After visiting registration and picking up your con badge, please be sure to visit Con Ops (Located in Oak) to pick up your Panelist Bag. This will contain fun goodies like a Panelist Ribbon for your badge, a personalized schedule of the panels you are to host and other fun goodies. Why strain your eyes with that crazy grid when you can have your own schedule right in front of you?

Thanks again for volunteering your knowledge, interest and time into Midwest Furfest. I hope you all have a fantastic con.

Ok, something not guitar related this time, but here is a 3D reanimation of US Airways Flight 1549. This was the plane captained by C.B. Sullenberger that lost power to both engines after sustaining multiple bird strikes shortly after takeoff. Being unable to return to LaGuardia, Capt. Sullenberger was forced to land the plane in the Hudson River. He executed a perfect water landing. All aboard the plane were rescued.

On a day where everyone remembers heroes past, let's remember a hero who is still with us.


To sum it all up:


EDIT: Here is the video of the actual water landing. The quality isn't the best, but it's amazing nonetheless!

A number of folks have written to ask more information about the Highway of Heroes. Here' an Americn news story from last year that explains.

If you're in Socal, I could use some help getting to a car I'm looking to buy if all things check out. I think this is the hardest part of trying to find wheels, not having em!

Hi folks! Jill0r here! Getting ready for the con and really excited to be invited back as a Guest of Honour once more! :]

I'm looking around to see if there's anybody who'd be willing to help me out and give me a ride from O'Hare on Thursday, around 4pm. I have a larger piece of luggage which makes it a little difficult to do a cab share -- nothing that won't fit comfortably in a car trunk, but not with several other folks' luggage if they're also bringing costumes with them [the folks i was going to do a cab share with DO NOT want to pay extra for a van, go fig]! I would be HAPPY to compensate you for your trip out to the airport and back with a custom colour conbadge -- I don't take commissions anymore and I won't be doing any at the convention, so I think it'd be a nice trade! 8D

If not, how viable is the METRA during rush hour from O'Hare with a large piece of baggage [rolling dufflebag]? I live in New York City, I know all about dragging luggage around on trains, but I totally don't want to be bowled over by commuters or get shouted at for bringing big bags on the train. Is it really far out from the airport terminals, if it rained would it be a mess, etc etc? I'm perfectly able to follow directions on the con website, but I'm just looking for first-hand feedback on the situation. :)

Thanks a lot! If you want to chat about costumes or art, I'll be sharing a table with Dingbat for part of the con in the Dealer's Room! No commissions, unfortunately, but I'll have some costumes for you to check out as well as a TON of new stuff in the Art Show!

Hope to see you there!

~jill0r

To all the veterans who gave their time and their lives to service our country in peace or war, thank you.

I am blessed to the the daughter of a veteran. I know more than most how much the men and women of this country give from their lives to keep us safe and free. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents - I'm sure most of you out there knows someone or know of someone in your community who is a veteran. Today especially, be sure to thank them and their families for their gift of service so that we can all enjoy the lives we want to lead.

Having a parent in the military means you don't see them very often. They spend more time in the service than they do at home. Many times, the children of an active service member grow up without the presence of that parent. In times of war, some of us say goodbye to our parents or relatives, as unfortunately, some of them never come back home. Its the price our veterans knew they must be willing to pay in order to keep our country free.

Call me preachy, call me a sentimental fool, but this is something that means a great deal to me. I've been there - I've had friends whose parents went off to war and some that never came home. I've grown up on Army bases, watching our troops train. I watched my father teach soldiers how to fly helicopters so that they would be ready when their country called. Its a great thing to have this voluntary military that protects our country, but please remember- it is voluntary. They don't have to sign up, they don't have to give up their lives for the service. But they choose to. We have freedom today because people made that choice.

To my dad, who gave 24 years of service, including during Desert Storm,
To my grandfather, who fought in the Korean War,
Thank You.

Happy Veterans Day, everyone. Now go thank a Veteran.

As we count down with excitement to Midwest FurFest 2009, a celebration of the tenth anniversary of Midwest FurFest, we wanted to talk about some of the things that might be helpful for you, whether you're an old hand at MFF or if this is your very first convention. We'll call this TEN THINGS THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT MIDWEST FURFEST!

Number Four: Restaurant Discounts!

