I'll probably be heading to Anthro New England later this morning. Although I plan on being there for only one day.

I have a little bit of a foreboding in attending the con, I will admit. Some of it has to do of where the convention is happening. The con seems to have already been hit with a couple of niggling bothers and one rather significant issue of limited parking, but they have announced that problem resolved for Saturday.

I hope that is true, because the idea of having to walk across Cambridge to get to the con's hotel in wintry temperatures like these does not sound fun at all. I also remember the trouble I had trying to find a place to park the one and only time I decided to visit Anime Boston.

There are other concerns, maybe I'll expand on them some other time, but I'm hoping that the convention will prove me wrong. We shall see.

Just learned that Edgar Froese passed away last week. That name might not be familiar to anyone reading this, but some might recognize the name of the music group he founded and was the guiding force for its entire duration: TANGERINE DREAM.

Tangerine Dream is one of the major German “krautrock” groups that saw notoriety during the 1970’s, along with bands like Can, Neu, and of course, Kraftwerk. It’s something about that last band in relation to Tangerine Dream that bugs me.

Every supposed expert and fan of the genre praises Kraftwerk’s landmark album Autobahn as a major influence to future genres like Electro and ultimately Electronic and Electronic Dance Music itself. But when doing so they seem to totally ignore another album that came from the same nation as Kraftwerk, even released the very same year (1974) Autobahn debuted, but I think had just as much influence to the future of Electronic Music as Autobahn did, Tangerine Dream’s Phaedra.

Some say that TD’s greatest years were in the period this album was released, the Mid-70s. By then they had quite the stockpile of classic analogue synths and sequencers, and they put them into use in Phadera. And it’s the title track that I think had a profound impact in the future of Electronic Music. With its pulsating rhythm and sequenced arpeggios, listening to it is a like getting a blueprint to later EDM genres, particularly Trance.

Maybe that’s why they tend to be overlooked now. Seeing that Trance has currently fallen out of favor in EDM circles, the styles of Electronic Music popular now have closer ties to Autobahn than Phaedra. But they’re missing out on a brilliant album and, well, listen to the title track yourself:


http://youtu.be/7ndOHPxYGQM


It has the elements of future dance music alright, but then, 10 minutes in, the piece pulls a surprise and wonderful U-Turn. And now we’re in the oceanic depths of echoing whale-like sound effects and eerie mellotrons. It’s a trip, figuratively and literally. The clear imagery the whole piece conveys makes it like a cinematic score.

Which is no coincidence, seeing the work Tangerine Dream would put out in the following decade: tons of heavily synthesized soundtracks for Hollywood films. If you like the 80’s stylings of current synth artists like Com Truise, you’ll definitely recognize the influence of TD’s soundtracks from that era.

But it was their mid-70s works that I like the best, especially Phaedra. It’s a work of analogue, electronic beauty. The impact it would have to future Electronic Music doesn’t get nearly the regard it should.


http://www.avclub.com/article/rip-e.....e-dream-214287

I just uploaded on Flickr a few pictures I took at the Auburn, MA Furry Bowling meets that were held last month right before Thanksgiving, and just yesterday.

Not many photos, and they're mostly fursuiters, although I was trying to take these while bowling myself.

I enjoyed the meets, I don't know why I waited so long to attend these.


The November Furbowl photoset:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/37164.....7649874899805/

The December Furbowl:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/37164.....7649862328232/

---

It's been a couple of weeks but I'll write a few points about my trip to Furpocalypse (RIP Furfright) '14. Because it's been a while since I posted something here:

---

-I only spent a day and a half at the con this year. But I did snag a room in the main hotel thanks to probably a slew of last-minute cancellations that happen at every con. The fact that I arrived at the con on Saturday just before noon was significant as I, supposedly, missed a fire alarm/drill happening not too long before that.

---

-Weather was pretty terrible; lately this con has marked unofficially the first "cold" weekend in the area, and this year was no exception. Rain on Sat. effectively killed the car show and kept the parade from venturing outdoors. Sunday was clear, but greeted by steady, chilly winds. Still better than snow, which two near-future cons I may consider attending have a plausible risk of running into.

---

- I did take some photographs. Not many came out good though. It’s amusing...I guess thanks to every smart phone now equipped with a camera, people see you with a DSLR camera and automatically assume you are some sort of professional.

