I am now truly a Square. Seven squared that is.

It's an interesting age as I'm still young enough in body to do quite a lot. In fact, just yesterday I biked twelve miles in about an hour and felt invigorated. And this last Summer I was able to go camping for eight full days with my daughter and had a wonderful time, felt very much alive. But I'm also recognizing my age in various ways. I definitely do not have the energy I once did and find that staying up late, even at cons, just isn't something my body can do anymore. I manage to have a great time, but I'm definitely more laid back about things than I would have been ten to twenty years ago.

I am grateful that I was able to do that camping trip this Summer. Just my daughter and I camping for eight straight days at Pennsylvania State Parks. We did a lot of fun stuff together, including swimming, biking (twenty miles in three hours, which is the most my daughter has ever done), pet and feed deer, and a good bit of hiking. And the both of us got really good at putting up and tearing down the tent. And I was delighted how quickly I settled back into camping mode, and how little trouble I had sleeping on a cot for eight days. It was the most fun I've had with my daughter all year long.

As for my daughter, she's not yet a teenager, but she may as well be. Gone are the days of Bluey and Duck Tales. Now it's Demon Slayer, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and the like. The days of reading books together are also gone, and I say that with heavy heart. I know that this is a natural part of growing up that the child will grow away from the parent. But it is a difficult transition and likely the hardest part of the years ahead. It is not that we do not enjoy time together (see camping trip), but that our relationship has changed and continues to change and we both must figure it out.

While I have not written too much in the last year, one thing I have started doing again is reading for myself. I've finished a few books in the last few months and I hope to finish a few more before the year is done. This is better than endlessly playing video games, though I've done a bit of that too.

I suppose what is becoming more pertinent to me as I near the 50 mark and beyond (already thinking what retirement could look like) is something I read from a book a number of years ago. The book is T. M. Doran's "Toward the Gleam" which is a historical novel from the mid-twentieth century I highly recommend. At one point the main character meets a woman who attempts to seduce him and he nearly falls for it. Decades later in the epilogue he meets the same woman again. His own life since the events of the book has seen his marriage and raising a family; but the woman kept trying to do the same things she could in her youth, including seducing men in their twenties and thirties; and she was failing miserably and looked ridiculous to boot. There is a natural order to aging that medical science has not changed, merely extended. I'm not in my 20s or 30s anymore, and that's okay. I'm not going to pretend either.

That means some opportunities are closed to me, but many are still open, and many adventures still lay ahead. But part of my adventures now is to prepare my daughter for her own adventures which will begin sooner rather than later. She's already talking about getting a part-time job to help raise money! Ah, I love her and am so proud of her.

So I'm 49 now... one year away from half a century. Life is full of hope and I'm grateful to God for the years I've had and the years yet to come. May all of you on your birthdays/hatchdays be able to say the same!

My previous hatch/birthday journals are here.

37: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5036489/
38: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6092268/
39: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7018568/
40: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7796928/
41: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8402940/
42: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8867733/
43: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9257568/
44: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9608508/
45: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9980730/
46: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10322726/
47: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10681077/
48: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10949841/

Dominus vobiscum

For the first time since both Anthrocon and I moved to Pittsburgh I'm going to be skipping Anthrocon. I love the con, but family vacation plans just make it impossible this year (and my family always comes before furry). So, I will miss all you fine furries and scalies and birdies and so forth and hope to see you again next time I'm able to make a con. Everyone have a great time and stay safe!

Dominus vobiscum

Thursday

As always, I left home around 6 AM. Back in September I had to buy a new vehicle, and my new I mean new, and actual brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee. And I love the car. The trip up to Canada went smooth as silk and I was astonished at how awesome my gas mileage was.

My plan was to meet with  Fulminar in Niagara Falls and see the sights before heading to the Westin Friday morning (we hadn't been able to book the room for Thursday night back when the room block opened). However, a few minutes after crossing into Canada, the service connection to my phone went crazy and I lost my map. I pulled off to the side of the road to get it straightened back out; had I been heading to Fulminar's place I would have just kept going since I have done it so many times I know the route, but I was going some place I'd never been before and didn't want to be without the map. Well, freak accident happened, a passing vehicle kicked up a rock that slammed into my back windshield like a hammer, spiderwebbing the entire thing immediately. I remained calm then, got my map back up, found the hotel where I was meeting Fulminar, at which point most of the glass collapsed into the back of my Jeep. Fulminar went inside and got the address of a nearby glass place, and we headed over there, but they would not have been able to replace it until Monday. They did put crash wrap over it so it would be protected against the elements, but now my car was a mobile invitation for theft. We drove down to Clifton Heights looking for secure parking, but there wasn't anything. So I called the Westin and managed to secure a non-refundable room for Thursday night; the parking garage at the hotel is valet only and about as secure as I was going to get. We grabbed Fulminar's stuff from the hotel room, stopped by his house for the rest of his luggage, and then headed on in to Toronto.

We were able to get into the valet parking and get up into our room without too much trouble. We then picked up our badges and wandered over to the Dealer's Den to pick up our supersponsor swag. The T-Shirt is excellent this year and I know I'll be wearing it at future cons. I was able to wander the Dealer's Den area for a bit staying out of the way while some Dealer's set things up. I chatted with  Pakesh,  hbruton,  SpiderDragon,  CatMonkShiro, and  Nyomi a bit while I was there and that helped me for a while as I was able to say hi, catch up a bit, and vent about my ill fortune.

Eventually Fulminar and I ate at the hotel restaraunt and then headed back up to the room for the night. I'd tried to check out the Game Room, but there was nothing to do but look at the games and chat with the folks running it, neither of whom I knew. So we did a bit of channel surfing and chatting as I vainly tried not to dwell on what happened. I zonked around 10 PM.


Friday

We woke up around 6:00 - 6:30 and headed down to the Mizzen for the buffet breakfast. It opened at 7 AM so we had to wait only a few minutes. The Jeep dealership I bought my car at opened at 8 AM, so I gave their service number a call and after getting transferred to the Body Shop was able to get an estimate on replacing the back windshield of my car. It took an hour after I hung up before I had the estimate, but once I did, I felt immense relief as it was cheaper than I was expecting it would be (still not cheap, ended up spending less than usual in the Dealer's Den because of it). I was able to get an appointment for the repair set up for Tuesday and once that was done, I felt the weight lift and I was finally able to start enjoying the con.

I attended opening ceremonies with Fulminar, then headed up to the Dealer's Den to get in with the other Supersponsors. I stopped by the Guest of Honor's table first. This year it was  Teaselbone. I had half an idea of a sketch I could ask of him, but he wasn't doing con sketches this time, so I opted just to pick up a trio of stickers (Wily E Coyote, Bowser, and Gideon Grey); his first time in Canada so I wanted him to have a good time. I then went to  Anyare to give her my sketchbook for her to sketch me in the theme of the con (Monsters in Toronto). I then spent a bit of time browsing the den looking for other things I might want, but most especially for things I could buy for my wife and daughter.

My browsing was pleasantly interrupted by the arrival of  Cobalt_K and  WolfFriend, my other long-time roomies for Furnal. I went back to the Westin lobby to give them their room keys and help them find registration. We chatted briefly with promises for more later before I headed back to the Dealer's Den to continue my browsing. I was able to spend some time chatting with  hbruton and  SandySchreiber about how I and they were doing and of course I shared with them my sketch ideas with a promise I'd get them my book tomorrow. I also talked to Shiro about a sketch commission, but there would never be time for it so I opted to snag some of his transformation stickers instead. While visiting with my dear friend  SpiderDragon, I was pleased to meet  Utunu who was sitting with her helping sell her merch as well as his own books. Like many of you, I have admired the amazing artwork he's commissioned of his African Wild Dog characters over the years. We had a nice conversation about writing and universe building and of course I brought up Metamor Keep.

I snagged some specialty tea and coffee for my family before heading back to the game room to meet up with WolfFriend and Cobalt. We played a game called Villainous where each person is a Disney Villain trying to win their own story and keep the others from winning theirs. I played Rattigan from The Great Mouse Detective (no, I couldn't do the Vincent Price voice), while WolfFriend was Prince John from Robin Hood, and Cobalt was Jafar from Alladin. It was a really interesting game because each character had different mechanics and win conditions. I had to get the Robot Queen to Buckingham Palace as my initial mission, but one of the other players dropped Basil on my board and was able to destroy the Robot Queen. At that point Rattigan's goal changed to vanquish Basil. Which I managed to do the very next round because I had the cat in my hand and well, Basil made a nice bulge in her belly for my victory. Muahahahaha!

I think we played some other games as well but I cannot recall what specifically we played, but it was a fun afternoon. I went back to the Dealer's Den and bought a Bismuth figurine of a lizard for my daughter to celebrate her getting a Bearded Dragon for her birthday (the Beardie's name is Athena and she's doing quite well). I then went to the Prehistoric Meet and Greet where I ended up chatting with  Seadog_driftwood and another fur whose name I never caught. The panel wasn't well organized and everyone just sat at their tables talking with their existing friends and no attempt was made to get people to interact beyond that. Disappointing, but I enjoyed chatting with Seadog at least.

Afterward my Roomies and I went to Firkin's for dinner. WolfFriend shared a huge pretzel with me as an appetizer for which I'm grateful. Afterwards we stopped by a convenience store and each bought a little something to snack; I grabbed a couple of Aero Bars as I can't find them in the States. When we got back to the room it was pretty late so we broke out Betrayal at the House on the Hill for our nightly game. Cobalt ended up being the traitor and had some zombies or something chasing after us. WolfFriend's character was already pretty beat up by the first half of the game and was killed. But I managed to use the Mystic Elevator to snatch all of Cobalt's and WolfFriend's items including the revolver and managed to take out the Madman and the zombies or whatever it was, so the heroes won!

At that point it was very late so we all called it a night.


Saturday

Started the morning with breakfast at the Mizzen with Fuminar and Cobalt. Afterward Cobalt and I ended up in the game room and played a month of Land of Galzyr. Land of Galzyr is a persistent adventure board game where you play as one of four characters in a fictional land who travel between cities and go on adventures that can change the world in little or big ways. I played the kingfisher character and on my first turn I ended up helping this noble family overthrow the government in their city; I wasn't sure which side I would have really sided had I known a bit more of the backstory, but I was jumping into a world I only knew a little bit about and so I decided to stick with the folks who hired me and well, that's what happened. It was a fantastic way to start, and while none of the other missions I did quite lived up to the first one, the other characters helped evacuate a town before a volcano destroyed it, and also helped invaders take control of part of the capital city (again, by accident, they thought they were trying to stop them and misinterpreted the situation). It's really a fantastic game though you can only order it through their website. I'm so glad Cobalt introduced me to it last year.

The game took all morning and some of the afternoon, at which point Cobalt had a panel to do and I headed over to the Dealer's Den to check on my sketchbook. Anyare had finished my sketch and it looked awesome (will post soon). I then handed my book to Heather and Sandy as well as arranged our Roomies pic with Heather. I shopped a little bit more for my daughter and snagged her some stickers since I didn't really like the look of any of the shirts there. I then headed to the TFTuesday Live Podcast Panel with WolfFriend and Cobalt. I don't usually do podcasts but it was a fun show and I got the chance to suggest Roger Zelazny's "Lord of Light" so that was good. Afterwards I got into my Rat suit and wandered the con space for a bit, making sure all my artist friends had a chance to see me in suit. A few noted I'd had it for a long time (since 2012). I've kept it in such good shape because I only wear it a few times a year.

My Rodents! panel was next and I managed to do the whole panel while in suit, first time in a few years I've pulled that off! It was a good panel with about thirty furs in attendance, including many first timers. I kept the conversation moving as I usually do by getting everyone to discuss why we love Rodents, and the influences we've had from stories, to movies, to TV, to games. Once folks started talking it went really well and there was never a dull moment. I wish more folks would do their social panels like this.

Afterward I got back out of suit and my roomies and I all went to the Olde Spaghetti Factory for a well-earned dinner. I almost wished I'd factory-sized it because I could have eaten a bit more, but that probably would have been too much. It snowed a little on us on the way back to the hotel, and I was very glad to get back inside. The elevators were slammed though and it took a long time before we got back to the room. So long in fact that we opted for another game of Betrayal rather than Land of Galzyr like we had planned. It was still fun and Cobalt got to be the traitor again. This time he was a mad scientist calling us monkeys and trying to capture us and put us back in our cages. We were able to evade him and his minions long enough to destroy his secret lab and win the game.



Sunday

WolfFriend and I headed to morning Mass at St. Michael's Cathedral to start the day. The Mass was beautiful with a boy's choir doing all the singing. After we got back, I headed to the Dealer's Den to pick up my sketches and bought a few more stickers for my daughter. I then spent more time in the Game Room; played a few rounds of Happy Little Dinosaurs with WolfFriend as I missed getting in on another round of Land of Galzyr. After a little quiet time in the Game Room I went back for one last round through the Dealer's Den making sure to spend some time chatting with my friends there as it could be a year before I see them again.

After the Den closed I headed to Closing Ceremonies with Fulminar and enjoyed all the numbers from attendees, fursuiters, charity, etc... And then they finally announced the theme for next year. We'll be going into space as well as enjoying our last time at the Westin Harbour Castle. I have loved space since I was a kid so this theme will definitely be one I look forward to!

