Been a while since I was last here. With the way the bird site is going after the bad type of Musk invasion I'm putting together a presence on other sites to try to preserve current connections with fellow furs. I don't know where folks will end up if things crash and burn there but we shall see.

Rainfurrest (RF) is one of those cons I love to attend. Seattle is nice, the con is fun, and I get to see a number of people I don't normally see (damn being on the east coast!).

I also love my job in that I can usually get the time off to attend cons, namely because I make a con into a 4 day weekend so I'm really not gone enough to create a problem for coverage.

However, this year RF and work have decided to create a bit of a clash. The same week that RF happens, work is hosting an international conference, which I will be a part of, both as a presenter and with some form of hosting duties, I'm sure. Luckily the main conference wraps up by Thursday so I'm not in direct conflict yet with RF.

What does pose a problem is potential coverage because I will already have been "gone" for the conference for the past week, and then I would be extending that to attend RF as well. It comes down to me taking a careful look at the projects I supervise and seeing what phase we are in for each one. I know one of them will be in the middle of a test, but generally by the time it reaches that test unless a showstopper occurs the project is fairly stable and we won't be needed to handle it. My other projects should be able to handle an extra two days of me not being there, but we'll see. I'm hoping that I can get away with being able to work remotely and still be able to attend RF.

So, we'll see what happens, but I'm hoping I can make RF and see everyone.

Sooooo Furthemore kicked ass this year and it's going to come back for next year. The dates were set, until...

They found out the date they picked (April 18-20) is Easter Weekend.

So they have put out a survey asking folks for their input about Furthemore 2014's dates and if they should be moved.

You know what would make you awesome? If you are thinking you might want to go and would fill out this survey

Survey

You know what would make you even more awesome? Sharing this journal (or the survey) with your friends so that they can get in on Furthemore.

Where are you staying?
The Westin

What day are you getting there?
Thursday night

Who will you be rooming with?
My mate  Sparf and  AsheWTiger

Who will you hang out with during the convention?
Anyone I meet

Will you be suiting?
Oh yeah, just look for the golden tiger with black and purple stripes, likely in a jersey that has MANGI and the number 82 on it

Do you do free art?
Bwahahahahahahahahahah

What is your gender?
Dude

How tall are you?
6'1"

Can I talk to you?
Of course

Can I touch you?
Only if I see you first.

How can I find you?
Look for me wearing my badges that say Mangi on them, and I'll likely be in a jersey, otherwise look for a Baltimore Ravens hat in some form. See above description if I am suiting

Can I visit your room?
Only if I know who you are

Can I buy you drinks?
You'd have to clear that with Sparf

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Hugs, definitely, snuggles, let's talk

Are you nice?
Yup

Do you have an artist table?
Nope..

Will you be going to parties?
If I'm not holed up finishing a paper for class, sure!

Will you be performing?
I don't have the skills D-:

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
"Go Ravens!" "Yo" "Sup" "Steelers Suck!" "Mangi!" (Man-Gee) Party? :D

What/where will you be eating?
If there is food i will be eating there..

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
Sure

Can I take your picture?
Hellz yes

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
To have a blast!

So my mate Sparf and I have stories in the anthology Will of the Alpha, which is sold by  FurPlanet If you buy it at AC and locate either of us, we'll sign your copy of the anthology. We haven't arranged any times for signing at the table (yet) but an easy way to find us is to look for us at the writing panels as we will either be panelists there or causing trouble for the other panelists (just kidding, maybe)

There's other authors from the anthology who will be there as well, and who knows, if you ask nicely they might sign your copy of Will of the Alpha.

