https://www.krtv.com/news/68th-sess.....he-house-floor

Yesterday, Republican state legislators voted to ban a duly elected representative from being a part of the legislative process after she objected to their hateful anti-trans laws. The Republicans have a super majority this year and have spent the last few months proposing and basing a swath of bigoted and anti democratic bills. Republicans have been getting more and more fascist, and this has pushed them firmly over the line.

I love showing people my state. the beautiful mountains and animals and more. But with the current legislature, I am calling on everyone to BOYCOTT MONTANA. Do not visit here. Especially if you are part of the LGBT community, your safety here is suspect. While they start attacking trans people, that same rhetoric is used to attack queer people of all stripes.

Also, if you agree with any part of what Republicans have done here this year, then kindly fuck off into the sun.

I just want to plug a good friend of mine,  blackdragon8186


https://www.twitch.tv/drunk_dragon_era
or
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_.....TEgfIbygzTEBVA

He is the DM for the game I'm in with my catfolk Nemqa who I posted recently.

He runs a second game in the same setting every other Saturday starting between 6 and 7 pm eastern depending on if people show up early or not.

It's an exciting game with good production and there's a recap each episode so you can jump right in.

When not doing Pathfinder, he streams videogames regularly. He's currently working through Pokemon Arceus.

Check him out, he really deserves more views and follows!

I'm expecting a boring week at work ahead, so you guys should give me questions to answer.

https://curiouscat.me/CoyoteBulge
https://curiouscat.me/CoyoteBulge
https://curiouscat.me/CoyoteBulge

I'm heading out to Furry Weekend Atlanta this week. Looking forward to seeing friends and just enjoying the con. Who else will be there?

https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....-monster-lands
 rgibson is a talented artist and writer currently working on getting part two of her book published, just a few more backers needed!
The first book was really good, and I hope that the second will reach it's funding goal.
If you're interested, you can get both books as part of this kickstarter.

The story is an alternate earth, where instead of humans, several other species have evolved intelligence. Gryphons are the power in the land, keeping watch far and wide.
Raccoons aid them, their dexterity allowing them to do many things the gryphons find difficult, in exchange for protection.
Parrots are much smaller and weaker than the gryohons, but they make up for it with cleverness and artifice. For the most part they keep to their own lands, but they have plans for more, and strange allies...

Please take a look: https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....-monster-lands

Apparently I only post journals once a year these days, seeing how the last one is FWA 2014!

Last weekend was Furry Weekend Atlanta. This is the fifth time I've gone, and the thrid different hotel. It's pretty astounding how much the con has grown in that time, necessitating the change in hotels.
This year took place at the Marriot Marquis, and was a much better setting than last year. The Westin previously had the con spread out over several floors and a lot of horizontal distance. Lots of escalators made it a challenge for fursuiters, and it was easy to get lost in general. The Marriot on the other hand was much more centralized. All panels and events took place on one floor, with artist alley and dealers den the floor below.
Elevators were a challenge, as always, but greatly helped by the con being on the bottom, so for the most part people were all getting on at the same point. The amount of people going down to go up decreased steadily over the weekend.
Another advantage of this hotel is that it was connected by skybridge to the Peachtree Center, basically a huge mall foodcourt. This was nice as it rained several days of the weekend.

I arrived Wednesday and met up with  kamatz, who was staffing the board game room this year. I hung out with him until  sunstreak,  mehndi, and  dinobutt arrived, who we were sharing a room with. We went to dinner at a local Indian place, (I think it was Havalli or something like that) a few blocks away. We always have had good food and service there. Especially this year, as we didn't arrive until nearly close, but they were still happy to serve us.

Thursday, Kam had to work the BGR, but the rest of us took a walk to the Aquarium. It was a lot more crowded than last year, but not bad. We spent a lot of time watching Whale Sharks and sea otters. Mehndi and Ash wanted to steal a whale shark, but we didn't think it would fit in the hotel bath tub. Headed back and waited in line to register which took forever, then went to dinner at a Mexican place.

Friday was the first day of con proper. I hit up Rukis and Gideon in the dealers den, and browsed around other places. I also played in the charity Poker tournament, but lost the two satellites I entered. The first one was on the very second hand. Trip Kings turned into a flush...and I lost to a full house against a guy with the fourth king. The second time was less exciting, though at the end I went All In and got refunded $10 in chips because I had more than the other guy that went All In. The blinds at the time were $50. We were going to join friends for dinner at the Meat Faucet, but couldn't get reservations and ended up at the food court instead.

Saturday I played in the X-wing tournament, which wasn't quite what I was expecting. Half the people there had not played before, so it was a very late start as things were explained and lists made. We got one round in, then stopped because it was Saturday night and everyone had better things to do. For dinner, Kam drove us out to the Marrieta diner, which was pretty cool.

