I didn't get the job at the Denver non-commercial AAA station, though they said they would keep my resume on file for future openings. I'm still doing occasional fill-in shifts on the Rabbit Hole whenever Romeo isn't available.

My vocational rehab counselor sent me a document for possibly getting a better degree and/or more training for a new job. I hope I can find something I'm interested in.

There is a new country station in Pueblo, though its signal isn't very strong. Another station being built is about an hour northeast of Colorado Springs, but its signal isn't too strong either.

My search for a new job has hit a few speed bumps, but I hope my latest application is successful. I had been rejected by Denver's non-commercial jazz and classical stations. I applied for an opening at a AAA station and was asked to record and send in a new audition. I was told the station would contact me sometime around mid-October if they wanted me to do an interview. I really want this job because, even though I would commute to and from Denver every weekday, the pay listed for the job is much higher than past jobs I've held and it's a full-time position.

"Dammit, Moon-Moon. Those aren't the lyrics!"

I've been imaging making commercials using CGI-animated wolves if I could ever afford my own radio station (and possibly brand it "The Wolf.")

THURSDAY 8/18

I left home around 1:30 PM and picked up my pre-ordered lunch from Meta Burger on the way to the hotel. Unlike last year, my hotel room was ready when I arrived.

FRIDAY 8/19

The line to get my Super Patron items was extremely long just after registration. Instead, I walked down the 16th Street Mall to a 7-Eleven to get two big bottles of water. The walk was longer than I expected and it was a bit hot, so I took the mall's free shuttle bus back to the hotel. I revisited registration later at 4:30 when there wasn't a line. I picked up some cauliflower rigatoni and grilled chicken for dinner from the Noodles and Company across the street from the Sheraton.

SATURDAY 8/20

There was an extra-long line to get into the main event room for the fursuit photo before the parade. The long, hot wait made me thankful to finally get in the room where the air conditioner was running.

I need to get in much better shape. I had knee and back pain waiting in line, and I need to get re-accustomed to wearing a fursuit since I felt hot even with my cooling vest and collar.

I went to the performances of Cassidy Civet and Avian Invasion. Cassidy had some technical problems at the start due to the room's weak Wi-Fi while trying to play her backing tracks, but the problem was mostly worked out when others helped.

SUNDAY 8/21

I missed the closing ceremonies. DenFur initially announced on Telegram and Twitter that they had 2,961 attendees, 522 fursuits in the parade and raised a very impressive $158,240 for the con charity. However, those announcements were later deleted. (UPDATE 8/26) The official total released was $21,827.65.

I went to the con's feedback panel expecting the con chair to avoid addressing certain issues. To my surprise, the chair was upfront and honest about the staffing, safety and discrimination issues that happened before the con. I am glad there were promises made to do better next year. I just hope the con actually takes these steps because, as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

There's a Yard House restaurant attached to the hotel, so I got dinner from there.

MONDAY 8/22

I checked out of the Sheraton around 10:45 AM and got lunch from Meta Burger on the way home. I'm glad I only gained 3 pounds during this weekend.

Wow, I'm actually heading to DenFur in less than 24 hours! It will be great to take a break from the stress of my job search for a weekend.

This is the first time that I can recall not being super-excited prior to a convention. My depression, coupled with all the bad stuff that's come out about the new AEIOU organization, has me worried about being safe. Of course, I will try to keep a positive mindset and not let anything get me down.

I had an electrician come by my condo on Monday to see why I was having issues. He measured the current at my circuit breaker box and saw one of the outputs was only putting out 70-100 volts instead of 120. The utility company helped me get everything up and running again, but the circuit breaker box may need to be replaced. The electrician said this model was recalled in the late-1980s due to the breakers not always turning off when tripped. (My condo building was built in 1985.) I'm just thankful my stove and my washer/dryer still work.

Hopefully the people running DenFur have good health insurance, because some of them keep shooting themselves in the foot in their private chats. I hope the Colorado Anthro Wilds convention proposed for next year is run by Colorado furs, because I don't see DenFur lasting beyond this year with all the bad stuff coming out about AEIOU staff unless major changes are made to that organization.