As I mentioned a few days ago, Osteria di Tramonto (the Italian restaurant at the Westin) is closed, replaced by the Con Suite, Den, and Internet Room. In its place, Tramonto's Steak and Seafood (also in the Westin) will be serving breakfast and lunch, in addition to their spectacular dinners. We have some really great news, though! Tramonto's will be offering their breakfast buffet for the great price of only $11.00, including tax and gratuity. Breakfast is served each day until 11 AM, though after 10:30 AM the buffet will be closed and a la carte breakfast will only be available. Additionally, they will be offering regular and decaf coffee, breakfast muffins and Danishes for sale in the Westin lobby each day. Even better, Tramonto's will be offering 20% off all food and non-alcoholic beverages at lunch! (dine-in only)

That sounds pretty good, right? But we're not done yet! A short walk across Milwaukee Avenue will bring you to The Ram Restaurant and Brewery. The Ram is welcoming Midwest FurFest attendees with year with a discount of 10% of food purchases just for showing your convention badge, as well as other fun furry surprises!

That's all for this installment of TEN THINGS THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT MIDWEST FURFEST! Tune in tomorrow to see what Number Three will be.

Absolutely fuckin’ awesome, worth the ticket price for the spectacle alone.


These guys really know how to put on a show. The album versions of their songs are pretty special, but to seem them performed live is another thing entirely. The discord and improvised sections are fixed on the recordings, but in a live situation they are mutable and raucous, often degenerating into a noisy jam sessions, with instruments screaming in apparent pain.

The stage was quite low, but dominated by three huge ‘tower blocks’, frames draped in fabric with elevations painted on to them. During the intro, they were used as projection screens, then as the first riff kicked in, the fabric dropped to reveal the band standing on platforms within the towers. The towers themselves were vast LED screens, beaming images of the band mixed with videos and animations. The lower parts of the towers were lifts, which brought the players down to stage level for some songs, then took them back up, putting them on metaphorical pedestals, like statues of gods or dead generals.

For this show, they seemed to play a mixture of material from The Resistance and a selection of fist pumping classics from their back catalogue, after all, a MUSE gig wouldn’t be right without Plug in Baby fuelled riot. I noticed that they didn’t play any of their quieter more acoustic tracks like ‘Invincible’ or ‘Falling Away With You', this show was a 90 minute guitar onslaught.

It was a brilliant gig, but I would have liked them to play all of ‘Exogenesis’, as it really is the highlight of the new album, but you can’t have it all, plus I cannot begin to imagine the complexities of reproducing that track live. Be good mind.

~Theo

MEW

were fucking excellent last night.



They practically played the album 'Glass Handed Kite' from the get go with a couple of alterations. Excellent musicians and damn fine vocals. The visuals were a really beautiful combination of live video & animation in a flickery sepia style. There were cats playing violins and bunnies with trombones, very much in the style of Brother Quay, quite surreal - especially the herd of giraffes for Zookeepers Boy. Lovely anthemic tunes and a perfect set also. They have a really positive uplifting sound which stands out in my collection of dark ambient electronica.

'Symmetry' really stood out - darkened stage with a really hideous ugly teddy bear creature singing projected singing this delicate song.




The encores were explosive - really anthemic including 'White Lips Kissed'.


Unfortunately I can't embed this but it's worth a listen: Zookeepers Boy >

I only came across Mew because i was trying to find 'Rainbow Mews' a comedic Canadian group. I'm so glad I found them.

Just returned from the vet. Ashati is still doing good (eating, sleeping in my bed, purring, playing - even with a plushie, which she has never done before <3), except her large unnormal pupils.

She's also still jumping and has no problems with orientation, but I realize that she seems to have some problems with seeing (sometimes she accidentally hits things with her nose cause it was already too close). Yesterday I realized that her right eye was reddishly glazed over. This morning Ashati was lying on my chest and meowed every 5 minutes this morning (X.X), like she was confused or unhappy. Each time I talked to her everything was fine again and she cuddled like never before. As I wanted to go to the vet for a general check-up again, I took her to the vet this morning.

