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.

Dad let me know he would be having Thanksgiving dinner with my brother's family. Since three of my family members were recently diagnosed with COVID-19, I ordered the ingredients for my own dinner at home. I got a pound of sliced roasted turkey from a nearby Honey Baked Ham store, butterflake rolls from a local Dutch bakery, then went to the grocery store for gravy, stuffing and pecan pie. I also made sweet potato casserole and garlic mascarpone mashed potatoes.

I had an online meeting Friday afternoon to review KRCC's music digitization process. The station hopes to have at least 3/4 of the station's library digitized by mid-April. I need to visit the station next week to make sure my key card for the front door still works. It will be nice to return to work, especially since my new position will give me more than twice as many hours.

My dad should let me know about any Thanksgiving plans this Friday. If it's just me and him, I'll have dinner with Dad. If not, I'll get the ingredients for a solo dinner (or possibly find a friend needing company.) My niece and nephew-in-law recently tested positive for coronavirus, and my brother and sister-in-law had recently been in contact with others who may have been infected. Also, my niece and nephew-in-law are expecting another child next year.

I've made plans for a Christmas mini-vacation in the Denver area. I reserved a seat at a restaurant in Broomfield and a hotel room nearby.

I recently began seeing a new therapist after my previous therapist retired. I do feel better after each appointment. I just wish the therapist wouldn't tell long-winded stories about his own past (Who's the patient here?)

My cell phone provider sent me a new SIM card for my phone. That seems to have fixed the connection problems I had been having. I mistakenly thought I had signed up for a protection plan to replace this phone, but I hadn't. I will definitely do that when I get a new phone in a year or two.

I couldn't get my electric car jack to operate a few weeks ago when I had a flat tire. The jack's instructions were in very broken English, making it hard to figure out if I had everything hooked up properly. I contacted USAA Roadside Assistance to get the spare tire put on. I actually needed four new tires since the others were low on tread as well.

The station where I work, KRCC, recently merged with Colorado Public Radio, so I now work for CPR instead of Colorado College. I will be helping the music director digitize the station's music library and also do occasional board operator shifts.

Winter made a brief appearance in Colorado last week. Snow fell on Tuesday through early Wednesday, then it warmed back up by Friday. Thankfully, the snow where I am wasn't enough to ice up the sidewalks or roads.

My phone keeps briefly disconnecting from its data connection. My cell service provider didn't report any signal issues. A repair shop suggested my phone's motherboard might be going bad. The phone is covered by a protection plan, so I hope that can get me a replacement phone if I need one. I'm also looking at other brands of phones which are more reliable and easier to fix.

While I am still officially employed in radio, my role at the station has been drastically reduced. I no longer announce on the weekends, but I will (supposedly) be able to do board-op work and maybe fill in for vacationing announcers. I also still have my food delivery jobs. I really wish I could find someone who could help me buy/lease/run my own station.

I'm planning to go to the Denver area for Christmas. I found a Groupon for a discounted hotel room in Broomfield. Also, an Italian restaurant nearby would be less expensive than the restaurants I tried in downtown Denver in previous years.

The Rabbit Hole is doing a fundraising show Thursday starting at 9 AM Eastern. Funds raised will help an adorable dog get a hip replacement.

DETAILS
https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-hip-for-hooch

"Hooch is 8 years old and needs a hip replacement. At this time he cant walk without assistance. Without surgery he will stay in pain and not be able to walk, so off we go."

$395 of the $3,000 goal has been raised so far. Help Hooch's owners reach the goal and listen to some great music by tuning in to The Rabbit Hole with Romeo Rabbit and Stardust Raccoon. Thursday starting at 9 AM Eastern at http://rabbitsfoot.us

I was unable to deliver for UberEats for about a month. I submitted my renewed car insurance to Uber in July and gave consent for a required background check. Last week, Uber said a glitch prevented them from receiving background check requests and asked me to resend my request. I got a message tonight saying the background check was completed and I could resume delivering.

The pair of rugged shoes I got for winter use are falling apart. I got the shoes for Christmas in 2009. One of the soles had come off a few months ago. Now the other shoe's sole is starting to detach. If I'm in town for Christmas this year, I may ask for a new pair of the winter shoes. I have two unopened pairs of sneakers I can use in the meantime.

