Sometimes, us furries are just too much for hotel pools.

How often are you at a convention does the pool run out of towels? It seems to happen to me all the time. Making hotel carpets squishy with chlorine water is a certain way to make the best of friends with housekeeping & maintenance too. So, help the hotels. Help me. Help you.

Get your towel from The Pool Party, so you can scratch your head with the rest of us as we try to figure out who's towel is who's. http://goo.gl/forms/uU9GnvRomm

Journal: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6225236/
The toy: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14285059/

Getting original toys and ideas off the ground isn't an easy task. It's one I've done only a couple of times myself. As it stands, I don't have the money available to get one myself; but if you haven't heard of this project maybe this will be your chance to take action before the pre-order closes on Halloween.

I've been able to play with a Pleasiodrake ( 's first toy) and I'm happy with it, even if I don't own one. I don't want to see a glut of folks 'finding out about this toy after its too late oh noes!', which sadly happens. Giving a signal boost now will hopefully help reduce that as a problem.

Happy toy shopping!

Everything at RF for me was somewhat overshadowed by what is still going on with my dad. I did my best to not let it get to me much during the convention, but at times I was holding together about as well as the inflatables that went to the pool.

So, pooltoy con is what I experienced this time! Didn't pack the violin and ran into many folks.
GroggyFox, MikeFolf, T'sChillin, Drake, Singha, Ark Woff (sp?), Darkk, Saros, Walksfar, Hex Husky, Aphinity, Airless, MaryMouse (who I got my badge from, yay!), Sairys, Maxyote, Kirinafa, BenBen and the list goes on and on and on. You wouldn't think I got to hug half the convention, but I think I may have managed it.

WARNING LABEL: "Don't Jump On My Shit" will almost become one of my warning labels. Most of the pooltoys had slightly rough treatment in the pool (I have three or four more patches to do), but a 10' tricerapops was destroyed when someone belly flopped on it. If it was on pre-order right now, I could replace it for $300. As it is, that toy will be repaired by someone else. Even if I am angry about that, it's not the end of the world. The Sea Dragon has a tiny seam split, as does the gryphon and 2 of the 3 whales I put in the pool still need more patches. One whale and the horse survived and left in as good a condition as they were in when they arrived.

With that said, minor fixes are pretty common when I take toys to the pool (just ask Squeakalchemist or folks who have been to The Pool Party). More than in years past, I spent 18 hours in the pool and barely got sunburnt. We got whale watchers high whilst whale watching. (Err, high on toys, not high from... well, you know).

I didn't return home till Wednesday and I miss all you fuzzy faces! Unlike last year, I didn't feel alone in the pool - it didn't feel like I was the only one being a 'mother hen' around the toys. I hope others who were at the pool also had a fun time! :D

What questions do you have for me?

So as some of you may know, my dad is back in the hospital. A lot of my RF plans hinge on him doing 'ok', but if he does poorly I'll drop stuff at RF and go see him. :( Why am I still going to RF? Because frankly I'm feeling a bit needy. Pool time, time with friends, and all of that stuff.

Today (Weds): Work. Go home. Pack.
Tomorrow (Thurs): Finish any packing and family stuff and drive to Seattle (at some point). Hopefully I'll arrive early as hell Thursday morning.

Oh, and I like the words "long-winded"; they describe me if someone opens my valve and lets all the air out. Not that I'm a fan of that. X.x

So, the housemates moved out yesterday. Didn't announce anything and I get home late last night and poof, they're gone.

This is a bit of a summary; I'm more comfortable sharing details than I was as events were happening. Events happened in a whirlwind and I didn't have time to reflect much.

On my Mom:
The nursing home overstated the severity of EVERYTHING. This cost me about $350 in wages I didn't earn; a meltdown at work and some table flips. However, I was able to see her, it was hard to understand her as she can't quite complete sentences anymore; her mind still speaks in whole sentences but her mouth doesn't. I've had easier two-way communications with inflatables. Within about 15 minutes I was unable to continue the visit. It was necessary, and I wish I could see her more often but I have a long way to go before I can.