Sunday we resumed the X-wing tournament, which was won (unsurprisingly) by  sablegryphon who is a very talented player. I lost to him, but I think I was the only one that managed to destroy any ships of his. Cleanup took forever as the con was closing down and we needed to pick up all the X-wing stuff as well as the board games. Then it was time to go to the Metro Diner, a nearby place with good food and great cake.

Monday sadly it was time to clean up the hotel room and pack up the vehicles. I made sure to book a later flight this year, so I was able to see everyone off instead of having to sneak out in the morning while everyone slept.

Once again we had a great room this year. Highlights include jelly beans, blood orphans (don't ask), round plush sharks, albino corgis, and secret art.
I'm already looking forward to next year.

Heading down to Atlanta tomorrow for Furry Weekend Atlanta! Looking forward to seeing lots of people there. I will even be putting some furry versions of my cryptex in the art show. I hope to see you all there, if you can make it.

Hey everyone, I just started this kickstarter for a wooden cryptex, suitable for holding dice or other appropriately small objects. Take a look, and please share with anyone who you think might be interested!

https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....tex-dice-vault

Thank you.

As mentioned previously, today is my birthday. You may begin cake and ice cream delivery immediately.

I turn 30 next Sunday, which feels like a bit of a milestone. Still seems weird to think that I'll be hitting three decades, so I figured I'd take time to summarize some things.

Overall, I feel I am doing quite well with my life. There are some things I wish were different, but such it is.

I went to school and obtained a masters in Electrical Engineering. I graduated just at the start of the recent recession and was unable to find a decent job. I regret not doing internships or other things to get my foot in the door somewhere. I eventually got a job working for the Montana DOT as a construction inspector. It's much more of a civil engineering field, but at least my degree has value with the career ladder and it's an easy job. After two construction seasons working part time, I was hired on full time. I worked within the career ladder and was able to get a promotion, followed a year later by a lateral promotion into a better career latter, and then up a rung. I am currently the lead inspector on a relatively large bridge project, and at the conclusion of this project I should be eligible for the final promotion level in this career ladder. It would take a bit to explain how it all works, but that would place me at the top of the payroll for this position. Anything else requires becoming a project manager, or a transfer to some other department.
While I could be making more money if I had a job in my field of study, I am proud that I've been able to make steady progress.

While working in this job, I was able to accrue enough experience to take the Professional Engineering exam, and passed it, so now I am a licensed PE, which while not immediately useful, is a great thing to have. And I can add letters after my name if I want! "Deko Puma, PE".

With a full time job, I was able to move out of a rental and into my own house. To be honest, I was tired of having roommates and really wanted a place to just be my own. It's a small place, but I love it. The best aspect is that I now have a garage, which gives me the space to get into woodworking. My dad has a pretty good selection of tools, and I was able to make a few boxes and things that got me interested. Now I've begun to build up my own collection of tools and really gotten into it as a hobbyist a lot more. Even more so over the past few months as I put up drywall and insulation in the garage to make it a bit more useable in the winter. I made a couple hardwood boxes for family and they went over well.

My other main hobby is Warhammer Fantasy. I'm lucky enough to have a really good game store here in town, so I've been able to play pretty regularly, and also do plenty of modelling. I am really pleased with how my painting has improved over the last five to ten years. People are impressed with what I can manage, and I even have several models I painted on display at the store.

So that is a decent summary of what I've accomplished thus far in life. Looking ahead, there's a few things I want to do.

One thing is travel more. I've been pretty fortunate (in a large number of ways really) to have been able to travel a decent bit. I've been to Italy and Germany, and I've been to most states in the US, but I hope to travel more. At the top of my list are Australia and Japan, but I would love to return to Europe, to visit France and England, and more.

Another aspect is job. As I mentioned, I have nearly reached the top of where I can go now. Any further progression would require becoming a project manager, which I'm not overly interested in (and a good thing, because they only have a vacancy when someone retires or moves elsewhere, so it'd be a long wait) or move to Helena and do some other job for the state.

I'd love to get a job more in line with my schooling (especially if it paid awesomely) but at this point, I think what I really want is to be able to go into business for myself. I love to make things, and I want to find a way to leverage that into something that can provide an adequate salary, but I've yet to find something suitable. I have a few ideas that I may end up putting on Kickstarter, but there's still a lot of edges to smooth out. Of course, if I do try to kickstart something, I'll be posting about it here.

Other future projects include writing. I have a ton of ideas for things. I'm not sure that I'm cut out to be a writer. Afterall, it's far, far easier to visualize something in your head than it is to put it down on words, but I need to try. I am working with a friend to try and keep ourselves going as long as we can. Again, if anything comes of it, I'm sure I'll let you know.

