Hay everybody! I'm back!

...after being without an Internet connection since just before FWA.

 Cloveroo convinced me to nuke everything as soon as I got back on FA. It was really interesting since I had never deleted anything (other than my own submissions.) I noticed that a lot of followers had un-followed me and I do feel like it will take a while to build back good will after being gone for so long (including many months of inactivity before my outage.)

...so anyway, What's up?

I can't wait to catch up on everyone's lives and artwork as they post new journals and images. I'll also poke around while I'm waiting for that. It's great to be back! How's everything going?

I still can't get AT&T and Earthlink to agree on what's preventing them to re-establish my Internet connection. They refuse to talk to each other. Once I can get this straightened out (after who knows how many more hours of my time) then it will take five to ten business days for things to get working again.

Anyway, I'll be back here more at when all of that is over and start peeking in on my phone again, now that I have one that's fully functional again.

that's all

...so ask away.

also, amazing panda suit for sale! -> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10218218/

Ok, I'm making this brief since I'd rather spend time catching up on the submissions and journals of others. ...so, here are the highlights:

• getting to fursuit in a full suit for the first time ever
• catching up with  Lobo_Roo
• meeting  Fuego (and mate, sorry, can't remember name) and  radix, and getting to know  Panda a little better
• hanging out with them and  cloveroo
• picking up some really amazing earlier-commissioned artwork from  maybemantis
• getting to see  TriggerFox as Jack while I was Jackpot
• getting to talk to  Scurrow a bit
Jackpot
• recieving a surprise  MariSama badge in an elevator
• seeing several other furs I know and care about even though only in passing

Now I have a couple of questions:

Did anyone see my work in the art show? If so any thoughts on it?

Does anyone have pics of my suit?

What other cons are you doing this year? I hope to get to AC, Megaplex and MFF at least, but I'm curious about where I might be able to run into more than just a couple of furs I know.

Recently I've had some problems with FA and I've been too busy with work to think about going to the administration to get them resolved. Since I've been avoiding it I've been avoiding FA. Anyway, I'll catch up slowly, and this week I'll try to get things straightened out.

Everyone, I hope, is doing alright. I will endeavor to find out.

I've had no time for FA lately so I don't know who else is going, but if you are and would like to hook up I'll send you my cell number. (sorry to make you do the work) I'll chrck my notes often.

OK,

Now that I'm going to be working it will be easier for me to get some new commissions! A few have been recommended to me and I'll be checking them out at last. Knowing my character, does anyone have anyone they'd like to recommend here?

…anyone in the Atlanta area doing anything fun, furry or interesting for Halloween?

Also for what it's worth, I've been having a rough time emotionally again lately, but the structure a job will provide should help. These days when I get lonely and sad and complain about it I feel like I'm being a bad person. I'm hopefully getting better at keeping it to myself though. (…despite this post.)

Of the artists I hope to be able to commission or re-commission soon, these come to mind at the moment:

 gingerbeer
 jupiterjenny
 guggles
 ssirius
 growly
 triggerfox

OK, I've been busy and sick and lazy but I'm back to FA!

Monday I start work at a place that makes mascot costumes!

Also, does anyone have room space for MFF?

OK, time to catch up here.

Wow, tonight I found an FA note a month old that was new to me. In case you got married or won the lottery or something and I didn't notice, I was away a while.

That's all!

new and current neo-expressionist'y icon from a drawing by  cloveroo

A friend just turned me on to this deal:

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3616873/

...being sold by  Cloveroo

seller's journal (and please spread the word):

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3602297/

AC 2012 was my best con so far. For various reasons I didn't get to any official events except the fursuit games, which were awesomely fun! The time spent with other furs was all very special to me. I made it to one party which was a kink party. It was quite nice. I had a few meals with  Evol and other furs too. Fursuiting as Kesey again was a blast! Also, Saturday night I got to hang out with  Cloveroo, her boyfriend  Panda and  apples, both of whom I had the pleasure of meeting/meeting-in-RL at the con. As usual most of my socializing was done on the trips up and back. This time I didn't drive, but rode with Cloveroo, Evol and  meglyman.

Some of the other people I met, got to know a wee bit better, catch up with or at least say "hi" to were:  Comus,  gorehund,  lolautumn,  MaybeMantis,  DJSammehfox,  Pip,  snowkitty, xo (FA?),  Korth,  bearrier and  Losian. Fursuiting on Sunday night I ran into  Taxi. I've known and been a fan of the suit for a while but I admit I still don't know who inhabits it.