On Music:
My mom was one of the greatest organists in Washington State. Like, top 5. Not just because I say so, but because she put almost 60 years of her life into it; and was almost an idiot savant to boot. There are some astute furries who notice that I don't play with others (musically) all that often, or that my compositions have pretty much stopped. I think I was holding out for being able to play with mom again; even though she never really liked playing with me, or my sister. Our dad had to step in and coax and convince and push our mom into playing with us. I felt mom put us in our place; beneath her. I just wanted to enjoy making music with her... and today it seems like I was asking too much. :(

More on music:
During that hellish weekend (which had lots of high points too), I was able to finally spend time with Saros. He, (his housemate - spacing on his name), t`sChillin and I had some awesome conversations about many things. Through example he helped me realize what material things (tools!) I was missing. Why I wasn't enjoying music like I used to. With respect to him, I'll keep those details private.

The Pool Party:
I'm in the midst of figuring out what available time I have to do what; as The Pool Party and RF both approach. This one I think will be kinda low-key, but I have some ideas of what sorts of things I'll be doing after. I dunno; mostly in my head aren't the 'what to dos' but rather 'in what sequence should I do the things I chose to do?'.

More on my house:
Housemates have just over 2 months left to leave. I will be happy when they do. One is doing his damndest to stress me out as hard as he can without actually breaking any rules of the house. It is hard for me to relax at home, and with work stress I am becoming more and more a mess. :( Otherwise, it is in a state of repair that I am comfortable living in, and comfortable hosting guests in; once the housemates are gone.

On D&D:
The Pathfinder group I'm running on Sundays is really starting to shape up! I try to do a little bit of prep work each night but some nights are more successful than others. I'm having a lot of fun running the game and I'm hoping that the players too are having fun.

On the car:
The car was paid off today. I own my car now. :D

On fursuiting:
Going to learn how to do minor repairs to Tachi and get some small modifications done. To what end? You'll know it when you see it. ^^

On Food:
Fuzzypaw cooks delicious food. :3 I have a big empty inside, again.

On reading:
OMG I finished a trilogy by Hannu Rajaniemi. The first book is The Quantum Thief. I haven't fallen in love with well-written books like this since I was reading Arthur C. Clarke or Anne McCaffery. Seriously. *fandragons about* <- see what I did there? :P

*squeaks and lurves you all; this is only a fraction of what happened in the past week or so but needs to bed now and will do stuff later*

I got The Call about my mom from my sister today (who in turn got it from the nursing home). I'm headed into WA tomorrow and will be back when I need to be back.
EDIT: She hasn't died; we're waiting on some test results to know whether organ failure is imminent or if she's likely to live for anywhere from 1-2 days or 1-2 months. But, she seems to be beyond the 'point of no return', and we're not expecting (however hopeful) for her to wake up.

So, I'm just waiting for the print shop to open. I'm expecting to pay $20ish per towel, and plan on doing an initial run of 3 towels (one for me, one for The Pool Party (using our "model" sea dragon to show it off?), and one to send to the artist who did the artwork. This is also to make sure that the towels come out the way I want them to (that they look good and the colors work well).

Anywho, what I'm thinking of charging is $20/towel +$5 for domestic S&H (I'll have to handle any international shipping on a case-by-case basis). For those who would rather pickup their towels, I'm thinking of allowing folks to pick up their towels from me in Portland, at RF and at The Pool Party. What do you think of all this? ^^

...they will be gone Nov 1st. For me, a great weight seems to be lifted from my shoulders.

tl;dr Roommates passive-aggressively and preemptively messed up a very special visit (not to mention a number of other things) and I'm counting straws and showing them the door before any 'last straws' are drawn.

So a friend is going to be visiting for the next weekend, and as this weekend comes to a close, my housemate's girlfriend was also invited over (she was the one who told me, not my housemate), several days after she heard that I had a friend coming over. That'd be 5 adults for one full bathroom, plus I tend to take a lot of showers before playing with toys (sage advice I learned from a certain Bigphin out there ^^).

So I let my friend know what's up, and since the trip for them is going to be very costly, I'll pick up the hotel room and have fun with friend(s), while conveniently away from the passive-aggressive drama brewing at home. When I wake up, I'm going to send an exit strategy email for my housemates... provided that the elements of that draft come together (otherwise I'll save the draft for later and send it in the evening).

