With the start of a new year comes my first annual convention to attend: Anthro New England 2026! My homeland furry con. And this year, we were VERY crowded, with 7,284 attendees in total! Crazy to think that ten years ago, ANE 2016 had only 965 attendees, and now we've grown so much, with Anime Boston-level attendance numbers now! Also, because the main hotel (Westin Boston Waterfront) sold out in just 30 seconds after the room block opened back in fall, me and my friend  SquirrellyJ roomed together at one of the overflow hotels: the Aloft Boston Seaport District, just a short walk across from the Westin. While it was a bit inconvenient, it was better than having to commute every day! I got up early around 6 AM on Friday morning so I could catch a 7:24 AM train into Boston, that way after taking a Silver Line bus to the waterfront I could arrive right in fursuit and get in line for registration badge pick-up! After that came the opening ceremonies, and then I was able to check into me and my friend's hotel room.

Read the full con report HERE, with extra pictures I didn't post on this site...
https://wile-e2005.livejournal.com/288271.html

I also hosted my YouTube Poops 101 panel later this afternoon with a huge turnout! Because of the size of the panel room I was assigned to, we ended up reaching the maximum room capacity! But I'm glad we all had fun with my panel, and am enjoying my furry legacy relating to YTPs.
But because of a snowfall moving in that evening, I missed the Closing Ceremonies, since they started later than usual, combined with my needing to catch a certain MBTA commuter train for home, and I did indeed manage to make the train, with it running surprisingly on time!
We ended up raising $50,000 for both our charities. And next year, Anthro New England is having a "sleepytime" theme, all with pajamas and pillows. It sounds like such a cute idea! And it's making me a little drowsy now and eager to sleep in my own nice warm bed...