Vacation/Midwest Fur Fest 2010 Con Report
Wednesday: Day started off like any other day. From midnight to 7AM I was working! Came home, immediately crashed for a quick nap, and packed up last minute essentials before heading out to the Peoria area to hang out with undyingwavesong! Unfortunately I got there and was super tired, so arranged a breakfast meet for the following morning! Of course, my plans for sleep were put off for a "short" conversation with skyes that lasted a good 5 hours :P Thank goodness she's on my friends/family plan, because normally that would have eaten up 75% of my minutes on my old plan in one call! Even if she weren't, it was worth it <3 Very enjoyable conversation.
Thursday: Woke up, showered, realized I forgot all of my shower essentials, and made plans to meet up with undyingwavesong and Ike (don't know his lj name :P) for breakfast at a nearby restaurant! they told me it was near the Dollar General. Looked it up on Google Maps, and got my driving directions! Followed them, and.. there was no Dollar General. Turns out I passed it before I even made my first turn. Oops! No matter. Found the place in time, we ate and talked, and had a good time! It had been a long time since I last saw them, so it was very nice to meet them again. In our talks I learned of a very awesome thing going on 15 minutes away! 3 HTTYD plushes (large!) at the Salvation Army store for $3 each! Want! D: After breakfast we parted ways, and I went to the store! Unfortunately when I got there they were already gone. Sad! But then again they were spotted several days prior to my arriving so it's not really surprising that they're gone. Anyways, after doing that I stopped at the Wal-Mart next door to get my shower essentials and made my way to the convention! Arrived there about 2:30, checked in, moved my stuff and organized it all, and waited for my roommates to start appearing! Got an amazing call later from skyes making it official that we are in love! <3 Around 8PM I went in line for registration! Holy crap was the pre-reg line long. Stretched all the way to the elevator area! However, since I was a sponsor I didn't have to wait in that line. My line had 4 people in it! :D After doing that I retired up to my room, at some point enjoyed some overpriced dinner at the o'h American Grill, and holy crap the best cheesecake I've had in a long time! :D
Friday: Woke up, grabbed a shower, got some breakfast at the o'h, and waited for our fifthfourth roommate. Expected 3 & got 4 yesterday, but that was just a temporary setup. Our surprise 4th needed the room for one night since she arrived a day earlier than her room was ready. So once she got checked in she moved her stuff over to her room. Once the Dealer's Den opened up I went to check it out and get my free t-shirt. Man was that a mistake. I don't do well in large crowds. And that place was -packed- big time, with people who really didn't seem to care that they were in the way of others. Soon as I got my t-shirt I got the hell out of there and went up to the room to calm down.
This reminds me of a really big issue that bugs the hell out of me. Why do people feel the need to congregate in doorways, or right at the top/bottom of stairs? Ok yes, you ran across some people you haven't seen in awhile or need to talk to, and want to catch up. That's wonderful! Now move your ass somewhere you're not in the way and continue it there! >:C This is especially dangerous when you add escalators to the mix. People need to clear the escalator so you don't wind up with a big pileup, which is increasingly dangerous on the up escalators! Doorways are no exception! That is a severe fire hazard when the main/only exits are blocked by throngs of people too wrapped up in conversations to move for anyone. If people need to get out in a hurry for whatever reason, there's going to be a problem!
Anyways, after calming down I ran around and attempted an impromptu sushi gathering. Well, I attempted to round up something several months ago on sushi_furs but got absolutely no response. When I attempted it on Twitter I got two responses. Well, 3, but that response was asking it to be on Saturday instead. Unfortunately this was one of those things where someone was going to be left out no matter what I did, so when I held it all depended on when I was available to hold it. I was available then, and was craving sushi bad! So the four of us took off for sushi (I was with one of the other 3 when I made the tweet about it, so he doesn't count as a response on Twitter since I knew he was going anyways :P) and went to Sakura Sushi! Absolutely delicious for a fast food sushi I guess you could call it. It's one of those Sushi to Go type places. After sushi we went to Target to get some stuff that was needed, I bought some cookies that are essentially sex for your tastebuds! Oh my god Target sugar cookies are so delicious. I don't really recall much after that, I think I wound up going to bed soon afterwards. Well, tried to. Some ass was blowing a horn that I could hear 9 stories up through a closed door at 9 in the freaking evening! What the hell?! It wasn't even music, it was just BRAAAT! followed by BRAAAAT a few minutes later! Blowing the fucking thing for the sake of making noise!
