G'day fluffbutts,

Now's as good a time as any to let you know that I still remember this account, and should other websites shunt us off to greener pastures, I'm happy to have somewhere like here where I have a historical presence that anyone can find me. Heck, now I can post here with Species: "Thylacine" instead of the long-standing "Marsupial (Other)", well done FA!

Seems I used to journal a lot in the past, when I was discovering new people every week, visiting every furry event I could get to, and being a bit more loud and proud about it. I still do a few local conventions per year and have a few furry friend groups to drink, brunch or day trip together. But I have no intention of telling my workplace of eight years that I'm a furry, and I am reluctant to call the fandom by name to non-fur friends, like we have a "don't ask, don't tell" arrangement.

Maybe it's a contentment in my life, a form of maturity or an acknowledgment to the era of cancellation, but I haven't felt the same need to share my journey quite so much either. I don't need to be heard; I want to lift others up. I'm reflecting on that now. Social networks thrive on connection: when we are bringing ideas, energy or a piece of ourselves to the table on a regular basis. If algorithms promote outrage, shouldn't I have been countering negatives with my own positives? More than that: now that I feel settled in career, city, life things, I should probably be doing more to ensure I'm a net-positive on the world and the people around me.

I live a good, simple life though. In the past few years, I've taken up league ten-pin bowling, gotten good at Rocket League, brewed beers with friends (I mostly just lift and clean things), done some music demo recordings, streamed on Twitch, ate my way to 300 pounds, bought a petsuit and joined my first commercial gym. While I won't necessarily do all that again next year, it's been nice to amass some experiences and flex some creative and literal muscle. I hope you're finding similar peace and satisfaction from your passions.

Marsupially yours,
Pask

Why are you writing this post?
I'm going to Furry Down Under!

What's that?
It's Australia's biggest and funnest furcon, hosted at Surfers Paradise.

How do you know it's the funnest?
Well, I haven't been to everything, but I've done three FurDUs and it keeps getting better!

Is funnest even a word?
It's the mirthiest con in the land. Happy?

Hey, I ask the questions here. When are you getting to the con?
I'll be flying into Gold Coast on Thursday arvo, should be rockin' up to the hotel around sunset.

Why is this an interview anyway?
Somehow conventions warrant a multitude of questions, one for each detail.

Isn't that really long winded?
This isn't Twitter, I can do what I want.

What are you looking forward to doing during the con?
The respectable answer is going to the beach, both in and out of suit, grabbing heaps of photos, visiting the unclosed(!) pool, playing some tennis, dancing and catching up with all the fuzzbags.

And what's the unrespectable answer then?
I'm going to end up shitfaced in room parties and yell from balconies.

Are you going to attend any panels?
There's nothing I really have to attend. Doing the poker tournament and suiting up for a few dances is super likely.

How do you spend three-plus days at a con and barely attend a panel?
I kinda wander from place to place, mingling with people I meet along the way. It's basically gonna be Sandbar, room drinks, lap of the con space, beach, shower, room drinks, pool, room drinks, dinner, dance, shower, collapse.

I'm sensing a theme.
It's Jurassic Park.

I meant your schedule.
That's not a question.

Are you going to do anything else?
I'm psyched to do a gym session with furs actually. I normally train solo at home. I'm gonna yell at interested people on Twitter one morning and make it happen.

Don't you like the art?
Yes, but I like the artists more. I'll come see my buds in the dealer's den, always a good focal point of the con space.

Don't you like the panels?
I mostly do furry for suiting and hanging with friends. They're handy if I feel bored and wanna find others who feel the same. I'll be around.

How will people recognise you?
I'm the bald one with resting angry biker face. Or a thylacine.

So you're bringing suits?
Yep!

How can people get in touch with you?
Twitter, Facebook. If I don't respond, I'm in suit, come dance downstairs with me. I suppose you can talk to me too. Please say hi if I'm in suit. Take my photo! Tag me in it!

Any final words?
Let's have a really good time. I will be personally ensuring that I do. It's a party, it's my holiday, let's cut a fuckin' rug and make some amazing memories to last us until the next FurDU.

There's a burgeoning new furry fantasy league for Australian rules football trying to get off the ground.

If you're interested in furry sports, have a look at the FAFL at  fafl and sign up to be a coach or player!

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/fafl

G'day again everyone! It's just ticked over to September and I've settled back into life after RivFur, the second of the three biggest Aussie cons, all luckily evenly spaced out four months apart! No photos yet, but dance comp video to follow when it's available.

