Aside from from maybe I few I've missed or forgot, I should have uploaded all my current backlog of finished art pieces (sketches not included)! Any art I upload from here on should be very recent, unless I let it build up again.

Thanks for the patience of any watchers who saw me upload 5-10 pieces a day for the better part of a week.

Wow, uh. I haven't really posted anything here in a while.

Probably looking at changing that. I'm gonna likely be uploading select finished art I've commissioned from old to current simply because I like to have it around. I usually didn't because I like to let artists do that but, eh, both can happen!

I'll probably space it out though to avoid any inbox flooding.

I'm all booked for TFF 2017, and I willl be doing so for MFF later this year when hotels open.. but last year not as many people I know went to AC. I had to miss it of course, but it was probably just as well.

So I meant to ask. Who else is going to be at Anthrocon this year. If not, what other cons around that time do you do? I have put some serious thought into trying out Confuzzled just to go on a different sort of adventure and go to a country I've never been to.

So After having to duck out of AC last minute due to a wombo combo of kidney stones, I manage to make it to Chicago for the OTHER really big con.

I'm in the Crowne Plaza tonight but managed to grab a spot in the main hotel for the remainder. Hope to see a bunch of you there.

While I'm sure there's been a lot of newsworthy ups and downs that I could put down here, I just sort of wanted to clear the old journal I had there and say that things are finally looking like they are on the mend. Work has begun to make my house livable once more, and with all the work to clean and replace much of it, it should almost seem like a new home when it's done.

From May 3rd to now I have spent no more than an hour or so at my home at a time, checking in past a security checkpoint just to try and maintain it. I look forward to being able to return to some sense or normality when I can move back in.

So, it's my birthday this Sunday. As a birthday present my body has gifted me a kidney stone. I can deal with that, but the timing of it is severely fucking with my AC plans. I'm not going to travel if I still have this issue since my medical coverage will not work across Canada/US borders and travel insurance does not cover preexisting conditions, and I'm due to pay a visit to Raleigh first on the 23rd to visit my aunt before flying from there on the 28th. I'm waiting to see if I need to postpone or cancel said trip.

The fire is done with my town and people have started to move back in. I, however, can not since it's in an area of town that was severely affected and it will be a while before I can. I've rented an apartment in Edmonton for the time being that will be largely covered by my homeowners insurance.

I'm still off work until mid July due this and the above issues.

I hope something works out in my favor eventually. Right now I feel pretty low.

So I thought I'd post an update on my situation.

My house, thankfully, survived the fires. Unfortunately it did not make it out completely unscathed. There is apparently smoke damage to the interior, and since the power has been off for two weeks and counting, the fridges are completely contaminated and will need to be replaced. I have not been to my home personally, but Keragon reported the status of it to me. A claim with insurance has been filed, but it will take time as there is a lot of homes in the same boat or worse. Close to 2500 homes have been damaged or completely burned down and are complete write-offs. Right at the end of my street every home there has been burned to ash.

I cannot go back home yet, as the town is still under evacuation as they ensure the integrity of the utilities and infrastructure. Earliest estimate I heard has been 6 weeks before it's livable again, and that's just for people whose homes were in unaffected parts of town. My home will likely need some work before I can actually live in it again, but hopefully I will at least be able to go in and out to retrieve things as necessary.

I've spent most of the last ten days with Breezy, went to Fur-Eh for the weekend to hang out and do furry things or crashing in his room. He's been a real help for sure! I've got a temporary room set up at Keragon's parents house as they live in the Edmonton area. As of today, I have returned to work, only staying in a camp instead of driving out to work. Camp is decent. Private room with personal bathroom, decentish wifi and food provided.

I'll probably post some more updates as circumstances change. For now I'm out at work for the next week, then 10 days off back in Edmonton.

So hey all. I know many follow me on twitter on have me on skype, but I thought I'd put down an update here for those who don't or are still wondering., and a bit more details of my experience for those who are curious/concerned.

