Further Confusion 2010: The Con Report
Good morning/afternoon/evening! It's been an amazing weekend, full of fun, friends, and fascinating furry frolicking! So here's the report! Under a cut of course, as to preserve the sanity and the neatness of my friends and their journals. And with that, my friends...
Wednesday
It was a gloomy day, and rainy for most of it, but there was a trip to take and the weather wasn't going to stop me! Since I had to pick up someone that was quite a ways out from where I lived, I decided to spend the day with my good friends Hannah and Ash in Downtown Los Angeles, assisting them in picking up some much needed fleece products for their business. After that, I was able to drive them back home with all the fuzzy items in tow. After a short power nap, it was time to head out on the road to FC! From Murrieta, I drove to Riverside to pick up Patrick, the Furry-con virgin. From there, we drove to meet up with pretty_omi to join a caravan of cars driving up to the con. The trip was quite pleasant for the first 2/3 of the drive, and we were actually able to make it through the grapevine without any problems! It was quite exciting...
Thursday
The last part of the drive wasn't so nice. We ended up hitting some nasty rain as soon as we hit Gilroy, and me fighting off sleep every couple of minutes wasn't a very pleasant thing either. But after a while, we hit the Fairmont at about 5am. I was able to take a brief nap in my car until about 8am, when I finally got my butt into the hotel to continue resting and meet up with my roommates. After a few more hours, we met up with razzlfraz and m_tiger. We got to the AMAZING suite and settled in. I caught some more sleep (being up for almost 36 hours did not really settle well with me) before heading out to meet up with others for what was going to be an amazing con experience.
Thursday was really just a simple day to get accustomed with everything there was there at the con. I got myself registered in what seemed to be record time (I think from getting into line to walking away with my packet, it was about 7-8 minutes). And if I remember correctly, I grabbed a bite to eat, and then headed down with none other than tally_kat to check out the first dance of the con, check out the hotel, and snap some pictures. Pretty much a kick back kind of night, but that's the way day 1 usually goes!
Friday
The first full day of the con and I was ready to roll! The first order of business was to get into my suit and head down to the "How to dance in fursuit" panel. tally_kat was awesome enough to join me for the panel. With JD Puppy at the helm, I knew it was going to be interesting morning. After that, I checked out the dealer's den, which was jam packed with so many damn people. So many people, in fact, that I made the decision to go back later, which was okay by me... there was still plenty of time to grab some sketchbook art later (which would turn out to be awesome). After saying hi to various friends and milling around the con for a few hours, I decided to check out the fursuit dance competition, which was just awesome. Some of those guys can really move! I got some poor video of the event, but it was fun to watch. Later that night I hit up the Furoticon Sealed card tournament. Having an interest in the game already, but never having played, it was bound to be an interesting night. In the end, I came out with a rival, Mikau (with whom I've won every match againt, so far), and won about 70 cards to add to my collection. The only downside was that it went REALLY LONG. just over 5 hours long to be exact. That was way more time than I had planned to spend there, but I suppose I did get some good cards out of it. Then, at the ungodly hour of almost 4am, I waddled myself to my room, and to bed.
Saturday
After forcing myself out of bed, I headed down to the Dealer's Den to get some commissions started and pick up some badges that I had pre-ordered before the con. It was shortly after that when the highlight of my con started... the fursuit parade! To make a long story short, the parade this year was... interesting. We met in the Imperial Ballroom, which was just big enough to house everyone to stage them for the parade route. Then, while I was waiting... something AWESOME happened... I got tagged in fursuit!!! I had never been tagged before and I knew it was something that kind of happened randomly, and rarely for that matter! So I got an ear tag that was number 020. After unlocking that achievement, it was time to take the parade route. It was ... short. But given the circumstances anyway, it tuned out just fine. Then it was time to take the massive group picture. This is where I got irritated. Because space was a little tight, I had to maneuver in such a way to where I could at least be seen by the camera. Eventually I found a spot. But then, about 10 seconds before the shots were taken, some incredibly rude person squeezed in front of me, and was about 7-8 inches taller than me, effectively blocking the clear view I had with the camera. I was not happy. I mean... I know you want to get into the picture, but you're tall enough where you could have stood behind ANYONE and still be noticed. But no, so far, as far as I'm concerned, I won't be visible in the fursuit picture... kinda like last year. *sigh* But all in all, 479 fursuits this year. A little less than last year, but still a great number.
