Some years ago, there had been some admin drama on this site, and, if I'm remembering correctly, everyone's password got reset. I never bothered with addressing that and bailed on the site until today, I guess.

In the years since I was last here, I've moved a few times, adopted some new pets (most notably two corgis and a dachshund), had some pets die (RIP to my sweet dogs Turbo and Ivan, and dozens of pet rats), went through a few vehicles, tried my hand at several different jobs, my dad died, I bought a house...

I'm 36 years old now, and I still don't really have a clear idea of what to do with my life. My depression told me I would be dead by now. My ADHD tells me I don't fit in anywhere. Life feels simultaneously underwhelming and overwhelming. I don't really have a good conclusion or punchline here. Which probably means I should just go to bed :P
Goodnight!

So, the Iowa thing didn't work out. I'm moving back to Michigan. My move date took a while to finalize, and by the time it finally did, it was WEEKS sooner than I thought it was going to be, but hey, I'm looking forward to being back in MI, so it'll be okay.
I am moving this Friday!
Sucks cuz I kinda panicked and just left my job here all at once, but with only 6 days notice for my last day in Iowa, and given my affinity for accumulating massive amounts of STUFF, I need all the time possible to pack (and to stock up on time spent with the one super awesome friend I managed to make here. You don't know who he is, guys, but if you're happy I am still alive, thank him, because my depression was scarily close to winning for a while here. Beam of light, that guy was..helped guide me back out into a better place again. He isn't a furry, and will never see this, but that's okay. He knows how vital he was to my well-being anyhow. He is the one thing I will sincerely miss about living in Iowa..and he's married, so I can't keep him..poo)! My employer had been informed about a month ago that I had two or less months left, but when my end date suddenly moved from the end of November to TODAY...yeah, oops. I feel shitty for that. I've never left a job that way before. It was a good place, with good people, and I hope I have luck finding something as happy once I get back to Michigan.
Please let this be the start of something really good...please...

I found an old black/grey wolf pelt, but the hide is falling apart. It has been stored in a basment that is slightly humid, so I think that helped to deteriorate it. There are no bugs, and it otherwise appears to be in decent shape. The original owner of the pelt has recently passed away, so I do no know where it was obtained, etc., but the woman had gone on trips to Alaska, so I speculate it is from there. Is there any way I can salvage the beautiful pelt (toughen the skin, felt backing to hold it together..?), or should I just bury the pelt and put the wolf at rest finally?

Artist/design friends, my brother started a 99designs competition for the company he works for. They're looking for a new logo. There are 3 days left to enter designs. Check it out here: http://99designs.com/logo-design/co.....ndustry-399734 :)

The company is an industrial sewing company, usually making cubbyhole-like fabric racks for storing car parts in, but they can do a lot more than just that!

If I had the spare funds right now, I would totally commission  ShineBright for artwork, but since I don't, the least I can do is point to this journal:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5957073/
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5957073/
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5957073/
Help out an artist in need! ShineBright's prices are beyond reasonable (seriously, super quality being sold way too cheap!). You'll be getting great art for such a deal!

Thanks for checking it out <3

My art studio flooded again in the flash flood last night. I had water over my knees in the basement, which is my art studio..at least two feet of water over all of my stuff. We noticed it fairly early on (a container floated and flipped over, causing glass bottles on it to shatter on the floor), and were able to get a lot out of the basement, but it went from two inches to two feet in less than an hour. My beloved heirloom desk from my great-grandpa's medical practice was almost fully submerged. I'm so afraid of that thing being ruined. I'm sure it's worth at least $10-20k, easily. My renters insurance covers none of it. Nor does Shawn's home owner's policy.

Shawn and I feel like this house is a tomb, a shackle, a cage, a trap. This is the third time since spring that the water has backed up bad enough in the backyard that it backwashed into the basement, but this was by far the worst yet. This time the water was deep enough to come in through the windows, as well as the door (the water was streaming in so forcefully that the door was bowed inward..no blocking it or stuffing towels in the cracks, etc., even if we had the resources to do so). The backyard flooded so bad that the 4ft chainlink fence was totally under water. The garage flooded too, and Shawn's motorcycle had water up to the seat, potentially ruining it...we're too scared of trying to start it and confirming it is dead.
The washing machine, dryer, chest freezer, furnace, water heater, etc. all suffered water damage too, besides a large portion of my art and art supplies.

