I guess I'm at a point in my life where convention reports and "play-by-play" documentaries just aren't the thing for me. Either that, or the days of a furry convention just bleed into each other, warping my sense of time and space for the precious few days that they happen. It's maddening and joyous at the same time. You don't want to stop what you're doing for fear of missing an opportunity, but at the same time, if you don't stop to look around you and take everything in, you'll miss everything.

(In other words, yeah, I had an awesome time.) :-)

One thing that IS a constant for me, though, are the shout-outs...and this convention was no exception.

( I never remember all of them, so please forgive me if I don't mention you here... )

On my way home from the convention, I made a side-trip to Rosemont to check out the new hotel for 2010. I think I can honestly say that in some aspects, the preview video which debuted during Closing Ceremonies doesn't do this place justice...it's freaking HUGE!! Just by driving around the property, though, I can see some things which may be problematic...but I'll wait for more information to come out about the area before jumping to any conclusions.

For now, though...I've got an after-con mess to clean up. (Joy... :-P)

I'm at the main hotel...staying in Room #706. :-)

Conventions Attended:

Anthrocon: 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09
ConFURence 11
Furry Connection North: 08, 09
Further Confusion: 08
MFF: 06, 08, 09
Morphicon: 08

Planned, but not attended:

MegaPlex: 09
MFF: 07
Morphicon: 06

Planned for future:
2009: MFF Done!
2010: FC, FCN, Anthrocon (Definite)
MegaPlex, MFF (Not decided yet)

Copied from multiple LJs, most recently from wildbilltx.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)".

( Read more... )

Today is the birthday of someone who I had the pleasure of meeting face to face this past weekend during Anthrocon. So...

Happy Birthday, abrahmlion! Hope it's a great one for you. *hugs*

Hello from back home at the FoxTail Den. All I have to say about AC right now is...WOW. Biggest furry party in the world, lots of great people who I got to meet for the first time, new friendships made, old friendships reinforced, and...just...wow.

Pics are being processed as we speak...I'll provide a link to them within the next couple of days along with my summary of the madness that was AC-2009.

But for now...tired foxie is tired. Later, y'all.
*THUD*

...zzzz...

Pre-Report Commencing...

I wish there was a way I could put into words just exactly how I'm feeling right now. For me, Sunday evening at Anthrocon is THE MOST MAGICAL time. I could be dead tired, angry at everything in the furry fandom, and ready to leave it forever (...only to sheepishly return the following week... ;-D), but when Sunday night rolls around, none of those feelings really make sense anymore.

I am so NOT looking forward to tomorrow morning. When I get home, I'll post more about the past four days and what I experienced here. But for now...there's a furry convention that's winding down, and I intend on soaking up every last minute of it!

Hi there. ^.^

I don't do things like this very often, but I've gotten curious about who reads my LJ. There are people who I know have me on their "Friends" list and seem to know when I sporadically post onto my site. However, I don't think I know who you are. Maybe I already do and just don't recognize your LJ name yet. Maybe you're a complete stranger who heard about me from someone else. Maybe you're just some random bloke who stumbled upon my account and found enough interesting stuff to keep watching.

If you're one of these people, I have a question: Who are you? Feel free to reply here and let me know. The comments to this entry will be screened so only I'll read them.

But please...make yourself known to me. :-)

I haven't updated my LJ in a while, so I figure I should give you a rundown of what's been going on in my life as of late.

( Read more... )

Hope your lives are going well...and if you're going, I'll see you at AC!

Last year, FCN surpassed all expectations for a first-year convention. Despite having a hotel which was...well, not-so-satisfactory on many fronts, the people who ran the convention set a very high standard for the con. In some ways, it was almost unfair to expect more of the same. Nobody really knew whether or not the successes of last year could be repeated.

( Read more... )

For those of you who are interested in my record of the convention, I have my pics available for viewing at:
http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/jj145/FoxTailFotos/FCN-2009/
Pictures are divided into separate folders on the left-hand side of the page. If you identify any of your suits in here, write back to me and let me know where they are. Also, the pics I have here are available in supermegaHUGE formats if you would like the original. Just let me know. :-)

Just got back to my apartment after spending the weekend in Michigan for Furry Connection North. Great time, awesome con, unbelievable experiences...just...wow. :-)

I'll put my thoughts together over the next day or so for a wrap-up of the weekend. But first, there's laundry to do, groceries to be bought, and pics to be uploa...

*THUD*

...zzzzzzz...

...so I'll ask a simple question.

What will you be doing two weeks from today?

...baconcoyote! Hope you've had a great one!
^.^

You know, for as modern as I think I am, I'm VERY naive technology-wise when it comes to some of the people I associate myself with. For the longest time I couldn't even think of owning a cell phone. Now I have one...I hardly use it, but thankfully it doesn't count against me too much (thank you Virgin Mobile!). I also have this LJ, and if you're reading this now, you know just how often I keep you guys up to date on stuff.

