FA+
Shop
20251120R1732
Posted 4 days agoWhen You Roll Snake Eyes
I had to miss FurPocolypse this year. Of all the weekends and after all the time they had to do it, apartment management told me I had to temporarily move my stuff out of my apartment on Halloween Weekend so they could do long overdue maintenance. The only silver lining is that I was able to occupy the unit directly across the breezeway -- so no storage unit, no POD, no moving truck, just my cousin and myself waltzing Matilda.
A Sign from Above?
It rained very heavily on the Thursday I was going to go to FurPoc; this might not have stopped me (maybe a rain delay) but given the heads up on Tuesday, and the sweet deal for my temporary domicile, it was an offer I could not refuse. Simply put, real life trumps my furry hobby. I'm not going into what if, just that it's funny it happened the way it did.
Separating Fact from Furry
It was a disappointment, not getting to do a "bucket list" convention, but it wasn't devastating. Being well into my mature years, and given my tired old bones, I have to work up a full head of steam in order to go out and do things -- and I was more or less making myself go to FurPoc so I could plant my flag (maybe a red flag?). It would have been a three hour drive (with pit stops) and then checking in to the hotel and then standing in line for registration.
I would have done it -- as it was a planned 3 day vacation, with an offsite hotel room to to recharge in, but life happens. Might have been a bit much anyway. I think back to the old wartime question "Is This Trip Really Necessary?" Mostly, the answer is No.
The same goes for "local" events: Driving four hours, there and back again, for a three hour gathering in mostly in the category of No.
These "local" furry events are for Eat and Meets or Movies, during the week, and it echos back to "not on a school night" only "not on a work night." The only recent exception was a local Park Meet on Veteran's Day, and even for that I only stayed for the picnic part, not the explore at a local site afterwards.
Energy is Sacred
The above statement is from a YouTube channel I watch on Mindfullness. I see energy like a giant bucket of tokens from an arcade, only you can't get more -- one bucket to a customer, and when it's spent, you're outta here.
In my youth, this bucket was like a dragon's horde -- a great mound that would seemingly last forever. Now that I'm four decades down the road, I'm having to go elbow-deep to reach the remain pile.
Thus, I am a little more careful on what I spend it on.
You Have to Please Yourself
After moving house over Halloween weekend, I was in recovery mode for the last ten days. In that time, I though about what is is that I truly enjoy as far as fandom activities go.
I may go back to my roots of watching streamers, drawing and doing some VRChat during my waking cycle -- not staying up until dawn anymore with those several time zones behind me, or spending hours on Discord and Telegram.
Today, I watched a streamer on Twitch that I've been subscribed to for 69 months. It seems like forever but also just a blink of an eye from my perspective.
He usually streams during my work shift, so I haven't been able to watch since the spring, but today I had an empty queue, so I tuned in.
It was so funny that some of the Peanut Gallery thought a five year subscription echos back to the dawn of time. Perhaps for them it does, as 5 years may be 20 to 25 percent of their entire time on this planet.
This streamer is in his 30s, so he's starting to get a more mature perspective -- thanks, in a large part, to the mortgage he's undertaken for his first home. It was great being able to listen again during my working hours due to some down time.
Pencil in Hand, Again.
While I was listening to the streamer, I also filled a sketchbook page. I'm too used to multi-tasking, so I filled up the empty time slices.
I did my warmups, my OCs and a couple of still life objects, nothing special. I then scanned it and posted it to my DA -- since that account almost deactivated due to my inactivity.
Somehow looking at paper and drawing doesn't tire the eyes as much as a staring at a screen. I may do more of that and a little less social media.
Making Lemonade
So using my vacation time to sit and think (while recovering from the forced move) , I reshuffled what it is that I find pleasurable.
I found I was chasing again, and this was tiring me out, so I let go of one furry group I no longer attend (due to logistics) and was again inspired to draw.
I wanted to draw some of the expressions on the characters that are shown in the Rabbit Footprints YouTube channel music videos.
I also realized I can still enjoy model aviation as a spectator. Some furs at the picnic flew their quads and showed some homebuilt foam fixed wing models. I have no desire to build or fly models again, but i can appreciate the advances in the technology and watch as the young eagles fly. One fur is going to give me a transmitter with a USB connection, so If I do get an itch, I can get some stick time on my model RC simulator. And I am satisfied with that.
I had to miss FurPocolypse this year. Of all the weekends and after all the time they had to do it, apartment management told me I had to temporarily move my stuff out of my apartment on Halloween Weekend so they could do long overdue maintenance. The only silver lining is that I was able to occupy the unit directly across the breezeway -- so no storage unit, no POD, no moving truck, just my cousin and myself waltzing Matilda.
A Sign from Above?
It rained very heavily on the Thursday I was going to go to FurPoc; this might not have stopped me (maybe a rain delay) but given the heads up on Tuesday, and the sweet deal for my temporary domicile, it was an offer I could not refuse. Simply put, real life trumps my furry hobby. I'm not going into what if, just that it's funny it happened the way it did.
Separating Fact from Furry
It was a disappointment, not getting to do a "bucket list" convention, but it wasn't devastating. Being well into my mature years, and given my tired old bones, I have to work up a full head of steam in order to go out and do things -- and I was more or less making myself go to FurPoc so I could plant my flag (maybe a red flag?). It would have been a three hour drive (with pit stops) and then checking in to the hotel and then standing in line for registration.
I would have done it -- as it was a planned 3 day vacation, with an offsite hotel room to to recharge in, but life happens. Might have been a bit much anyway. I think back to the old wartime question "Is This Trip Really Necessary?" Mostly, the answer is No.
The same goes for "local" events: Driving four hours, there and back again, for a three hour gathering in mostly in the category of No.
These "local" furry events are for Eat and Meets or Movies, during the week, and it echos back to "not on a school night" only "not on a work night." The only recent exception was a local Park Meet on Veteran's Day, and even for that I only stayed for the picnic part, not the explore at a local site afterwards.
Energy is Sacred
The above statement is from a YouTube channel I watch on Mindfullness. I see energy like a giant bucket of tokens from an arcade, only you can't get more -- one bucket to a customer, and when it's spent, you're outta here.
In my youth, this bucket was like a dragon's horde -- a great mound that would seemingly last forever. Now that I'm four decades down the road, I'm having to go elbow-deep to reach the remain pile.
Thus, I am a little more careful on what I spend it on.
You Have to Please Yourself
After moving house over Halloween weekend, I was in recovery mode for the last ten days. In that time, I though about what is is that I truly enjoy as far as fandom activities go.
I may go back to my roots of watching streamers, drawing and doing some VRChat during my waking cycle -- not staying up until dawn anymore with those several time zones behind me, or spending hours on Discord and Telegram.
Today, I watched a streamer on Twitch that I've been subscribed to for 69 months. It seems like forever but also just a blink of an eye from my perspective.
He usually streams during my work shift, so I haven't been able to watch since the spring, but today I had an empty queue, so I tuned in.
It was so funny that some of the Peanut Gallery thought a five year subscription echos back to the dawn of time. Perhaps for them it does, as 5 years may be 20 to 25 percent of their entire time on this planet.
This streamer is in his 30s, so he's starting to get a more mature perspective -- thanks, in a large part, to the mortgage he's undertaken for his first home. It was great being able to listen again during my working hours due to some down time.
Pencil in Hand, Again.
While I was listening to the streamer, I also filled a sketchbook page. I'm too used to multi-tasking, so I filled up the empty time slices.
I did my warmups, my OCs and a couple of still life objects, nothing special. I then scanned it and posted it to my DA -- since that account almost deactivated due to my inactivity.
Somehow looking at paper and drawing doesn't tire the eyes as much as a staring at a screen. I may do more of that and a little less social media.
Making Lemonade
So using my vacation time to sit and think (while recovering from the forced move) , I reshuffled what it is that I find pleasurable.
I found I was chasing again, and this was tiring me out, so I let go of one furry group I no longer attend (due to logistics) and was again inspired to draw.
I wanted to draw some of the expressions on the characters that are shown in the Rabbit Footprints YouTube channel music videos.
I also realized I can still enjoy model aviation as a spectator. Some furs at the picnic flew their quads and showed some homebuilt foam fixed wing models. I have no desire to build or fly models again, but i can appreciate the advances in the technology and watch as the young eagles fly. One fur is going to give me a transmitter with a USB connection, so If I do get an itch, I can get some stick time on my model RC simulator. And I am satisfied with that.
20251022R1945
Posted a month agoGathering my Thoughts
I've been sitting and doing some thinking (a potentially dangerous thing) about stories I've read and watched and heard. Each story is different, but they also have similarities, as with cooking: you introduce your ingredients (characters), prepare them (scene), and add them to the pot (situation) -- all at once in some instances, and in stages in others. You then turn up the heat (challenges) and let them cook, sometime stirring the pot, and sometimes letting them simmer untouched until complete.
Some recipe ingredients rise in volume to a light and airy confection and others reduce to a decoction that is dense and packed with flavor but can be too filling. Stories can be that way as well.
LitRPG, where the protagonist starts off at a beginner level and rises to bigger to challenges and more dramatic battles, is one of these that get heavier over time by the introduction of more and more ingredients. The beginning of the story is akin to simple chips and dip, which is good for a nibble, and you can go back several times for more of it. Then, as the number of ingredients increase, and the layers (of complexity) pile on, the dish becomes heavier, spicier, and a bit much to have daily. The dish eventually collapses onto itself, the challenges become more of the same old, same old -- even if the ingredients are swapped out for more exotic choices; going from kobolds to demons and then inter dimensional gods -- and it becomes boring.
Isekai stories -- where a being is reincarnated into a swords and sorcery world as a reward or second chance; a kind of Karmic refund for a life cut short -- is another kind of layered creation: like stacks of cakes, the first level is a simple gateau, thin and easily consumed. The next layer. which adds volume to the story, is bound to the layer below by introducing fillings -- new characters and situations --, to build the story higher and higher. After the top layer is reached, the whole thing is frosted, wrapping it all up and maybe adding an icing, which points the way to the next creation.
I am a simple dog, my foods are short order --- often a one wok jumble . I like them, but they are only combinations of the same Ingredients every week -- easily prepared yet offering enough variety to satisfy most of the time. Time is an ingredient more rare than truffles, so I use it sparingly in my dishes.
Time is also why I like to consume mostly serial tales of Comedy and Tragedy that are in 30 or 45 minute slices, They are the blue plate specials of entertainment: be they the children's menu of cartoons and family friendly content, or the heartier offerings of Drama / Crime / History and the palate cleansing SitComs. I stick with the turkey and meatloaf and leave the artisanal and gourmet foods for others to relish.
Thus, I hardly ever watch a full-length movies anymore; that is the seven-course meal and I am ready for a digestive biscuit, a cuppa tea, and sometimes a nap, halfway through.
Once, upon a time I thought it would be exciting to be a chef, but I did not have the right stuff for that vocation. I can cobble simple meals, and I am satisfied with that.
The same goes for writing and drawing: I wanted to write books for children, and perhaps illustrate them. I can create simple things, but, like with my cooking, my creations are
mostly for myself. I make what sustains me and that which I enjoy within my means of time and energy.
So, simple foods, simpler entertainment and enjoying what is placed in front of me.
I am content with that.
I've been sitting and doing some thinking (a potentially dangerous thing) about stories I've read and watched and heard. Each story is different, but they also have similarities, as with cooking: you introduce your ingredients (characters), prepare them (scene), and add them to the pot (situation) -- all at once in some instances, and in stages in others. You then turn up the heat (challenges) and let them cook, sometime stirring the pot, and sometimes letting them simmer untouched until complete.
Some recipe ingredients rise in volume to a light and airy confection and others reduce to a decoction that is dense and packed with flavor but can be too filling. Stories can be that way as well.
LitRPG, where the protagonist starts off at a beginner level and rises to bigger to challenges and more dramatic battles, is one of these that get heavier over time by the introduction of more and more ingredients. The beginning of the story is akin to simple chips and dip, which is good for a nibble, and you can go back several times for more of it. Then, as the number of ingredients increase, and the layers (of complexity) pile on, the dish becomes heavier, spicier, and a bit much to have daily. The dish eventually collapses onto itself, the challenges become more of the same old, same old -- even if the ingredients are swapped out for more exotic choices; going from kobolds to demons and then inter dimensional gods -- and it becomes boring.
Isekai stories -- where a being is reincarnated into a swords and sorcery world as a reward or second chance; a kind of Karmic refund for a life cut short -- is another kind of layered creation: like stacks of cakes, the first level is a simple gateau, thin and easily consumed. The next layer. which adds volume to the story, is bound to the layer below by introducing fillings -- new characters and situations --, to build the story higher and higher. After the top layer is reached, the whole thing is frosted, wrapping it all up and maybe adding an icing, which points the way to the next creation.