We're not really even sure where to go from here..FEMA can't do anything without the president declaring the area a natural disaster area. We don't have funds to afford any of this. Those few feet of water are threatening to ruin our lives here as we know it..knocking out money for vehicle payments, making this house unwanted by us or any future buyers. We just don't know what to do or where to go next.

Anyone have advice or help to offer us?

I just discovered there IS a ceramics studio with space open for the public in the area I recently moved to! YESSS Expect to see ceramic work again in the near-ish future :D I'm so excited. I loved working with clay a few years back, while I was in college, and look forward to doing it again soon. I'm slowly getting my artistic feet back under me, finding my muse again, sorting out my studio space(s), etc. I'll be back, I promise there is artwork coming soon. I have a TON of things planned! (Books and paintings and sculptures, oh my!)

My 14-month-old niece, Ellie, made it though her heart surgery just fine. It was a tense day, as all sorts of delays ended up getting her started on surgery about when it was originally supposed to be wrapping up, but surgery itself went faster, and more easily than expected. Thank you so much to all who kept her in their thoughts!
She's got a long stay at the children's hospital ahead of her, but she only needed a pacemaker for a few hours after surgery, shes off the ventilator and back on her regular CPAP (she always breathes through a trache tube), she can have her feeding tube providing nutrients again, and they're close to taking her off her chest suction/drain :)
My brother and sis-in-law are too stoic to tell much of how they feel, but I'm sure how well Ellie is recovering is a huge relief to them (I know it is for me!)
The only unfortunate thing that happened around that time involved some of my art supplies/studio stuff I had just finished setting up in the basement at Biscuit's house.. I had left to visit Michigan last Wednesday, and Thursday started a big day of rain and thaw in Iowa, and I got word that the basement had flooded with a few inches of water by late afternoon. Portfolios, supplies, and books that were on shelves near the floor, or actually resting on the floor, sponged up a bunch of water. Biscuit got off work early, and had his brother and a friend helping him try to salvage my work from a watery death by hanging artwork up to dry, turning on fans and heaters to dry up the water/mud on the floor, etc. I had planned to stay in Michigan until at least Saturday, but I couldn't stand the thought of all my hard work being damaged like that, with no way to inspect it all myself. I left Michigan soon after hearing the news (at least I had gotten to visit with Ellie earlier that day..which was the main point behind that Michigan trip), drove 400 miles in some pretty shitty weather, and arrived about 1:30am to check things out myself. Biscuit and I ended up spending a collective 8 hours, once I got home, peeling every individual reference/art book page apart, fanning them out all over the kitchen and living room with hairdryers and fans on them. It could have been worse (seriously, Biscuit's actions SAVED my shit..It would have been a much more devastating loss had he not acted so quickly, and done all he did! <3), but I'm still really sad that nearly all my college work, about $600 in books, and perhaps another $200 in random art supplies and collectibles are pretty severely warped and water damaged :/ The art will never look the same, and that hurts the most. The books are usable, but they don't look pretty; this happened a week ago now, and some of them are still drying out. I am very glad it wasn't worse, and especially glad that my antique desk (it was originally my great-grandpa's) isn't any worse for wear after sitting in some water last Thursday.
Okay, okay, but most especially, I'm glad Ellie is recovering okay!

I'll be leaving shortly to drive back to Michigan. I'm going back to visit my family for a few days, mainly because my 14-month-old niece is having some pretty serious heart surgery next week. No one wants to say it, but there's a chance she wont make it through. If she doesn't have this surgery, she's expected to slowly succumb to heart disease in the next few years. We're a pretty strong and positive family, but it still has at least me verbally concerned, though I do try to hide/ignore it by pushing the thoughts out of my mind as much as possible. Please, put little Ellie, her doctors, and her mom and dad in your prayer list, or whatever it is you do. She has made it through a few other much more minor surgeries so far, but this one is quite a bit more worrisome... Thank you for your thoughts :)

So I still have some comments I need to reply to on my previous journal, but even this many weeks later, I am still burned out on the discussion, and being misunderstood, etc., so I'm setting that aside further and making a new update!

