Over New Year I'd decided to go to Laercon party in Germany. I'd never been before and thought something different would be a nice change of things. A nice trip over with Sleazyjet which is by far still a billion times better than RuinAir. Picked up a hire car on arrival in Cologne which was interesting... who knew they could make it so hard to find out how to start a car!

Still with some friends it was nice to pootle over to the party about an hour away from the airport. Really nice venue with a lot of historical features. I think it was well worth the trip over there. It's also nice to surprise people by being there and find people I wasn't expecting there either. A good night with a lovely open fire, may have poked it a bit to keep it going. Something so fascinating about fire it's so nice to watch it.

I lost track of time there, but got suiting done and social time too, I think one might even call me relaxed there. Sadly after it was all over and a sleep, there was the unexpected pleasure of social time and seeing people off. Of course there was still plenty of time for me as I'd decided to have a mini holiday around Germany and a nice dinner later it was back to Cologne and an overnight hotel. Followed by city exploring and touristing around the place.

Nice to get more social time too and watch con videos, something about memories being evoked about events you have attended, even if you've not been to the one being shown.

Sadly all too soon it was time to go home again, alas the speed camera which on a road sign posted to 80 was set to 50... I think on the way back over it again to check I saw one sign on the middle of the carriageway saying 50, all the rest said 80. I'm told that they might have had a thin grey stripe through that I might not have known to look for. Now I've got to wait and see if anything comes of it from the hire company.

Bah on that but of things, but otherwise it was an excellent trip. Big thank you to Tani and Nightfox for hosting the event.

Well that's Scotiacon over with for another year. I have to say once again I was pleased how things worked out. There are lots of people who put in work to make sure things run, nothing arrives at the hotel by accident. For me I find I don't often get a chance to take pictures or record memories of what's happen, I often see it as my thing to make sure everyone is enjoying the events or have the things they need to get things done. This is why I'm so thankful when people post up pictures of things so it's possible to relive it. Phrases and things happen that get picked up and shared around, that's another way of remembering it all.

I'm pleased with how things went, the hotel was so nice and the night staff were real dudes who just got on with whatever we asked them to do. Nothing was too much for them to get done. The rest of the hotel staff were also really enthusiastic about the event and some were a little surprised and curious, I might see if I can get the manager to wear a suit next time. Just because it's funny :)

I couldn't pick this year a single moment to highlight more than any other one because I just enjoyed the whole thing from start to finish. The red clipboard never came out once and I found time to bring out both suits I'd taken with me. It's a hard thing to balance, but I can normally get things to work for some time in what I bring.

So I am looking forward to next year already... possibly even more lovely food to try.

Where are you staying?
At the Mercure, Livingston.

Means of transportation?
The red van.

Sharing a room with:
Someone :)

What is your gender?
Male.

How old are you?
29

How tall are you?
5' 6"

Which languages do you speak?
English with some smatterings of French and Swedish.

Where will you be most of the time during the day?
Everywhere at the convention.

Who will you be with?
I expect to rarely stay still for long.

Do you do free art?
I can do, but it isn't that good.

Do you do trades?
You give me money and I give you a hug?

Do you do commissions?
Certainly, I offer fail sketches at 50p each or 2 1/2 for £1.

What suit(s) will you have?
Silver (by qarrezel of  clockworkcreature and Safetyfox by  madebymercury I might also bring another, it mostly depends on space.

Can I dance with you?
I do flail, not sure what this dancing things is.

Can I touch you?
Normal personal space boundaries apply.

Can I talk to you?
You can talk to me.

Can I hug you?
I'm quite fine with them in suit.

Can I take photos of you/with you?
I prefer them in suit.

Can I buy you lots of drinks?
Sure, but let me choose what is it.

Do you drink Alcohol/Smoke?
I can drink cider, not really a beer fan. Never smoked in my life.

Can I give you lots of money?
Yes I accept all currencies.

Can we hang out?
If I am stationary long enough.

Are you nice?
Mostly harmless.

Other cons you may go to?
Nothing convention wise. Next year will be Nordicfuzzcon and Confuzzled. Still considering an American convention.