Saturday! Woke up a bit early to prepare for a meet & greet for trucker furs! I actually had hopes for this one since there was quite a bit of positive response on the 3 groups I posted this to a month in advance. And of all the people that expressed an interest, all of nobody showed up >:C The only two people that showed up were people who heard of it via twitter/I told them personally. That was the most disappointing meet I have ever tried to assemble. Since there were so few people there, we didn't really even bother going in to the o'h restaurant since two of us had other plans for food. After that I don't think I'll ever be organizing another meet. I am just tired of making all these plans, telling everyone in advance, and having almost nobody show up. What's the point? I'm just wasting my time and energy. I'd be better off just planning something private with friends instead. Which is basically what happened with all events I tried to arrange this year anyways. Honestly, I'm pondering pulling out of pretty much all Lj communities I tried to be a part of instead of just lurking, since it's obvious that nothing I'm doing seems to matter to anyone.
Most of the rest of the day was spent wandering around the con, exploring the Dealer's Den when it wasn't so busy, and the Artist's Alley. As well as the art show! :D Unfortunately before the day was over I had to retire up to the room because I was in severe pain. A month ago I kicked a foot stool really hard when stumbling around in the dark. I figured I bruised a bone since it was hurting up to the convention. When I had my annual physical the doctor confirmed it was probably just a deep bruise, but if it got worse I should have it x-rayed to rule out bone fractures. Well, it definitely got worse. I iced it and that helped enough for me to get to sleep.
Sunday! Holy crap art auction at 11, and I know I have a piece in there I want to bid on! But oh no, my foot's not better! D: And I need to get it x-rayed. I scrambled to find someone to make sure I got the piece, but sadly couldn't really find anyone. No matter though, when I got breakfast before I left I found out there was barely anything in the art auction this year. 11 pieces total, and mine was going to be one of the first. It was 45 minutes away too, so I figured I'd just stick around and make sure I got it before going to the urgent care facility. Don't like going to the ER for anything short of holy crap I'm dying! D: types of situations. It's not an emergency, and the ER can be expensive. I'd rather save that for actual emergencies. Urgent care facilities are for just that! Not quite an emergency but you can't wait to see your GP either. So yeah. Did that, got my foot x-rayed, and found no fractures! Just muscle strain for the pain from yesterday. Told to take 2 aleve twice a day for a week. Also bought myself an ankle support to help with that while I was at the Walgreens down the road. Got a ride to sushi, and back to the hotel where I pretty much stayed in my room most of the day letting my foot just relax. There really wasn't anything going on that I was interested in that i hadn't missed while at the UC anyways.
At this point I was looking forward to having the room to myself! But that kind of got changed when reports of slippery road conditions up in WI were going around. While I wanted to have the room to myself, it'd be a really dick move to tell my roommates to bugger off and find somewhere else instead :P So they stayed another night, and will probably be leaving around afternoon. I on the other hand will be staying another night to get the room to myself like I wanted, and offer me an opportunity to explore some of the culinary delights that Chicago is known for! :D Though with the rain I might just do two things. Well, three things. One of which is get sushi! :D Once sushi is had I'll head on over to that iCream place I heard about on one of those Food Network shows. It looks incredibly fascinating! Then I'll get myself a Chicago style pizza that I'll enjoy in the sanctuary of my room while watching TV and generally being a lazybutt :P
Anyways, they went off to Dead Dog parties and the like, while I stayed, watched a bit of TV, and crashed for the night. Or at least tried to. That damn horn went off again! at 10 in the evening! If I had caught them doing that I'd have crammed the damn horn right down their throat! >:C Who in their right mind does that so late at night? It is incredibly inconsiderate! At the very least take it outside, but don't do it in the damn lobby where people 10-12 stories up can hear it! Many of us are actually trying to sleep that late at night!
Would I go again? Definitely! Even though it's apparent nobody wants to do anything I try to arrange (unless it's friends) I still had a blast, met some awesome people, and got some amazing artwork! Especially this awesome sketch in my sketchbook involving my Pern based character with a Pern based picture! (bubbly pie! :D) It's the only thing I commissioned this year due to a small art budget that I may have gone overboard on with the art show stuff, but it is a very awesome sketch that I'll link to later when I actually have it up.