I no longer live in Michigan! I moved to Iowa, to live with my beloved  biscuitpup <3 My rats and dog moved with me. We've all been here just under a week now, and I'm slowly getting my things unpacked, and will get my studio set up eventually too. I'll be looking for a part-time job, but most of my working effort I want to put into artwork. I've had at least half a dozen children's/young adult/illustrated books simmering on the back burners of my mind for many years now, and I really want to get them fully cooked and published! I also hope to get into more gallery-worthy work, oil paintings, larger sculptures, etc. You'll still see me around the furry fandom, no worries. I'll be at conventions, take badge commissions, etc., but most of my efforts will be directed towards my own books and characters. I'd love to have one or two of my own children's books published by the time Biscuit and I start having kids of our own! ...We'll see what life has in store for us :)

Also, anyone in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area interested in adorable, friendly pet rats, please let me know! I adopted an adult female a few weeks ago, and 2 days later, she popped out 8 babies. They're all happy and healthy, growing like weeds. I'm probably keeping 3 boys from her litter (plus the mom), but there are still 2 females and 3 more males that'll need homes. I'd prefer if they go in pairs, or singly as a companion to pet rats someone already has. These are for PETS ONLY. They're all dumbos, and are beige capped, or beige veriberk with deep red eyes. They were born Nov. 7th, and have been handled every day. Their mom is really calm and friendly. I know nothing about their dad. They'll be ready for new homes in about 2-3 more weeks. I can keep some a bit longer if a new home isn't ready for them by then. The ratties wont be going to just anyone, so please contact me and strike up a conversation if you're interested ^^

When I see really beautiful digital work, or just a digital piece with a lot of time put into it, my brain cries, wondering WHY the artist spent the time on something that will never have an original copy in physical form, and will never be seen if the power goes out. Digital just always feels like a sketch..a mockup..a cartoon..a practice run for what should be a real painting..... Art should get your hands dirty. it should have texture and body...Be a single, valuable physical copy...Have mistakes you have to work with and can't just ctrl+z away...
I'm such a real-media snob XP

Please, don't get me wrong cuz I fully acknowledge that digital artists have skill, as my hard drive and favorites are full of digital pieces I'm wowed by, but for maximum enjoyment, pushing pixels on a screen just can't compare to actual pencil, ink, paint, clay, etc. I guess that's why my nice Wacom tablet has been sitting around unused for well over a year >.>;

So,  biscuitpup and I have set a moving date for myself, and I want to reiterate that I'll be leaving a nice factory job opening in the 49424 Michigan area. I'm under no obligation to find a replacement for myself, but it's a good place to work, with great benefits and fairly easy-going bosses (and basically, you get to be your own boss when you take over my position!), so I'd like to help a friend, or friend-of-a-friend, out by pointing out this great opportunity!

My last day of work will be Monday, November 18th at the absolute latest. I'll hopefully be done by Friday, November 15th so I have a few days to weed out items I don't absolutely need to move (I have a TON of stuff, mostly art supplies, and I'm beyond pumped to finally get my studio set up again, get to writing and illustrating my books, working on paintings, finishing and taking on more commissions, etc :D ..Not to mention I'm elated to start my life with my amazing man! AAAHH, SO EXCITED!!).

Aaaanyhow... :P
To feel confident I have fully trained and prepared someone new for the job, I'd like at least a month to work with them. Yeah, that's right, you'll be trained by yours truly! I wont let you down!
More information about the job in general can be found at the journal I posted previously on this same subject: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5036568/
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5036568/
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5036568/

Seriously, PLEASE pass this on if you can't take advantage of it yourself! I'm not leaving the job because I dislike the place! It'd just be an ungodly commute to travel 400 miles one-way for work every day lol

The terrific  pumpkinskittle08 has a spot in her MFF hotel room open. If you're interested, please see her journal for more info: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5044295/
Thanks!

