So, recent developments at work are both good and terribly sucky.

I've had a worker since mid-March who has been my right-hand man. He's smart (has one more BA than I do) experienced (6 years production-environment experience at a big automotive company, plus some managerial experience) and easy to get along with, as he has some geekish tendencies. We all knew I would need an assistant to help run the recycling operation, and I have pushed him towards my bosses as the best and plainly logical person to promote into that role.

My boss instead hired someone completely new off the street, whose qualifications were almost identical to my worker's. The new guy is...spoiled (he already wants a data entry clerk to take care of all the record-keeping I've been doing all this time) fairly dumb (implemented a carpentry project that made it hard/impossible to move heavier machines off our conveyer onto our work tables) an asshole to underlings (he's one of those guys who thinks you have to be an absolute jerk to assert your authority and get results) and possibly a creeper (he has hugged female visitors to the warehouse who he does not know).

This new guy is, instead of assisting me, replacing me in all my dismantling/inventory management/warehouse operations duties, and I am now king of the computer refurbishing lab, which we've almost gotten entirely set up now. While I'm very glad I'm now doing the kind of work I enjoy again, my workers all view my move as abandonment, and they (rightfully) hate the new guy. I feel terrible about my right-hand-man worker, who even asked my boss if he was ever considered for the position the new guy got. The answer was a flat "No." So, just more confirmation how important my recommendations are to the big-wigs.

Is every job like this? Does management always lie to those below them, ignore hard work, reward incompetence and punish forward thinking?

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig. Note to self, try to get an extra day off next time so that the worst of PCD doesn't coincide with the return to work.

I bought some nifty stuff, I met some nifty people, hung out with the nifty people I already know, and climbed many stairs.

I'll have some scans to post in a few days.

The pimp hat was, as always, an excellent beacon and all-around a big hit with furries and innocent bystanders alike.

Lly is, as we speak, stranded in Newark without hir passport. >,< Poor gryphon is sick too. I hope they manage to straighten things out swiftly...

Met Stalbon, Tristan Hawthorne, Honorable Thief, Onta (spelling?) Tersi, Miranda, Jonah, Sigil, Shyboar, and some others who have slipped my mind, at least name-wise. Please speak up if you met me, and after the encounter, still want to converse. ;K)

Kaelis, Jizzal, Astor, Severus, Pathia, Beerhorse, Gideon, wish you guys lived locally so we could hang more often! Excellent to see you again, though.

EC Major and Doral, missed you both, >,< Arrrrgh.

I'm staying in room 709 at the Westin, and I'm wearing a neon-green pimp hat with a peacock feather stuck in it, to help folks find me.

If you're at the con, I hope you're having fun! Definitely say hi if you glimpse me, :K)

Where will you be?
Drifting around, probably in the wake of my UK roommates.

Where are you staying?
The con hotel...I think?

Can I have your cellphone number?
If I know you? Sure! It'll help us find each other. I prefer texts to calls, because they use up fewer minutes for me.

Who will you be with?
I'll be rooming with Llyander, scottytheminotaur, and Shyboar..

What is your gender?
Male

How old are you?
28

Are you taken? Are you looking for a 'mate'?
Complicated, but not taken.

Can I touch you?
If I know you but we've never met? A hug is probably fine! If I don't know you at all, a handshake is better.

Can I touch your friends?
That's up to them. What an odd question...

Can I talk about/do drugs in front of you?
Uh...I won't have much to contribute to the conversation, and I think it'd be pretty presumptuous of you to do drugs in my hotel room. If I happen to be in yours, well, s'your call!

Can I invite you out for food/fun/etc?
Sure, though plans tend to give way to spontaneity at cons.

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
If I know you, sure. If we just met, well, ask and don't take it personal if I say no? I'm sure most of you know how social dynamics can be screwed up by the addition of someone they feel awkward around.

Can I talk to you?
Absolutely! I don't bite.

Can I give you stuff?
Why do I picture that scene from Garfield, where Nermal gets given random gifts of food and jewelry, and Garfield gets a bag of trash to throw away?

A moment ago I had a silly idea for a conbadge. There's Anima, but as you've never seen him before...snarling, eyes alight with a murderous glow, arterial blood dripping from his fangs and chin... But wait, what's that in the background? An enormous empty box of jelly doughnuts. *facepaws* You're not fooling anyone, panfer!

Lots of possibilities for the bad liar theme though. Cuckoldry, cock-size exaggerations, bra-stuffing, impersonating hybrid species (taped-on wings, etc), and hundreds more, surely.

Back home from the convention, trying not to let PCD hit me too badly. I've put up scans of the art I had commissioned, and uploaded photos from the con to my Flickr account.

I won the adult Iron Author competition, and my prize was a free basic admission for next year. That's 30 more bucks I can spend on art and such, next time.

Didn't get the cuddles I'd hoped for, but ah well. A few good hugs helped.

Goodness I was randy when I got home...probably a reaction to all the furs I saw who were no doubt making the beds squeak behind closed doors.