I am a simple dog, my foods are short order --- often a one wok jumble . I like them, but they are only combinations of the same Ingredients every week -- easily prepared yet offering enough variety to satisfy most of the time. Time is an ingredient more rare than truffles, so I use it sparingly in my dishes.
Time is also why I like to consume mostly serial tales of Comedy and Tragedy that are in 30 or 45 minute slices, They are the blue plate specials of entertainment: be they the children's menu of cartoons and family friendly content, or the heartier offerings of Drama / Crime / History and the palate cleansing SitComs. I stick with the turkey and meatloaf and leave the artisanal and gourmet foods for others to relish.
Thus, I hardly ever watch a full-length movies anymore; that is the seven-course meal and I am ready for a digestive biscuit, a cuppa tea, and sometimes a nap, halfway through.
Once, upon a time I thought it would be exciting to be a chef, but I did not have the right stuff for that vocation. I can cobble simple meals, and I am satisfied with that.
The same goes for writing and drawing: I wanted to write books for children, and perhaps illustrate them. I can create simple things, but, like with my cooking, my creations are
mostly for myself. I make what sustains me and that which I enjoy within my means of time and energy.
So, simple foods, simpler entertainment and enjoying what is placed in front of me.
I am content with that.
20250925R1340
Posted 2 months agoKinder and Gentler Antagonists
Charlie went to visit his old friend, Deputy Dog via TV Land to that little Southern Town of yesteryear.
He was witness to the shenanigans of a "daganabit rabbit" who was pilfering vegetables from the garden of said law dog.
With the aid of Muskie Muskrat and Vincent Van Gopher, two towns furs who had a stake in the produce that would produce a wonderful soup, several strategies were undertaken.
After all the anti-pest methods failed to deter the determined bunny, a creative method involving chicanery and a set of stovepipes resulted in locking up the law breaking Leporidae.
Justice is a two edged sword, however, as the hungry hound had to (according to town law) feed the kin of those he put in the hoosegow...
So a bundle of bunny kits wound up eating all his soup.
Fin
Meanwhile
I wish our world had problems that were so rightfully resolved.
I'm retreating back to imaginary worlds like those of Terry Toons and Hanna Barbera because I find too much crossover with the troubles of our world brought viaTelegram and other social media by many fellow humans into the Fandom.
I may not attend events -- including FurPoc -- because of the "bad vibes" that pop up out of left field like a copper head and spits venom.
I wish all the negativity and hate could be left at the border, but since not, I'm only going to go to those places where disheartening trouble will not follow, for the time being.
When I'm in human guise, I can handle Human Challenges, but the whole idea of a hobby is that it is a diversion, so I'm not going where there is strife that is not the least bit amusing.
I reread "Searching the Stars" last night, and I've decided to shift pole stars.
Like Shartruce, I am traversing dark times into more peaceful valleys, at least for a spell. I will have to return, but not just yet.
Charlie went to visit his old friend, Deputy Dog via TV Land to that little Southern Town of yesteryear.
He was witness to the shenanigans of a "daganabit rabbit" who was pilfering vegetables from the garden of said law dog.
With the aid of Muskie Muskrat and Vincent Van Gopher, two towns furs who had a stake in the produce that would produce a wonderful soup, several strategies were undertaken.
After all the anti-pest methods failed to deter the determined bunny, a creative method involving chicanery and a set of stovepipes resulted in locking up the law breaking Leporidae.
Justice is a two edged sword, however, as the hungry hound had to (according to town law) feed the kin of those he put in the hoosegow...
So a bundle of bunny kits wound up eating all his soup.
Fin
Meanwhile
I wish our world had problems that were so rightfully resolved.
I'm retreating back to imaginary worlds like those of Terry Toons and Hanna Barbera because I find too much crossover with the troubles of our world brought viaTelegram and other social media by many fellow humans into the Fandom.
I may not attend events -- including FurPoc -- because of the "bad vibes" that pop up out of left field like a copper head and spits venom.
I wish all the negativity and hate could be left at the border, but since not, I'm only going to go to those places where disheartening trouble will not follow, for the time being.
When I'm in human guise, I can handle Human Challenges, but the whole idea of a hobby is that it is a diversion, so I'm not going where there is strife that is not the least bit amusing.
I reread "Searching the Stars" last night, and I've decided to shift pole stars.
Like Shartruce, I am traversing dark times into more peaceful valleys, at least for a spell. I will have to return, but not just yet.
20250817R1148
Posted 3 months agoPicnics Accomplished
The two picnics that were in the future in my last writing have now become memories of the recent past.
Both events were enjoyable, a meeting with fur friends, food and fun were had and pictures were taken to keep the events in fresh in memory for years to come.
The same but different
One younger fur I first met two years ago was a couple of inches taller and looked totally different. I shared a photo of our 2023 picnic and he didn't realize how much he had changed. I told him changes occur rapidly at first, but then they become more subtle and sneak up on you over the years and decades.
I have pictures like those of a younger me. In one picture, I was with friends, and we considered ourselves the three amigos; now one I speak to every couple of years and the other and I have no longer speak to at all.
Drifting In and Out
Times change, priorities change and interests change. Some of these changes draw us closer and others send us down different paths.
After the picnic, I had a serious conversation with one person about group happenings which had me desiring to wandering off to play away on my own again.
People do what they do, and for now I'm backing off and letting them be. I am, for now, falling back to my cartoon companions and more solo actiivties.
Two Dimensional Comfort
I rewatched a whole lot of Huckleberry Hound and the simple backgrounds and plots still amuse me almost 60 years later.
Cartoon conflicts are resolved with cleverness and slapstick comedy, up front and in your face, no behind the scene machinations and cruel behaviors that come out of a Kafka novel.
Just drawn that Way
I also did some drawing again, recently; just sketches studying a character I like who has twintails (they're hard to draw) and I made a quick sketch of us having sundaes in my local ice cream shop.
I like telling myself stories, even if they're just simple scenes of happy times. The little stories and pictures are small dopamine hits I can generate when needed, with no unwanted side effects or prescription needed.
Time to Recharge
There is a lot I have to chew on given the recent events and right now, I can do that best alone. How they may affect my course of actions to upcoming and future fandom events remains to be seen.
I am going to sit and think and let the dust settle, so I can see clearly before I choose.
Work in the IRL has been a challenge enough, I don't need more in my downtime.
The two picnics that were in the future in my last writing have now become memories of the recent past.
Both events were enjoyable, a meeting with fur friends, food and fun were had and pictures were taken to keep the events in fresh in memory for years to come.
The same but different
One younger fur I first met two years ago was a couple of inches taller and looked totally different. I shared a photo of our 2023 picnic and he didn't realize how much he had changed. I told him changes occur rapidly at first, but then they become more subtle and sneak up on you over the years and decades.
I have pictures like those of a younger me. In one picture, I was with friends, and we considered ourselves the three amigos; now one I speak to every couple of years and the other and I have no longer speak to at all.
Drifting In and Out
Times change, priorities change and interests change. Some of these changes draw us closer and others send us down different paths.
After the picnic, I had a serious conversation with one person about group happenings which had me desiring to wandering off to play away on my own again.
People do what they do, and for now I'm backing off and letting them be. I am, for now, falling back to my cartoon companions and more solo actiivties.
Two Dimensional Comfort
I rewatched a whole lot of Huckleberry Hound and the simple backgrounds and plots still amuse me almost 60 years later.
Cartoon conflicts are resolved with cleverness and slapstick comedy, up front and in your face, no behind the scene machinations and cruel behaviors that come out of a Kafka novel.
Just drawn that Way
I also did some drawing again, recently; just sketches studying a character I like who has twintails (they're hard to draw) and I made a quick sketch of us having sundaes in my local ice cream shop.
I like telling myself stories, even if they're just simple scenes of happy times. The little stories and pictures are small dopamine hits I can generate when needed, with no unwanted side effects or prescription needed.
Time to Recharge
There is a lot I have to chew on given the recent events and right now, I can do that best alone. How they may affect my course of actions to upcoming and future fandom events remains to be seen.
I am going to sit and think and let the dust settle, so I can see clearly before I choose.
Work in the IRL has been a challenge enough, I don't need more in my downtime.
20250712R0435
Posted 4 months agoJust Sitting
I've been doing a lot of navel gazing and being Mindful. I've been balancing what is good for me and re-evaluating where I spend my time and energy.
First and foremost is work. This is where my bread is buttered, so this is prime. I need to be rested and able to perform my duties.
Play is secondary; after a hiatus from IRL attendance of conventions due to reasons, I am slowly going back out to local meets and am exploring convention options.
Living in the Moment
I attended a Lunar Faire with a local group last month. We derped around in suit, pictures were taken and fun was had by all. My cousin acted as a handler as it was an outdoor public event.
I am going back to the fair grounds for a Normie Farm Fair later this month with my Handler -- his turn to take the lead.
Life is a Picnic
There are also a few picnics coming up with the Fur Groups I belong to. I angst over what to bring for the pot luck; I did Cornish Pasties last year, but they aren't for everyone.
I was considering Kare Pan (Curry Buns) but they are a lot of work in quantity and I've got a small galley. I don't like salads outdoors, but want to bring something healthy and fun, that can handle room temperatures.
Stepping out of my Comfort Zone Again
I was also considering MegaPlex again this year, due to FOMO and really wanting to go there, but I never got my real ID and I don't have a passport, so 22 hours on a Grayhound is a bit much this year -- maybe next year when I can fly.
I am seriously considering FurPocolypse -- a driveable bucket list level convention and I actually feel excited about doing it this year. That may be my big con and I may have a new fren to meet there IRL (see Challenge Coin below).
Time and Energy
You may note the early entry time 04:35 Romeo. I've been doing the old dog thing and napping after work. Yesterday (Friday) I fell asleep at 20:00 and got up at 01:30 as I had wanted to meet up with friends who are three time zones behind me so I got into VRChat refreshed and ready to party.
Challenge Coin
In a friends plus room I met a new attendee. He asked me if I was really a furry or just wore an avatar of one.
I said I was one and that I was also a gray muzzle (really a white muzzle, do to my advanced years, but that's not a thing). I then gave him my bona fides and then we chatted, talking about Anthrocon and Furry Delphia. I said I wasn't keen on the city of Brotherly Love for a convention (Nor was he for that matter), but Pittsburgh was more my town -- given my PA and Ohio Relatives (Coal Miners and Steel Workers).
I wetted a line in Lake Erie a few times for whatever was biting during childhood vacations and talked about the train ride around Horseshoe Bend.
Long story short, we may meet up in Connecticut at FurPocalypse.
Tales from Long Ago
The funnest part of fresh fibsh in chat is that they haven't heard tales of my ill spent youth and I get to amaze them with things we did in the 1980s as young and dumb adults before camera phones when the only photos of you were Polaroids and -- if unlucky -- maybe a mugshot from the police gazette.
We were in a Virtual Bar world and most were playing drinking games. I generally abstain from alcohol but I tell cautionary tales about being back in the days of Boiler Makers, Red Deaths and other cocktails that make 5% content Seltzer drinks look like something served at afternoon tea.
When I do imbibe, I mix up a grog with a double measure of "medicinal" alcohol in a fruit juice mixture (aka Torpedo Juice)
Maybe this is why I have so much trouble penning Charlie Stories: 45 years of my own life experience and I don't know how to put a cork in it to create stories for a dog that is just living his life as best he can.
I've been doing a lot of navel gazing and being Mindful. I've been balancing what is good for me and re-evaluating where I spend my time and energy.
First and foremost is work. This is where my bread is buttered, so this is prime. I need to be rested and able to perform my duties.
Play is secondary; after a hiatus from IRL attendance of conventions due to reasons, I am slowly going back out to local meets and am exploring convention options.
Living in the Moment
I attended a Lunar Faire with a local group last month. We derped around in suit, pictures were taken and fun was had by all. My cousin acted as a handler as it was an outdoor public event.
I am going back to the fair grounds for a Normie Farm Fair later this month with my Handler -- his turn to take the lead.
Life is a Picnic
There are also a few picnics coming up with the Fur Groups I belong to. I angst over what to bring for the pot luck; I did Cornish Pasties last year, but they aren't for everyone.
I was considering Kare Pan (Curry Buns) but they are a lot of work in quantity and I've got a small galley. I don't like salads outdoors, but want to bring something healthy and fun, that can handle room temperatures.
Stepping out of my Comfort Zone Again
I was also considering MegaPlex again this year, due to FOMO and really wanting to go there, but I never got my real ID and I don't have a passport, so 22 hours on a Grayhound is a bit much this year -- maybe next year when I can fly.
I am seriously considering FurPocolypse -- a driveable bucket list level convention and I actually feel excited about doing it this year. That may be my big con and I may have a new fren to meet there IRL (see Challenge Coin below).
Time and Energy
You may note the early entry time 04:35 Romeo. I've been doing the old dog thing and napping after work. Yesterday (Friday) I fell asleep at 20:00 and got up at 01:30 as I had wanted to meet up with friends who are three time zones behind me so I got into VRChat refreshed and ready to party.