This year's Denver Pride Fur Fest was canceled last week. As with other events this year (and possibly next year,) it's better to be safe than sorry.

I went on eBay to order a new battery for my old laptop. A previous battery I ordered months ago hasn't arrived. It wound up needing to be shipped from China, and no shipping updates have been provided beyond a label being created. (I'm not sure if COVID-19 is causing delays or not.) The new battery is shipping from Washington state and should arrive by Friday.

A few days ago, I got a phone message from my local Congress-critter's office. My dad had called him because my federal tax refund had been taking longer than usual to be processed even though it was filed electronically. My refund was finally put into my account on Thursday! It will be nice to be financially stable for a while.

The refund will help me meet one of my New Year's resolutions: to eliminate at least 15-20% of my debt. Right now, I'm at around 13-14%.

Since I was furloughed at the radio station due to COVID-19, some of my friends and other listeners are telling me "I miss hearing you on weekends!" Well, I've got some bad news and some slightly good news. The station will continue to use the Denver-based announcer for the weekend morning shift. However, I accepted an offer to stay on part-time as a fill-in announcer and board operator. I will also assist with digitizing the station's music library. I will miss doing my regular weekend shift, though I won't miss having to wake up at 5 AM to go to work (sometimes after a night of little to no sleep.)

"I just got paid/I'm broke, but I'm ballin'..."

I had RSVP'd for a furry pride party in June. It was re-scheduled for August due to the pandemic. I'm hoping things don't get worse before then (though they probably will, based on current events.) DenFur, also scheduled for August, is cancelled.

The alt-furry who runs the original furry meetup group in Colorado Springs, tried to get into the new group's Telegram page under a fake name. Thankfully, he's so dumb and bad at lying that the group admins recognized him and kicked him out. He recently tweeted that furry convention chairs are "Antifa terrorists" and would start riots at cons. His behavior over the past few years is what led to the creation of the new Colorado Springs group since most in the community want to distance themselves from his idiocy.

My Congressman got back to me regarding my federal tax return. He said my return had an (unspecified) error, and the IRS is delaying processing tax returns due to their staff's COVID-19 restrictions. Hopefully the IRS can resume working in the next few months.

I should be able to return to KRCC in late-May or early-June. The station is coordinating when employees can return to and be in the building. I'm usually there by myself on weekends unless the engineer or another employee needs to do something.

I got a haircut on Tuesday; the Sport Clips location I use has re-opened. Since Tuesday was both Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday, I bought a Fiesta Pack of tacos and burritos from Del Taco.

On Friday, I had dinner with Dad for the first time since the coronavirus quarantine went into effect.

I haven't had to go in to work at KRCC the past two weeks due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Since the station is now controlled by the statewide Colorado Public Radio network, Weekend Edition was hosted remotely by whoever the CPR-based host is. I'll return to work once the station and/or state considers it safe.

"Taste the biscuit/Taste the goodness of the biscuit..."

One of the GrubHub delivery orders I got this week was cancelled after I had already picked up the food. The KFC restaurant told me they were out of Extra Crispy chicken and substituted their Original Recipe chicken. After getting the order, I texted this information to the customer, who told me to cancel the order. I contacted GrubHub support; they confirmed the cancellation and said I could keep the food.

One positive of the COVID-19 outbreak for me is that Colorado and a few other states reopened their health care exchanges. I signed up for a new insurance plan through Anthem, so I won't have to pay a fine for not having ACA insurance.

My federal tax refund hasn't arrived yet, but I received the $1,200 stimulus check last week. My dad got two checks since the checks were based on 2018's tax returns (My mom died in August 2018.) Dad e-mailed me and said he deposited Mom's check into my account, which I'm grateful for. I've been paying down my debt with the extra money. I was thinking of buying a virtual reality headset (along with continuing to pay off debt) once my federal tax refund is deposited.

A music show I listen to on weekends will be doing weekday shows to keep furries (and non-furries alike) entertained while the coronavirus has many of us home-bound.

 radioromeorabbit will be playing music Mondays through Fridays from 11 AM to 2 PM Eastern (9 AM-Noon Mountain.) Romeo has been entertaining the fandom for 10 years and does a great job with promoting furry musicians, comedians and other performers.

