What My Friends Mean to Me
So Valentine’s day was yesterday, and I hate how manufactured it feels. That said, Briggs mentioned on Twitter that any day when people focus a little more on those they love is not all together a bad thing. Perhaps that’s what the day should be, a day to take stock in those we care about and all the little things they do the rest of the year that makes us appreciate them. So with that in mind, I decided to write a sentence or two for each person on my friends list about what came to mind when I thought of them. I quickly realized that would be WAY too much, so instead I selected 50 people from my friends list and listed something about them. I apologize that I could not list everyone, but don’t fret. If you are missing from the list, just drop me a comment and I will reply with something positive I think about you. I hope everyone can use this as a reminder to think about what makes our friends our friends. Everyone has something special about them, and it’s not what we do on just one day of the year that makes it so.
aidendingo - You seem to tackle life with a lot of passion, and that is particularly evident in your relationship with Woody. Thanks for being an interesting person and for making him happy.
ajpyropup - Your easy going nature makes it seem like you can handle whatever life throws at you without too much concern.
albaz555 - The dedication you put into learning the game of poker is envious. I wish that had committed myself to being really good at one thing as you have. You are also a fun person to hang around.
baja_hyena - I appreciate the wisdom you bring the table and I’m envious that you seem to know exactly what you want to get out of life and how to go about it. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you better over the last year.
blondefoxy - Thank you for bringing Roby to life. I love the enthusiastic way you approach your craft and the pride you take in seeing your work out there.
briggswolf - Thank you for being one of the first friends I connected with and for your general good nature. I’m also impressed with home life you have created for yourself. It’s something I wish I would have pushed myself toward. Despite the oddity of furry and the often non-traditional view people seem to expect of gay people, I’ve always envisioned myself in the typical house, fence, dog life.
buckhopper - The amount of effort you go through to create an entire virtual world of the FBA is really amazing. I love the enthusiasm you bring to your work.
calamitycougar - You always make me feel smarter every time that you talk. Thank you for keeping Oklahoma populated with pink flamingoes and lawn chairs, and free of deer carcasses.
chibi_marrow - Thank you for doing some amazing art work for me. You executed the ideas better than I could have hoped and were a breeze to work with.
codexrau /theome - I’m putting you two together in celebration of your engagement. Thank you both for being interesting people, good performers, and having a relationship to envy.
crocodile - It’s really fun to watch you in your element up on stage. It was cool to see how much fun people had at your sets at FC. I also enjoy the care you take into developing the uniqueness of each of your characters.
dresden_wolf - Thank you first and foremost for you service to the country, and also thank you for bringing a smile to the tiggy’s face when he talks about you.
duncandahusky - The commitment that your bring toward making sure everyone else has a good time both in regards to MFF and the other events you host and coordinate is truly amazing. Having to manage things at work often drains me to the point that I don’t want to be the leader/organizer in my regular life. It amazes me when I see people who can do both and do it well.
earendil31 - I’m envious of the way you’ve been able to travel the world. I also admire that you are not afraid to be opinionated at times. I've had a lot of fun hanging out with you at softball and at cons.
electropaw - You give a uniqueness to each of your characters and obviously have a ball playing them. I appreciate that you are an easy person to talk to and always willing to offer advice.
evan_li - You guys have made me feel like I have a second home in Chicago. Your good natured and fun to hang around with.
fordshepherd - I love the fact that we can hang out and just talk like a couple of people that have known each other for years, even though in the grand scheme, we’ve really just met. Old shoe comes to mind. I’m happy to be your fake boyfriend and best friend.
furball2k - Dude!
girtygrin - Thank for running one heck of a fun con. You take pride in the work you do, both at your job and with the convention. I’ve enjoyed the times we’ve been able to hang a bit.
huscoon - As someone who has always been chronically polite & PC, I appreciate that you are unafraid to offend people to call something the way you see it. It’s been great to have a friend in furry that I can chat about sports with for hours. I also admire that you handle it well when people poke fun at you. Not all strong personalities are that way. You should also know that I only poke fun at the people I consider good friends. To me, you are like the frat buddy I never had since I didn’t pledge in college.
jase_husky - I had a lot of fun having a drink and chatting with you at RCFM. You have a lot of fun out there in Jase and it shows. I appreciate the videos you put together to entertain folks. I also envy the handiness you show with your vehicles and house. Common friends we have all said you were a blast to hang out with, and that’s usually a good indicator.
jdpuppy - I’m continually amazed at the energy level you bring both to your performance and to life in general. Forget T Boone Pickens plan, I think the energy plan of the future is going to be harnessing Puppy power. I wish that I had your confident approach to life. I also never knew that I've actually never been truly full in my entire life.
jimwolf24 - You have been a fun person to hang out with and to get to know. I had a ball watching you take Roby out at Megaplex and love the different characters you bring to the table. Hope we get to hang out more.
jtigerclaw - It was fun rooming with you at RCFM and having another person to talk ball with. We still need to get a game together here at some point. I like the enthusiasm with which you approach your character and your courage in your move to Cali.
kokoes12 - Mr President!
kookyfox - Super cute art to go along with an endearingly shy personality. You obviously have a lot of fun out there in KooKy and it’s also fun to watch you the few times we get you to step out of your comfort zone. One of these days I’m going to get you to take a commission!
mahrkale - Thank you for all the art you have done for me and for being cool to hang around. Thank you as well for being approachable and willing to talk to the new guy who brought you random jelly beans. It’s funny to think that your art is now a permanent piece of one of our business manuals here.
malowolf - Thanks for hanging out with me at cons and in North Carolina. Congratulations on graduating and joining us all in the work force. I appreciate you being a good friend and a fun person to talk to.
