*pads in one last time with a big goofy grin* Been a while, hasn't it?

The past few months have been . . . exciting? Enlightening? DEFINITELY interesting, aggrivating, frustrating and some of the best in my life in just how my world has changed and all that.

The Dragon ( phantomgraph) is yes, out on his own out here in the middle of nowhere, approximately four blocks away from me (and I've moved as well, have a house now). He's gotten "the" job I hoped he would at the company I told him he had to bust his hump to try to get into, and he loves it, is doing well enough for himself (bills paid, eating, just enough to not have to WORRY), and I'm lucky that I get to see him once a week now. Big change from living with a person, I'll say that, though I think he appreciates the break. *looks back over his shoulder and throws the blue dracine a raspberry, to which the lion receives back a single arched eyebrow, a snide grin and grumble, and an elbow nudge*

For those of you who have tried calling me, the Dragon has had my cellphone the past several months and thus when I got your messages, it was generally days after you left them, at some odd hour, and we were in the middle of running his errands or something so don't take any offense that I never rang. Yes, I have my phone back now but my schedule is no better; I have a new position at work that keeps me from being able to randomly chat like I used to on weekdays, Saturdays is Dragon Day (and don't anybody DARE get in the middle of my Dragon Day! *snarls* Okay, okay, we're just doing laundry and grocery shopping and hanging out, but its rude to sit and chat on the phone when you're with company, as you know) and Sundays is my day to do housework, spend time with the family, and try like blazes to get this trip to see Swampwulf with Fox and Wolfmonkey organized (another fun headache, I just can't wait until it actually happens this fall!). So I guess what I'm saying is that those of you with my cell are welcome to try ringing me, but my opportunity to chat, or even return calls, is small . . . this itty bitty little three inch space right here, that includes the Chiklets but not the erasers. I.E. You very likely are not going to hear back at any sort of speed, but it is not because of you, its because I simply do not have the time any more. Hell, I barely have enough time to call my own brother once a week if I am lucky!

And as such, and from the title of this, and how long I have been gone in general I think you all know where this is heading . . . I'm done. :) No, not in the sense of OMG I'M LEAVING THE FANDOM FOREVER AND YOU ALL SUCK, but simply I don't have the time any more, my interests have been taken over by my job, family, and this big blue scaley thing that has wyrmed his way into my life *gets the flat side of a spade-tipped tail in the back of the head*, and the five minutes I have here and there, frankly, I just don't feel like drawing furs, looking at drawings of furs, or talking about drawings of furs, because it is really just too draining between the posturing and the drama and all that. A fun diversion when you have the time to kill, but when you don't, just a distraction that you end up feeling guilty over when you can't take part. I can't do it any more, not now.

But like I said, this isn't an "angry at the fandom leaving"; actually I'll probably be hitting a con again in a couple of years (I'm owed one! *nips the Dragon* XD ) just to hang out G.G.-style and hopefully watch the door try to kill people again with BlueHeeler. Gah, oh yeah, they're changing hotels. *sighs* It better have a revolving door. And if I end up doing another trade with the Fox again or something I'm sure the art half will make its way up somewhere. I think I'm as clear as I can be on any prior commitments, if anyone has any concerns or anything please leave me a PM here, I'll check it until *checks calendar* May 7th, but past that . . . well, I had a "get ahold of me" message up since November so I consider that fair notice if there is anything left outstanding. My email is now dead and defunct from lack of time to check it, so make sure you leave a message HERE in PM's, SOON, if I owe you something.

Beyond that . . . well, a few folks here know how ragged I ran when the Dragon lived with me, and I agree with them that I am in need of a good long break now; if I said anything else claiming that I would try to keep in touch or involved with the community, I would have a Dragon sitting on my head to pin me down to keep me from overworking again, or a wolfmonkey trying to pay my way to a beach in New Zealand for a month . . . hmm. I'm wondering why these are bad things, sometimes.

*dragon claws grab the lion by the tail and drag him back a bit to watch another DVD of M*A*S*H* reruns*

*shrugs with a lionish, happy smile*

I'll miss you folks, here. See ya. :)

So what has been going on? Unfortunately, little more to report.  phantomgraph is still without employment, though he has had some very promising interviews. Unfortunately he did not get the job at the college that he really wanted, but they did let him know that there was another position there that they wanted him to apply for, which he did; that posting closes on the 28th so although its a wait, hopefully it is worth it. He's been in for a couple more interviews in the past week that we are still hoping to hear from, and in good news, he FINALLY got approved for unemployment. Which means before long, he may be able to move out!

I hope not too far . . . I'm going to miss him terribly. :(

Copypasta:
Again, anyone waiting on commissions, the option is still yours: I am willing to offer a 100% refund as having a dragon in the house leaves me no time to draw currently, or if you are willing to wait I will take care of them as soon as he is out and settled. Just let me know. :)

Everyone else, I miss you all! PG has my phone more often than not and I simply do not have time now to chat regardless, so PLEASE do not call for a 1 on 1 checkup as frankly, you're going to get blown off out of necessity. ;) I'll check back in in a couple more weeks!

While I have 5 minutes . . . .