The irony of this, in my case at least, is that they could probably take a better picture with their phone than I can with my gear. I really don't know what I'm doing, and I'm not really motivated to figuring it out. I honestly got this camera to do something while attending a convention and not just stand around and twittle my thumbs. Which is probably what I would be doing if I didn't have it.

Don't know if I'll post them on Flickr or not. I'm busy with other things, and don't want to take the time prepping and sorting them out. We'll see.

---

-I need to be more talkative. This time I was very self-conscious of how silly I must have seemed mostly standing in one spot, or walking around sullen, and occasionally taking a photo here or there.

---

- One person I did have a conversation with on Sunday Evening was none other than Belic Bear. It was nice seeing him there, especially when he wound up MC-ing the Fursuit Games, injecting his usual wit and humor into the proceedings, (which I believe he is one of best at in the fandom). The standing ovation he got at Closing Ceremonies was well deserved.

---

-Saturday night's traditional show of Rocky Horror (the unofficial “official” movie of the furry fandom) was amusing in that the sound wasn't working at first. So picture the scene that followed of three of the staff members all staring at the DVD player while the film was playing, wondering what to do. Occasionally, one would wiggle a wire from behind, but mostly they would stand there and stare. It looked as if it would a repeat of last year, when the audio kept buzzing out during the showing of the same movie.

But then from stage left, in came someone walking very determinedly to the DVD player, like a man on a mission. A minute fiddling with the DVD and suddenly, the sound was back on again. And, more crucially, they started the movie from the beginning again, meaning they didn't skip the opening song "Science Fiction, Double Feature", which is IMO the best part of the whole film.

Having said that, and I'm not one who partakes in audience interaction like others do, but crowd participation to the movie was much more subdued this year compared to other years. Which wasn't the only place I saw this at this con....

---

-Popeye’s fried chicken is better than KFC.

---

-The influx of teenagers into the fandom continues. Although still not as overwhelming as is the case in other fandoms, but you noticed them if you paid attention to it. Also in a few occurrences what looked like their parents tagging along as well. I bring this up mainly because of the next point below.

---

-Was it me, or did it seem like the “Dead Dog” was noticeably “dead” this time, compared to previous years? It might be just a coincidence, or because of the change in the convention itself and its staff, and they didn’t plan as much to happen then (The traditional second Parade on Sunday night didn’t happen this time for example). But after they had the 40 pizzas delivered, and the attendees engorged themselves with it, everyone seemed to scatter and it was fairly subdued afterwards. So much so that I overheard more than one person remark about it.

Were there room parties going on at the time? Or is it… and I hope this isn’t the case… an indication in a change in the fandom itself. Furry conventions tend to stay pretty lively even after the Closing Ceremonies, but some appeared to leave earlier this year than usual (and this time it was not hurricane induced).

It put a damper before leaving for home that night, because the energy from the Dead Dog gave you a nice buzz before it was time to go. Maybe I just looking too much into this, and it really wasn’t anything at all. Whatever the case, I left at 9:30p on Sunday this year; earlier than I expected.

---

-About that generous gift of free food on Sunday: watching a mass of attendees attack boxes of free pizza is like watching those old nature films of a variety of African wildlife feeding on the carcass of a downed wildebeest, or something like it.

---

-Witnessed an (allegedly) off-duty cop have a confrontation with a supposedly obnoxious couple at a diner (not the Cromwell Diner, but one a few miles up the road) late Saturday night. I don’t know who was in the right, but that couple sure buttoned-up and left pretty quickly after it. A drunk guy with three women then occupied that same booth soon after.

---

-I didn’t go to too many of the dances, but the short time I was at them I thought I picked up on something about the music. Most of it was still the usual Electro/Prog/Dubstep House and Trap they’ve been playing for the last few years now, but it sounded as if some were injecting a faster Techno-like beat to their mix. One of the DJs was even playing what sounded like progressive Trance at one point.

Is this an indication of a move toward Techno/Trance by DJs again, or am I just hearing things? Maybe I was hearing a genre I’m not too familiar with like Hardstyle; as I don’t really keep track on electronic music as others do.

If it was a subtle shift in styles, I could only hope that would be the case. I can’t imagine how much longer DJs can keep playing the same old Prog and Electro House stuff you see in places like the Beatport Top 100 without there being eventually some sort of rebellion of the masses.