As some of you, especially the Canadians know, my entire city of 60,000 people in Northern Alberta has been evacuated due to wildfires sweeping through it. Suspected cause is arson, though even if it is not it is definitely man made. I was told to evacuate around 2pm mountain time as winds were bringing fires close to my neighborhood.. I was preparing for a trip down to Edmonton to attend Fur-Eh anyway so I called my friends down there to let em know I was heading down early. As I was stuck in traffic an hour later trying to move I heard the radio state it was now a citywide evacuation. It was probably around 4 pm before I got onto the highway and by some small stroke of luck the southbound lanes to Edmonton that I heard that they had closed down were re-opened due to the necessity of getting people OUT of the city any way possible. It was scary. I literally drove through a raging fire on both sides with choking smoke and and still lit embers from nearby trees falling on my car with traffic crawling and sometimes stopping on the way. Once free though, I was able to continue on to Edmonton instead of being forced northbound with most of the other evacuees who had to spent the night in their cars or if they were lucky find lodging in industrial work camps that exist along the north highway, because civilization pretty much ends past this.

It was almost surreal. I passed by tons of abandoned vehicles to the side or in the ditch like a scene from the walking dead, it was only afternoon but the haze around town made it look like late evening, when I cleared that it was a bright, beautiful day.. but all along the roads were vehicles of people who did not know where to go and had just stopped to settle down or watch the plumes from the smoke rise.. on my journey to Edmonton I saw a camper that was completely overturned and destroyed.. no idea how it happened. Gas stations along the way were crowded and are now reporting to be empty though I managed to fill my tank outside town - others are stranded on the roads. The radio station became unmanned and kept playing the same looping messages until I was out of range. I was sort of numb to be honest, but kept my focus. I had most of the important or expensive stuff with me and most of the rest is replaceable or some things with sentimental value I forgot to get or couldn't take.


Dozens of phones calls and messages to friends and family later, I stop by my aunt and uncles to visit, their son lives in my town and he and his family got evac'd northbound along with most of the in town people I know. They offer me a place to stay of course but I continue on with my original plan to get to Edmonton. I am currently staying with  target_grey at the place he and  qb89dragon share, they were nice enough to take me in.  keragon who rents the downstairs at my home is a firefighter and I got separated from him during the evac, though he was going to return to town anyway to help with the relief effort one his gear and dog were safe. The report from him last night was that my house was still standing but nearby neighborhoods were on fire. News reports say that today may be worse than the last due to heat and wind conditions so I don't have much hope my home or even anywhere from half or more of the town is going to survive this.



This is very real, I am not making this up. Here's some pictures of the blaze on Canadian news for those who haven't seen yet. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/twitt.....fire-1.3565799

I don't need monetary support or donations. I work (possibly past tense after this) a very well paying job and have amassed a good amount of personal savings. The house is insured though I hope not to have to go through the ordeal of claiming that. Moral support is welcome though. Thanks to everyone who has given me that support thus far, and to the friends and family, both furry and not, who have helped me out and are living this out with me.

PS. I do still plan to attend Fur-Eh. I have the reservation for my hotel, made it to Edmonton, have the time to kill and need the distraction anyway. I may see you there if you're going.

So, I didn't post a journal about it here, but I was at TFF.. and actually in the Dallas area for a week and a half having fun with the locals I know down there. It was great seeing a lot of you again, meeting some for the first time, and I apologize to those I missed! It was a great time though. Before and after the con  target_grey and I stayed at  sableyes place, did things before during and after the con like visit the zoo and animal rescue, went to see zootopia in a moderately sized group, and just fucked around dallas in general to soak it in! I've enjoyed coming back to the city for several years now, which is funny for someone who had a very bad impression of Texas beforehand.

For those of you who are wondering about what other cons I plan to attend this year, in order: Fur-Eh? in May, AC in June/July, and MFF in December. I hope to see some of you there! feel free to let me know if you plan to attend any of these.

Okayyyy, that last journal is pretty old. I don't bother to update with my adventures much here. Anyway, Time for the Annual Foxcat Christmas Card thing deal! Doing another custom made batch this year as well. Interested in getting a card? Lemme know and I'll verify your address in private, OOORRRR if you are going to MFF I should have them ready to hand deliver there! If you got one in previous years please still lemme know you'd like another. Exchange of cards appreciated, but not necessary.~

I usually try to doodle things on them but I may not have time this year.

Also, yes, as stated above, I will be at MFF, Drop me a line for that too if you're going to be there! I SHOULD be arriving Wednesday, but am not sure yet where I will be staying wednesday night as I decided to fly in early after sorting other room stuff out.

Oh, uh, I'm leaving this for the very last minute this year.
I'm leaving to the airport to fly to AC in an hour or so. I'll be staying at the main hotel agan this year. So I'll be there from today till Monday.
In my room I got  spiderdasquirrel  jaitsu  jinsei
I should have both of my suits there but will mainly be suiting around as Dacorin!