I dropped my furry stuff off in the room and then assembled in the lobby for our annual pilgrimage to Mandarin's for the final meal with friends. Shiro led us on the subways and on the shuttle bus as the station we needed was closed for construction. Mandarin was fantastic as always and we all had a great time stuffing ourselves. It was a little bittersweet knowing this could be our penultimate subway ride. But we've had many great years at the Westin and we still have one more to go.

That night we made enough time to play Land of Galzyr. I played the kingfisher agian and while nothing quite as momentous happened as in Saturday's game, it was nevertheless a satisfying series of adventures that started off with helping secure supplies to rebuild the town destroyed by the volcano. I do hope that I'll be able to play again next year and I think I'd like to play the kingfisher character again too.

Monday

Monday morning started with paying for the hotel and initiating checkout, followed by one last breakfast at the Mizzen with Fulminar and Cobalt. Luggage was packed and goodbyes were said. My car was thankfully unmolested during its stay in the hotel parking garage and after loading up our things, we bid adieu to Cobalt and WolfFriend. I drove Fulminar back to his place; it was definitely louder in the car with the crash wrap over the back window, but usually only when another vehicle was close behind me in any lane. Fulminar played our traditional "Try Everything", hearkening back to FE 2016 when we all went to see Zootopia together. That pleasant tradition cheered me some. After dropping him off I headed to the border crossing, got through easily (contrary to what everybody was predicting, it was one of the easiest crossings I've experienced), and then managed to finish the long drive home in record time.

FE 2025 was a good experience, and while I know I've missed mentioned the times I chatted with a few folks (notably  DaiCymru,  Leo.The.Ninja.Lion,  Kokuei, and  Faclan and a few others) but it's been a crazy time since trying to get things repaired (car repair went smooth at least). There were a few folks I know who were there I didn't get to see, but that's how cons go sometimes.

I am looking forward to next year, when hopefully we won't have quite so dramatic a time!

Dominus vobiscum

I have now seen five Years of the Dragon. Forty-eight years. And I've been in the fandom for twenty-nine of those years. And married for over half my life. Goodness gracious.

My daughter is starting sixth grade. She is trying to draw more furry stuff in addition to the anime stuff she likes to draw. She loves running around with those real raccoon tails clipped to her belt loop. She's doing cheerleading, drama club, cross-country, and even will get the chance to learn the flute this year in school. She is one of our parish's best altar servers. I'm so proud of her and so blessed to have her in my life. Yes, she's also starting to think her father is embarassing when around her friends, but I know she still loves me and wants me in her life as I want to be her father. Teenage angst has not yet come and for that I'm also grateful.

My wife started a new job last month that she actually enjoys even if she's not happy with working full-time. But for now we kind of need it. I'm just glad it doesn't exhaust her physically and emotionally the way her old job could. So that's definitely a plus.

We had a wonderful family vacation this Summer. We spent two full weeks visiting Maine and New Hampshire. I hadn't been in Maine in fourteen years but it felt so familiar. My wife and I both agree that we wish we could afford a Summer home up near Bar Harbor. The White Mountains of New Hampshire have a different kind of beauty than the rocky Atlantic coasts, but both are dear to my heart and I wish we could have spent more time in both. But the best part is, we were together as a family for two weeks and all of us loved it and needed it. I'm hoping we can go to the Rocky Mountains next Summer. We shall see.

For me, beyond the vacation, I did manage some good stuff this last year. I wrote perhaps a hundred pages on various stories, including finishing three new Metamor Keep stories. I made some progress on a fourth that had been stalled for a couple of years before stalling out again, but I was able to start a fifth that I'm making decent progress on. And then there's the Paradise story I started which clocks in around 50 pages all by itself, and it's not done yet. It felt good to write again.

I have hugged the cactus at work this last year and things are starting to really improve. My prospects are quite hopeful, though it may be another year before they bear fruit. I shall remain hopeful.

I need to be more grateful for things in life, and to avoid retreating from the world whenever I get hurt. There's a lot of wonderful things in this world, and not all of them bite. God teaches us through the sign of Simon of Cyrene that we never bear a cross alone.

My previous hatch/birthday journals are here.

37: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5036489/
38: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6092268/
39: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7018568/
40: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7796928/
41: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8402940/
42: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8867733/
43: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9257568/
44: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9608508/
45: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9980730/
46: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10322726/
47: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10681077/

Dominus vobiscum

Due to my family vacation immediately following Anthrocon this year, I didn't have time to write up my usually detailed journal. So I'll provide as many highlights as I can remember, but it'll be briefer than usual.

Tuesday

My Anthrocon began on Tuesday after work when I swung by the bus station to pick up  Fulminar. We caught up on the way back to my place, and went out to dinner with my family at a local Pizza Bar called The Brick House. Afterward we relaxed back at my place, shared some Youtube videos with each other, and chatted. Neither of us are night owls so we called it a night a little after ten.

Wednesday

We had a sort of relaxing morning on Wednesday.  LurkingWolf was supposed to arrive around 1:00 by plane, but his flight kept getting delayed for various reasons. A little more than two hours later we got word that his plane was finally in the air and so Fulminar and I headed off to the airport through rush hour traffic. We narrowly avoided getting into an accident when everyone in front of us hit the breaks; two cars behind us were not so lucky and there was a horrible screech of metal, and in my rearview mirror I could see one car shoot into the shoulder to avoid hitting the two crashed vehicles, one of which no longer had a front. Thankfully nobody else was involved and we made it safely to the airport. We only had to go around the loop at the airport once before LurkingWolf was there and ready. We chatted on the long way back home, saw the site of the accident which was still being cleaned up, but at least had no issues.

By the time we got back it was time for dinner so I fired up my grill and cooked some steaks with corn on the cob. We watched the movie "Flight of the Navigator" with dinner which Lurking had not seen before. Very enjoyable early 1980s Disney live action flick featuring the guy who would go on to play Pee Wee Herman as the voice of a spaceship.

Lurking and I played some Mario Kart to pass the time while we waited. Very late that evening the rest of my guests arrived by car:  WolfFriend,  Mythil (aka Giles), and Lee (no FA that I know of). At this point it was almost midnight and so after showing everybody where they could sleep I went to bed.

Thursday

I made a nice breakfast for folks the next morning but don't recall what it was now. We headed in to Anthrocon around Noon and got in the Reg Line. The line was all the way around the convention center! Almost when we were finally at the door inside, Uncle Kage came around asking if there were any Sponsors or Supersponsors in the line. I signed up as a Sponsor, so he pulled my daughter and I out of line and put us in a different line. At first it seemed like a bad idea because we were now on the other side of the building and had another twenty minutes to wait before we got inside. But once we were inside we quickly passed the rest of our friends in the much shorter inside line. I had my badge almost an hour before any of them did.

I picked up my con shirt at the con store, and then bought one for my daughter too. We proceeded to wander the convention space together. I bumped into Soba (first time in a long time, so glad we were able to chat after all these years), Shiro, Kokuie, and a few others. Angie and I watched the Dealer's set up for a bit, and looked to see familiar faces for her (certain fursuiters she's met and liked interacting with). Eventually everybody got their badges, so around 5 we headed back home.

We grilled hot dogs for dinner, but our plan to do fireworks (since it was Independence Day) was kiboshed by the rain. Instead we watched "The Court Jester" which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. By then the rain had completely stopped so we all stood in my yard watching everybody else's firework displays until they wrapped up and the bugs got too annoying.

Friday

We headed to the Convention center around nine and first up was the Greymuzzle Panel. It wasn't quite what I was expecting as it was more a social science panel than a social panel. They discussed furry demographics and how things have changed over the decades since furry's inception. It was interesting but not what I was expecting though there was some opportunity to contribute.

Afterwards I got in the Sponsor line for the Dealer's Den. Finally, after all these years, the line set-up was excellent, not too crowded, and not anxiety inducing. They had dedicated lines for each attendance tier and a number system with tickets so that you wouldn't lose your spot if you needed to use the restroom. After getting in I stopped by my usual favorites to drop off my sketchbook and then looked around for other ways to spend my money. I don't recall all that I bought anymore, but I did grab a Furry Mystery Box for myself and my daughter.

I spent a decent amount of time chatting with friends, especially Omnifox who was back at AC for the first time since COVID. Eventually the day wore on and I went to the Christian Furs panel hosted by Giles and Leland and CastorWheels (I think). They did a great job providing their perspectives on being Christian and furry (from a Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant perspective respectively), and fielded many questions. I enjoyed it quite a bit and look forward to going to the next one.

Afterward I hit up the TF Panel and the Taur panel which followed. These were definitely more social in nature with everybody breaking up into small groups to discuss their interests. At the TF panel I spent most of my time catching up with Comus. I chatted a good bit with WolfFriend at the Taur panel; I do not recall who else I chatted with at either, but there was another Zebrataur there which delighted me.

At that point it was nine o'clock and so we headed back home after a full and fun day.

Saturday

We arrived at the convention around ten o'clock on Saturday. I started it by checking on my sketches, gushing over them for the artists (because they did an awesome job and deserved gushing). After some lunch I got into my fursuit for the parade. The line for this was also better, but could still use a bit of touching up. There were so many suiters that I spent a good part of my day just standing in hall A waiting for my turn to march, certainly between two and three hours. I chatted a bit with LurkingWolf who was close by. When we did march I did my usual dance and swinging my tail and so forth the whole way. The crowd inside and out was energized and I high-fived more hands and paws than I could count. When we got back inside I had my head off in moments and enjoyed some lukewarm water just to rehydrate. I then went out to get my suiter badge and cool off in the Headless lounge for a while. Lastly, I walked the Dealer's Den for a bit so the artists could see me in suit.

Afterward I put my suit away; it would prove to be the only time I suited at AC. Still, I was in suit for five to six hours which isn't too bad.

I attempted to do the PA Furries Meet and Greet but they had it also in Hall A at the same time as some other events and couldn't figure out which corner the gathering I wanted was supposed to meet so gave up and went to check out the Block Party instead. I met LurkingWolf there and we walked around and chatted as we watched the other furries mingling. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I were in suit for it, as there really wasn't anything to do out there.

After a bit I got some Jimmy Johns to eat and headed back inside to the Musicians Meet and Greet. This could have been a fun panel if we were actually meeting and greeting but it turned into a folk circle for the folks who brought instruments. Those of us without just sat around watching and listening. As it wasn't music I particularly cared for I eventually bit them well and wandered around a bit before it was time to go home.

Overall the Parade was fun if long, but the panels I wanted to do just didn't turn out well. Still, I managed to have a good time and was ready for sleep when we got back.

Sunday

We left early enough that my daughter and I could join the other Catholic Furs at Epiphany for 10 AM Mass. I think there was at least a dozen of us. Afterward I spent the day with my daughter touring the Dealer Den and convention space. My daughter bought a sticker book and tons of stickers there as well as a few other odds and ends. She really wants to spend more time at the convention and told me she wants to be in the fursuit parade. I don't think it's going to be too long before that actually happens.

I don't remember all that we saw and did together, but we had a good time exploring and shopping. Once things closed down around 5 we all headed out to Eat N Park for our traditional post-convention dinner out. WolfFriend showed off how he can remote control his Tesla with his phone which all of us had to watch. And we had a surprise guest appearance from Salvestro who popped in at the end of the con to see how we all were doing. We then headed back to my place and just chatted and played games and relaxed after a fun convention.

Monday

I had to take Fulminar to the bus station early in the morning before anybody else was up. I was glad to get some quiet time to chat with him to talk about what we'd each be doing that Summer and until we saw each other again at next year's Furnal Equinox. He got home safe and sound later that night.

After getting back home I hung out with my friends who one by one woke up. They helped clean up the house and around Noon everybody headed off. My last guest, LurkingWolf, my daughter and I took tot he airport. Thankfully traffic was much better. Everyone got home safe and I'm pretty sure we all dodged COVID and con crud which made it's usual rounds.

I'm not sure if I'll be at Anthrocon next year because we're hoping to go on a big family vacation and I might need to keep early July free for it. But either way, this will not be my last and we'll be back again for more furry fun in Pittsburgh!

Dominus vobiscum

Thursday

I left home around 6 in the morning after giving my wife and daughter hugs and kisses. The trip was gratefully uneventful with good weather. I picked up  Fulminar around Noon and an hour later we strolled into the Westin. It took us a little over an hour to get our room, and while waiting I chatted with  Nyomi and a bit with  CatMonkShiro and  Dan_Raccoon while they also waiting for their room. We all managed eventually at least!

After Fulminar and I settled in to our room and relaxed a bit we headed back down to snag our registration and con swag. While waiting in line for the swag I chatted with  ManuKoa and a few other furs whose names escape me now. The swag had some neat stuff, but I immediately knew I was going to be giving the con shirt to my daughter as it seemed more her style than mine.

Fulminar and I went back to the room as the initial enthusiasm of arrival gave way to exhaustion from the trip. I rested for a bit before heading back down and meeting up with  Alganbord and his friend Noah for dinner. The four of us went to Firkin's on the Harbor where I had my usual Fish n Chips. I was still feeling pretty beat so after we headed back to the hotel I decided to call it a day. I chatted with Fulminar in the room and enjoyed a Facetime call from my wife and daughter before falling asleep.

Friday

At some point in the night  WolfFriend finally arrived. But when Fulminar and I woke he was too tired to join us for breakfast. We went to the Mizzen buffet that morning and were joined by Alganbord and Noah. As usual it was a good mix of items and I enjoyed what I had. I still felt a little low-energy, but that would pass before the day was done.