---

-It’s always the random things that make furry conventions the most fun, like watching a group of furs dry hump a Ford Fiesta ST.

---

-As for the new staff of Furpocalypse and the change of the convention. Everything seemed to run well, and I have no complaints. But I can’t really judge since I was there for only about 36 hours.

---

-As I left on Sunday night, and because I tend to do odd things like this, I partook in what has now become a sort of tradition of mine in the last few years driving home from FF/FP; which is listening to Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here.

Not just the song, but the WHOLE ALBUM of the same name, from start to finish. It’s one of the most melancholic of albums you can hear. And it fits perfectly with the setting driving on the cold, empty, highways, after a weekend of being surrounded by hundreds of joyous, colorful people. (Not surprisingly, W.Y.W.H. is a concept album that deals with the theme of “absence”)

I don’t usually suffer from it myself but if you get PCD after a con, this album will boost it to 10x the rate you normally feel, to the point of wanting to slit your wrists, and you’ll enjoy every little moment of it. It’s the good type of sadness, if there’s such a thing.

On that point Pink Floyd has just released an album of new music, something I never thought I would see again in my lifetime, but that’s a subject for another time.

If anyone is in a last-minute search for room at FurFright, those two spaces I mentioned in the previous post that might be available have indeed opened up again in my room in the Main Hotel (Crown Plaza) for Furfright 2013, for FRIDAY and SATURDAY night (planning on leaving Sunday). Looking for people to split the cost.

Price dependent on number of people in the room. Must stay clean and no minors please. Fursuiters o.k. .

For more info, or interested in a space, send a message HERE, or at koXXt ennXo cXXnyo@gmXa Xil.X com (remove spaces and Xs for address).

--

ALSO,

I am LOOKING for Roomspace for MIDWEST FURFEST next month in the Main Hotel. Preferably (Thurs.- Sun.), or at least (Thurs-Sat) or even (Fri-Sat) if the four nights aren't available. Have cash $$, can pay. Planning to have fursuit by then. Can take floorspace.


Thanks,

---

I may have 2 spaces open in the room at the main hotel for Furfright. If it happens, I'll post more details in the upcoming days.


-

You've probably noticed ads running for the upcoming film RUSH being released in the U.S. in a couple of weeks (unless you are lucky enough to be from the U.K., where it has already premiered). A once-in-a-blue-moon picture from Hollywood that covers the subject of motor racing; but not just any motorsport, Grand Prix F1 racing from the mid-1970s. (Why that’s significant, I’ll reveal in another post).

Since it’s already been released in England and it’s so close to the U.S. release date, there has already been a number of reviews from critics here and abroad, and right now the response has been incredibly favorable. As of today, it has a 97% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. There’s still a lot of US critics yet to see it of course, but this rating suggests that the movie will not be the typical hack offering about the sport from Hollywood.

But even with all the positive feedback so far, I’m still holding judgment until I see the motion picture myself. Why? Because I remember a couple years back about a certain documentary being released about a certain Brazilian Formula 1 driver where the reviews were just as overwhelmingly positive as this one (so far). I bought into the all hype and praise being bestowed on the Senna doc before actually seeing it, and I went to the theater to see Senna thinking this may be the greatest cinematic experience in a theater in my life, short of possibly having sex in the movie seats…maybe.

When I walked out of the theater after Senna, well, I’ll just say it didn’t live up to what I thought it would be, and was even slightly miffed on a couple things about it. So this time, despite the reviews, I’m not jumping the gun. But I will say that I’m encouraged that Ron Howard is directing it, I’ve seen Apollo 13 and the seriously underrated Quiz Show, and loved both of them, so I know he has the potential of making a great film. We’ll see.

But when I do see it, expect a lengthy review from me here. Since it is about a subject I care very much about. I’ll explain in the second part of this…

Before I post this to the Anthrocon forums, I'll announce here first for anyone interested that a few months ago, I managed to snag a room for Anthrocon 2013.

I reserved a room at The WESTIN, check-in 7/4, check-out the morning of 7/8, and now I'm looking for 1 or 2 people to help split the cost of the room.

It is a King Room however, although I was planning on sleeping on the floor, (unless you would prefer to do that yourself, or arrange in taking turns with the bed.)