See you all there!

November is here again, and that means the christmas month is around the corner! So, like I have for the past five or six years or so, I'm gonna be offering out Christmas Cards to my friends who want to receive/exchange one! :3
This year will be a bit different. I've worked with my buddy  spiderdasquirrel to create a custom christmas card this year, and being on top of things, they are ordered already! I have 20 on order so I have likely plenty for anyone who wants one, since typically I've given out 8-10 in previous years. What's also different this year is that I'll be heading to Midwest Furfest, so anyone who wants a card but is not comfortable exchanging mailing addresses can ask for one to receive at the con if they are going to be there!
Of course, time permitting, I'll try to personalize the cards a bit more. I like to include a note and/or a doodle in them. :3

Speaking of MFF, I'll be there Thursday night, arriving at the main hotel and staying till Monday. I'll have  oceanotter and another guest staying with me in my room. It'll be my first time attending MFF but I've heard nothing but good things, and judging by the christmassy timing and the folks I know that are going it seems like it;s going to be a blast! :D

Soooo, yeah. Anyway, If you're interested in a card, especially if you're gonna be at the con, Don't be shy and state your interest here. :D Certain people may already be tagged for some but it never hurts to confirm here! The only stipulation I'm imposing is that we have had to talk somewhere else besides FA before.

Bit late with this, yeah, since AC was like two weeks ago now, but I haven't really sat down to reminisce about it.
I'll keep it short. AC This year was a real blast, probably one of the better ones I've been to. It was extremely busy and there was very little time when I didn't have at least several folks hanging around and I probably didn't get to do everything that I would have liked to, but that is part of the AC experience. In my opinion, it's better to have too much to do than too little.
I met up with a lot of my old friends, got re-acquainted with some folks, and met some new ones. Also damn did I ever sweat a lot in Pittsburgh this year, even out of suit. @_@;

So, a couple of shoutouts here:

 jaitsu Never worry about thinking you're spending too much time around me. You're always welcome to chill with me at cons, and use my room if needed. If I need space or something, don't worry, I'll tell ya!

 ante Hopefully I was a decent roommate for you. There was drinking and stuff going on in my room each night but you seemed cool with it. You're always fun to have around, especially when you're in suit and stuff and bring out your real zaniness.

 cerberus Thanks for letting me be a part of your secret anthrocon plans. Meeting up with ya and surprising people like Jaitsu with the fact you were there was definitely one of the highlights of the con. I was worried you were gonna be all paranoid and stuff around folks but you turned out to be quite lively actually. Here's hoping we can hang out again sometime, and maybe the staff won't keep you on a short leash!

 jym I feel we got to have many more flavored moments this con than in the past, which is cool, cause you're a very funny guy, in a very british way. I'll look forward to seeing you again later this year at MFF!

 calyx You remain an upstanding british gentleman. Stiff upper lip and all that! Seriously though, you must have 'calm and collected' engrained in your blood. You're definitely a cool guy to have around.

 target_grey It was nice getting to know you a bit better, and since plans are underway to visit ya down in Edmonton I'm sure it'll be fun to hang out with you more! Just.. don't try to drunkenly lift me again! XD

There's like a bunch more folks I hung around with at this con. Seriously I must have chatted with a hundred folks or so at different points in time. These are just some of the few I know that stood out and mentioning them all would go on forever! XD Thanks for being there everyone, mentioned or not, you make my AC vacation the highlight of my year.

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5919298/

Basically my buddy Spider has his tablet give up the ghost on him, and he can't afford a decent one. Drawing and taking commissions is a large chunk of his income(and sanity) these days so without a tablet his livelihood is affected. UNfortunately due to medical bills and things he's not in the habit of keeping around a rainy day savings. He also often draws people that attend his streams on a whim, cause he's cool like that. If you have a few dollars to spare and enjoy his art, stop on by and help him return to doing it! Last I checked he's like $100 short of an actual decent tablet that will last him.
Goal met it seems! AC recap journal likely coming soon!

Another year has passed us by, and we find it to be once again National Foxcat Day, with, as always, AC looming closeby! In fact it seems to be a thing that the last several years match up those things and special projects at work which causes me to work a lot of extra overtime.

NFC Day still isn't globally recognized as a statutory holiday, sadly, so I and everyone else still has to work for it. Fear not, I'll continue to try to get it recognized by the people who make calendars, at least!