Next year I need to see about organizing a breakfast on Monday morning to help bring closure to the con for my friends and me. As it is now...the con peters out severely Sunday night, and Monday it's as if no con had taken place at all...except for the folks toting plushies out to their cars.

Here at the con, relaxin' and unwinding. Both my panels are tonight in room 269, first vore and then adult writing. I've got my big badge by Calicougar on, so it isn't tough to find me.

They printed my iron author story from last year in this year's conbook! I'm happy about that, even if it's a story I wrote to be intentionally bad... ;K)

This year I plan to attend Morphicon in May (in Columbus Ohio, where I'll again be hosting panels on vore and erotic writing) and Anthrocon.

Tell me if you're going to either, or if you want more info on Morphicon, the neatest tiny-fur-con around.

If the money is there, I might also try to do FC in January.

So, CCkitty pointed http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5421005 out to me recently and I finally got around to finishing it. If you like hyper-ish sex and messy hermy gals, (and I *know* a bunch of you do,) go have a read and leave some feedback.

Horizonborn's smut is too tasty to let it languish with so little attention!

I'm grateful for my friends. I just wish they lived closer.

On the off-chance that my new job will accommodate such a trip, both financially and schedule-wise, who will be at AC this year?

And who might have roomspace for a paying-panther?

Ideally, I'd like to arrive Thursday night and leave Sunday evening, 'cuz that would mean missing just one day of work.

In case my wonderful girlfriend would like to join me, two spots in the room would be even better!

Tomorrow will mark the end of my first week as a computer refurbisher working for a thrift store chain. Folks donate computers, and I triage the stuff that comes in, salvaging everything possible, wiping hard drives and laying in fresh OS and software installs.

I'm finally earning money again, and moving towards independence.

Worried about a few things though. Well, I'm hoping time will take care of those.

I hope soon stressed/mopey/depressed Anima will be gone, and productive/creative/bouncy Anima will return.

My darling girlfriend has been busy commissioning art, and I encourage you all to peek at and comment on the adorableness that has ensued!

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4819122

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4867433

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4859255

Let's see...how many am I ea---I mean, feeding this year? 4 friends, and 9 family members. 13 diners meant acquiring a fairly hefty turkey. 18-lbs, this year. I'm brining and roasting it using Alton Brown's method, which served me so well last year. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/.....ipe/index.html

For an appetizer we'll have Butternut squash soup, http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Butter......aspx?prop31=8 (I left out the celery, halved the potatoes and used a sweet potato instead of a white one, and baked the squash for an hour at 400 degrees to make it easier to work with.)

Then comes the rest of the spread. Sweet potato casserole, http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Yummy-......aspx?prop31=4

Garlic mashed potatoes, http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Garlic......aspx?prop31=5 (I often omit the cheese, and add some milk or 1/2 and 1/2 to get a smoother dish)

Alton Brown's green bean casserole, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/.....ipe/index.html (I don't make the fried onions myself because not only are they super-easy to burn, the French fried onions in a can taste better.)

And StoveTop stuffing, because it rocks.


For dessert, a pumpkin pie and pecan pie bars! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pecan-......aspx?prop31=3

I haven't been reading anyone's work for...well, years now, for the most part. I think it's due to a subconscious jealousy that they're able to write, and I can't seem to.

I finally got around to reading the first bit of a new balloon vixen saga Bucephalus has been writing, and I recommend you all go check it out. Leave lots of helpful comments and short-breathed praise, eh?

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3932491/ is the first installment.

Ted Hughes - A Second Glance at a Jaguar


Skinful of bowl, he bowls them,
The hip going in and out of joint, dropping the spine
With the urgency of his hurry
Like a cat going along under thrown stones, under cover,
Glancing sideways, running
Under his spine. A terrible stump-legged waddle

Like a thick Aztec disemboweller,
Club-swinging, trying to grind some square
Socket between his hind legs round,
Carrying his head like a brazier of spilling embers,
And the black bit of his mouth, he takes it
Between his back teeth, he has to wear his skin out,
He swipes a lap at the water-trough as he turns,
Swiveling the ball of his heel on the polished spot,
Showing his belly like a butterfly
At every stride he has to turn a corner
In himself and correct it. His head
Is like the worn down stump of another whole jaguar,
His body is just the engine shoving it forward,
Lifting the air up and shoving on under,
The weight of his fangs hanging the mouth open,
Bottom jaw combing the ground. A gorged look,
Gangster, club-tail lumped along behind gracelessly,
He's wearing himself to heavy ovals,
Muttering some mantrah, some drum-song of murder
To keep his rage brightening, making his skin
Intolerable, spurred by the rosettes, the cain-brands,
Wearing the spots from the inside,
Rounding some revenge. Going like a prayer-wheel,
The head dragging forward, the body keeping up,
The hind legs lagging. He coils, he flourishes
The blackjack tail as if looking for a target,
Hurrying through the underworld, soundless.

It appears...that I have a girlfriend.


*blissful sigh*

Well, my father has had his surgery, and no sign of returning cancer thus far.

If he recovers thoroughly, then I'll resume my plotting to move out and live my life.

Writing done: none, so you don't need to ask. Just stockpiling ideas until the day my drive to write returns.