Are you good with computers? Are machines fun to work with? Do you enjoy some physical activity in your daily job? Then please continue reading :)

I have informed the factory that I work at that I'll be quitting by the end of the year, unless they're good with dropping me down to 30 hours a week, or less. I do enjoy the job, and my bosses are actually quite lax, and you're essentially your own boss if you get the position I have, however, I need more time to work on artwork, and to establish myself in galleries in my general area before I end up moving to Iowa to be with my  biscuitpup!

It is not my responsibility to find someone to fill my position, but since I really do like the place I work for, I want to help them out. I'd like to help out one of my friends too if they're looking for a solid job, with good benefits, that'll keep you on your toes at times.

About the position:
The company I work for produces industrial-strength fabric storage bags and totes, mostly used in the automotive industry for transporting or storing vehicle components.
The majority of the workers at this factory work at heavy-duty sewing machines, either sewing sub-assembly components, or doing final sewn construction of the bags.

It is a 2nd shift position; 3:30pm-11:30pm (8 hour shift, or until 1:30am for 10 hours). My job there is near the beginning of the whole process, being that I take CAD drawings the office crew has created, and tessellate the exploded pieces together to make patterns that most efficiently use our various fabrics. The patterns are then drawn by Eastman cutter/plotter machines. Next, my team of manual cutters use that pattern as a guide to cut many layers of material simultaneously. I also cut one-off sample bags on my second plotter machine while the first is drawing a pattern.

One thing that makes the job most interesting is the body of workers there; the vast majority are not native to this country. I am literally the only white, US-born person on 2nd shift in that area of the factory (the same large warehouse is shared by a few slightly-related companies, but I don't actually work with them). I won't lie; it can be very intimidating when you first start there. Communication is always interesting, and were it not for my brother being one of the office personnel/the IT guy, I likely wouldn't have lasted long enough to get the position I currently have! Thankfully, I'll be there to take any interested party under my wing, show them the ropes, and break the ice. My coworkers, while I can't fully communicate with all of them, are actually all super nice, and I get constant smiles and thank-yous from all of them.

This company offers really good medical/dental/vision/etc. benefits for their full-time workers, and over-time hours are available almost every week. The job is certainly not for everyone, and takes a responsible, self-motivated person who is able to lift up to 50lbs and is familiar with computers. The company is looking for someone with good English-speaking/communication abilities (and a super plus if you can speak Spanish and/or Cambodian, Thai, Laotian, Chinese, etc. too! ..Even just a little, like my Spanish abilities :P)

I'm not going to list my rate-of-pay outright, but it would be enough to rent a cheap apartment on your own, or a nicer place with a roommate. Holland, MI is a terrific, safe town, with many wonderful, interesting cities nearby, and the gorgeous shores of Lake Michigan right at your fingertips. This job is a really great opportunity, and if you're ready for it, it would be worth moving for. Please message me if you're interested. Ask questions here if you think I've left any info out.

PLEASE, please, please spread the word so someone can take advantage of this job opportunity!

TL;DR? You're not good enough for the job then. Sorry.

I'm sitting on my bed, watching Star Trek: Voyager on Netflix. I have a few rats out. Sabine abandons her blanket exploration to come visit me. I curl my arm around her as she approaches, bending my head low too, making a wedge shape between my chest and arm, which she immediately snuggles into. She stays still for several minutes, lazily smacking her mouth :B
I love that an animal with a bad reputation, and the sharpest teeth imaginable, just wants love and comfort.
And food. I'm sure the goat cheese and strawberries Sabine was sharing with me earlier helped sooth her lol And braunshweiger..we were eating braunshweiger too ^^

I had an overall great time! Jeff did end up coming along, which made me very happy, and he had a good time too, and considers himself "partly furry" now XD (He and I had had some relationship issues last week, and I thought he was not going to attend the con after all, but we are working things out, and he made the effort to come along :D)

As I expected, it was wonderful rooming with  pumpkinskittle08, her boyfriend  kronusaeternus, and my boyfriend Jeff. Ivan was a brat towards Pumpkin's 3-month-old husky puppy Kobi, as I expected (he adores people, but doesn't want to share human attention with other dogs, so he growls to protect his space...It's been a thing I have to constantly keep in check ever since adopting him. He's only ever been friends with a handful of other dogs in his life). Kobi was adorable and fun, and quite well-behaved already. He did some usual naughty puppy things, but that's to be expected, and thankfully did nothing destructive.

