Hello, Friends!

Per  HollyFox 's latest post (http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6636108/), our next planned video will be a montage of fursuit hugs! If you have photos or videos that you would like included in the video, please contact me:

1. If you have PHOTOS, you can email them to me at trainskunk@hotmail.com. Please include how you wish to be credited at the end.

2. If you have VIDEOS, you can chat me up on Skype (name Telbert Coaltender, email trainskunk@hotmail.com) . I will take friend requests as quickly as i can, and work with you to facilitate downloading files to my PC. Be prepared to tell me how you wish to be credited at the end.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Hello again!

Today,  hollyfox released a new video that I edited for her. Video link is:

https://youtu.be/rXg_b-LfRhw

Hope you like, friends!

Hello, Friends!

Recently, I collaborated with  hollyfox on this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM0E1u7lpns&feature=youtu.be

Would anyone else be interested in having their videos edited? If so, I'd love to hear from you! You can note me here, or also Skype/Email me at trainskunk@hotmail.com. Hope to hear from you soon!

Hello again!

For those who don't already know  hollyfox , I encourage you to check out her latest journal! It contains a link to a short fursuit video than I edited for her:

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6582014/

Hers are some of the best fursuit videos I've seen, and I'm glad to have helped her with this latest one =0) Thanks again for the opportunity, Holly!

Hello, Friends!

Thanks to all who responded to my previous post on my inability to access Skype. After changing my password, access was restored. Still I wonder if it had to do with my account being migrated over from an old MSN Messenger account? Curiously, I tried to make a new Skype account from scratch, and Skype's website couldn't do that, either.

Time will tell. If anyone else has seen this before and has any advice, I'd love to hear from you . Thanks again!

Hello, friends!

Off and on this past week, I've been having trouble accessing my Skype account. It's an old hotmail account that was ported over to Skype when Microsoft shut down MSN(Windows Live) Messenger and forced people to migrate their chat accounts to Skype. As far I can tell, the problem is within Skype itself, for the results are the same whether I try to access with my PC or my iPad.

Is anyone else suffering this problem? Does anyone have any advice?

Yesterday, I read of an editorial on Slate.com (http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2014/06/against_ya_adults_should_be_embarrassed_to_read_children_s_books.html ). Its author asserted that "adults should feel embarrassed" if they are still reading Young-Adult fiction. I think that Ms. Graham fails to remember several things:

1. Many revered literary classics started out as YA fiction. Examples include "To Kill a Mockingbird", "The Catcher in the Rye", "Oliver Twist", and "The Hobbit". Who would be embarrassed to be seen reading those books?

2. Some YA novels appeal to young and old alike because the quality of writing and depth of character. I remember remarking that J.K. Rowling's success with the HARRY POTTER series was evidence of VERY good writing. To have written a series of novels good enough to rekindle interest in reading in an increasingly digital age? That's talent.

I feel that if some YA fiction is reaching a larger audience, perhaps it is because it's just that good. The same could be said for certain webcomics and comic books. IDW took over the TRANSFORMERS comic license and created a storyline with surprising depth of character in its cast and setting. In the 1980s, Marvel Comics simply portrayed Megatron as a brutal despot with plans for galactic domination. In the 2000s, IDW painted a picture in which Megatron started out as a laborer who protested a corrupt "functionist" society that punished anyone who tried to transcend their given role in it. He felt that Cybertronian society was too corrupt to change naturally, so he sought to tear it down.

Meanwhile, furry webcomics like GENE CATLOW and NEWSHOUNDS are sterling examples of thoughtful dialogue and excellent depth of character.

In closing, I think that Ms. Graham needs to come down from her high horse and quit griefing on the reading habits of others.

Hello, Friends!