Challenge Coin
In a friends plus room I met a new attendee. He asked me if I was really a furry or just wore an avatar of one.
I said I was one and that I was also a gray muzzle (really a white muzzle, do to my advanced years, but that's not a thing). I then gave him my bona fides and then we chatted, talking about Anthrocon and Furry Delphia. I said I wasn't keen on the city of Brotherly Love for a convention (Nor was he for that matter), but Pittsburgh was more my town -- given my PA and Ohio Relatives (Coal Miners and Steel Workers).
I wetted a line in Lake Erie a few times for whatever was biting during childhood vacations and talked about the train ride around Horseshoe Bend.
Long story short, we may meet up in Connecticut at FurPocalypse.
Tales from Long Ago
The funnest part of fresh fibsh in chat is that they haven't heard tales of my ill spent youth and I get to amaze them with things we did in the 1980s as young and dumb adults before camera phones when the only photos of you were Polaroids and -- if unlucky -- maybe a mugshot from the police gazette.
We were in a Virtual Bar world and most were playing drinking games. I generally abstain from alcohol but I tell cautionary tales about being back in the days of Boiler Makers, Red Deaths and other cocktails that make 5% content Seltzer drinks look like something served at afternoon tea.
When I do imbibe, I mix up a grog with a double measure of "medicinal" alcohol in a fruit juice mixture (aka Torpedo Juice)
Maybe this is why I have so much trouble penning Charlie Stories: 45 years of my own life experience and I don't know how to put a cork in it to create stories for a dog that is just living his life as best he can.
20250607R1400
Posted 5 months agoStill Here
I've taken a seat back in the Peanut Gallery again and have just been reading, chatting in the Telegrams and Discords I belong to, and am thinking about life and what I'm doing Now.
The weekend weather has been rainy recently and that makes my Old Doggo Bones hurt. I have had to sit up in the middle of the night a few times this week.
After padding around the apartment and having a cup of tea or Miso soup and watching a little TV, I would go back to bed and to push myself to work with under four hours of sleep.
Less Active
I passed on a Pinball meet last weekend as I wasn't up to it after my sleepless work week days, and this weekend is going to rain off and on. I got up near noon today try after trying to "catch up" on my sleep -- after being up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night -- and took a quick trip to the market. That's enough for now.
Lost in Reading
I did some reading last night during my sleepless hours: I re-read The Little Beirut series by Miles Larson -- about a narcissistic newscaster Tanuki at the apex of his career in Oregon and the people in his orbit: director Black Bear Nicola, camera fur Racoon Billy, and off again, on again lover, a hare named Penny.
This was one of the first furry novels I found and Miles is a good artist. We had some discussions about how anthros adapt to human based tech (automobiles, computer, cameras) and deal with anthro specific issues (special fur traps for showers to prevent clogs, shedding and the issues of fur care [grooming, but having to mind phrasing for clarification]). Even details about how the anti-hero Walther's tail goes numb if he sits on it the wrong way.
Furry World Parameters
The above story and things like BNA and Zootopia (as well as Hanna Barbera cartoons) set my world view of furries and where Charlie would live and work: just a world with a range of sentient species, doing normal 20th century things. I can even regress to an earlier time and I have explored a 19th Century agrarian / seafaring life thanks to the influence of Vixyy Fox and Scanectity 's Valley.
IRL, I had worked towards a life in the Navy, and fantasized about being a carrier pilot; sadly my body kept me out of service, but I am still enamored with the romance of propeller driven aircraft and ships from the age of sail.
Don Knott's "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" about a man turned talking fish was an early story that influenced me. This fit in with my Dad's WW2 Pacific service in the rear area and all the SNAFUs and FUBARs that he related -- Yes Commander Binghamton, they did drain alcohol off the torps for "Jungle Juice" and coconut tops and grass skirts were broken out soon after -- could have come from a McHale's Navy episode.
Little Charlie Wants to Fly
Before and after WW2, my uncle and father built flying models (Bananna Oil!). A family treasure was a control-line F-6-F Hellcat my uncle built; said uncle died early and his plane was the measuring stick of every model aircraft I ever built.
The Blue Max came out in 1966 -- about the rise of a WW1 German pilot, and I recall being fascinated with the dogfights of those fabric covered machines (I had started constructing tissue covered wings about that time) and 1968 was the 50th anniversary of the end of the Great war, and around that time, I found out about Snoopy and the Red Barron.
Snoopy and the Red Barron (Charles M. Schultz) ignited my love of romanticized WW1 aircraft. I built many Guillow's WW1 aircraft including the Sopwith Camel and a Fokker D-8, but never a DR-1 (the tri-plane).
I did play the grooves off the Royal Guardsmen's single "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" and then "Snoopy's Christmas," and watched the Peanuts cartoons broadcast on TV featuring Snoopy pretending to be a WW1 Combat Ace on the top of his dog house -- first in "A Boy Named Charlie Brown."
Building flying models and a few hops in civilian aircraft at air shows were as far as I ever got with aviation.
My focus shifted and I looked for a way of earning a living, and computers became a part of the tools of my trade. I then found PC gaming in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I got to Fly in an X-1 and be chewed out by Chuck Yeager when I augered in and flew WW2 missons when Lucas Film software released air combat sims: Battle of Britian, Battlehawks 1942, and Secret Weapons for the 50th anniversaries of events from the Second world war. I was finally able to get chairborn.
Finally, VR in 2020 put me into a virtual cockpit and I could grab the joy stick and throttle and twist and turn, get a small taste of aerobatics and dog fighting -- without the g-forces and danger.
Old Soldiers and Furs...
I'm past daring do, and am not as enthused to game as I was. My eyes get tired quicker, and I now only play a hour or two several times a week, but I am glad for the technology that feeds my head. It's even better than the final scene of Soylent Green where an aged Edgar G. Robinson is put in an I-max theater type of room for his "termination".
I can now talk to Furs and interact with them in virtual worlds. This suits me much better than running to conventions and meets; I am knackered after more than a two hour drive and have little energy reserves after that drive to suit and play. Finally, the cost of things has reduced my fun money. The old wartime cartoon with Woody Woodpecker asking "Is this Trip Really Necessary" strikes a chord with me, and often the answer is "no."
Honestly, i am in a quieter phase right now, and haven't even been doing much in VR, as my schedule doesn't match up with many of the furs I know. I drop some messages and play on Telegram, Discord and X and that is enough for now.
I am conserving my energy, and focusing more on Being for now. I have to do things one day at a time, IRL, as I can't guarantee how I'll feel in the future. Work and chores takes up most of my energy, given my health for now. I am Accepting that and being Mindful of it.
Part of my Mindfulness is meditating on the impermanence of things.
10 years ago I was barely starting out in my last, best job to date. I just closed my mom's home and had no time for myself.
5 years ago I was just starting exploring The Furry Fandom, and came to widdershins with a long time friend over it.
4 years ago I was forced to move and began my journey alone.
And Now I am Grateful for what I have experience and Mindful of how the only thing that is constant is change.
My five year plan has me moving into affordable housing, but that is only a dream of what might be. TBD.
In Closing
I still love the Fandom and have forgiven myself enough over not learning to fly to where I have gone back to enjoying aviation movies, videos, and documentaries.
I don't need to be physically involved to appreciate things and this is a lesson I am taking forward with me in my journey.
I Ain't Done Yet
I am changing, however, and have come to accept the latest version of me. Something I couldn't do earlier in my journey.
Until next time
I've taken a seat back in the Peanut Gallery again and have just been reading, chatting in the Telegrams and Discords I belong to, and am thinking about life and what I'm doing Now.
The weekend weather has been rainy recently and that makes my Old Doggo Bones hurt. I have had to sit up in the middle of the night a few times this week.
After padding around the apartment and having a cup of tea or Miso soup and watching a little TV, I would go back to bed and to push myself to work with under four hours of sleep.
Less Active
I passed on a Pinball meet last weekend as I wasn't up to it after my sleepless work week days, and this weekend is going to rain off and on. I got up near noon today try after trying to "catch up" on my sleep -- after being up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night -- and took a quick trip to the market. That's enough for now.
Lost in Reading
I did some reading last night during my sleepless hours: I re-read The Little Beirut series by Miles Larson -- about a narcissistic newscaster Tanuki at the apex of his career in Oregon and the people in his orbit: director Black Bear Nicola, camera fur Racoon Billy, and off again, on again lover, a hare named Penny.
This was one of the first furry novels I found and Miles is a good artist. We had some discussions about how anthros adapt to human based tech (automobiles, computer, cameras) and deal with anthro specific issues (special fur traps for showers to prevent clogs, shedding and the issues of fur care [grooming, but having to mind phrasing for clarification]). Even details about how the anti-hero Walther's tail goes numb if he sits on it the wrong way.
Furry World Parameters
The above story and things like BNA and Zootopia (as well as Hanna Barbera cartoons) set my world view of furries and where Charlie would live and work: just a world with a range of sentient species, doing normal 20th century things. I can even regress to an earlier time and I have explored a 19th Century agrarian / seafaring life thanks to the influence of Vixyy Fox and Scanectity 's Valley.
IRL, I had worked towards a life in the Navy, and fantasized about being a carrier pilot; sadly my body kept me out of service, but I am still enamored with the romance of propeller driven aircraft and ships from the age of sail.
Don Knott's "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" about a man turned talking fish was an early story that influenced me. This fit in with my Dad's WW2 Pacific service in the rear area and all the SNAFUs and FUBARs that he related -- Yes Commander Binghamton, they did drain alcohol off the torps for "Jungle Juice" and coconut tops and grass skirts were broken out soon after -- could have come from a McHale's Navy episode.
Little Charlie Wants to Fly
Before and after WW2, my uncle and father built flying models (Bananna Oil!). A family treasure was a control-line F-6-F Hellcat my uncle built; said uncle died early and his plane was the measuring stick of every model aircraft I ever built.
The Blue Max came out in 1966 -- about the rise of a WW1 German pilot, and I recall being fascinated with the dogfights of those fabric covered machines (I had started constructing tissue covered wings about that time) and 1968 was the 50th anniversary of the end of the Great war, and around that time, I found out about Snoopy and the Red Barron.
Snoopy and the Red Barron (Charles M. Schultz) ignited my love of romanticized WW1 aircraft. I built many Guillow's WW1 aircraft including the Sopwith Camel and a Fokker D-8, but never a DR-1 (the tri-plane).
I did play the grooves off the Royal Guardsmen's single "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" and then "Snoopy's Christmas," and watched the Peanuts cartoons broadcast on TV featuring Snoopy pretending to be a WW1 Combat Ace on the top of his dog house -- first in "A Boy Named Charlie Brown."
Building flying models and a few hops in civilian aircraft at air shows were as far as I ever got with aviation.
My focus shifted and I looked for a way of earning a living, and computers became a part of the tools of my trade. I then found PC gaming in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I got to Fly in an X-1 and be chewed out by Chuck Yeager when I augered in and flew WW2 missons when Lucas Film software released air combat sims: Battle of Britian, Battlehawks 1942, and Secret Weapons for the 50th anniversaries of events from the Second world war. I was finally able to get chairborn.
Finally, VR in 2020 put me into a virtual cockpit and I could grab the joy stick and throttle and twist and turn, get a small taste of aerobatics and dog fighting -- without the g-forces and danger.
Old Soldiers and Furs...
I'm past daring do, and am not as enthused to game as I was. My eyes get tired quicker, and I now only play a hour or two several times a week, but I am glad for the technology that feeds my head. It's even better than the final scene of Soylent Green where an aged Edgar G. Robinson is put in an I-max theater type of room for his "termination".
I can now talk to Furs and interact with them in virtual worlds. This suits me much better than running to conventions and meets; I am knackered after more than a two hour drive and have little energy reserves after that drive to suit and play. Finally, the cost of things has reduced my fun money. The old wartime cartoon with Woody Woodpecker asking "Is this Trip Really Necessary" strikes a chord with me, and often the answer is "no."
Honestly, i am in a quieter phase right now, and haven't even been doing much in VR, as my schedule doesn't match up with many of the furs I know. I drop some messages and play on Telegram, Discord and X and that is enough for now.
I am conserving my energy, and focusing more on Being for now. I have to do things one day at a time, IRL, as I can't guarantee how I'll feel in the future. Work and chores takes up most of my energy, given my health for now. I am Accepting that and being Mindful of it.
Part of my Mindfulness is meditating on the impermanence of things.
10 years ago I was barely starting out in my last, best job to date. I just closed my mom's home and had no time for myself.
5 years ago I was just starting exploring The Furry Fandom, and came to widdershins with a long time friend over it.
4 years ago I was forced to move and began my journey alone.
And Now I am Grateful for what I have experience and Mindful of how the only thing that is constant is change.
My five year plan has me moving into affordable housing, but that is only a dream of what might be. TBD.