Fursuiters OK, knowing how no one wants to hike in the middle of a US city in an animal costume. The usual rules apply, stay clean, shower, and don't damage the room in anyway. But also: Age 18+ ONLY.

Contact or Note me here for more details and cost of the room etc., or go to koXXteXXnnocXXnyo(at)gmail.com (remove the X's for the address).

One thing though, I might not be able to read anyone's replies this weekend so don't be alarmed if I don't contact you back right away for a few days.

On a completely different note, after a long, hard fight against it, I've finally given up and joined the rest of the herd and got myself a Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/KotenNoc

----

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything here, but I’ve been seeing this pop up in more than one place lately, so I’ll put my long and rambling 2 cents into it.

You might have already seen it, a Tumblr post from a fan who is also a hotel worker, who rips into his fandom about the recent trend poor behavior at conventions, and how it’s negatively affecting relations with the host hotels.



Cue a dozen readers rolling their eyes, and whispering under their breath: “Furries”.




….And you’d be wrong; this fanboy/hotel worker wasn’t speaking about Furry, but about the Anime fandom.





I found out about this from the page of  Louiefurrywolfy , you can view that here:

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4621566/

In there  Tobias27 made a point I recall reading way back about the Westin and how they banned Tekkoshocon (Pittsburgh’s local Anime convention) from their hotel and gave them a list of reasons why. I added my own comment about it which is pretty much what is shown below:

Supposedly Tekko went back to the DLCC this year, but not The Westin on an official basis (apparently their official hotel for 2013 was the Doubletree).
And about that list on why they were not invited back, it just so happened, while doing some browsing on Tekkoshocon forums, one poster pasted again the entire list, shown here (scroll down to post #147):

http://www.tekkoshocon.com/forums/i...../page__st__140

Some grievances were just like stated, excessive use of Debit Cards, underage drinking, destructive and loutish behavior. Also, the lack of con-supplied security was specifically pointed out by the hotel as a problem.

Slightly connected to this, it just so happened, out of pure curiosity, that I attended my first ever Anime convention last weekend. It was Anime Boston, and although I was only there for about 8 hours, some things I saw there did make me appreciate what we have, or take for granted, in the Furry fandom.

The key difference when I was at Anime Boston, besides the size of the convention, was how out of place I felt there age-wise. I kind of knew this going into the convention that I’d be a bit older than most attendees there, but damn, I hit my 30s not too long ago and it seemed like every person there was a teenager. Maybe I’m bad at reading ages and there really were many more older people than I thought, but it seemed like you really had to search to find anyone that even resembled your age group.

I have to say, despite the dim view this fandom gets from other communities in the geek universe, we seem to have a generally better reputation when it comes to hotels and convention areas. And I believe part of the reason for this is that we have a slightly older demographic in our fandom compared to the Anime community. Which bothers me some, that more and more younger people seem to be migrating over to the furry fandom, many of them coming directly over from Anime itself.

OK, so I shouldn't assume they are all going to be hell-raisers, and I know that doesn't automatically mean that this community will descend into chaos like other fandoms at certain geek cons, but their previous reputation in places doesn't cast them in a very favorable light.

For example, this year at Anime Boston their popular Informal Dance, equivalent to our dances, was cancelled. It was nixed because the con encountered so much trouble with unruly and illegal behavior at last year’s dance that was so bad, word of it actually reached the Mayor of Boston’s office. Some of the problems involved minors, and with negative publicity that bad, it was obvious that any chance of having a dance this year, despite their efforts to have one, were almost nil.

Then there was the size of the con. The anime fandom in general is much, much larger than furry as we know. I don’t know the exact attendance figure, but AB is still several times larger than the biggest furry con. It showed in the lines waiting to get into the various panels and events. Of the furry conventions I’ve attended, I’ve yet to have a case where I was denied entry to an event because they were filled to capacity. I couldn’t imagine waiting for an event/panel at AB for hours, only to be denied getting in because the room is full, but it happens all the time at cons like these. And to think some people here actually would like to see this fandom grow to the size seen in some Comic and Anime conventions.

So despite the constant complaining and snide remarks we hear in reference to the furry fandom, in some cases we may be a lot better off compared to other communities that we never seem to appreciate. And to anyone who actually dream of furry conventions growing to the size of say, San Diego Comic-Con, or ACEN, or Otakon, or those who would like to see a conglomeration of people similar to what you find in other geek circles, all I can say is be careful what you wish for, what positives we have now may be wiped out with the changing of the fandom.