Artist  willowwhispers is taking commissions to defray some unexpected expenses. If you can, chat her up for a nice piece of art and help her out! Thanks =0)

Is anyone else having trouble with the new version of AIM? I downloaded the updated version because my existing version wouldn't connect, and the interface is very different. The window seems locked to having a large window, half of which simply reads, "Start chatting with...(username)". The menus and options seem very sparse. Does anyone know how to tweak this program so that the window DOESN'T take up a third of my monitor screen? Thanks to any who can advise.

Hello, Folks!

In support of a fellow artist, I like to encourage you all to check out an artist named : willowwhispers: . She is looking to raise some money, so she's offering good art commissions at good prices (from $5 to $20) .

She's done a couple of nice pieces for me, such as ( http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7406717/ ) and ( http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7406716/ ). Help a fellow artist and check her out!

Hello, Friends!

Last week, I created some badges for friends, and since the response was very positive, I have decided to take commissions for badges.

The images are hand-sketched and inked. Next, they are scanned, digitally cleaned up, and colored to create a "digital master" TIFF. The digital master is then printed via inkjet on card stock. The badge is then placed in a hard vinyl holder with a badge clip suitable for affixing to a lanyard(not included).

As you can see in the samples in my gallery, I can do "horizontal badges" (4 inches wide by 3 inches tall), or "vertical badges" (3 inches wide by 4 inches tall). I can hand-draw your character's name or use digital text (your choice).

Interested furs are welcome to either send private notes to me here on FA, or send email to trainskunk[at]hotmail.com . If you wish to speak to me in real-time, I am on MSN as "trainskunk@hotmail.com". I am also on AIM as "SkunkExpress".

At this time, I am asking for a donation of $12 per badge via PayPal. This includes the badge, vinyl holder, clip, and first-class shipping (with delivery confirmation) within the United States. Please note that badges shall have to be shipped, as my schedule is not conducive to attending cons. I will also email a copy of the TIFF to allow reprints should anything happen to the mailed badges. Further payment details will be sent as I communicate with interested parties.

Any takers? =0)

Hello, all!

To those who can help, I'm making a request. A friend of mine named  Haystack has a friend named  Brine, whose mother was recently lost to cancer. Her fight with cancer consumed her savings, and there are no funds left over for a proper burial.

Brine's share of the funeral costs are approximately $2000, of which he currently has only $500. If anyone's feeling generous, donations to PayPal account (Brine_cat[at]yahoo.com) are welcome and appreciated. If a large number of people donate a small amount, then perhaps the difference can be made up soon.

My own father's body was laid to rest yesterday, so I know all to well that even simple burials have become pricey affairs. Any assistance that you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

(Cross-posted from LiveJournal)

This evening, my father passed away. In front of my and the rest of the family's eyes.

For nearly the past two years, my father has been fighting Stage IIIa Lung Cancer. During most of that time, he'd undergone radiation therapy and about seven different courses of various kinds of chemotherapy. While the cancer never metastasized, the tumor's very presence compromised his system to a point where he simply couldn't continue any longer. For the 24 hours leading up to his death, he declined rapidly, laboring very hard to breathe. Today, [info]artemis1 and I came to visit, and with the rest of the "core family" (me, Artemis, Mom, my brother, and his wife), we held him in his final moments. It was the best way that we could "see him off".

Later in the evening, the hospice nurse and coroner came by. The nurse heard how we witnessed his passing, and commented on what a beautiful memory it will be. She is right. I think that more than anything, she was relieved to walk into a household in which the the family of the deceased was neither arguing nor wailing in grief.

Today, we start making arrangements for the funeral. Dad rarely wore suits, so I'm donating one of mine for him. For as many times as he "gave the shirt off his back" for us, it's fitting that I return the favor.

Thanks to all of your for your friendship and support during his chapter in our lives.

Hello, Folks!

If you have some money to spare, could you direct some of it toward [info]AngelBear_OH ? Angelbear's car was struck by a hit-and-run driver, and he needs to pay a $500 deductible to get his vehicle roadworthy again.