So, yeah, that's kind of a rambling summary of my adult life, I suppose, or at least those aspects that have come to prominence recently. As for birthday stuff, feel free to shower me with gifts, I'm not modest.

This guy looks like a pretty cool artist, and he's doing one of those fun raffle thingies. Come check him out with me.
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4840611/
 enaxn

 cadmiumtea, the artist I got Rough' It, Sinuous Visseka, and Baking With Dingos from, is having a contest over on their journal here https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4535947/
They're a pretty good artist, and definitely worth watching. And they do lovely preg stuff, which I know most of the people reading this enjoy. Anyway, check it out.

Heading out east to visit  kamatz for a week, then we'll both be heading down to Georgia for Furry Weekend Atlanta. Looking forward to it, it should be a fun trip, though I will miss a few people who sadly won't be able to make it this year. Anyone else I know planning on being there?

Birthday again today. Not too much to say, most of the past year was covered in the New Year's post, but I figure the date is at least worth a mention. Probably go out to lunch and stuff to celebrate.

Of course, you are welcome to festoon me with a plethora of gold and/or cake.

Current state: gravid.

But really, I wanted to do a year in review kind of thing, just like probably 90% of the other journals out there. It looks like 2012 has been a pretty bad year for a lot of people, but it actually turned out pretty good for me.

The major highlights include buying a house, getting a raise, and becoming a professional engineer. In that order, which is a bit backward, I admit, but oh well.

I closed a house and moved in back in January. Among other things, I was tired of paying rent with no return, and tired of roommates (Good guys, but after living together a few years,a lot of little things get pretty annoying). Having my own place is pretty awesome. The fact that I can decorate or renovate any way I desire is something that is still sinking in.

Also, now that I have a garage of my own, I've begun to assemble a bit of a woodshop. My dad always had all sorts of tools I could borrow, but now I'm acquiring my own.

In March I took what is becoming an annual trip out to Furry Weekend Atlanta. I spent the week before in Chattanooga with my guy  kamatz which was fun but all too short. At FWA it was great hanging out Mehndi, Sunny, Verdauga, and others. Met Aggro for the first time, though quite briefly.

Around the same time, I completed the necessary documentation needed to move up a level at work. Same exact job, but more pay, which is always nice.

Next big event came at the end of August when my aunt rented a beach house in North Carolina for a week. Various cousins and relatives and such all met out there, for a total of 15 or so people, coming from six different states. It was a pretty grand time all around. The nice thing was that with the beach so close, you didn't have to wait on other people's schedules. You could get up whenever and go talk a walk or play in the water until everyone else is up.

Coming on the heels of NC was PAX in Seattle. In fact, it was the same weekend that the beach house ended, so I ended up flying directly from NC to Seattle. PAX was a pretty cool time. I have a few friends out there I got to see, and all around had fun.

In October, I took the professional engineering exam, an all day long test, on the other side of the state, to get my PE license. I just found out a few weeks ago that I passed. (Despite being a scantron test, it takes 6-8 weeks to process)

And now it's New Year's eve, and time for the next year. I look forward to returning to FWA in March, and there's a possibility we'll be going back to NC as well. There's a chance I'll be able to continue advancement at work this year, but it remains to be seen.

Happy New Year, I hope everyone has a good one!

I found out today that I passed my Profession Engineer exam. This means it is officially official that I am a PE, which is pretty awesome. To be a PE, you need to have an appropriate four year degree, pass the Fundamentals of Engineering test, work under a PE for several years, apply to take the test and then actually pass the exam. It is a pretty decent achievement, all in all.

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3587190/

Enter for a chance to win a free head.

 anuvia formerly/also known as pudgy sabertooth is having an giveaway over here http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3556479/ in exchange for pimpage like this.

 mehndix is selling a few pictures to buy some marker refills. Check it out if you'd like some classy art.
Details: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3483810/

Heading out East next week for the convention, really looking forward to it. I get to spend a week hanging out with  kamatz in Chattanooga, and then we head down to the con together. I had a lot of fun last year, and can't wait for more. I'll be playing in the Charity Poker again this year (got 5th last year, woo!) but aside from that I don't have a lot planned. If anyone wants to meet up, let me know and we might be able to schedule something.

If anyone's been wondering where I've been, I've been spending the past week moving into my very own house (well, half a duplex, anyway). Just got internets back here, so I should be around a bit more than before.

 mehndix streams almost nightly at http://www.livestream.com/mehndiart In fact, she's there right now, offering $10 sketches. Check it out!

If the answer is "Yes", or "Maybe" (heck, even if it's "no") then go take a look at this: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2309580/

 rhari is nice and draws cute things, take a peek!

Two friends of mine,  mistywolf and  arkynfox are getting married today. I wish them both the best of luck, and many, many years of happiness together!