I'm currently in Paris, gradually unwinding from my 6 day Eurofurence experience.
All in all, it was another great con.
I've heard many horror stories about very long delays for various events, but the only thing I actually attended was the fursuit parade on Thursday afternoon. Rest of the con was a combination of fursuiting in my new Speckle suit or just socialising with friends. I didn't even go shopping in the dealer's room.
Spent some time with many very excellent people, including

 tenderpaws,  lanakila,  wruf,  cleoleo,  flintgf,  slykitty,  colifox,  sacred_fursuit,  jashi, drachetto,  eps-ham,  albus,  titash,  camelia and my roomie  jbadger.

Lots more great people, too, but I think I'm out of icons!
Also thanks to Blackymoon, Freddy, Moco, Fibre, Phil, Arctic Steve, Yag, Geowolf, Cenobear, BD, Zho, & many others.

On the negative side, I found it a little difficult to suit in the Estrel lobby due to the abundance of tables and chairs and being pretty much corralled into one walking area. Also, I didn't make the group fursuit photo due to excessive delays in the schedule.

Other than that, I found Speckle a lot easier to suit in than Peaches, and didn't feel half as hot & sweaty while out and about as I did in the goat. The suit is remarkably easy to get in and out of, and I can both suit up and desuit in just 5 mins.
Tried out a couple of different walks, a slow shuffle seeming to be most popular. Will probably stick with that.

As usual, I took a lot of photos. Haven't had a chance to edit them yet as I'm still away from home, but hopefully I'll have them sorted and ready to upload at some point over the weekend.

Anyway, that's EF over and done with. Next stop: MFF.

I'll be leaving ultra early Monday morning ( before 5am ) to catch my flight to Berlin and will be at the Estrel for Eurofurence from Tuesday 19th.
So, who will I be seeing? :)

If anyone wants to see more photos of my new Speckle 'Roo fursuit, then I've just uploaded a gallery of shots to Flickr here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/finba.....7646172214861/

These pics were taken for me by  chad_blackwell &  rocky_raccoon_uk

 tenderpaws shows up in a few of the pics, too

Looks like we're one month away from the early arrival day at Eurofurence, so here's the traditional meme!


Where are you staying?


I'll be at the main hotel - the Estrel Berlin. This is a new location for EF, so I've no idea what to expect.



How are you getting there?


Direct flight from Dublin to Schönefeld airport, then train into Berlin.
I'll be going home the long way - overland to Paris and then Cherbourg to catch a ship home.



When are you arriving/leaving?


I'm arriving in Berlin on Monday 18th August. Going to spend the first night at a different hotel, then travel to the con hotel on Tuesday.
Will be leaving Berlin for Paris on Monday 25th August.



Who are you rooming with?


Rooming with  jbadger this year.



What is your gender?


Still male.




Relationship status?


Single, not looking.




How old are you?


36.




Who will you be with during the con?


Hopefully lots of people! Quite a few folk I'm looking forward to seeing again. Certainly hope to spend time with  tenderpaws,  flintGF,  wruf,  cleoleo,  drachetto,  lanakila,  colifox,  camelia,  cenobear, and hopefully many others...



What fursuits are you bringing?


Aha!
Not Peaches this time... something new. Something blue. Something bouncy.



Can I give you hugs?


I demand it! But non-greasy hands, please!



Can I kidnap you to my room?


Nay!



How will I find you at the con?


I'd describe my new suit... but I haven't actually fully seen it yet. So, to be vague - more than likely a large blue & pink kangaroo. Or just a balding, slightly overweight, camera carrying human.



Last time/last con/last meet/last chat we talked so much and now you forgot my name? Why???


Unless I know someone well, I'm absolutely terrible with faces. Remind me.




Can I buy you drinks?


Soft drinks only - I don't drink alcohol. And if the Estrel bar is anything like the old Maritim bar... say goodbye to the contents of your wallet!



Other cons you may go to?

The only remaining con for me this year will be MFF in December. As for next year - who knows?