Attending any events?
Quite a few.

How can I find you at the con?
Wandering around in a dedicated search pattern or you could wait at the fursuit lounge.

Can we go out for a dinner?
Food is something I need to remember about this year.

Are you buying art?
Very much assured to buy something.

What do I have to watch out for, when I am meeting you?
If I say I'm busy than I really do mean I'm busy.

What is the best way to contact you?
I'm not really in contact a lot at cons, too busy, but send me an email or note and I will get back eventually.

May I kidnap you to my room?
A party or two won't hurt.

Last time/last con/last meet/last chat we talked so much and now you forgot my name why?
Because I don't have a photographic memory.

Will you tell me your room-number and can I surprise visit you?
I doubt I will be spending much time in the room.

I have a personal question for the convention. May I ask you that?
Send a message.

So I'm back from EF now and had a day at home to think about things. A lot happened around this convention, far more so than I would have expected to. It started with picking up  zephyrue and having her stay overnight before we headed down to Heathrow. Might have slightly underestimated how difficult carrying the bags would be, but once we were on the bus and at the airport in no time.

I'd made sure that since this was my non working convention holiday I was going to have a bit of a treat and stuff the expense. So we went Club class to get the lounge, priority boarding and all the lovely extras. It was certainly worth it to pay that little bit extra, I think I will certainly be doing it again. We got picked up at the airport by  zyxwen and taken to the hotel (THANK YOU!!!!). It didn't take at all long to get the room and get registered, so it was then off to explore the place and see what was happening.

Rather than go through each day I will summarise in that I got the chance to do more suiting at a convention than I have done before as I wasn't working or volunteering for anything. This was such a nice change to be able to catch up with people, sit down and chat or just poke along to a panel. It's something I intend to do again.

I did though run one panel on basic fursuit performance which gained a lot more attendees than I was expecting to have come along. I have a feeling that if I do it again I will be asking for a bigger room, since we ran out of chairs before the line had made it into the room. I did miss a panel or two that I wanted to get along to, but that's just what happens at a convention not everything is possible to get to.

There was a bit of a problem though for me in the shape of four of my cooling vest inserts went missing from the lounge. In actuality, three went missing one morning and the forth one went in the afternoon. I had thought that perhaps someone had just taken the wrong ones as they were clearly marked with my name on them. Despite efforts to locate them by using Tweets, rechecking at conops now and then as well as checking the actual cooler to see if they turned up there was no sign of them. One did turn up in the end on the last morning, but I have no idea who put it back. I was actually quite calm when they couldn't be found. Though it's the second set of mine that has gone missing. One entire set went at the last Londonfurs party and this was the replacement sent that I just got at the convention to replace them.

I'd gone to ops again to report things developing and something quite special happened.  codewolf and  ravell were there and after explaining the whole mess that had happened they started a collection to raise some money to help replace the inserts. I don't mind saying that this moved me greatly to have such a generous gesture made. I needed to be distracted to helped out a little with queue management of the Pawpets show. I just needed to be busy and this was a good use of my time, missed out on a volunteer badge, but that didn't matter. Once that was all sorted I was able to get some food and just go suiting to be further distracted. Whilst I was in suit Code came back to me and said they had the little collection and presented me with some carefully folded notes. They had actually gotten enough to replace the inserts and with money over it went to the charity donation pot when I was out of suit.

Particular thanks too need to go to  ezwolf for juggling things around for me and being such an awesome person about the whole thing. Literally he was super nice and helped beyond any measure of what could have been asked. In addition  tigertom who helped to check several times for the inserts. I also need to thank  shay who made a sad wolf quite happy with a small gift and some earlier help. He knows exactly what and forever has my gratitude.

Once again I got to meet  darknatasha and still she is the loveliest person I've ever met. Genuinely open and friendly as well as not minding a fanboying werewolf bouncing around her table several times :) Since I got exactly what I was after in the shape of a sketch and badge I was very happy with the results of the den time. I bid on a few things in the art show, but didn't win anything so had more for other fun things to do.