The times at this con, when I got to thinking about things negatively it didn't last long. Every time I started to get down I either decided to suit up or it was time for something else. My dog Woodruff was well taken care of by  glowsheep and  Princess_Chodestool. (They probably even do a better job than me.)

Anyway, this was awesome for a last minute con! Next time I'll try to set up some stuff in advance so I can hang out more. Now that it's over and my mom's gone I can finally get back to FA more.

Thanks to everyone for making this such a great experience!

P.S. This AC I learned that I tend to fall down and run into shorter people when fursuiting.

Recently I started several oil pastels and they will be finished up as paintings. It's just worked out that way. There's been a lot of unexpected stuff happening lately though, so I've not had time to work on them for a while.

If I've told you I'm doing one for you don't worry. - After AC I'll get back to work. Eventually I hope to give one to each of my furry friends. There's been no real order to starting them and they won't be finished in the order they were started anyway. I'll post as I get them done though.

I just had an unexpected little vacation and now I'm back to being busy. Anyway, on my trip I ran into ways to make AC doable for me, so I'll be there! I won't be getting drunk or doing much commissioning but I plan to wear my partial a lot.

Today after house cleaning and stuff I'll check for pics of me in suit at RCFM, favor them, and update this journal. Meanwhile, if anyone has or has seen any of a tall, goofy, trippy looking rabbit (named Kesey) let me know. The same goes for pics of me with my colored sideburns which are coming off sometime before the sixth. All the positive energy from the con, especially suiting, is still lingering.

Some of you who are local have recently expressed an interest in sitting around and drawing, doing suit work, etc., together. Anyone up for that this weekend? Why wait for a con? (I'm ready now but haven't found opportunities at recent cons since they've been small.)

ADDENDUM: I'll be away from FA for a couple of days starting now, Tuesday PM, due to an impromptu donkey play thing. Once I'm back in human form and home I'll check back here.

Well RCFM was very good for me. After ESG, FWA and MFF, it was great to have a really nice con.

Thursday I drove over with  lw_wolfin and  glowsheep which was fun, and suited for my first time ever on Friday morning, as Kesey, along with  Lobo_Roo. I got to meet  Saril and talk to  slashersivi a bit more. That night was uneventful but Saturday night I was up all night partying with glowsheep and  Foxx36, who I'd just met. Apparently I was the only one who asked about the pony play party so it didn't happen, and I didn't get to any room parties again (though I got to Spectrum's off site party as it ended,) but I still met people and socialized. It was nice to bump into  BadBadBadgerBoy,  MariSama and  Caustickeet,  Riff_Hyena,  twistedspectrum and  GypsyPony this weekend too, and I met  soybeanz,  Kreejay and  Foxentine. (Also, on my way out I also met someone local but I need to find out his name.) Sunday I forgot to take my pills so I was sleepy (especially after Saturday night) and couldn't really get the energy to leave my room after being up a little in the morning. Today I got up and drove home, and found out that there was con stuff on the second floor, hehe. I thought people were just hanging out in their rooms a lot. (The convention was a bit disorganized so communicating things like that to attendees was very hit or miss.)

Fursuiting was such a blast! If there was a place for artists to draw together other than the alley and den it would have been nice to draw with others. Anyway I was a little better than usual with talking to strangers, and I met new people through friends. I commissioned a badge from Kreejay which is quite nice, and got one for Kesey, from glowy. Oh, and in the fursuit games I FINALLY got to play Twister for the first time (though I didn't even make it onto the mat for the first turn.) It was fun to try. Overall the con was great.

Some time while I was there I past five thousand page views, for what it's worth, hehe. Tonight I'll start catching up on here.

How do you want to be addressed?
Jackpot, or Jack if you prefer.
There's no need to use my official title: Jackpot, the embarrassed bare-assed jackass.

Gender?
male

Orientation?
straight but who cares

Age?
44 *gasp*

What do you look like?
I'm tall enough to be seen so you will know me by my giant purple and orange sideburns.

How are you getting there?
I'm driving with  glowsheep and possibly others.

Which days will you be attending?
all of them

Will you do requests?
art - maybe,
singing - no
stripping - if appropriate

Will you do trades?
I'll be trading my money for some art at least.

Will you do commissions?
YES!

Will you have Art in the Art Show?
nope, too late I think, I should check it out to be sure though

Who will you be with?
In addition to seeing my local peeps I'm looking forward to suiting with  Lobo_Roo and hanging out with them and those I know in the con crowd. Hopefully I'll meet some new friends too.