I think the only thing I might do different next year is room by myself. No offense to my roommates, but there was a bit of drama and a couple of issues I would rather have not been around for several nights in a row. Although I will make an obvious exception for one or two people :P But if they don't go then I'm rooming alone.
Thursday: Woke up, showered, realized I forgot all of my shower essentials, and made plans to meet up with undyingwavesong and Ike (don't know his lj name :P) for breakfast at a nearby restaurant! they told me it was near the Dollar General. Looked it up on Google Maps, and got my driving directions! Followed them, and.. there was no Dollar General. Turns out I passed it before I even made my first turn. Oops! No matter. Found the place in time, we ate and talked, and had a good time! It had been a long time since I last saw them, so it was very nice to meet them again. In our talks I learned of a very awesome thing going on 15 minutes away! 3 HTTYD plushes (large!) at the Salvation Army store for $3 each! Want! D: After breakfast we parted ways, and I went to the store! Unfortunately when I got there they were already gone. Sad! But then again they were spotted several days prior to my arriving so it's not really surprising that they're gone. Anyways, after doing that I stopped at the Wal-Mart next door to get my shower essentials and made my way to the convention! Arrived there about 2:30, checked in, moved my stuff and organized it all, and waited for my roommates to start appearing! Got an amazing call later from skyes making it official that we are in love! <3 Around 8PM I went in line for registration! Holy crap was the pre-reg line long. Stretched all the way to the elevator area! However, since I was a sponsor I didn't have to wait in that line. My line had 4 people in it! :D After doing that I retired up to my room, at some point enjoyed some overpriced dinner at the o'h American Grill, and holy crap the best cheesecake I've had in a long time! :D
Friday: Woke up, grabbed a shower, got some breakfast at the o'h, and waited for our fifthfourth roommate. Expected 3 & got 4 yesterday, but that was just a temporary setup. Our surprise 4th needed the room for one night since she arrived a day earlier than her room was ready. So once she got checked in she moved her stuff over to her room. Once the Dealer's Den opened up I went to check it out and get my free t-shirt. Man was that a mistake. I don't do well in large crowds. And that place was -packed- big time, with people who really didn't seem to care that they were in the way of others. Soon as I got my t-shirt I got the hell out of there and went up to the room to calm down.
This reminds me of a really big issue that bugs the hell out of me. Why do people feel the need to congregate in doorways, or right at the top/bottom of stairs? Ok yes, you ran across some people you haven't seen in awhile or need to talk to, and want to catch up. That's wonderful! Now move your ass somewhere you're not in the way and continue it there! >:C This is especially dangerous when you add escalators to the mix. People need to clear the escalator so you don't wind up with a big pileup, which is increasingly dangerous on the up escalators! Doorways are no exception! That is a severe fire hazard when the main/only exits are blocked by throngs of people too wrapped up in conversations to move for anyone. If people need to get out in a hurry for whatever reason, there's going to be a problem!
Anyways, after calming down I ran around and attempted an impromptu sushi gathering. Well, I attempted to round up something several months ago on sushi_furs but got absolutely no response. When I attempted it on Twitter I got two responses. Well, 3, but that response was asking it to be on Saturday instead. Unfortunately this was one of those things where someone was going to be left out no matter what I did, so when I held it all depended on when I was available to hold it. I was available then, and was craving sushi bad! So the four of us took off for sushi (I was with one of the other 3 when I made the tweet about it, so he doesn't count as a response on Twitter since I knew he was going anyways :P) and went to Sakura Sushi! Absolutely delicious for a fast food sushi I guess you could call it. It's one of those Sushi to Go type places. After sushi we went to Target to get some stuff that was needed, I bought some cookies that are essentially sex for your tastebuds! Oh my god Target sugar cookies are so delicious. I don't really recall much after that, I think I wound up going to bed soon afterwards. Well, tried to. Some ass was blowing a horn that I could hear 9 stories up through a closed door at 9 in the freaking evening! What the hell?! It wasn't even music, it was just BRAAAT! followed by BRAAAAT a few minutes later! Blowing the fucking thing for the sake of making noise!