Could you please drop what you can into his Paypal account (geddy001@insight.rr.com) and spread the word? While Angel's furry self has wings, his fleshy self needs wheels to get around. I've already made a donation, and with your help, we can get Angelbear rolling again. Thanks again!

Cross-posted from my LiveJournal Page:

I consider myself a fairly charitable person. I donate to various charity organizations on a regular basis. I have commissioned artwork from friends who were short of money to pay bills. I have given assistance to complete strangers (like when I recently helped a middle-aged couple get their car out of the snow). I do these things willingly because I look at it as my way of balancing out the rudeness and lack of common courtesy that increasingly infects our society in these difficult times.

Yesterday, I came across a situation in which a person's response to my charity rubbed me the wrong way...

Yesterday, Artemis and I went to the mall. As we were walking into the entrance, we were stopped by a man handing out CDs. Handing Artemis and me each a CD, he said that he was "trying to get the word out" about his music. He said that we were welcome to make copies, but that we should not give away the originals. Before I could respond, he asked for a donation to cover his costs.

I pulled two dollars out of my wallet. On this, he said, "It's a three-dollar donation." When I pulled a third dollar bill out, he said, "The CDs are three dollars each."

I paused for a moment. He didn't mention a specific dollar amount in the beginning, and saw fit to ask for more when I offered two dollars. What if I'd offered three dollars to start? Would he then have told me that it was a four-dollar donation for each CD?

"Good sir," I said. "I am giving you back one CD, then."

The man frowned. "Well, I was just about to give you a deal by letting you have them both for five dollars."

So what was supposed to be a donation is sounding more and more like a sale, I thought. "I'll take one CD, and you get three dollars," I said firmly.

I handed him my CD. The man, "Well, if that's the case, you can have this one instead," taking Artemis' CD out of her hand and replacing it with one containing a fewer number of tracks.

As we continued into the mall, I became very irritated with what had happened. I don't mind helping people, but this was a sale (and possibly a con game) disguised as an act of "getting the word out" about his music. If he'd been upfront about the numbers, I would have felt better about the situation.

On our way home, I looked inside the plastic sandwich bag containing the CD. Inside was a leaflet titled "Know Your Rights". The bullet points on the slip (minus the explanations) were:

1. Don't Leave Contraband in Plain View.
2. Never Consent to a Search.
3. Don't Answer Questions Without an Attorney Present.
4. Determine if You Can Leave.
5. Do Not Be Hostile; Do Not Physically Resist
6. Informing on Others (short explanation stated not to do so without an attorney present)
7. Learn More (linking to a website)

We listened to part of the CD. What we heard was mostly gangsta rap (including one track that made heavy use of the N- and F-words). In fairness, I linked to the website (flexyourrights.org). The web site had some decent advice on how to conduct oneself during an encounter with the police. All the same, the music had little to do with this leaflet's message. Whatever message the man was trying to get out, it doesn't change the fact that his sales/charity pitch left much to be desired.

Meanwhile, I have no plans to let this encounter change my nature. I will still help others in need, for I know that the economy will get worse before it gets better.

fter a long and crazy week at work, I'm glad to say that our vacation is here! Artemis and I are flying out to Disneyworld today. We'll be back on Friday afternoon =0)

We both need this getaway very badly. We're both worn out from the rigors of our jobs, and this will be a much-needed recharge. I'm hoping to have a lot of fun down there!

See you later! =0)

Hello, folks!

After encouragement from my friends (especially BlimpWolf and Haystack), I have finally created a FurAffinity account! I'm hoping that feedback from friends here will motivate me to stay in the regular habit of drawing.

I used to go offsite and draw during my lunch breaks from work, but errands and such have made that less possible than it once was. Now that I have decluttered my studio, my plan is to work on art in the morning before I go to work. At least I can proceed at a regular pace this way.

If all goes well, I should have a new pic up soon. Stay well!