Jeff, Ivan and I arrived pretty late Friday night, having stopped in Lansing to grab dinner with a friend of mine I hadn't gotten to see in over a year. As soon as we walked through the lobby doors, I saw  nukanuki and  chronsky, then I tried to register Ivan to our room while having him pulling away from me in an attempt to greet half the furry world he was seeing!

I was bummed to find out that Artist Alley didn't allow the sale of pre-made items, so the whole stock of art objects I had brought along had to stay in my car, and I didn't actually make any money at FCN :/ I'll be renewing my Etsy shop soon though, since I have finally dug through my storage unit for most of the items I used to have for sale there. Pumpkin and I also talked about registering for a dealer's table at MFF, so that might happen. I haven't yet sold any artwork at any convention I've attended...

Saturday saw Jeff, Ivan and I wandering the halls a lot, and we gave Ivan a socialization break while we checked out some of the con spaces. Jeff bought a few t-shirts, and an art print, and I bought some miscellaneous buttons, stickers, and a necklace (hurr hurr, wasn't I supposed to MAKE money at this convention? lol) Jeff and I then took a break from all the lovely furry craziness, and grabbed pizza for dinner at Aubree's, stopping at Trader Joe's and Best Buy on the way back :P
We then proceeded to get our drink on while watching Ridiculousness on TV, and eventually made our way to  sfaosttrack20's room for a fabulously boozy time with many of my closest friends (I'll edit your names in later when I'm not crunched for time before work!) :D Trax was crazy-hospitable, and very talented with his palette of liquor bottles, and I was buzzed in no time! I headed to the dance around 1:30am, and shook my tail until 2am, then found Pumpkin, and we packed our two dogs in her car and she drove us to Taco Bell for some of the most delicious food I've ever had in my intoxicated life XD

We all checked out of our room before 1pm, and Jeff, Ivan and I spent the next two hours saying goodbye to friends around the hotel.

Thank you to everyone who made FCN2013 so fantastic! And thank you for giving Ivan so much attention too; he eats it all up! If you have photos of him, please do share n.n
I hope everyone else made it home safely, and had just as good of a time! <3

When I moved last year, I packed some of my little sculptures away in a box within a box, having wrapped them in (clean!) toilet paper first to protect them from bumping one another. These were finished sculptures, all painted and sealed with a coat of satin finish (out of a spray can, but I can't recall the brand off-hand). The sculptures had been dry and curing out in the open air for a month or more before I packed them away. I dug them out of my storage unit last week, with a mind to offer them up for sale at Artist Alley this weekend at FCN. Come to find out...Toilet paper is a REALLY TERRIBLE option for wrapping fragile, hand-painted things in. While the sculptures didn't break, they're essentially flocked with toilet paper lint, and the satin finish just won't let it go. I tried washing them thoroughly in warm water, buffing them with a slightly abrasive cloth, and scratching off the layer of lint with my fingernails. Nothing budges it, short of removing the paint and starting all over again...Which is what I'm currently doing :( It hurts me to sandpaper these things, after having already spent such careful hours sculpting and painting them. POOPY! (no pun intended given the toilet paper they were wrapped in lol) I'm not sure I'll have enough time to get them ready to sell this weekend... Which sucks because I barely have enough money in my bank account for gas and hotel fees. I really need to MAKE money at FCN to afford it since I just spent $300 on one of my rats last week (she's now recovering from a uterine infection, but racked up quite a vet bill!), $100 at the vet on my dog before that, and nearly $1000 fixing my car a few weeks before the vet visits.

So, yeah, lesson learned: NEVER use toilet paper as a packing material for such things!
Side lesson already known: MONEY SUCKS :P

(I yoinked this from  pumpkinskittle08, so I guess this is the MFF list of questions, as if the questions were specific to single cons...)