Also thanks need to be put to  zephyrue for being a really great roomie, it's always nice sharing with another suiter since they always get what you're doing and the body parts left around a room. It was nice having a little room chill time too with  forfaox and  aeto It's like a little Clockwork family sometimes with all the people you meet. Happy werewolf was indeed happy.

On the way back home again we had the strangest experience. Got to Heathrow and couldn't be bothered to struggle with the tube/bus so decided to take a taxi instead. Oh boy was that not fun, didn't have enough money on me so asked the marshal about cards she said they wouldn't take then. WTF? I've seen signs everywhere on cabs advertising they take cards. So then asked a driver about making a cash point stop, they actually refused to do so on a 'local' journey. Seriously turning away money? What is wrong with these people? So anyway, I trudge back into the terminal and exchange some Euros for Pounds on a crappy rate, but at least I had money now. So back to the rank, get a taxi and the guy is an ass. Takes us the long way out of T5 to try and bump up the fare and probably thought I didn't notice. However, when we got to Hatton Cross he pulled into the station claiming to have an upset stomach and pulled in front of another cab getting the driver of that one to take us the rest of the way. Then he wouldn't take the meter fare he had and drove off. The other one got us back safely home, but that was one of the strangest things I have ever had happen. Will be avoiding cabs out of Heathrow from now on I think. From the looks of things he wanted a Central London fare and didn't want to take us back.

So all in all it's been a mixed bag, but one I think I will do again.

Now it's the time of unpacking, cleaning and storing everything away for the next event.

Where are you staying?
At the Maritim hotel.

Means of transportation?
Flying.

Sharing a room with:
That effervescent  zephyrue

What is your gender?
Male.

How old are you?
29

How tall are you?
5' 6"

Which languages do you speak?
English with some smatterings of French and Swedish.

Where will you be most of the time during the day?
Around the convention.

Who will you be with?
Different friends.

Do you do free art?
Well it isn't that good.

Do you do trades?
Trade for money yes?

Do you do commissions?
Certainly, I offer fail sketches.

What suit(s) will you have?
Silver (by  qarrezel of  clockworkcreature and Sgt. Growler by  madebymercury

Can I dance with you?
If you really feel the need to.

Can I touch you?
Odd question is odd. But normal personal space boundaries apply.

Can I talk to you?
I think that's quite possible :)

Can I hug you?
I'm quite fine with them in suit.

Can I take photos of you/with you?
More is more!

Can I buy you lots of drinks?
Sure, but let me choose what is it.

Do you drink Alcohol/Smoke?
I can drink cider, not really a beer fan. Never smoked in my life.

Can I give you lots of money?
Yes I accept all currencies.

Can we hang out?
Try talking to me first.

Are you nice?
I have been told I can be pleasant company.

Other cons you may go to?
Scotiacon this year. Next year will be Nordicfuzzcon and Confuzzled. Possibly Anthrocon depending on how things work out.

Attending any events?
Likely fursuiting panels.

How can I find you at the con?
Wandering around in a dedicated search pattern or you could wait at the fursuit lounge.

Can we go out for a dinner?
Food!

Are you buying art?
It depends what's there and who is still open.

What do I have to watch out for, when I am meeting you?
If I say I'm busy than I really do mean I'm busy.

What is the best way to contact you?
I'm not really in contact a lot at cons, too busy.

May I kidnap you to my room?
I suppose a party or two won't hurt.

Last time/last con/last meet/last chat we talked so much and now you forgot my name why?
Because I don't have a photographic memory.

Will you tell me your room-number and can I surprise visit you?
I doubt I will be spending much time in the room.

I have a personal question for the convention. May I ask you that?
Send a message.

Well I went on a walk with  zyxwen around South Kensington in London. Here's the results of it as filmed by  strifeb Zyxwen made his suit himself, mine was produced by  qarrezel of  clockworkcreature.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v91.....ature=youtu.be

The Clockwork Creature photoshoot for Monday is from 12:30 meeting in the main reception.

Monday 12:30 (until around 13:00) meeting in the main reception area.

Owing to the bad weather the other day we were not able to go outside. Hopefully we can this time.