It seems that some blood vessels in her eye burst, so the reddish/brownish blur in her eye is blood. This could happen because of raised intraocular pressure (often happens to diabetic cats), but can also just be bad luck. She probably just sees a blur on that eye, but her other eye is still fine (so she should still be OK with orientation in her flat).
Fortunately Ashati's temperature was fine (I was worried about that as her ears always seem a little cold). She got 2 injections again (again vitamins and cortisone), and I got a package of hemodilution pills (for blood thinning) I should give her daily for the next weeks. The blood thinning should both help with the eye (also if it can take up to 9 month until it goes away again) and also help preventing another stroke (of course I know there's no safe way to prevent one, but I want to do whatever is possible).

Ashati is always SO incredibly sweet and well-behaved at the vet (which always impresses everybody) - just sitting there, looking, not one move or sound. <3

So, kitty is refilled with drugs now, and was happy to be home again. And of course she gets a lot of fresh beef (sponsored by Nightfox ^^), vitamin paste and snacks. :)

Ok everyone!This is the first official call out to anyone going to FC who would like to be a panelist in the species track. For anyone who does want to be a panelist, please email me at Fuzzygothgirl@yahoo.com with contact info and what panel you wish to do.

Along with the normal species panels this year, I have had requests for a new one. I give you the Created species panel! This panel is for those of you who have made up their own species or race and have it as a persona!

Any comments or questions can be posted here!

If someone wanted to try to get involved with the art production of RF 2010, who would they have to talk to? I'm talking about like con book art and stuff.

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.




At eleven o'clock in the morning — the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month". Give them their due and observe the two minutes of silence. For my Great Uncle who served with the merchanct marines and died when his boat was torpedoed by a German Uboat east of Halifax Harbour.




And a tribute song to Ontario's Highway of Heroes.

Well, I've now had two different room situations for MFF fall through on me now, so.. Go figure, a week before the con happens, I'm looking for a room.

So, this is my desperate plea, for a room in the main hotel, for MFF this year. It sucks that I have to resort to a LJ post, for this, but I'm more-or-less out of options, and am getting rather worried. I don't take up a lot of space, and I don't throw parties, drink, or smoke, so... No worries on any of that. I have absolutely NO problem sleeping on the floor... I just ._. Need a floor to sleep on.

So yeah... If anyone here has a room, or knows anyone with a room, or has a friend, that has a friend, and so on. I'm willing to room with strangers, I've done that plenty already, for other cons.

Please, for any information, please contact me, either on here, or at my e-mail address.

I thank any and all of you, ahead of time, who put time and effort into helping me out. Thank you!

*Snuggs & Licks*,
SteelTheWarrior

BADGES :

- Trade ; Motten fest / Kabocha / Kalida / Keyox (x2)
- Commissioned badge ; Twitch-Doberman / Sickhearts

FULL COLOR WORKS :

- Gothic Sam ; Redfox25
- Reading Cupcake ; Sixredclovers

SKETCHES :

- Tailbiting leopard ; Athari

Okay.. Let's DO thiS 8D

...goes to the American Family Association which has called for an expulsion of all persons of the Islamic faith from the United States Armed Forces.

Need I say more?

By the way, the shooting incident referenced in the first few paragraphs happened less than a mile from my home in Little Rock, at a recruiting office at Rodney Parham and Reservoir.

thanks to bosn for the link

So don't let the title of the journal fool you. Just got a random e-mail from the art track lead for FC 2010, asking if i'd be interested in hosting an art panel at the con.

There is like only 3 other e-mail addies attached to this message sent out. Fairly sure that its legit, seeing as one addy belongs to another artist i watch on FA, who is also a fursuiter.

Now why i won't say who, is only because i'm unsure if they'd really want the info shared. Still I feel the e-mail is real enough, though i'm curious as to why out of the hundreds of artists out there, most which are much better than myself, why i was asked, along with only 3 others.

I'm slightly flattered, to be honest, but at the same time FC is one of those cons i don't really see myself going to for a while, only because it can be rather expensive to go, and i can only see myself attending the local con, simply because its local.

I dunno, kinda wanted to share this, because even if i did want to host a panel at a con, i wouldn't have any idea what to host.

I just want to say that book is f%$king terrifying. It's like a bizarre horror story with the lesson "Don't count on things staying the same because even the most reliable of things can eventually put you in a life threatening situation.

And I'm NOT talking about that piece of sh!t movie with the same title.

I'm talking about the book.
I have never ever forgotten it since I read it back in elementary school because IT IS TERRIFYING.

*curls up in the corner - rocks back and fourth*