CON-RELATED/MISC:

1. Where are you staying?
The Westin, I'll be there Weds-Mon

2. Who will you be rooming with?
My mate  Sparf  AsheWTiger, and his mate Janus


3. Who will you be hanging out with?
My roommates and pretty much anyone I run across at the con.

4. Major plans at the con?
Panelist for some of the writing track panels, fursuiting, hanging at the dealers den, signing books

5. Fursuit(s)?
Mangi: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6443601/


ABOUT ME:

1. What is your gender?
Male

2. What do you look like?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebla.....57623857683780

3. How old are you?
29

4. How tall are you?
6'1"

5. How would you describe yourself?
Friendly, fun, outgoing, sometimes logical, cute

6. Are you taken?
I'm happily taken by my wonderful mate, Sparf

7. Are you nice?
Hell to the yes, unless your an utter dickbag to me, then I will tell you to fuck off.

8. Are you cliquey?
Nope, I talk to anyone, unless you're a dickbag

9. You like shinies?
Ummmm, what?


INTERACTION:

1. Can I talk about/do drugs in front of you?
No, not my thing.

2. Can I invite you out for food/fun/etc?
Sure! Unless I'm in a panel I might be free.

3. Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
Sure!

4. Can I talk to you?
I'm cool with that

5. Can I give you stuff?
If it's just random stuff, that might be a little weird.

6. Can I hug you?
If I have met you at least once and I see you approaching

7. Can I hug your friends?
That's between you and them.

8. Can I cuddle with you?
That's reserved for Sparf

9. Can I flirt with you?
Flirting is okay, but try to take it beyond that and it will go nowhere.

10. Can I stalk you?
What the fuck kind of question is this? NO

11. Are there any words I shouldn't use around you?
Steelers

12. Can I buy you drinks?
Tell you what, you pay, but I'll place the order.

13. Can I ask you to dance?
Maybe if I'm there.

14. Attending parties?
Probably, if there's an invite.

15. Can I buy you food sometime?
I would be surprised if you did.

16. Can I make plans with you?
It's worth a shot if I'm not busy.

17. Can I visit you in your room?
I'd have to know who you are, and even then it depends on the roommates.

18. Can I take a picture of you?
If you ask nicely

19. If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Call my name (Man-gee)

20. How can I find you?
Follow me on Twitter @MDMangi, or look for me at some of the writing track panels. I know I'm leading the "bad fiction reading" panel.

Stolen from  sadariuswolf

Where are you staying?
The Con Hotel

What day are you getting there?
Thursday Morning, around 9 AM, yes, an early flight!

Who will you be with?
With my mate  sparf and  fuzzwolf

Who will you hang out with during the convention?
Anyone who is friendly

Are there any panels you might be attending?
Probably most of the writing panels, maybe some fursuit stuff

Are you attending any stage or public performances?
Likely just the fursuit parade, unless you count signing books at the  furplanet table (Will of the Alpha, buy it!)

Will you be suiting?
Hell to the yes!

Which suit(s) will you be bringing?
The cute and adorable Baltimore Ravens loving Mangi of course! :-D

Do you do free art?
Only if you like line scribbles

Do you do trades?
Like anyone would want to trade with me

Do you do commissions?
Not yet

What is your gender?
Male

How tall are you?
Taller than your mom

Can I talk to you?
Of course!

Can I touch you?
If I at least know your name, you're not a creeper, and you're not reeking of con-funk

How can I find you?
I'll be all over the con, just look for me in suit, or at the furplanet table. Follow my twitter MDMangi and I'll try to keep my location posted

Can I visit your room?
Not unless I invite you up there first

Can I buy you drinks?
Only if I see the bartender make it

Can I give you stuff?
I'd probably feel weird if you did.

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Hugs are always cool, especially when I'm in suit. Snuggles might have to be cleared with the mate.

Are you nice?
I usually am.

How long are you going?
Thursday until late Sunday night.

Do you have an artist table?
Nope

Will you have art in the Art Show? General or Adult sections?
No

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Call my name Mangi, which is pronounced "Man-Gee"

Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
All over

What/where will you be eating?
Besides the god-level dinner, I have no idea.

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
Sure, if you can find me.

Can I look in your sketchbook?
Sure

Can I draw in your sketchbook?
Sure, why not?

Can I take your picture?
Well duh, of course!

