<detailstext="So yeah, con report follows."><summary>So yeah, con report follows.</summary>
<strong>Wednesday</strong> night I was going to go see <ljuser="perennialgoat"></lj> in Denver, but that didn't work out, mostly because of how early I had to get up the next morning. A shame, really.. I don't know if I'll get the chance again. <33333
<strong>Thursday</strong> morning, I got up - well, since I didn't technically sleep, I left - at about 4:30 AM for DIA. I was going to park at Market St. Station and take the bus to the airport, but there's no parking there, so I gave up and just drove. Long term parking's a bitch. When I got there, I decided it would probably be a bad idea to bring along the two bottles of mead I was packing, so I left them hidden in the car. The flight sucked, filled as it was with sleepiness, diuresis from coffee, and doubts of what the hell I was getting myself into.
Things cleared up, though, when I got to PHL. <ljuser="jimfoxyboy"></lj> picked me up again, and it was good to see him again, even though we ended up getting lost in New Jersey. We made it to the hotel safely, though, and I met up almost immediately with part of the group I was to spend much of the con with, <ljuser="rikoshi"></lj>, <ljuser="andreal"></lj>, <ljuser="tealfox"></lj>, and <ljuser="reveille_d">. I also met for the first time <ljuser="feyarh"></lj>, who was neat, and I saw <ljuser="kurtmrufa"></lj> from afar (he's quite easy to pick out, as long as he's standing up). I also ran into <ljuser="yeahiwishiwas"></lj> in the lobby, and he sounded disappointed in my lack of mead, for which I apologized profusely. Up at the room, I saw <ljuser="nothingkat"></lj>, which was pretty cool. I think somewhere in there, I ran into <ljuser="2_gryphon"></lj> in the elevator. Omigoshbrushwithfame.
I got through registration fairly painlessly, whereupon I met <ljuser="foxlord"></lj>, who was not at all as I expected: easily twice as cool. The rest of the day seemed to involve eating at Rex Pizza, sorting out room drama with Jim and <ljuser="randallringtail"></lj> with the urging of TealFox. After that, the room ended up containing me, Rikoshi, Randall, and <ljuser="ben_raccoon"></lj>, who I didn't really meet properly until the next day, when he woke up. Jim gave me a pair of paws, which I really quite like. I brought my tail, but only wore it for about an hour, on Saturday.
<strong>Friday</strong> was the first real day of the con, and I was thusly overwhelmed. We started with breakfast with the group - the waiter was awesome, even if he did poke fun at me - before getting in line to go to the Dealer's Den/Artist's Alley. Rikoshi, with whom I got along famously, went to get some sketchbook stuff, and I inadvertantly got separated from him after getting my silly fox-badge laminated. It worked out fine, though, as there was some awesome stuff in the three large rooms they had set up. In the Artist's Alley, I met <ljuser="nitrogenthecat"></lj> again, as well as <ljuser="taxus"></lj> (a wonderful surprise) and <ljuser="rynden"></lj> (another surprise). Some time in there - I think while I was waiting for Rikoshi - I talked to <ljuser="bluewolfy4"></lj>. I really wish I would've hung out with him more, as well as Kiswara (ottahs!), but.. I dunno.. I got pretty overwhelmed and hid in the group for protection. Sorry otters.
Later, lunch was had - again at Rex - followed by a panel lead by <ljuser="otterdoc"></lj> on pet emergencies, wherein a skunk girl talked volumes on her bunnies. Afterwrads.. um.. I think we gathered up on the ballroom level and sat around for a while, waiting for <ljuser="unclekage"></lj>'s Story Hour (and three-quarters). There, I met <ljuser="vandringar"></lj>.. maybe? It's hazy. After a.. rather talkative dinner with the group + Rynden and, for a minute or two, Feyarh, Rikkyfox, Teal, and I went to hear the stories. There was talk of frozen body parts, AC's past and future, and going blind. I think after that, we wound things down and went to bed, but the room party I vaguely remember happening Saturday night might've happened friday night (my recollection is that, since Andreal didn't see the story hour, but was at the room party, where as Teal wasn't, it must've been saturday. Oh dear..)
