.A. the roads (Specifically the 1, Pacific Coast Highway) the canyons in Malibu which will give my 240 a good workout. I've also been doing a lot of number crunching and because of this, I've been looking at some houses and apartments, just to see what I could possibly afford. After all, I'm in the Navy, I will be getting paid extra money by the Navy once I turn E5 to actually go and get my own place. So with that huge bump in my paycheck (around $2000 a month extra, give or take) I can effectively get a nice apartment and pay for it by myself, OR I could finance a mortgage and with a room mate or two, easily pay the monthly payments on it. Through the countless hours of research and thinking, I've been noticing a trend which points to one thing. Huntington Beach. It looks like a nice clean, upscale area with a lot to offer. Nice houses / apartments that's within my price range. So my question to you guys is. What's Huntington Beach like? Is it what I'm thinking of, or is it the complete opposite?

At any rate, I'm SUPER excited to be moving out to California. It's the place I love, the lifestyle I've adopted and tried to emulate in myself (as much as I can) and the place I see myself living for the rest of my life.

I'll be seeing all you west coast furries shortly! <3333

~Ace

Why is it when I have so much to give to someone, so much to offer and craving the chance to share the joys of life with, I can't seem to find someone? I'm not asking you to jump through hurdles and dodge bullets, just asking for someone to give me a chance to prove myself.

Not saying I'll take just anyone obviously. I mean, there are such things as standards now days and you should hold yourself to a standard. I work out. I eat healthy (most of the time) and I'm trying to quit smoking. I buy nice clothes and keep up my appearance not only for the benefit of being someone's eye candy, but because that's how I wanna look and how I feel. I like being able to take my shirt off and not have to worry. I look at myself in the mirror and like what I see. (No, I'm not egotistical, I just have pride in myself because I've earned it)

I'm a passionate, hopeless romantic lover who wants nothing more than to please who I'm with. I want to cook you dinner and share a cup of wine, and cuddle up on the couch to watch a movie. I want to hold your hand as we walk along the beach and retire to bed to hold each other in our sleep.

I've got money, cars, friends, a fursuit, a stable job that I plan on making a 20 year long career with AMAZING benefits not only for myself, but for someone who over time, I'd like to share with. I couldn't even tell you the half of it, but you would be assured that you could live your life and do what you'd want to be happy. You'd have food in the fridge, gas in your car, money to pay your bills, a roof over your head and a loving partner to share a bed with.

But why is it nobody wants this from me? I'm not saying this as a way of bribery, but just showing what I can bring to you in a relationship.




Sorry, completely random, hopeless rant.

Please don't reply with the generic "Oh you'll find someone" "You're too young to worry about love" "I wish I could, but *insert stupid reason here*" or any other of that crap. I want a discussion, your own tales of love and heartache.

Well I now know what it's like and I can honestly say it sucks. Remember that speeding ticket I got last year? Well yeah, that finally got solved and the judge gave me 2 days jail, which in turn the jail said "Oh you're military? Yeah we're cutting that in half" So I spent a day in jail yesterday.

I'd much rather not talk about the details in the open, but for those who've been there, you know what it's like and for those who haven't, feel free to PM me or if you have other means of contacting me, I'll gladly talk with you that way.

So....

Ace Fox - Fursuiter, racer, mechanic, Sailor in the US Navy, chef, friend, brother, son, some awesome guy everyone seems to know at cons and Jailbird.

Literally just got home and it's 0330. G'night guys.

~Ace

Hey all! So I'm still out in the middle of the ocean somewhere. I did a little bit of research and found out something. Within 11 months, I should be transferring off this ship and going to a shore command for 4 years. Ok cool, sweet and all that fun stuff. I took a look at what places and spots are open and well I have my heart set on one place. After reading up to this point and seeing the title of this journal, I'm sure you could put 2 and 2 together. California. CALIFORNIA! Quite honestly, that's where I've ALWAYS wanted to go and live at and now that I have a chance, I think I'm going to take it.

Most people in the Navy or most people who know about the Navy know that there is a base in San Diego. However, that's not the one I'm trying to go to. Sure I'll accept it and be happy with it, but I'm thinking something more along the lines of.... L.A. But wait, L.A. isn't on the water? Correct! Which is why I direct your attention (go look at a map) to the East and slightly South of L.A. by about 25 miles. Where does that point you? Long Beach. But wait, there's no Navy base in Long Beach Ace. Correct again! Now that I have you looking closer at the map, direct your attention slightly more South and you'll see a little place called "Seal Beach"

That my friends, is where I'm going to try to call home for the next 4 years. NOTHING IS 100% CERTAIN TILL IT HAPPENS!!! However, I'd like to think that I have a very VERY good chance at making it there.

So now to you. My watchers, my fans and my friends. Who lives in Cali, who lives in the L.A. area and more importantly WHO WANTS TO HANG OUT?!

Love you all, I'll be home soon!

Until next time, fair winds and smooth sailing.

~Ace

I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone. All my dreams, pass before my eyes a curiosity. Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind.