So, about this year's Anthrocon. It seems to be shaping up to be a great year, despite some regular folks reporting that they sadly won't be making it this year. Most are, however, and some new faces are inbound!

I'll be staying at the Westin, this year's roomies being  jaitsu and  ante

I'll be taking the Dacorin suit and attempting to work out bringing Neopagan suit as well~

I'm going Early this year. Arriving Tuesday night and leaving Monday morning.

Everything else in in flux right now, plans are being formulated, plots hatched, surprises readied, but it's not concrete yet. >:D

Soon.

Just a quick journal to say that I'll be in Dallas from Thursday afternoon to Monday afternoon this coming weekend for Furry Fiesta! I'll be staying at the con hotel, The Intercontinential Dallas, itself, and I'll be having this fag:  spiderdasquirrel stay with me.

I'll be bringing my Dacorin fursuit to the con. I'd love to bring both Neo and Dac but it's a bit much to be travelling alone with three near oversized suitcases on long flights. Hoping to bring both to Anthrocon again~

So if you're going to be around Dallas this weekend, maybe I'll see you there!

So I decided to upload a bunch of commissions and gifts I've received and just give credit to the artist. Most people I know don't follow everyone I do so I figure it'd be win-win to have much of the artwork I'd like to share in one place and give the respective artists some more exposure.
Sorry pre-emptively for filling your inboxes. I'll try to space it out some!

TFF info soon to come too, btw~

Edit: okay I'm pretty much done uploading what I wanted to. :D

This is going to be one of those journals where I hope for a good bit of feedback!

So yeah, I figure I should post SOMETHING about my Furfright experience(albeit a bit late now)! It was good fun, and ended off on a MUCH better note than last years weather fiasco. Sadly attendance I think suffered from that and other reasons, so that only a few core people I'm used to seeing were there. That made me a bit sad because I go to conventions to hang out with people I only get to see once or twice a year, or put faces to some names I'm used to hearing for the first time. Even so, got to have a good bit of fun suiting, being with those folks and just being around the convention in general.

Christmas is around the corner now that halloween and furfright is over with. As such, I'll be doing my annual christmas card exchange. If know me well enough and you're interested, please be sure to comment so I can get in touch with you, or you get in touch with me in private!

THIRDLY, This coming year I'm going to see about expanding my con attendance somewhat. This year I tried TFF and it was a blast.
I'm going to always do Anthrocon if able, and I lean heavily to returning to furfright and furry fiesta.. but I really want to see what conventions the other people I know tend to go to, and if it's a lot at a particular convention, especially with some key folks I know or want to meet, I'll look into booking vacation and flights and all that good stuff. I keep hearing stuff about other large cons like MFF and FC, but don't know enough about them to just book and go. I'm also set in Northwest Canada, so that's a factor. Yet, I travel all the way across the country to NE or SW United states, so the other cons can't help but be closer than those! Just going to be a people-to-distance factor I'd say. :P I need to decide now as vacation requests for the coming year begin at the end of this one and booking can be highly competitive.

So yeah, please reply to what cons you attend or recommend, especially if you'd like to see me there!

Everyone else is posting their Furfright journals so I guess I'd best getting around to doing mine, and here it is!
Yeah, I'll be going back to furfright again this year. Hopefully there'll be no hurricanes to interfere with it this time.

I'll be there Thursday night to Monday morning, staying at the main hotel. I'll be having  jinsei room with me, and I'll be taking my Dacorin fursuit along for the ride. I know a bunch of folks that are going already, but if you're going and wanna meet up or hang out or something, leave a comment or let me know somehow! Furfright tends to be more chill than Anthrocon so there is more time for just plain old hangin' out.

See you there!

But I'll post it anyway. I'll just keep it short.

AC, as expected, was a blast! I really enjoyed seeing all my friends again and making some new ones. I ended meeting a lot of new faces and/or putting a face to a name. Really, there's little point for shoutouts because I'd spend a paragraph just listing names. I seriously could count the amount of hours I spent alone at this convention on one hand, and still have some fingers left over. plus, that time was mostly a voluntary segregation for some quiet time. I'm also apologizing those I've traditionally hung out with more before in the past but only had a little face time with.

I didn't even really spend much time going to panels or any of that. The main events I attended were the luncheon, parade, dance competiton as planned, and went to closing ceremonies cause there was some interest from the group in it. This years theme was kind of lame anyway. My room at the Westin served as a base of operations for about a half dozen other people despite only me and Jaitsu ending up staying there, and it wasn't uncommon to have that many or more visiting.