In Closing
I still love the Fandom and have forgiven myself enough over not learning to fly to where I have gone back to enjoying aviation movies, videos, and documentaries.
I don't need to be physically involved to appreciate things and this is a lesson I am taking forward with me in my journey.
I Ain't Done Yet
I am changing, however, and have come to accept the latest version of me. Something I couldn't do earlier in my journey.
Until next time
20250507R1410
Posted 6 months agoWELCOME BACK FUR AFFINITY
I was so missing posting stuff. Fortunately read only kept me placated looking at new things.
I'm sure there going to be tons of uploads, but I can't help but join in to shake down the new system.
Is This Thing On?
Microphone tapping and listening for feedback. Ahem. I'm damning the torpedoes and going full speed ahead.
It's furry season
In NJ, there were three events going on: Garden State Fur the Weekend, and The Big One (TBO) in central NJ, and Furgeddaboutit more Southwest NJ. Are you Attending conventions?
I'm sat mine out due to reasons, but there was a VR Portal for people to use to look in at the TBO. I peeked in and sent telegram messages to frens I saw.
Shades of Romper Room and the Magic Mirror [edit to reflect past tense from writing and additional thoughts]
Where have I been ?
Working to pay the rent, doing little sketches and waiting for when I can upload them,
I finished the Thousand Tales books and I just finished book one of Griffon Ranger, by Roz Gibson, about sentient avians (Griffons, Parrots, and others) and sentient grounds dwellers -- canines and what can only be a sentient raccoon type of Allie fur with a very catchy name -- that hints of an earthly origin back in their mythology.
Finally, I've been having FA withdrawal.
I'm hoping this journal uploads. Seems hopeful as other's have posted and I was able to make a comment to a prior post.
I just saw on the Discord and that things are up and running.
Hopefully FA Can Handle the influx.
I was so missing posting stuff. Fortunately read only kept me placated looking at new things.
I'm sure there going to be tons of uploads, but I can't help but join in to shake down the new system.
Is This Thing On?
Microphone tapping and listening for feedback. Ahem. I'm damning the torpedoes and going full speed ahead.
It's furry season
In NJ, there were three events going on: Garden State Fur the Weekend, and The Big One (TBO) in central NJ, and Furgeddaboutit more Southwest NJ. Are you Attending conventions?
I'm sat mine out due to reasons, but there was a VR Portal for people to use to look in at the TBO. I peeked in and sent telegram messages to frens I saw.
Shades of Romper Room and the Magic Mirror [edit to reflect past tense from writing and additional thoughts]
Where have I been ?
Working to pay the rent, doing little sketches and waiting for when I can upload them,
I finished the Thousand Tales books and I just finished book one of Griffon Ranger, by Roz Gibson, about sentient avians (Griffons, Parrots, and others) and sentient grounds dwellers -- canines and what can only be a sentient raccoon type of Allie fur with a very catchy name -- that hints of an earthly origin back in their mythology.
Finally, I've been having FA withdrawal.
I'm hoping this journal uploads. Seems hopeful as other's have posted and I was able to make a comment to a prior post.
I just saw on the Discord and that things are up and running.
Hopefully FA Can Handle the influx.
20250405R2010
Posted 7 months agoRadio Silence
I am busy living the happy little life I've curated, thus I haven't been around again.
I have read books 1-4 of the Thousand Tales series by Kris Schnee -- about Uploaded Intelligence with anthro characters (of course) settling in to the virtual world.
I'm watching Parthenon, another UI story on Netflix, but more dystopian and how the uploads are revolting when they discover they are being enthralled.
Beyond that I've been enjoying Oknonomiyaki -- Japanese cabbage pancakes, and curry I make at home. I found a Asian grocer a few towns over and got a month's worth of provision.
I also rock out to Japanese Shamisen and other instruments played by anthro animals [Melodies of the Rising Sun] on YouTube and the listen to relaxing harp music by [Rabbit Footprints].
I seem less inspired to go to local furry events with the under 30s now, since they're more activity oriented, but I still love my anthros.
I'm not really doing the Shut-In thing, but playing quietly and Just Sitting. I enjoy feeding birds, my games, but work and chores come first -- after that I only have so much play in me.
Given the instability of things right now, I'm probably going to limit myself to local travel.
I am busy living the happy little life I've curated, thus I haven't been around again.
I have read books 1-4 of the Thousand Tales series by Kris Schnee -- about Uploaded Intelligence with anthro characters (of course) settling in to the virtual world.
I'm watching Parthenon, another UI story on Netflix, but more dystopian and how the uploads are revolting when they discover they are being enthralled.
Beyond that I've been enjoying Oknonomiyaki -- Japanese cabbage pancakes, and curry I make at home. I found a Asian grocer a few towns over and got a month's worth of provision.
I also rock out to Japanese Shamisen and other instruments played by anthro animals [Melodies of the Rising Sun] on YouTube and the listen to relaxing harp music by [Rabbit Footprints].
I seem less inspired to go to local furry events with the under 30s now, since they're more activity oriented, but I still love my anthros.
I'm not really doing the Shut-In thing, but playing quietly and Just Sitting. I enjoy feeding birds, my games, but work and chores come first -- after that I only have so much play in me.
Given the instability of things right now, I'm probably going to limit myself to local travel.
20250317R2000
Posted 8 months agoHappy St. Patty's Day
Meteorological spring has passed, and this year I've passed on the green bagels and beer (Begorrah).
I did have cabbage soup, but not the corned beef. I have a doctor's visit in six weeks (yearly checkup) so I'm doing my best to be good.
As a reward, I took the money I would have spent on carbs and got a new clock radio for my bedroom with a Bluetooth speaker. The old speaker's Li battery doesn't hold a charge anymore, so it has to be e-recycled. Too much work to fix it -- they glued the battery pack to the circuit board so that's a sign for me to let it go.
On the other hand, I'm still playing Hollow Knights and am about halfway through the walk through . I'm really amazed at having gotten good enough with the jumps and the timing to get this far. It is a small thing, but I feel like I'm playing at the top of my video gaming career.
I'm also nearing the end of the Heretical Fishing series by Haylock Jobson. The sentient animals are the real draw of the book -- an Isekai story of a protagonist who just wants to go fishing but life and magic gets in the way. In an approach that is drawn on Acceptance Therapy and Stoicism, Fisher -- the protagonist -- makes his way through the obstructions in a Mindful manner and embraces the magic of what is.
I, too, have been embracing the Magic, as Arthur C. Clark wrote, which is indistinguishable from advanced technology and I'm grateful for seeing antrho animals in kimonos playing the shamisen [Melodies of the Rising Sun -- YouTube], despite it being AI generated screen art.
I also love the semi feral sentient animals in the calming music videos from Rabbit Footprints, also on YouTube. I wonder though, how they obtain human goods -- clothes, tea services, and other household items up to and including human type homes in which they live.
These IFs (Imaginary Friends) provide background music while I work from home and their two dimensional existence is the type of magic that brightens my day. I prefer the cover to the contents of the book in these instances.
With warmer weather on the horizon I may venture out and meet up with my fur friends again, but not yet. For now, in my mind, I sit on the porch and rock with some other critters at a certain inn, enjoying the pastoral landscape and some coffee and biscuits (dream carbs are permissible) -- provided they aren't make by the hand of a certain fox; my teeth couldn't handle the pressure.
Meteorological spring has passed, and this year I've passed on the green bagels and beer (Begorrah).
I did have cabbage soup, but not the corned beef. I have a doctor's visit in six weeks (yearly checkup) so I'm doing my best to be good.
As a reward, I took the money I would have spent on carbs and got a new clock radio for my bedroom with a Bluetooth speaker. The old speaker's Li battery doesn't hold a charge anymore, so it has to be e-recycled. Too much work to fix it -- they glued the battery pack to the circuit board so that's a sign for me to let it go.
On the other hand, I'm still playing Hollow Knights and am about halfway through the walk through . I'm really amazed at having gotten good enough with the jumps and the timing to get this far. It is a small thing, but I feel like I'm playing at the top of my video gaming career.
I'm also nearing the end of the Heretical Fishing series by Haylock Jobson. The sentient animals are the real draw of the book -- an Isekai story of a protagonist who just wants to go fishing but life and magic gets in the way. In an approach that is drawn on Acceptance Therapy and Stoicism, Fisher -- the protagonist -- makes his way through the obstructions in a Mindful manner and embraces the magic of what is.
I, too, have been embracing the Magic, as Arthur C. Clark wrote, which is indistinguishable from advanced technology and I'm grateful for seeing antrho animals in kimonos playing the shamisen [Melodies of the Rising Sun -- YouTube], despite it being AI generated screen art.
I also love the semi feral sentient animals in the calming music videos from Rabbit Footprints, also on YouTube. I wonder though, how they obtain human goods -- clothes, tea services, and other household items up to and including human type homes in which they live.
These IFs (Imaginary Friends) provide background music while I work from home and their two dimensional existence is the type of magic that brightens my day. I prefer the cover to the contents of the book in these instances.
With warmer weather on the horizon I may venture out and meet up with my fur friends again, but not yet. For now, in my mind, I sit on the porch and rock with some other critters at a certain inn, enjoying the pastoral landscape and some coffee and biscuits (dream carbs are permissible) -- provided they aren't make by the hand of a certain fox; my teeth couldn't handle the pressure.
20250213R1330
Posted 9 months agoComing Out of Hibernation
We still have another month of winter weather according to the groundhog
My right ankle is a barometer and wakes me up with weather shifts, and I have to walk it off when the pressure changes at night and we get a cold spell or rain / snow / ice, so it seems spot on.
However, I am starting to rouse with the warmer days.
Dinner with Furs
I attended a local group’s dinner at a diner – not a suiting event (that was later at a local gathering place, but I did not participate [it was a work night and a bit of a hike]), but like minds eating and chatting was pleasant enough. I haven’t been going out too often, so this was an enjoyable meet.
Lost in the Fungal Wastes
To pass the time when it’s less nice, over the past six weeks, I’ve put in about sixty hours on Hollow Knight, a 2D platformer on PC, and a lot of it was multiple attempts at bosses. I am still stuck on the Mantis Lords, but I am learning.
I used to find cheat codes for my PS2 to play the games with impunity, but since I am too lazy to change data files, I have decided to improve and learn how not to die in-game.
And for Something Completely Different
When that gets too frustrating, I have Walkabout Mini Golf for my Oculus and I have also been following along on YouTube doing some gentle Tai Chi to get my movements in.
I have also been feeding the birds; they gather outside my window and I watch them while I have my coffee in the moments before I get to work.
Besides that I am doing my usual TV viewing – I am almost all caught up on my Star Trek series, and my nightly reading. I have almost finished another series.
So it’s been a pretty active winter, thus far. The electric bill was killer (My apartment is all electric), so that’s another dip into my fun money, but one that was planned for. So fun closer to home is more the order of the season.
We still have another month of winter weather according to the groundhog
My right ankle is a barometer and wakes me up with weather shifts, and I have to walk it off when the pressure changes at night and we get a cold spell or rain / snow / ice, so it seems spot on.
However, I am starting to rouse with the warmer days.
Dinner with Furs
I attended a local group’s dinner at a diner – not a suiting event (that was later at a local gathering place, but I did not participate [it was a work night and a bit of a hike]), but like minds eating and chatting was pleasant enough. I haven’t been going out too often, so this was an enjoyable meet.
Lost in the Fungal Wastes
To pass the time when it’s less nice, over the past six weeks, I’ve put in about sixty hours on Hollow Knight, a 2D platformer on PC, and a lot of it was multiple attempts at bosses. I am still stuck on the Mantis Lords, but I am learning.
I used to find cheat codes for my PS2 to play the games with impunity, but since I am too lazy to change data files, I have decided to improve and learn how not to die in-game.
And for Something Completely Different
When that gets too frustrating, I have Walkabout Mini Golf for my Oculus and I have also been following along on YouTube doing some gentle Tai Chi to get my movements in.
I have also been feeding the birds; they gather outside my window and I watch them while I have my coffee in the moments before I get to work.
Besides that I am doing my usual TV viewing – I am almost all caught up on my Star Trek series, and my nightly reading. I have almost finished another series.
So it’s been a pretty active winter, thus far. The electric bill was killer (My apartment is all electric), so that’s another dip into my fun money, but one that was planned for. So fun closer to home is more the order of the season.
20250103R1800
Posted 10 months agoHappy 2025
Hopefully your new year is working out for you.
I'm still hunkered down for the winter, and still nursing a kennel cough, I picked up after Xmas, so I'm limiting my time out.
I passed on the furry New Years events the others were running to, and have been reading some great furry novels:
Big Bad Wolf Series, by 13 Pitch Black cats -- a soul reincarnated into a magical furry world and grows into their placement in a most dramatic way. I love how the author describes the difficulties of a human soul in an anthropomorphic canine's body and learning to play the hand they were dealt.