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
To have a blast and sign lots of copies of Will of the Alpha for people.

See y'all in Hotlanta!

So much to be thankful for this year. I'm thankful for my mate, my family, the friends I have, whether I've known you for years or met you recently, and knowing this fandom. Hope you all have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!


Also, GO RAVENS

This artist wants to do a group commission of a gameday party and is looking for folks interested in being in it. You don't even have to like any specific team!

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2911993/

Pick up this book, read it's synopsis, and you think it's going to be a potential story about an antelope who goes in search of magic to make the beautiful girl fall in love with him.

After that assumption, you read the first thirty pages and you realize it's porn, and bad porn at that. The book goes from sex scene to sex scene with a thin overall plot in order to tie together the reasons why our antelope gets his freak on with several species. Unfortunately the scenes in between the sex are bad, mostly due to the dialogue. You will cringe at some of the idiotic things he will say to the women in the story. I E-mailed some of this dialogue to a few women and their response was that if a guy said that to them, he wouldn't be getting laid...he'd be getting the boot. Much like fast forwarding in a porn movie to skip the bad acting, you'll probably want to skip pages just to get to the sex.

Some of the sex scenes themselves are hot, but some of the vocabulary used is not. I'm not talking about swear words or the silly things that may be said during sex, but an aroused vagina should not be described as "gloopy." Yuck! Also, any good writer will tell you that when it comes to writing about sex, mix up the vocabulary for anatomy or you risk boring your reader. This author missed that tip because it's always cock and pussy.

The sad thing is, this could have been a good novel if more editing work had been done on the scenes in-between the sex, a few tweaks to the sex itself, and spicing it up a little with the magic. Instead, the magic is used as a minor plot device to help get the guy laid. In the end, we get a book that's just below the level of a Harlequin Romance.

If all you want is to read about sex, this is your book. If you want some kind of character development or plot that has the spice of sex in it as well, look for something else.

Sunday I woke up around 11 AM because a friend of mine, KG, was going to stop by so we could have breakfast. I have been talking to her for a few years since we were both commenters on the same blog, and we and a few others regularly chat on Google Wave. Yes, we're one of the few people who still use it! So first time meeting IRL since she lives in the area. I got a text she arrived, I went downstairs and we finally got to meet up. For breakfast we went to the Cromwell Diner down the road and enjoyed just chatting about various stuff going on, including a bit of catch-up on what I was missing on Wave. A good meeting overall and we took pictures to prove that yes, we finally broke the fourth wall!

I caught up with :icefoxix: and we both went to get pictures done in fursuit. Yes I was back for a second round of pictures, but this time I was in my Ravens jersey and so was he. It's actually how I met Ice in the first place. We were both at AC 2010 and I was just bumming around the hotel lobby and oh look, there's a guy in a Flacco Jersey, he should be cool. So yeah, we got pictures done together and separately in our jerseys.

After that, had brunch with him and gray. It was kind of a quiet day for the con as things were winding down. I just chilled out, picked up some commissions, and made a good time of it. As it was, everything was going to happen in the evening.

So once the closing ceremonies were over, I had gotten word that we were going to try to set up a performance of Thriller during the Dead Dog party. I got into suit and hung out at the dance before heading back to the headless lounge. I ended up chatting with a number of folks before it sounded like we were going to go out there to perform. As I was putting my head on and heading out, I heard the intro start, so it was like, RUN TO THE FLOOR!  camohusky ended up doing the same thing as well.

The performance of Thriller was a lot of fun. I was glad for the extra practice as I was more confident in the dance than I would have been if I had just done the 2 hour panel. If you haven't seen the video already, here it is: http://youtu.be/bYfcRdu7bKA I ended up running into  JDPuppy later that night and told him how much fun it was and I hope they would do it again next year. He said he'd love to see folks get together and create or re-create dances at any cons they happen to be at. I'm definitely down for that idea and I know a couple of the other Thriller participants feel the same way.