Due to the bad weather, CF Clockwork Creature photoshoot will not take place outside today at 21:30. We will still run around reception.

Confuzzled time again, we will once again be having a Clockwork Creature photoshoot. Although this time there will also be a second photoshoot at night time. This will involve some smoke and lights to give a bit more of a dramatic effect.

Times are as follows:
Friday 21:30 (until around 22:00) meeting in the main reception area.
Monday 12:30 (until around 13:00) meeting in the main reception area.

Please note that during the night time shoot we will be asking people to take photos one camera at a time, this is to avoid red lights and other flashes causing things to go wrong. It is possible it will have to run a bit later so that we ensure it's dark enough for pictures.

Stolen from  jasperfoxx

What is your gender?
Male

How old are you?
29

How tall are you?
5' 6"

Are you in a relationship?
Nope.

Where are you staying?
In the main hotel.

What day are you getting there?
About a week before I think.

Who will you be with?
Rooming with  bbwolfie Otherwise I will be with  acoustic-armageddon or running around most places.

Do you have art in the art show?
Some older things I need to clear out.

What suit(s) will you have?
Silver, Sgt. Growler, Safetyfox and the new LDV. If I have space there will be more :)

Can I dance with you?
You want to flail around too? Sure.

Can I touch you?
Unless I know you, no.

Can I talk to you?
Sure, just don't be offended if I have to run off. I'm quite busy con time.

Can I hug you?
£10 each

Can I take photos of you/with you?
In suit suit, out of suit I don't really think it's needed.

Can I buy you lots of drinks?
Yes, yes you can.

Do you drink Alcohol/Smoke?
Cider or diet coke for me unless it's tea. Never smoked and never will.

Can I give you lots of money?
Sure, all your money can belong to me.

Can we hang out?
It's a social con so yes.

Where will you be most of the time during the con?
Around.

Who are you rooming with?
 bbwolfie

Attending any events?
Suting ones and others. I'm running a few panels.

How can I find you at the con?
Spotting me. It's like Where's Wally, but less difficult.

Are you doing anything in line with the theme?
Durrr.... maybe.

I've put up some more photos of the London furmeet 22/3/14 on my fursuit account  rush_collie Have a nose over there for some amusing pictures of a collie playing with a wolf and a werewolf. He's not the brightest of collies so things didn't really end that well.

Put together a few videos of panels I was involved in at Nordicfuzzcon. Thought I'd put the links here so more people would see them.

Part of the closing ceremonies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnPx.....VTghGwewT868ew

Fursuiting panel with me and Ethan Staghorn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xpal.....VTghGwewT868ew

Character design and performance panel with me and Zuki: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuBBuyWxTO0

Whilst at Nordicfuzzcon I picked up my Ezcooldown vest, I have to say from the word go I was impressed. I don't tend to suffer from overheating when suiting, but the vest made suiting even more comfortable for such a long period of time. I'd opted for the PCM inserts as I wanted the longevity of the cooling effect and I wasn't disappointed. It stayed at a good temperature for nearly four hours so it was better than I was hoping for time wise.

To chance the cooling packs was listed down as a matter of a few minutes, by the end of the con it was more like seconds. So it was entirely possible to wear, change and get back in suit again in no time at all. I also found that there wasn't any restriction on my movements at all which I was thinking might have been an issue, but nope was I wrong about that. I forgot I was wearing it so quickly it seemed natural, mostly I knew it was working really well when people were saying to me in suit that I was quite cold and nice to hug!

I also was rather enjoying the vest so much I ended up wearing it out of suit, just wandering around going 'Cooool..... so soooooo cooooooooool'. I'm sure my mutterings must have drawn a few strange looks. Also of a side note the logo glows REALLY well under UV lights.

When I get around to CF I will probably pick up another set of gel inserts so that I can carry on and on using it.

The neck cooling collar is something that I had too, whilst I didn't wear it as much, when I did it was so pleasant, no cold burn like I've had with icepacks and other cooling products before. This was a pleasant temperature to have in contact. They all take up hardly any space at all and I think I would say to people if you want one of these get one, you won't regret it.