After breakfast I wandered up to the game room and chatted with a handful of folks there. The fellow running it was somebody I knew from a Telegram group but I feel awful at this point I cannot remember who it was. No games were played sadly as there just wasn't enough folks around for it, but it was good talking about them and being in the convention space.

I headed to Opening Ceremonies afterward and sat in the back. I didn't know who any of the Guests of Honor were and there was only so many sea shanties and underwater puns I could laugh at, but I did enjoy it.

Once done I went up to wait in line for the Dealer's Den and ended up right next to Uncle Kage. Despite attending Anthrocon every time since it moved to Pittsburgh in 2006 I've never really talked with the cockroach in a labcoat except in passing. We discussed line management because FE clearly hasn't learned how to do it either given how confussing it was, but at least it was better than the disaster at last year's AC where the Fire Marshall forced them to open the doors early or risk getting kicked out entirely (which would have destroyed AC). He and another AC staff member whose name I didn't catch showed me their plans for line management this year and if it works should finally make it livable.

Once the Den opened I made sure to stop by  CatMonkShiro,  Anyare, and  SpiderDragon to say hi and secure some sketch slots. I also made sure to say hi to  hbruton,  SandySchreiber and  Xenotropos who would get my other sketch slots for the con. Good to see all these friends once again! I then wandered the den looking for ideas for my wife and daughter. I made sure to grab some tea and coffee from Galaxy Teas as I knew those would sell fast. I also snagged a D20 Bath Bomb from the dice folks because my daughter loved the one I bought her two years back. And then I grabbed a beanie in the shape of a red fox protogen because my daughter doodled a red fox protogen at AC last year.

Eventually I migrated back to the game room and Alganbord and I played The Game after being unable to decide on anything else. I seem to recall we played another game he brought but I cannot recall what it was. I was on the tail end of my low-energy spell at that point, but not quite out of it. Still, when the time came, I headed back to my room (taking the stairs up to floor 16 for the first time of the con because the elevator line was atrocious), and got into fursuit for my Rodents panel.

I migrated around the hotel side of the convention space for a bit after getting into suit and spent a bit of time on the balcony. Suiting with friends is so much better than going solo as I felt a little lonely with other suiters around me all chatting together, but one person did ask to get a picture with me so that was nice. I then went to my panel and while we started light, more and more rodents kept arriving which helped drive our conversation. It went as it usually does with rounds of intros followed by discussion of rodents in various media from movies to games to books; we didn't have much of a discussion on keeping rodents as pets this time, but we did have several first time attendees and at least one who was able to get over their shyness and participate in the panel.

After the fursuit photo at the end, I chatted with a few folks for a while longer before heading back up to my room. This time I was able to get on the elevator right away (being in suit has its advantages) and when I got back to the room I discovered WolfFriend was there with another friend of his. I let them chat while I got changed, but then the guest in our room mentioned a few things that drew me into the conversation as we had some furry origins in common. We decided to go eat in the hotel restaurant and while waiting for the elevator, this fellow described their web-comic at which point I realized I was reading that comic and knew her from Telegram (you can read the web-comic here: https://wolfsjourney.com/index.html ). It was a great delight to meet Erin (FA  estobhan) and we chatted through dinner (where we were joined by Alganbord and Noah again). I had the Kevin McAllister cheese pizza and at this point I felt back to normal.

We chatted long after dinner was finished, but eventually we got up because we knew we needed to do so. I spotted the last roomie standing at the back of the elevator line,  Cobalt_K. Cobalt had to wait until Friday to come because of a job interview that morning (which he nailed; he got the job offer after the con), so he'd been driving ever since and was quite tired. We held his place in line while he relieved himself, and then we waited with him for an hour in the elevator line chatting and catching up. Eventually we had our politics discussion just so we could destress over all the fun happening in America; this continued well after we got back to the room, but it was done amicably, respectfully, and with good humor, something I wish more political discussions could be.

We were all a bit too tired to try one of the games that Cobalt brought, but we had two more days and we would give them a try! But for now we one by one drifted off to slumber after a long day.

Saturday

I woke up feeling great and after getting a mocha from the hotel lobby coffee shop I spent some time in the game room before heading back to the Dealer's Den to check on my sketches and keep looking for nice things to buy for my wife and daughter (and maybe something else for myself if I was so inspired). I spent time chatting with different artists while there and bumped into many friends like  Kokuei,  Seadog_driftwood,  Leo.The.Ninja.Lion,  Faclan,  DaiCymru,  Pyat, and  Mad_ferret. I honestly don't remember all the details anymore but I know I enjoyed our many conversations and encounters throughout the con.

I do remember attending Seadog's panel on the mythology and folklore of Weasels. There were a lot of details in here I had not expected and so I learned a lot there. It was definitely more than I could absorb in a single sitting! I think panels alnog these lines to help us understand the history our favorite species could be a nice addition to the usual repetoire of panels.

I also had the chance in the game room to play a bunch of short two-person games with Cobalt. Each of them was restricted to eighteen cards and included some interesting cooperative puzzles and competitive challenges. I especially liked the movie game where we had to put a set of scenes in order without talking.

Dinner that evening was at the Old Spaghetti Factory and we had Fulminar, Cobalt, WolfFriend, DaiCymru, and Alganbord there. I do not recall almost any of what we discussed at this point, but the conversation was convivial and fun and I recall being so ridiculously happy and grateful to be there with such great friends. It's the kind of joy you feel when you just feel so thankful and content and filled with peace. Stuff like this is why I keep going to conventions.

After getting back to the hotel my roomies and I went back to the room and there we played a game Cobalt brought called Lands of Galzyr. It has four anthro characters exploring a land sort of European in terms of climate and aesthetic, and the really unique thing about it is that the game can be persistent. That is, there's a way to save the status of each character and the story setting in between sessions. Each turn a character interacts with certain story elements which are read from a website that can be downloaded. Depending on the choices they make they then get to roll skill checks to see how well they did, which changes how the story evolves.

I played the frilled-lizard character who looked adorable in all of his pictures. Sadly, I did absolutely atrocious. It's not that I made bad choices per se, it's that with one exception, every single roll I did failed or only barely passed. The one exception was rather notable because it led to a game achievement, with my character facing a nightmare but coming through with a critical success to remember all the good times instead. Game achievements are apparently very rare and difficult to get so there's that. Still, WolfFriend and Cobalt both did reasonably well, so I felt very put off by just how badly everything went otherwise. Cobalt tried to assure me he'd never seen anybody have such a bad experience, and I assured him I knew it was just bad luck, and we could try it again tomorrow.

It was a downer end for an otherwise good day, but it really was a good day and I look back on it very, very fondly.

Sunday

I also started Sunday off with a mocha from the hotel cafe. Elevators were easy to use this early in the morning which was also nice. WolfFriend and I walked down to St. Michael's Cathedral for Mass that morning; they really love using incense there and since we were sitting close to the front we got a lot of it! It was a beautiful Mass though and the twenty minute walk was refreshing.

When we got back I swept through the Dealer's Den to see how my sketchbook was coming. So far Anyare, Heather Bruton, Sandy, and Xeno had worked wonders within and I made sure each knew how much I loved their work and what about it I loved. I dropped it off with SpiderDragon for the last sketch of the con. I then headed back to my room to get changed out of my professional suit and into normal con clothes, reattached my tail, and headed on back down for one last round of shopping. Earlier in the week I'd bid on a few items in the charity auction, but all of them went to voice auction and that had occurred during Mass so nothing I could do about it, and it was all stuff that would have been nice to have and not things I desperately wanted anyway.

I ended up buying an adorable t-shirt and a bunch of stickers for my daughter. She would end up putting the shirt on two seconds after I gave it to her after getting home, but she hasn't finished using up all the stickers yet (as I did buy a lot). I honestly cannot recall if I snagged anything else.

At closing ceremonies I ended up next to Leo and Faclan I believe. We enjoyed the show they put on. Furnal Equinox added a few hundred more after last year for a roughly 10% growth, which after growing by 50% last year was not too much of a surprise. We'll be coming back to the Westin again next year (hopefully they'll have the elevators fixed - I went up the stairs to the 16th floor four times that weekend because the elevator lines were just so awful). And the theme of the con will be Monsters in Toronto, so I'm expecting a lot of Kaiju style stuff. I was disappointed that they didn't have any buttons ready with the theme of the con like they had in past years, but I didn't let it get me down.

I did spend a good bit of time hanging with SpiderDragon at her table while she finished my sketch. She didn't have our Roomies sketch done at the con, but I am sure she's going to nail it when she finishes it off. I enjoy seeing how she interacts with all her customers and am grateful we got a little bit of time to chat too. I will definitely be throwing more business her way.

After getting back to my room (my fourth time up the stairs) I doffed the furry stuff and headed down to the lobby for the annual post-con trip to Mandarin organized by Shiro. We had a group of roughly 25 furs so we had to be careful to make sure everybody handled the walk and we didn't get separated by traffic. Once we reached the subway station I was delighted to learn I could pay my fare just by tapping my card. Kokuei, Cobalt and I chatted most of the way there and it was good to catch up on each other's lives.

Once we arrived I was sitting with Shiro, DaiCymru, WolfFriend, and Cobalt and we razzed each other a bit about how many plates we had, what we grabbed, in between just loving the food and stuffing ourselves silly. A few of us grabbed the jello and got silly with wiggling it on our forks; I so want to get a picture of that. Cons are so bad for me in terms of food because my eating schedule gets thrown out of whack and I eat way more than I should at big meals, but oh, I know I'll do it again anyway because it's so much fun being out with my friends. Dear friends with whom I've shared many an adventure and with whom I look forward to doing so again.

After the subway ride back there were a lot of hugs and well-wishes and promises of looking forward to seeing them again next year. It always hurts a little, but after doing this so many times it doesn't hurt much anymore. God willing, there will be another convention!

When we got back to our room, Cobalt, WolfFriend and I gave Lands of Galzyr a second try and this time I had a much more enjoyable experience. While I did not blow every roll away, I succeeded often enough that it made the game a lot of fun, so the occasional failure didn't feel like such a big blow. I can definitely recommend this game. It might even be the sort I could play with my family as it doesn't require a ton of complex rules like a lot of clever board games these days.

So we all went to sleep after a very satisfying day.

Monday

I got up reasonably early and snagged one more mocha from the hotel cafe before making sure the hotel checkout process was in good order. I was then able to snag a luggage cart and bring it back to our room. Fulminar and I got our luggage loaded, and then, with Cobalt who was awake, went down to the Mizzen for one last breakfast together. I loaded up on the bacon amongst other things as we chatted about what we were going to be doing after we got back. Cobalt was especially excited for his new job, and Fulminar was understandably concerned about his mother who had fallen and injured herself a couple of weeks before the con and was still in the hospital recuperating. I was facing an immediate return to work and a lot of craziness on my plate (hence why my con report is two weeks late).

After breakfast we headed back to the room, made sure WolfFriend was awake and knew what he needed to do to leave the hotel, and said our goodbyes. Fulminar and I loaded up my car and off we went! It took a little bit longer to get to his place due to an accident on the Gardiner Express, but otherwise there were no issues. He played "Try Everything" on his tablet, a tradition since we'd seen Zootopia together at Furnal Equinox 2016. But soon we were at his place and after unloading his luggage, we hugged one last time, bid farewell, and I was on the road again.

My drive home was gratefully uneventful if long. My car did well on the highway, but it was definitely very happy to be done. My daughter rushed out to greet me and help me bring all of my things in and once we had I shared with them all the fun things I brought back. I held both wife and daughter in my arms so happy to be home and be with them again. It was a great trip and I will be back again next year, and I will be grateful to be home again afterward.

Thank you all who work at Furnal Equinox for keeping the con great and making it a place I want to go back to. And thank you to all my friends for being there too; it would not be a great con without you. And to those who have been there in the past but couldn't make this year, you were missed!

I'll get sketches and my Rodents fursuit pic posted as soon as I can. I have a few things in my queue I still need to get to. But at least this con report is done!

Dominus vobiscum

I just returned home from a fantastic Furnal Equinox! I'll try to get my con report and all the sketches and so forth posted soon.

Dominus vobiscum

Forty-seven years ago today I poked my way through the leathery egg shell and climbed up out of the dirt to meet my Momma. Or landed on my hooves. Or something like that.

I've been doing these birthday journals for over ten years now. A lot has changed in those years. My daughter is now starting fifth grade and is able to express her desire to stay a kid while also desiring to grow up in certain ways. I'm trying to give her more independence and trusting her in many different ways even if I miss spending all that time together. She does still want to do things with her Daddy and that is comforting even though I know it won't last forever.

Finances are a horrible weight. I know it has been hitting everyone these last few years but this year has been especially difficult for me. Not quite the worst I've had, but I think we're in the worst financial position since I got my job. I just hope we can get through the school year with no major repairs; if we can then I'll be able to breath a lot easier. Until Christmas though it means no more furry commissions, no new games, and no new music.

My creativity has been largely put on hold this last year as well. I managed perhaps half a page of writing in Metamor Keep, and perhaps ten seconds of music in my Double Concerto for Xylophone and Cello. I fear this is not likely to change any time soon as well. I don't think I've peaked creativly, I am just having to give more and more of my time to my primary role as husband and father in my family.

I honestly don't know what to expect this next year. I've had to endure a lot of disappointments of late; and there is much to be anxious about and at times it seems there is little to hope for. But there are glimmers out there. I am reminded of one passage for the Bible describing Jesus, "a bruised reed He will not break, a smoldering wick He will not quench". There are little signs filled with wonder and little moments in the ordinary unfolding of life that bring real joy. My own faults are laid bare and and my wounds soothed and some healed.