The rest of the day remained to be fairly eventful I bid (and eventually won) a nice piece of art in the art show. Got out and about just in time for the dessert party. And decided to enter another Furoticon tournament, which I placed in, and won even more fabulous prizes (aka more cards). I kind of regret not getting to any of the parties this time around... but I guess it was all good, considering I'm not really the big party type... at least not yet.
Sunday
For some reason, Sunday for me went by REALLY quickly, and that makes me sad. Anywho, I bolted down to the dealer's den to get one more sketch commission before people filled up too quickly. I picked up my art from the art show, and then I spent most of the day just wandering around the gaming rooms, the Den, and caught the Critter Olympics as well. The Critterlympics was actually quite entertaining. I got some good video of that, so I'm quite proud of myself in that aspect. After that, I got to run around in suit just a little more and then eventually made my way to attend FNL. This year's FNL, in my opinion, wasn't as great as last years (which is the only other one that I saw). As one person tweeted about it, "Good thing there wasn't judging this year, as 90% of the acts would have tied for last". I sadly was unimpressed, but it was still a fun tradition. After the FNL fiasco, I headed up to the room for some boozing and relaxation. I was going to head down to the dance, but when it came down to the decision to dance in suit and get all hot and sweaty, or stay in the room with my favorite liquors, the choice was quite clear. Sadly, those I invited for some drinks opted out, so it was a fun night alone watching web videos and getting tipsy. And with that, it was the end of the last full day of the con.
Oh, yeah. I also slept in my partial, since it was going to be the last time I was going to be able to wear him until June... That really was fun... I don't know why... but it was...
Monday
After some long goodbyes and packing up all my stuff, it was time to say goodbye to another amazing year of antics and fun. I was able to catch lunch with some of my closest friends, tally_kat, jessidear84, zoom_gas, and Patrick decided to tag along as well. We feasted on some fine indian cuisine and shared many stories and other things that friends do while they eat curry, wraps, and catfish.
All in all, it was a damn great con. I wish I would have put myself out there just a little more, but that's what I say every year. I had an awesome time. I got to suit enough to where I was happy, and I got to see a lot of familiar faces that I don't get to often. Hell, I even made a few new friends while I'm was at it. I'm kinda sad to have to leave my tail off for who knows how long, but I wouldn't trade the awesomeness of that weekend for anything.
Thank you.
And with that, let's get some shout-outs out of the way...
M_tiger and razzlfraz: You guys are always so welcoming and accommodating. Thank you for having me as a guest in your room. And I hope I get to see you both sometime before CF, if we can.
My other roomies (Taski, Chester, Mel, and Patrick): Although I didn't get to see to much of y'all, that just means that you all were having a blast at the con and I salute you all for that. But when our paths did cross, it was a pleasant experience. Thank you.
Mikau: Dude, you play a mighty fine game of Furoticon. But I believe we have established who is the more dominant player. Hehehe...
tally_kat: oh, my furreind... Sharing the con experience with your presence is always, and forever will be so enjoyable. I'm glad we got some opportunities to suit together, and even get our groove on the dance floor too. You friendship will always be a special one.
jessidear84: Girl... you've got some 'splaining to do!! *LOL* I'm was so glad to see you make it this year, and more importantly, I'm so excited that you were able to have a very, very enjoyable con experience this year. I want to get details later, but in the mean time... I'm proud of you, bear.
stevefoxx: Sir, it was a PLEASURE to finally get to meet you personally, and I hope our paths will cross once again. Oh, and that sip of pure heaven that you shared with me.... DIVINE. (it was a DRINK people... get your mind out of the gutter! :p )
zoom_gas: Your suit was absolutely adorable. It was good seeing you again, and I'm glad that I was able to help you out once again when it came to getting home.
pretty_omi: Joining your caravan up was a TOTAL lifesaver, and for that, I will forever be thankful. And thanks for looking out for me when I was nodding off about halfway up! Hopefully, I'll get my ass out to some local events this year before CF, and we can become better acquaintances.
And to anyone else that I met, yet neglected to mention: You are cool, and I hope that next time, our experiences will be more memorable, that they become forever etched into my memory.