I've returned home from what was a wonderful week long trip with  tenderpaws to The Sheep's Head peninsula, Co. Cork.
The place we rented down there there was pretty big - wonderfully isolated and with a huge landscaped yard overlooking the Atlantic ocean. Naturally, there was lots of fursuiting!
Pics here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/finba.....7645196694752/

We were lucky enough to find lots of nice locations to suit, plus  tenderpaws got permission from the Mizen Head visitor centre to go fursuiting on the coastal pathway there ( the most southerly point in Ireland ).
Needless to say, he was pretty much mobbed by the other tourists who were there.

All in all, a fantastic trip!

I'll be spending the next week in a rather isolated part of Ireland and may not have any internet access for the duration. Any comments or notes during that time I'll respond to when I get home.

A few short videos from Confuzzled '14...


 Titash plays dead:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6awSEAr1_U


And  tenderpaws as Kazbar seems to be doing likewise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di9dtoLSQ8E


 emejn goes wild as Slocombe the Feckin' Cat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxtmFM7Dr0M


Fun in the Lobby:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbiHLtjRtGY


 thestripedone &  Shanie at play:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkXJzaxY2Vw


Chased by  Titash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fu0g8z-F1E


 Titash &  Zuberi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp8ltCKrtUg


A wander around the lobby:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RBBD-Kbkkk


Part of  snugglebunnyfursuit's 6-2-1 song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lMkLFUkHxk


More Lobby goings on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Colmd8-1OR0


Two videos of  lizard-guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL0wK65OetA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PII4148hSKo


Home made rocket chair:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBMr-d5JivA

Almost 800 pics from Confuzzled '14 now online:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/finba.....7644909698854/
I'll be adding more to the gallery tomorrow.

Well that was a great week.

Once again, Confuzzled punched well above its weight to prove itself to be one of the greatest furry cons in the world. It may not have the sheer numbers of AC or MFF, but it's just as fun and magical as any larger con - moreso in some cases.
With just a little over a thousand attendees, it maintains a small, intimate feel. A great place just for chilling with friends ( of which there were many fine ones ) and with over 500 fursuits - a whopping 50% of the total attendees - it's also a great place for critter spotting.
Despite a few problems in the bar area ( I don't think they were expecting so many people to be ordering food at 2am ) the new venue was wonderful and I'm sure any such issues will be ironed out by next year. Bad weather meant we couldn't explore the grounds much, though.
Far too many fine people to name, but extra special thanks go out to  colifox for coming to pick me up at Birmingham bus station at 5am on a seriously rainy morning, then letting me rest on his sofa for a few hours afterwards. Seriously - that was much, much appreciated.
On the negative side, someone spilt a pint of beer on my fursuit on the last night. It mostly ended up on her left leg and right hoof - no permanent stains, but was pretty annoying. Of course, thanks to the most powerful fan in the world ( seriously, I've never seen any other fan like it ) she dried off in no time.
The 6 days you get if you pick early arrival/late departure is just perfect. By the last day you feel as if you've been there a long time, but not long enough that you're getting bored. Just right. Also, it means you get to meet and chat with just about everyone you wanted to. I don't think I missed anyone.
Highlights?
Zuberi! Cat in a box. A rather foxish badger. Applause for a late burger. Meerkat sandwich. Getting to the front row of the group photo again. The fact that the rain stopped just in time for the fursuit parade. Pegla's round and instant karma. Mini-Titash. Two sets of glasses. 6-2-1 rule. Tennis guy. The giant cookie that was gradually going stale and those still brave enough to take a bite. Kilt. The totally random Gruffalo. Minstrel & Equal still being alive. Raccoon brothers.
Plenty of peaches, peaches for me.
And if you don't know what I'm talking about, you weren't there, man.

I'll be leaving for Confuzzled tomorrow evening - looking forward to 6 days of furry fun.
Back late next week, hopefully with a ton of fresh photos. :)

Despite having said she wouldn't be coming, I WILL indeed have Peaches at Confuzzled this year ( delay on my new suit ). On the plus side, this gives me a chance to wear the flapper outfit again.
It may be Peaches' last con for a while, so get your goat hugs while you can.