1. Where are you staying?:
In the main hotel.

2. What day are you getting there?:
Probably around noon-ish on Friday.

3. How long are you going?:
I'll be staying until Sunday evening.

4. Who will you be with?:
 pumpkinskittle08 (and her puppy Kobi),  kronusaeternus, my dog Ivan, and my boyfriend Jeff EDIT:..There may not be a boyfriend to bring along. *Sad Cricket is Sad*

5. What is your gender?:
I am very indisputably female.

6. How old are you?:
Tengo 27 anos :)

7. How tall are you?:
5'9"; I was just measured by my doctor the other week, so I know for sure. Because this is a very important question. Now everyone else must reply with the altitude the top of their skull reaches!

6. What suits will you have?:
None. Ivan was complimented on this realistic quad suit last year though, so keep an eye out for him! lol

7. Can I touch you?:
Unless I know you, I'd appreciate my personal bubble being respected :) I love hugs, if I do know you! My dog is highly pettable, so if you feel deprived, just give him tons of attention!

8. Can I talk to you?:
Of course! There is the chance I might have to tell you I'm in a hurry to somewhere else though, or on a mission that I cannot be held up from.

9. Can I take pictures with you?
I'm not sure why anyone besides my friends would want pictures with me... *eyes warily*

10. Are you nice?:
I only bite those I am really close to, so if we're just meeting, yeah, I'm nice ;)

11. Are you cliquey?:
I AM TEH ANTI-CLIQUE

12. Can I stalk you?:
Only if I can shank you for it later :B

13. Can I buy you lots of drinks?:
So long as I get to watch it from the moment it is made until it reaches my lips, sure, I'll take free drinks. Don't expect me to take any random beverage handed to me though; people can put unsavory chemicals into it :(

14. Can I hug or snuggle you?:
Only if we've already reached that level of friendship before the con.

15. Do you do trades?:
Perhaps...

16. Do you have an artist table?:
I'm attempting to get artwork together enough to make use of an Artist Alley table. I'll have tons of pre-made things to sell (ceramics, 2D artwork, sculpey miniatures..). I'll possibly be taking a few take-home commissions. I'll have some blank sculptures available for purchase too for custom paint jobs.

17. Do you like parties?:
I do, so long as they're not out of control.

18. What should I not do around you?
Please don't be rude, pretentious, creepy or possessive. My dog is friendly, and please do pet him, but don't attempt to hurt or steal him unless you want to see your own blood.

19. If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Use your social skills to figure out the best way to gain my notice upon visually perceiving my presence :) I'll give you points for creativity too if you greet me while doing a headstand or some such ;P

Semi-related note:
About a month ago, my vet and I finally figured out what ailment my dog was suffering from.
Ivan has super-low thyroid levels, and must take a supplement twice daily for the rest of his life. Before we figured out what was going on with him, he was on an unsuccessful diet, which he gained 7lbs during. He refused to exercise, and hated going out in the cold. Ivan acted like he was constantly starving, and ate anything he came across (he's given the same amount of food now, while on his meds, and he sometimes isn't hungry enough to eat his meals, so he really wasn't being underfed while "starving" on his diet previously). His coat condition is not quite what it used to be either. He's responding very well to his thyroid therapy, but still weighs at least a dozen pounds more than he should. Please, don't tell me I'm cruel for how overweight my dog is. We've discovered the problem, and are working on an outwardly healthy appearance now that his internal health is being reattained :)

This will be my boyfriend's first furry con, so let's make it a good one!
Woohoo, FCN; we'll see you soon! <3

My brother and his wife, after a very complicated pregnancy, welcomed their first child into the world on the first of December this year. My niece, Ellie, has many birth defects, medical issues/syndromes, body parts that will need surgery later in her infant life, etc. She was born a month and a half early, naturally, on top of all of that. For the past few days, she had seemed to be doing well, making small improvements, breathing on her own, starting to open her eyes...But today doesn't seem to be as good of a day for her. She's been put back on her assisted breathing machine, and her feeding tube now bypasses her stomach completely and feeds right into her small intestines.... I've been worried all along that she wouldn't live to leave the hospital, and now I am even more worried.