I spent most of the night at the Dead Dog party, both sitting in the lounge and going back out there. One highlight after Fursuit Parade 2 was that the FF organizers announced they were about $200 short of breaking last year's fundraising total. If the goal was broken, they would follow through with the plan to shave Wag's head. Well the wallets came out and the total was broken, IIRC it was just over $12,700 raised for charity. Therefore Wag was brought up there and the headshaving commenced. Myself and a few others in suit were sitting there and cheering the whole thing on as it happened. It was great.

It seemed that the headless lounge was the place to be for a while there, as a lot of us just kicked back and talked. Even Ice had to admit that the headless lounge was the most social area that evening. At one point while venturing out, a small fur pile was started somewhere in the hallway. Now I get why some suiters do that, it can be comfortable, so long as you're not the one on the very bottom that's starting it.

As things came to a close for Dead Dog, it was getting late and since there were long trips ahead for folks, it was time for bed.

***

Monday morning was basically get up, have breakfast, pack everything up and say my goodbyes, and head to the airport. I was there at the airport early so it meant using the free wi-fi to catch up on some stuff. Right before my flight I ended up running into a few other furs from the convention who were going to be on the flight. One of the women there said she had "seen me sitting there and saw my T-shirt with the big cats on it, and the tiger on my backpack, so those plus being socially awkward, I was probably coming from the con."

Um, excuse me? I was actually a bit offended by that, mostly because anyone who knows me or met me at the con, I'm not really socially awkward, but whatever. I was sitting there on my laptop because Southwest provides those nice chairs and charging stations.

So a one-hour flight later and I was back in Baltimore, soon to be picked up by  Sparf and then homeward.

So overall Furfright was an awesome experience for me and I look forward to next year because I definitely want to go back. I met so many cool folks while there, including  wolfpuptk sadariuswolf graywolf769 alshline nbowa camohusky TDK kint denimwizard JDPuppy Kwik clemfox and  hockeywolf Lots of good folks, and they made the con fun. I'm sure I'll catch y'all at a future con somewhere.

Saturday of Furfright started out with getting up late and heading over to http://www.tedsrestaurant.com/ since I had seen the clip of Man vs Food that was all about them, plus they were only about 2 miles from the hotel! So it was me,  graywolf769 and  icefoxix who got to see what they were all about.

To be honest, the burger was good, but I think the ones I make at home are better. However, it's worthwhile for the trip.

I spent most of the day hanging out at the con, setting up a few commissions, and chilling with friends. A few of us practiced the Thriller dance again and it was starting to look pretty good for our group.

Mostly I hung out and met with new furs. The only time I did fursuit for a long period of time during the day was for the parade, because well, it's the parade, and I gotta! Otherwise it was still too warm in the hotel to stay in fursuit long. You can see me in this video, I start to appear around 7:05 and walk by while representing my Caps! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts5SkB2TQi8

I also did get several portraits done of me in suit wearing my Capitals jersey. They turned out great and will be posted here soon.

Later that day I would get in on the free poker tournament at FurFright. I didn't do too badly at first, but I was at a table with several guys who I know regularly play poker so of course I eventually went out. One hand I thought I had it with a full house, but it turned out the guy had a straight. Ah well, it was all in fun.

After dinner that night I would hang out in suit for a while, chat with some folks, and then I ended up hitting a few room parties with folks, which was a lot of fun. It was also the perfect evening to suit later on because it was cool weather outside. Ultimately I ended up staying up until 5 in the morning, simply because the parties didn't stop until then. It was good times all around.

Friday Morning would be the day I would arrive at Furfright 2011. I got to Hartford from Baltimore without any issues before being picked up from the airport by Dusk and heading to the hotel. I got to the hotel and stood in the pre-reg line to pick up my stuff. Half an hour later, I had my badge, and I met up with  graywolf769 who I was rooming with. I got settled in and then it was time to explore the con.