Saturday! Woke up a bit early to prepare for a meet & greet for trucker furs! I actually had hopes for this one since there was quite a bit of positive response on the 3 groups I posted this to a month in advance. And of all the people that expressed an interest, all of nobody showed up >:C The only two people that showed up were people who heard of it via twitter/I told them personally. That was the most disappointing meet I have ever tried to assemble. Since there were so few people there, we didn't really even bother going in to the o'h restaurant since two of us had other plans for food. After that I don't think I'll ever be organizing another meet. I am just tired of making all these plans, telling everyone in advance, and having almost nobody show up. What's the point? I'm just wasting my time and energy. I'd be better off just planning something private with friends instead. Which is basically what happened with all events I tried to arrange this year anyways. Honestly, I'm pondering pulling out of pretty much all Lj communities I tried to be a part of instead of just lurking, since it's obvious that nothing I'm doing seems to matter to anyone.
Most of the rest of the day was spent wandering around the con, exploring the Dealer's Den when it wasn't so busy, and the Artist's Alley. As well as the art show! :D Unfortunately before the day was over I had to retire up to the room because I was in severe pain. A month ago I kicked a foot stool really hard when stumbling around in the dark. I figured I bruised a bone since it was hurting up to the convention. When I had my annual physical the doctor confirmed it was probably just a deep bruise, but if it got worse I should have it x-rayed to rule out bone fractures. Well, it definitely got worse. I iced it and that helped enough for me to get to sleep.
Sunday! Holy crap art auction at 11, and I know I have a piece in there I want to bid on! But oh no, my foot's not better! D: And I need to get it x-rayed. I scrambled to find someone to make sure I got the piece, but sadly couldn't really find anyone. No matter though, when I got breakfast before I left I found out there was barely anything in the art auction this year. 11 pieces total, and mine was going to be one of the first. It was 45 minutes away too, so I figured I'd just stick around and make sure I got it before going to the urgent care facility. Don't like going to the ER for anything short of holy crap I'm dying! D: types of situations. It's not an emergency, and the ER can be expensive. I'd rather save that for actual emergencies. Urgent care facilities are for just that! Not quite an emergency but you can't wait to see your GP either. So yeah. Did that, got my foot x-rayed, and found no fractures! Just muscle strain for the pain from yesterday. Told to take 2 aleve twice a day for a week. Also bought myself an ankle support to help with that while I was at the Walgreens down the road. Got a ride to sushi, and back to the hotel where I pretty much stayed in my room most of the day letting my foot just relax. There really wasn't anything going on that I was interested in that i hadn't missed while at the UC anyways.
At this point I was looking forward to having the room to myself! But that kind of got changed when reports of slippery road conditions up in WI were going around. While I wanted to have the room to myself, it'd be a really dick move to tell my roommates to bugger off and find somewhere else instead :P So they stayed another night, and will probably be leaving around afternoon. I on the other hand will be staying another night to get the room to myself like I wanted, and offer me an opportunity to explore some of the culinary delights that Chicago is known for! :D Though with the rain I might just do two things. Well, three things. One of which is get sushi! :D Once sushi is had I'll head on over to that iCream place I heard about on one of those Food Network shows. It looks incredibly fascinating! Then I'll get myself a Chicago style pizza that I'll enjoy in the sanctuary of my room while watching TV and generally being a lazybutt :P
Anyways, they went off to Dead Dog parties and the like, while I stayed, watched a bit of TV, and crashed for the night. Or at least tried to. That damn horn went off again! at 10 in the evening! If I had caught them doing that I'd have crammed the damn horn right down their throat! >:C Who in their right mind does that so late at night? It is incredibly inconsiderate! At the very least take it outside, but don't do it in the damn lobby where people 10-12 stories up can hear it! Many of us are actually trying to sleep that late at night!
Would I go again? Definitely! Even though it's apparent nobody wants to do anything I try to arrange (unless it's friends) I still had a blast, met some awesome people, and got some amazing artwork! Especially this awesome sketch in my sketchbook involving my Pern based character with a Pern based picture! (bubbly pie! :D) It's the only thing I commissioned this year due to a small art budget that I may have gone overboard on with the art show stuff, but it is a very awesome sketch that I'll link to later when I actually have it up.
I think the only thing I might do different next year is room by myself. No offense to my roommates, but there was a bit of drama and a couple of issues I would rather have not been around for several nights in a row. Although I will make an obvious exception for one or two people :P But if they don't go then I'm rooming alone.