Rising World by Kris Schnee: Another reincarnated as a furry in a LitRPG type of format. A human takes over a young Todd's body after tragedy with an invention made by the boy goes horribly wrong. The new soul looks to make things right and introduce some earthly machines to the preindustrial magical world
I've also been drawing but not as much as I've wanted to. Getting a little tired after work and it's too easy to just watch TV.
In addition, I traded Hulu for Paramount Plus and have been catching up on all the Star Treks XD, and Halo and all the old TV dramas I like.
I did do a drawing and a detailed study based off of that today; totally dead at work, so I whipped up two sketches while I was waiting for assignments. The former drawing I posted on Deviant art as it was more about the scenery details (Racing set and bedroom) and I left the characters Anon. I did do a drawing of young Charlie as one of the Anon characters and posted it here.
As I've written before, I'm not up for chasing conventions. I will attend a select few but I am much more satisfied playing in the comfort of my own home. Also, the monetary increase for my lease for this year cuts further into my fun money, so hotel stays for conventions will be fewer and further in between. I don't mind as one or big events a year with a few local day meets; that is plenty of fun for me, as I can only play for so long.
That is the first three days of the New Year, for me, and it's alright.
Hopefully your new year is working out for you.
I'm still hunkered down for the winter, and still nursing a kennel cough, I picked up after Xmas, so I'm limiting my time out.
I passed on the furry New Years events the others were running to, and have been reading some great furry novels:
Big Bad Wolf Series, by 13 Pitch Black cats -- a soul reincarnated into a magical furry world and grows into their placement in a most dramatic way. I love how the author describes the difficulties of a human soul in an anthropomorphic canine's body and learning to play the hand they were dealt.
Rising World by Kris Schnee: Another reincarnated as a furry in a LitRPG type of format. A human takes over a young Todd's body after tragedy with an invention made by the boy goes horribly wrong. The new soul looks to make things right and introduce some earthly machines to the preindustrial magical world
I've also been drawing but not as much as I've wanted to. Getting a little tired after work and it's too easy to just watch TV.
In addition, I traded Hulu for Paramount Plus and have been catching up on all the Star Treks XD, and Halo and all the old TV dramas I like.
I did do a drawing and a detailed study based off of that today; totally dead at work, so I whipped up two sketches while I was waiting for assignments. The former drawing I posted on Deviant art as it was more about the scenery details (Racing set and bedroom) and I left the characters Anon. I did do a drawing of young Charlie as one of the Anon characters and posted it here.
As I've written before, I'm not up for chasing conventions. I will attend a select few but I am much more satisfied playing in the comfort of my own home. Also, the monetary increase for my lease for this year cuts further into my fun money, so hotel stays for conventions will be fewer and further in between. I don't mind as one or big events a year with a few local day meets; that is plenty of fun for me, as I can only play for so long.
That is the first three days of the New Year, for me, and it's alright.
20241224R2000
Posted 11 months agoMerry Xmas my friends
Wishes of happiness for one and all
Broaster
Wishes of happiness for one and all
Broaster
20241120R1445
Posted a year agoFour More and We'll Reevaluate
Fall is sliding into Winter and it's getting cold outside. I may not be a bear, but when it gets dark early and the roads freeze I will go into a state of semi-hybernation.
I have one New Year's Eve event I may attend, with weather being the deciding factor.
Black ice on country roads with ditches instead of shoulders is not fun. Fortunately I work from home and have a local market and online shopping to sustain me.
When the Spring thaw comes, I will be poking my head out of my den again, soon after Punxsutawney Phil makes his predictions. I may then resume my furry meets and conventions in the Spring.
Meanwhile, I am going back to being an Internet Dog, roaming Telegram, Discord and Twitch channels, and looking in on X -- although a lot of furs have left it, I just don't want another social media program on my phone.
Over the Winter, I will be working on my art, trying to learn how to draw trees and grass, and shade with colors and maybe I will figure out how to do better line art with my digital art programs. I don't want to invest in Corel Draw or Photoshop; I'm going to see if vectored lines will work. (I also have adulting to do that takes me longer to accomplish as the years roll by)
Choices
Talking about money, I got the last of my refunds from the power supply, video card and RAM that didn't work out. I still haven't decided on what to do about a gaming PC; I've been looking at options, but I'm just not in a rush. I learned a little more about what I need, so I may buy a last gen gaming machine -- it will still be a step up from what I have. Meanwhile, I still have a lot of games I can play and I might revisit some good old DOS games, now that Steam has a link to GOG. My old computer will still perform adequately as my home office machine for some time.
I might get a new Fire Tablet for my reading pleasure, and to improve my Candy Crush and Soda Saga experience. My 2020 Fire7 is getting tired and sometimes the games crash.
Other Pass Times
I was looking at Webfishing, but the groups I wanted to join with on VRChat have already moved on to other games I'm not big on and voice chat has become more popular than VRChat so they can play their MMOs and let everyone watch and chat with them in real time on Discord.
Party Animals has also been abandoned by my groups, and I don't like joining up with strangers for a foursome -- as in Golf when you play by yourself, you are placed with three other players to fill out a group of four players.
Winding Up
So we're in the final stretch of 2024. The holidays will fly by and it will soon be a new year.
Hopefully things will settle down -- including my sciatica and piriformus; the latter has been a literal pain in the butt for the last month or so and has been making this old doggo a little more grumpy than he wants to be. Getting awoken several times a night with stabbing pains is a bother and darkens the mood. Even Pollyanna would be a bit Grumbley.
Fall is sliding into Winter and it's getting cold outside. I may not be a bear, but when it gets dark early and the roads freeze I will go into a state of semi-hybernation.
I have one New Year's Eve event I may attend, with weather being the deciding factor.
Black ice on country roads with ditches instead of shoulders is not fun. Fortunately I work from home and have a local market and online shopping to sustain me.
When the Spring thaw comes, I will be poking my head out of my den again, soon after Punxsutawney Phil makes his predictions. I may then resume my furry meets and conventions in the Spring.
Meanwhile, I am going back to being an Internet Dog, roaming Telegram, Discord and Twitch channels, and looking in on X -- although a lot of furs have left it, I just don't want another social media program on my phone.
Over the Winter, I will be working on my art, trying to learn how to draw trees and grass, and shade with colors and maybe I will figure out how to do better line art with my digital art programs. I don't want to invest in Corel Draw or Photoshop; I'm going to see if vectored lines will work. (I also have adulting to do that takes me longer to accomplish as the years roll by)
Choices
Talking about money, I got the last of my refunds from the power supply, video card and RAM that didn't work out. I still haven't decided on what to do about a gaming PC; I've been looking at options, but I'm just not in a rush. I learned a little more about what I need, so I may buy a last gen gaming machine -- it will still be a step up from what I have. Meanwhile, I still have a lot of games I can play and I might revisit some good old DOS games, now that Steam has a link to GOG. My old computer will still perform adequately as my home office machine for some time.
I might get a new Fire Tablet for my reading pleasure, and to improve my Candy Crush and Soda Saga experience. My 2020 Fire7 is getting tired and sometimes the games crash.
Other Pass Times
I was looking at Webfishing, but the groups I wanted to join with on VRChat have already moved on to other games I'm not big on and voice chat has become more popular than VRChat so they can play their MMOs and let everyone watch and chat with them in real time on Discord.
Party Animals has also been abandoned by my groups, and I don't like joining up with strangers for a foursome -- as in Golf when you play by yourself, you are placed with three other players to fill out a group of four players.
Winding Up
So we're in the final stretch of 2024. The holidays will fly by and it will soon be a new year.
Hopefully things will settle down -- including my sciatica and piriformus; the latter has been a literal pain in the butt for the last month or so and has been making this old doggo a little more grumpy than he wants to be. Getting awoken several times a night with stabbing pains is a bother and darkens the mood. Even Pollyanna would be a bit Grumbley.
20241102
Posted a year agoSo I Tried.
I put on my propeller beanie, watched the videos and cracked the case on my primary computer. Things did not go as desired.
After putting in new RAM and Video card, I was getting a warning beep from the tower and the prompt "check video cable"
I backed off, and tried the new power supply first with just the new video card and old RAM, ng. Next the new powersupply and the old RAM and video card, also ng.
To make life interesting, the lugs popped off the wi-fi module -- which is the size of a postage stamp -- and the lug posts are the size of a grain of salt. These old eyes and fingers were challenged in deed.
So, in wisdom I learned from building flying models, it was time to put the tools down.
I had a pleasant lunch and then I went to an office supply store to get a new HDMI cable, and some compressed air (mighty dusty after 5 years in that case, despite surface vacuuming).
I did a good deed and helped a couple of ladies confirm the laser cartridge they needed. I was dressed in a red tee shirt and tan chinos and I looked like a clerk, so I used my 1 score and 19 years of computing skills and lent a hand.
When I got home, I was rewarded by popping on the minuscule lugs and proceed to go forward. I restored the PC to the original build and (after blowing out the dust) it fired up nicely and the video display was crisper with the new cable.
So, I'm back to square minus-one with the parts; I will need to contact the sellers to see about swapping the power supply (since it couldn't even run the original configuration, I imagine it's DOA)
I hope I can return the memory, and IDK about the video card. Worse comes to worse, I will sell them as gently used.
Lessons Learned
1: Verify your own data. I trusted a YouTube video by a streamer with a high watch rate. He got the RAM type / size wrong in his Amazon shopping list, as I found out the hard way -- even though the store page said they would work as well, but throttled. Thing was, they had plastic sleeves over them and two wouldn't fit side by side that well, so I aborted the install.
2: Practice the procedure in your head. I watched the videos and knew the steps by heart; this made the scary step of changing the power supply a piece of cake
3: Outcomes are not guaranteed. So the power supply is red tagged and I will contact the seller, and I spent over five hours troubleshooting and reversing the build, but I DID restore the computer to original spec.
4: Take the Win(s)
A: I learned how a modern computer is assembled (haven't done this in 10 years) and I got the hands on in the attempt
B : I got to clean out all the fans and inside of the PC, and got a nice new video cable
C: Reaffirmed that clinging on to a desired outcome -- especially when it falls flat, doesn't do a thing for you, except spoil your day.
Sure, I had to sit with a cup of coffee and mull things over, but I wasn't kicking my toolbox (can break toe that way) or cussin' up a blue streak. I just let it be.
Other ways I'm Spending my Limited Amount of Time
In other news, I found another furry author in one of my telegram groups. I watch them now, even though I can't keep up with my reading list as it is. It's OK though, I just treat all these stories as choices at a buffet and nibble here and there as the mood fits.
Finally, I got silly at the retail store and got a pair of decorated deer antlers (with colored lights); I'm practicing my Shikairo dance for a holiday party I may attend in Kigu and Antlers
I put on my propeller beanie, watched the videos and cracked the case on my primary computer. Things did not go as desired.
After putting in new RAM and Video card, I was getting a warning beep from the tower and the prompt "check video cable"
I backed off, and tried the new power supply first with just the new video card and old RAM, ng. Next the new powersupply and the old RAM and video card, also ng.
To make life interesting, the lugs popped off the wi-fi module -- which is the size of a postage stamp -- and the lug posts are the size of a grain of salt. These old eyes and fingers were challenged in deed.
So, in wisdom I learned from building flying models, it was time to put the tools down.
I had a pleasant lunch and then I went to an office supply store to get a new HDMI cable, and some compressed air (mighty dusty after 5 years in that case, despite surface vacuuming).
I did a good deed and helped a couple of ladies confirm the laser cartridge they needed. I was dressed in a red tee shirt and tan chinos and I looked like a clerk, so I used my 1 score and 19 years of computing skills and lent a hand.
When I got home, I was rewarded by popping on the minuscule lugs and proceed to go forward. I restored the PC to the original build and (after blowing out the dust) it fired up nicely and the video display was crisper with the new cable.
So, I'm back to square minus-one with the parts; I will need to contact the sellers to see about swapping the power supply (since it couldn't even run the original configuration, I imagine it's DOA)
I hope I can return the memory, and IDK about the video card. Worse comes to worse, I will sell them as gently used.
Lessons Learned
1: Verify your own data. I trusted a YouTube video by a streamer with a high watch rate. He got the RAM type / size wrong in his Amazon shopping list, as I found out the hard way -- even though the store page said they would work as well, but throttled. Thing was, they had plastic sleeves over them and two wouldn't fit side by side that well, so I aborted the install.
2: Practice the procedure in your head. I watched the videos and knew the steps by heart; this made the scary step of changing the power supply a piece of cake
3: Outcomes are not guaranteed. So the power supply is red tagged and I will contact the seller, and I spent over five hours troubleshooting and reversing the build, but I DID restore the computer to original spec.
4: Take the Win(s)
A: I learned how a modern computer is assembled (haven't done this in 10 years) and I got the hands on in the attempt
B : I got to clean out all the fans and inside of the PC, and got a nice new video cable
C: Reaffirmed that clinging on to a desired outcome -- especially when it falls flat, doesn't do a thing for you, except spoil your day.