Life has been SO busy that this is the first time I have been here since I wrote last, so if you think I am ignoring you, I'm not. ;)

The Dragon,  phantomgraph, still graces my couch as he looks for employment here in my hometown. That fellow is busting his scaley hump, let me tell you . . . I can't say I have a single word of complaint about having him here and I do not regret in the slightest asking him to come and relocate. (Okay, he leaves the seat up and forgets to lock the car door. But other than that, no compaints. :D ) every morning we get up first thing and go job hunting, and then he comes back here and writes resumes and cover letters and fills out applications for the next day while I head off to work for the night shift. I consider myself very lucky that I get around an hour in the middle of the night to see  wolfmonkey and Swampwulf on a regular basis to keep me in touch with the outside world, though I miss my Nomnom so much since I never get to see him any more. :(

Even the holidays were a busy time, even though we could not go job hunting. PG has scored himself a moral victory in removing Windows from my laptop and installing Ubuntu instead on it (I have to admit, if it weren't for the game issue, I'd have him do my desktop as well) and we were still running around non-stop getting all sorts of things done that now we have not had a chance to do during the week. This weekend will be just as busy as it is my daughter's birthday, though hopefully I'll be able to kidnap the dragon and just RELAX on Saturday so we can avoid my husband and the dreaded Patriots game.

Again, anyone waiting on commissions, the option is still yours: I am willing to offer a 100% refund as having a dragon in the house leaves me no time to draw currently, or if you are willing to wait I will take care of them as soon as he is out and settled. Just let me know. :)

Everyone else, I miss you all! PG has my phone more often than not and I simply do not have time now to chat regardless, so PLEASE do not call for a 1 on 1 checkup as frankly, you're going to get blown off out of necessity. ;) I'll check back in in a couple more weeks!

A lot of people have been wondering what is happening, so here is the ultra ultra short version (anyone who knows the longer version, PLEASE do not chime in on this . . . okay???)

As folks know, my brother Saraya and his mate ( phantomgraph here ) were supposed to meet me in Schaumburg and we were going to room together for MFF. Unfortunately they lost their jobs and were not able to make it, which is why I was pretty much stuck in Artists Alley and left the con early and the like. Well, their troubles continued.

The long and the short of it is, I have gained a roommate for a while, as Phantomgraph is coming to South Dakota and staying with me and the family until he can find a place of his own / get a job / combination of the above. This is why I have not been here, or talking to anyone, and have fallen behind on my commissions, MFF people. This has taken some organizing and supporting, and he will be out here on Friday of next week.

As such I'm still going to be MIA for several weeks, most likely. I am still working on those commissions though (I'll post one as soon as I am done writing this because anyone who prepaid at MFF, I want you to see that they ARE getting done!) but they are just a little slower than I thought they would be. If you commissioned me at MFF and you would like a refund, I'd be happy to give it to you because of the delay.

So anywhoo, sorry for the silence but it's going to continue for a bit!

Yay, FA is back!

Just in time for me to have no time for it . . . I will ONLY be checking notes here for notes from commissioners from MFF. Sorry, everyone else is going to have to wait, unless it is a complete and total emergency (ie. you better be dead or dying and I better be in the will). Nilla, Nanners, and . . . um . . . Nomnom ( :D ) get an automatic pardon (duh). Unfortunately it also means I won't be taking phone calls either because I usually talk to people on break at work and I need that time to get these commissions done now. Something happened this weekend that stressed me out way too much to draw so I'm behind (yes, everything and everyone is just fine now).

so . . . see you in a few weeks!

Actually I got back last night but I was just WAY too tired to post anything about it. The drive, including stopping for meals and piss breaks, is 11 hours from Schaumburg to SD. I very long time to be behind the wheel (or in a car in general). It wouldn't have been nearly so bad if more sleep had been involved, but that was something in very short supply, as was patience and tollerance for anything at that point.

The Good

I met some truely awesome people, many of whom I had been waiting to meet for a long time, many of whom exceeded any expectation I had for what they would be like. He Who Shall Not Be Named (complete with On The Back Of The Head Evil Pumpkin Dude) is just like he is here, he'll look you right in the eye and tell you what he thinks. Thank God. I hate it when you meet someone in person and they turn out to be someone who can't speak up unless it is from behind a keyboard. BlueHeeler and I had a blast watching the revolving door try to kill people. BladeStone knows how to pet this kitty better tha- you dirty, dirty people. Shame on you. Pyruss is incredibly nice, trustworthy, very good looking (that's an OBSERVATION, not a hit!), and really should have screamed bloody murder at me for waking him up. Dineegla and the gang were so understanding of this poor lion having to run constantly, and if it wasn't for those chicken nuggets I probably would have been a lot more ill than I was on Saturday afternoon. Will Sanborn and Tim Kangaroo are the best dinner company ever, and even put up with me showing off how much of a Star Wars geek I am (though their stories were a thousand times better). Confused00 was a wonderful, mellow breath of fresh air in a hectic day. Tyr and *thinkthinkthinthink* Miya? I'm pretty sure that was her name? were so helpful and friendly to the n00b they got stuck with in the alley. Fir was terribly sweet, and Ripner was a hoot (and I still feel bad for not being so talkative, the hand and the mouth do NOT work well at the same time. For talking and drawing. Er.) And I finally got to meet Brody and Kiwihunter; Brody is one of the very first people I met in the fandom, and words can't describe him. 3lek . . . um . . . el3ck . . . Plaguerat was constantly smiling, thank you to Solion for lending Pyruss and I your laptop so I could show him your work,  bucktowntiger is far, FAR too under the radar around here so go listen to his music (and maybe snag his CD, it's worth it, I bought one!), Firestorm just plain reminded me of me, running around everywhere non-stop every time I saw him. and I know I'm missing SO many people and please, believe me that I am trying not to neglect a single person.