I definitely enjoyed getting to put some fuzzy mileage in my Dacorin suit and was glad to let some other folks try out suiting with me by lending them Pagan. Dac was a huge hit and tons of folks wanted pictures of him, but it was really funny to hear people who knew me call out my name, then walk past me to hug the Pagan suit or something without realizing that I was actually right next to them. XD Both dacsuit and pagansuit were in the guinness world record photo and I look forward to seeing that. :3 Sadly I doubt I'll be bringing BOTH suits to many other cons. It is a huge hassle with that much luggage and not cheap either.

Also of note was certain vine posts and youtube vids. By the end of the con everyone who was in my room was shouting about avenging their britches and OBAMACON 2013(huh huhuhuh huh) . :D

I would VERY MUCH appreciate copies or links to any pictures taken of me, especially while suiting as Dacorin. Thanks for a great con guys and I look forward to seeing you all again!

Next con will be Furfright 2013!

((P.S: I'm leaving out most of the details of the airport hell of getting home, but wtf is it with return flights from many major conventions for the past year? Horrible >:O FUCK OFF WEATHER.))

National Foxcat Month is here! For those of you who don't know what that is, it's the month which has National Foxcat Day. For those of you who don't know what National Foxcat Day is, don't worry about it. :P

Anyway, Anthrocon is just around the corner now, less than a month left. I figure I should announce to the world that yes, I am for certain attending again, and give out the usual details!

Dates I'll be there? Evening of July 3rd to afternoon of the 8th

Where am I staying? The main con hotel, Westin!

Who am I staying with?  jaitsu for the third year, and also giving  Rivin2e a place to stay!

Who am I gonna hang out with? ERRRYBDY! I'm generally a friendly guy and looking forward to hooking up with all my congoing buddies, and meeting some new faces.

Can we meet up? Sure! Express your interest in doing so. Just realize that I'm not likely able to devote a whole lot of time to hanging out with one person in particular, as there's a lot of folks I wanna meet. :3 I definitely encourage comments letting me know you'll be there and stuff so I can try to formulate something.

Can you do X with me? Subject to approval, depending on what X is, and when and where X is taking place. I'm winging things and not planning too far ahead.

Events? Attending the dance competition like I do every year, GOH dinner, and also a few special GOH presentations likely. I'll likely be in the fursuit parade. Not sure what else.

Fursuits? I'll be taking http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5792977/ and debuting http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10120386/ this year! I'll likely be the one in the Dacorin suit most of the time cause I wanna get some mileage out of him. :3 Yes I accept hugs in fursuit.. just as long as you're not dirty or sticky or anything. >:O

That's some bare bones details about what I'll be at. Hope to see you all there!

I've been waffling on doing something like this (and other things) for a while, but I think it's time I actually went ahead and wrote it up.

I've seen a lot of commissioner etiquette, "how to treat artists/fursuit makers" journals and submissions and stuff, but what about the other side of things? I have seen some artists now that are absolutely terrible at managing themselves, their finances, and their public image. If you go to a site like "Artists Beware", despite the title seeming to indicate that it would be a site for artists to look up info on bad customers, the title "Beware of Artists" would fit just as well because there are a lot more bad experiences with artists posted there from customers than there about customers from artists.

There's a lot of reasons for this, and a lot of ways around it too. So, with that said, how about we have a journal advising Artists how to treat their potential clientele:

1. Accepting money up front: You should avoid doing this whenever possible. You can leave someone on a wait list indefinitely, but if you take money from them, you have basically entered into an agreement to provide a service to them. It's only fair to assume they would want it in a reasonable amount of time. A lot of the following things can be avoided and minimized by accepting payment either just before, during, or after a job. A good middle ground would be to pay some up front, and the rest upon job completion. (PS: I (and others, I'm sure) am lot more liable to tip artists AFTER the job is complete and I get to see it, another advantage to accepting at least partial payment after.)
For the record. I have an artist I commissioned at my first Anthrocon, and I'm about to attend my fourth without seeing so much as a sketch from them, and there are worse stories than mine.