I am older than most in the fandom, a veritable dinosaur in my own time. My life is most likely already half over. But I am grateful for those years and the hoped for years to come. I just hope I can be the husband and father my wife and daughter need me to be.

My previous hatch/birthday journals are here.

37: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5036489/
38: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6092268/
39: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7018568/
40: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7796928/
41: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8402940/
42: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8867733/
43: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9257568/
44: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9608508/
45: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9980730/
46: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10322726/

Dominus vobiscum

I'm sorry I didn't post earlier, but we made it home safe and sound from our trip to Disney.

We all had a blast despite the very hot days (upper 90s each day). I hadn't been in 32 years and my wife and daughter had never been, so other than a few things at Magic Kingdom which I remembered and two things at Hollywood Studies (which had just opened last time I was there), it was new to all of us. And what a fun time. I love how you get the blend of rollercoasters, slow rides that tell a story, bad jokes, animatronic magic, various shows, and amazing sights and souvenirs. We had a wonderful time and all hope we'll be able to go back again someday.

My money situation still sucks, and my savings are... mostly depleted at this point to pay for the car repair (which if they'd told me the rust damage was as bad as it was up front I wouldn't have bothered). It will take a year without any major repairs for anything for us to recover from this, and even then since I'll have to get a new vehicle we won't really be back where we were. So I didn't get as many souvenirs or do some of the extra things I would have liked to do on this vacation. But it was still a wonderful time and found it time and money well spent.

Dominus vobiscum

Hey all. Tomorrow my family is heading off to Disney World for a week for our family vacation. Pretty much everything is packed and good to go except for the handful of items we need to pack tomorrow morning. It'll be our only trip to Disney World as a family we're planning on doing due to the cost (most of which is already pair for by this point at least). But this really was the perfect time for it as our daughter is the perfect age for it.

After this last month we definitely need to have a great time. Had a tooth extracted, which gave me a week of dry socket pain before that was finally filled. Also had a bunch of fillings done so my mouth has been really sore if not in pain. But the worst was this last week. Took my car in last Friday in July to get it checked out to make sure it was safe for the trip (we're taking two days to drive down just like my family did when I was a kid). Unfortunately, rust damage had done a number on my car and what started as a few thousand in repairs ended up costing me twice that as the damage was worse than they expected. Had I known how bad things would get I wouldn't have bothered. My car might make it another two years if we have dry winters, but I'm realistically expecting only one more year before the rust damage hits the frame and I have to replace it. So we're taking my wife's vehicle which is still in good shape. My car will only be used for local travel until I can get a replacement. Long drives will be with my wife's truck. I'd replace my car earlier but I want to try and get back some of the loss and pay down my HELOC more first before I deal with car payments again. It does mean I'm going to forgo any more furry commissions until my next con rolls around (still should be able to do that, even if I end up having to take my wife's truck) just to stretch our dollars a bit.

So here's hoping we have a great time at Disney World. See you all when we get back!

Dominus vobiscum

Tuesday

My 2023 Anthrocon experience began Tuesday before the con. Not much to say except that I spent the day cleaning up my house and readying it for guests. We had a bit of fun finding the pump for the couch air mattress but it ended up being exactly where I thought it would be, so once I joined the search for it that worry was allieved. But it was still a long day because around 10 PM I headed into Pittsburgh to pick up our first guests from the bus station,  Fulminar. Unlike last year, the bus system actually worked for Fulminar and he arrived on time and without any new horror stories to tell. We chatted about how things were going for each of us in the last few months since Furnal Equinox as I made the drive back home. Once we got there I showed Fulminar where the bathroom and his room was and then we both went to bed. Plenty more fun to come!

Wednesday

Today was to be a day of waiting and welcoming for other folks to arrive. That morning I gave Fulminar the grand tour of our house. The last time he'd been to my place was before the pandemic and so he hadn't seen the new place we moved to back in 2021. Afterward we continued to chat and relax until it was time to pick Angie up from her Art Mural Camp she was doing that week. It was at her school and a one week camp where she and other kids would collaborate on painting murals around her school. They painted a huge mural in the school cafeteria as well as on sevral classroom doors. My wife was working and so Fulminar came with me to pick her up.

We spent as little time as possible outside that day because the smoke from the Canadian wildfires was really intense. It was actually the worst it had ever been that day and you could see the haze in the sky as there was no blue to be found anywhere. So after picking up Angie we headed back to the house and ended up just playing games and so forth as we waited for the next guests to arrive.

I had been getting updates throughout the day from the two furs driving to my place and each tme their ETA slipped back a little bit further. I am always anxious before the con waiting for my friends to arrive and this always happens but it still makes me anxious each time!

Still,  LurkingWolf arrived around five o'clock and not long afterward we ordered Chinese takeout for dinner. We all piled into my vehicle to pick it up (including Angie) and when we got there found out that Lurking's order had been missed. So we hung out there while they prepared it. The air smelled awful outside, but the great scent of food inside made even their open door bearable.

Once the food was ready we headed back to my house, ate, played games together (lots of Mario Kart) until about ten o'clock when  WolfFriend and Giles (AKA  Mythil) finally arrived. They had some trouble finding my driveway so I went out to the street corner and waved a light around to help them locate it as they drove down the street for the third time. Giles wasn't going to be staying at my place for the con, but had been rescued by WolfFriend after his plane from NYC was canceled due to all of the wildfires. So we had an extra friend for the night! More Mario Party was played as we all caught up and I made sure my friends had a chance to unwind after a long day of travel. I do not recall when we all went to bed that night, but we were all very tired and grateful for sleep.

Thursday

We slept in a decent amount on Thursday because there wasn't much to do other than get our badges. So once everyone was up and ready we headed over to pick my daughter up from her art mural class and then headed into Pittsburgh. The air was a little cleaner this day but you could still smell the smoke in the air and you could see the haze obscuring the skyline. The registration line felt longer than last year lasting a little over an hour. Angie was definitely impatient but she like the rest of us got through it and we all managed to get our badges.

Unlike last year the convention space was already open for us to explore. So that's what we did. We didn't really do much of anything except wander around the DLCC and looking at various things and people. We saw a skunk saxophonist on one of the outside balconies and Angie put a dollar in his trunk. We also ran into a red panda tik-tok artist who showed us a few of his videos and gave us some stickers. I cannot recall their names. But one thing we did manage was to get Giles connected with his real roomies including his host  Salvestro.

After exploring the area including the roof and both river-side and city-side balconies, we ended up on the causeway overlooking the Dealer's Den watching folks setting up inside. We hung out there chatting for a while before deciding to head back and get some dinner. We stopped at Eat n Park to eat and while there I downloaded a drawing app on my phone for Angie. She doddled herself as a Protogen while we waited for dinner and did a pretty convincing job of it especially since she'd never actually tried to draw a Protogen before.

After dinner we headed back to my place and ended up watching some videos and playing a number of rounds of Mario Kart. We tried out all the tracks that were new for the Switch including the Mario World Tour tracks which I'd never seen before. LurkingWolf was definitely the expert and won a bit over half the matches, but I like to think I gave him a run for his money!


Friday

Friday of Anthrocon began as I have always begun it, arriving first thing in the morning to wait in line for the Dealer's Den. I was joined by LurkingWolf and WolfFriend and we played a game of "Betrayal" in which I was the traitor trying to cut all their heads off. I did manage to get one of them, but failed to get the other. After the game LurkingWolf went off to do some fursuiting while WolfFriend and I played a couple rounds of Forbidden Desert. The first game we seemed to be doing really good and then out of the blue we drew two "Sun Beats Down" cards and died of thirst. The second game we felt like were going to die at any moment but somehow managed to escape the desert at the last minute. Good fun!

Once we got into the Dealer's Den I rushed over to a few tables to try and reserve slots. I managed to find  Michele_Light and snag a slot, but  Caribou was swamped and I was never able to get back to her. I did manage to snag slots from my favorite trio of  hbruton,  SandySchreiber and  dhstein at least. However, one thing became very clear to me in that first hour: the Dealer's Den has become too crowded! And since Heather and co have promised to always save me a spot, there's really almost no reason for me to be there first thing and to make my house guests get up first thing Friday morning and wait four hours in line with me. So this is the last year I do this. We'll leave Friday morning open from now on for other things and we'll go into the Dealer's Den at our liesure.

After securing the sketch slots I went to Jimmy John's for lunch with Fulminar and WolfFriend. It was good to eat after the long morning and gave me renewed energy for the rest of the day. WolfFriend and I wandered up to the Game Room in the Westin and after looking around sat down to play some games. We tried Boss Monster but the main deck and expansion decks were mixed up so we didn't have the right cards to play. Instead we grabbed Chrononauts and did two rounds of that together. I'd prefer a third player but we managed to have a good time anyway.

At this point we headed back to the Dealer's Den which was finally sane in terms of the crowd and I did my normal browsing and finding things to buy. I bought one of the Furry Mystery Boxes for Angie to surprise her with in the morning. I don't recall what else I grabbed at that point, but I know I eventually snagged the Delver's Guide to Beast World game world for 5E; I'd seen the Kickstarter but was already overextended on Kickstarters at the time so skipped it. I know I'll likely never get a chance to play it, but I wanted to support furries making furry roleplaying games. That and admire the art and creativity and dream.

Around 5 I headed back to the Westin for the Christian Furs panel run by Giles and our mutual friend Ley (and one other who's name escapes me). We had a good sized crowd of folks and the conversation was lively and to my delight no trolls. We ended by singing a fun little song about all of God's creature singing in the choir, clapping their hands and their paws or whatever they got now. I am definitely looking forward to attending this panel again next year.

For dinner we had convention food but man that gets old really fast. Since the Dealer's Den was closed I had to change into my fursuit from the back of my car, but it worked. From there I went to my Rodents! panel which was inexplicably held in the East Atrium which meant all of the folks heading between Spirit of Pittsburgh ballroom and the rest of the convention had to walk past us. We followed the Sergal panel so there were a bunch of cheese wedges leftover for us to enjoy. But the fact that it was so noisy meant I had to shout the entire time to be heard and to keep folks engaged. It was so bad my hour panel lasted 40 minutes before we broke for fursuit pictures. I was able to chat with folks like  Tiptoe, Barkley Beaver, and a couple other beavers whose names I've forgotten sadly afterward so we made the most of it.

At this point we headed back to my car and I got back out of suit so we could head home. Unfortunately, though I didn't notice until the next morning, my badge got knocked off the lanyard and was lost in the parking garage. It was a quiet drive home and after we got back to the house we mostly just chatted before heading to bed.



Saturday

We left my house about 9 AM and my day already started off bad. I realized I'd lost my badge about an hour before then and spent a portion of that time searching through my car and all of my things in a vain attempt to find it. Fulminar thought he remembered seeing a badge on the floor of the garage as we got back to my car last night, and apologized for not mentioning it then; we were all tired though so I understood how it could have slipped his mind. We did check that spot when we got to the garage but there was nothing there. I ended up spending about 30 minutes in the reg line to get a new badge. It cost $40 but they'd refund me the money if I found the original. I never did.

Once I had a new badge I went to the Dealer's Den to pick up my sketches from Heather, Diana, and Sandy. Hits all three! I then dropped my sketchbook off with Michele and did a little shopping for myself while hanging with WolfFriend. I picked up "Eyrie: Gryphon Insurrection Book One" by K. Vale Nagle and so far have not been disappointed (about 1/3 of the way through it; will finish on my vacation in August). We then ate some lunch with the convention grub; I had the Ramen but it was just bleah; I'll never do that again.

At this point we all went to get into Fursuit and made our way to Hall C to gather for the parade. I marched with WolfFriend, LurkingWolf, Salvestro, and Giles. I thought we managed to get good seats where we'd be one of the first ones out the door but that was not to be and we ended up being toward the middle instead. And had to watch lots of folks sneaking ahead of us until the folks running the thing finally stepped in and told the suiters they had to wait their turn. It was pretty rough waiting there as long as we did, and very hot. But we managed, and the crowds as usual were amazing! I remember bumping into  Swift_Fox and Tiptoe while were there. Tiptoe was just leaving when we got there, but Swift was not far behind us so we chatted for a while and caught up a little before the desire to get back out of suit was too great.

Once I was back out of my suit I headed toward a panel on Animals in Classical Music. I bumped into  CatMonkShiro who was still in suit and casually mentioned the timing for the TF panel sucked this year because it was right after the parade. He had forgotten about it so had to rush to get over there. I decided to skip this year because of that timing but for Shiro the draw of TF is too strong. Yes, I did that.

The Animals in Classical Music panel was a ton of fun for me. All of the musical selections were from the 20th century but they ranged the gamut from the sublimely beautiful Sibelius's 5th Symphony (which has been in my head ever since) to the "Everything is a Musical Instrument" George Crumb. There was also a selection by Messiaen featuring transcribed birdsong; the best part was that the pianist for the recording was a fellow furry and in the room with us! I made sure to chat with him a little bit afterward as I've seen and played a little Messiaen and could appreciate just what a monumental achievement he'd accomplished in playing that work.

After this I went to the Hoofers meet and greet where I sat with Fulminar and a few younger furs. We chatted amiably about our time in the fandom, why we loved hooves and what kind we had. The room was mostly deer, but there were a few horses, donkeys, cows, and one other zebra. Afterward I met  BlueStreak98 who had come to the panel too late. I met BlueStreak at the Hoofers panel back in 2019 so it was great to catch up again.