I began seeing a job placement assistant this month to hopefully get back into radio. So far, I've re-written my resume and practiced answering some interview questions. I'm glad my counselor's idea of "low-paying" vs. "high-paying" jobs is about the same as mine.

I don't know if there's an electrical problem in my condo or something else is up. The lights in my living room, bedroom and kitchen are lightly flickering. My stove has power, but I couldn't get the oven or burners to turn on. I called an electrician and made an appointment for next week to look at the lights.

Romeo Rabbit is having a great time at Anthrocon this weekend, so I'll be filling in for him tonight on The Rabbit Hole.

Tune in beginning at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific at http://boomerthedog.com/dj-collie.html or http://boomerthedog.com:9456/

As always, Radiolawn with Ricochet Sheepdog plays at midnight Eastern, and the canine tones of Doggy Radio with Boomer and Ricochet follows The Rabbit Hole at 3 AM!

I've got a few AC-related tunes in the mix for tonight, including a couple of "live at AC" performances.

Look who's back (or rather, listen!)

 radioromeorabbit returns to The Rabbit Hole this weekend. Streaming live today until 2 PM Eastern, and Sunday beginning at 9 PM Eastern (note the earlier time.) Tune in at rabbitsfoot.us to hear how the show sounds on professional equipment!

I don't usually promote when I fill in for  radioromeorabbit , but I will be doing a Rabbit Hole fill-in show tonight from 10 PM ET/7 PM PT to 3 AM/12 AM at http://boomerthedog.com/dj-collie.html or http://boomerthedog.com:9456/

I made sure to put more furry, cartoon and animal-related songs into the mix this weekend. I apologize since I've been slacking off on that the past few weeks and that's the main reason people tune into the Rabbit Hole.

Romeo has been taking a few weeks off from the show to conduct interviews with furry musicians for future shows. He will be at Furry Weekend Atlanta next weekend, then (hopefully) be back on the Rabbit Hole the following weekend. I like doing fill-in shows, but Romeo does a much better show due to having a bigger selection of furry music and music in general, and also more professional equipment (compared to my laptop, Mixxx software and Blue Snowball microphone.)

I think I'll bring both my collie fursuit and my panda kigurumi to DenFur this year. I haven't worn the kigurumi in at least two years. It would give me something furry to wear at times when I want to be out but I'm not in the mood to get into fursuit.

I logged into my old LiveJournal account for the first time in a long time. A few furries still only use LJ, and I occasionally log on to see what they're up to.

Before heading to Furry Fiesta, I downloaded the apps for Whataburger and In-N-Out Burger since Colorado Springs now has those restaurants. I picked up dinner this week at the new Whataburger in Colorado Springs. My app had an offer for a free patty melt when buying a medium fries and drink. The drive-thru wait time wasn't too bad: about 25 minutes. That's much less time than it took to get registered at Furry Fiesta!

Romeo held a spontaneous Quiplash night on Twitch. I used a David Letterman and a Johnny Carson reference in two of my answers. I loved watching Johnny and Dave's shows growing up. Johnny's great sketches were very memorable, but when a sketch bombed, Johnny's clearly-annoyed reactions and ad-libbing often made them funnier. In his last "El Mouldo" sketch in 1992, Johnny actually ended it early because it was tanking so much!

My federal tax refund this year will be much higher than previous years. My temporary furlough-turned-permanent layoff during mid-2020 to late-2021 meant I didn't have any work hours to gobble up some of my money. I've confirmed the IRS has received my return, and the refund should be deposited sometime in April. I'm hoping to find a new job this year so I can keep more of the refund in my account.

I had good and bad luck with the weather during my trips to and from Furry Fiesta. I left Colorado late Wednesday morning, several hours before snow began falling in the state. A tornado touched down in Texas the following Monday, causing my trip home to have lots of heavy wind and rain (and road flooding in areas.) The rain turned to snow during an overnight stay in Amarillo. I had to take a detour through the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles into Colorado on Tuesday because New Mexico closed U.S. 87 at the NM/TX state line due to severe weather.