Sure, I had to sit with a cup of coffee and mull things over, but I wasn't kicking my toolbox (can break toe that way) or cussin' up a blue streak. I just let it be.
Other ways I'm Spending my Limited Amount of Time
In other news, I found another furry author in one of my telegram groups. I watch them now, even though I can't keep up with my reading list as it is. It's OK though, I just treat all these stories as choices at a buffet and nibble here and there as the mood fits.
Finally, I got silly at the retail store and got a pair of decorated deer antlers (with colored lights); I'm practicing my Shikairo dance for a holiday party I may attend in Kigu and Antlers
20241019R1720
Posted a year agoThe Final Stretch.
The last quarter of the Year is upon us: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Yuletide. A time for gatherings and cheer.
Conventions and Gatherings
In a furry sense: there is talk about FurPoc, MFF and then ANE (technically next year).
I am not going to any of these; however, I attended two local group picnics and there maybe be another. There is also a New Year's Eve party with a local group I will attend.
Dialing it in
With the announcement by Uncle Kage about limits on AC2025, I am feeling less inclined to travel to a jam packed convention, and I know I need a handler which I can never seem to manage.
Quiet play at home is more my forte. I enjoy my Telegram groups and voice chats on Discord, and want to do more VR Chat but my hardware needs improvement.
Upgrades
So I am pondering upgrading my 2020 vintage gaming computer with more RAM and a larger power supply and a better video card for the future.
I have the budget for the parts, but I am a little hesitant on cracking the case. I haven't done upgrades since my Win7 machine, and I never installed a power supply. It seems straight forward enough though.
There is a video showing the exact model being upgraded with an Amazon shopping list for parts -- which I have in my cart. I just need to watch it a few more times; it's mostly the "cages" and removing and reinstalling them in one piece in such a cramped case that seems most difficult.
Furs and Sentience
I have also been reading "The Furry Future" a collection of short stories about mostly genetically engineered furs being used in stead of humans for space exploration and in colonized worlds.
I continue to think about what is that sentient canids, rodents, avians and other species would do. Most of the tales seem to say the same thing as humans; they struggle against that which oppresses them
Can't we all just get along?
I know in story telling there needs to be a challenge for the protagonist to overcome, but somehow i wish there was a final peak in which the struggles stop. Surrender of desires and Acceptance of reality is the enlightened answer, but how do you get there from here?
The last quarter of the Year is upon us: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Yuletide. A time for gatherings and cheer.
Conventions and Gatherings
In a furry sense: there is talk about FurPoc, MFF and then ANE (technically next year).
I am not going to any of these; however, I attended two local group picnics and there maybe be another. There is also a New Year's Eve party with a local group I will attend.
Dialing it in
With the announcement by Uncle Kage about limits on AC2025, I am feeling less inclined to travel to a jam packed convention, and I know I need a handler which I can never seem to manage.
Quiet play at home is more my forte. I enjoy my Telegram groups and voice chats on Discord, and want to do more VR Chat but my hardware needs improvement.
Upgrades
So I am pondering upgrading my 2020 vintage gaming computer with more RAM and a larger power supply and a better video card for the future.
I have the budget for the parts, but I am a little hesitant on cracking the case. I haven't done upgrades since my Win7 machine, and I never installed a power supply. It seems straight forward enough though.
There is a video showing the exact model being upgraded with an Amazon shopping list for parts -- which I have in my cart. I just need to watch it a few more times; it's mostly the "cages" and removing and reinstalling them in one piece in such a cramped case that seems most difficult.
Furs and Sentience
I have also been reading "The Furry Future" a collection of short stories about mostly genetically engineered furs being used in stead of humans for space exploration and in colonized worlds.
I continue to think about what is that sentient canids, rodents, avians and other species would do. Most of the tales seem to say the same thing as humans; they struggle against that which oppresses them
Can't we all just get along?
I know in story telling there needs to be a challenge for the protagonist to overcome, but somehow i wish there was a final peak in which the struggles stop. Surrender of desires and Acceptance of reality is the enlightened answer, but how do you get there from here?
20240927 Hurricane Helene
Posted a year agoMy well wishes and my sympathies for those caught up in the weather.
That is all.
That is all.
20240920R2345
Posted a year agoJust Sitting
I took the night off tonight from computer games, watching Twitch streamers, or interacting with others on VR Chat or in Discord.
This night, I decided to step back and spend some time with a little Lynx I know, who has a penchant for feeling her feelings and speaking her truth.
I meet up with her in a quiet spot in my furry world; she exists in her own books and art, but willingly came to visit with me in my furry space.
Once we were there, in a lovely little grove, she reminded me to stop and to listen to my body and see how I was feeling inside. Once I acknowledged my feelings, I could then see if anything is needed to be said and chose the right words that express my truth and say them with loving intent.
I am Spread Too Thin
It has been too long since have been in my Furry Space. I am also sad that I have not been reading as many furry stories and spending as much time with the writers and artists I enjoy as I have in the past.
I miss going to these places, but I keep getting drawn to meeting with other furs in my human space, so my visits have been diminishing.
Those in my furry space understand this, and patiently wait, while I focus on social media posts, playing group games and undertaking activities with other furries in my human space.
I also offer this small explanation to those other artists who have maybe noticed my less frequents visits and comments and hope they understand as well.
This is the price of being a social animal, I suppose. We humans meet in a neutral zone, apart from our own imagined worlds, each in furry finery (suits, masks, ears, merch, and badges) and have a show and tell, but then we just drift back to more human topics afterwards. I wish there was a way we could just step through a veil and have our humanity blindfolded when we meet, but I don’t know how to make this happen.
So I have quite a full card for the first half of October. There are three events; I have committed to two of them that are closer to home—both non suiting picnics, and I am as yet on the fence for the third.
The third meet is a suiting event – of of two that occur each year, in the spring and in the fall with one of the first local groups that I joined up with. It is a private room affair, in an adult gaming establishment, where we eat and mingle in private and then have a small fur parade around gaming area and a group picture. It is what I have been doing in place of sleep away conventions.
The unavoidable fact is that my old body doesn’t roll like it did in my youth. I need to ensure that I am well rested for work. I need to keep my sleep hygiene in order to perform as my employer expects.
My eight hours of work comes first, until I can figure a way to live in my furry world – but even there the animals must toil to live. Thus I have even scaled back on listing to Twitch Streams while at work, as I am too easily distracted by the fun; I don’t have enough attention to pay to both my job and the stream.
So I am doing just the things that I am comfortable doing instead of over reaching for doing those that I feel are beyond my body and finances and may wind up affecting my livelihood.
I took the night off tonight from computer games, watching Twitch streamers, or interacting with others on VR Chat or in Discord.
This night, I decided to step back and spend some time with a little Lynx I know, who has a penchant for feeling her feelings and speaking her truth.
I meet up with her in a quiet spot in my furry world; she exists in her own books and art, but willingly came to visit with me in my furry space.
Once we were there, in a lovely little grove, she reminded me to stop and to listen to my body and see how I was feeling inside. Once I acknowledged my feelings, I could then see if anything is needed to be said and chose the right words that express my truth and say them with loving intent.
I am Spread Too Thin
It has been too long since have been in my Furry Space. I am also sad that I have not been reading as many furry stories and spending as much time with the writers and artists I enjoy as I have in the past.
I miss going to these places, but I keep getting drawn to meeting with other furs in my human space, so my visits have been diminishing.
Those in my furry space understand this, and patiently wait, while I focus on social media posts, playing group games and undertaking activities with other furries in my human space.
I also offer this small explanation to those other artists who have maybe noticed my less frequents visits and comments and hope they understand as well.
This is the price of being a social animal, I suppose. We humans meet in a neutral zone, apart from our own imagined worlds, each in furry finery (suits, masks, ears, merch, and badges) and have a show and tell, but then we just drift back to more human topics afterwards. I wish there was a way we could just step through a veil and have our humanity blindfolded when we meet, but I don’t know how to make this happen.
So I have quite a full card for the first half of October. There are three events; I have committed to two of them that are closer to home—both non suiting picnics, and I am as yet on the fence for the third.
The third meet is a suiting event – of of two that occur each year, in the spring and in the fall with one of the first local groups that I joined up with. It is a private room affair, in an adult gaming establishment, where we eat and mingle in private and then have a small fur parade around gaming area and a group picture. It is what I have been doing in place of sleep away conventions.
The unavoidable fact is that my old body doesn’t roll like it did in my youth. I need to ensure that I am well rested for work. I need to keep my sleep hygiene in order to perform as my employer expects.
My eight hours of work comes first, until I can figure a way to live in my furry world – but even there the animals must toil to live. Thus I have even scaled back on listing to Twitch Streams while at work, as I am too easily distracted by the fun; I don’t have enough attention to pay to both my job and the stream.
So I am doing just the things that I am comfortable doing instead of over reaching for doing those that I feel are beyond my body and finances and may wind up affecting my livelihood.
20240831R1510
Posted a year agoSAD
Seasonal Affective Disorder. I've been fighting my Fall Blues for about a month now -- ever since the first Back to School ads hit the screens in late July.
Per the list of symptoms, I've just been wanting to sleep and am very low energy.
Once the first white puff ball mushrooms sprouted on the lawn and the vibe started to shift into Autumn, I have been wanting to just curl up somewhere by myself.
Part of me still wants to go out and play but I'm exhausted within minutes: both physically and emotionally. All I can do is keep pushing my envelope but closer to home.
Reaching Out and Keeping in Touch
I plan to use the VR Portal and peek in at Megaplex in a bit.
I tried a PvP Game one of my local furs runs on Thursday in VRChat, but I died within seconds. I'm much more comfortable in voice chat with my long time fur frens where I can sit back and listen to their banter and only chime in on occasion. I have the honorific role of "Grampa Dog" in their Discord -- a badge of honor I am ever so proud of.
Doing what I can
My right fit at the moment is just little moments. I just said hello to one of the Twitch Streamers I've subscribed to for almost 4 years. I don't get to watch as much I did, but his was a comforting voice when I needed it most. I have MegaPlex Twitch in the background, they're having the fursuit dance offs right now; it's so much easier watching it from the comfort of my own office chair.
If I would have pushed myself to physically travel to Orlando, I probably would not have braved the crowds nor had the desire to be in the audience.
I even passed on a picnic up North; a seventy mile drive and a day of being outdoors in the pollen -- hard pass.
So, in lieu of travel monies, I continue to support the Twitch Streamers I favor at home, the artists I like on Patreon, and now I've resubscribed to FA+ It's a way to say thank you for providing a platform for my fur art and rants and a small way to help it keep going.
Best way I can play at the current moment.
Seasonal Affective Disorder. I've been fighting my Fall Blues for about a month now -- ever since the first Back to School ads hit the screens in late July.
Per the list of symptoms, I've just been wanting to sleep and am very low energy.
Once the first white puff ball mushrooms sprouted on the lawn and the vibe started to shift into Autumn, I have been wanting to just curl up somewhere by myself.
Part of me still wants to go out and play but I'm exhausted within minutes: both physically and emotionally. All I can do is keep pushing my envelope but closer to home.
Reaching Out and Keeping in Touch
I plan to use the VR Portal and peek in at Megaplex in a bit.
I tried a PvP Game one of my local furs runs on Thursday in VRChat, but I died within seconds. I'm much more comfortable in voice chat with my long time fur frens where I can sit back and listen to their banter and only chime in on occasion. I have the honorific role of "Grampa Dog" in their Discord -- a badge of honor I am ever so proud of.
Doing what I can
My right fit at the moment is just little moments. I just said hello to one of the Twitch Streamers I've subscribed to for almost 4 years. I don't get to watch as much I did, but his was a comforting voice when I needed it most. I have MegaPlex Twitch in the background, they're having the fursuit dance offs right now; it's so much easier watching it from the comfort of my own office chair.
If I would have pushed myself to physically travel to Orlando, I probably would not have braved the crowds nor had the desire to be in the audience.
I even passed on a picnic up North; a seventy mile drive and a day of being outdoors in the pollen -- hard pass.
So, in lieu of travel monies, I continue to support the Twitch Streamers I favor at home, the artists I like on Patreon, and now I've resubscribed to FA+ It's a way to say thank you for providing a platform for my fur art and rants and a small way to help it keep going.
Best way I can play at the current moment.
20240817R2015
Posted a year agoPassings
Naturally FA has been rocked by the passing of Dragoneer. This is normal and they are another "empty chair" in our lives. There were other's this week, celebrities of the fandom and anime, and family members of furs that I talk to.
I started loosing relatives when I was three years old. My first remembered funeral of a dear one, my grandmother, was when I was ten. We loose people, pets, things, jobs, and status; those create holes in our life which are often covered over with grief, anger, sorrow and then, somehow we get up and carry on, or don’t.