For dinner we gathered with Salvestro and his gang at Scarpino's. We had walked a couple blocks to find a place that could seat us quick, but with the rain we didn't want to go far and Scarpino didn't look like it would take too long. Being seated was easy, but the food took forever to prepare and we were there quite late. Still, it was an excellent meal and the conversation with friends was rejuvinating. But once dinner was done we headed home for one last sleep before one more day of con.



Sunday

We left the house around 8:45 to make sure we got to the convention early enough to walk to Epiphany parish for morning Mass. This was Angie's day to enjoy the con with me and she was super excited. But first we had to celebrate Mass which we did with WolfFriend, Giles, Leyland, Kamau, Sketchy, and Salvestro. We chatted only briefly before WolfFriend, Angie and I headed back to our car to get our furry gear on. We first ate at Jimmy John's just to get lunch out of the way, and then it was time for furriness.

We hit up the Dealer's Den first to fill our Root Beer mug we bought last year. We didn't try all of the flavors this time, but Angie liked all but one that we tried (she didn't care for the Orange Cream so we won't do that again next year). Angie was really interested in getting a fursuit head but was disappointed to learn that they were all just too expensive. I told her that if she could earn the money for one of the bases she could build on she could get one. I figure if she works for it she'll value it more and might even finish it. Or she'll lose interest and want something else instead. I was not going to buy her a base only for her to spend a few hours fiddling with it but never finishing it.

Still I did buy her plenty of things including a cute T-shirt, a hoodie, and some stickers. She wanted to see the piece of my character that Dark Natasha had in the Art show so we ambled in that direction to find it (and see the rest of the art show too). She even said she wanted to bit on it so she could have it on her wall! But it was my money we were spending and I can print the thing off if she really wants it! I suspect next year she'll be bringing a little of her own money if she can earn it.

After wandering the Dealer's Den for a while we headed over to the dance competition to watch a little of that. But after watching one dance Angie said her stomach felt bad so we sat down at the tables near where I had my Rodents panel two days before. After she relaxed for a bit, and after loosening her belt which was a little too tight, she felt better and we returned to the Dealer's Den to look over everything and see if there were any other things she might like.

In the end we only bought what I already said we had. Once the Dealer's Den closed it was time to say good bye to LurkingWolf and also to Salvestro. For Salvestro's sake we sang The Parting Glass, a song he's wanted to start a tradition of us singing at the end of cons when we say goodbye. For Salvestro for whom this is his final con, possible forever, it was important and so we sang.

The rest of us spent another hour wandering the rest of the convention space and Angie had plenty of opportunities to interact with furries. She was especially delighted that we found the badger fellow who carries around plush meat that he pretends to eat. It was somebody she remembered from the previous year and one of the few fursuiters she actually wanted to get a picture with.

Around five o'clock though we decided to head back to my place. We grilled hot dogs for dinner and WolfFriend, Angie and I played some Mario Kart to relax. At some point after Fulminar and my wife went to bed WolfFriend introduced us to a Youtube video of three men from an Indian village watching Two Towers for the first time; their reactions were very interesting and really showed just how universal a story Lord of The Rings really is. But at that point it was very late and we were all exhausted after a long fun weekend and we headed to bed.


Monday

Monday morning began around 5:00 for me as I had to take Fulminar to the Bus Station. Traffic was good and light and before I knew it we were hugging and saying we'll see each other again next March for FE. After getting back home, we had breakfast with WolfFriend and then helped him get his things together. He left mid-morning for his long ride home. I cleaned up the house and crashed with some games to relax. A great con!

It's been almost a month now and I can definitely say I spent more than I should have there, and I am still a little ticked about losing my con badge. I am very grateful that I did not catch COVID this year. Conventions are the only place I've been this year that have had any COVID restrictions, and it wouldn't surprise me if next year we don't have any at all, at least at AC. I hope to get the sketches posted this weekend as Monday my family will be heading out on our family vacation. More on that in my next journal.

Dominus vobiscum

My first guest,  Fulminar, arrived safely last night. Looking forward to  LurkingWolf and  WolfFriend arriving this afternoon/evening. Just a few things left to get ready for the furry craziness to begin!

Dominus vobiscum

Thursday

My alarm went off at 4:30 and after a half-hour on a heating pad with a game I set to the last of my packing. I spent a little time with my daughter before I headed off at 6 with the promise that once she was home from school she could message me. And promptly at 6 I was on the road. I made good time and only stopped once for a stretch break in PA, and once more in NY near Buffalo to fill up on gas and an early lunch. Getting across the border was even easier than last year and by 11:30 I reached my friend  Fulminar's place. We caught each other up on everything we'd been up to the past year on our way to the hotel where we hit slightly heavier traffic than normal for that time of day. It was about 1:00 when we arrived and thank goodness I'd grabbed a bite earlier as I'd have been starving by then.

I was delighted that they had valet parking again; trying to park in their lot last year had been scary as heck - I've never seen a lot with tighter spaces or turns before. And check-in turned out to be pretty easy too as there were only a few furs in line. And they were definitely all furs! We couldn't get a luggage cart this time, but the porter's assured us that if we left our stuff with them they'd get it to our rooms. I feel a bit weird trusting my luggage like that, but they were reliable and only a few minutes after getting into our room (all the way up on the 31st floor of the South Tower; no stairs for me this year!) our luggage arrived.

After checking out the room and stowing our stuff we meandered to the convention space, bumping into  CatMonkShiro in the process. Plenty of other furs around but few I knew by name. At the convention center we waited in line to pick up our registration, making sure to get there early this year. While waiting in line my daughter called and we chatted for a good bit about all of the stuff she was doing. She showed off her crazy messenger filters and gimmicks that she enjoyed, and I was happy we could have that time. But once reg opened I had to tell her I'd talk with her again later. Registration was actually pretty seamless, but we did have to get into a second line to pick up our con swag.

The second line was into the FE section of the Dealer's Den and it wasn't quite ready for us but the wait wasn't too long. We picked up our stuff and then chatted a bit with  Pakesh who was monitoring one of the other doors for dealer's picking up their registrations. After we went back to the room to sort through everything. The mugs were astonishing and I was surprised they opted for something so nice even for those at Supersponsor level. The T-shirt is really cool but what kinda disappointed me was that the Furnal Equinox name wasn't on it at all, nor the year. That's the first time that has ever happened.

Fulminar and I went our separate ways for dinner. I ended up hanging out in the lobby for a while before being joined by  Alganbord and Noah. We went to Firkin's for dinner, a place we've hit every year since we came to the Westin. I'm not a fan of the decor there per se, but the Fish n Chips is quite good. Service was real slow that evening for some reason, but it did give us more time to talk and catch up.

Afterward we retired to our rooms. Fulminar was half-watching Con Air, a movie I had never seen but recognized, and so I settled down and we chatted while sort of watching it too. Once the movie ended we caught an episode of Murdoch Detectives that I hadn't seen and in the middle of this the final member of our party arrived:  Cobalt_K! It was a bit after eleven by this point and we were all tired. But we chatted for a while as he got settled in until the call of Morpheus was too great to resist!


Friday

Fulminar and I were up fairly early on Friday and so we went down to the hotel restaurant breakfast buffet. The selection was about as I remember which included plenty of grains and fruits as well as a variety of meats for the omnivores and carnivores. I recall not caring for the pancakes that much and did not like the artisan cheeses (time to turn in the Rodent card) but the fruit and granola I scarfed were more than adequate to get my day going. We saw a few other furries down there as well, but I cannot recall if any of them were furs I know.

We took our time migrating over to the convention space to see Opening Ceremonies. I chatted with the other furs in the SuperSponsor line as we waited, but once they let us in I settled toward the back. Last year I went right up front due to my excitement after three years without FE. This time I was more thinking about making sure I would be able to get into the Dealer's Den as quickly as I could since the Benefactors and those who needed Assistance would get access first.

Opening Ceremonies was enjoyable and very surprising. In past years all of the staff would get introduced and many folks would have a chance to address the con. Not so this year when the con chair gave an introduction in keeping with the "Tales from the Tavern" theme for the con, introduced the local charity the con was supporting, as well as the guests of honor. But nobody else from staff was given stage time and so Opening Ceremonies wrapped up in about 25 minutes. This meant I had more time than originally expected to wait in line for the Dealer's Den! Not that I mind. While again I don't recall who I was chatting with while we waited, it was an entertaining wait and everybody was in good spirits.

Once Dealer's Den opened I headed straight for  Anyare where I picked up my updated badge. She did this badge for me as a take home from FE last year ( https://www.furaffinity.net/view/48124842/ ) but my Zebra form has only two fingers and a thumb on my hands like the WoW Tauren or the Turtles from TMNT. She digitally corrected it and printed off a new one for me and so I layered it with the original for the rest of the con. I also secured a sketch slot for her in my new sketchbook!

I stopped on by several other good friends next.  SpiderDragon and I exchanged hugs and tales of how we'd been doing before I snagged a sketch slot from her. I also popped on over to my other usuals and filled up my final two slots with  hbruton and  SandySchreiber. Of course there were hugs, questions about how I and my family were doing, and questions about why the third member of their trio (  Xenotropos ) couldn't make it as well as how they were doing and so forth. Always good to see them and I hope the cons they've done since have been a blast!

I chatted with a few other artists including Shiro,  Nyomi,  Pyat and  Rafferty. From the latter two who were running the Sanguine Games table (with Rafferty being one of the Guests of Honor), I snagged an Ironclaw supplement (The Book of Corals) which is the first new Ironclaw product I've bought in a couple decades. They assured me that they could help me find a group to game with online but sad to say I know I just won't have the time for it. I'd love to play Ironclaw again though. At the least I'm enjoying reading through this supplement and the other I snagged on Sunday.

I looked around for things to buy for my daughter but nothing really jumped out at me just yet. Nor did I see anything else I wanted for myself as I scanned the rest of the Dealer's Den. I headed back to the room and dropped a few things off and then after having a quick snack I got into my fursuit. I didn't really have a plan for suiting; mostly it was just me trying to see how well it would work out. Last year I'd really struggled because they required we wear the masks beneath the fursuit head and I just couldn't breath. This time it was recommended but not required and so I hoped I'd be able to manage it better. Little did I realize the lack of air conditioning in the convention space would overwhelm what little benefit the cooling vest provided. It didn't help that the hotel rooms only have a fridge and not a freezer so the ice packs were already not as cold as they should have been.

I lasted barely a half-hour in suit before I was heading back up to my room to get it off. I did manage to tour the Dealer's Den and give a few of my artist friends ratty hugs. Bu after that disappointing experience I was convinced that my days of fursuiting were numbered and that number was pretty small. But I learned later about the AC issues and I'd have more luck suiting on Sunday. More on that for Sunday of course.

After getting back out of suit I went to the Data Structures and Algorithms panel. This was an unusual panel to see at a furry convention but I had a blast and learned a few interesting new data structures that took advantage of binary addressing to automatically calculate sums and ranges of the data in the set. Almost everyone at the panel was actually a student still and only a few of us were working in industry. I was able to provide some of my perspectives having been in the field for two decades and I think a lot of folks appreciated that, but I did try to let the guy running the panel shine and share with us his knowledge.

Once the panel wrapped up, and we were crammed in the room to the point it was overflowing, I headed up to the Game Room to enjoy the simple pleasure of board games. I ran into  Alganbord and we ended up giving The Game a try. It's a simple game where you have to get the numbers 2 - 99 in order in four separate stacks but you cannot tell each other what numbers you actually have. First time we played this a number of years back we were destroyed. This time we managed to successfully play all the cards and win the game!

Cobalt and another fur joined us for the game but I fear I do not recall who it was. But before we could get started on another game one of the fellows from the Data Structures panel found me and started asking me math questions. I used some of my scrap paper to show him how to solve the 1D Wave Equation using the Separation of Variables technique and also showing how to develop physical intuition about the terms in a differential equation. We discussed several other areas of Mathematics including the beloved Axiom of Choice and how it makes a total mess of things. We then branched off from Mathematics to discuss philosophy and the problem of consciousness. He didn't quite realize that he was picking topics that would get my heart racing and I fear my exuberrance to pose questions and help illuminate several aspects of the problem, all the while trying to avoid declaring firm solutions to the problem (the problem of consciousness changes depending on other metaphysical assumptions one makes, some of which are theological in nature and that's a touchy can of worms I wasn't quite ready to get into with somebody I just met). And that branched into general life discussion as he was a student and had an uncertain future ahead of him and here I was with almost twenty years in industry to draw upon. I hope that I was able to give him even a nugget of wisdom in all of that he can hone and grow from. Still, horse that was such a fun conversation and I really appreciated the opportunity he gave me to discuss so much with him.

Unfortunately Alganbord and the others who were there to play games could only listen in awe as I waxed poetic on these and other issues. Eventually we wrapped it up and my new friend went to grab Cards Against Humanity so we could all play. I hadn't touched the game in over ten years but I was willing to give it a go. Sadly they didn't have it so I went up and found Fluxx instead. My new friend and the friend who'd brought him to the con had never played, but Cobalt and I were familiar with it and helped everyone get used to it. But we knew the rules a bit too well and were able to exploit them to their full. At no point though did either of us do that in order to win; we did it to try and keep the rules simple so everyone could have fun. But we may have scared them off. Still, I think they all had a fun time.

But after the game was done so too was the day. I headed back up to my room where Fulminar, Cobalt and I discussed our day and did a bit more catching up before the call of sleep claimed us.