I guess I should consider myself lucky that my wait time in the TFF attendee reg line was just shy of 3 hours; others reported having 4 to 5-hour waits. TFF staff said they would work on reducing wait times next year, but I'll register as a Sponsor or higher level then so I can get in line earlier.

It was great to see Cassidy Civet and Avian Invasion live in person again. I missed seeing Run, Definitely Run's concert due to needing to lay down for a bit, and Divine Dragon Cannon's concert was at the same time as Avian Invasion's.

Other than the reg line problems, getting used to a different hotel and the occasional "escalator temporarily stairs" issues, I had a great time at Furry Fiesta. I used a pair of at-home COVID tests on Wednesday and Friday after getting home, and both got a negative result! My next con is DenFur, just 144 days away!

I finally got through to Vocational Rehab to get help finding a new job. I met online with a counselor and explained that I wanted to either start my own business or find a job with a livable wage. After Furry Fiesta, I'll contact the counselor again to see if anything is available. I don't know if KIQN 103.3 is still off the air or operating at lower power, but that's one of the stations I thought about leasing if I got the chance to operate my own station.

I applied for a few radio and TV openings I saw on LinkedIn. So far I haven't gotten any response.

Boomer had suggested doing a pre-Rabbit Hole music show. I'm still trying to plan this out for when I get back from Furry Fiesta. I thought about doing either a two- or three-hour show from 5-8 PM MT, actually ending around 7:55-7:58 to avoid overlapping the Rabbit Hole.
(EDIT: It would actually be better to do the show from 1-4 PM MT so I don't encroach on Oh! Pawpets/Funday Pawpets.)

I didn't know whether DenFur would be held this year or not. The hubbub surrounding Corgi Events had me worried about the con being canceled. It's still on schedule for August, though, so I hope I can still go if/when I find a new job.

Romeo Rabbit has returned to the Rabbit Hole! He had to use some of the Rabbit Hole's funds for an emergency and is currently sitting at around $500 of the $1,000 needed to keep the show running in 2022. The Rabbit Hole's Ko-Fi account is at https://www.ko-fi.com/radiorabbithole if anyone can help out in the next few months. (The total shown on that site is inaccurate since it doesn't show the emergency withdrawal.)

I didn't ask for much this Christmas. I got a few new pairs of pants, a small telescope, a weighted blanket, a large hourglass and a HangAir hanger. Another furry recommended the HangAir for drying a fursuit after suiting. I had dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill that night.

No white Christmas for me this year. Most of Colorado's snow was west of the Rocky Mountains. There is an inch or two of snow on the ground today.

I filed a request with a local Vocational Rehab office to either help me find a job or start my own business. I was supposed to meet with them this week, but the office had to reschedule due to possibly being exposed to someone with COVID. My appointment was rescheduled for January 6th.

Now for a couple of furry business plugs:

The Rabbit Hole with Romeo Rabbit is still raising money to keep operating in 2022. Romeo currently has 97% of the money raised, so even a few small donations would greatly help. The donation site is https://ko-fi.com/radiorabbithole

Lazy Fox Artisan Goods, the furry-run bakery in Wyoming that I mentioned on the Rabbit Hole a few weeks ago, needs help. The building is being deeded soon because its owner (from whom the furry couple rent the building) fell behind on interest payments. Free Fox and Dreamer Hyena started a GoFundMe to raise $130,000 to buy the building, or at least raise enough for a down payment. They've got just over 1/4 of the goal raised. The donation site is https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-lazy-fox

I wonder if Panda Express has Star Trek fans writing the cookie fortunes. One of my fortunes said "You will live a long and prosperous life."

I saw my new doctor about trying a different medication for my depression and anxiety. She recommended switching from Prozac to Paxil. I've taken it for just over a month and don't notice any difference. The depression is mainly caused by my recent layoff, so fixing that would do more than a pill. I recently saw the local classical station has an opening for a weekend afternoon host. Hopefully that will give me a new financial path forward.

I got a call from the GM of the radio station where I work. He told me there were no other duties he could assign to me, basically ending my best and longest job of almost 19 years. This hit me hard because I loved working for this station, made many friends along the way and discovered both new and old music that I loved.