The con was very well organized, if the staff and helpers didn't know the answer to something they all knew where to GET the answer, which is just as good. The way they ran Artist Alley (you signed up in the morning, they ran a random lottery to see who got put in first, the rest got on standby and got a phone call when a slot opened) worked GREAT from my POV. I saw no drama, issues, altercations, or mayhem. THAT was disappointing, WTF am I supposed to talk about on KYFF now????

One thing that was really cool was while I didn't get to fursuit in Tensik, I DID get to send him out in the parade. Because of the way the Alley was set up I knew as soon as the parade started I was going to get my call for my table, and as such I couldn't be in suit and then take a cell phone call. So I grabbed this random girl that was my height (Autumn Fox? Autumn Sunfox? If anyone has ANY idea who this is, thin girl, red hair, 5'2 or so, PLEASE let me know) and asked her if she wanted to be in the parade. It looked like she had a BLAST, so any footage of Tensik in the parade, that's not me! And if you were on the sidelines and yelled and I didn't respond, it's because it was not me! Hell, I don't even know if she knew the character's name. XD

The Bad

All in all, I frankly didn't have a very good time. Like I told someone else, I had a really LOUSY time mixed in with meeting some really cool people. So if you saw me at the con, I was probably smiling and laughing, but it's because meeting people was the highlight of the con for me. I was pretty well stuck waking up really early for Alley signup or something sales related, then working the Alley or having to be near a window every 10 minutes waiting to get INTO the Alley (cell phones didn't work in the middle of the building), then drag myself out of there brain fried from being effectively on stage for hours, drop everything in my room, check to see if there was anything left in the con suite for food, resort to Pop Tarts because there never was (note to con organizers: if you are not going to allow people to leave the con suite with food, PLEASE bring a selection to Artists Alley so we can have a chance at sustinence as well without losing our spots?), and then sit in my room and chat online - which I would have done at home - because anything of any interest was over by the time the Alley started wrapping up (zero interest in seeing Kage or 2, don't like dances). None of this is the fault of the organizers or anyone there, it's my own fault for going when I knew I was going to be stuck working the whole time. Low sleep, long car rides, nothing but work, little food, and knowing you have no money makes for a pretty miserable time no matter who you meet.

So here is what I learned, those of you who have never been to a con before:

1.) Never depend on others. If you can't go and afford it 100% under your own power, save your money and go when you can do it without having to rely on something else. *points to someone out there* I really, REALLY wish I had listened to you. I'm also happy though that I took the time to help out other people . . . kind of a karmic payback to make sure no one else got stuck like I did.

2.) Never stick yourself in a sales position to the point where you can't enjoy the con on your first go. again, if you are going to rely on it to see the con at all, just don't. save the money, and go when it is optional so you can stop and enjoy yourself when you need it.

3.) If you aren't prepared to make your own entertainment, ie. just get out there and be with people beyond sitting on the sidelines and staring, the con will suck. If you are too tired to want to do this because you didn't listen to 1 and 2, you have yourself to blame.

4.) Never ask "who or what is that smell". Thanks, Tyr, for that tip before I was thick enough to actually open my mouth. Psychic, psychic girl.

5.) Go with an open mind. Some things that you have a preconception about before going can make a lot more sense when you get there and meet the people involved.

6.) Artists: "Buy something" and their direct "give me money" variants sound just as assholish in person as it sounds when people complain about it on the boards. It's one thing if the artist and the person going by had discussed a purchase or commission in the past. It's another to stop them walking by just because they look at you. Thankfully only ONE person said that to me and as such my faith in fur artists was not terribly shaken. Ice, you will LOVE this one. *grins evilly* Anyway, just don't do it.

7.) I mentioned this one in my last journal but it never hurts to ask if they have any free upgrades available for hotel rooms. I think only Firestorm was closer to the action than I was (at least there were no more fursuits or plushes in the windows on our floor) and that by about 50 steps. I had a corner suite with two huge bay windows and no other rooms next to mine (just the utility closet) so it was SILENT since everyone turned up the stairs before they got to me. and at the con price for a regular room I was not complaining.


So would I go to another con? Only under very specific circumstances. I thought MFF was a little small and would like to try AC instead (though I would still go back to MFF if I had the extra time and money and flew instead of drove). I think I would have a better time the next time as i would know more people to do things like meals with or have up to the room. Next time I would still try to travel with people but would instead book all separate rooms and then combine down if it all fell together right, so there would be no nasty last minute surprises by counting on several people in one. And I would sleep and eat more (though I think that would come naturally if I wasn't stuck behind a table or woken up by an alarm to get behind said table again). Oh, and I'd kidnap The Pack and make them go too. *chuckles* Really didn't seem right without them there; talk about travelling as a group so much and you rather EXPECT to turn around and see them there, even when the upcoming trip isn't for a year. Maybe the four of us could do MFF next year . . . .


Oh, speaking of, while I was gone  foxamoore 's album became available for pre-order, so GO GET ONE.