Well shit, where to start with this one? This isn't some bandwagon journal being posted just because I feel sorry and what not. This is a journal about someone I knew personally, who was very close to me and a huge impact in my life. I'm sure most of you at this point have hear the unfortunate news of Tim McCormick (aka Lemonade Coyote)'s passing away early Saturday morning. Like most of us, I dont think I've fully come to terms with it just yet. We've had family pass away and nothing can replace them, but someone your age? A friend of yours that you've grown close to and considered family? A friend who's made you laugh and cry. A friend who's seen you grow up and move forward with life. I've known him since I was 15, a sophomore in high school. Any time I felt down and like I had nowhere to go or anyone to talk to, he was there for me. He'd helped me survive high school. Helped me become more happy with life. Helped me realize who I was. There was nights that I'd stay up on the phone with him, talking with him and figuring out anything and everything. At cons I'd always make it a mission to find him and give him the biggest of hugs and spend time with him. He was always so happy and had this goofy smile on his face that could make other people smile with him. And that's how I'm gonna remember him. My friend, hugging me, telling me all would be ok with that big smile on his face.

Thank you Tim, for everything.


Dont hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.... All we are is dust in the wind.

As we all know, children are highly impressionable. They're clay, being molded by the world into many different things, depending on what the influence is and how hard the impression is. You can take a knife and lightly press into the clay and make small, fine details which wont really change the overall result, but will shape it and give little quirks unique to the product. Or, you can take it in your hand and squeeze the living guts out of it until it runs through your fingers and makes a mess for you to clean up later and try again. But the thing is, the clay loses its moisture, becoming harder to work with and eventually starting to dry out, thus not allowing you to make it perfect.

What are some of the fine cuts that people and society have made into the clay of your life? Who's squeezed it just a bit too hard and almost fucked it up? I think it's weird, I've never really been this cryptic while talking but I feel the clay is a good metaphor.

Ever noticed that a lot of your fondest memories stem from when you were a child? Have you ever acted upon them? How was the out come? Did it happen just how you'd imagined it from when you were a kid or did it completely turn around and bite you in the ass? What did you want to be when you were a kid? What are you now? Are you working a dead end job at McDonald's while you attend college, still pursuing that goal? Are you living your dream? Or have you just decided to give up on it due to fear of failure, regret or just grew out of it?

When I was a kid, I dont even remember how old I was but I remembered falling in love with Starwars. Even before I could read the classic opening title sequence and having my father reading it out loud to me. I always dreamed of going to space, fighting evil for the greater good and getting the hot chick at the end of the day. Now days, I'm kinda doing the same thing with minor differences. I'm sailing the seas in the US Navy, doing my job cause some asshole got butt hurt and fucked something up somewhere, so it's my job to support the ship, support the cause and support the Navy, for (at least as the government is concerned) the greater good. I also remember loving cars. How did I get into that? Hell if I know, but the influence has been profound. I think it all started with my dad. He's a jack of all trades and he's a heavy machinery mechanic by trade. He was always out in the garage, smoking a cigarette and drinking beer (Honestly, kinda like Bunta from Initial D) and me being a kid, seeing my father do this and that, I wanted to help and be a part of it, so little by little my dad let me help him work on the car, or fix a lawn mower or something, eventually leading to me doing my first oil change when I was about 7 or so, and my first brake job when I was 8. Not only that, but my dad every now and then (when I was little I would accompany him to work EARLY in the morning on the weekends) he'd let me sit in his lap and "drive" the car. In reality, he was still holding the steering wheel and had his foot over the pedals, but still, I got to drive my dad's truck. Stemming off of that, my dad was big into Nascar in the early 90's (lost all interest after Dale Earnhardt died at Daytona) which I got into cause it was something me and my dad both enjoyed. He loved seeing all the skills between the different drivers and hearing the roaring V8's as they raced on the track, meanwhile I was gawking at all the cars with different colors just driving fast. One day me and my dad were watching TV in the afternoon and we found a movie starting at just the begining. My dad new what the movie was before it even got interesting, mean while I was in a world of my own. Then after about a minute in, something caught my attention. The music, and as it picked up, so did the movie. Suddenly I'm at Daytona Motor Speedway with a bunch of Nascars while a guitar is wailing. This movie, Days Of Thunder (I actually got goosebumps while finding this clip of the movie) from that moment on, I was completely hooked. I wanted everything to do with cars. Working on them, being behind the wheel and even just talking about them. Growing older, I got into more serious questions with my father about cars and eventually he told me about what he had in high school. A 1970 Plymouth Cuda with a 440 "six pack" that he and his friend's painted red while in shop class. He told me so many stories of that old "clunker" and how fast it was. How many races he'd been in and all the memories he had in it. He only had one photo of the car and he showed it to me. His eyes would always water as he talked about it, and he even lost it a few times when he said how he lost it. (We'd lost the photo when our garage roof collapsed during a storm) On his way home from work one day in the 80's, we was making a left at a stop sign when he was t-boned in the front driver side fender and door, warping the frame and totaling the car. He'd get quiet after he told me that and it was the end of the conversation.