Big thank you to everyone who attended the Clockwork Creature photoshoot at Nordicfuzzcon. It's always nice to see so many of the suits in one place. I will be going through the photos taken on my camera over the next week and hopefully will get more photos from others. If you took any pictures as well please do link me to them in a note or reply to this journal so I can locate them and share around.

SFW.

We have a fair few Clockwork Creature suits going to Nordicfuzzcon so it's an ideal time to get a group photo. As a general consensus we will be going for Saturday at 11:00. I don't see it taking more than about half an hour or so to get a fair few pictures done.

If you are interested in taking part please let me know so I can make sure you're kept informed as to where and when we will take the photos. The plan would be to meet in the main reception area and if it's reasonable outside, have a few pictures outside the hotel and then have some inside. Or if things are really not so good out, just have pictures taken inside.

To any photographers wishing to take pictures of the group, we will be doing a few arranged shots first of all. This will be done by photographers we have arranged to do this, please allow them to take the shots and understand we will be moving around under their direction then will be free to have other shots taken.

So remember Saturday 1st March in reception area.

We have a fair few Clockwork Creature suits going to Nordicfuzzcon so it's an ideal time to get a group photo. At the moment there are three possible times. I don't see it taking more than about half an hour or so to get a fair few pictures done.

Friday 21:00
Saturday 11:00
Sunday 16:00

If you are interested in taking part please let me know so I can make sure you're kept informed as to where and when we will take the photos. Let me know your preferred time too. The plan would be to meet in the main reception area and if it's reasonable outside, have a few pictures outside the hotel and then have some inside. Or if things are really not so good out, just have pictures taken inside.

To any photographers wishing to take pictures of the group, we will be doing a few arranged shots first of all. This will be done by photographers we have arranged to do this, please allow them to take the shots and understand we will be moving around under their direction then will be free to have other shots taken.

Just a little video I made about the trip to Alton Towers and the  greatfurscape Alas I didn't have any video from the water park. But hopefully this is a better late than never thing. Wine matures with age so perhaps video does too?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uThZFuer3y4

Well first of all happy new year to everyone. I'm pleased to say I made it through another year and it's onto a new one. Of course it had to start out with me being rather ill, but at least I got to spend it on the sofa with a fire and hot chocolate.

The next few months will see me acquiring two fursuits. One being a second hand demon wolf and the other being something for Confuzzled. Suffice to say that one is going to be a bright one. It will also be the time to say goodbye to one suit, Scratch. Never really connected with it and it will be passing on to a new owner.

I also have a few more ideas planned, three ideas with three different builders. It remains to be seen which ones will get completed first as it mostly depends on what order they will accept new projects.

I've actually started to get into this #fursuitfriday thing that's started up. Some people don't like it apparently, but you don't have to like everything on your feed. Just skip past it and move on to the next post. It brings joy to people and allows them to share photos and memories of events in suit or with suits.

So I will be continuing to post new picture with the #fursuitfriday tag for a while yet.

Well I went and got myself an idea, you know one of those thoughts with pictures. I'm pondering putting together a voice acting demonstration tape, the real question is though what to put on it? I've never done one of them before and am not sure what to include. Any suggestions and advice would be welcome.

Where are you staying?
Home.

What day are you getting there?
I'm already here.

Who will you be rooming with?
Myself.

Who will you hang out with during the convention?
Work people.

Are you attending any stage or public performances?
Lunch.

Are there any panels you might be attending?
Hopefully none of them, I do electrical things.

Will you be suiting?
Brushing up Sgt. Growler a bit later.

Which suit(s) will you be bringing?
All of them.

Do you do free art?
No, I do fail sketches.

Do you do trades?
If you like box shaped things or buses.

Do you do badges?
Of course!

Do you do commissions?
You want to pay me money? I'm happy with this.

What is your gender?
Male

How tall are you?
5' 7"

Are you taken? Are you looking for a partner?
Single and I am not actively looking.

Can I talk to you?
If you would like to, sure.

Can I touch you?
Probably not, especially if I don't know you.

How can I find you?
Don't worry, I'll find you.

Can I visit your room?
Only if I know you and give you prior permission.