What a character building year this is turning out to be! After the incredible US trip earlier in the year, where I actually learned a little bit about myself, I was hastily shunted into a different work team, which I don't think I covered fully in my last journal. It was a bit emotionally taxing, it required some recovery through support of colleagues, some confidence building and a fair chunk of stepping back and seeing things as just a job for a while.

Five months later and after coasting along, doing my bit, being a jokester, I was approached by an ex-colleague to join his company, and I've decided it's worth going for. The interview was 90% at the pub. Definitely a language I speak! I'm not big on change or risk, but I had approached a point where nothing new was happening in my life. Casual friends would ask "what's new with you, what's going on in your life" and it was pretty much same old, same old. At least at the big picture level.

On the ground, I'm getting pretty good at pool with all the games I've been playing at lunchtime at work. Playing soccer for the first time in years has driven me to get more aerobic fitness, lots of sprints up and down a pitch, instead of just lifting weights. Also boring stuff like becoming more pro at spreadsheets and personal budgeting, but I like tracking my numbers and improving! I've taken some time off from my bands and that's been super, super welcome to have more downtime. It's probably not great that I don't miss it a lot. Might be time for something new on that front too.

Community wise, it struck me how much furry stuff is being produced and how I miss most of it! Avid fans watch every dance comp video they can get their paws on. Back-and-forth video discussions exchange barbs and ideas. Entire channels and photoshoots to produce more merriment to share. And that's not even including the cornerstone: art!

Relatively speaking, I live a lot in the moment. What you see of me is mostly what someone else has captured at a point in time, and I've just captioned it. Sometimes I wonder how different it is to observe what performing personality I have purely through photos, compared to people who've seen me at cons and meets down here in Australia. I'm not great at dedicating time for things, but after seeing several furs doing well making their videos, I have jumped on board to find out if I have anything to offer the community on that front. Just to keep those furs that are desperate for more content to feel satiated!

Episode 1a: Monologue about DANCERFURS: http://youtu.be/0f9tVJQLwtY
Episode 1b: Dance: http://youtu.be/tpGwOMeSOgQ

I cannot do justice to the amount of fun I had at  furdu

So many Aussies convening, so many buddies, so many drinks, pool, suit, beach, repeat, yaaaass. Getting the furs on the same floors, enough so that we got the door joining our neighbour's room opened, was so good. That was a great, hectic party before it got shut down! One of many! BalKONY 2014.

Participating in Duke's dance video was a fun thing to do, and actually got me thinking about choreography and dance performance construction, even as basic as it was. The dances were amazing, particularly Sunday's Dead Dog when I finally got to stop caring about keeping suits clean or anything and just let loose and went hard. Plus so many kigus roaming it was like having more suiters around!

I'm glad I did the dance comp. I'm very aware of how fluent, creative, practiced and flexible that people are in comps worldwide, and I considered leaving it to them and just having my own con fun. But we need competitors in our comps down here, so I might as well enter to make others look good and hopefully entertain a few folks in the process. I think I did better this year, and can surely do better next time too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSR0TvUuuRA

I get such a glow from a con like this. There's such a great sense of mutual appreciation between me and a lot of people that I just feel as though so much of the shit in this world, my previous bad decisions or life choices, none of that matters, 'cause everything can be right for this long weekend. And now it's up to me to keep the holiday feel as long as possible. Feels good man.

My long-awaited excursion overseas actually happened this year. Further Confusion was the centrepiece, the excuse that triggered me to actually do it. Having a (perhaps) 20-strong Aussie contingent helped when running around the con and various cities afterwards. That said, the United States of America made me feel really at home, right from the get-go. People were friendly, I loved the sport, food and Western, freedom culture and I had a lot of good conversations just by sitting at the bar with a delicious American IPA.

FC itself was, in a word, humbling. Coming from a place where our big Aussie cons have 500-700 attendees, it's easy to be invisible over there. Plenty of "famous" furs there, lots of bright, flashy, colourful suits and loud, vivacious personalities. I understand how sparkledogs exist and how characters might play up one aspect a lot to get noticed. All adds to the con atmosphere. Well, the partying pretty much did that. To have that agreement with the con hotel that we were just gonna take it over, so much so that on day zero, the Wednesday, we can drink out the front of the hotel any fucking time and no one cares: that's amazing.

While it was very much like doing a con for the first time, I did love it. It was pretty easy to roll around the con from place to place and meet up with someone else, and any other times there was the hotel bar! Spending time with three of my long-time chat buddies  tripnout  weaselr  spikeywolf and their friends was entirely worth the trip.