While it won't change how I'm going to approach next weekend and a special visit, it will hopefully change a spiraling relationship with folks who used to be my friends before any fuses burn out. Before someone goes - ?..hey! You live alone in a n bedroom house! I have 167.3 million furry friends who really want to live with you!", I'm planning to live alone for awhile.

This does not mean live lonely for awhile! I would like the freedom to have guests over for a day or three at a time; those who keep my yard tamed will be definitely given preference. I would like to turn my housemate's room into a game room, what is currently an office with 3 desks into my office and practice room, etc. This will allow me to decompress. I'm unable to de-stress as well as I could otherwise; and I learned a lot by having the particular housemates who I have now. However, I would like the arrangement to end before stuff gets stupid.

I've spoken at length with a few people about how best to show my housemates the door, and I am thankful for all the constructive input, and coverage of some things I hadn't thought of. However, I am not taking input from my housemates because I already feel coerced by them and am tired of feeling like a doormat, even if I am somewhat more assertive than an actual doormat. :(

tl;dr: If working for money isn't really going to work out, I'm going to work on some traveling with pooltoys and violins and such.

# # #

I've given things over 24 hours to percolate in my mind. My career has hit a new low; and except for temporary minimum wage work, can't go lower. Since my medical retirement began (which does not pay enough to live on, unless I moved to Kansas or to most 2nd world countries), my pay and duration in which I am employed is shrinking:
9.75 years ending @ 15.00ish/hr (military service is hard to quantify on a per hour basis)
6.5 months @ 19.53/hr
3 months @ 18.00/hr
sporadic @ 15.00/hr
2 months, 1 week @ 11.00/hr

Not counted are street playing (which I get usually average $8/hr, less than minimum wage here), or working in Film/TV (which is FUN, and I don't care that I get paid at minimum wage for that). Many minimum wage jobs I don't qualify for; my skill sets are not current and psychologically there isn't any work I can take that I'm able to step back when things get really stupid. Plus, most work in my area requires me to be bilingual, even for minimum wage jobs. Often, I go 6 months to a year between jobs; and fail at college in the gaps (the VA educational system benefits are designed for full-time students; benefits are reduced for slow toys like me). Similar to programs in colleges that I can get into, that require 17-20 credit hour loads (the programs that have the best job placement statistics also tend to be mental meat grinders). I could do the heavy college loads if my father was in good health, I didn't own a house, or was willing to be a non-entity in my friends' lives.

Suffice to say, I'm going somewhere about as fast as a pooltoy at the bottom of an empty pool. If I'm going to sit, I may as well do so in places away from home. Taking music and pooltoys with me. Hopefully I'd be able to help organize The Pool Party around the world and maybe learn new music along the way. Before I go, I'm going to do The Pool Party event locally (as well as go to RF), and perhaps some other things... but if I do this it means my D&D game will be no more. So much to weigh... so tight is the budget. X.x What do you think of all this?

...as I lost my job tonight. Go me. X.x

Never underestimate the power of a cute dragon movie to lift one's spirits.

I wonder now what actions I took are in fact, in error? I don't regret decisions I've made; at the time they are made I make the best decision I see in front of me. Even so, I've reached a point where I feel that I've over-exerted myself financially as well as physically (heat exhaustion, at work, whee).

Anyway, I've gone from being despondent or depressed about my situation to examining what doors are open to me today. There are so many things I could be doing, and right now I'm choosing to learn from people as I run a Pathfinder game, and may be able to focus on that rather than... other things.

Some less obvious things going on that are also affecting me negatively at this point:
- The place where I felt I was the only one fighting for a new and better country is truly falling apart.
- My inheritance is headed (soon) to the scrapyard.
- I am beginning to believe that the fewer things I have (or have to take care of), the happier I am.

Mercedes is going to scrap.
Bills mounting (got paid today, and my whole check is already gone).
Can't afford to make plans for taking time off work for The Pool Party or Rainfurrest; any other cons are pretty much out of the question. Plus, work has no paid time off, or allowance for sick days (I am getting 'talked to' by management for taking 24h off in accordance with the emergency room doctor's orders after suffering heat exhaustion at work).
I'm not letting my housemates borrow my car anymore (they never refill with gas).
I'm not included in meals at home (grumble grumble).