Can I buy you drinks?
More buying me stuff, I like this already.

Can I give you stuff?
Whee! More free stuff, am I a guest or something?

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Eh, if I'm in suit you will get a hug if you ask. Snug.. no thanks.

Are you nice?
Always nice :)

How long are you going?
I live here.

Do you have an artist table?
Nope.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Communicate!

Where will you be most of the time during the day(s)?
Work.

What/where will you be eating?
Desk, sofa, table somewhere flat.

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
In theory yes, if I know you or get to know you and providing 'Fun' doesn't involve cheating . . . .

Can I look in your sketchbook?
I have several of them and you can't look in all of them.

Can I draw in your sketchbook?
Yey! Even more free stuff.

Can I take your picture?
If in suit.

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
Well as I'm not actually going, I think my goal is to save money.

I know I surprised a few people with a trip to CFD and thought I should probably explain the story of how it happened. I had a trip booked to Amsterdam since as work screwed up with my holiday for EF meaning I couldn't go I had a spare week of holiday time left over. The dates for CFD were announced and happened to match up with my trip dates. So being as I was planning on seeing  ezwolf and  tigertom anyway since they both live in the land of the Moonspeakers. We ended up with a random idea to drive to CFD.

Now aside from LHR's inability to operate bag drop off in Terminal 5. Took me 45 minutes to drop one bag as I'd already checked in online. Security took less than two minutes I was a bit miffed at that. It was a good flight out there, however I was mildly concerned at the complete lack of any information that was useful at Schipol once out of the airport and into the station. The information signs were useless! Makes you really appreciate what you have at home such as listing all the stations a train stops at on the departure boards, the destination of the train and other such useful things to know in advance. Hell Waterloo has a 'fastest train to ....' sign. Surely it would be useful to tell people that want to go to Amsterdam itself what the fastest train is and keep them off the local services? For that matter why isn't there an Airport Express?

Anyway, aside from that it was a nice event to go to. Lots of faces with the same question of 'Why are you here? I didn't know you were coming!' Nice amount of drinks in the suiting room as well which was so nice, a few fans dotted around, although some I seem to think were brought by people themselves for drying their own heads? Bounced around in Silver for a fair few hours. I'm also sure I said I'd email  coyotesnack but can't remember what it was about so if anyone knows why... let me know so I can send the email. It was probably why I was there in the first place, but might be about somethingelse. I don't know, my mind works in strange ways sometimes.

 davuu is offering really cheap icons. Just £1 each! Grab one whilst there are still spaces.

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5147824

Had a good deal of fun at the London meet today suiting as Safetyfox. One thing I wish I could learn to do better is to actually just sit down and talk more with people. I seem to spend so much time rushing around trying to see everyone I know I end up not really getting the chance to talk enough with people. I find it really hard to actually stop sometimes and do nothing.

Still by doing things a little differently this time I think I actually managed to enjoy myself more then in the past. I've found them to become a bit uninspiring with the same venue, walk and such. I'm going to try to do a bit more to stay with the positive thoughts of things.

I've got a couple of things for sale at the moment:

Pair of sockpaws produced by  madebymercury I'm not really getting the chance to wear these as I've mainly been using the suits outdoors so really just to try them on.

I'm putting these up so hopefully someonelse can make actual use of them. Ideally these would fit size seven (UK) and smaller. It's worth noting that these are a slim fit and can seem a little more difficult then a normal sock to get on. Once on though they are super comfy in fit.

Asking for £40 for these plus postage. Can be delivered free to a London meet.

PAWS SOLD

Also, I have a fullsuit for sale by the name of Scratch http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10918659/ Suit was refurbished by  Schenzi (the head) and  madebymercury (new hand and footpaws, complete rework of bodysuit & new tail). Would suit someone upto 5' 8" of small to medium frame. Feet are inserted with a size nine set of comfortable shoes. Worn once at a meet to run around in for an hour. Was going to be a run around and fursuit games suit, but have ended up using the others more for fun. Looking for £450 for him. Free to collect from a London meet or plus cost of postage. Comes with a free con badge.