The rest of America was pretty cool too. Reuniting with an old high school buddy in Venice Beach, watching a side-splitting taping of the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, the hockey game in San Jose was pumped up, Alcatraz was suitably eerie, ice skating in Rockefeller Plaza among the skyscrapers to "Sweet Nothing" was spine-tingling, endless water and cityscape views, hilarious selfies, a super-sweet tour of the delights, breweries and homeliness of Boston from  galefrostbane and  strobes plus being pimpdog ballers in Vegas with  spikeywolf all made my highlight reel!

I doubt it'll be my last time in the States either :) If you've got any photos of me from there, please let me know, as I have fuck all!

Hi again! Since I don't give away much, I'll give you a wall of text about how my year has fared. Overall, 2013 went great, set up by my efforts last year, motivating me to persist at things and await the payoff.

My bands have done alright, playing some shows in great venues where I've watched many bands before. The Hi-Fi one was really special, supporting a Finnish band, thriving on the big occasion and dominating the whole stage.

Determined to end my recurring knee injuries, including an embarrassing one during the Midfur dance qualifiers last December, I looked into preventative measures. I ended up starting a regular weight lifting program at home and that turned out to be effective in many ways. It served as a good outlet for my confidence, my commitment and making sure I had something to look forward to and focus on instead of falling into hedonistic tendencies. No dislocations this year too, so all those squats must be doing something.

Having to work out every two days wasn't easy to handle when I have a lot of other activities on. As I highlighted in my entry on last year, I looked to find a balance of doing all the things you want to do and that you should do, while still having fun. It requires compromise. It's not the thing you ever get perfect, but I think I accept that.

I started playing squash with friends, the odd game of tennis and a fair chunk of golf too. One highlight of the year was the last round I played, with great straight drives all day, and a great chip in from off the green for a birdie!

There were opportunities for ice skating, in suit, of course. That's my favourite go-to activity for suiting, as you can probably tell by the photos in my gallery. I've stopped submitting them because we just keep doin' it! The cons were great too. Really chuffed with FurDU and RivFur, and even CBRFUR turned out to be a nice little experience!

That said, the year turned sour for me later on. I missed out on an unexpected opportunity for promotion, and the other team member who went for it with more success, totally changed personality as they took over, instituting themselves as the boss, playing all kinds of office politics and annihilated the wonderful team culture we had going. My proper boss didn't seem to give a shit. It was particularly hard to swallow because I have such strong ownership of the stuff I work on. I live it, I bleed it. It's my team. I'd done some amazing work that, thankfully, other parts of the business recognised, via awards and just people coming over to encourage me and chat about the results of my efforts.

In the last week at work, I got an offer to move to a different team that values my skills more, and with that, a chance to get a salary bump. There are so many directions that I could take my career that my indecision can hurt me sometimes, but I think I'll be ok. I have the blessings of my other suffering team mates to take the chance. I wanted to stay and fight, to risk everything and tactfully call everyone out on their bullshit. But they advised me that you don't really win those fights, and so I'll exit stage left soon.

Probably the biggest change for me, personally, was my housemate moving out, which meant some consideration of the feasibility of a new housemate or living solo. Ultimately, I calculated that I can afford to live with just me and my dog. I do really like it this way. Still, it triggered a new habit of monitoring my spending so I could do the numbers, and I still do it a few months later. The emphasis of money, and the thought of retirement when work was crap, renewed my interest in the stock market. Just like last time, as soon as I made a splash, my picks all went down quite a bit, which certainly tempers the enthusiasm. This time, however, I'm so keen to get to a point where the money makes itself that I don't have to do a day job anymore, so I'm staying motivated and learning more.

The best little present at the end of the year was  coutzy showing me a live sport streaming website. I've been really keeping up with the sport, fuelled by placing lots of little bets to stay involved. I've made this $50 last since Melbourne Cup Day, and it's still going, so I'm not terrible, but yeah, can't retire on it yet!

A friend asked me a few weeks ago what my highlight of the year was. I paused for a long time to think. It's not a particularly easy question. I have a lot of great times with friends that you can't recall easily, but you know the feeling. When someone's made a witty callback to a joke from two hours ago that leaves everyone unable to speak with laughter, or sitting on a rooftop pub with a jug in the middle of your group on a sunny day, or with your arm out the window of a car, driving through the countryside, belting out a favourite song. Or that chip-in.