......working in retail, you're in our thoughts and prayers.



http://www.plasticjungle.com/blog/w.....ack-friday.jpg

The opening song!

The plot of a 007 film is important, the action, the settings, the villians, the henchmen, the gadgets/weapons, the car he drives, and of course, which actor is actually playing James Bond in the first place. But the movie just isn't complete if it doesn't have a good opening theme. Finally, somebody out there realizes this and tries to break it down as to which is the best:

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id.....-song-all-time

I'll admit I like this article because, for the most part, I agree with a lot he says. Especially which one wound up as #1 on their list, which really is the quintessential Bond song. (Although I'd put the original "dun da dun-dun" theme in first if it actually counted.) And the fact that the White/Keys, Madonna, and McCartney songs really do suck.

.....but I'm not. Well, maybe if I time it right, I'll pick up my badge on Thursday Night, then proceed to NOT be there for two days. Maybe I'll pop in to see everyone get nutty while Rocky Horror plays on the big screen on Saturday night. I might try to make on Sunday also; then again, I may never get out of bed Sunday after what happens the previous two days. Make sense? Of course it doesn't.

I don't like missing Furfright, as it's my favorite furry convention. But a number of circumstances came about that will mean I'll be in southern New Jersey all day Friday and Saturday, and I don't want to miss it for the world.

I was thinking of going to MWFF as well. But I don't know if that's likely either. Further Confusion on the other hand, looks like it will happen. Unless a raging snowstorm keeps me stranded here or somewhere in the Midwest.


Good Luck with the con! Have Fun! And try not to burn the place down...

Ran across this journal post, who was commenting on what he came across in Furbuy.

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3616946/

It was at $800 , and that was two days ago. At the time of this posting, July 4th, 8pm ET, the current bid is at an even $1000. Good Grief.


http://www.furbuy.com/auctions/1033074.html





But what's even crazier? In the description they mention that the characters were given humorous spoof names (like any adult title would), but:



"Stare in wide-eyed awe as Applesack and Charity's slumber party goes in a direction that might make you think this is just some kind of porno! Then join Pinky and Dash (they can't all be funny names...)....."



"Rainbow Sn*tch" was right in front of your face, and you didn't pick up on that? C'MON! And you call yourselves furries....

I've posted a set of photos from Anthrocon 2012 on Flickr:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/371641.....7630223639490/



There's another set of pics that are slightly blurred, or somewhat off. But, I've found out that some people may still want to see, or have a use for them, so here they are:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/371641.....7630224485976/

A Flickr link to some of the photos I took at FWA:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/371641.....7629265144714/


-First off, I've got to thank  CyanLeopard for being a very accomodating host as he was the guy who I roomed with at the Sheraton for Furry Weekend Atlanta last week. In addition to Cyan, I got to meet  ScrapeGoat and Storm Husky, (whose FA page I can't find at the moment), as they were the other roomates for the con, both of whom were also a pleasure to spend the weekend with. 4 people in the room was just the perfect $/roomspace balance; good price, not too crowded.



-Actually, my first encounter with Scrape and Storm was a bit wacky. Cyan was off at the God Level dinner, and I decided to do a change in wardrobe. I had just put on my boxer shorts, and was reaching for a pair of jeans when I thought to myself, "wouldn't it be odd if the roomates had decided to enter right now?". Sure enough, right at that moment: *BZZZT* *CLICK!*, "oh hi there", and Scrape and Storm were greeted with the presence of a total stranger, who they've never seen before, in his boxers, in their hotel room.



Then again, if they had come in a few seconds earlier, my introduction would have been a lot more awkward...



-Scrape also happened to be the individual who organized the flashmob rendezvous with the anime convention down the street called Momocon (who names their convention after a steering wheel?). It took place on Saturday night, and at dinner right before, it was being discussed if anyone would even show up for the thing. Whatever the case, it would still go on even if there were 4 or 5 people there.

The event got a little more than 5 people:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/371641.....7629265144714/

In fact, enough people participated to actually freak out the security staff at Momocon when we first got there. No so much because a group of furries were arriving unannounced, but because they had no idea how many of us were actually invading the hotel at first. It could have been the whole convention for all they knew. To their great relief, it wasn't every attendee at FWA, but the number was well over a hundred, enough to get noticed. Surprisingly, the whole thing went off without so much of a hitch.