My friend  icefoxix said the hotel was like a maze, and he wasn't kidding. I ended up walking the long way around to get to my room before I figured out there was a shortcut to get there. I wandered for a while and found out where things were. I hit up the dealers dungeon and dropped off my sketchbook with Heather Bruton and picking up some early items.

I checked out the game room, it was neat. Someone had set up a pinball machine with free play and there was a pop'n music controller with the movie version set in another area. That was very popular over the weekend.

In the late afternoon, I attended what would be my only panel of Furfright, which was learning how to do the Thriller Dance, as led by  jdpuppy and  Kwik So it's been a while since I've had to learn choreography to a popular song, and yes, some of the moves were not easy. There were about 40 who showed up to the class and by the time it was over, everyone was getting it. For some funny moments, we had  camohusky fake banging into the wall since we were in a small room and did have to limit some of our movements. Also, JD was referring to one of the moves as with attitude; I looked at it and called out "Bitch, Please!" as the move was going on, which folks found funny and picked up. It was eventually shortened to a few of us repeating "Bitch, bitch, bitch bitch!"

By the time the panel was done, I raced back to the game room to get in on the single-handed pinball tournament, but I was too late for that one. Oh well. I met up with Grey and we went out to get some dinner. I came back to the hotel and threw on my fursuit and headed to the dance that evening.

Now let me pause here and say that while the hotel was clearly running their HVAC based on the weather, it was too warm inside for fursuiting during the day. I figured that out after some early suiting and so most of my fursuiting activities would take place during the night.

At the dance I ran into Camo, Sadie, WolfpupTK, and Nbowa, who had all been at the Thriller Panel, and we decided to go find an empty room where we could practice and reinforce what we had learned. All we knew was at some point we would dance, depending on when Kwik arranged a time for us to show. So we ended up in a hallway in the hotel, and I was steaming hot due to being in suit, so eventually the head had to come off or else I was going to be hurting that evening. We did some practice, worked some stuff out, and JD happened to come by so we reviewed stuff with him.

Afterward I got word that Icefox had arrived, so I went and met up with him. We hung out at the con, talked with some friends, watched some poker. It got to be late (2 AM) so we all headed up to bed.

A good start to the con, but the real fun would come along later...

Just found this on YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYfcRdu7bKA

I have to agree with what I read in  camohusky's journal. We should get a fursuiter choreography group going for cons.

If there are any pictures or videos of me in my fursuit from FurFright, I'd like to know. I have seen one parade video so far but there has to be more,

Top Priority: I am looking for video of the fursuit performance of Thriller at the dead dog party. I know there were a lot of cameras there, so there has to be a few videos available.

What day are you getting there?
Friday Morning

Who will you be with?
Rooming with  icefoxix  graywolf769

Where are you staying?
Con Hotel!

Who will you hang out with during the convention?
Anyone who is cool.

Are there any panels you might be attending?
You'll likely see me learning to do the Thriller Dance, Zombie Survival 101, and Eye of Aragon on Friday
Saturday: How not to write crap, fursuit performer tips and tricks, Fursuit dancing, RHPS
Sunday Furry Spirituality?

All of these are subject to change.

Will you be suiting?
I will be suiting as Mangi! http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6443601

What is your gender?
Male

How old are you?
28

How tall are you?
6'1"

Can I talk to you?
Sure, just tell me who you are

Can I touch you?
Only if I know who you are

How can I find you?
Find me in fursuit, or wearing a jersey or badge that says Mangi. Otherwise hit me up on one of my contacts for my phone # to text me.

Can I visit your room?
Talk to me first.

Can I give you things?
What would you give me?

Will you do art trades?
No, I'm not really an artist

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Hugs are cool, nothing beyond that.

Are you nice?
Yes, I always like to chat with people.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Say Hi to me!

Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
Wandering the con if not at panesl

What/where will you be eating?
No clue, never been to this con before.

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
If you're cool and not a creeper.

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
Have a blast and hang out with friends.