My highlight was way back in March, at the Corner Hotel, which is a great live music venue and my regular Friday pub. I'd made a late decision to join some friends after work on a Friday and see Andrew WK. At the start, he encouraged people to rush the stage and join him. We were up the back and pretty pissed already and thought better of it. We moved closer. I think John's buddy Will really wanted to get up there. Security started moving individuals off the stage, but there was an ardent group who stuck together and Andrew WK clearly didn't mind it, being just one guy at a piano with a backing tape of drums. Will made a break for it and rushed past a guard behind a curtain. John looked at me, his face telling that he thought Will certainly was a bit of a wildcard. I don't know if there was an unspoken understanding or not, but we were right up front. As the security faced towards the centre of the stage, I bolted, and fought through someone grabbing my T-shirt once I was already standing up there. John made it too. We jumped up and down, they hung back. Security must have loosened up after that, I dunno.

When "Party Hard" came on, I was at the front of the stage, moshing and yelling every word at the crowd, imploring them to get pumped up and party hard. I hadn't seen so many people looking back at me before. But there I was. My grey T-shirt was soaked, I was pitiful. But I had the moment of being a rock star, I saw just what it was like. And I loved it! It might have even helped me when I took to a big stage and a biggish crowd later in the year. I guess I'm an entertainer after all.

So do I need a New Year's Resolution? Do I set a target for myself professionally, musically, socially, financially, physically, personally? Simple. I want it all! I won't get everything in a year, but if I can see myself making steps, feeling on track, poised for some kind of breakthrough or opportunity should it fall my way, I think that's enough to satisfy my conscience. How about you?

Had such a super rad time at ‪ rivfur a few weekends back! I (kinda) placed in the dance comp, was a last-minute blackjack dealer, crashed so many people's photos suiting on the walk and around the con (sorry!), threw back countless drinks (so many Squires), danced hard last night, saw some supreme suits up close for the first time, such as  badgerc,  skooma-addict,  korimh and the suit previously made famous by  sportypup, got to hang, meet and/or bond further with many wonderful furs from around the country.

The con had a great vibe, the staff clearly put a heap of effort in and everything was so social and smooth, I just kept rolling from one place to another trying to get some face time with all of ya!

Plus of course: Snappaccino, my land, discocunts, sorry and so much more. Between the go pro and the snappaccinos, there is going to be some amazing and embarrassing footage.

Much love and respect to y'all. Possibly best con ever.

Want some viewing material?  boxerthefox has put this together and it features a certain stripey thylacine quite a bit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpmR4YW5-3o

Hey again everyone!

I've booked my room for Further Confusion 2014, so my long-awaited trip to the US is a go go! There's still a heap of details to fill in. I still need to decide which places to hit up besides California. Kinda wondering if I go again later in 2014 to do an East Coast con, but I think anyone who's done a 24-hour flight would say I'm nuts to not just extend out the trip as long as possible once I'm over there. Which could mean visiting Europe as well. I dunno, I don't feel rushed to do everything in one trip, but we'll see how it goes.

In other news, my housemate moved out so now I'm just hanging out with my dog in this house, sitting in my hot tub right now. Oh yeah. It's pretty nice and I think I can just about afford to keep things the way they are =) Can't be arsed buying a house just yet!
My band played its first headline slot, for over an hour, so that was great fun. You know you're doing something right when drunk groupies want to hang out afterward!
Also I've had some good bro time with old friends and that helped me get back to my old ways of knowing everything about sport and playing video games, which I'd largely neglected. The other thing is lifting, doing heaps of that.

I haven't done much fursuiting recently, just an ice skating night and a tinychat since FurDU, so I am really amped to have Furries Under the Radar in Canberra and RivFur in Brisbane lined up over the next three weeks! Bring on the high fives!

Hey again everybody! I have returned from Furry Down Under to a host of great photos, shared in-jokes that live on and stronger bonds with those I hung out with throughout the con. FurDU was terrific, as expected, as it's my favourite con. Plenty of occasions to suit, which draws a crowd and photographers, as I love! I also made the most of the great weather and hit the beach a few times, scored good coffee, cheeky beers, popped into plenty of rooms and smashed the dance floor!

I also had a crack at the dance comp. I'm a tad miffed not to have placed, but I know I can do better anyway. Not bad for 9 days notice before the con! I look forward to some more dancers coming out of the woodwork next time. It's a real buzz having the crowd cheering for you, so do it.

This year I made a road trip of it, crossing two states in two days to have a bit of a pre-con con. It also helps to know more people than last year, as it really lets you be fluid and do what you wanna do, knowing that you're bound to run into friendly faces. For me, that meant poker, a couple of panels that friends were hosting and plenty of mingling during dances, the fursuit beach walk and photoshoot and strolls around the local area.