2. KEEP IN TOUCH. I CANNOT stress this enough. Shit happens, people understand that, but if they don't know what's up then their mind can run wild with all sorts of possibilities. It's better for you to post something, or note your customers about delays and whatnot rather than have them not hear from you and have to come looking. So instead of sending out one journal or whatnot, you are having to read each individual note and then reply to it, and probably deal with a reply.. I can guarantee you that the longer it goes, the more potentially irate the messages are going to be.

3. Do not overload yourself. Accept only as many jobs as you feel comfortable doing within a given time frame, and make that time frame known. I don't know what works for most people, but I figure if you have taken someone's money and cannot provide the work within 3 months or so, it's probably time to buckle down or think about refunding. A quarter of a year is a long time. Obviously this sort of imaginary deadline would be different for a fursuit or certain other projects, based on the workload.

4. Your prices are set by demand. It is something you have to accept. I've seen journals and things about how professional artists make mucho bucks for each piece they provide. Hence, the plebs of the furry community should feel lucky that you are providing your art to them for a fraction of that. There are so many holes in this argument I don't even know where to begin.
First off, many other jobs are overworked and underpaid as well. Artistry is not exempt. Most other jobs don't come with the perks of choosing your own hours either, or even being able to do something you love. Personally, I pay artists a fair wage, and often try to tip when I'm satisfied with what I get. I can have people attest to that fact that I can be quite generous with my cash when I feel they deserve it. You work on contract, you agree to the price before work is even started!
Second, these artists making megabux are employed by companies and corporations who have a lot of money to throw around, and these jobs are few and far between. Otherwise, why the heck would anyone not just go draw for blizzard or riot studios or something and be a concept artist instead of wasting their time drawing smut for furries? These folks are the top tier, and have got their positions with both skill, reputation and luck. Also, they often work on tight deadlines and contracts, something a lot of folks here would probably buckle under.

Bottom line: YOU agree to work for that price. It is up to YOU to decide how much your time is worth, and feel out what others figure your product is worth to them. Please do not try to guilt trip your customers.

5. Okay. Lets assume you've done all these other things and have got the art done. Awesome! But.. the customer wants some corrections made. Not so awesome. This area is more touchy-feely, as some folks are quite nitpicky on details. Most of us customers understand that when we pay for art, we are paying for something in the artists unique STYLE, and some minor details can be lost in translation. Yet, if you are missing major details like, horns, wings, tail.. or got the wrong colors.. it is understandable that the person you drew that for is going to ask for a correction, or be unsatisfied with the product you gave them. Oftentimes for quick commishes artists stipulate that they aren't offering corrections. Fair enough.. but the best way to avoid that is to do the job right the first time! Most of us know our characters pretty well, and/or have fairly concise references we provide. Don't half-ass it, make sure to use the info provided to provide back the most accurate product you can!

6. Your customers are people too. So all that stuff that you'd expect from them, the courtesty, respect and understanding, it's only fair that you provide it to them as well. Just because you can pick up a pencil or a tablet does not make you better, it means you have a different skillset from theirs, one that they admire and are willing to throw money at you for! Also.. If a customer is becoming irate, be the better person and keep a cool head and professional image for the best results. Good PR goes a long way.


TL;DR version

1. Don't accept money unless you're willing to put in the time to work.
2. Communication is key!
3. Do not overload/overstress yourself, know your limits.
4. Prices are set by demand.
5. Do the job well.
6. Respect is a two-way street.


I'm sure there are other things I could add to this, and likely should over time. But, I think these are good guidelines that apply to most situations that you can come across. Comments are welcome, or other bits of advice. There's a ballpark of about ~10% artists to 90% non-artists out there, lets say for sake of argument, so I'd love to see that 10% keep a good reputation and adhere to the professionalism their field deserves so that we can continue to respect the service they bring to the furry community. :3

F5
New best icon by  jym






Also announcing that I am not leaving fa this year. Maybe next year.

So yeah! First time going to Texas Furry Fiesta and being in that part of the U.S. in general. I have to say it's a pretty well put together con with a good location and great atmosphere, and the conswag was pretty neat too!

