Hello Furs,

In April, I attended Australia's largest furry convention, FurDU. I went with Deer and Dandy on a road trip there and back. I have to say, it was nice to be back at FurDU after several years' absence. I loved the drive up, where we stopped at Coffs Harbour's Big Banana for a photo opportunity. Arriving on Thursday night, we went around to Camp Tucker Husky, where we enjoyed his hospitality with bacon cheeseburgers. It was a wild night where we cut loose a bit.

That said, FurDU 2026 marked the first convention I've attended while abstaining from alcohol. I've decided that I need to cut out alcohol as the next step on my now multi-year-long health journey. People can end up majoring in the minors, for example, worried about forever chemicals while drinking a known poison in alcohol. Grog is the next low-hanging fruit that I can eliminate in my quest for a healthy lifestyle. It was important that I prove to myself that I can indeed "stop anytime I want to."

I wasn't a total killjoy. I allowed myself to enjoy ice cream sundaes and chocolate every day I was up in Queensland. I say no to those foods most days, so I can say yes while on my holiday. It was good going out with Deer and Dandy and enjoying the familiar sights up in Surfers Paradise. I remembered past FurDU's and even NeonFur and times up there in Queensland.

My objectives for FurDU this year were to unabashaly strut my stuff. I am slim, and Braxton's alteration was completed in time, so I flaunted my hard work. I still find it completely wild that I now have a similar build to many of the people I used to envy for being in shape. Many years of self-delusion that it was not possible for me to obtain such a body type have been shattered. I once settled for being obese, and now I know I am the one in control of that aspect of myself. This is hard to explain to people who have always looked after themselves and never put themselves in that position.

I was super stoked to get a photo with one of my fursuit crushes, Auggie, both with human me and with Braxton. It's one of those parasocial things where I don't know the person but enjoy their character design. So, matters more to me than them. I am sure a lot of that goes on in this internet age. I didn't neglect getting photos with Deer and some very cute ones at that. I loved hanging with him and also Dandy. I think we made good hotel roommates without drama during the convention. The BEST highlight was making it to closing time with both Deer and Dandy; it was a must! I loved dancing together and the emotional part of the night.

I was happy to see Rippa. I must confess, they had a bit of a glow-up thanks to some dental work and a stylish shirt they were wearing. I was glad to catch up with Zaroski one morning and talk about life and heavier topics. It was also good to see Draggo, Cinny and Fyro and chat for a bit. I think a few people were surprised by my (and Braxton's) new look. Regretably, EDS wasn't there, so I couldn't thank them in person for the updated bodysuit.

I was conservative with the Dealer's Den this year, only visiting on the Sunday. I purchased a cross-body bag, dragon tee, anubis tag, pink panther stickers, redline layard and a leather card holder. The trend is for more wearable furry things than art. I'm loving the apparel available now, very cool things on offer.

Thanks for the good times, even the folks whom I didn't mention or get much of a chance to hang out with. These conventions are a very much a play-it-by-ear thing for me now. For example, the one thing Deer and I planned to do, the deer group photo, was missed due to line con. The advice I harp on to people about "No Promises, No Disappointments" rang true for FurDU. Until next year, fuzzies.