The only possible downsides were the buzzkill security, who cleared out the drinks in my room at 11:15 (pfffft), which really could've been offset by putting all the furs on the same few floors, and the lack of a common, well-attended bar like last year. However, these were well-countered by the good attendance at the dances. It makes such a big difference to have people up and about at the dances, because it becomes a focal point for meeting up instead of splintering off. So maybe the jerk security guys helped in that regard! :P

These events breathe a stack of life into my online friend circles. It's definitely motivation to get to cons and catch up again! I'm considering Mid May Meet (Sydney) and RivFur (Brisbane) at the moment. I've also got an eye on an overseas trip or two next year if the finances allow. Further Confusion is most likely as there's a host of Aussie buddies who've been talking it up, but I'd love to visit the East Coast and see NYC, DC, Philly and a con to try and meet some more people! Also Canada. I must see an NHL game in my lifetime!

Thanks for the good vibes everyone!

Seeing as some people can get confused by old journals left on my page for months, have a self-reflective wall of text about my 2012! Looking back, I had an amazing year. Possibly my best so far.

Professionally, it was my breakout year, becoming a truly integral part of the business, priding myself on quick responses and action, while not being afraid to give my input on product and processes. I'm being paid what I think I'm worth and still feel like I can push for more next time around. Plus now I have my best friend working right next to me, cracking jokes like mad, and it's substantially improved his life. He likes his job now!

Personally, I reached some goals of getting the spa working and, more importantly, bringing a dog, my beloved Crossey, into my life. I feel really good about helping his life kick on. His old owners love me and Crossey dearly and are wonderful examples of why I feel good participating in the Greyhound Adoption Program. I remember writing a song back in 2010, pining over the difficulties of home ownership in being a barrier to having a companion with me.

Musically, I played that same song on stage to friends and onlookers, multiple times, along with other songs that I wrote and helped create. While reportedly looking like the coolest guy in the band, and unleashing a fierce on-stage persona I didn't even know I had. I have CDs with my name on the back, plus I've recorded an album with a different band, an underground metal band alongside a very good friend. Even when I saw Perseverance play live, I don't think I contemplated the notion of playing with them. But hey, I showed no trepidation, took my chance when it was offered and now I'm somewhat a part of the local black metal scene, which bares similarities to another scene you might be familiar with ...

Furry became a huge part of my life, in scarily quick fashion. The interstate trips to cons and visiting friends were a terrific catalyst to entice me to travel, as it's something I kinda need to be pushed into, just because I don't spend large chunks of money lightly! It's actually the smaller stuff that I cherish most out of furry: the late night chats, the Facebook-filled train rides and sharing photos and moments with others. Plus it's nice to know you can still make new, very close friends at my age.

Physically, I look way different to last year and I'm stoked with how the changes have gone. I'm listening to ideas and feedback from friends, shaved my head, got a eyebrow piercing and grew a beard. I'm doing things that I had considered but never thought I'd do and the positive response is a great encouragement. It turns out I can be a badass!

Last year, I didn't have a resolution; it was more of a motivating phrase: "Do more, see more, be more."
This year, I'm gonna keep on a similar path. Keep trying to be a good person, have fun, stay inspired. I'm looking forward to lifting lots of weights, playing more sport and remembering to take time to relax at home so I don't wear myself thin!

Wishing you all the best for you and your goals, hopes and dreams!
Pasky

... so  pierricbross doesn't win it :P

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3763175/

What a July! Three Saturdays in a row, suiting it up like a boss, including introducing the thylacine to my real life friends at a costume party and surviving a downpour. So many good photos to stockpile!

It doesn't end there either, as I'm heading to Launceston, Tasmania this weekend to bring the Tassie tiger suit to its native habitat, plus get in and/or around the grounds at the AFL footy game.

In other news since I last did a long post, I adopted a big, black greyhound boy called Crossey through the Greyhound Adoption Program. He didn't make it as a racer and he's a big sook, but everyone loves him.

In furrier news, I have successfully washed my fursuit head in the washing machine, twice, and he's come through unscathed.  jill0r from  jillcostumes makes such amazingly resilient suits. I feel lucky to have one. I wouldn't have dared put it in the machine if she hadn't have been insistent that it would be fine.

Also, in con news, FurDU (Furry Down Under) at Surfers Paradise back in April was outstanding, and far superior to MiDFur. If you're coming to Australia for a con, make it FurDU. Just a great chillin' atmosphere with a lobby full of comfy seats and a bar downstairs (where I do most of my good work). Plus I had a crew of friends along this time, which makes it considerably more enjoyable!

I'll be attending FurJAM, the Very Furry Halloween party, MiDFur ... and I'll still be looking for more excuses to suit. WHEN WILL THE FUN END?