Ellie would never have a "normal" life anyway... She will need heart surgery in a few months, and back surgery soon too to correct her tethered spine, an extra pair of ribs (which could have an association with her tethered spine issue), she has Cornelia DeLange syndrome, a recessed lower jaw, only one bone in each of her lower arms and a total of three fingers.
The pregnancy caused some health issues for my wonderful sister-in-law too, but most things seem to be improving greatly for her at least.

Losing Ellie would devastate my brother (not to mention everyone else involved), which is not something I want to witness. With the birth of his first child, I've seen a side of him I never knew before. I don't want to see the effects losing his child would have on him...
http://smg.beta.photobucket.com/use.....y/Ellie%20Jean

Please send Ellie your strongest, most-healing vibes and prayers. ..And ones for my family too..

I had a really great time at MFF :D I got back Sunday night, but have stayed busy/lazy enough off and on to only get to the con report now :P

I arrived around noon, after carpoolng with , , and to get there. I somehow managed to randomly run into almost immediately after walking into the hotel lobby <3 (I''ll link to his MFF2012 photo album here later, once he gets it online EDIT: here! ----> http://s1179.beta.photobucket.com/u.....ary/MFF%202012 :D). Platero and I got our room keys (he was one of my roommates), and I took a nap for a few hours until my wife showed up. She and I then wandered around the Dealers Den and Artist Alley, where we each ended up buying a tail from Sparkle Kreations. We ran back to our room to try them on, only to discover the belt loops on mine were about to fall off, so we made a trip out to Meijer for sewing needles, which took way longer than it should have due to traffic (srslyomfg give me country roads! Who the fuck wants to live in a congested city where it takes almost as long to drive somewhere as it would to walk there???? Ick lol). When we got back to the con, our final roommate, had just gotten in. Eventually, I remembered to deliver the robot mask I had been feverishly working to finish before the con to while he was sitting at his table in the Dealer's Den (I'm happy to have a copy of your Pinup booklet thinger, btw!)

I don't remember much of late Friday evening/early morning as I drank waaay more than I've been used to in recent months, but I know I tailed my wife to a few room parties ('s being one of them...omg your Dirty Water concoction was responsible for 65% of my intoxication level, I'm sure..so dangerously good! x.x), and talked to for a while about ratties on my way back to the room before finally sleeping.

I got up barely in time to see most of the fursuit parade on Saturday, and then wandered the con more, getting fabulous hugs from more friends than I can name (I'm lazy about linking all your accounts, NukaNuki, Onai, Odin, Cinder, Itsu, Osaka, Mocha, Bauske, That one guy,..etc. I even rain into Taiko just before I left on Sunday!), and I bought a few more prints, and watched the Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind show, and then avoided more alcohol by keeping Platero company in our room while everyone else was out partying XD He and I just watched Netflix shows and took it easy while we waited for our other roommates to return. Laveur left for home shortly after returning from his shenanigans veeery early Sunday morning. The other three of us checked out by 1pm, and then wandered the con for a few hours together before reluctantly parting ways. I finally ran into in the Artist Alley, but the print I had for Crowe to sign had already been packed away in the car by then >.< Oh well. It was nice to get to meet you anyhow!

I carpooled with the same people on the way home, and we all had to help keep one another/Platero the driver awake by bantering about random stories and laughing until we were crying, and stopping for Subway at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere.
I showed my parents my rainbow husky tail once I got home, but they just rolled their eyes and asked if I had a good time overall XP Shortly thereafter, I drove the 30ish minutes to my boyfriend's place so he could comfort me about my furry con withdrawal symptoms ;)

See you all next con, I hope, if not before then!
I'm hoping to make it to FCN 2013 at least n.n

I'm finally almost all ready to leave for MFF, which is good, as my ride should be here pretty soon! I'm tired, running on about 8 hours of sleep total for the past 3 days, working 8 hour shifts in the factory each of those days, and putting in even more hours than that on a robot mask commission, and stupid rat/remora plush sculpture to go along with the concept of Mako...But I got everything done that I wanted to! :D I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS WEEKEND. ..I'm sure I wont be tired once I actually get there >.>

Say hello, if you see me around :D

Be safe and have fun, everyone!