Be sure to give Romeo a listen! His website is http://rabbitsfoot.us

I took parts of old Route 66 during my trip to Furry Fiesta. I spent Wednesday night in an Amarillo, TX motel, then got to Dallas around 4 PM Thursday. My roommate, Schloppy, arrived around 8:30. Our room was on the 4th floor, the "buffer floor" above the party floor.

I attended the opening ceremonies and the greymuzzle panel on Friday. The Super Sponsor dinner was held at a restaurant called Backyard. It basically gives customers the backyard barbecue experience, except indoors at restaurant prices. The tables are picnic tables, and there are games like air hockey and cornhole.

That night, I went to the fursuiting dance party in Reunion Tower. I de-suited and showered in the hotel room afterward. I wish I had worn the suit to the Avian Invasion concert later since several suiters and other audience members were invited on stage to dance.

After dinner on Sunday, I went to a room party being held by a group called Qwerk. I got their parties' DJ schedule for each night and saw Avian Invasion would be the DJ from 8:30 to around 10:30 Sunday. I had two Jack-and-Cokes, then took a few photos and videos of the downtown area view from the balcony. The Reunion Tower ball looks really awesome when it's lit up at night with various colors. Instead of being a Dead Dog dance, it was a Happy Dog dance for me!

I checked out of the hotel around 11 AM Monday. That night, I stayed in the same Amarillo motel where I stayed on Wednesday. It's a pet-friendly motel, and at least two people brought pets. After being kept awake for an hour or so by the occasional barking/meowing, I turned on the room's air conditioner and put in earplugs to block out the sound while I slept. On the way home Tuesday, I refueled in Dumas, TX and got a pizza to split between lunch and dinner.

In other news...

I thought my Affordable Care Act insurance was still intact for this year. Unfortunately, I got a notice saying it was cancelled at the end of 2019 for non-payment. My bank account statement shows I had been making payments, but they were returned a few days later. I went back and forth on the phone between the insurance company and the state exchange, with each blaming the other for what happened. It's too late to re-apply this year, so I'll rely on a lower-cost prescription plan until the next ACA enrollment in November. ACA refunds will make up the bulk of my tax refund, so my return will definitely be much smaller next year.

I was able to reserve a room from Thursday-Monday for DenFur. I picked a single king bed room instead of a two queen room, which was sold out. I also requested a refrigerator and plan to bring instant meals and homemade meals like sandwiches and salads to avoid overspending on hotel food. I'm considering requesting a microwave as well so I can have more cheap hot meals.

Several furries in Colorado Springs started a new group this year. The group will plan more activities when the weather gets warmer, but I've been to a couple of meets with the group. I'm thankful to have more local events where I feel welcome. I'm also grateful I wasn't alone in wanting to distance myself from the behavior of the old group's organizer.

I got myself a new car stereo earlier this month. This stereo has a built-in Bluetooth connection, so I can play phone/GPS audio without needing an external FM transmitter. The stereo also has HDRadio tuning, along with an auxiliary audio input and two USB inputs. I copied over 500 songs onto a USB flash drive for my trip to Furry Fiesta in two weeks.

The FoxTrot meet was held at a new location: the Denver Sweet bar. I didn't bring my fursuit this time because I wanted to get a feel for the new location. This bar didn't feel as crowded as Hamburger Mary's, though a few areas had big groups gathered. I'll definitely suit up at future meets because there's a nice second-floor patio at the bar.

My presents from family (I didn't ask for much): Kitchen towels, potato masher, a Roku Express stick, an electric car jack and impact wrench, and gift cards from Google Play, iTunes and Visa

My presents to myself: a dash camera, an elevated tray for my laptop, an HDMI-to-AV converter, a SoClean APAP cleaner, 5 new APAP masks, the complete series of Animaniacs on DVD, a headphone jack-to-USB cable.

For Christmas dinner, I went to the Panzano restaurant in downtown Denver. I had a Caesar salad, ravioli, butterscotch and caramel pudding, and two glasses of Riesling. Driving home, I was pulled over for speeding on Powers Blvd. Thankfully, the officer let me go with a warning.

