the road to portland, to connecticut and back to portland...
Going to FurFright was a two fold deal for me this time. Not only did I go to Connecticut, but I also went to visit Maine, at the behest of my good friend Runtt - who he and his mate Silvermane have been wanting me to come up and check out - see if I'd be interested as a potential roommate.
Per the way things go at the Drawbridge... I wasn't approved to go till about two weeks before teh FurFrights itself. Once approved, it was crunch time - planning and making the necessary arrangements.
Once again, I flew Air Tran (which I definitely recommend). I flew from Dayton to Baltimore then Baltimore to Maine. Cool in the fact that I got to see Maxi both on the way up and back... we were able to arrange a "guest pass" both times. Also ate at The Greene Turtle both times (also highly recommended). Unfortunately I had the problem with ear pressure. When I landed at BWI, I could hear and *feel* my ears drain - and it *hurt. Gum didn't help, but the flight from Baltimore to Maine went a little better. About midnight, Runtt picked me up... got back to their house and went to sleep. The next morning we drove off early - Runtt wanted to take me to a little coffee shop he prefers, but they were closed - so he opted for a Starbucks at a rest stop on the way to FurFright. Not a fan of coffee nor Starbucks in general - I found out there was a drink there I actually liked... Runtt ordered me a hot chai latte... and I actually liked it. Who knew?
My body clock was adjusting and about 4 hours later we arrived in Cromwell, CT and FurFright. I helped Runtt unload his drumming equipment to the ballroom (his band "By Blood Alone" played an awesome concert there that Saturday). Then I helped con staff unload the truck. An hour later, I was back helping (more like watching) Runtt set up his stereo equipment, which unfortunately turned out to be a debacle. A younger furry came in to help set up some of his own equipment and in the process screwed up all of Runtt's equipment. A half hour later - this guy decided to "get drunk and suit up" leaving Runtt to figure out everything.
Despite the crazy set up, the con turned out very nice. Along with Runtt, I got to get poked a lot by - er, I mean hang out with Speed Wolf... Shy, Lobowolf, Talmak, Bleis Wolf and Chantilly Cat (in cow). Unfortunately, most of my friends worked the convention or had other obligations, making any type of hangout nearly difficult. That said, I did meet some wonderful people and made a few new friends including Ultratails42, Brauner, and Prplhaze from Canada... all good. ^_^
The hotel layout was interesting to say the least. Dated in a few places - updated in others, you could tell the hotel was built in "sections" over a period of time, kinda' like the same thing at my hotel. Most intriguing was the huge atrium section that had an indoor pool and off to the side hotel rooms which over looked a mezzanine (which was used as the "zoo"). On Friday night, they set up a big projection tv over the pool and played "Jaws". Saturday they played "Rocky Horror".. not much a fan of, but it was neat watching furries doing the time warp - even in the pool.
Not having driven, my eating options were severely limited. There were a few places I could walk to including Wooster St. Pizza - but after discovering Sheffield's in the hotel, problems were solved. Prices were about the same of an Applebee's and the food was seriously good. They had a burger named after the restaurant with mushroom and swiss (not a fan of) - it came highly recommended... and just like the latte at Starbucks, I was surprised. That with their onion rings were fantastic... I could've eaten those daily but - eh, no. ;-P
The next day Runtt and I had the pasta named after the restaurant... really good. Sheffield's even catered to the furries with breakfast and dinner buffets at $11.95 each. I had breakfast with Lobowolf and Kodian the following morning. Other than cereal, it was the first time I had "breakfast food" in the past four or so years. ;-/
On Monday, Runtt and I packed his truck back up, said our goodbyes to Belic Bear and friends and returned to Maine to check things out. That night Runtt drove me around downtown Portland, which ended up resembling more of a "college town" with a few businesses and sushi restaurants sprinkled throughout. I saw a few restaurants on the harbour, but never had the chance to try lobster. We visited a few of his favorite places including Books & More; bought groceries at Hannaford and had a dinner prepared by the wah himself. After that we watched "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "District 9"... both really good films.
Tuesday, Runtt first took me to his place of work and introduced me as "this is the guy..."..... I was humbled to say the least. We then had lunch at his favorite restaurant Ginza Town, a little "hole in the wall" sushi place where I discovered a few more types of sushi I actually *liked*. My only fear was if the sushi was going to come back up on the flights home, but all was good there. We went back and watched a Scissor Sisters concert and it was time to go.
As I had with Maxi in Baltimore, I thought Runtt could hang with me in the terminal till it was time to go, but due to security codes that day - he wasn't allowed. We said our goodbyes three times and hugged four... goodbyes are so much worse when they're "personal", if that makes any sense. Then it was up the escalator, through the checkpoint and the wait for the plane... which ended up being FIVE minutes... the guest pass wouldn't have probably been worth it anyways.
One the plane, I realized I left my gum at Runtt's... surprisingly, I found out I didn't need it! Had to pop my ears maybe two or three good times - but no pain, no drainage, either I'm getting more used to it or did so within that week time span. Once again I met up with Maxi and went to The Greene Turtle. Another hard goodbye and it was back to Dayton. It was a strange feeling walking off the plane and into an empty terminal... no kidding. I felt even more alone... and paranoid till I got to the entrance to find Dad and Sheri waiting.
I am still in debate whether or not this would all be a good move for me... whether I could be better in Maine - its hard to say. Good in living with such good friends like Silvermane and Runtt, not too mention being near (or nearer) a few others in and around the area. Bad in that it is a REALLY BIG move (1006 mi. to be exact), being away from family and friends here, not too mention the heavy winters they get. Experiencing the winter already here has me apprehensive to say the least. The other day I read Maine has 4 seasons... pre-winter, winter, post-winter and construction... I still have a lot of thinking to do.
The next night saw me back at work and in the middle of another convention... Sugoi Con, a local and *fast growing* anime con... fans, Mountain Dew, people who don't know how to use soap, more Mountain Dew and Pokemon everywhere.
For the most part, these guys are a good group... what was surprising was ALL the things they had planned. However, as far as the variety and gaiety go... furries have the edge by far!!! ^_^
What was also evident was that Sugoi has even outgrown the Drawbridge. On Friday, their registration line went outside and around our convention center, double the numbers they were expecting. I don't even know if there *is* another hotel in this area that could hold it... will be interesting to see what happens there.