Saturday

I must not have had enough to eat on Friday because I woke up feeling a little out of it. Not to the level of being sick but enough that I checked my temperature every now and again just to be sure. Thankfully it always came back as normal and once I had something good to eat the lethargy and off feeling I had would go away and I'd be back to my usual energetic self.

There wasn't a whole lot to do first thing in the morning at least. I went to the Dealer's Den to check on my first sketch from Anyare but it wasn't quite ready. She did show me the scratch page she had used before transferring it over to my sketchbook and I was and still am very delighted to see what she was crafting for me. I hope to get the sketches posted to FA within a week of getting this journal up. Watch your notifications!

Since I wasn't going to be able to pass my sketch book along I headed over to the Supersponsor Brunch with Fulminar. Normally I see a few other folks there but as I was feeling off I was grateful for some peace and quiet and lots of food. I don't recall what I ate but I know bacon was involved and two cups of coffee and at least one cup of orange juice. Not long after I finished I felt great and was ready to conquer the con!

By the time I returned to the Dealer's Den Anyare was finished with my sketch which I thanked her profusely for. She did an amazing job and if I can manage it I'll be adding her to my usual lineup of artists I try for each year.

I delivered my sketchbook to SpiderDragon and then got both Fulminar and Cobalt over to Heather Bruton's table for the Roomies sketch. We all pretended we were holding mugs aloft like we were at a tavern to fit the theme of the con.

Cobalt and I headed over to the TF Meet and Greet at that point. The room was super crowded and both of us were astonished that they'd think it okay to hold a panel that was always packed in such a small room. Everyone was happy to be there though so we made the best of it. Like last year they broke the room up into small groups based on certain TF types or triggers. I ended up at Barn Animals again and unfortunately it's been a bit too long so I don't remember the names of everyone I chatted with, but  astrosnax was one of them. We chatted about the kinds of TFs we liked, introduced ourselves and what we do in the fandom, and in general just had a nice time.

I had to leave a bit before the panel ended because I wanted to hit up the Reptile Meet and Greet too. The room for this panel was full as well but it didn't feel like it was about to explode. This panel was handled more like I handle my Rodents! panels with everrybody involved in a general discussion at once. Almost everyone there was a dragon. I had by Triceratops and Alligator sides to represent me and I think it surprised a lot of folks when I told how both of those forms were in a way given to me by my father so I in a way honor him by expressing them. There was a lot of good discussion about various dragon related media and a little on dinosaurs and all, but it was so dragon heavy I didn't get as much out of it as I'd hoped. Not to say I didn't have a good time, just was hoping for more dinosaur and reptile friends to make but twas not to be.

I headed back to the Dealer's Den at this point and after shopping around some for my daughter I settled over at SpiderDragon's table to check on my sketch. She was working hard on it and invited me to sit down and chat with her while she did her work. This is the sort of thing I love about Furnal Equinox is that we can just sit down and chat with artists for hours on end; this would never happen at Anthrocon. I had been afraid FE was starting to get too big for it, but not quite yet at least.

Of course there were still a good number of customers who came and interrupted us but I just smiled each time. It's great seeing her get such good business because she is such an amazing artist. I would feel wounded if I could not get something from her each FE. We did chat quite a bit about how things are in our lives and our hopes for the next year and all. I showed a few pictures of my daughter and heard the usual, "She's getting so big!" comment and the "I remember when she's was just a baby!" Amazing to think that so many other furs and I have been friends all this time that they've been able to get updates from me the whole while my daughter has grown.

Not long before the Dealer's Den closed for the day SpiderDragon did manage to power through and finish my sketch. Another amazing piece I am eager to share! I thanked her profusely both for the sketch and for the wonderful company for the full two hours we sat together talking. And hugs were offered and received! I then handed my sketchbook off to Heather and Sandy for their contributions and bid them a good night.

After depositing my tail and all my goodies in the room, I waited with Fulminar and Cobalt in the lobby for our dinner crew. We were joined by Alganbord,  DaiCymru and his friend  UrsusArctos. I'd bumped into Dai several times already at the con but cannot recall exactly when so we'd had some time for chatting and catching up on things since last year, but it was great to meet his friend Ursus for whom this was his first convention even though he'd been around the fandom for a good long time. He had some great stories to tell of his work and adventures too! And what blew me away was that Ursus is from Pittsburgh originally and was wearing a Pittsburgh jacket, but because those are so common for me, it didn't dawn on me that it was not normal for Toronto until he said something about it!

We went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner and as always everyone loved the decor and the menu and the food was simply fantastic. I factory-sized my meal, but wasn't actually able to eat all of it. I took the rest back and had it for lunch on Sunday at least so it wasn't wasted. During our meal there were three birthdays near us and the servers invited folks to sing happy birthday so we all did with gusto. It was actually quite fun and so much better than those cringe custom birthday songs you usually hear the servers do at other restaurants.

After eating too much food and feeling very satisfied, we noted that the place was pretty empty so we went around to see some of the crazy decor and take a few pictures before heading back to the hotel. It was quite cold out and I was wishing I had my winter cap with me and not just the stetson. But it wasn't that far of a walk and soon we were saying good night to each other.

Alganbord and I went to the game room to see if we could get in some more games before sleep came for us but all we managed was another round of "The Game" (which we won). I know he wanted to play one of the larger games he'd brought but we both knew it just wasn't going to be. We headed back up to our rooms and while I'm sure I chatted a bit with Fulminar and Cobalt in the room, I am also pretty sure I crashed pretty fast at that point.


Sunday

I rose early on Sunday by convention standards and headed off to St. Michael's Cathedral for Mass. The Cathedral is truly beautiful and even if you aren't Catholic, or Christian for that matter, it's a beauty I think most would be able to see and admire. After Mass I returned to my room, got changed out of my dress suit, and had my Old Spaghetti Factory leftover for brunch. By that point the Dealer's Den was open so I picked up my final two sketches and then continued looking around for gifts for my daughter.

I then settled down with Shiro and chatted with him for a good long time about all that's been happening in our lives; struggles, triumphs, hopes, etc... Eventually I did have to take my leave because my Rodents! panel was coming up! I got into my fursuit for the second and final time for the convention and headed down to the panel area. I was a bit early it turned out so I spent the time on the balcony enjoying the cold end-of-winter air.

The Rodents! panel was decently attended this year with a half-dozen suitors. To my surprise a full third of the folks there were at there first FE and for about half of those it was their first furry convention period. No cats in disguise this time sadly, but we had a great time anyway. Lots of good discussion on various different rodents including capybaras of which we had at least two in attendance! Rats and Mice dominated of course, but the variety was better than the reptile panel at least. We got some good pictures of the fursuits and I hope to share those soon.

After the panel I took my suit off and headed to the Game Room to see if there was any fun to be had. I joined Cobalt,  tfProxy, and another pair of furs whose names I don't recall now in a few rounds of a game caled 'Codenames'. I'd never played it before but had a blast. The idea is you have to get your partner to pick certain items on a board by saying a related word and hoping they can make the connection. The other team has their own set of words to aim for, and there's one space you absolutely do not want your partner to pick because it's the assassin and you immediately lose if it's chosen. I am not sure whether I prefered being the one to give the clues or to guess the words; both were really fun challenges.

It got time for the Dealer's Den to close so I headed back one last time to make sure I had everything I wanted. I picked out a cute T-shirt for Angie and I grabbed a second Ironclaw book for myself (The Book of Horn and Ivory; think Africa; it has Zebras and Crocodiles!). I went down to Closing Ceremonies after one last round of hugs with artist friends. Closing Ceremonies, like Opening Ceremonies, was remarkably brief. Of note was the fact that we went from a little over 2000 to over 3000 in one year! I was blown away by the number because it didn't feel like it was really that crowded.

After Closing ceremonies I spent time chatting with DaiCymru,  Seadog_driftwood, and  Leo.The.Ninja.Lion about the con and all the fun we had and our thoughts on the theme for next year (Under the Sea). They weren't ready with the swag when closing ceremonies ended, but we hung out just long enough for the con staff to start dumping the buttons for next year everywhere. I grabbed some for Fulminar and Cobalt just in case they missed them and then headed back to the room to remove my tail.

We met in the lobby with Shiro, Nyomi,  Dan_Raccoon,  Kokuei, Dai, Ursus, and a few others for the traditional Mandarin run. It was a smaller crowd than previous years because Shiro wanted to do it as a test run to see how comfortable folks were with the experience in a post-COVID world. I think everyone had a blast and we won't have any issues doing this in future years.

I spent a good bit of the trip there chatting with Kokuei on a variety of topics including some politics and our lament about the state of affairs in the US and how it's not even safe to have a conversation on anything anymore. It was refreshing to be able to say such things with a friend. But once we got to the Mandarin all thought of such things vanished and it was time for us all to stuff ourselves with great food! Of course we had our toast to another great con, and we had so many wonderful conversations about the fun we had, the things going on in our lives, and hopes for our futures. And of course all the crazy ways we were stuffing ourselves with food! Ah, I am so glad we were able to resume this tradition that I've been a part of since the second FE. Thank you, Shiro, for organizing this and inviting me every year.

The trip back to the hotel was fun but as always the thought that we were going to be saying goodbye soon was there. But after so many years it's not quite as bad as it used to be. More conventions will come and more stories and hopes will be had. More wonderful memories will be made! But goodbyes and last hugs were offered between us all, until finally Fulminar, Cobalt and I were back in our room for the last night. I think we stayed up for a bit and showed off the stuff we bought and shared more of the neat things we did together. But eventually we did succumb to sleep and let our stomachs do their darndest to digest that crazy huge meal.


Monday

The final morning came as it always does - too soon and right on time. Fulminar and I joined Alganbord and Noah for one last buffet breakfast. I was still a little full from the night before so I didn't eat too much, but I definitely enjoyed the coffee. We saw DaiCymru and Ursus there as well and so one last round of hugs was had as we discussed our travel plans and assured each other we'd let each other know when we made it home safe.

I got us checked out of the room around 9:00 because by then Cobalt was up and we were all essentially packed. About 9:30 I got my car back and we said our last goodbyes to Cobalt whose car was in another lot. I drove Fulminar back home and we did our traditional chat about upcoming trips and of course, he played "Try Everything" from Zootopia which has been a staple of our departure ever since we saw the movie at FE 2016. Once I dropped him off it was straight and clear the rest of the way home with only a delay due to traffic at the border. I made it home in plenty of time to spend a little with my wife and daughter that evening. Angie was so very happy to see me again. One thing I didn't mention was all the times throughout the weekend she did a Facebook messenger call with me. I felt bad because I had to decline her call a few times, but I did take most of them. I am sure the phone bill this month is going to be a bit higher than normal.

Overall it was a great second FE after COVID. I think the furry convention scene has found its footing after the pandemic and things are going to continue to improve. It's only a matter of time before we don't have to wear masks anymore either.

To all the folks I interacted with but didn't mention here, thank you also for helping make this a great Furnal Equinox! And to all my friends I look forward to seeing you there again next year!

Dominus vobiscum

Hey all! I've returned home safe and sound from FE! I had a blast and will write up a con report this weekend. I hope everyone else makes it home safe and sound too!

Dominus vobiscum

It's that time again! I'm heading off in about an hour to Furnal Equinox! I look forward to all of the friends I shall see there and will miss all those I do not.

Dominus vobiscum

2023 is here and while matters are difficult there are rays of hope out there. The big one being that COVID should no longer scare us as much as it did two years ago. We had conventions again last year and I don't think it's going to get taken away from us again. I'm sure there are others and we each have hopes we hold in our hearts for the new year.

I hope for many things to share with my wife and daughter this year that we have not been able to really do the last couple of years for one reason or another. Maybe I'll even get a new puppy for myself if finances do well enough (and I get that promotion I've been angling for the last few years at work). Many other hopes are for things outside of my control but such is life. I hope for the serenity and confidence in God to accept what may come regardless.

I hope also that all of my friends here will be blessed abundantly in 2023. And I hope to see many of you at conventions and online this new year.

Dominus vobiscum

Today is my birthday/hatchday. It has now been 46 years I have been upon this Earth. At a certain point the exact number of years loses relevance and it just blends into an age group. I'm closer to 50 than 40 now. Already have a procedure order for a proctology exam. Yay for age-related TMI!

It's been an interesting year settling into our new home. We've put together a long list of things to fix up and while at the very least it isn't growing that fast, most of the items remaining are going to be significant projects and we can only do perhaps one or two a year. That said, we've made it our home and doing very well now.

I had to say goodbye to my Jack Russell Terrier this last year. She was sixteen, completely blind, and could barely stand up anymore. She was very sweet up to the end. I still have her picture next to me on my computer and miss her. Due to the financial stresses of our times I have decided not to get another dog just yet; we have two left who are still in prime of life years. But next year perhaps I'll get a new one for myself as the two dogs we have left are my wife's and my daughter's.

I caught COVID this year right after Anthrocon but thankfully my case was fairly mild; just a fever for two days and literally no other symptoms. I've had cases of the common cold that had me feeling worse. As much as I hated catching it because it ruined my post-AC plans, I am grateful my case was as mild as it was.

Also, it was nice to get back to conventions again and to wander around with my daughter at AC. I think I enjoyed Furnal Equinox more, but still, I missed so many of my friends who couldn't make either con. Hopefully they'll be able to come next year.

My other vacation plans this Summer went well. We visited Hilton Head Island in South Carolina with my family; it was the first time I'd been in SC in 31 years and the first time I'd been in he ocean in 13. It was the first time for my daughter to see and swim in the ocean at all and she loved it. I'm grateful we were able to do something like that and for the time I got to have with my brothers and their families.