Since the housemate that is giving me all the trouble is only playing Minecraft and looking for work; I've cancelled the minecraft server I run. NOW he can start fucking looking for work.

For Sale $2,000
Item: 1995 E300D Black
Description: The perfect vehicle for the mecha-necromancer whose primary joy is in solving puzzles. For the price of a small black dragon's hoard this car can live again! It has only died twice already. The first time it died was losing a duel against another car in personal combat where it's spine was shattered and reached less than zero hit points. It would have been laid to rest in the junkyard peacefully had a necromancer, hired by my father, not come along to Frankenstein it and force it to live again. To that end it lasted nearly a decade. Passed from father to son just three moons ago, I attempted to nurse the car back to good health but it is as high maintenance as a pretty zombie shopping queen with a pre-nuptual agreement awaiting your signature. A set of scrolls dating back to its first owner detailing what operations car-healers did to it is also included.
Description(take two): 196,898 miles on the odometer. Car quit running yesterday and I can't afford to repair/maintain this Mercedes. A nearly complete maintenance record going back to 1995 is included. The car was totaled, salvaged and reconstructed then purchased by the owner previous to me.
Location: Portland, OR; I request seller to arrange and pay for shipping.
Pictures: http://imgur.com/Ht8c4GS,CcTmTbh,DQgvxhn,otMEKOB

So... I have this car.
My father didn't take the best care of it.
Somehow, it runs.

Going to put it up on Mercedes' forums and/or Craigslist as either a project car or mechanic's special. Anyone have experience with this? Any advice to give? X.x

I got off of work Sunday, went home, showered and put on fresh clothes, then went to Furlandia. Registered just in time to attend Fursuit Games and Closing Ceremonies, I broke my record last year for least time spent at a con. Where last year I was unavailable for most of the convention due to acquiring my squeaky cave (aka house), this year I was unavailable due to work (newish job, no vacation). Finally played Room Party for the first time and found a few cards I'm really partial to; for better AND for worse. X.x

I dined with Gusty, Mousepaws, Singha, Odious, AxelRoo, and... someone! We did NOT have Orca Shabu (that would get me in a lot of trouble!) but had shabu shabu (my first time in recent memory having it). I believe that soon there will be an asian food dinner meet in southern Seattle organized by Singha.

My plans for RF are beginning to come together. I have a better idea of what I want to do with the inflatables panel and just need to craft emails there and decide which of three options to go with for room reservations. Right now I'm weighing whether to stay in the con hotel or in the Clarion; the latter has an indoor pool. But, I know my toys are OK (and kind of expected) in the con hotel. Last year's weather wasn't all that great for the pool, though.

All this and a bag of chips, in other news I got my first full paycheck from work today! Woohoo! Unfortunately I'm up and about too late to go deposit it. Go figure. Will remedy that tomorrow. In other further news, figured out what to put on towels for The Pool Party and now it's a matter of finding an artist to get the artwork done. I've prodded only a couple of artists so far on this, if you'd like to recommend an artist, please do! :D

I think that's about it; I'm trying to decide whether to squeak something, nap, or take care of other things before work. :)

With everything going on, I will only be spending a little time going hungry. Due to posting dates of payments and other such things, I have to be careful with how I spend my money over the next couple of days or overdraft my checking account. With all that said, with how far over-budget I've gone these past few months (some of it wallet therapy, some of it dealing with family and some of it inheriting another moneysink/trap/hole; if I wasn't working I'd be hundreds of dollars overdrawn and drowning in debt.

I'm a bit underwater, and am glad I don't breathe air. So many good (and bad) money things are happening these next two weeks:
Today I am overbalance on my credit card. (This will be fixed in a couple days when my next payment posts).
This week, until the credit card is paid, I will be spending money from checking that will cause an overdraft at the end of the month.
Next week I will get my first full-week's pay from work; which will hopefully fix overbalance issues on my checking account and make another dent in the credit card. I will not be able to afford to do much at my local convention; can't afford to take time off work, and can't afford to pay for registration at this point. X.x
Two weeks from now, one of my four debts will be paid off, my whole paycheck will go to debts, and it is likely that future paychecks will follow this course through much of the summer.