It’s a shock to the system. Pets were the hardest for me; people, somehow – especially the “old” ones – were just going with the flow, but a kitten that darted out in the street at the wrong time and wound up under an old tree with a popsicle stick cross jammed into a mound of dirt was a personal affront to me, ( I was gas lighted accordingly about my role in it) and I watered that mound with countless tears.
So we learn Life is a roll of the dice. Amor Fati. Every time you open your eyes, it's a gamble. We either make our point or crap out (literally).
Step off the curb when a driver in a hurry is running the light and you're pushing up daises. Stay home, with your head under the covers and a microburst of a tornado hits your house and you're again pushing up said daisies (better luck next life). Sometimes it's your own body that's against you.
Rolling the Dice
So all you can do is open your eyes, get out of bed, make that cup of coffee or other favored morning beverage and get going. Where you’re going is you’re choice; but you’re a small sloop on the vast ocean of life. Sometimes it’s a raging storm you’re facing and you’re being blown off course, sometimes it’s dead calm and you have to wait for the winds. Even in calm seas you can hit a reef or experience another disaster. No matter what, it’s not likely going 100% the way you planned.
FOMO
In my local Telegrams, you can read all the chatter about who can make which conventions and the sadness and disappointment expressed in chat by those when they can’t. FOMO – fear of missing out and the manic flight of people from event to event and place to place – all trying to pack in “enough” before the curtain drops for the final time.
Yes, you only experience what is in front of you so it makes sense in a certain way of thinking to gather as much of it as you can, but those that want to push the river and turn back the tides are the ones who will be most disappointed.
Being Rather than Doing
So my last 18 months have been about enjoying what is in front of me instead of grumbling about what is not on the menu or out of season (Stoic reference to the Banquet of Life, Epicticus)
I may be past my traveling season (if I ever had one), but I can still get about locally and I have attended an IRL gaming night this month and I am attending another, a pot luck picnic, next week, and I have planned Events for October and December.
I mostly sit and watch the younger ones play and enjoy my food and drink at these events, but this is fine—unironically.
I try to share what little wisdom I have acquired with the younger ones, but they are often too busy chasing to stop and listen. It’s OK. There will be time, or there won’t.
Memento Mori
Naturally FA has been rocked by the passing of Dragoneer. This is normal and they are another "empty chair" in our lives. There were other's this week, celebrities of the fandom and anime, and family members of furs that I talk to.
I started loosing relatives when I was three years old. My first remembered funeral of a dear one, my grandmother, was when I was ten. We loose people, pets, things, jobs, and status; those create holes in our life which are often covered over with grief, anger, sorrow and then, somehow we get up and carry on, or don’t.
It’s a shock to the system. Pets were the hardest for me; people, somehow – especially the “old” ones – were just going with the flow, but a kitten that darted out in the street at the wrong time and wound up under an old tree with a popsicle stick cross jammed into a mound of dirt was a personal affront to me, ( I was gas lighted accordingly about my role in it) and I watered that mound with countless tears.
So we learn Life is a roll of the dice. Amor Fati. Every time you open your eyes, it's a gamble. We either make our point or crap out (literally).
Step off the curb when a driver in a hurry is running the light and you're pushing up daises. Stay home, with your head under the covers and a microburst of a tornado hits your house and you're again pushing up said daisies (better luck next life). Sometimes it's your own body that's against you.
Rolling the Dice
So all you can do is open your eyes, get out of bed, make that cup of coffee or other favored morning beverage and get going. Where you’re going is you’re choice; but you’re a small sloop on the vast ocean of life. Sometimes it’s a raging storm you’re facing and you’re being blown off course, sometimes it’s dead calm and you have to wait for the winds. Even in calm seas you can hit a reef or experience another disaster. No matter what, it’s not likely going 100% the way you planned.
FOMO
In my local Telegrams, you can read all the chatter about who can make which conventions and the sadness and disappointment expressed in chat by those when they can’t. FOMO – fear of missing out and the manic flight of people from event to event and place to place – all trying to pack in “enough” before the curtain drops for the final time.
Yes, you only experience what is in front of you so it makes sense in a certain way of thinking to gather as much of it as you can, but those that want to push the river and turn back the tides are the ones who will be most disappointed.
Being Rather than Doing
So my last 18 months have been about enjoying what is in front of me instead of grumbling about what is not on the menu or out of season (Stoic reference to the Banquet of Life, Epicticus)
I may be past my traveling season (if I ever had one), but I can still get about locally and I have attended an IRL gaming night this month and I am attending another, a pot luck picnic, next week, and I have planned Events for October and December.
I mostly sit and watch the younger ones play and enjoy my food and drink at these events, but this is fine—unironically.
I try to share what little wisdom I have acquired with the younger ones, but they are often too busy chasing to stop and listen. It’s OK. There will be time, or there won’t.
Memento Mori
20240807R1330
Posted a year agoClear skies & Tail winds Dragoneer
Many thanks. You are loved.
My condolences .
Many thanks. You are loved.
My condolences .
20240725R2200
Posted a year agoLimitations
After going to a few local events over the past several weeks and pushing my envelope, I am using a bit of discretion and slowing my roll.
Furry convention season is in full swing and everyone is looking to put notches on their belts: stating how many cons you are attending is the status game, and if you have the means to do so, bless you; however, for those of us that are limited, we enjoy what we can in our own way.
It is with some regret that I have decided not to go to MegaPlex and I have not made plans for FurPocolypse. I was never a traveler and pushing myself with these local events has shown I may be better off skipping the long distance stuff (at least for now).
I travel alone and I doubt my ability to handle air travel (the hours at the airport and lugging my baggage) and being on my feet for hours on end; I do have a physical disability, beyond being in my sixth decade, so there is that. Just driving for two hours and walking around an event for four hours is tiring. I haven't figured out how to tap into the fountain of youth, so when I start getting tired, I just need to bow out.
As a result, I have been playing more quietly, by myself -- especially in the high heat and humidity (really aggravates the Rheumatoid Arthritis). I have been drawing, toying with Ai (see my upload) and playing single player games while staying connected with my furry frens on social media.
I will be attending some selected local and virtual events, but even my hardware is starting to show it's age in large VR worlds and lags. My car is approaching the 100k mark, so I choose what I do wisely.
I'm not complaining, per say. I've actually had more fun in the last three years with people I never knew, but it's come a little too late for me to run rampant as I did in my younger days -- as I don't have decades to make up for my excesses as I once did. I just play when I can, work when I must, and rest when needed.
It's not a bad life, just a measured one.
Being referred to as "the eldery man" in a recent furry group photo at a diner by one that didn't know my face -- only my online presence (I wore my con badge for bona fides) was just a call to Memento Mori, but as they say in show business "I ain't dead yet."
After going to a few local events over the past several weeks and pushing my envelope, I am using a bit of discretion and slowing my roll.
Furry convention season is in full swing and everyone is looking to put notches on their belts: stating how many cons you are attending is the status game, and if you have the means to do so, bless you; however, for those of us that are limited, we enjoy what we can in our own way.
It is with some regret that I have decided not to go to MegaPlex and I have not made plans for FurPocolypse. I was never a traveler and pushing myself with these local events has shown I may be better off skipping the long distance stuff (at least for now).
I travel alone and I doubt my ability to handle air travel (the hours at the airport and lugging my baggage) and being on my feet for hours on end; I do have a physical disability, beyond being in my sixth decade, so there is that. Just driving for two hours and walking around an event for four hours is tiring. I haven't figured out how to tap into the fountain of youth, so when I start getting tired, I just need to bow out.
As a result, I have been playing more quietly, by myself -- especially in the high heat and humidity (really aggravates the Rheumatoid Arthritis). I have been drawing, toying with Ai (see my upload) and playing single player games while staying connected with my furry frens on social media.
I will be attending some selected local and virtual events, but even my hardware is starting to show it's age in large VR worlds and lags. My car is approaching the 100k mark, so I choose what I do wisely.
I'm not complaining, per say. I've actually had more fun in the last three years with people I never knew, but it's come a little too late for me to run rampant as I did in my younger days -- as I don't have decades to make up for my excesses as I once did. I just play when I can, work when I must, and rest when needed.
It's not a bad life, just a measured one.
Being referred to as "the eldery man" in a recent furry group photo at a diner by one that didn't know my face -- only my online presence (I wore my con badge for bona fides) was just a call to Memento Mori, but as they say in show business "I ain't dead yet."
20240704R2130
Posted a year agoRed, White, and Black and Blue
Independence Day (July 4th) Holiday for us in the United States, and I spent mine organizing my sketchbooks, watching some videos on digital art topics, and making a digital sketch book journal entry.
Today was the opening of Anthro Con and I followed the progress of local furs on their arrival to and checking into the Weston. A lot of it reminded me of my visit in 2022. It also reminded me how tired I was and how glad I was to get to my room after driving 500 miles to Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, on my day off, I'm preparing for a Historical Walk with a local fur Group on Saturday. We're inspecting a few points of interest in a nearby town and then topping the day with some cheese steaks from a lauded purveyor of said sandwiches. Hopefully I'll have some photos of this event to share; unlike from the Pride event which I went to earlier in the month.
I normally transfer the pictures I take from events onto my computer from my phone and then erase them from the phone (I back up my hard drive regularly) ; however, I failed to do so for the Pride event
I deleted the pictures I took -- as most were a little fuzzy, as it' hard to proof them on the phone, in the sunlight. I'm seriously considering getting a mourning hat with a black out veil around it so I can see how my pictures came out. That said, I only have my own memory, so I did a little sketch with a narrative to commemorate the unusual culmination to that day.
After fur suiting and walking around the historic section (fur head off and cane steadying me in order to navigate the cobble stone streets and dippy sidewalks) for several hours, I headed home. I was the only fur suiter there, and no one from my group came and the event was winding down.
I had shared in a lot of hugs and pictures, did my shy peekaboo pantomime for the littlest ones (one caregiver said their little one was reaching for me as I went on about my business) and it was a good day all in all.
So I was quite happy when I got back to my apartment and I didn't bother with my cane when I was unloading my fur suit -- which I keep in a blue laundry bag, and haul on my shoulder, like a sea bag.
When I stepped up from the lot onto the curb, both knees gave out. I went down with a fwump on the grass and wound up in a downward dog position but on my hands and knees. The sudden loss in altitude and the hard landing had me perplexed. How did I get there?
The answer was I overdid. I played like I did 20 years ago and the body said enough. I wasn't hurt, just reminded I'm not a young pup anymore. (The knees were bruised a bit though, tbh).
So, this is weighing on me for future sleep away cons. Furpocalypse in Stamford is sold out and while I could drive and navigate a city to which I've never been, I'm more wanting to go to MegaPlex.
But therein is the rub: Can this old dog navigate two airports, a car rental / or multiple Uber trips / and the hustle and bustle of the convention with no one in reserve to bail me out?
I've been provincial most of my life, traveling only once to Florida, in the passenger seat of a friend's car, with said friend obsessed in completing a non-stop journey, and this was 25 years ago. Things have changed and time marches on.
If I could have a sherpa with me to navigate the airports it would help. I know the old adage: Don't let fear stop you, but discretion is the better part of valor and is this trip really feasible (it's not necessary, but desirable)?
I initially decided to mostly be a digital presence in the Fandom -- and am active on a good bit of the furry Internet -- but being there is such fun and this being one of my few last hurrahs, I'm angsting over going and even sharing things IRL. https://www.deviantart.com/broaster07/posts
I can manage the expenses (rounded way up) and I have credit and cash reserves enough; however, it's just me and my shadow if I have to punch out and hit the silk. I'm sure I could recover and manage to find my way home, but I'm a bit of a scardy cat in a derpy dog's body at heart.
Independence Day (July 4th) Holiday for us in the United States, and I spent mine organizing my sketchbooks, watching some videos on digital art topics, and making a digital sketch book journal entry.
Today was the opening of Anthro Con and I followed the progress of local furs on their arrival to and checking into the Weston. A lot of it reminded me of my visit in 2022. It also reminded me how tired I was and how glad I was to get to my room after driving 500 miles to Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, on my day off, I'm preparing for a Historical Walk with a local fur Group on Saturday. We're inspecting a few points of interest in a nearby town and then topping the day with some cheese steaks from a lauded purveyor of said sandwiches. Hopefully I'll have some photos of this event to share; unlike from the Pride event which I went to earlier in the month.
I normally transfer the pictures I take from events onto my computer from my phone and then erase them from the phone (I back up my hard drive regularly) ; however, I failed to do so for the Pride event
I deleted the pictures I took -- as most were a little fuzzy, as it' hard to proof them on the phone, in the sunlight. I'm seriously considering getting a mourning hat with a black out veil around it so I can see how my pictures came out. That said, I only have my own memory, so I did a little sketch with a narrative to commemorate the unusual culmination to that day.
After fur suiting and walking around the historic section (fur head off and cane steadying me in order to navigate the cobble stone streets and dippy sidewalks) for several hours, I headed home. I was the only fur suiter there, and no one from my group came and the event was winding down.