<strong>Saturday</strong>, I was starting to get ahold of the whole 2000+ furries thing. This was my day of hanging and wandering. I only went to one event during the day - the second half of Otterdoc's panel on the human-animal bond, with skunk girl part II - return of the son of bunnies. More wandering followed - some time spent with Taxus, some with Rynden, a call to Wish. I'm sure lunch and dinner were had in there, somewhere, but I don't remember where. Also, I commissioned a badge off n, and bought a copy of Demon Hunter from Fel, who was cool (as was Greenmonkey, really).
After such activities, we made our way back to the main ballroom for 2's performance, catching the tail end (hah hah) of the Masquerade, which.. didn't make any sense at all. Guess I'd have to be a fursuiter. 2's opener, SpazFox, was alright, but 2 was downright awesome. His rants are funny and all, but damn, when he gets going on a routine, he's hilarious :o) I think after that we did that room party thing. There were too many people there to remember - at least, besides Rikoshi, Andreal, and Rev - but I think I recall Kurt, James, maybe Turbine Divinity.. At one point, Rikoshi's simply awful story was read aloud - laughter ensued, bed followed.
<strong>Sunday</strong> was the last real day of the con. Breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts, with good coffee, lunch at Tir na Nog (I think), an Irish restuarant, which was good.. After listening to more absolutely terrible stories at the Iron Author II panel, I got my camera out for a while to get some <ahref="http://twu.net/~ranna/.acpics">pictures</a> while I still could. Danny showed up mid-afternoon, but we agreed to meet up after the closing ceremonies, which were pretty funny (we left before the gripe session). I did my best to introduce people by both real and furry names. Throughout the weekend, I had avoided using names too often, 'cause even though I knew and remembered everyone's name, it was hard not to think of Rikoshi as Rikoshi, or TealFox as TealFox. Dinner was had with with Rikoshi, Teal, Andreal, Feyarh, Vandringar, <ljuser="normanrafferty"></lj>, Ben, and Danny. Fun was had.
After dinner, I spent some time with Danny. It was nice to finally get to meet him, though that night wasn't particularly pleasurable for various reasons I don't feel like writing about. I had planned on staying the night in his room, but ended up going back to lay on Teal and Andreal's floor for a while, then talked with Rikoshi for another while before sleep was had, back in my own room. That night - the whole of it, not just the part with Danny - is still something I'm trying to digest.
<strong>Monday</strong> was interesting. The crowd was thinned out quite a bit, but there were still several furs meandering about the hotel, particularly with large stacks of luggage and cream-colored Anthrocon bags filled with art. I got my badge, which makes me look like an asshole, which is actually pretty cool. I met up with Danny again for a little bit, but ended up heading out for a day in Philly with Rikky, Teal, and Andreal - we all needed to get out of the hotel for a bit. We wandered through part of a really strange shopping mall, which seemed to be about three blocks long, continuing underground, whereas above-ground it seemed like several different buildings. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a fountain and cooled off in the spray.
A few difficult good-byes were had at the hotel before I left. I spent most of the trip home reading, listening to music, writing music - anything to keep my mind off PCD. It eventually caught up to me, of course, and I had a tough night at home and a rather tough next day.
I'm still recovering from the whole experience. Although, maybe I'm not. Maybe it really was life-changing and all that, though things often seem life changing, but you end up just absorbing them in the end anyway. I'd really like to think it was, though: I met some wonderful people, and experienced being part of a community up close - something I've never really felt before. It's made my summer difficult, because everything else seems dull and washed out in comparison, even people (something with which I'm struggling currently).
This last friday at the furmeet, I caught a little glimpse of the whole experience again. It helped, of course, that we went out to coffee afterwards wearing tails, and TekFox (who did a show at AC) showed up in his full suit - kind of like I'm easing back into real life with smaller and smaller dosages of furry. Even in our little microcosm of 5-10 Fort Collins furs, the feeling of community was there. I know I sound like I'm rambling in Boulder-influenced bullshit, but I don't know how else to call it.
Along the same vein, I've been spending a good deal of time with Shan. It feels nice, because we're still close, even though we have the knowledge that nothing's really going to happen. It's like a real friend, with no fears or anything that there's something to be ended, because what was there is already in the past. More babble, sorry.
Actually, I'm just going to end this before I do that any more.
<p>In other news, I got my laptop back, and started working on my wind band piece. Also, I made a thick version of chicken soup tonight, more like a gravy with all sorts of stuff in it, that I served over flavored rice. Like a Medeterranian curry. It came out pretty well, but now we’re nearly out of food. (The leftovers are absolutely <em>fab</em>ulous over crackers.</p>