All of the Colorado Springs area got a belated Christmas gift as well. A few weeks ago, I re-scanned my HDTV and saw AntennaTV was being added locally on channel 57-4. Originally there was just a "Coming soon" message with a slideshow of the various shows aired by the network. AntennaTV officially began airing on 57-4 last Friday.

Last Sunday's music show went much better for me. I found out what was causing my microphone to constantly come unplugged and fixed the problem.

I picked up some edibles in Manitou Springs this week to help me get through Christmas. I went to Safeway afterward and got a few "Just Crack An Egg" meals to use up my remaining eggs.

I got a flu shot during a doctor's appointment on Monday. I haven't gotten the shot for the past few years, but one was offered while I was there to get a new medication prescription.

I know it's not officially Winter until Saturday, but Winter and its earlier nighttime can fuck right off. My body keeps telling me it's bedtime when it's only 7 or 8 PM.

My mid-January paycheck will be about twice as big since I'm filling in for an afternoon host for a few weekdays after Christmas.

I got a couple of spontaneous "air shifts" this past month. DJ Sonic had asked if I wanted to do a show one weekend. He helped me download and set up a DJ program so I could play a few hours of music. There were a few times when my microphone didn't broadcast over the stream. I don't know if the problem is with the microphone, my laptop or the software. I'll try my newer "travel" laptop to see if that makes a difference. Boomer set up a port for me on his website.

The longtime local rock station in Colorado Springs has the call sign KILO. For the longest time, people unfamiliar with the station's history (including myself) naturally assumed the calls were a drug reference. Somebody out in Internet Land recently researched this and found a 1978 local newspaper article about the call sign change from KPIK to KILO. The station owner simply wanted a reference to the metric system (There was a push in the '70s for America to completely change to the metric system by 1980.) The article did question whether listeners would connect KILO to the drugs used by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and other artists played on the station (The format would change from country to rock a year or two later.)

A discussion a few weeks ago about long-range AM radio stations reminded me of how I used to tune in distant stations in my 20s and 30s. The stations I remember listening to the most were all-news KNX 1070 in Los Angeles and oldies KOMA 1520 in Oklahoma City. I liked KNX for actually reporting news during non-drive-time hours. With KOMA (now talk station KOKC,) I would hear the station after a local daytimer at 1530 signed off for the night. Recently, I tuned into two Chicago stations, news WBBM 780 and talk WLS 890. Colorado Springs had two stations on those frequencies (KCEG and KJME) beginning in 2012, but they are off the air as they look for a new tower site.

A few nights later, I could just barely pull in KNX and KOKC. The former local daytimer on 1530 (KQSC) now operates at night with just 15 watts, so that station causes some interference with KOKC. Some of the other distant stations I received were KRLD 1080 Dallas, WHO 1040 Des Moines and WOAI 1200 San Antonio.

I just hooked up my portable DVR to my TV. Now I can watch the shows I recorded off Denver TV in August. I don't receive the Antenna TV channel locally, so it was nice to see complete episodes of Johnny Carson again. In a 1986 episode, Johnny showed off some of the items from the NBC Store at the time. With all the inflation since then, it was amusing to hear Johnny get shocked at some of the prices ("TEN BUCKS FOR A T-SHIRT?!") He also mentioned Pink Lady and Jeff when talking about canceled shows.

I'll be going to FoxTrot's special "Foxy at the Roxy" event this Saturday.

The August FoxTrot happened the weekend after DenFur. Before the meet, a furry photo shoot was organized in a park overlooking downtown Denver. Since it was still extra hot outside, I partial-suited in the photos. I didn't realize until I saw the photos that half of my shirt was untucked. The photos still turned out great.

Since I had a lot of brown sugar in my cabinet, I used some of it to make some penuche (brown sugar fudge.) I accidentally burned the first batch, but the second batch turned out great. I bought a candy thermometer before making the second batch.

I actually won a prize from the Publisher's Clearing House! Okay, it was only $10, but that's still a win.

(Paul Lynde voice): "I'd like a 10-inch pepperoni... and I'd also like some pizza!"

GrubHub e-mailed me earlier this month to say it had openings for delivery drivers. I had initially applied with GrubHub along with a few other services last year. I'm waiting for my company debit card to arrive so I can start doing orders with them.