So I am sitting here in my suite at MFF (hint: asking for a free upgrade occasionally WORKS) and I am EXHAUSTED. We started driving at 4 AM and because we'd pull over, have lunch, and stretch our legs and the like we got in here around 3 PM. Got signed in at the hotel, came to my room, showered, and found out lo and behold we could register tonight (had no idea). AND they fed us. Mashed potatoes in wine glasses. I have to admit that was pretty sweet. XD

Rathsmith went to the trivia contest and I wandered around a bit after taking Tensik out to play (lasted about 5 minutes . . . that suit is WAY too hot, I hope I can find someone who has the time to evaluate it and help me figure out how to cool it down somehow) and ran into  pyruss who is just plain AWESOME to hand around with, as is his roommate Falcon . . . . um . . . . . . okay, now I feel like shit. Falcon something. :D REALLY nice guy. Also met a bald eagle fellow named (kill me if I am wrong) Erik Alden? We hung out over art for a while and he's very nice as well. Then I finally got the call from Dineegla that the troops had arrived and were at the hotel, and they started chatting with this tall fellow with a shaved head who gave me this . . . LOOK. XD Freaking Greg told me he wouldn't be there and I missed his journal. Ratsmith tried to tell me he was coming and I kept insisting "no! he said he wasn't! I asked him!" So while I should have smacked him I didn't, he got hugged. XD (Yes, lion is hugging more than even the lion is comfortable with, I'm just flying high on names to faces at this point and too tired to NOT hug I guess). And (geez, trying to remember everyone) I met Khaz (we met briefly on another site once) and Kwipper (first person who knew my name and I knew his! VERY COOL!) and Ripner (gave me a conbadge holder from Elliot's live events!) and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . . . . . .

I'm still very much on the "wiggy" side as money is of course running down very quickly. I am armed with Pop Tarts though, so that should fuel me reasonably well between Wendy's chicken strips from Dineegla. Can't really say what kind of time I am having as I think I am still running strictly on fumes. The internet here sucks so I will probably only get on one more night and leave it at that . . . at $10 a day it's not worth it unless the connection is pretty stellar, but I had to check in with my (MY) wolfmonkey.

Fox: there is a grand piano in the lobby of the hotel right by the bar. :)

We'll be starting our drive around 4 or 5 AM and pulling into Schaumburg hopefully just before rush hour. It's a 9 - 10 hour trip but we're going to take it a little bit easy.

Shortly after that I hope to be meeting up with Dineegla & Co. to at the very least give him my art files disk so I can have prints to sell. If I get a spot in the alley on Friday and you would like to purchase something, be prepared that you may get a receipt and a phone call when the hard copies show up on Saturday; Dineegla is going to be insanely busy Thursday and so I don't know how much, if any, he'll get to run off before the con starts.

After that I'm not exactly sure where and when I'll be . . . got at least one dinner plan but not sure when, not sure how much live art I'll do (no digital, the laptop can't handle it, and I'll be doing sketchbooks or onsite commissions on a "ask and see if I feel like it first" basis due to my stress level this trip). Got two pieces that will be in the Art Show if my panels are actually there (but I won't be using my adult one, so there's one free) and nothing for the charity auction (it was SUPPOSED to be the original line art for Midnight's Sonnet signed by myself and  foxamoore but a mail strike left the art stranded in Scotland, so Fox is going to keep it). So keep your eyes open and I'll see you around.

and remember, lion no like the huggies!

http://icanhascheezburger.com/

The cat and bunny one, as of writing, about midway down the page.

*boogies*

It's the small accomplishments in life that can make your day . . . . :D

If someone can actually figure out the direct link, I'll edit this. For now go to www.cnn.com, click on Videos, then the Staff Picks tab at the bottom. It's the first one.

The hubby saw it on the air and said the newscasters were laughing uproarously and asking themselves if it was actually okay to show any of this . . . . XD

Thanks to  alchera for the full video:http://youtube.com/watch?v=RD5OYwUwInc

I noticed the MFF schedule is up now, so I looked it over.

Grand total of things I am interested in doing at the con:

One.

They're playing Tales from Earthsea in the video room on Saturday. :/

Very few people I know are going, my bids to find replacement roommates on no notice are failing (no, that is NOT an open call, I'm insanely picky, and everyone I have asked can't make it), I have absolutely NO idea how things work for the art show (I don't even know if I have panels for crying out loud, I sent my check but heard nothing, so I don't dare spend a penny on frames or mats) or artist's alley as in what to charge and what people expect from the artists there . . . and no, I can't treat this as a test run, this is my ONLY con. Seriously, no more for me, I've got vacations planned for the next several years and won't be able to afford the time off (or just plain afford) another one. Hell, I can't afford this one.

Someone want to tell me why I am going again?

*stalks off, tail slamming annoyingly against hotel room doors to piss people off as much as he is*

Some may remember that I was not going to be posting my own art here for the forseeable future. Unfortunately, the unforseeable has happened and now I need to drum up interest before I hit the con. XD

As such I'll be posting quite a bit of art over the next week before I go, though much of it will come back down once I get back. You may even see some reposts, folks who have been watching for a while; those will be ones where prints will be available.

I'm such a whore. :/

:D

*boogies*

Are you going to MFF?

Yes

Is this your first Con? second? more?

First con, and likely my last. My next few years are much too booked up to take the time again.

Are you an artist, art appreciator, fursuiter, or just like to hang around all three?

Artist and fursuiter.

Are you flying, driving, hitchhiking, or going FedEx Express Ground?

I'll drive out there with  ratsmith . ROAD TRIP, it's a 10 hour drive.

Are you staying in the hotel?

Yes

Who are your "roomies?"

HOPEFULLY  saraya and  phantomgraph but that is a bit up in the air right now. If they can't make it then it will be me, myself, and I in the room. (NO, I am NOT looking for roommates, sorry, I have this thing about sharing a room with strangers who feel like inviting in strangers. Not happening.)

Are they worth sleeping with?

Only if I have a sudden penchant for suicide.