I had shared in a lot of hugs and pictures, did my shy peekaboo pantomime for the littlest ones (one caregiver said their little one was reaching for me as I went on about my business) and it was a good day all in all.
So I was quite happy when I got back to my apartment and I didn't bother with my cane when I was unloading my fur suit -- which I keep in a blue laundry bag, and haul on my shoulder, like a sea bag.
When I stepped up from the lot onto the curb, both knees gave out. I went down with a fwump on the grass and wound up in a downward dog position but on my hands and knees. The sudden loss in altitude and the hard landing had me perplexed. How did I get there?
The answer was I overdid. I played like I did 20 years ago and the body said enough. I wasn't hurt, just reminded I'm not a young pup anymore. (The knees were bruised a bit though, tbh).
So, this is weighing on me for future sleep away cons. Furpocalypse in Stamford is sold out and while I could drive and navigate a city to which I've never been, I'm more wanting to go to MegaPlex.
But therein is the rub: Can this old dog navigate two airports, a car rental / or multiple Uber trips / and the hustle and bustle of the convention with no one in reserve to bail me out?
I've been provincial most of my life, traveling only once to Florida, in the passenger seat of a friend's car, with said friend obsessed in completing a non-stop journey, and this was 25 years ago. Things have changed and time marches on.
If I could have a sherpa with me to navigate the airports it would help. I know the old adage: Don't let fear stop you, but discretion is the better part of valor and is this trip really feasible (it's not necessary, but desirable)?
I initially decided to mostly be a digital presence in the Fandom -- and am active on a good bit of the furry Internet -- but being there is such fun and this being one of my few last hurrahs, I'm angsting over going and even sharing things IRL. https://www.deviantart.com/broaster07/posts
I can manage the expenses (rounded way up) and I have credit and cash reserves enough; however, it's just me and my shadow if I have to punch out and hit the silk. I'm sure I could recover and manage to find my way home, but I'm a bit of a scardy cat in a derpy dog's body at heart.
20240610R1345
Posted a year agoWhere's Doggo
I attended a Furry Art Jam picnic last month. It was a good time and I derped around in fursuit. Previewing the photos has affirmed my status as a background character.
Since I really don't perform and have mobility issues, I just go slowly and stay on level ground. I ambled in for the group photo but am mostly a still life out of scene otherwise.
Chatting and Drinking Coffee
My biggest activity is chatting: IRL at meets, in the Telegrams and Discord groups I belong to and in VRChat.
A lot of chatter is about who is going to what convention. AnthroCon is out for me this year -- as I've done that, and MFF isn't really on the table.
I might do FurPocolypse in CT, but it's a bit of a drive and then a bit of a cost for a room -- I will have to fish or cut bait soon for registration and hotel space.
Morning coffee and mornings in general are always opening topics to the day's chatter. It was slow today, so I did an Anon study of pouring coffee from the 4th wall
https://www.deviantart.com/broaster.....fee-1062306103
I haven't posted to Deviant Art for a while, so I did it as an faceless figure pouring the coffee.
I Just Want to Be Sedated
I was quoting The Ramones to someone about how I would need to be handled in order to get to AC or any sleep away con -- to be loaded on a plane and unloaded like air freight as the easiest way to get me there. (I'm still on the fence for MegaPlex).
I'm not sure if I have it in me to navigate modern airports and deal with Ubers and car rentals ( and also the cost that will be at least two months of my living expenses).
I've been talking to an Orlando based Penguin, but haven't solidified my plans.
More non Furry activities
A local fur group is doing a walking tour of one of the nearby towns looking at the Historical Sites and ending up at a Cheese Steak place (so good, but so baaaaad for me)
I also found an Air Museum I'm going to visit with my cousin.
Furs Just Want to Have Fun
I've been listening to a lot of Michael Singer (Untethered Soul) and I am doing my best to enjoy the life that I have; this means being true to myself and doing things my way -- and not trying to keep up with the young ones, nor having FOMO over what I choose not to do.
I initially decided I'd mostly be virtual in the Fandom-- and this seems to be my best path to remain active
During my banter, I do offer a grey muzzle POV: Lessons Learned Late and stuff they can't see in their stage of life (at least I couldn't). I do enjoy my play and I give back what I can -- even if it's only through cautionary anecdotes and such.
I attended a Furry Art Jam picnic last month. It was a good time and I derped around in fursuit. Previewing the photos has affirmed my status as a background character.
Since I really don't perform and have mobility issues, I just go slowly and stay on level ground. I ambled in for the group photo but am mostly a still life out of scene otherwise.
Chatting and Drinking Coffee
My biggest activity is chatting: IRL at meets, in the Telegrams and Discord groups I belong to and in VRChat.
A lot of chatter is about who is going to what convention. AnthroCon is out for me this year -- as I've done that, and MFF isn't really on the table.
I might do FurPocolypse in CT, but it's a bit of a drive and then a bit of a cost for a room -- I will have to fish or cut bait soon for registration and hotel space.
Morning coffee and mornings in general are always opening topics to the day's chatter. It was slow today, so I did an Anon study of pouring coffee from the 4th wall
https://www.deviantart.com/broaster.....fee-1062306103
I haven't posted to Deviant Art for a while, so I did it as an faceless figure pouring the coffee.
I Just Want to Be Sedated
I was quoting The Ramones to someone about how I would need to be handled in order to get to AC or any sleep away con -- to be loaded on a plane and unloaded like air freight as the easiest way to get me there. (I'm still on the fence for MegaPlex).
I'm not sure if I have it in me to navigate modern airports and deal with Ubers and car rentals ( and also the cost that will be at least two months of my living expenses).
I've been talking to an Orlando based Penguin, but haven't solidified my plans.
More non Furry activities
A local fur group is doing a walking tour of one of the nearby towns looking at the Historical Sites and ending up at a Cheese Steak place (so good, but so baaaaad for me)
I also found an Air Museum I'm going to visit with my cousin.
Furs Just Want to Have Fun
I've been listening to a lot of Michael Singer (Untethered Soul) and I am doing my best to enjoy the life that I have; this means being true to myself and doing things my way -- and not trying to keep up with the young ones, nor having FOMO over what I choose not to do.
I initially decided I'd mostly be virtual in the Fandom-- and this seems to be my best path to remain active
During my banter, I do offer a grey muzzle POV: Lessons Learned Late and stuff they can't see in their stage of life (at least I couldn't). I do enjoy my play and I give back what I can -- even if it's only through cautionary anecdotes and such.
20240506R0900
Posted a year agoPost Con Report
So New Jersey had an actual furry convention for the first time in a long time -- Garden State Fur the Weekend.
Hats off to all those who orchestrated this event. It went off quite well, despite having to change venues during the planning phases -- to handle the expected crowds.
It will be returning next year, and so will I, Dog willing.
You've got to Know Your Limitations
Conventions are fun, and this one had all the amenities -- panels, dances, more panels, card games, sketch book swaps, and the dealer's den, but I take my fun in small measures, as I tire out after a few hours, so I only day tripped this time around -- as I spent some of my convention money on a refurbished Quest2, instead of a hotel room.
New Tricks
I still haven't gotten the knack of taking pictures in suit -- I did see a set of paws with finger openings that would make life easier for human tasks, like operating my phone, so I may get a pair.
As in a museum, where a statue is defined as something you bump into when backing up to look at the paintings, I bump into stationary chairs and other furs when my head is on -- even when paying full mind.
I truly need a handler, but haven't found anyone willing to do the task.
I believe next time I will split my time in Suit and Out of Suit and maybe be more stationary with a sign asking for other suiters to take a picture with me; I have a tripod and remote shutter which would do the jo job nicely -- as oftentimes I have difficulties finding the few pictures I'm in online that other people take.
Virtual Dog
I used my recently purchased Quest2 to visit the VRChat Portal GSFtW ran; it was funny talking to people I was with, in furson, on Friday through the Virtual Portal on Saturday.
With my mobility, I believe playing a dog on the Internet, on social media and in VR may be my long term way of staying active. It's getting closer to being uploaded into the Simulation.
Other Fun
I allowed myself some con purchases -- a nicer set of clip on ears that happened to be in my colors (Clifford red with pink undersides) and a cooling fan I can stick in my muzzle to help with air flow.
Venn We Meet Again
Why did the furry cross the road? For chicken nuggets!
I broke for lunch and went across the street from the convention center to a little Irish Pub. While there, my ears perked up when I heard a debate about the rivalry between Bronies and Furries and why was there such rivalry. I was out of fursuit, but wearing my con badge, so I interjected myself and said it may be just cross-town rivalry, but IMHO, we're all Antrhop fans, but while all Ponies are Anthrops, not all Athrops are Ponies. I did tell them about Tim_Kangaroo and how I do like a little MLP myself, so we're not all in opposing camps -- a lesson we all can learn from: agreeing on different strokes for different folks.
Everyfurry and Everpony should get along, but that's life.
In Closing
So after a long and carb filled lunch, I was ready to decompress, so I headed home after a final round of fare thee wells and in doing so taking some extra steppies to burn off the food I overindulged in.
When I got home, Charlie got a wash and dry and I spent the weekend pondering my experience and how to do it better next time.
So New Jersey had an actual furry convention for the first time in a long time -- Garden State Fur the Weekend.
Hats off to all those who orchestrated this event. It went off quite well, despite having to change venues during the planning phases -- to handle the expected crowds.
It will be returning next year, and so will I, Dog willing.
You've got to Know Your Limitations
Conventions are fun, and this one had all the amenities -- panels, dances, more panels, card games, sketch book swaps, and the dealer's den, but I take my fun in small measures, as I tire out after a few hours, so I only day tripped this time around -- as I spent some of my convention money on a refurbished Quest2, instead of a hotel room.
New Tricks
I still haven't gotten the knack of taking pictures in suit -- I did see a set of paws with finger openings that would make life easier for human tasks, like operating my phone, so I may get a pair.
As in a museum, where a statue is defined as something you bump into when backing up to look at the paintings, I bump into stationary chairs and other furs when my head is on -- even when paying full mind.
I truly need a handler, but haven't found anyone willing to do the task.
I believe next time I will split my time in Suit and Out of Suit and maybe be more stationary with a sign asking for other suiters to take a picture with me; I have a tripod and remote shutter which would do the jo job nicely -- as oftentimes I have difficulties finding the few pictures I'm in online that other people take.
Virtual Dog
I used my recently purchased Quest2 to visit the VRChat Portal GSFtW ran; it was funny talking to people I was with, in furson, on Friday through the Virtual Portal on Saturday.
With my mobility, I believe playing a dog on the Internet, on social media and in VR may be my long term way of staying active. It's getting closer to being uploaded into the Simulation.
Other Fun
I allowed myself some con purchases -- a nicer set of clip on ears that happened to be in my colors (Clifford red with pink undersides) and a cooling fan I can stick in my muzzle to help with air flow.
Venn We Meet Again
Why did the furry cross the road? For chicken nuggets!
I broke for lunch and went across the street from the convention center to a little Irish Pub. While there, my ears perked up when I heard a debate about the rivalry between Bronies and Furries and why was there such rivalry. I was out of fursuit, but wearing my con badge, so I interjected myself and said it may be just cross-town rivalry, but IMHO, we're all Antrhop fans, but while all Ponies are Anthrops, not all Athrops are Ponies. I did tell them about Tim_Kangaroo and how I do like a little MLP myself, so we're not all in opposing camps -- a lesson we all can learn from: agreeing on different strokes for different folks.
Everyfurry and Everpony should get along, but that's life.
In Closing
So after a long and carb filled lunch, I was ready to decompress, so I headed home after a final round of fare thee wells and in doing so taking some extra steppies to burn off the food I overindulged in.
When I got home, Charlie got a wash and dry and I spent the weekend pondering my experience and how to do it better next time.
20240413R
Posted a year agoSpring is Here
I'm going to partake round of furry mini golf and then food with friends. It was a long winter, but I'm finally starting to thaw.
It's good to meet once and a while, and I've gotten too accustomed to staying indoors. Time to head out and touch grass (or artificial turf in this case).
Local events are in bloom, and more than one per weekend at this point. Just a matter of choosing what ones to to go to.
It's been work and rest and a few adult and IRL things, over the past several months, but I've kept my channels open, and now it's time to play.
I may not have puppy energy anymore, but I can pick my moments and enjoy a measure of fun.
I'm going to partake round of furry mini golf and then food with friends. It was a long winter, but I'm finally starting to thaw.
It's good to meet once and a while, and I've gotten too accustomed to staying indoors. Time to head out and touch grass (or artificial turf in this case).
Local events are in bloom, and more than one per weekend at this point. Just a matter of choosing what ones to to go to.
It's been work and rest and a few adult and IRL things, over the past several months, but I've kept my channels open, and now it's time to play.
I may not have puppy energy anymore, but I can pick my moments and enjoy a measure of fun.