I don't want to list everyone I'm looking forward to seeing 'cause I'm sure I'd leave some out. My mind isn't organized enough to think of everyone at the same time. I'm not sure of who all's going too.

What is your main purpose for attending?
seeing you there

Will you be attending any panels, etc.,?
Yup! I'm excited about  GypsyPony's pony play meet-up. (not sure what else is going on)

Will you be fursuiting?
YES! - for the first time since a performance art piece I did in Brooklyn in 1990

May I talk to you?
Talk to me please. You may even simply talk at me. I don't mind.

May I touch/hug/cuddle you?
Yes. / Please do! / Probably. Just ask.
Mutual affection and physical contact are good things.

May I hang out with you?
Absolutely.

Will you be going to parties?
Absolutely. Beerly. Bacardi-(Mexican)-Añejo-ly.

What is the best way to reach you?
Text me. Note me if you want my number.

Anything else?
Some of you I might have met drunk and don't remember well, or I know from FA but can't recognize in person. Con mode for me involves loosing much of my cognitive abilities too (even sober.) …so if you say "hi" and I don't react, grab me, shake me and tell me who you are!

For some reason at cons (only) I'm shy about spending much time around people, even friends, though I really want to. I'm trying to get better at this but feel free to help me out here. Don't think you're being snubbed if I'm shy.

First of all don't let the term "crisis" throw you. This doesn't amount to some sort of real life personality crisis.

The other day I posted a clean and a mature version of a reference sheet for jackpot. Publicly and privately I was made aware of some concerns people had about the character and how he was portrayed. During the process of working with the artist on the images, concern was raised about the appropriateness of the character for the furry community. The potential for people misunderstanding him based on his anatomy is something I've worried about before. Concern about his lips, in context, being inappropriate is a new idea to me though.

Jackpot is not merely supposed to represent how goofy and awkward I feel in certain social situations. He has the body I wish I had. If I was a donkey with a big bare ass (etc.,) perhaps I would be inappropriate for the world? Changing the character would be quite inauthentic I feel. Actually I feel something close to pride in regard to how well we are integrated into each other. Now I feel stuck. There must be broader issues here and implications for others as well. If any furs care to enter into a serious discussion about this I would benefit and greatly appreciate it. I'm really interested in the views of those who know me to some degree as well as those who don't.

thanks

P.S. My furry être-en-soi is something that's taken a lot of work and has bled into who I am outside of the furry fandom even before I discovered it. Actually it's more like the fandom allowed a space for who I am to be unwrapped.

For now at least I've pulled the ref sheet because of concerns about it's layout more than because of the issues above.

Spread the word! http://www.furaffinity.net/user/fadonks/

check it out - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3440425/

Hay, I need to get out of the house. Anyone up for anything? I've been looking to party hard with some furs for a long time now and RCFM is coming up fast. Meanwhile a day in a park or a board game or something would be nice.

This is going to be awesome!

Who's going? I am and I'll have a suit! I'll do my part to make this a con everyone raves about!

...no big deal here. Recently the commission below was finished for me. It's in my favorites but a watcher is likely to miss something favored. The reason I'm drawing attention to this particular piece is that the concept illustrates and extends the character's story more than most.

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7674268/

At FWA this year, someone mentioned that Manawolf is still around. Perhaps the most endearing commissioned drawing I ever received was done in 2001 in a since-lost sketchbook. I do still have a note slipped in with it mentioning that a scan was made and that I might see it in a portfolio sometime. Unfortunately I don't have an image. If anyone has any contact information or any information that might help please let me know.

It's been great to be more productive with furry stuff lately. The quasi-secret suit work I've been doing with someone has been fun. Also, construction on my new sketchbook is going well. I started a pastel portrait of a furry friend but I'm waiting for my new oil pastels to arrive to finish it since I'm quicker with wet media. Hopefully I can crank more out quickly when I have my supplies together.

Friday I was to find out whether or not I got a job at a mascot factory. The person who could tell me left before I called so I'll have to wait, and stay sane somehow, until Monday.

This year at FWA I paid $75 for a commission and forgot to get the artist's name or contact information. How many times will I be so dumb? I wonder how many things I've paid for at cons over the years that I'll never see.

Anyone who can find a way to take them may have them cheap! Pollen can be so beautiful under a microscope or collected and displayed by Wolfgang Laib, but it takes all my energy and I have so much to do.