A part of me is sad at the passing of the years and how I'm not longer the young man I once was. But I do have a huge store of experiences and memories and hopes for years to come. And as always, I am being challenged by the changing fortunes of life to be a better man, a better husband, and a better father. I'm not sure how my furry-side will change in the years ahead, but I've no less love for it than I did years ago. Matured I hope, and maybe I even have a little hard-earned wisdom to share.

There is so much uncertainty and disaster in the world around us, but life is still full of moments that remind us what really matters. A little love is leaven that heals the soul. And love is willing the good of another without counting the cost.

Previous Birthday journals are here:

37: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5036489/
38: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6092268/
39: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7018568/
40: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7796928/
41: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8402940/
42: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8867733/
43: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9257568/
44: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9608508/
45: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9980730/

Also, I still have the sketches I got at AC to post. Hopefully I'll get those done this week.

Dominus vobiscum

After three years the furries returned to Pittsburgh!

My Anthrocon began on Wednesday when  LurkingWolf arrived. This was his first time driving to the con and he has an awesome vehicle that gets three times better mileage than mine. After he arrived we went out to eat at a local pizza place. We mostly just chatted and caught up on the last years while waiting for  Killer.Narwhal and  Sasha_Driften to arrive. We watched a movie but I don't even remember what it was now. I put Angie to bed late that night because I was letting her stay up to welcome all the guests, but construction and so forth delayed Narwhal and Sasha and in the end they didn't arrive until about 1 AM. After getting everyone situated at that point we all went to bed.

Thursday dawned a little late for everyone. I gave my guests a tour of our new home first, and then about nine we headed into Pittsburgh. They had a two-part line to first check COVID status and then to pick up registrations. The line came out of Hall D and then snaked around the convention center. It moved pretty fast, though that was the first time I'd ever been down that alley. There was some confusion about whether my daughter needed a badge or not (turned out she didn't as long as she was with me) but after about an hour and a half in line we had our con badges and went out into the convention hallway outside halls D and E. As part of the con packet we each got four pins but all four of ours were lions. We started trading with other furs in the hallway and I managed to get a complete set right then (lion, fox, raven, and mouse). Angie wanted the fox pin on her lanyard, but the rest stayed in the bag. I'll figure out something cool to do with them.

Unfortunately, my original hope of wandering the con space and seeing who we run into (and giving Angie some time to see suiters and show off) didn't pan out because they weren't letting anybody into the con space at that time. Instead we went to August Henry's for lunch. While there we ran into  Salvestro and his crew (Giles, Damon, and Ley, not sure if they have FAs) and so chatted for a bit before we moved on. We went back to the convention center though started down the ramp toward the docks. On the way I ran into  Lukaryo who handed me a gift badge of Zebra me! I made sure to wear it at the con.

We walked along the river, crossed the 9th street bridge and went down to the river there just for the sake of moving around, but due to long drives and not much sleep my guests all decided they'd rather head back to the house. Angie was disappointed she didn't get to spend more time showing off her dragon tail, but she would be back on Sunday and I had promised I'd get her a badge of her very own. Once back at my place we played some games, relaxed, got Chinese takeout for dinner, and otherwise made it a relaxing day.

Friday we got to the con a little after 8 AM and Lurking, Narwhal and I started the line for the Dealer's Den. We played several hands of Uno Flip before Narwhal left to go check on Sasha. They let the Supersponsors and Sponsors in first and dang I couldn't believe how huge the line of them were. I'm seriously pondering just going for a higher level of admission next time because that was nuts. Even after I got into the Dealer's Den I was really worried I wasn't going to get any of the artist slots I wanted. I remember stomping my hoof in a very equine way at one point.

But I was fortunately able to secure all of the sketches I had hoped for, from  Michele_Light,  SandySchreiber,  Caribou, and  hbruton, and also lined up for badges from Sandy and  DarkNatasha. The badge from Sandy was actually for my daughter and not me. She chose dragon to go with the dragon tail and ears.

My Rodents! panel happened in the early afternoon; we discovered that we left the cooler with all of the icepacks back at the house so I wore my fursuit without the cooling vest on like I used to do. I'm not as young as I once was and by the time I got to my panel room I had to take the head off. The panel was a lot of fun, with  Tiptoe there showing off his real wrestling champion belt and several beaver furs there promoting their own Beaver panel (which I'm sorry I had to miss). Nothing quite as crazy as what happened at FE but everyone had a good time with more of our conversation being about video games with rodent characters this time.

I then went to the PA Furry Meet and Greet where I found  Gearhead and his wife and we chatted for bit; they introduced me to another fur whose name I've forgotten (sorry) that also works at the same place we all do. Almost enough to have our own official morale organization (not)!

By the time the PA Furry Meet and Greet was over I was in really bad shape so got my suit off, drank a lot of water, and then came back for  Sodalite's STEM meet and greet. I got to chatting with a young fur working on a PhD in Math and shared lots of life advice since that's largely the same field I'm in. It was fun meeting some other mathematicians at this and being able to geek out about the Axiom of Choice.

I returned to the Dealer's Den to look around for anything else I wanted for myself and narrowed down my options but didn't choose anything just yet. About then  Fulminar called to let me know that he wasn't going to be making it to AC at all due to issues with the bus company. This sucked for him but it did mean I would get to go home much sooner that evening (we were expecting to be out until almost midnight in order to pick him up).

We all got together and went to dinner at Scarpinos with  Salvestro and his gang. It was a good meal and let us enjoy the early evening together and of course, catch up on what everyone was enjoying. After dinner I went to the Open Gaming room with Lurking and Giles and we played a variety of games including Forbidden Desert (which we survived). After that both Lurking and I were tired so we headed back home. Narwhal and Sasha beat us there by almost an hour! Bed felt great.

Saturday began with chopping up the pineapple that Narwhal brought and making a big fruit salad for all of us to enjoy for breakfast. It was very yummy; it's been quite some time since I had fresh pineapple like that. We got to the convention center about 10 AM and I proceeded to check on my sketchbook and badges. Angie's badge is so freaking adorable and the badge I got from Dark was the most realistic and true to the animal I've ever had; I would expect no less from her. I continued perusing everything and ended up buying a pair of books from Ursula Vernon for my daughter - her name was on the suggested reading list my daughter's teacher gave us at the end of the school year, and I've known her for over a decade. I also snagged two mousepads and a gamepad from  Rhos and did a little gushing over how much I've loved her art ever since she passed out her business card at an old Scaly Panel.

This time we did remember to bring the cooling packs so I was able to use them when I got into fursuit for the parade. I ended up about 2/3 of the way back with Salvestro, Lurking, and Giles. This was the first fursuit parade for both Lurking and Salvestro. I did my usual dancing and swinging my tail the entire parade. Even with the cooling vest it was pretty brutal, especially once we went outside. Still high-fived as many folks as I could along the way, especially for anybody who shouted, "Rat!" We then went into Hall D where we took the heads off and got into line for water. I hung out there for a bit after getting water because I saw  CatMonkShiro. Normally Shiro and I do the parade together but we weren't able to find each other until too late. Still we spent a good hour chatting afterward and getting caught up on everything we missed in the last few years (and that we weren't able to do during FE).

After we went our separate ways I got out of suit and then went to meet Fulminar who had just arrived in town. I let Lurking and Salvestro know Fulminar was here; I forgot to tell Narwhal and Sasha, a fact I'm still kicking myself over. We met with Fulminar in the Westin lobby since he didn't need a con badge to be there. He regaled us with the horror story of his trip and then we went out to get something to eat.

They had closed off a couple blocks of Penn Ave so we could have a block party. Fursuiters were in the street dancing while locals took pictures and interacted with us. It was so amazing to see. Pittsburgh really missed us.

We ended up eating at the Thai Kitchen, but there weren't enough seats for Narwhal and Sasha who went to get something else. I apologized for screwing up dinner plans with them and we all promised to do a bit better job on communication next time (since they also told us right then that they were leaving after lunch on Sunday instead of Monday morning like we'd all thought). Apart from that, the dinner was excellent though I wish I'd not been quite as cowardly when it came to the spice level as I could easily have handled a little higher number.

After dinner Salvestro took Fulminar back to his place to crash while I headed over to the Transformation Panel. I ended up spending it chatting with  Comus who I hadn't seen since 2019. It was good to get caught up with him and see pics of his kids and share ones of mine and so forth. Once the panel was done though we were all exhausted and so headed home.

Sunday we couldn't sleep in quite so much because we had to make sure Narwhal and Sasha had everything packed to go while I had to make sure Angie was ready for the day. We took Lurking's car (with me driving) to save on gas and arrived about nine AM. Angie and I headed down to Epiphany church for Mass with the other Catholic Furries. The Mass was actually celebrated Ad Orientem (with the priest facing the same direction as the people) and mostly in Latin with incense which was a real treat. I had not expected that but thoroughly enjoyed it.

After Mass Angie and I walked back to the convention center. We headed straight to the Dealer's Den and picked up one of the Root Beer mugs; she got one nice and shiny which changed color depending on how you looked at it. Unlike the previous times I brought my daughter here she didn't want to hug and play with fursuiters; rather, she wanted to look at all the stuff to buy. I bought her some stickers and a headband ears made with real rabbit fur, but not too much else. Had to keep her from a few tables where the material was not good for her, but for the most part that wasn't too hard.

We had lunch at Anthronoms which was the food being prepared right there in the convention center. We at with Lurking, Narwhal and Sasha and hung out with them for a while as Sasha finished repairs on Lurking's fursuit. Angie was getting bored of hanging out in that part of the convention space (the makeshift Zoo) so after saying our goodbyes to Narwhal and Sasha we headed over to the Dance Competition. I've never been interested in the Dance Competition before (or any of the dances really because they always play the music too loud), but Angie thoroughly enjoyed it and only decided she wanted to leave because she wanted to get a few more things at the Dealer's Den. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but it'll never be my thing.

We did pick up a few more things at the Dealer's Den including a huge collection of fudge and one last refill on root beer. I honestly don't remember what else we grabbed but we left with the place closing feeling pretty satisfied (and my poor wallet feeling much lighter).

We met up with Lurking and Salvestro and headed the long walk down to Market Square for dinner. During the walk we talked a bunch about books, Sci Fi and so forth; I was able to recommend Poul Anderson and Tad Williams to one of the other Catholic Furs which always makes my day. I don't even remember what I ordered where we ate anymore but I polished my plate clean, sharing only a little with Angie who insisted on ordering from the adult menu and then ended up not liking what she got. I ate a good bit of hers too.

We headed back to the convention space then and after a final round of hugs we Lurking, Angie and I headed back to my house. We relaxed watching Khumba (only cartoon movie whose main character is a Zebra) and otherwise just chatted before we finally succumbed to exhaustion.

Monday we all slept in a little bit, but Lurking did finally have to start on his trip back home. I made sure he had a good breakfast before he left. And once he did, we all worked to get the house cleaned up after a fantastic first Anthrocon in three years.

As everyone knows I caught COVID while at Anthrocon, something that would wreck the rest of the vacation I'd had planned. And quite frankly this made me very bitter to the point I have pondered not going again if it would cause so much disruption to the family vacations I look forward to. But time heals wounds and I know that I'll be back next year. I'll just be sure to plan family vacation stuff before AC instead of after AC next time!

I'll be sure to post the sketches and badges I have soon. I've got two other pictures from before AC still to post as well. Look for all of that in the coming week.

Dominus vobiscum

Spent the better part of two days in bed taking fever-reducing medicine to moderate the fever. Fever broke sometime Wed/Thu night and my temperature was normal cold levels most of yesterday before finally settling back to normal by the evening. I'm still pretty tired and worn out but I know I'm going to be okay.

My wife caught something and while her COVID test came back negative, I'm pretty sure she caught it too. She's about a day behind me in recovery but also looks like she's going to be okay. My daughter appears to have escaped unscathed. She's been really good the whole time; made me soup the first night in fact. But it's definitely weighing on her; she misses being close to her Daddy (the feeling's mutual).

Assuming no other symptoms pop up I should be out of self-quarantine in another two days.

Thank you to all who offered thoughts and prayers!

Dominus vobiscum

I tested positive for COVID yesterday. Almost certainly caught it at Anthrocon. Wrecked my family vacation plans this week. Still had a great time at AC. But if I interacted with you a bunch you might want to keep an eye out.

Currently only have a fever and light cough. Fever going between 101.5 and as low as 99.7. Was 100.6 this morning. Going to be spending a lot of time resting with an ice pack and some fever-medicine.

Dominus tecum

Thank you to everyone for the kind words after my dog passed last week. It means a lot to me. Her tree is doing well. We've picked up her things. Some we'll save of course. I'll probably look for another dog this Autumn once the craziness of Summer is over.

Dominus vobiscum

Today we had to put our Jack Russell Terrier named Chloe down. She was over 16 years old and had reached her end. Old age finally sapped all her strength. But she loved until the end and was loved by us. We all took turns cuddling her this morning and holding her while at the Vet. And after we brought her home we let our other two dogs sniff her and see that she was gone. We buried her in our yard and planted a new tree for her.

She had loved to play fetch and keep-away with balls, and was very friendly to anybody who came to visit. She will be missed.