I don't enter a lot of these things, but I'm gonna get on board this one: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3452370/

The Furry Hockey League is a place where furs submit their characters, teams get selected and we simulate a hockey season worth of games!

We've just finished the first season, so the call is open for new players who'd like to get drafted. And I'd like to draft a few Aussies onto my team, the Victoria Totem Paws!

Sign up: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3356310/

If you need any help with joining, just let me know. I can give you a few pointers about what stats to improve too :D After joining, you can just chill and do nothing, or follow the games if you like it!

Be sure to mention my name as well, cheers!

May I just say: I am loving the furry fandom right now. Since MiDFur, I've made so many connections with cool people (Fasebrick me: http://www.facebook.com/paskhowl), I'm being a touch more active in the community and ... I went ice skating in suit!!! Displaying your fursuit is like a shining beacon that incites furries to introduce themselves. Many of whom have amazing suits themselves! There are so many incredible get-ups out there. There remains the odd douchebag or whackjob in the fandom, but they are overwhelmingly drowned out by the diverse hilarity, swagger and antics of the furs I tend to gravitate t'wards.

I think I'm in love with sabretooth cats. I'd already spoken to Slash_Sabercat and DrusySabertooth, but after seeing Saskia (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1447661) and a piece from rickgriffin (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7371800), I am now seemingly drawn to the presence of any sabrecat like two magnetically charged opposite poles and what not! (Also, I love how many furries are using the term "what not". It kicks "etc" in the pants.)

This kind of discovery makes me want to get more into history. For example, thylacosmilus is like a sabretooth thylacine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacosmilus DIS IS METALS.

I am feeling the urge to get a third fursuit. If I'm gonna work hard, full-time with no parental or fiscal obligations, I might as well have fun with what time and money I do have. Pretty sure that in 12 months time (or less), no one will be able to live in my spare room because it will be full of musical instruments and fursuits. In saying that, here's a few characters that I've whipped up this evening, with names lifted from my list of possible dog names (should my application to adopt a retired racing greyhound come to fruition). Please comment and help sway me one way or another with suggestions, alterations, assigning a species to a character and/or showing your love for a particular idea or facet of these guys!

Forsythe: a reserved, polite, focused gentleman. Well educated and well spoken. Appreciates the finer things in life including Scotch, progressive rock, philosophy, Jags and intelligent conversation. Sky blue, navy blue and white colours of the Forsythe motor racing team. Probably a sabre-toothed cat (Smilodon fatalis).

Skedaddle: an outgoing, brash, loud entertainer. Fearless and carefree. Loves partying, dancing, gambling, competition, caffeine and photobombing. Coloured in light blue and light purple with asymmetric black markings to represent an energetic, manic temperament. Possibly an African wild dog.

Bronson: a dark, introverted, cynical character. Cautious by nature but downright callous when offended or attacked. Likes heavy music, cigarettes, thunderstorms, drinking beer out of steins, pepper steak served rare, Dexter and destruction. Coated in black as his name's Irish origin, "the dark one", alludes to, with hints of orange and silver to represent fire and weaponry. Could be a greyhound.

Eventually I'll pull my head out of my arse and get stoked about animals that aren't canids or felids! But not today, fuzzbollards! :P

Plushie makers: I have an idea that you could turn into a niche product.

Especially since Eldrick "Tiger" Woods has dominated golf, golf shops offer a range of club head covers with plush animal heads (and some with torsos) to protect golfers' metal woods from damage and clinking against each other. If I'm going to pay $30 to buy one, I'd rather give that money to a furry and get it customised to my fursona, since Tasmanian Tiger ones seem to be extinct :P

I'm interested in buying a set of three, with one stripe on the back for my driver (1 wood), three stripes for my 3 wood and 5 for my 5 wood to tell them apart. Possibly two more covers for my 3 and 4 hybrids if I can think of a way to distinguish them from the woods. (Maybe make a hybrid character for those; it'd be appropriate!)

If this sounds like something you would like to try, or know anyone offering this, feel free to comment or note me!

Arriving home from MiDFur last Sunday was such a great feeling. After four days of the con and a bowling session the next day, it felt like I had graduated with a diploma of furriness. In my experience of MiDFur, I saw so many of the things that I think are the best of furry culture: sharing experiences, learning, laughing, drinking, dancing, artwork, generosity and fursuiting!

I had the most fun while I was in my fursuit! The fursuit walk was the highlight, because it was just such a blast to hug and high five kids and onlookers, wave at traffic and pose for photos. I really got into it. Hell, I felt like a rockstar! Nothing wrong with being a centre of attention and getting random compliments for a while :) To anyone new to the fandom or furcons who think they might like performing or dressing up, I heartily recommend getting one. It's such a great icebreaker because you've got something to talk about, particularly with other fursuiters, such as in the headless lounge. Kinda like being in an unspoken club.