Well, with just over a month and a bit to go, here's Mr. Meme:


Where are you staying?


I'll be at the main hotel - the Birmingham Hilton Metropole.


How are you getting there?


Just like the past two years, I'll once again be taking the overnight bus/ferry route.


When are you arriving/leaving?


I'll be doing early arrival/late departure, so I'll be there from the 22nd May until the afternoon of the 28th ( 6 nights ).


Who are you rooming with?


I've picked the single room option this time, so I'll have a room to myself.


What is your gender?


Still male.



Relationship status?


Single, not looking.



How old are you?


36.



Who will you be with during the con?


Lots and lots of people!
Thanks to having attended two previous CFz, plus two EF, I now know quite a few of the UK/European furs who'll be attending. Looking forward to seeing them again. There's a few I'm very much looking forward to hanging with - they know who they are


What fursuits are you bringing?


It's likely Peaches will be staying home this time as I'm expecting to pick up a new fursuit while there
Of course, on the off chance than my new suit isn't ready then it'll be Peaches again.


Can I give you hugs?


I demand it! But non-greasy hands, please!


Can I kidnap you to my room?


Negative!



How will I find you at the con?


I'd describe my new suit... but I haven't seen it yet. So, to be vague - more than likely a large blue & pink kangaroo. Or maybe an orange goat. Or just a balding, slightly overweight, camera carrying human.



Last time/last con/last meet/last chat we talked so much and now you forgot my name? Why???


Unless I know someone well, I'm absolutely terrible with faces. Remind me.



Can I buy you drinks?


Soft drinks only - I don't drink alcohol.



Other cons you may go to?


I'll be at Eurofurence in August, plus more than likely at MFF again in early December.

As soon as I post the 1000 watchers journal, I slip back down to 999 :p

So I finally hit 1000 watchers today after seven & a half years on FA. Many thanks to all!
This account has gone through some changes over the years - I originally drew a lot of fan art, then started drawing pics of my Speckle character, then started posting con photos ( which seemed more popular than either of the former ).
While fursuit photos are likely to be the predominant thing on here from now on, I may return to art at some stage - perhaps continue with that series of fursuit portraits I was doing a few years back. Lots of new suiters I'd like to try drawing pics of! :)

I spent last weekend staying at  tenderpaws &  rocky_raccoon_uk's place - had a great few days. Lots of fuzzy fun to be had.
Between there, Manchester and Leeds I met up with:

 cleoleo,  colifox,  wruf,  flintgf,  lizard-guy,  emberkomodog,  lazerus101,  fairlight,  slykitty,  evilsquirrel,  truckthepolarbear,  SuburbanFox &  Mikune
Many thanks to everyone who hung out - you're all great!
Pics here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finbar.....7640552971764/

Meat the Hyena:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcTEsv1_Liw


Two videos of the quad unicorn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXkCO0I0gVY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU7gYCWSnTc


Four videos of Rochester Rooster:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd3PVvwuJsE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6D2DTptg9g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt_bG42p-aE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7Oy0bXWWDU


Three videos of the mammoth quadsuit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6riqauBsi7Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhu2GpNSM4E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnlGYlG_wiM


The obligatory furpile:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEHURODU5VE

You can find my pics from FC here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finbar.....7640073551046/
As ever, if you see your fursuit there feel free to repost!

Well, FC is finally over and all in all, I had a wonderful 5 nights in San Jose.
It was my second visit to this con, the first being four years ago, and despite the exhaustion of such a long trip to get there, I still enjoyed every minute of it.

Well, almost every minute...

I had a bit of a disaster with my camera on the first night - a broken lens that resulted in a trip to a local camera store for a pretty expensive replacement. No idea how it happened, but it taught me a valuable lesson - always bring two lenses!
Also, on the same night and while wearing a suit I wasn't familiar with, a silly bit of play acting resulted in me accidentally hurting a friend. It was my own stupidity, really, and it taught me another valuable lesson - always be very careful in suit.
Sincere apologies to  deezlberries for hurting his neck that night. I felt like a right idiot afterwards, and rightfully so.