You can see her before age started to take her strength and stamina away in this picture: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/25869010/

Dominus vobiscum

Sunday

Sunday began as it always does for me at Furnal with Mass at St Michael's. It's about a twenty minute walk from the hotel and is in fact the Cathedral for the Archdiocese of Toronto. Besides being ornate and beautiful with statuary, stained glass, and the like, it also pleases me with its use of more traditional hymns and chant. There's even a good bit more Latin in the Mass then I usually get at my home parish, so it was a great reminder that stepping into a Church is supposed to be a way to step out of the world.

After Mass I returned to the hotel, changed out of my Sunday suit and into con clothes and did another walk through of the Dealer's Den. I picked up a pack of cute animal stickers for Angie, as well as a bath bomb in the shape of a D20 (with a regular sized D20 inside). While picking up the bath bomb I discovered that one of my friends had paid the price of the rock dice set I was oogling over so the guy running the table told me to go ahead and take it. I have better friends than I deserve! Thank you! I also picked up another regular priced dice set to show my gratitude for the dealer. Next time I should just budget something like this in.

Finally, I grabbed Angie a really cute T-shirt that she could use as a night shirt (which she has many times already). I then passed by  JimSupreme, the guy with the comics we helped on Thursday. He offered me the choice of any one comic for free for the help we gave him. I chose Sleepers Part II which seems to be a combination Noir, Conspiracy, sorta WWII era comic. Wish I had Part I so I knew better what was going on, but the art is good and the characters seem fun.

I spent a good bit more time in fursuit, making sure to wander the den, the various convention spaces, and even spent time out on the balcony again. I'm pretty sure I got my picture taken a few times, but I honestly don't recall anymore too many details. I just know I managed being in suit much better than I did on Friday and managed not to once take my head off.

The Greymuzzle panel followed my fursuiting adventure. It was a decent group of folks, though as always there was a half-dozen folks who were just barely old enough to qualify. I wasn't the oldest by far there, and felt more like I was in the middle of the pack which was a nice change of pace. We had some fun conversations about a variety of topics before it settled on computer programming which was a passion for some furs there.

After the panel I went back to the Dealer's Den and spent my time chatting with friends like Shiro, and making sure I saw SpiderDragon at least one more time. I know there were others, but it's a little too dim now. I went down to go to closing ceremonies a little early. I skipped the line and sat in on the end of the Charity Auction, only to realize that it was going to overrun closing ceremonies by almost an hour. I sat with Alganbord and Fulminar and we chatted a bit in between the various auction items. There was a cute drawing of an owl that I bid on planning to give it to Angie if I won; somebody outbid me by twenty with a second to go and so I let it slide. There were definitely a lot of unique - both good and bad - items for auction and the guy running it did a fantastic job maintaining the energy and holding out anhour beyond what we all expected.

We stayed at closing ceremonies long enough to get the final attendance numbers which were only a few less than the 2019 con. I was expecting to come in a few hundred less since the restrictions in Canada were more severe than the US, but we almost tied!

Our next destination was The Old Spaghetti Factory for a final dinner. I was joined by  Fulminar,  DaiCymru,  Alganbord,  Xenotropos,  hbruton,  SandySchreiber, Renn, and  DanRaccoon. We took our time and enjoyed every stage of our meal from the bread with garlic butter, to the salad, and of course to our main dish. I had mine factory sized because it had been three years since I ate there and I was going to enjoy every possible bite. And I did. And horse was I full! But what a great time we had chatting about this that and everything in between, doing one last round of catching up on our lives before we had to say goodbye for hopefully not nearly as long!

After we got back to the hotel, and after many hugs were shared, I went back to my room with Fulminar and Dai hoping to get a call that a game of Werewolf was ready to go; Shiro was going to try and host once he got his Dealer Den responsibilities wrapped up. Sadly it didn't happen until far too late for me so I missed out again. Next time I'll just have to try and host it myself; I do know how after all! In the end I fell asleep after a long and good converation with my roommates.

Monday

The last day of the con dawned as it always does; inevitably, with some regret that it was over, but with so much gratitude that we got to be there at all. Dai brought some do-it-at-home COVID tests and both of us gave it a go and both of us came back obviously negative. We packed all of our stuff and then had one last breakfast at the hotel restaurant. I saw a few folks that morning, including Alganbord, but not nearly as many as we usually do on that last day. With goodbyes said, I drove Fulminar back to his place before heading home.

The border was easy to cross, and my drive home was uneventful. I got home a little before dinner time to the loving arms of my wife and daughter. It may have taken three years to have another FE, but it was worth it. Here's hoping next FE is in 2023 for real this time!

Now that I have my journals done, it's time to go through all of the pictures and start sharing those too. I've got a few from FE and otherwise yet to go.

Dominus vobiscum

Before I forget too many details, here I am back at trying to record the fun of our first Furnal in three years.

Saturday

Saturday morning I wasn't nearly as hungry so I started the day off with a light snack before heading down to the game room. I couldn't find anybody to play a game with but I spent a decent amount of time looking over a few I wish I had a chance to play and then chatting for a good long while with the folks running the room. I am embarrassed I didn't catch their names.

I then made my way over to the Dealer's Den when it opened up to check on my sketches. I of course oogled over what Heather, Sandy, and Xenotropos did for me. I picked up my new Rito Woodpecker badge from Shiro as well, and then droped my sketchbook off with one final artist (PancakeDragon). All of sketches secured, I then started looking around the room for something(s) to purchase for Angie. I saw a lot of cute ideas, but very little really stuck out to me on my first time through. The con charity had some really cute animal-themed earrings, but they were all dangles and she cannot have dangles just yet, so I had to pass on that. Although I was unable to decide I knew I had plenty more time so did not worry.

Next came the supersponsor luncheon which amounted to nothing fancier than the hotel restaurant buffet. This was an excellent choice and I heard nothing but compliments from everyone who was there. COVID concerns had all of the tables far apart, and folks didn't seem too apt to sit too close anyway, so I ended up just eating with Fulminar. He happily shared his sketchbook progress and I shared my new badge.

After lunch I headed over to the Transformation Panel where the folks running it (one was  Forepawz but I cannot recall the other) had a bunch of signs to try and break people up into smaller interest groups to do the whole social mixer thing. The first one was "Weres" and over half the room went there. I chose to go to the Farm Animal group because I knew Weres would be swamped and I've always like Farm Animal TFs even if they're horribly cliched and farm life is often romanticized/idealized in some way. There were three of us there and we had an enjoyable conversation about why we liked that sort of TF. We got to talking about TF stories and one of the other two (I wish I'd written this down at the time, gah) admitted he'd got his start reading the old Transformation Story Archive; I have a few stories on there, and discovered he'd actually read and loved some of them! Wow! It's been twenty years since I really posted anything to that website, so those are definitely older stories of mine. What a wild treat!

I moved over to the monster transformation table after a while and had the pleasure of chatting with several cool furs including Arc who was actually attending a con for once. Sadly we didn't actually talk much about monster TF. But such is how panels like that often go.

When I returned to the Dealer's Den it was well into the afternoon. I hovered over the Dragon Dice table mesmerized by a set of stone dice with golden cracks through but finally decided I couldn't justify the price no matter how much I wanted them. I did go to the comic book table and pick up the Mighty Tiny Lost Tales (he threw in the first volume of Swimmer for free). I had picked up the FE edition of Mighty Tiny at the 2019 Furnal and it had been a good companion on many a dull day when I needed a little reminder of the fandom. Certainly enjoyable, but I wish they'd have a story from the Rat's POV instead of always the Mouse's.

I picked up my sketchbook from PancakeDragon next and then continued to wander the den looking for things for Angie. I found a few things I liked but held off on buying just yet. I could make my final decisions on Sunday.

I had dinner with Alganbord and Noah in the hotel lobby restaurant. The Roman Pizza was fantastic and well worth it. We then headed up to the game room and played a round of The Game and The Captain is Dead. We actually managed to win The Game which took me by surprise since it's so easy to get yourself into a position where you cannot win. We also managed to barely scrape a win out in The Captain is Dead. He then started to work on getting the sequel game setup for us to play (all of these games were with other furs but whom I can no longer recall). However, I kept nodding off during game setup so decided I needed to head up to bed. I chatted once again with Dai and Fulminar before crashing. So ended Saturday at Furnal Equinox 2022.

Dominus vobiscum

Back to the Furnal Equinox con report!

Friday

Friday morning we ( Fulminar and  DaiCymru) woke up fairly early for a convention and all of us were up and moving by six AM. We went down to the hotel restaurant but discovered they weren't open until 7 so we waited until then. Dai had special pancakes while Fulminar and I raided the Buffet. It felt so good getting food into my tummy again!

Dai had a staff meeting at 8 so Fulminar and I went our own ways after eating. I wandered the convention space for a little while, poking my nose in the Dealer's Den which had been accidentally left open until I ran into a staff member; of course I had to leave so we just laughed about it and that was that. I found the game room again and looked over the games wishing I had somebody I knew there to play a round of something. I remember flipping through the Room Party deck and furry expansion pack, but not sure what other games I looked at.

As the time for opening ceremonies grew near I made my way there. These lines were a bit more organized so I was able to get right at the front of the super-sponsor line where I connected with my friend  Alganbord. Alganbord was one of the two people who introduced me to VR Chat back during the early days of COVID and it was with him that I attended the Virtual Furnal last year. There wasn't much time for catching up before Opening Ceremonies began. We were right up front and it's possible some of our enthusiasm got caught on film as we cheered the triumphant return of FE!

Once Opening Ceremonies wrapped up I headed for the Super Sponsor line to get into the Dealer's Den. I chatted with  ManuKoa for a bit before we were allowed in to do our scouring. I secured a badge commission from one of the Guests of Honor,  Anyare (still waiting to receive it but should be done in time for Anthrocon), and of course stopped by the amazing ladies  hbruton,  SandySchreiber, and  Xenotropos to drop off my sketchbook and catch up on the last three years. I then made my way to  CatMonkShiro for another badge commission, this time of my Rito form as I have one for all my other mains from him already. I wandered around the Dealer's Den looking to find ideas for my daughter as well as looking for a fourth sketch. I was disappointed to learn that  SpiderDragon was already completely booked, but she is still working on a sketch I commissioned her late last year and she showed me the rough (it's going to be amazing when she's finished).

I finally settled on an artist new to me  PancakeDragon as I liked the look of the bird busts he had so I asked him to do a sketch of my Woodpecker Rito.

With my sketches all secured, I spent the rest of the time bumping into friends and catching up. There are more than I can name, but I'll focus on two in particular. First would be  Leo.The.Ninja.Lion who insisted that he pay me back for the sketch we got together last FE (I'd completely forgotten that he owed me money). It was really good to see him again and we went and got yet another sketch from Shiro, this time he kept the original.

Second would be  Seadog_driftwood with whom I share a love of music. Seadog regaled me with stories of his tutoring while I shared with him what I've written so far on my Double Concerto for Xylophone and Cello (no really). He thoroughly enjoyed it and encouraged me to keep at it. Hopefully I'll find time and inspiration to wrap up the finale, write the cadenza, and tweak the ending to the scherzo which I want to replace the V-i with something unsettled (perhaps a French Sixth, or Diminished Seventh, maybe even a Wagner chord, or some other complex discord).

I returned to the room to drop off the various swag I'd picked up and then get into fursuit. We were required to wear our masks even with our suit on and it was just as punishing as I was afraid it was going to be. I soldiered on anyway and made my way through the Dealer's Den to wave to all the artists I know before heading toward the panel space in the hotel. My Rodents! panel was all the way at the far back and so I used the time I had before it started to pop into the game room and then go out onto the observation deck to try and feel the cool air. I had brought the cooling vest my friend  Salvestro bought for me the year before and it was doing a decent job of keeping me from overheating, but the mask made it very hard to breath and keep my head cool which any fursuiter can tell you is the most important challenge. The fresh air of the observation deck definitely helped. Several other fursuiters were out there too so I know I wasn't the only one (the headless lounges were useless since they weren't allowed to have fans).

My panel finally came and while I of course broke the magic fairly early on, we had good attendance despite the time overlapping the close of the Dealer's Den and when folks would want to go get dinner. We also had some firsts, such as my friend  Pyat actually being able to attend my panel for once. Also we had the most hilarious fursuit disguises ever. We normally get some feline or bird of prey fursuiter to poke their snout or beak in and make some gesture like they want to eat us. This was far better. Whiteleaf055 and Bootzworth (I don't have FA names for them, so if you know them let me know) were both cats of course, but they put paper plates in their ears to look like really cheap mouse ears and cones over their snouts to make rodent snouts. Think the main villain from An American Tail. They came in asking if this was the place where all the Rodent Secrets would be discussed, like the best escape routes from the cats, etc... It was so dang hilarious and obvious we all just played along. I had to snap of picture of them before they left and told them they were welcome back anytime.

What a brilliant joke! Kudos to the both of them for making the panel so unforgettable!

Of course I was also grateful to everyone else who came including Alganbord,  Mad_ferret, Renn (no FA), and too many others to name.

Once the panel was over I headed back to the room to get out of my suit. Fulminar, Dai, Alganbord, and Alganbord's roommate Dr. Noah Buddy headed to dinner at Firkin's. It took a while to get our food, but at least the place wasn't as loud as I remember it being, and the Fish and Chips was absolutely fantastic and very filling! Of course, it was very late when we wrapped up and I had to apologize to Alganbord who wanted to play some board games with me that evening. I was too exhaused so headed back up to the room to crash. Still took a while to do so because I had some very engaging conversations with Dai and Fulminar, but eventually sleep claimed me.

Dominus vobiscum