Skipping forward to much more recent times. In 2009 durring the late summer I was playing base ball, starting center field for my high school team. I was on second base in the middle of the game when coach told me to steal 3rd base. Pitcher started his windup and I was off. I was practically at the bag when my coach told me to slide. I didn't think twice about it, I just acted. Being so close to the bag, I didn't get a full proper slide which resulted in more like me falling flat on my ass with my leg out. I fell back on to my right arm (throwing arm) over extended the elbow causing it to dislocate, along with the impact of how hard I fell on it, breaking it in two places and chipping the bone, all in the same second. I look up at the coach and say to him "coach, call time out, I think I broke my arm" Sure enough, he saw it, looked away and called time out. I wasn't in pain, more or less just a huge adrenaline rush and the shock of the whole thing, but I couldn't move my arm. Everything after that was a blur until the next day when I wake up with a cast on my arm and me realizing my baseball days where over. In turn, being still active physically I was looking for something to do with the school and they needed a mascot for the upcoming football and basketball season. I auditioned and sure enough I landed the job. While browsing youtube one night (rather than doing my homework) I found a video and thus found the fandom. I found a local fur online and went to furmeets from then on, thus becoming a furry. (more details on that later) Then I'd finally turned 16 and G=gotten my drivers license and man oh man was that the greatest thing that happened to me at that point. Next thing to do was get a car. I'd saved up money from my birthday and Christmas and bought a Civic for $500 and well, the piece of shit crapped out on me. So in turn, my Uncle Bob (more on Uncle Bob (he's a HUGE HUUUUUGEEE influence in my life) if you guys ask) gave me $2800 to buy a car, register it and insure it with the stipulation that I find something I would enjoy and be proud of owning, take care of it with the help of my father and never let it go till it died. Immediatly I'd wanted a Camaro or a Mustang just like any other 16 year old kid, but they were all too expensive, so while I was thinking it over, I played some Gran Turismo. I'd fallen in love with the Nissan Skyline and done some research on the car and learned that they were never made for the US market and thus making them extremely hard to own, but I wanted an R33. One of the races I was in I had to use a car named the Silvia, and I was astonished by how awesome the car was and how cool it looked. That night was spent on wikipedia, google and craigslist and I had eventually found the car. A 1996 Nissan 240sx. I bought the car and man was I in love. That car ment the world to me and my dad was happy as well as my Uncle Bob. I had so many things I planned on doing to the car and I loved it more than anything I could've even fathomed.

Moving on, to 2010, I'd graduated high school. I'd finally opened up to the world and everything inside it. I was a furry and that right there helped me adjust to society (ironic right?) but I didn't care what people thought of me anymore unless I valued their friendship. I was confident in who I was as a person. I was finally starting to grasp a hold on things. August 7th, I was over at my Uncle Bob's house playing a game of pool with him. The man, even at age 78 was still full of energy. We ended it by me giving him a hug goodnight and a firm high five (something he did with all of his neices and nephews since we were little) August 8th was my sister's 16th birthday, My mom woke me up that morning in tears. "Matthew, Uncle Bob just passed away" I was devistated, in disbelief that my Uncle Bob, the man who'd fought in WWII, the man who'd basically been my grandfather (grandfather on my dad's side passed away when I was young) the man who's footsteps could shake the earth, voice spoke louder than words and the man who'd my whole family and the whole community knew and loved had died. I was just over at his house the night before and he was perfectly fine and healthy. We'd learned later that his heart had burst. Nobody saw it coming. Nobody could've done anything about it, but none the less, he was gone.

Later that year I joined the Navy, went to boot camp in March of 2011 and got sent on deployment in July. Now almost 2 years later, here I am, typing this journal away out of sheer boredom. The clay that is my life is almost completely dry. Only things left that can be done are small surface details but the sculpture that is me has taken form. A lot of small details have been added over the years changing the final result, but the original molding was from my father and my Uncle Bob. They formed me into who I am today, while the fandom took that hard, but still modifiable clay and changed it, in my opinion, a good way. My dad taught me the greatest love I know, the love for your car. He taught me how to put passion in everything I do. My Uncle Bob taught me to have actions that speak louder than words, and left me a pair of shoes, too big to follow in his ginormous footsteps. Some day I hope to be able to walk down that path next to his foot prints and leave my own. I still wish to be a race car driver like when I was a kid, watching TV with my dad.

My dreams, having changed over the years, still are repressed in my memory. My influences being many have shaped me and my course for the present and the forever unknown future. My idols, being many different people from many different back grounds and walks of life each added to that. But at the end, it's not some sports all star. It's not a musician or an actor or anything of the sort. It's just two blue collar average Joes who happen to be family. Thank you dad, and thank you Uncle Bob, where ever you are, thank you.

I started out by asking a few questions and to end this, I have a few questions of my own for you. What influenced and shaped you. Who do you idolize? What are some fond memories of yours and what are your dreams?






I apologize for making you read all of this, but I just felt inspired to start typing and so I did. I hope you enjoyed reading this. I know some parts are more detailed than others so if you have any questions or want to talk more about a subject, please ask and as always, leave some comments.

~Ace