-Atlanta traffic was nutty. On Friday, President Obama decided to make a visit to the city, creating a slew of roadblocks everywhere he went. Saturday brought St. Patrick's Day parades, Sunday had a Marathon. I got to see a good chunk of the Atlanta downtown area thanks the numerous detours I had to travel through the weekend.



-For one lunch, I tried the Atlanta landmark that is The Varsity http://www.thevarsity.com/. "What'll ya have? What'll ya have?"



-I didn't tell anyone, but that weekend was the first time I actually tried sushi.
I stuck with the basic Ebi (shrimp) and Shake(?) (salmon), which I actually enjoyed, particularly the texture of the salmon. The rice was cooked well which I suppose helped a lot too. I had it at the Peachtree Plaza up the street which was inundated with amine kids from Momocon, and I swear, i felt like I was back in a high school cafeteria at times. So if anyone asks, I can say I had my first sushi experience in an Atlanta food court, surrounded by dozens of teenaged cosplayers.



-Friday night I was curious and decided to take the shuttle to The Jungle. The trip there was funny as you went past numerous XXX shops and nudie bars to get to the club itself, which was in what seemed like a dank, murky, industrial site; slightly intimitdating to say the least. Fortunately, the club itself was not as intimidating, but the problem was, not too many people showed up, whch was slightly disappointing. Would've been interesting what it would've been like if the place was completely full.



-Like in previous coventions, I spent most of my time there wandering around taking pictures, since I still haven't completed my fursuit I'm working on. I took about 1200 pictures at FWA, but I screwed up a good 3/4ths of them by trying to be clever and not use a flash, which was dumb. The result was a lot of the pics came out grainy, which I assume was from underexposure. I've posted some, shown at the link above, and that was only after I doctored a bunch to make them look brighter, which is why it took so long to post them on Flickr.

Nevertheless, particularly in the ballroom during the dances, some photos came out interesting. The lighting they used in there was really neat, and if you were lucky, and timed it just right, you could come out with some pretty atmospheric shots:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/371641.....57629265144714



-You're obligatory "People At The Con, Who Are Definitely Not There For The Con" photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/371641.....57629265144714



-I found this flyer on a table late on Sunday Night, I though I recalled overhearing a staff member questioning a costumer if they had a hidden camera, right before the parade. Anyone know more?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/371641.....57629265144714



-It was a good con, and while I don't have any current plans to attend next year, the fact that it's moving over to the 70+ floor Westin is intriguing, in much the same way MFF became more interesting to go to when it moved over to the gorgeous Hyatt near O'Hare.



-Next convention I'm planning to attend may be Anthrocon. Although I don't have a room in the Westin or Courtyard since I missed the 80-second window rooms were available there, and I haven't gotten one anywhere else. A moot point anyway if I still don't finish the fursuit in time for mid-June. We'll see.


KOTEN

.

...why is the President of the United States stalking us furs?



I'll soon have a load of mediocre photos I took from FWA 2012 posted on my Flickr page, as soon as I get done rendering them from unviewable to slightly passable. You might have noticed a couple on here already. Plus, maybe a word or two about the con. Hold tight.


- Koten

Looks like I'll be going to FWA this year, planning to be there on Thursday, and I'll be traveling....


"From Boston clean down to Atlanta, Georgia".....


"ALL THE WAY DOWN THE EAST COAST"...


"GET READY...

GET READY...

GET...GET"...


"I TORE DOWN THE EAST COAST"....


"I'm talking to you baby"....

"You!"

"YOU!"





(Wonder if anyone will try to figure that out)

Valentines Day is a funny one to me. I'll wholly admit, I'm probably more familiar with being single than most people here, (which in this fandom, might really be saying something); currently single right now too. But, despite being without a Significant Other, this holiday never bothered me the slightest, and back then I couldn't see why it would bug anyone else solo....

....Until I ventured into the furry fandom, particularly this site. No, it isn't the schmaltzy, saccharine, artistic expressions of unrequited love that pop up here around the 14th. Because, quite honestly, you see the lovey-doveyness all the time on FA no matter what time of year it is.