I'd been furloughed for about 17 months due to COVID-19. During that time, the statewide network in Denver which runs the station had a Denver announcer replace me (it was supposed to be temporary, but the change was made permanent a few months later.) Another duty, digitizing the station's music library, was scuttled when the music director announced her retirement and the discontinuation of music shows.

If I do find another job, I'd rather start my own station instead of starting at the bottom. As  bucktowntiger once said, "You gotta get your own to make it." I want to retire in 15-20 years and I'm not anywhere close to being financially secure.

This year's DenFur was great when I was actually there. I had to drive back to Colorado Springs a couple times, once for a meeting and once to pick up a few things I forgot.

THURSDAY
I arrived at the Sheraton around 3:30 PM and checked in, but my room wasn't ready yet. I left my luggage with the hotel staff around 4:05 in order to drive to a meeting in Colorado Springs. Of course, about 5 minutes after I left the hotel, I got a call saying my room was ready. After the meeting, I stopped by my home and picked up a package (containing a few heat-in-bag meals for the con) that was supposed to be delivered a few days earlier. I got back around 9:30 and checked in. When I unpacked my APAP machine, I discovered I had forgotten to pack the headgear, which connects the APAP hose to the mask. I was able to sleep without the APAP, but I woke up feeling stuffy.

FRIDAY
I went downstairs early for "LineCon" a.k.a. waiting in the registration line. Since I was a Patron, the line I was in was shorter but still had around a 35- to 40-minute wait. I skipped the opening ceremonies so I could drive home to get my APAP headgear. I missed Pepper Coyote's performance, but I went to Cassidy Civet's concert. At night, my APAP still wouldn't work because I forgot to bring the rubber gasket/seal for the water tank. I think I will buy a separate tank just for traveling so I don't have to constantly switch the tank lid between the regular lid and the one for using my SoClean cleaner.

SATURDAY
I saw the band Run Definitely Run, which kicked major ass! They currently have a Kickstarter for their album, and I found many of their songs on Spotify.

In the Dealers Den, I bought a book of the comic strip "Foxes In Love" and pre-ordered plushies of the two fox characters.

I forget if this happened Friday or Saturday, but the person who made my fursuit said hi to me in the elevator.

The Patron dinner was at 5 PM. I had a chicken breast, salad, baby carrots with hummus, a roll, and an apple crumble for dessert.

I put on my fursuit for the Avian Invasion dance set. I lasted about 50 minutes in fursuit, including a break in the headless lounge and a cool-off with a fan by a staff member. My EZCoolDown vest kept my body comfortable, but my head still got hot. I ordered a neck/head-cooling collar from EZCoolDown after I got home from the con. Hopefully that will make suiting less hot.

SUNDAY/MONDAY
I suited up again to visit the fursuit photo booth. I wanted a pic of me in suit since the fursuit group photo and parade were cancelled due to the 'Rona. Either a kid or a small adult (I can't see as well in suit without my glasses) took my picture on Saturday, and a few others complimented my suit.

I didn't attend DenFur's closing ceremonies, but they said the con had 2,566 attendees this year and raised $16,000 for the con charity, the Tenacious Unicorn Ranch. Other than the fursuit photo booth and the Dead Dog Dance, I didn't have anything else planned for Sunday.

I listened to the first hour or so of the Rabbit Hole before heading to the dance. I heard Romeo thanking me, JaSonic and a few others for keeping the Rabbit Hole going. I thought about requesting Bucktown Tiger's "Con Intruder" parody. Some of the Furry Raiders stayed in the con hotel and took pictures on the 16th Street Mall, but weren't allowed into the con itself since they're banned. Big thanks to con security for keeping them at a distance.

I checked out of the Sheraton around 10:30 AM Monday. I pre-ordered lunch from Meta Burger the night before and picked it up on the way home.

I don't know if I'll be able to go to Furry Fiesta next year, but just in case, it's only 204 days away!

Where are you staying?
-The con hotel (Sheraton)

When will you be there?
-Thursday afternoon through Monday morning

How are you traveling?
-Driving up from Colorado Springs

Who will you be rooming with?
-No one this time.

What is the best way to find you?
-If I'm not in my collie suit, I usually wear tan or blue button-up shirts and black pants.