I drove up to Denver just after 3 PM Thursday. I stopped to fill my gas tank, then stopped again to buy some water and snacks. I got to the hotel at 4:30. This year I was given a first-floor room, so I didn't have to worry about waiting for the elevators. The reg line took a while to get through because a few things like stuffing the attendee bags were not done in advance.

After opening ceremonies on Friday, I got into suit and went to the ColoFurs meet/photo in the lobby. I couldn't stay very long because I wanted to shower before driving to my dad's house for dinner. After dinner, I picked up some of the microwave dinners from my home to bring back to Denver. I needed to cut back slightly on my budget; having food I bought in advance saved me a bit of money.

The fursuit photo and parade were just after noon on Saturday. Like last year, the parade route was partially outdoors. There was a traffic jam of suiters getting back into the hotel because a photographer was taking pictures of each suiter by the atrium fountain as they came in. Outside temperatures were in the 90s. I'm hoping no one had any health issues due to being outside that long in fursuit. I wore my cooling vest and still felt hot!

Originally, I planned to attend both of the Foxes & Peppers shows. I skipped the first one due to being tired. The Guest of Honor cocktail hour wound up being moved up an hour, putting it at the same time as FaP's after-dark show. The line for the bar was really long, so organizers decided to extend the cocktail hour by an extra hour.

I didn't go to closing ceremonies on Sunday, but others reported 2,735 people attended DenFur, more than 600 more than last year. The next DenFur will take place August 14-16, 2020 and have a "Monty Python & the Holy Grail" theme. I'm hoping the con can find a better hotel next year as the Crowne Plaza DIA's convention center layout isn't the best. (EDIT: The con is under contract with this hotel next year, but they may seek other locations in 2021.)

Where are you staying?
The main hotel.

When will you be arriving and leaving?
Arriving on Thursday and leaving on Monday.

Who will you be rooming with?
I'm alone this time.

What is the best way to find you?
Y'all know the joke I always use for this.

Are there any panels you will be attending?
I found some that I'd like to attend. I'll mainly be at the music performances.

Are you hosting any panels?
Nope.

Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
At panels, going to eat, maybe suiting.

What/where will you be eating?
Either the hotel restaurant or something nearby.

Will you be having a room party?
No.

Will you be drinking and/or getting drunk?
Possibly. I might just bring my own booze this year.

PERSONAL STUFF:

What is your gender?
Male.

How tall are you?
5' 9"

If I approach you, will you chat with me?
Usually.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
If you know me as Jerzei, J. Collie or my IRL name, one of those should work.

How many furry conventions have you attended?
I believe this will be my 15th convention.

Do you own a fursuit?
Yes. Hopefully I'll actually wear it more this time.

PERMISSIONS:

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Hugs are welcome.

Can I buy you drinks?
Absolutely.

Can I take your picture?
Yes, please!

MISCELLANEOUS:

Do you do free art, trades, commissions, badges?
No.

Do you have a table in the Artist Alley / Dealer's Den or a panel in the Art Show? If so, what are you selling?
No.

Do you plan to volunteer?
I considered it. Maybe next year.

What's your goal for the con this year?
Relax and have fun.

One bit of advice I got for dealing with depression is to think of tasks to perform when I'm feeling sad. Even something as mundane as showering, checking e-mail, etc. is a task I accomplish, which sends positive messages to my brain. My initial reaction to depression when I'm home alone is to lay in bed. Of course, that makes things worse because my mind alternates between "you should be up being busy" and "this bed feels nice."

I'm glad Winter is finally over in Colorado Springs. At least half of the trees in my neighborhood were either broken or weighed down by snow on May 21. Colorado Springs got around 5-7 inches of snow, while a few places further north got 15-20 inches.

The snow partially contributed to my getting a flat tire. There were a few snow drifts on one road, and one of the drifts hid a large chunk of concrete that I struck with the back right tire. The mechanic accidentally broke one of the lug nut studs when installing the spare tire, then the lug nut itself came off somewhere along I-25. I bought a new lug nut and stud at Oh-oh-oh-O'Reillyyyyyy Auto Parts (Ow!)