marymouse - You’ve been my go-to artist for a number of works. Your toony style reminds me of why I fell in love with animation in the first place. You have been one of the easier artists to work with and you communicate well, which seems to be a rare commodity. I also love that you are a fellow soda enthusiast. Although I get the feeling that your fame within the community can be a bit overwhelming for you at times, I appreciate that you are still friendly and willing to chat a bit with those that approach you.
midwestcougar - I admire you passion for your art projects, that you make people feel welcome in your home, and the care you show for your pets. Thank you for being a part of my second home crowd in Chicago.
mightytauren - One of the social organizers out there, the efforts that you put in to making sure cons and events like Furconsin are fun for others is amazing. I love the bouncy joy you bring to Mighty and that you are a fun guy to hang around with.
nbowa - I will forever blame credit you for starting me in this whole craziness. Thank you for being generous with your time, money, and place, for bringing a sense of joy and inventiveness to you character. Also thank you for being someone that I’m always at ease hanging around with, where it’s dinner, cards, out on the golf course, or wherever. I like that I feel comfortable with myself when we hang out. I also love that you take pride in the things you are good at (golf, cards, singing etc.) and your competitive, but at the same time very patient and willing to engage with those that aren’t on the same level.
nekomonthetiger - I appreciate the courage it took to move across country to try and find a better situation for yourself. You are one of the friendlier and easier going people I’ve met, and it’s great to see you with a boyfriend that makes you happy.
nerfcoyote - I love that despite your fame within the fandom you remain approachable, friendly, and helpful with folks that are new to the fold. The dedication you bring to your characters identity and performance is amazing and you are definitely a go-to person for me when I’m considering my own performance. One of the things I admire the most about you is your willingness to do what it takes to bring a smile to people faces. Even though I’m better about it while out in suit, I can’t fully turn off that “don’t make an ass of yourself” switch that’s in the back of my mind. I love that you are able to get past that.
perro - I admire the growing comfort you have in the type of person that you are. You dedication to your friends is also admirable, as well as your willingness to self reflect and decide what you want to change in your life. Your approach to your professional and con responsibilities is a nice mirror to your personal life. I think you embody the work hard, play hard philosophy.
quasiskunk - I hesitate to say this because I don’t want to make you feel old. After all, you are not much older than I am. That said, I hope that when I’m your age, I still have the zest that you bring to life and to your characters. I also appreciate your willingness to help out folks that are new to the fold.
rlfjr03 - I took great courage to leave the area you knew as home to seek out new opportunities. I hope that everything works out for the best with it. You have a good nature, sarcastic wit, and one of the best old jewish lady impressions I’ve heard. I also love the fascination that all things trains brings to you.
rrruff - Your one of the most empathetic people that I’ve met. You genuinely care about how other people are feeling. You are a very enjoyable person to just hang out with. We still need to do the suit tennis game!
sabercat - I can’t begin to express how appreciative I am of the sacrifice that you and your kind made so that I can drive around in my SUV at 19 mpg.
skroy - I really love what you bring with your characters. It’s obvious how much fun you have out there, but I also get the feel that you genuinely want everyone else to be having as much fun as you are. I think that you are model for future furry generations with your infectious energy that can light up a room and parents that are accepting of the eccentricities that this brings.
steviemaxwell - Thank you for also being part of my second home in Chicago and for always arranging things for us for softball. It makes for fun weekends and I really enjoy hanging out and playing poker with you.
taffypinkdino - I love the care & passion you show in both your work with animals and your performance. You willingness to self-reflect is also admirable. I’m glad you were able to find out that I’m not the “evil” Adam and always have fun hanging out with you. Thanks for letting me watch you out there and get some great performance ideas.
taiko_shepherd - You are another one of the youth out there with infectious energy. You personality lights up when you get into suit. I also admire that passion that you bring to the work you do with the theatre.
takaza - My comments for you are basically the same as with Duncan. I will add here though that I really admire you relationship. It’s the type of relationship that I would like to have at some point, where I’m sharing my life with someone I both love, and I’m really good friends with.
tekfox - Even though I’m not a huge dance guy, I can’t help but admire the passion and dedication that you bring to your music. I really wish that I had one thing that was that important to me and drove me to the be the best that I could be at it.
tilt_longtail - One of the best performers out there. I often find myself divided in attention between watching you and watching the reactions of those you are interacting with. You ability to stay in character is amazing and you are one of the handful of performers in the fandom that, like a star athlete, elevates the performances of those around them. Thank you as well for being an interesting and friendly person to talk to outside of suit. Oh, and *SPLAT!!*
twitchdawoof - One of the best talking performers out there. You sarcastic approach is really entertaining. It’s also fun to watch you morph into character when you put the suit on.
tzup - Along with Nbowa, you are the other person I will forever hunt down thank for getting me involved in this craziness. You are a really engaging person to talk to outside of suit, and a great performer to watch in suit as well. You are definitely someone I try to watch and learn from. I also admire how comfortable you are with who you are. Thank you for taking in this new guy and showing him around. I really appreciate your friendship.
woodychitwn - You are another of the folks out there I admire for being a social connection for people, always caring that others are having a good time. I think you keep life in a great perspective. You aren’t afraid to speak your mind when you feel it’s warranted, and as one of the “elder” folks in the fandom (I can’t believe we call 30s that) you seek to set a good example for others. I also love the way you can have the same silly grin out of suit that your character has in it.
wooferdogatl - I’m including you here because I’m afraid I’ll get more “Winston is the real me” talk if I leave you out ;) . Thanks for coming up to NC to hang out with us and for being a fun & friendly person to talk to.