>Ping MrSilverDragon

MrSilverDragon is alive

>_

There's a joke here, but it's a terrible one, so it's okay if you don't get it.

Yeah, I'm still alive.

Looking forward to a FurBowl on Saturday, meeting up with several South VA furs for a day of fun. Should be a blast. Then it's just a few more months and FurAffinity United! Hope I can get on a lower floor this time, but I'm not holding my breath...

Well, it was bound to happen. After 15 years of glorious service, Brad's zipper broke, and teeth tore out. Therefore, I can't wear it until that is fixed. Unfortunately, that means I'm going to have to do the rest of the FurTheMore convention without the suit. It's disappointing, but stuff happens. Guess this means I now have to fast track Brad 2.0.

First morning of FurThe'More, things are going swimmingly. I have had the dragon out and about this morning, and he'll be making another appearance later this afternoon, where he'll be doing charades. As for now, I'm just relaxing in my room and cooling down a bit.

So I've finally commissioned someone to begin work on the new reference sheet, which will become the new "Brad".

15 years. 15 years I've had that second skin, and I always felt more as myself whenever I was in him. He gave so much joy, and will always be around. My only regret with him is that I didn't get out enough with him due to my own social awkwardness and anxiety. Now that I have come to fully embrace this side of me, it's time for a new suit that's considerably more mobile and significantly less cumbersome. Also, with all the ticks and tweaks that I want to try and implement with the new suit, I hope to make it seem more alive and more interactive.

Well, I suppose I am getting ahead of myself here, I'm only in the initial stages of this new design, but it's starting, and I can't wait until the end of the journey when the new "Brad" is born, and gets to enjoy his wanderlust.

Once again, I have been derelict in updating this journal...

Attended a furry picnic this past Saturday, and met a whole bunch of excellent people and managed to get part of the dragon out and about. I tried to get the full dragon going, but wasn't expecting temperatures in the mid 80s and stupidly forgot to bring my chillsuit... about 5 minutes into trying to put it on, I was in full meltdown mode, so opted for just the head, feet and hands.

Getting ready for FurTheMore which begins next week, and looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Apparently there's a charades game happening on Saturday of which I'm going to try and participate. Can't wait to see how that plays out. Even if I do terribly, it's going to be hilariously fun!

Anyways, back to life mundane while I wait. Hope y'all have a great week!

Okay, the last image uploaded was fixed, not sure why my phone submitted a blank image, but once I moved it to my computer, everything worked fine.

Technology!

As it stands, I will be attending the FurBowl in Mechanicsville, VA this coming Saturday, barring extreme weather. I'm excited!

The dragon is definitely getting out a lot nowadays, it is happiness!

Well, as is often the case for me, I've slacked off and haven't posted any updates here in forever...

Got to attend FurBowl 13 in York, PA this past weekend, and what a blast it was. Unfortunately due to some back issues, I didn't actually get to bowl, but the dragon got to play some Skeeball and meet many new friends. I definitely want to attend the next one! I'm all set for "Fur the 'More" in April, and still planning my calendar for the rest of the year. It doesn't look like Anthrocon is in the cards this year, but next year, hell or high water, I plan on being there.

So, brief status update, but better than nothing.

Stay furry, my friends!

I think this is a good place to put this, and offer sympathy to anyone here that may have been touched by her...

Rest in peace, Carrie Fisher. You were a big part of my childhood, and I will always be a fan.

Farewell.

Yet another postponement of my new suit... the HVAC unit has decided to go wonky on me last night, and judging from past history for things breaking in this house, there goes another large chunk of my savings.

(string of ranting swear words here)

I'm ready to just sell this house and get an apartment at this point.

Haven't been here much as I haven't had much to say.

In fact, I still don't, but at least there's something here that wasn't before.

Enjoy your day!

Just remember... no matter where you go, there you are.

I really need to watch Buckaroo Banzai again.

So, I've come to discover that there is a website out there selling wares, and using my intellectual property to do so... specifically, my character. This definitely has gotten my hackles up, and I've attempted to contact the business (www.spotsound.fr) to attempt to get it removed from their site.