But after the negatives of Thursday night, things very quickly perked up. I found the energy to fursuit every night and even got to borrow a couple of other suits. For a while I was both a bird and a hyena, which was an experience in itself. I also picked up a nice new outfit for Peaches - a blue flapper dress, and it seems to have been quite popular.

Special thanks go out to

 seneca - It was wonderful finally meeting you properly and well worth the long wait. You were great fun to be around and a definite highlight of the trip. Extra special thanks for letting me borrow Rio and Meat! It was a LOT of fun being both of those critters.

 duino - You were fantastic, duckie. Was really great getting to meet you and you certainly lived up to my expectations. Glad we got a chance to chat a couple of times, especially on that last night. Extra points for not brutally injuring me with a mallet! Really hope to see you again at a future con - you fit in just fine with us weirdos. :)

 zarafa - Many thanks for all the chats during the con, plus for meeting up with me in San Francisco. You were a great guy, and your suit is amazing and quite unique.

 yippee - Was very nice seeing you again, and great that we finally got some time to chat properly. Was great seeing you out and about in Twilight, Frazzle and others, and many thanks for the bunny cuddles! Always a genuine pleasure to see you.

 hegdish &  drake - Again, was a pleasure to meet you two again. I really don't see you guys often enough, so it was great to have a little fun this past weekend. Rochester Rooster was amazing and I loved playing around in fursuit with Sat Rat and Bosco. Also, was great to just chill in the headless lounge.

 baccala30 - You know, I think this was the first time we've both been at a US con together. Thanks for hanging out from time to time and I hope we meet again soon. Was a pleasure seeing you again.

Additional thanks go out to  camelia,  bradhound,  yonoa,  orzel,  trail_horse,  reveille,  fluffdance,  sera &  rahne

Regardless of whether we chatted for just a few mins in the headless lounge or hung around a bit, I appreciated the company, You're all great people.

Will I do FC again?
Sadly, the distance involved makes it unlikely it'll ever become a regular con for me. I loved it, but it's just a bit TOO far from home. It's been four years since my last visit and may be just as long again before I return. However, never say never.

I'll be leaving for San Francisco ( via New York ) tomorrow morning. Hopefully I'll see a few of you at FC next weekend!
Back home on Thursday 23rd Jan - hopefully with lots of new photos!

With just under two weeks to go, here's da meme!


Where are you staying?


I'll be at the Marriott.


How are you getting there?


It's going to be a pretty long trip for me. Dublin to New York, then a two hour layover before I catch my second flight to San Francisco. I'll make my way to San Jose on the Caltrain.


When are you arriving/leaving?


I'll be arriving in San Francisco late on Jan 12th, staying in the city for 4 nights before taking the train to the con on Thurs Jan 16th. Will be at the con from the 16th to 20th, checking out on Tuesday 21st. Then it's back to San Francisco for one more night before leaving for home on Wednesday 22nd.


What is your gender?

I is male.


Relationship status?


Single, not looking.


How old are you?


36.


Height?


About 5.7


Who will you be with during the con?

Good question!
Unlike MFF, where multiple visits have made me familiar with a lot of the attendees there, I really don't know that many people going to FC. However, folk I'll certainly be looking out for are:
 seneca,  duino,  Yippee,  groggyfox,  hegdish,  drake &  baccala30, amongst others.


What fursuits are you bringing?


I'm still in a situation where I've only got one fursuit, which makes it easy to decide which one to bring :p


Can I give you hugs?


Of course you can... but not if you've got a cigarette or greasy food in your hands!


Can I kidnap you to my room?


Hehheh - no, I don't think so.


How will I find you at the con?