"Con" Pros and Cons
+ OMG THE FOOD! Anthrocon and Furfright have nothing on the Addison area resturaunts. We had no trouble finding a non crowded place to eat. I tried a LOT of new things, and pretty much all of it was amazing.
+ Con atmosphere and hotel. The Crowne Plaza obviously loves hosting the furries. Some of the staff even asked for pictures with me in fursuit. My room was great too. TFF won't be hosted in this hotel again, but I'd say that's more to the need for growth than the quality of service. Also had my own fridge for drinks, big plus!
+ Most of the con attendees seem to be in good behaviour. Most of the con attendees were also local.
- The artists alley was pretty small, and they changed it to a first come first serve deal as opposed to raffle. Couple folks that wanted to be in it didn't get in, even when there were a lot of empty tables.
- The dead dog dance was really dead. The final night of the other cons I've been to are much more bumping than this. According to  Kwik half the reason was cause the music wasn't that great.
- This has little to do with the con itself, but I lost my luggage TWICE during this trip, and both times I blame the Denver, Colorado airport. They made me nearly miss connections each way due to delays, and apparently didn't get around to loading my bags. This cause me two sleepless nights of worry. Thankfully the bags showed up the next day the firts time and the day after that when I got home. Still, I tote around about $5000 worth of stuff in there, half of that being a fursuit.. so understandably it caused me some grief to be seperated from it.

New faces I met in person!
 oceanotter and his buddies whom I don't really know the FAs for  rivin2e  kaedwuff  mitchkenzo  ayeaka (who was  spiderdasquirrels tagalong.) :P If I forgot you, I'm sorry! There's some other folks I met very briefly but actually hung around with the listed ones a fair bit. So yeah, I made some new conbuddies, and I think my and  antes attendance made some of them wanna look into the northeastern US cons we attend. XD

Basic rundown of stuff (highlights):
Thursday
- Arrive after flight hell, get picked up by spider.
- Try Taco Bueno. It's fast food but worlds above taco bell.
- Fret over missing luggage and not sleep much

Friday
- Awake to find out that my luggage has thankfully arrived.
- Have lunch with Otter in the hotel
- Suit with Amplitude for a few hours.
- Eat at Blue Mesa Tex-Mex with otter, rivin, ante, spider, ayeaka, and co
- Last till about 10pm before I conk out

Saturday
- Sleep the fuck in. Booya!
- Have breakfast with otter at Cafe Brazil. Delicious crepes!
- Have pho with spider and ayeaka. Been a while since I done pho!
- Fursuit Parade! Didn't suit much today but I always try to make that!
- Do Thai Orchid with the usual suspects. Live music. :O
- Play that Werewolf game with ante, otter, rivin till about three in the morning.
- Pass the fuck out.

Sunday
- Last day of the con D:
- Get Cajun food with Spider and Ayeaka. I had CATFIIISSSHHH
- Spider runs off to drop ayeaka off to the airport, the rest of us do a semiplanned "vore meetup" and see a few new faces.
- Go to the Melting Pot with the usual suspects. 50 bux and a bunch of laughs later, we all leave pretty satisfied. Zaisanskunk gets to be the butt of some bathroom jokes which send most of walking out of the resturaunt holding their stomachs laughing.
- Dead dog dance is dead. Still, pop a few drinks and suit up for three hours nonstop, a good hour and a half to two hours of which is spent playing a round of that werewolf game. Some hugs and group photos later (also sorry about my damp backside, Ante D: I was sitting in suit straight that long, after all!) and everyone is pretty much ready to retire or in otter's case, take his crew and head for home.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/18095502/TFFgroupshot.jpg (Ante's face. oh god)
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/18095502/T.....paganotter.jpg


Monday
- Con is over, but I'm still around for another day cause it made financial sense plus I had time off to spare still. Most of it was spent hanging around with Spider. Seeing his place (he's a dallas local).. passing out on his bed cause I was up too late the night before. Headed off to get some REAL TEXAS BBQ before I left Texas. :9

Tuesday
- Eat A&W as a comparison to Canadian A&W, which is probably my favorite fast food burger joint. Oh my god. You poor american fuckers don't know how ripped off you get. A&W here has more in common with five guys or something for burgers than that mcdonalds clone you have. Here is MY A&W:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/18095502/AWfood.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/18095502/A.....gerprofile.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/18095502/AWburger.jpg
- Get dropped off by Spider to the airport. Get home around 1am with no luggage. Sour note to end off on but oh well! It showed up.


So yeah, I'm sure I lost most of you by this point, but that was my TFF trip! I don't know if/when I'll do this con again, but it's not due to lack of quality on its part.

Hey! I'll be headin to Texas first thing in the morning to attend TFF. I'll be stayin at the main hotel and bringing me Pagan fursuit! Dacorin is complete but I sadly did not get him in time so I'll debut him officially at AC!
Looking forward to seeing a bunch of you there!