FC2010, thank you for another great year, and letting me be "someone else" for a few days.
CHEERS!
Wednesday
It was a gloomy day, and rainy for most of it, but there was a trip to take and the weather wasn't going to stop me! Since I had to pick up someone that was quite a ways out from where I lived, I decided to spend the day with my good friends Hannah and Ash in Downtown Los Angeles, assisting them in picking up some much needed fleece products for their business. After that, I was able to drive them back home with all the fuzzy items in tow. After a short power nap, it was time to head out on the road to FC! From Murrieta, I drove to Riverside to pick up Patrick, the Furry-con virgin. From there, we drove to meet up with pretty_omi to join a caravan of cars driving up to the con. The trip was quite pleasant for the first 2/3 of the drive, and we were actually able to make it through the grapevine without any problems! It was quite exciting...
Thursday
The last part of the drive wasn't so nice. We ended up hitting some nasty rain as soon as we hit Gilroy, and me fighting off sleep every couple of minutes wasn't a very pleasant thing either. But after a while, we hit the Fairmont at about 5am. I was able to take a brief nap in my car until about 8am, when I finally got my butt into the hotel to continue resting and meet up with my roommates. After a few more hours, we met up with razzlfraz and m_tiger. We got to the AMAZING suite and settled in. I caught some more sleep (being up for almost 36 hours did not really settle well with me) before heading out to meet up with others for what was going to be an amazing con experience.
Thursday was really just a simple day to get accustomed with everything there was there at the con. I got myself registered in what seemed to be record time (I think from getting into line to walking away with my packet, it was about 7-8 minutes). And if I remember correctly, I grabbed a bite to eat, and then headed down with none other than tally_kat to check out the first dance of the con, check out the hotel, and snap some pictures. Pretty much a kick back kind of night, but that's the way day 1 usually goes!
Friday
The first full day of the con and I was ready to roll! The first order of business was to get into my suit and head down to the "How to dance in fursuit" panel. tally_kat was awesome enough to join me for the panel. With JD Puppy at the helm, I knew it was going to be interesting morning. After that, I checked out the dealer's den, which was jam packed with so many damn people. So many people, in fact, that I made the decision to go back later, which was okay by me... there was still plenty of time to grab some sketchbook art later (which would turn out to be awesome). After saying hi to various friends and milling around the con for a few hours, I decided to check out the fursuit dance competition, which was just awesome. Some of those guys can really move! I got some poor video of the event, but it was fun to watch. Later that night I hit up the Furoticon Sealed card tournament. Having an interest in the game already, but never having played, it was bound to be an interesting night. In the end, I came out with a rival, Mikau (with whom I've won every match againt, so far), and won about 70 cards to add to my collection. The only downside was that it went REALLY LONG. just over 5 hours long to be exact. That was way more time than I had planned to spend there, but I suppose I did get some good cards out of it. Then, at the ungodly hour of almost 4am, I waddled myself to my room, and to bed.
Saturday
After forcing myself out of bed, I headed down to the Dealer's Den to get some commissions started and pick up some badges that I had pre-ordered before the con. It was shortly after that when the highlight of my con started... the fursuit parade! To make a long story short, the parade this year was... interesting. We met in the Imperial Ballroom, which was just big enough to house everyone to stage them for the parade route. Then, while I was waiting... something AWESOME happened... I got tagged in fursuit!!! I had never been tagged before and I knew it was something that kind of happened randomly, and rarely for that matter! So I got an ear tag that was number 020. After unlocking that achievement, it was time to take the parade route. It was ... short. But given the circumstances anyway, it tuned out just fine. Then it was time to take the massive group picture. This is where I got irritated. Because space was a little tight, I had to maneuver in such a way to where I could at least be seen by the camera. Eventually I found a spot. But then, about 10 seconds before the shots were taken, some incredibly rude person squeezed in front of me, and was about 7-8 inches taller than me, effectively blocking the clear view I had with the camera. I was not happy. I mean... I know you want to get into the picture, but you're tall enough where you could have stood behind ANYONE and still be noticed. But no, so far, as far as I'm concerned, I won't be visible in the fursuit picture... kinda like last year. *sigh* But all in all, 479 fursuits this year. A little less than last year, but still a great number.