So why - WHY - would I even consider using such a service as Twitter when I'm as connected (NOT!) as I already am? I'm not exactly sure myself, but as of 10 minutes ago, I have my own Twitter account.

...

...yeah, I'm not sure where this is going either.

Let's see what comes of this.
:-P

I guess it's been far too long since I've actually updated my LJ post, and if any of you out there are reading this, I have an update for all y'all. :-)

( Click here for more! ^.^ )

...you would love it here right now. I'm looking out of my window to the parking lot of my apartment complex, and it's one GIGANTIC sheet of ice. I'm supposed to be at a seminar today, but I don't think anyone will be upset if I don't show up. My area is under a Level II emergency, and frankly, I don't WANT to drive right now.

*sighs and snuggles back up to his bowl of oatmeal*

Now, I'll admit that I'm not the greatest person in the world when it comes to making and following resolutions. In 2008, I didn't really set any goals or aspirations for myself...so while I can't say I was disappointed in that respect, I also can't claim any personal victories for the year. And ambivalence towards yourself is not a good feeling to have.

SO...after taking some consideration over the past couple of weeks, I've decided to make resolutions for the upcoming new year AND I'm posting them here for your review.

( If you don't care to read them, you can move on...otherwise, click to continue. )

Here's hoping you have a safe and happy New Year's celebration, and that 2009 is a great year for you.
CHEERS! :-D

Wow...just...wow.

Today has been a bumpy road for me as far as feelings toward MFF go. During the past couple of days, I've been complaining about how taxing the con has been for me physically. In a way, I'm almost glad to see it end. But then, it occurred to me that this was the final day and real life awaited me back home. Things like this make me question whether or not the trip was worth it at all. (I guess I'm manic that way...)

And now, after winning a piece in the Art Auction, participating in a couple rounds of "Are You a Werewolf?", dinner with my roommates, and the Dead Dog Party which I got to be a part of, I'm riding on a convention high. And as good as I feel now, it makes me a bit worried about how bad the crash will be once the high wears off. At the very least, I hope I make it back home before any symptoms of PCD set in.

I'll sort out my feelings on the trip home tomorrow...final MFF wrap-up will be posted tomorrow.
^.^

I know I said that I'd be having daily updates with MFF...I'm sorry for not doing so, but I hope this brief highlights post will do:

Day 1:
(Steve_Balmer) Attendees, attendees, attendees, attendees... (/Steve_Balmer) ^.^
I don't know how big this year's MFF is, but if the crowd on Friday was any indicator, it's FRIGGIN' HUGE. Which made Friday evening all the more interesting...since some dipweed lit up in the stairwell of the hotel and managed to set off the fire alarm. *grrrrs* This stupid stunt pretty much put a damper on things for the convention from here on out. Maybe by the end of the night tonight, things will have loosened up...but that's yet to be seen.
AAANYway...

Day 2:
Big highlight for me was the fursuit parade. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of suiters which made up the parade (well over 300 by most guesstimations), and the number of new suits in the parade. In a word, WOW. (Pics will be forthcoming, and there will be a link to them in my wrap-up post.) Another highlight was the drum circle. Not too many participants, but there were enough to lay some SERIOUS grooves...another good time for all. The Saturday dance, for me, was also enjoyable, with the only hitch being a half-hour delay due to technical issues. Great mix of music that kept the floor packed for nearly the whole dance, and a laser light show provided by (the furry formerly known as LordSkandranon).

One more daily report to come, followed by the wrap-up...stay tuned.
^.^

Colin FoxTail here coming to you live from The Den at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, IL...home for MFF-08. For the next few days, I'll be logging in here to give periodic reports of observations, some OMG-COOL! stuff which may happen, and other miscellaneous things. Today, it's first impressions.

The new convention hotel is STUNNING. The foyer space has high ceilings and beautiful architectural accents, and the hallways are BIG. There should be plenty of room for spontaneous gathering and some semblance of movement at the same time...I say this though knowing that this very well may change. :-) The room I have seems to be quite big, too...and believe me I'll need all the space I can get. Tomorrow when my roomates get here, we'll see just how big the room really is.

Furry conventions seem to get more energy early on, and from what I've seen so far, MFF is no exception. I'm really impressed with the suits I've seen so far, and the convention hasn't even started yet! (There is a certain picture of a character who wore a very interesting outfit...but you'll have to wait for the wrap-up to see it.) ;-)

Tomorrow the convention starts officially...I'll be back to give a highlight report then.

From Wheeling, IL...Colin FoxTail for FTN News...back to you. ^.^