Do you plan on having an affair with someone there? Want to? Who?

I like life.

Are you planning on showering during the Con?

I'm just apalled this is even a question. :/

Are you gonna "furry-cize" the clothing you will wear? How and What?

Well I have Tensik, but beyond that, jeans and t-shirts for the day, you might see me in slippers and sweats past midnight if I am out and about. XD

Do you have money for "real food?"

For at least one or two meals. Especially if Sar and Fal can't make it I'll be spending all my time in Artist's Alley most likely and Dineegla is going to bring me Wendys. :D

What are you going to subsist on when you're there (food-wise)?

I'll be packing some food for sure, mostly "grab and eat" stuff. But I'll be hunting down some Mongolian, I know there's got to be a place out there . . . .

Are you going to any programs (sessions)?

Only if I see any that have nothing to do with acting like anyone else, drawing like someone else, or sucking up to someone else. So most likely, no.

Are you going to the dance and "party?"

If Fal goes then I may go to the dance with him. If not likely not.

Are you going to find a room party to crash?

I highly doubt it.

Are you going to do something there that you would NEVER do any place else? Wanna tell?

Nope, I'm pretty much myself anywhere I go. ^^

Who do you want to meet for the first time?

BlueHeelerSunfire, and I hear Doppleganger will be there. Dineegla and his house crew of course. other than that . . . most of the people I was looking forward to meeting won't be there, or I haven't heard they are going. :/

Who are you looking up from past Cons?

None, as I haven't been to one before.

Who do you really wish would be at a Con (if they could)?

there's too many to list EVERYONE, but I really wish the Pack could be there (Red Swampwulf, Wolfmonkey, and FoxAmoore). We've been talking so much about trips this is not going to feel right without them. :/

Are you going to meet people that you'll keep friends with after the Con?

I can't see why not.

Are you going to buy stuff at the Dealer's Den?

I don't plan on it, no.

Who would you like to draw in your notebook?

I'm not bringing one for that intent, really. Sorry, I just don't really collect art.

Are you gonna draw in someone's notebook?

If they ask . . . especially if I end up rooming it alone I'm going to have to do what I can to offset costs. I'll have prints, too.

Will you be going to see (or annoy) someone in Artist's Alley?

Not specifically, no. I pity the fool who sits next to me though. :D

Are you going to bid on any art in the Art Gallery?

No, nor will I have anything up. Nor in the charity auction. *sighs at everything going wrong this year in those respects* oh well.

See you there. :)

If you haven't seen this . . . .

http://www.livevideo.com/video/CHee.....eman-duel.aspx

Scroll down, the video is towards the bottom of the page. And it does start a little slow, but by halfway through you'll be rolling.

Awesome news! I have a recording studio again!

People who followed KYFF and my recordings before knew that I recorded while at my old job (I was a classic rock DJ at an FM station here in Soudacoda), but when I had to leave to get full time work I lost the use of the studio. My own home computer has something wrong with the recording settings - and on top of that they magically reset themselves to their non-working default if I reboot or start certain programs - and is in the living room which is not exactly good for a recording environment. So that is why KYFF has been out for so long.

We just had an independant recording studio move up here from Kansas, so I'm back in the game! http://www.mindmachinemusic.net/ will be doing my half of the KYFF tracks from now on. I've got the studio booked for mid-December currently, though I may book a date sooner if I come back with a ton of material (and maybe some extra cash) from MFF (note to everyone: I'll be looking for inspirational idiots. You do not want to be one. :D ) .

I talked to my gorgeous (I think? NEEDPIXPLSKTHXBYE*boogies* ), talented, uber-sexy-sounding partner  Icewolf and the current plan is to do a few "public" pieces like we've done before, and then this winter hit the studio to do a full-blown CD like we wanted to do earlier this year. So keep your fingers crossed, if we can find a distributer it might even be available at AC (sorry, don't think we'd get it out in time for Further Confusion).

And we're considering taking advertisers this time! If you want to promote yourself, go for it! Here's the rules:

1.) High-quality recordings only. We know that not everyone has access to professional equipment, but at least sound like you are putting a serious effort into sounding good. If it's staticky, unintelligble, next to silent, or basically unusable, we can't even consider it because

2.) You are responsible for your own editing. Finsihed pieces only please. The less work I have to do the better. Simple tip: keep your background music a LOT quieter than you think you should. And please do NOT use copyrighted material. Send records of who the artist is and where you got the background tracks so I can check it out. Anything copyrighted or non open-license for broadcast WILL be rejected because we know that KYFF gets shared a lot and we don't want to piss anyone off.

3.) and this is the biggest one: You must, MUST MUST have a good sense of humor. This is KYFF. You've heard it before, you know what we do, anyone and anything is fair game. By submitting an ad you are agreeing that you understand the potential content of the broadcast may be offensive to some listeners and not reflect your own views and you promise you won't whine and bitch if you don't like what we say. We will NOT be re-editing to remove any ads so if you submit one and we decide to use it, you're just going to have to suck up that if you don't like what the show ends up being about, it's still in there.


Did you miss KYFF in the past? Here you go!

KYFF 1: Art Theft

Part 1: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/443742/
Part 2: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/443743/

KYFF 2: The Furry Dating Game

Part 1: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/536839/
Part 2: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/536835/

KYFF Outtakes: Star Trek and Furries

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/528363/

Enjoy, have fun, not recommended for sensitive listeners or small children!