Unfortunately, things like house repair and car repair will go on the credit card in the coming months, so there's no guarantee I'll be able to pay off other debts much at all in the meantime.

Debts, by size:
House (<29 years to go!)
Credit Card (may have this paid down in a year or two)
Car (<3 years to go!)
Veterans Affairs (will be paid off June 1st!)

For those unfamiliar; there are situations that can happen where veterans can owe the very agency that helps care for them. For me, dropping out of college to take care of family stuff is one such situation. If anyone is wondering why I cancelled all my orders for more toys, this should explain that. Also why I've asked $15/person contributions for events with The Pool Party (just in case I'm not financially healthy enough myself to cover everything in October). :)

Hopefully, my stress level doesn't skyrocket as I go through all of this. X.x

I found that in the job interviews I've had recently that the resume format the placement agencies have me use make flaws in my career apparent to their clients. Career flaws that seem to get others chosen for work over me seem to be:

- Gaps in employment.
- Accepting different types of work.
- No recent technical experience.
- No recent technical education (though most of these jobs require the tech experience). X.x

In all a couple of interviews went really well, and I may get on site interviews soon; but at this point I'm kinda 'meh' about my job prospects. Some community things that I do (or have done) on my resume helped me separate employers who give a damn about those around them from those who appear not to. So, that's a bit of a plus.

I found one company that I really want to work for, regardless of the position. Hopefully I'll hear back from them and if I don't get the job I want, get a job with them and work on my technical skills as I work towards the job I applied for from within.

Regardless of what is happening in my personal life, The Pool Party is still going to happen. I have a lot of questions to ask many folks; for me the easiest way to do it is in the form of surveys. Answer away! :D
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P5HC5PF

Haven't written one of these in awhile... and in good news, progress! In bad news; well, you'll be able to see that for yourself...

Yesterday I got the structural engineer's report on my house. Measured structural elements of the house that are stressed less than 135% of their maximum rated capacity are not priorities for me. There are numerous other problems with the house, but the report brings up enough areas of immediate concern that I feel less safe in my own house than I did before. So, all the other issues are still a part of this mess (not going to link to them; I don't want to think about them).

The structural engineer is drafting plans for repairs (to make the areas safe). Once those plans are complete, I can get bids from general contractors and get bids on repairs. Not everything structural with the house has been evaluated, so when we open the top of the house and the walls, keep in mind that even more things could be found to be wrong. The issues below are more than I can handle, and I am looking for a way to get out of this house, without financially committing suicide. I called my lender and the VA today and advised me to foreclose. :( Hence why I'm getting a lawyer, first.

Structural issues that need immediate attention:
The post-and-beam foundation of the house is overstressed; carrying 138% of its rated load.
The rafters over the living room are overstressed; carrying 277% of their rated load.
The garage has a variety of stressed elements; lowest stress at 113% of rated load, the top two are 495% and 520% (these are temporarily shored up and are unable to continue the process of collapse that began last summer).

My capacity for home repair and upgrades rests around projects that are $2-3k each, one to three times per year, if I don't organize any pool parties or go to conventions. The nature of the problems and the unsafe conditions they create go far beyond my capacity to do anything with.

Furthermore, home insurance does not cover insufficient construction; so I am solely liable as the homeowner if anything falls down, damages stuff, hurts or kills anyone. If the house comes down and someone other than me dies, I am then guilty of manslaughter and will serve a prison term. THAT kind of liability is the sort of thing that keeps me from sleeping at night.

I do still plan on doing something for The Pool Party in October; but the event may be a little low-key as my house has taken my attention again. :C

So this is a very short journal because my load from life has been almost convention heavy since January 6th (both the day I started class and when my dad had his first stroke this year).