Desktop PC: still fried.

Snuggle-lust: still largely unsated.

Regular-lust: distracted by RL, but certainly still around.

Current fascination: Re-watching ST Voyager from start to finish.

Much thanks go to Phoenix-D for placing me in a commission. :K) http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4527143 see the gallery for the rest of it.

Owl, middle-aged, recently switched to contacts from eyeglasses and keeps trying to adjust his non-existent glasses. Photographer, specializing in nocturnal wildlife photography. Loves Mexican food, Hates the government. Had an extended engagement with a cute kangaroo female, but she ran off with another male, leaving him bitter and disillusioned when it comes to love. He has an abnormally high sex-drive, and owns a staggering amount of actual printed pornography. His siblings never let up on him about his unwillingness to try dating again, so he avoids them, much to the displeasure of his nieces and nephews who love him to pieces. Missing a toe on one foot from a mishap with a hunter during one of his forest photo-shoots.

Chubby impala college student, studying to be a chef and restaurant owner. Crushingly low self-esteem from a lifetime of being mocked by his extended family and peers. Pops anti-depressants, cooks for his dorm roomies, and puts on a cheerful face. Desperate to regain some of the herd belonging and safety he craves, he tends to fall easily for anyone who's kind to him, male or female. This hasn't landed him in any really rough spots yet, but his luck won't hold out forever. Loves to dance, is quite superstitious, and has famously rotten recall. Has no car, and constantly bums rides off other students.

Somber femme coyote, middle-child and ignored by many throughout her life. Thanks to one observant high school teacher, she nabbed a huge scholarship and attended college for an art degree. Her work is unique and soon nets her money and fame, two things she's totally unprepared for. She finds happiness in her work, but gets blocked easily. Very much a creature of habit, she practices several self-destructive behaviors/habits which no one has gotten close enough to her to notice. She eats almost nothing but pizza and drinks Kool-aid by the pitcher. Her entire back is a map of seared-in tattoos (one of the few ways the furred can have lasting ones) and she presently dresses to conceal them from all. Allergic to chocolate. Adores polka music. Drives a VW bus fitted with a few comforts more suitable to an RV.



(No, I won't make a sparkle-dog!)

Just read an exchange in an artist's journal between them and a dopey 'expert' commissioner. It was painful to wade through, but it did remind me of a decision I made awhile back.

I don't want to commission an artist again by paying everything up front. Half up front, half on delivery of the finished piece is reasonable from my point of view.

I've been burned by artists before too many times to give them the benefit of the doubt anymore. I haven't commissioned much art in my time with furrydom, and yet I'm out roughly 300 dollars from the ones who never delivered.

I realize that this will bar me from a large number of artists who've established clear guidelines on the commission process. I accept that, and won't try to argue the matter with them; I'll just go elsewhere.

(This only concerns commissions that cost more than fifty dollars, by the way. Splitting the payment for a conbadge would be pretty silly.)

I certainly don't want to offend anyone with this post, but I wanted the few artists who might read it to see the perspective of a commissioner who has been mistreated by artists to the point of having to make a policy like this. Is it a small percentage of the whole who cheat and lie to their customers? Yes. That doesn't make a small measure of safety unreasonable.

http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=13107715

I am just happy as a caterpillar on Tuesday to hear about this. All parents who claim children can't be prevented from screaming, tearing around, and crying are just lazy. If you simply cannot get the kid under control, you take that kid outside. The only exception is kids who have something hot spilled on them by restaurant staff. Then you can take the screaming kid into the bathroom instead of outside.

I know that the whole reason you parents came out to a restaurant is usually because you're too tired to cook at home, or don't have the time. If you're too tired to cook, you're certainly too tired to keep your kids' behavior within the boundaries of civilized behavior. Guess what? Too bad. Unless you're at a kid's restaurant like Chuck E Cheese's, your fellow diners are paying not just for their food, but for a pleasant dining environment. If you decide not to control your children, drop 4 bucks on every table within earshot of yours on your way out. We'll call it even.

Next step in the crusade: pressure sensors in the rear of theater and bus seats that register kids kicking them, and respond by squirting the kid with mace.

Any of you use F-list.net to find compatible RP partners? I've had decidedly mixed results so far.

Profile states: no ageplay

3 people have enthusiastically approached who represent themselves as 12 or under.

One guy tonight wanted to know 'how big' I got via vore. I told him the largest I've ever been was with a certain plump red dragon in my belly. *eyes Stalbon* He went on to suggest I eat hundreds of critters so I could get reeeeeeeeeeally big, and I told him we had mismatched interests and to go away. (Additional fun: he states in his profile he's new at RPing, with 8 months under his belt. He refuses to play with 'inexperienced RPers.' Gawd. 9,9

Sorry, just felt bitchy tonight. -.-

I was just minding my own business out on our deck today, taping a butterfly, when a mantis grabbed it and went to town. Pic and vid here, http://animakitty.livejournal.com/346718.html

I left him to his meal eventually. I just went out and found the butterfly's wings. :K(

I have an Inkbunny account now, which I'll be posting things to occasionally.

http://inkbunny.net/Animakitty