The rest of the day remained to be fairly eventful I bid (and eventually won) a nice piece of art in the art show. Got out and about just in time for the dessert party. And decided to enter another Furoticon tournament, which I placed in, and won even more fabulous prizes (aka more cards). I kind of regret not getting to any of the parties this time around... but I guess it was all good, considering I'm not really the big party type... at least not yet.
Sunday
For some reason, Sunday for me went by REALLY quickly, and that makes me sad. Anywho, I bolted down to the dealer's den to get one more sketch commission before people filled up too quickly. I picked up my art from the art show, and then I spent most of the day just wandering around the gaming rooms, the Den, and caught the Critter Olympics as well. The Critterlympics was actually quite entertaining. I got some good video of that, so I'm quite proud of myself in that aspect. After that, I got to run around in suit just a little more and then eventually made my way to attend FNL. This year's FNL, in my opinion, wasn't as great as last years (which is the only other one that I saw). As one person tweeted about it, "Good thing there wasn't judging this year, as 90% of the acts would have tied for last". I sadly was unimpressed, but it was still a fun tradition. After the FNL fiasco, I headed up to the room for some boozing and relaxation. I was going to head down to the dance, but when it came down to the decision to dance in suit and get all hot and sweaty, or stay in the room with my favorite liquors, the choice was quite clear. Sadly, those I invited for some drinks opted out, so it was a fun night alone watching web videos and getting tipsy. And with that, it was the end of the last full day of the con.
Oh, yeah. I also slept in my partial, since it was going to be the last time I was going to be able to wear him until June... That really was fun... I don't know why... but it was...
Monday
After some long goodbyes and packing up all my stuff, it was time to say goodbye to another amazing year of antics and fun. I was able to catch lunch with some of my closest friends, tally_kat, jessidear84, zoom_gas, and Patrick decided to tag along as well. We feasted on some fine indian cuisine and shared many stories and other things that friends do while they eat curry, wraps, and catfish.
All in all, it was a damn great con. I wish I would have put myself out there just a little more, but that's what I say every year. I had an awesome time. I got to suit enough to where I was happy, and I got to see a lot of familiar faces that I don't get to often. Hell, I even made a few new friends while I'm was at it. I'm kinda sad to have to leave my tail off for who knows how long, but I wouldn't trade the awesomeness of that weekend for anything.
Thank you.
And with that, let's get some shout-outs out of the way...
M_tiger and razzlfraz: You guys are always so welcoming and accommodating. Thank you for having me as a guest in your room. And I hope I get to see you both sometime before CF, if we can.
My other roomies (Taski, Chester, Mel, and Patrick): Although I didn't get to see to much of y'all, that just means that you all were having a blast at the con and I salute you all for that. But when our paths did cross, it was a pleasant experience. Thank you.
Mikau: Dude, you play a mighty fine game of Furoticon. But I believe we have established who is the more dominant player. Hehehe...
tally_kat: oh, my furreind... Sharing the con experience with your presence is always, and forever will be so enjoyable. I'm glad we got some opportunities to suit together, and even get our groove on the dance floor too. You friendship will always be a special one.
jessidear84: Girl... you've got some 'splaining to do!! *LOL* I'm was so glad to see you make it this year, and more importantly, I'm so excited that you were able to have a very, very enjoyable con experience this year. I want to get details later, but in the mean time... I'm proud of you, bear.
stevefoxx: Sir, it was a PLEASURE to finally get to meet you personally, and I hope our paths will cross once again. Oh, and that sip of pure heaven that you shared with me.... DIVINE. (it was a DRINK people... get your mind out of the gutter! :p )
zoom_gas: Your suit was absolutely adorable. It was good seeing you again, and I'm glad that I was able to help you out once again when it came to getting home.
pretty_omi: Joining your caravan up was a TOTAL lifesaver, and for that, I will forever be thankful. And thanks for looking out for me when I was nodding off about halfway up! Hopefully, I'll get my ass out to some local events this year before CF, and we can become better acquaintances.
And to anyone else that I met, yet neglected to mention: You are cool, and I hope that next time, our experiences will be more memorable, that they become forever etched into my memory.
FC2010, thank you for another great year, and letting me be "someone else" for a few days.
CHEERS!