Big orange & cream goat - can't miss me. Or, out of suit, overweight & balding with a Nikon D5000 around my neck.
I'll have my iPad with me and can be contacted by Twitter at dairishgoat. That's if the hotel Wi-Fi doesn't crash because of 4000 furs looking at porn on FA.


Last time/last con/last meet/last chat we talked so much and now you forgot my name? Why???


Unless I know someone well, I'm absolutely terrible with faces. Remind me.


Can I buy you drinks?


Soft drinks only - I don't drink alcohol.


Other cons you may go to?


Confuzzled in May is a definite as I've already paid for that one! Eurofurence in August is almost certain, too. Perhaps MFF again in November, but it's far too early to know for sure.

Looks like I just hit 20,000 pageviews.
Many thanks to all for helping me hit this milestone :)

During MFF this year,  scooter_squirrel let me borrow Fluff the bunny for a while. Here's a video of my adventures filmed by  andyfox
http://www.flickr.com/photos/toonfo.....2/11196450556/

A few videos I took during MFF...

Duncan Roo & Macroceli:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95dgvvVxnT8

Maid related fun:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P93F0dWrq4

More maid fun:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqfVxhdMm_U

Macroceli:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MXYB_SJeoM

Kitty!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GpJnohbCzw

Tilt Longtail ( a little blurry to begin with but it gets better ):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfUskLSUHnw

Splenda & Midori:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBttoLO61kc

Sat Rat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fmqegVlGbM

Scurrow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMcL-NAT9FI

Outside the hotel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtbOyAXxRg

Manukoa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeJjMUHgLkA

After several hours work, I now have over 600 pics from the con ready to view on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finbar.....7638085668996/
If you see yourself, feel free to repost!

Once again, MFF was a total blast.
Had a great 4 days at the con and was lucky enough to pretty much meet everyone I'd hoped to meet.
Roomed with  andyfox ( our 12th con as roomies ) and  taigitsune, a friend whom we'd met in Houston earlier in the year. Taigitsune really played up the pirate theme with a pretty impressive costume for his Ambrose rabbit character - he certainly made both myself & Andy feel guilty for not making more of an effort :)

Got to enjoy some very nice meals with  scooter_squirrel,  white-paw, jbadger,  emejn,  ledgema,  panda,  dukefawks &  jasufox, amongst others.

Got to meet and interact with great suiters like  tilt_longtail,  scurrow ( loved that guy )  manukoa, and  neouka ( in a wonderful Gilda gryphon fursuit ).
Also ran into a very nice kitty who shall remain nameless :p
Oh, and a very demanding red panda!
Meow!
Oh, and I saw Duncan Roo for the first time in years. And also met the lovely Satellite Rat once again, the first time I'd seen the 2.0 version of the suit. Lots of hugs!
Did I mention Scurrow was most excellent? :)

 duino couldn't be there, so myself and Andy decided to phone him for a brief chat in a 'live from the con' kind of way. I think we might have scared the young chap :p

I also got to be a plushie for a while when Scooter let me try out his Fluff the bunny fursuit on Saturday night. A very heavy, constrictive suit, but I lasted about two & a half hours. I think I lost about 50% of my fluid content in there, but it was certainly a lot of fun. I had initially considered doing the fursuit games in the bunny, but it probably would have killed me.

Also ran into Disturbia Wolf, Shadowulf, Wildfox, Begger, Yippee, Norfox, Pepper, Rizzo ( in a wonderful new rat suit ), Fairlight, Unico, Shadowrunner, Keenora, Skittles, Snug T. Rabbit ( very briefly, but I got a nice hug ) and countless others.
Already missing all of you. Sorry if I forgot anyone but trust me, I really appreciated meeting all of you.

Will I be back next year?
Too early to say. I've done MFF six times now, the last four on consecutive years, so I might take a break next year and try out a con I haven't done before - maybe something closer to home like Scotiacon or Golden Leaves. But we'll see... I might succumb to temptation and end up in Chicago again next November.

I will be at Further Confusion in a couple of months, though.

Did I mention Scurrow was most excellent? :p