NCARC will provide the KF4RRY repeater at Further Confusion this coming year! Radio related scheduling will be announced on the machine, and QSL cards may be available from FCAV staff in the Imperial Ballroom, workload permitting.

Full duplex UHF: 441.500, + offset, PL 100.0
Half duplex VHF: 147.555 PL 100.0 (cross-band repeat, simplex)

(For the truly observant, these are indeed the same frequencies used at MFF'09)

Frequencies will be confirmed approximatly two weeks before the convention. Hope to hear you on the air!

The last few months have been packed full of busy for me - I did back-to-back shows in Oklahoma and Missouri - the Golden Retriever Nationals and then the Akita nationals. I came home and barely had time to breathe before MFF in Chicago - I was graciously invited back as a Guest of Honor again this year (since they were doing a special 10 year anniversary show and invited back the guests from previous years). The convention greatly exceeded my expectations - and though I had considered having to drop the show from my schedule, I will definitely be going next year and am pondering (planning) for AC this summer. :) Thank you so much to everyone who made the con such an awesome event! I'll post more about that when I put up some art I did for the event.



Commissioned nouveau-style rat and ferret tattoo designs.

( Click for some backlogged art updates! )

Midwest FurFest 2009 has come and gone, but at least we have the photos to remember it by...

Midwest FurFest 2009
Fursuit Photography

http://fursuitphotos.dexcat.net

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the photo session in the pine room, we had a great turnout this year and its always a pleasure to get the chance to interact with so many friendly suiters! This year alone, between jet_der_hund and myself, we took 21GB of photos - 2,200 raw photos. This is the first of two groups of photos we will be posting - presented here are 1,043 pictures of those who stopped by and struck a post in front of our cameras. Keep an eye here and at the gallery, as we'll post the second group of photos later this week!

Heya folks!

It's just under two months until the con, so if you've got an act you wanna do for the FNL, now is the time to start getting them in wether they're rough or nearly finished. We've got a handful of folks who've already submitted acts, but I know there's more out there.

We do not have forms for submitting acts this year, it's all about sending in your act wether it's a few paragraphs of description or a stageplay of several pages. That will give us a better idea of what to expect and address any challenges or concerns that might come up ahead of time. There will be no at-con submissions this year. Even if you aren't 100% sure you're going to do an act, or you are still working on it--even if it's a video you may not have done until a week before the con--still get a short description submitted to the FNL list to reserve your place, so to speak.

If you want in on the action, subscribe to the FNL list before or after sending your act description in to fnl-2010 at furtherconfusion.org

http://www.furtherconfusion.org/mailman/listinfo/fnl-2010


Also, because I've been a little delayed in the past couple months, I'm not going to be very draconic about getting stuff in by December 15th. If it's a little after, there will be no gnashing of teeth nor flames. :)

Dear attendees and friends,

Following the recent departure of our founding chairman, an election within the ConFuzzled staff has been completed and I am honoured to announce that I have accepted the role to take on the legacy of ConFuzzled.

The staff have continued to work their hardest on our plans for CF2010 during this time and we're excited with what we'll have in store for everyone.

We are looking forward to seeing you all in May for the best ConFuzzled so far.

For your information, the ConFuzzled Executive Board now consists of:

Matt Lion - Chairman
Dingotush - Vice-Chairman
Nall - Finance Director

Best regards,

Matt Lion,
ConFuzzled Chairman.

So a while back, maybe a year or so, my folks informed me of some odd, pretty feathers in our back yard so I went to investigate. They were about four or five long ones and a few small ones, all laying quite close to one another. My folks surmised that a cat had gotten after some poor bird, but there was no blood or any other evidence that I could see. I picked some of the more attractive feathers and put them on my altar table. I always wondered what bird they were from, and was having a heck of a time finding out.



I searched over eNature to list my local species and used google images to hunt photos of feathers. Sadly the closest thing I could find was turkey feathers, which are close, but since these are mottled and turkeys are not, I didn't think it was correct. Plus I live in a suburb and have never seen a wild turkey in my 13 years of living here, let alone right in my backyard. It's not impossible, but very unlikely.

EDIT
Okay so I decided to search again just to be sure, and I've come to the conclusion that it's actually the Common Nighthawk, and the feathers I thought were mockingbird are actually of this same bird. I don't remember, but I think I found them in the same pile, which would make sense.

I declare this mystery solved.

So, MFF yet again was a blast! I, along with the rest of the security staff..... secured things... to... stuff.... I mean, kept everyone at the convention secure! With what or how? Don't ask! :)

So, what I am looking for are some photos that were taken during 2's performance. Teej and myself decided to secure Whitewolf in suit to a backboard (because being security, we must make sure things are good and secure), and trotted her out to the closed doors next to the performance. We placed her down and let folks take pictures for a few moments before bringing her back to the headless lounge. I WANT THESE PICTURES! ALL OF THEM! OMNOMNOMO--err.. Yea... So if you have any pictures, please, link them to me on my journal, or on here! They were full of fun and awesome, so I'd like to get my hands on them! :)

Thanks again all, and I'm glad that from what I see, everyone had an amazing convention! I'll do my part in making sure you have many more to come.

- Seven (Sean Kirby) / MFF Security and ***UNOFFICIAL*** medical staff.