Getting to meet and hug one of my favourite artists  tanidareal after I won the big zombie rat poster at the charity auction for the Lost Dogs Home was also a massive highlight. She was so sweet and appreciative of my contribution and/or fondness for her art :)

The panels were varied but generally good value. The amount of excellent comedy from 2 Gryphon, Jibba and Anthrax certainly kept things light hearted and the dance parties at the end of the night were good fun, albeit slightly under-attended. I loved dancing with other fursuiters! There were so many beautiful suits and great people that I encountered, just really likeable types. It's a special thing, this fandom of ours.

I'm pleased to have my room booked for Dec 2012 already and really looking forward to doing it all again!

I've spent many, many hours of my life rocking out to Rock Band, and it turns out there's a lot of other furs in the same boat

If you're interested in winning a Rock Band hoodie raffle, enter before Jan 21: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3072145/

Sure, I may have organised the hotel room and a sponsor pass months ago and sure, I may have received my incredible thylacine fursuit that is BETTER THAN PANTS last month, but it only hit me a few days ago that, yep, that's where I'm gonna be next week! Wandering around dealers' den and art shows aimlessly taking in the sights, attending panels, getting tipsy and meeting random furs, fursuiting and, from what I've heard is where you learn the most about furry culture, room parties!

I still feel relatively unprepared, but I'm sure I'll pick up heaps o' knowledge when I get there. After browsing some forums, I ordered some Under Armour to wear while fursuiting, which should make it here in time. I also saw this cool hanger which has an in-built dryer to quickly dry your suit after a wear: http://www.amazon.com/HangAir-Hange...../dp/B001E8CZYQ I'll do without it, but it just looked pretty cool, and I'll buy one if I like suiting enough!

If you see this fella, feel free to come give me a bear hug or slap me a high five!
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6894991/

I've been a busy man the last few months, but life's going swell. 10 or so weeks ago, I felt like I needed a spark, or something new in my life. The universe responded with several different opportunities!

I travelled interstate to spend weekends in Newcastle and Launceston, my band is recording a 4-song demo, I'm moving to a new (internal) position from a team of 20 to a team of 2, received some unexpected and sudden attention from women and I'm moving into a new 3 bedroom house with a spa and a backyard, where I can get my very first dog: which I am really looking forward to! :D

I received my first fursuit and showed it off to my buddies at a housecooling party at my place. Got a few interesting reactions, but it was good to "announce" my furriness and everyone was cool with it. I showed a pic of me to a girl and she told me I should wear it along to a BDSM/fetish club night with her and her friends. Quite a daunting series of intros to wearing a fursuit and a new ... experience that was (thankfully?) really chilled in the end!

I went to my first furmeet a while back, the Friday night bar meet in Melbourne. I chatted a fair bit with Groo about music and stuff and laughed with (and at) Marty accosting people with a barrage of questions when they were trying to go to the toilet. It was nice to meet some furs in person and find out more about "my people" (as I jokingly refer to furries when chatting to my mate John). Gotta find more free Fridays and get organised to do MiDFur to hang with furs more.

I'm really appreciating different forms of art at the moment too. I feel so drawn and impressed at people's artistic sides and I'm seeing it more in my friends. Probably thanks to the furworld out there for bringing it to the front of my mind! inkfeather created some awesome paw print pendants. bladespark made me a plush thylacine loonakit. And royalpitbull is doing a massive 36" x 48" acrylic painting which is going to make an amazing entrance to my new place!

It's uncanny how plans start becoming real soon after telling yourself that you're ready for it, so long as you pounce when an opportunity comes your way! The way I'm framing that in my mind is that "the universe is trying to tell me something". That's about as mystical as I get. Thanks for reading.

It bugs me a little bit that none of my beloved Melbourne sporting teams have mascots that are animals. We've got the Melbourne Demons, Victorian Bushrangers, Melbourne Ice, Melbourne Victory. Even the rugby teams that I don't take much interest in are the Storm and the Rebels.

However, I had a lightbulb moment: a demon fursuit! I'm still figuring it out, but I can picture cloven hooves, furry red legs, dark blue arms with large red claws on the handpaws, a tail ending in an arrow or trident-shaped point and a head with horns of some variety. Just an idea at this stage. Who knows if I'm bold enough to wear something crazy to the footy? As much as think I will love fursuiting, I think I'll have to try it out to find out. Which should be right on the horizon, as Diesel Husky is on the way soon! http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5038387

In other news, I spent the afternoon at a pub watching UFC, and the TV was right above three different Big Buck Hunter arcade machines. Despite the premise behind those games, it was very cool (and distracting) to watch a bunch of different animals leaping across the screen. Animals rule.