I'm also currently looking into cease and desist letters if it comes to that, and judging from the response, it really appears that it will be coming to that... the part that's going to make things significantly more difficult is that this company is based outside the US, so now I have to contend with international law to resolve this mess.

Damn it all, this has been a spectacularly terrible year for a number of reasons.

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Things have aligned almost perfectly today weather-wise and temperature-wise, so the dragon will be out and about this evening, hopefully entertaining all the young ones scrambling for candy! Plus, there will also be a 7 foot dragon flapping its wings on the lawn to keep me company.

Yeah, gonna be a happy scaly day!

I haven't been so hyped for a new game until I realized that Civilization VI is going to be released soon. Very soon.

This dragon is going to dominate the globe.

Rock on.

Hello, paycheck!

.
.
.

...goodbye paycheck.

*Dragon is sad.

Need coffee IV... stat.

Heck, I'll just chew on some coffee beans at this point.

Edit: I have finally heard back from the artist, and they are working to resolve the problem on their end. After the week I've had, this is some bright news.

Faith in humanity slightly restored.

---

I am afraid that I am going to have to report the individual in the previous post for fraud.

It's really a shame. The artwork I saw from this individual was quite good, and the possibility of future purchases was on the table. However, after multiple attempts to reach this person and no responses back, I can only be led to the conclusion that this was all fraudulent. The artist claimed they had never received the money, but I have a transaction authorization from PayPal as well as a credit card statement specifically stating that money was indeed moved to this person.

So, I am giving this person until the end of the week to resolve this problem, and if no resolution comes from it, I will make sure it's well known who has done this. I do not want other people to suffer.

Faith in humanity, -1.

I am annoyed.

I requested artwork from someone here back in August, they requested payment, and I sent it almost immediately because I was very interested in said artwork. They told me it might take some time to get it complete due to school, which I can understand. As almost a month has gone by, I sent a note requesting a time frame as to when they might be able to complete it. I then receive word back that "payment was never received", even though I have a credit card statement and a receipt stating payment had been sent.

Perhaps there was an error somewhere, I know these things do happen, but the error was not on my side in this transaction.

I hope this is resolved soon.

There are days that I hate owning a house.

You know, those days when multiple problems all make themselves known at the same time, and drain your wallet/pocketbook/piggy bank/real bank in one fell swoop.

So much for getting the new suit made within the next year...

...and now we're back in the full swing of life mundane.

If only it was socially acceptable to wear my suit at the office... but then again, I can't sit down in that thing, so it's probably for the best. That's okay, though, I'll get a chance to get out and about with the dragon again in April when I attend "Fur the 'More" in 2017. And, of course, there's always Halloween.

I've started getting quotes for the new suit, and well, I'm definitely going to have to live and work hard in the mundane world to afford what I'm looking for. Ah well, I knew it wasn't going to be cheap. Here's hoping I can have it all done by the next FAU.

I am home and relaxing after a very enjoyable weekend. Thank you, staff of FAU, for hosting a fantastic convention! I had a very nice time, and I hope to return again next year. Thank you for the pleasant atmosphere you created, and thank you for all the enjoyment you provided, and thank you to all the attendees for the kind words for my suit! I always enjoy an ego booster!

Now it's time to get my electrolytes back in balance... my water/salt ratio is out of whack... ah the joys of excessive sweating...

So, I am cooling down now after the convention parade. The video of the parade has been posted online via YouTube, and it's worth a watch. I saw some very impressive suits, and was pleased as punch when a few people said to me while walking, "I love that suit, it's my favorite!"

No boost to my ego there. :D

Anyways, if you haven't seen it yet, it's at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aA_bBNfH14 and it's fun!... now back to sitting in front of a fan and trying to dry off.

First day on the convention has been fun so far. Been getting to see some nifty suits and wore mine for an hour before I had to take it off to cool down a bit and rehydrate. I'm planning on putting it back on again tomorrow for the parade, but tonight I'm just going to take it easy.

After wearing this suit, I have stepped up my resolve to make a new suit, something a bit more detailed and hopefully less cumbersome. It is 14 years old and definitely not going to hold up forever. I am going to talk with some people here, what better place than with a large group of enthusiasts? :)

On a happy note, one of the hotel staff *loved* the suit and Snapchatted me to her friends. Yay!