I became a great-uncle a few weeks ago. My niece gave birth to a boy, Luca James.

I finally tried the new Coke Orange Vanilla this week. It tastes like an orange cream soda or a Creamsicle. I only found it in 20-ounce bottles at the first store I went to. I bought a 12-can pack at another store after work today. The Zero Sugar version isn't quite as flavorful as the regular one.

I was going to wear my suit at FoxTrot this month, but the cold weather and my anxiety/depression killed my mood for that. I went to a new furry meetup in the Denver area over the weekend. A furry who I've known a long time organized the meet at an Italian restaurant where he works.

The cold I caught over the weekend went away, but the remaining stuffiness and extra phone shifts I did Monday and Tuesday gave me laryngitis during the Furry Fiesta weekend.

WEDNESDAY
I originally planned to leave for Furry Fiesta at 5 AM, but I waited until just after 6 AM. I refueled my car at a station near home, then drove to Raton, New Mexico for a quick breakfast. I drove several sections of old Route 66 between Santa Rosa, NM and Amarillo, TX. I skipped a couple of longer sections since I was behind schedule.

In Amarillo, I visited the Cadillac Ranch art display and left a little graffiti on one of the cars. Next time I visit, I need to have a pair of rain boots and a plastic bag since the ranch can be muddy/wet.

I stayed at the Hotel Vernon overnight.

THURSDAY
Checked out around 9 AM. I got breakfast in Wichita Falls (Chorizo taquito from Whataburger) and arrived at the hotel in Dallas around 12:45 PM. That night, I went to a Tom Thumb grocery store and got a few items I needed, including sandwiches to have for breakfast.

FRIDAY
The Super Sponsor Dinner was at Medieval Times, where diners can watch jousting matches happening in front of them. Getting off the bus back at the hotel, I fell when I didn't realize part of the sidewalk dropped down. Thankfully, nothing was broken. That night, I went to Fox & Pepper's after-dark show. Bucktown arrived that night and said hi to me at the show.

SATURDAY
I skipped this morning's Reunion Tower fursuiting event since I wanted to sleep a bit longer. I got in suit around 10 AM then went down to march in the fursuit parade. The "ace" dog tags I wore weren't as visible as I'd thought, especially when I'm only going by for a second or two in some videos.

SUNDAY
At the greymuzzle meet, Corsi played his parody song "Sympathy for the Greymuzzles." One of the attendees was a 60-something fox suiter with an electronic-controlled upper jaw that "snarls." The con's charity initially raised over $26,700, but the attendees' last-minute donations raised that to over $29,400. I ended the night in the hotel cafe, with a buffalo chicken wrap and some bourbon pecan cheesecake.

MONDAY
I checked out and left Dallas an hour or two later than I wanted. I skipped visiting Groom on Route 66, but I stopped and tagged one of the vehicles at the VW Slug Bug Ranch in Conway. I skipped the Route 66 drive between Glenrio and San Jon. I got home around 12:40 AM.

SOME NOTES I MADE FOR NEXT YEAR
Split drive home into two days as well. Split driving time almost equally between days. Try to limit driving to sun-up.
Don't bring mini-TV or DVR if I'm splitting a room with others.
Try to room with a handler and/or close friend.
Get satellite radio subscription for car/home. Cell data service non-existent in parts of CO/NM/TX.

Since I got an Amazon gift card for Christmas, I ordered a new collie calendar, a car power inverter and a Route 66 guide. I originally ordered a calendar in December, but the wrong one was shipped to me and the company refunded my money. The latter two items were bought for my upcoming trip to Furry Fiesta since part of my travel route will be on/near Route 66 in New Mexico and Texas. I used some of my airline miles to book a motel room in Vernon, Texas during the trip to Dallas. I'm splitting the trip down into two days so I'm not exhausted when I get to Dallas like last year.

I suited, minus tail and feet, at FoxTrot on Saturday night. The headless lounge outside was a bit crowded, so I didn't want to struggle trying to put the tail on without a helper. The weather was in the low-20s, which kept me cool enough without my EZCooldown vest (but not too cold.) The patio had a few propane heaters to keep non-suiters warm. There were people filming that night to create promotional material. One of the photographers filmed me dancing in suit for a moment.