VF2014: ZOMG it was so much fun! I was roomed with Mousepaws, Darkk and Singha (and we had Crusherx7 for a night, too). I almost got a sunburn, too. In Canada. In February. I can't possibly think of everyone who I need to thank, so I must simply thank everyone here, and I will try to thank everyone individually on a more private basis as I see them around the world. If I fail that, then get this! *hughughughughug* :D
http://www.flickr.com/photos/103818.....57641944254943
http://www.flickr.com/photos/103818.....7641944254943/

The Pool Party: It's shaping up, so far we have 2 rooms full for the weekend and I'm trying to help someone fill their room (a 3rd room) to help with their finances. So, if you are considering The Pool Party (Mar 21-25th in Portland), please please please send me a note so I can help you and help a couple of others at the same time.

Dad: He's already had two strokes this year. His normal blood pressure is high enough that I do not expect him to still be intellectual, a smart ass and 'be' my father for much longer. He might become a vegetable and then live for 30 more years (I'd be sad), but I'm taking this weekend to see him before that can happen. Thanks to Rex Raccoon for so much (he's fixing my dad's car, and will be properly punished for it with puns and hugs and stuff). My dad's health pretty much sealed everything that is going on with college...

College: I think I pretty much failed out of the one course that is a prerequisite for everything next term. So, after I get back from Arizona, I am going to return to all my classes and see what grades I can rescue between now and finals. Today though, I basically quit college (in my head). :( A better time for me to attend is when my parents aren't in rapid decline, or anything like that.

Fresh off the presses; though it has yet to be announced to the group (need two more RSVPs): http://www.meetup.com/furlife/events/167794892/

Otherwise, I'm hoping to finish setting up a special experiment during this session of The Pool Party. Otherwise, it's almost 3:30am and I'm still not asleep. @..@ Time for bed! ^^

The next two legislative sessions are scheduled as follows:

Third Legislative Session: March 21-25th, 2014
Fourth Legislative Session: October 10-14th, 2014

The pass card in order to get to most events will be possessing a room key.

Agenda:
- Studying the correlation between a box full of Smarties and inflatable IQ enhancement.
- How best to inflate the 'social safety nets' (just call 'em toys) for those who can't afford their own.
- Inflatable sports and understanding how traumatic seam injuries happen to toys.
- Celebrating Year of the Horse.

(More likely agenda):
- Spending time in the 24h indoor pool, hot tub, sauna and steam room.
- Inflatable races &/or relays and Pool Pong (if we aren't disrupting regular swimmers at the time).
- Might do social things around town (hiking, movies, or other stuff; depends partly on group dynamic).

Venue Information:
Shilo Inn PDX Airport 11707 NE Airport Way Portland, OR 97220
- Indoor, 24h pool.
- All rooms are junior suites.
- $25 per stay fee to bring a dog. Limit 2 dogs per room (get more info from the hotel).
- We have not made any special arrangements with the hotel, book reservations normally.

Would you like to go?
What questions do you have?
Comment below or send me a note! :)

SOME DETAILS
"A Winter Storm Warning for heavy snow means severe winter weather conditions are expected or occurring. Significant amounts of snow are forecast that will make travel dangerous. Only Travel in an emergency. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight. Food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency." -NOAA

This warning is through 4AM tomorrow morning, and dangerous driving conditions seem like they will persist into the weekend. We're supposed to get additional snow tomorrow and rain over the weekend (with freezing lows that will allow plenty of black ice to form everywhere its inconvenient). http://www.google.org/publicalerts/.....amp;source=web

I believe I will use government and educational closures (much less businesses) as a guide. If the roads, or government/schools/etc) are closed due to inclement weather, then I believe it would be unwise of me to host an event. If the weather isn't so bad to shut down the government and/or the college I'm attending, then I'm not so worried about it.

MY ACTION:
The Pool Party's Third Legislative Session will be rescheduled for March; I will send invites and announce the dates after I have moved my hotel reservation. I am also hoping that I don't have to pay the hotel for the late cancellation. After I notify the folks who are attending I'll get to work setting up the reservation for this event. To put things in perspective; Portland hasn't had this much of a storm since 2008. So, I'm not as worried about my ability to successfully hold parties during this season (we normally have very mild winters).

Yay, lots of words. To work, I go!
EDIT: I will post dates and stuff publicly after I have sent out invites. :)