I know, this is late, I have had a lot going on. :/

This week's featured artist is  bob_buffalo Bob is in his 30's, single, looks REALLY cute in a santa hat, and is probably booking the first flight available to come and kill me right now. :D He's also friendly, sweet, very involved in the community, and has a good head on his shoulders. *hugs Bob*

The featured gift art I've submitted was done for me around a year ago. Since then he's grown immensely as an artist, with a web comic and what has proved to be quite the popular little picture series of some very hot "dad" art. So go and check him out, especially if you love 'em hung like a bull!

Tonight was tensik's debut! I wore him to Zoo Boo at the Bramble Park Zoo, and he was a HUUUUUGEE hit.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g.....k/100_1523.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g.....k/100_1526.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g.....k/100_1514.jpg

Unfortunately the hubby didn't get pictures Tensik playing with childred and interacting. :( But kids warmed up to him very quickly, and a lot of parents asked me to pose for them.

I suited for years at a horror theme park (the original incarnation of Spooky World when it was at the farm in Berlin) and while I am used to the "surprise interactions" - aka getting jumped, your tail pulled, and the like - this was the first time I suited as anything CUTE. It had its plusses for sure, but I was taken completely by surprise for some of it. For example, I sat down on a bench for a few minutes at one point and was waving to people who walked by. All of the sudden I felt a weight in my lap, about 12 pounds or so. Someone had put their BABY in my lap and didn't even let me know they were going to do it. I couldn't even see the kid so I just had to freeze and let them do whatever they were going to do because I couldn't make heads from tails of it. Literally. I think they dressed it like a giraffe.

But I stayed there for two and a half hours, walking around playing with kids, and having a blast, before it was too dark for me to continue safely. The great news is that the suit held up perfectly, even the modifications I made to it, like redoing the mane and the lower legs and the massive fix job I had to do on the feet. There are some downsides, but this is why I took him out well before Midwest, so I could check for other needed changes and see how my own work.

One thing I don't like is how I have to wear his shirt. Tensik is NOT a partial which means I have to go oversized or the suit bunches under his clothes. As such he looks like he's swimming in his top, and I can't tuck it in because of the way I had to do his shorts. What I wouldn't do for a sewing machine so I could do the tail opening right. I had to do the old fashioned cut down the back and velcro over the top, hiding the velcro under a belt. Tens' tail is very wide at the base but even so if I tucked in the shirt it would be very visible through the hole and look pretty stupid. So even though I am not the skinniest person on the face of the earth, he looks a lot wider than he actually is.

I also need to figure out a better way to close up the top of the feet. I LOVE the footpaw construction, but were it me I would have done a larger flap over the top of the foot to hide the opening. I can't just "add" to it because this is a old suit and a bit faded, so there's no matching the cloth.

And lastly I need to shorten the arms. The legs are PERFECT without bunching now (amazing what anklestraps will do for fit; thank you 1986!) but the arms look really crumpled no matter what. The handpaws are too big for my tiny hands but I'm not going to complain about those at all as they can't really be fixed, just replaced, and I won't be wearing him enough to justify the expense.

The last one I can't really do anything about . . . there's no circulation in the head at all, and especially with the clothes he is by far the hottest suit I have ever worn. Zoo Boo takes place outside, and tonight it was at the freezing mark, and I could still take half an hour max of walking around without having to stop for a massive drink of water and some cold air and I was sweating like crazy. With his mane as it is and the way the head is built I still think I may be able to wear a cold pack around my neck to help out a lot, but I think in an indoor environment I'm never going to be able to get too far from the Headless Lounge so I can hydrate, literally like every 10 minutes.

But I know a lot of people were waiting to hear how he worked out. Very well, thanks! :D

Sorry that I didn't do another guest artist this weekend . . . my month rather went to hell pretty quickly where it looked like I wasn't going to go to Midwest (a rather disturbing prospect considering how much I had already inviested in the trip and that Ratsmith was counting on me going). Well, turns out I AM going, for better or for worse, but I won't be selling any art there. The situation has changed such that I have no extra cash for getting any prints ready to sell and so much is up in the air right now that I simply cannot and will not commit to saying that I'm doing a single art-related thing there. If anyone was looking forward to buying prints they can talk to me and I'll take unpaid orders whenever and we'll work out how to get payment to me after the con and I'll get them printed and shipped. But no, no artist's alley for me. I don't even think I'll have anything in the art show (not that I ever got confirmation that I even got panels). Hopefully the donation for the auction will be here in time (it was a joint effort with some back and forth shipping involved) but that will be it for me.

Yeah, don't ask me why I'm even going at this point, I'm not sure myself. :/

In better news, The Pack has grown by one to what has to be a max of four. The person we were hoping would take some time off and travel with Red Swampwulf, Wolfmonkey, and I to Louisiana and Disney World in 2008 has decided to go and so we are all VERY happy about that. If he decides he wants to mention it, there's going to have to be a revised "Road Trip" picture in the works because now mine is WAY off. :D *raises a pint* Here's to the "We Gave Mickey Fleas Tour 2008"!

Um, other than that, not much happening. Wish me luck out in Tensik this Saturday at Zoo Boo. :D

I know I haven't been around, I just got finished working the dreaded day shift while cross-training for another department. Finally I am back on nights, though it will take me a little bit to get really used to the sleep change again. It was rough . . . you don't realize how much you depend on some people as part of your day to day life until you can't see them because of scheduling.