For the last few weeks I have been working on a musical collaboration with a close work mate and let's just say I'm extremely excited about it. A couple of weeks ago, I showed him a new song I'd recorded and he jumped on it right away. He gave me one of his demos to write lyrics for and when I came back the next day with a version of my vocals on top, he suggested we do an album! I've given him 5-8 of my best songs and he's given me 5 of his.

In theory, it's a great collaboration, because I need his guitar, drums and production skills and he needs my lyrics and vocals. We can both fight over recording bass ;) There's a tight deadline since he's heading overseas but I'm pretty sure we'll at least get a few tracks down. And I will be very happy when I can finally make a submission to FA and change from "Watcher" to "Musician"!

Massive, massive week. Wrote lyrics on the train home Monday and Wednesday, followed by recording vocals. On Tuesday I played my first indoor cricket game (I was rubbish but it was fun) and went into the Australian Open tennis on Thursday after work.

I happened to receive a delivery of some leopard jammies last weekend. When "Theme Friday" at work turned out to be "Suit Up", I toyed with the idea of wearing them for the photo and eventually dared myself to do it. Pretty sure that I won't be moving into management any time soon :D At least this cool chick loved it and is making me keep it at work for "random LEOPARD HUGS" and taking it down to the pub.

And then I got trashed at my housemate's album launch and was apparently making some chicks swoon by singing along to Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name" hahahaha

After much consideration and research, I've settled on a species for my first fursuit. I do feel a connection with several kinds of animals, but at this stage, I'm more interested in finding the animal that represents a bit about me. Since I'm just getting started with fursonas, I'd like my first to be a decent portrayal of my personality as a furry before going into creating characters.

It's a thylacine (thylacinus cynocephalus), also known as a Tasmanian tiger. I'm a proud Victorian, so as much as I love Tassie, I probably won't call it Tasmanian very often! Either way, a long time ago, thylacines would have frequented the areas where I live today. They're a bit shy, go out at dusk and nighttime and are carnivorous. They're not fast runners, relying on stamina to get what they need. They have distinctive markings on their skin, which, while not as spotty as my freckles, I still count as a similarity. And they're just a little bit unusual, while not being that different.

I also like the idea of the thylacine "living on" through furries. Art has a way of telling stories and passing on information for generations. It's one way of letting a memory persist.

I've commissioned a fursuit ref sheet, and I'm researching fursuit makers to find the right one. Exciting times!

I remembered seeing MiDFur years ago when I first became aware of furries. Back then it seemed like a small get together, touring the city, going to the zoo and such. This year I've gotten more into the furry thing and really thought about going. It'd be nice to actually meet some furries and find out if I actually, well, am one. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of striking up conversations with strangers. I tend to make a better impression when in larger groups when I can just chime in with a good line and ease my way in.

I ended up going to the Wednesday night pre-con party, but got so nervous and sweaty on the walk there that I stayed for a pint and then bailed. Pretty hard to ignore your brain when it tells you to just get out of there. I rationalised that I'd check out the Thursday night after work and in particular, the First Furry Convention panel to give me a bit of direction.

Ultimately, on Thursday I went out drinking with a few work mates and had a terrific night. I still rocked my husky hat, seeing as I'd brought it with me, so I still had a bit of a furry night. I also had one of the deepest heart-to-heart talks I can remember. We kept going until we got kicked out, then went to McDonald's and chatted with a bunch of teenagers, letting them try on my marvellous husky hat for photos and hailing taxis together. In bed at quarter to four. That's a massive Thursday night if ever I've had one.

I was busy the rest of the weekend, so I never took the opportunity to go to my first furcon, but what I took out of the weekend was that my friends are pretty great. They don't seem to mind my extravagance when it comes to wearing strange items or acting bizarrely. I'm nearly at the point where I'll buy a fursuit, wear it when I'm around them and let them know I'm this strange creature they might have heard of, the noble furry. It's an unusual subculture, but an interesting and quirky one, and from the kick I get out of galavanting around town, proudly showing my allegiance to our animal bretheren, I'm pretty sure I fit the description.

I still wish I had made it to the con and met some furries, but there's always other meets, or next year. In the meantime, I'd still like to get myself a fursuit, record some songs to contribute to the furry community and maybe just stumble upon a few furry folks who don't mind a chat or a nice cold beverage.