Enjoy a video of my dog and my rats interacting!

http://youtu.be/y3vgBeHu6lI

Yes, the rats get to play freely like that almost daily, minus Ivan. I enjoy sitting out there, interacting with them when they climb in my lap, and otherwise supervising their explorations :B I'll eventually post a 15+ minute long video of just the rats running around, but it's gonna take a while to upload! ...are there really many people who'd want to watch rats explore that room for nearly 20 minutes anyway (besides me XD)??

I love my dog. I love my rats. n_n

Edit: The girls exploring that room. http://youtu.be/RDcgw3EjBMk

My mom and I should be fixing up a spare room she kind of uses as a studio right now into a more fully functioning studio this long holiday weekend :D I should be able to get back to artwork here and there, which I'm looking forward to! All these backlogged ideas and projects are oppressive x.x Now, if only my skills would come back to me... Artwork =/= riding a bike lol

I'm also hoping it gets my mom into working on artwork more since she also wants to spend more time with me (our work schedules are pretty much opposite one another :/). She's talented with art too, but doesn't believe she is. Maybe I can convince her to do a collab with me sometime. And then maybe by next August we can have a mother-daughter booth at the local art show :B

Also, happy Golden Birthday to my brother today! Not that he reads this (or even knows FA exists) but I love you, Colton!

Since my cats are no longer listed on Petfinder, I'm going to try and pretend that they must have gotten adopted, rather than anything worse. I'm glad I visited them earlier this week at least... I have photos and a video of them from the 20-30 minutes I spent with them in the visiting room. They had several people wave at/watch them through the window while we were in there, so maybe someone noticed and adopted them after I left. I hope. I really hope so.
Icarus and Nyoki, I love you and miss you. I'm still so sorry I had to give you up -.-
http://youtu.be/RDtSDe-vPD8

I'm alive, just very busy with work and finishing up my move. Instead of the end of August, it got switched to the end of July, and I'll be back there again in the morning to clean out the last of my stuff and say goodbye to that house. I loved the space, but my time with that roommate is happily over. I never would have guess she and I would go from practically-sisters to ..uh, well, I'm HAPPY at the prospect of very rarely ever dealing with her again.. in a matter of maybe 3 months.

I worked 68 hours the week of the 16th, and 57 hours last week, while trying to drive the hour+ round-trip packing and relocating all my shit (and I'm still working 10 hour days). I've lived on my own for 9 years now, in various places, and am an art supply and trinket whore, so not only do I have lots of large things (couch, chairs, a huge heirloom solid wood desk, large TV, pots, pans, small appliances, brick of an art table, oodles of canvases/boards, sculpture supplies, tubs of foam and fur, WIP sculptures and paintings, etc etc.) I have hundreds of tiny things that go on their own collection shelves and need to be bubble wrapped individually and carefully packed. ..So, yeah, the vast majority of my "free" time has been spent packing these past few weeks.
I'm not even done moving INTO a new place yet because I haven't found one. I rented a storage unit, and am storing about the same volume of things at my parents' house too, where I am also staying for the time being. I've been searching for a new rental place for about a month now..and have barely even heard back from my contact attempts. I MAY have a promising lead in the works though *paws crossed*


Aaaaand I must mention, in my business, I never did make my needed trip to the post office, so the handful of you who are waiting on me to ship out items, it might be a bit more of a wait because I'm not even sure what all boxes the items that need to be shipped got packed into x.x I adore my family and friends for helping me pack and move the past few days, but it was frustrating, though understandable, to find that the things I had set aside for shipping got mistaken for things to be packed...
So please, the few of you waiting, I've not forgotten, I just need to move to whatever my new place will be, and unpack boxes until I find your things to ship!


Also, my kitties are gone :/ I ended up having to surrender them to the humane society because I could find no one to adopt them from me. I'd REALLY rather not think about what their life has been like since giving them up there. I miss Icarus especially terribly...he was all but a second dog in personality; a truly unique, special cat. Oh...there he is... http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/23683523 ...someone go adopt him back for me ;.; http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/23683520 my kitties :(

Okay, time to try for sleep..