What I notice is how many people here get upset at today. Upset enough to openly express their distaste for the holiday. I'll probably get a half dozen journals in my inbox today from people either being all gooey about Valentine's Day, or publicly denouncing it. I know some are actually being a little facetious, tounge in cheek while venting, but still....

I guess the reason for it is because so many in the fandom are pretty young. An age when being or not being in a relationship is a matter of life or death for some odd reason. I suppose it wouldn't take much searching here to find some teenager, all but ready to hang themselves just because, on this one day, they don't have a bf/gf/mate/partner/s.o. or whatever you want to call it. On the flip side, there will be another teen, whose only been in a relationship for a couple months, gush about how so and so person will be the one they'll spend the rest of their life with, without a doubt.....Mmm-hmm.

The irony of that of course, is how shallow and superficial young relationships tend to be. I understand now how Feb 14th can exacerbate feelings of aloneness for singles, but today really isn't that important that it should bother. If it is bothersome, then look at it this way: most the relationships here you read about today, undoubtedly aren't going to last.

The few that do last, will end up like this in 20 years. From someone that knows a few things about Love and Marriage:




.
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I remember when I first saw that episode as a kid, laughing my butt off at the "card fight" scene.

Now that 2011’s MFF and FurFright have receded in the memories of everyone who attended, what better time to drag them to the surface again with a belated con report. Originally, I wanted to write both conventions into one post. But it started to get so long, I had to split the recap in two.

Instead of taking up space here, I'll just link to the report I posted on LiveJournal (yeah, some people still use that site).

The Furfright part started becoming more of an homage to the convention than an actual report halfway into it, and it still turned out pretty lengthy (I wish FA had a “Cut” feature like LJ does.)

Nevertheless, if you have the time, and like to spend hours reading con reports, here's the LJ link…



http://koten-nocnyo.livejournal.com.....76.html#cutid1





Next, I’ll try to write up the Midwest Furfest portion in the near future, and it should be a lot different in format (and hopefully shorter) than this one.

So I finally managed to sort out all of the photos I took at Midwest Furfest in Chicagoland last weekend. And posted whatever I could salvage on my Flickr page. They can be viewed here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/371641.....7628119469351/

Some of them didn't come out that great, as I was messing with the camera settings all weekend.

Anyone here is free to use/post whatever photos they find on my Flickr account. Credit would be much appreciated.

I'd like to make another post on how the MFF weekend went. Although that's as likely as my promise I made about Furfright last month.

Barring any last minute disater, it looks as if I may be heading to Midwest Furfest next week. 13 previous furry conventions, this is a first to MFF. First time in the Chicago area too. This is going to be so.....so......expensive.

Looks like I'm going to have to absorb the cost of staying at the Hyatt on my own. One of the very few drawbacks of staying at a large hotel: more room spaces than actual people looking for them. I haven't even bothered posting space openings on MFFs board, half-a-dozen seem to be doing the same right now, with no takers.

You'd think there would be more demand; simply by looking around FA at the moment, it seems like 95% of all furries and fursuiters in existence are going to this convention. The benefits of being in a central location, or maybe I'm just looking in the right places.

Whatever, we'll see what happens.

So, what would you do if a fox walked into your office offering a cake (and half a beer)?

I mentioned in this submission:

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6748802

that I had a small video clip tied to it. And after some goading I decided to put it up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zstMaLXaF1Y

I hope this doesn't go all to hell and somehow gets the woman in the video in trouble. The staff at the Crowne Plaza, by all accounts, really were great and accomodating to the Furfright crowd. As seen in the video with  TiltLongtail acting all sly like a... well, you know.

I uploaded a bunch of pics on Flickr from Furfright. Link as follows:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/371641.....7627960834398/

I tried to organize them into several categories. I may end up posting a few here on FA as well.


FurFright itself was great, even though I never did get the fursuit head i was working on done. Thinking of writing a more detailed report on the con later... maybe.

Planning on going to MFF in less than a month...

No memes here. But in a few weeks, for the 5th time in succession, I'll be going to Furfright . (The greatest furry convention of them all) Hopefully, I'll have my fursuit head done in time. It's been long enough that I've been working on it. I've got to stop worrying about making it look perfect and just finish the damn thing.

And I may or may not have a couple of spots open in my room (in the main hotel) for the weekend. I'll know for sure within the next couple of days.