I'm on the initial testing group of a new software program for work . . . one that is going to effectively make my department obsolite. None of us will lose our jobs - they'll just merge us to other departments, including the one I just trained for - but it will likely FINALLY mean that when the program is done I can post into tech support or product compliance since I'll know more about the program than even the management. It'll be SO nice to actually have a shot at something I'd actually like to do.

We're about a year away from the rescheduled, revamped "road trip". A few folks might remember that the original version was for wolfmonkey and I to visit red in Cali, then the two of us drive to South Dakota (a la the "Road Trip" pic). That quickly changed into Red joining us for the whole trip, but he recently moved; now, the plan is for us to meet Red in Louisiana and hang there for a few days, then drive to Orlando and do The World. Now we may be adding a fourth to the pack, but scheduling and other factors are an issue so right now it is just a very hopeful thing. *keeps fingers crossed with a big grin*

I did a lot of work on Tensik today, but nothing worth posting. Little stuff, like adding footstraps so the legs don't ride up, fixing some seams, and removing the mane that was attached to the suit itself (to either be recycled on the head or on the tail tuft). Right now I need to finish his shorts, buy him a new shirt (his is too big), get him a belt, fill in the undermane on the head (he's got gaps around the shoulders), and fix his feet and see how they work. His "debut" is at ZooBoo here in town, an outdoor trick or treating event. The nice thing is it is in the evening, and outside, so I can test him out for a full hour or more and not get overheated. Yay!

I'll put up the next gift artist soon, I just have to get his permission next (I have to delay who I was going to do next, some other factors got involved).

MFF in a month, should be interesting! :D

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/834194/

I can't give him nearly enough love for this, so help me out, folks. XD

(this poem is public domain, and was written in the 1800's by John Godfrey Saxe)



It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind


The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!”

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, “Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!”

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a snake!”

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
“ ‘Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!”


The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!”

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!




This story came up while I was talking to someone today, about how easy it is to misconstrue anyone's words, responses, and intentions, especially online. We all see each other differently, and most of us do NOT see the real us, just a little bit. I know I'm completely guilty of it myself.

So before we go screaming that we are not liked, or pointing fingers at anyone saying that they are a jerk or coming to conclusions based off one one sentance or one journal or one action done or forgotten . . . try to see the whole elephant.



belated thanks to everyone who watched me over the past week! Not that there's going to be much mine of hear appearing for the time being but, thanks anyway!

Like I said last week, for the forseeable future I am going to be using my account to highlight other artists and people in the community. Since there is a "by you for you" rule, I can't pick the best work of people I'd like to show off even with their permission (unless I am posting on their behalf on an account for them - enjoy your FA Rule Reminder of the day!) but must post gift art that they did for me.

So this week's artist is  Johnnyblanco ! If you don't know Johnny, he's one of those people who has been in the fandom since before the dinosaurs, is a known con fixture as Savannah, and is also an artist with a very recognizable style who is working at establishing himself in that side of the fandom. He's a gorgeous tiger with huge leathery wings (though I'll let him give you a more detailed description of his species and forms) who has a "thing' for balloons and pool toys! He's also just an all-around great person who would do anything for a friend . . . the type of person you are proud to have at your back. :)

The pic I'm posting from him he did a few months ago, and while he's done a couple of Tensik (you'll have to go browse his gallery for the rest!) this is my favorite and he was kind enough to send me the original.

So go say hello to an awesome tiger!!!

Ever see a piece of art that you look at it and you suddenly realize that even your best piece ever, just could never hold a candle to the time and effort in another piece of art? And suddenly your efforts feel very, very small and insignificant?

Do you know that feeling? I got it when I saw this one. Not for dial-up. ;)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped.....er_7-119-3.jpg

My gut reaction to something like that piece is "wow, imagine how it must have felt to finish that . . . wonder if I could do something that epic?" And it kind of makes you wonder how worthwhile on a spiritual level of sorts, our little one piece wonders are. Or at least it makes ME wonder. it's not a bad, self-pity wonder, but more like a happy curiosity tempered by "real life = like I actually have the time for that . . . . ".

How about you folks, artists or craftspersons or writers or whatnot? Ever see something like that that just drives you a little bit further into wanting to do something truely worthwhile in a different way?

So this is what I did. :)

I sat there with my finger hovering over the remove button for a very long time. It's TOUGH deciding to wipe a gallery to next to nothing, you know that? But I did it. And once I got going . . . it felt good. :)

I couldn't do it all though. Originally I was going to take it down to JUST the KYFF recordings (I couldn't wipe those, Ice's gallery depends on them in part) and a few pictures of Tensik for references in case anyone wanted to draw him (everyone keeps character references up if they have them, after all). But there were some it was really, really tough to delete, and some I just simply couldn't, at least not yet. There was just too much between me and their players, or the piece just really meant too much to me, or marked something major, or any other reason. I actually reuploaded a couple of older ones simply because if I am going to keep a tiny record here, they belonged and I think should not have been deleted in the first place back when I first took them down. Some that I took down may surprise people, but actually some of the first ones to go were ones that were made "privately" as cheer-up pieces, or ones that the real meaning was between myself and the recipient. Taking them down, to me, made those pieces just a little more special. And there's more that I will take down, I know it, I just need to sleep on it more. :)

If I did a picture for you and it is no longer up, you are welcome to post it to your own galleries, of course, both old art and if I email you a gift. If you don't have a copy of soemthing I did for you and you'd like one, let me know by PM. If you drew ME something, can you post permission for me to put it in my gallery here if you don't mind? Beyond the little history I'll keep, I REALLY want this to be more of a showcase for my friends from now on!