What do you look like?
-Older fat white guy with glasses and a salt-and-pepper mustache (more salt than pepper!)

Will you be suiting?
-I'll try to suit more this time since I've only worn the suit once in the past year.

What is your gender?
-Male (he/him)

How tall are you?
-5' 9"

Are you taken?
-No.

Can I talk to you?
-Absolutely!

Can I touch you?
-Only if I can see you. I have an anxiety disorder and don't like people sneaking up on me.

Can I visit your room?
-Maybe, if I know you.

Can I buy you drinks?
-Absolutely!

Can I give you stuff?
-Sure.

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
-Please ask first, but I love hugs.

Are you nice?
-Yes.

Will you be going to parties?
-Maybe. I do love to party.

Will you be performing?
-No.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
-Usually saying Jerzei or J. Collie will work. My real name may also work.

Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
-Attending panels or walking to get lunch/dinner.

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
-Maybe.

Can I take your picture?
-Absolutely!

Who will you be hanging out with/seeing this year?
-Hopefully friends I haven't seen in a while (along with those I have seen.)

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
-Have fun and be a dog!

Since Rabbit Hole host Romeo Rabbit is at Megaplex this weekend, I will be filling in for the first part of the show from 8-10 PM Mountain (10 PM-midnight Eastern.) If you'd like to tune in, the site is http://boomerthedog.com/dj-collie.html for direct listening or http://boomerthedog.com:9456/ for listening through an external player.

The furry pride party in Denver at the end of June was the first time I've worn my fursuit since TFF 2020. I only knew a handful of the furs at the party, but I chatted with a few others who said they recognized my fursuit from DenFur and local meets. The FoxTrot meets will resume in October at the Denver Sweet bar!

Since I started using the Noom app to improve my eating habits, my weight has dipped below 300 lbs. for the first time in years!

The KRCC staff announced yesterday that the station's 15,000+ music CDs were donated to another public radio station in western Colorado, KVNF in Montrose. KRCC's record collection was mostly donated to local music store The Leech Pit for resale. A former Celtic DJ got the station's Celtic vinyl in exchange for a large donation.

Between the end of March and beginning of May, I got to fill in for part of the Rabbit Hole music show.

April 5, 2020 was the last day I had worked my weekend shift at KRCC before being furloughed due to COVID-19. I was supposed to return once it was safe, but Colorado Public Radio decided to continue simulcasting its own Denver-based weekend announcer on KRCC. My duties were shifted to digitizing KRCC's music library, but that was canceled when the music director announced her retirement (and the eventual discontinuation of music shows.) I've basically been "on the beach" for 14 months and wonder if I will ever get to return to work.

I got my second Moderna shot for COVID yesterday. At the moment, I just have a dull headache, stuffy/runny nose and a 99.6F temperature. I'm very thankful that my symptoms weren't more severe!

One of the tasks I was supposed to do at KRCC no longer needs to be done. The station's music director announced she will be retiring later this year, so I don't have to digitize the music library. This means my return to the station will be delayed until at least April when we move into a new building.

Depression is weird since it can sneak up out of nowhere. I was looking forward to a few activities for St. Patrick's Day, then my brain just went "Don't do any of that."

I was supposed to return to work this week at KRCC. Unfortunately, the events in Washington, DC last Wednesday now has the station taking security precautions. I really hope things can get back to normal soon.

I registered for the online Further Confusion convention. I wanted to go in person for my 50th birthday, but this will have to do.

Texas Furry Fiesta announced their convention in March 2021 will be virtual instead of in-person. Further Confusion is also doing a virtual con from January 15-18. I will likely spend part of the 15th with my dad since it's a Friday (and my birthday.) It won't be quite the same as physically being at a con, but at least I don't have to spend a ton on gas, food and hotel rooms.

Just before I left my condo on Friday, I heard water dripping onto my carpet. My upstairs neighbor's toilet had sprung a leak, causing water to pour through one of my ceiling light fixtures. A similar thing happened back in June 2009 with my previous neighbor when the water heater leaked. At least I was able to catch it early this time before it soaked my carpet too much. I bought a new can of carpet cleaner today.