Hey All,

So I'm looking at doing FurFright and a car rental is going to get expensive, so I was wondering if anyone is available to give me a ride to/from the Hartford airport. I would be getting in Friday Morning around 9:30, and would need to be back at the airport Monday morning around 11 AM. I would have my action packer for my suit, and a duffel bag. I'll also gladly pay gas money to help out.

So, is there anyone that can lend a fellow fur a hand?

So my mate and I are headed to the Shore Leave Sci Fi con in Hunt Valley this weekend. I look forward to it because I have a photo op with Tricia Helfer, aka Six from the new BSG! I also may get photos/autographs of Gary Lockwood (Star Trek: TOS, 2001) and Sally Kellerman (Star Trek: TOS, M*A*S*H)

I'm also going to try to get into the Extreme Writing Workshop if there's a spot open.

Otherwise the time will be spent hanging out with fellow sci-fi nerds at the con, dressing up in costumes, and having a blast.

So I finally got all of my pictures from AC uploaded, 631 in total!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebla.....th/5889679102/

Most of them are of the fursuit parade, so if you walked in it, there's likely a picture of you there

I will take a few of the best and put them up on FA as well, but you know you want the chance to see them all.

So a bunch of us furs got together and went to the National Zoo in DC a few weeks ago. I'm finally getting around to putting those pictures up.

It starts here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebla.....n/photostream/

Arrival and Departure:
--> Thursday, June 23rd
<-- Monday, June 27th

Staying at:
The Westin

Room share:
 sparf  scottjfox  damianshadowpaw

Major plans at the con:
Meeting with friends
Attending various writing panels
Looking at sketchbook commissions from artists
Visiting the Art Show

Who will I be with:
Mainly with  Sparf and anyone else who wants to hang out

Fursuit:
I don't have it yet. Next year

Attending parties:
If I hear of one

How best to find me:
You can hit me up on Twitter @MdMangi, or look for me, especially if I am wearing either a Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, or Washington Capitals jersey with the name MANGI and the number 82. Otherwise, I should generally be wearing a tiger tail with black and purple stripes, along with my con badges.

Drink:
Old-fashioned, or rum and coke

Hugs:
Yes please, just don't sneak up on me

Can I talk to you?:
Always!

Art:
Only if photography counts

Do you do trades?
Not at this time

What is your gender?
Male

Can I touch you?
As long as it's a hug

Can I buy you lots of drinks?
Sure!

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Hugging is cool, snuggling is basically on a case by case basis

How tall are you?
6'1"

You look pissed off out of suit can I come up to you?
Some say I look that way, but I'm generally approachable. I'll let you know for sure if I am not

Are you nice?
I think I am, and others think so.

Can I scritch you?
Why not?

Do you like parties?
Of course

Are you throwing a party?
Nope

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Yell out Mangi! or just come up and talk to me, unless I happen to be in conversation. Try to get my attention then, but please, no silent hovering!

Can I take a picture of ya?
I love getting pictures taken of me!

Can I steal ya away for *censored*?
Only if you're  Sparf

Would ya like to get a commission done of ya?
Of course!

My mate and I each submitted a story for the Califur conbook. Unfortunately we won't be able to get there, and Califur isn't going to tell us if our stories were included or not. Sooooooo, anyone who is going to Califur, would you mind checking if there is a story from Mangi or Sparf in there? If either one is in there, would you be able to snag a copy and mail it to us? I'll pay shipping costs to get it into our hands.

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2290283/

I like the idea of this, plus a purple and black (and maybe orange) pendant might be a rather badass thing for me to wear.

Something I struggle with when I start any new writing project is what species to make each of my characters. Usually I can come up with the species based on personality, but then there are times where I wonder if I should conform to what I think an anthro fox, wolf, rabbit, rat, etc. would be like, or should I break the mold because does the bad guy always have to be a rat or a crocodile or does the wily one have to be a fox or a weasel?

Any other writers out there have any tips on how to come up with species for your characters?

This guy is picking out two folks who correctly leave a comment for a free commission

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2215049/