New art that I do will now go up to my website, and I'll give a heads up in a journal if I post anything . . . well, worthwhile. And I'll keep the darktensik account here going as well if something is fitting for that since I don't look at it anyway, it's more of a holding bin.

So, if you are watching looking for me to post art . . . sorry. What you see, right now, is what you'll get from here on out, at least for a goodly while; maybe I'll change my mind in another year. You'll still see some great art posted here from now on, just not by my hand!

As they say, "And now for something completely different." Everyone, thanks for watching, but it's time for me to just go back to being a little lion for a while. :3 Unclick if you like.

Long. Which, if you know me, is not unusual.

So . . . HI! Thanks to everyone who has watched and fav'd and commented and everything while I have been gone for practically a month. Where have I been? . . . well, just not here. Not anywhere really, odd thing is that one day i just didn't log in and then I didn't the next day and before I knew it it was the end of the month and I was saying 'holy fuck, when was the last time I went to FA?"I popped in quick when Robert Jordan died simply because it was a biline on CNN and I knew a lot of people would miss the news but that was it. I've been going to the gym every day for an hour or two, and I restarted my Warcraft account (and will be cancelling again most likely, just isn't holding my interest still), and working and spending the wee hours of the morning with Wolfmonkey and Saraya and Fal. The break was good! Relaxing. I did almost no art and just didn't care. The one piece I did do was for a craft show that had nothing to do with the fandom and it generated 5 commissions from people at work; two of people's dogs, some photo retouching, a spiritual piece, and a still life of teddy bears for a baby's room. I took them, though I didn't have any enthusiasm for it. After all, Christmas is coming.

But I didn't want to draw, not a bit. And I couldn't figure out why, other than it didn't make me happy any more. I felt like King Haggard. But I still kicked myself a little tiny bit, because that time I checked in I saw a long list of watchers, and comments, and that little voice said "you should do something or they'll lose interest". But then Thaden logged in. And then I had to go to bed, and then to the gym, and then work . . . and the feeling was gone again.

Jump forward to earlier this week, and a rare day with little to do and other people to chat with. In the course of my conversation with someone, I had what you might call . . . an existential meltdown. Yeah, I hate that commercial too, but it fits. My gut reactions to some of what the person I was speaking to said disgusted me so much (my feelings, not the individual's words) that I had to take a very long look back over myself as an artist, myself in the fandom, and all that. My first impulse was to honestly stop drawing and walk away from it . . . .

. . . this was because I realised I'd started actually caring about the things that I swore I never would. The number of watchers I had, to me, was just "cool". If it went up, nice, of it went down, eh (though I tried to figure out why). But when presented with a situation where the number of watchers I had actually really counted to someone else, and I realised I was mad I didn't have more, it hit me like a ton of bricks that it had stopped being an idle diversion, and I was creeping way too close to that line of being one of those artists who is more concerned about being popular and how many people see what they do than having fun and making friends and just showing themselves. I HATE that. So of course at that point I hated myself. And then it just got worse as later I started listening to my gut reactions to things this person was saying and the more I did the more I realized how bad I had gotten.

So I sat back, thought, and talked to some friends (thanks, Sar, and Fal, and Thaden, and Johnny) because I was ready to ship off my tablet before truely turning into that type of artist. They all councelled patience and sleep on it and I'd figure out what to do. *chuckles* Of course Wolfmonkey was the bluntest, he just thinks I went off my rocker for a bit. And people wonder why I love him. :D Anyway, I ultimately decided, mostly, that what I would do is just pull most of my stuff out of here; use it as a gallery not for me, but for my friends. Only put up things that other people drew for ME, not what I drew for other people. Move my own art over to my website - and that's it - so that the numbers game didn't become my reason for posting here again. Let other people take the hits if I drew something for them and let others show it off (HERE, or their site, but no chans or crap like that); but me? Here? Just the lion. The person. *grins wistfully* And the people who only care about hot art and hanging around popular people would drift away. I'd be back to just drawing for fun, for me and me alone (on my site) or to make other people happy (for their pages here).

But I didn't yank everything down. Yet. As you can see. Or this would be an "OMG!!!!1! Whar hiz/hur/itz art goez??" post. Because I kept my promise and I'm still thinking. And as I thought I still just didn't want to draw. Johnnyblanco had said that it wasn't fair if I stopped because I'd be taking it away from other people and it made them happy. My real reaction (keeping in mind I love you, Johnny)? Was that that sort of "you owe others" was a crock. You know, the whole entitlement thing, furs are entitled to be able to enjoy others work because they want to type of thing.

Well Johnny, this part of the story is for you.

Yesterday I was at work, and as I had my back to the outside of the cubicle doing some shit on the computer, I heard this sniffling behind me. There was a woman there that I'm on a committee with, and she had a disk and a photo in her hand, and she was crying. I jumped up of course and asked what was wrong and she gave a little smile and asked if I could draw something for her. And she handed me a picture of a two day old baby, wrapped in a blanket, with tubes and IV's poking out everywhere. And then she explained that her baby died the next day, and she wanted me to draw a picture without all the tubes and everything.

So NOW I know what you mean, Johnny. And you ARE right.

As for the rest of it, I'm still deciding what to actually do. If I drew something for you I suggest you snag it now if you haven't already, because I may pull it down off of here shortly. It's YOU guys; and you always deserved the looks because those characters are your ideas anyway. :) but if the pics disappear from here you'll know that any that aren't yet will be up on my site soon enough.

6 weeks to MFF! *boogies*