A horse nut?
I'd say so! ;3

MFF this year, as far as I can tell, ran wonderfully. Thanks in part to the hard working staff, volunteers and the plethora of Guests of Honor.
The GoH’s, and our programming staff, worked very hard to produce the best Art and Lit track yet. Thank you Perro, Davequat, M.C.A Hogarth, D.C.Simpson, Tincrash, Will Sandborn, Derrick Dasenbrock,, ScribbleFox, Gene Breshears, Thomas K. Dye, Robert and Margaret Carspecken,, Ursula Vernon, Chillymouse, Matt and Darcy Sowers, Michael Bard ,GM ,Stig, Dineegla and Muscle Wolf.

If anybody attended an art/lit panel or are one of the aforementioned panelists and have any comments, I would like to know.

Apologies for yesterday's grumpiness... I had only just got home from an entire day of being forced outside my comfort levels, and then to see two more people (while yes, only internet text emotes, still same enough in my book) make posts to my ranting entry that made me uncomfortable yet again.. I just had enough.

Today is day 2 of a fabulous 4 day weekend... today is MINE. I'm doing what *I* want to, I don't care who likes it >:[ This whole having no free time between the 2 jobs is getting even more ridiculous with all the over time going on at the desk job right now. I'm giving serious thought to trying to cut back to part time, or maybe just take a week off or Something (I put a bug in my boss' ear and he said he would try to find some options for me.. I'll know Monday what I might be able to do about it). I'm feeling spread too thin and definitely too stressed. Doesn't help that this time of year is generally just Bad Times anyway. However, to be fair, on the positive side of this.. at least I've got a decent income this year for the holidays, and I might just be able to fulfill those gift-giving obligations everyone keeps talking about. I missed it completely last year, and feel even more horrible because I said I'd try to make something for everyone to make up for it.. but then I unexpectedly got my desk job back in Spring, and we come back to how the 2 jobs leave me with no free time, and the whole Making Stuff never happened :/
This year, no lameness! ... just a lot of bitching, instead.

I'll try to post something more positive tomorrow, after I've had all of today to relax.. I hate posting nothing but baawwlifesucks entries.

Happy Birthday lynard_! :D
See you tomorrow! ^^

An article about the bars I visited in Montreal has been published in Nottingham Drinker. You can download a copy here:

http://www.nottinghamcamra.org/notDrinker.htm

It is issue 95 (Dec 09/Jan 10) and is on pages 32 and 33. There is also an article about Halifax in Canada on pages 30 and 31.

eep!
Tomorrow is the Winter Arts Market at St. George's Hall!
http://winterartsmarket.wordpress.com/

I'm so excited - there are going to be lots of stalls + so many pretty things to look at and hopefully buy. I'm going to get Christmas gifts there, most notably one (or a few ;) prices depending!) for xanderlion who is coming up to visit next Wednesday!
And most likely Antony when he disappears off to work ;)
And family, I hope. I just hope it's not ridiculously expensive there...

Anyway, look how pretty that blog is. And compare it with the lackluster thing I have:
http://twinklestah.blogspot.com

I am far too lazy to keep that blog, but I should post in it from time to time - what would you like to see there?
Art posts, writing, etc?
I could post about my new poetry "book", available to buy SOON?
I could post progress pictures of artwork?
I could do a lot of things but what do YOU want to see?

*gets back to finishing off her 'Transmission' story* - ah uni, when will you leave me ALONE? :)

All tshirt preorders are all packed, addressed and ready to be mailed out tomorrow. thanks guys! I have plenty more available if anyone is interestted.

My first time at MFF and I had a great time, but most of my time was spent either dealing with the visuals set up, getting art, or hanging with friends. Sunday was the only time I got a chance to attend an event (fursuit games).

Want to send out a thanks to the staff, and especially Hartree and Xylen(SP?) for their help/putting up with me.

Also want to thank those of you that danced and enjoyed watching my work on the projection screen. While this was something to add to the dance atmosphere, it was also a beta test of the program being used, focusing on letting random new people use it, and seeing how well it worked with things like glowsticks and non-skin toned colors. It worked wonderfully, so thanks again from me and the programer for helping us out, whether you knew it or not. >:-D Bwahahahahaha*hack**cough**weeze*

I'm thankful for holiday TRIPLE pay with two hours OT because in my business this time of year is when us hard workers make the real bank. That bank will be put towards the new wheels to get it in the condition I want and I can't be happier which is odd considering how much $ I been spending lately. It's for a good cause though and it's made me once again a very happy content individual.

I'm also thankful for all my close friends. You know who you are. If I ever did anything to go out of the way to show you or tell you what you mean to me consider it solid. Thankful for Noname by default. If I were to type everything you do for me or how you make me feel I would have a bunch of readers screaming TLTR. You know I love you though and appreciate you. So thank you everyone.

First thing - THANKS for all the Birthday wishes! I didnt expect to get so many!!!

BTW For my birthday present Mom bought me a 6 pack of Shiner Bock at the local Target!

Yesterday Dad and I (since I have no car) drove over to Fry's Electronics in Tempe and after looking at about 15 different models, we picked up a Hawking Technology Wireless N USB adapter.

It's better than most USB Wi-Fi adapters because it has a screw-on antenna, just like a router antenna. The software's a little iffy though - it wants to connect to the strongest signal first instead of a weaker but faster signal that I prefer. So I may remove it and use Windows XP's regular wireless networking software instead. Mounted near the ceiling (someone who rented the trailer used duct tape to hold the old Belkin in!) I'm able to snag 3-4 bars from the Resort's (slow) Wi-Fi service, plus 3 bars from some local who didn't WEP password protect their router...heheheh. I'm thinking about getting a 10 foot USB extension cord and placing the adapter next to the window. It's a huge improvement over the cheap-o Belkin adapter I was using.

At thanksgiving lunch today I talked to the man who runs the resorts computer room and Wi-Fi system. He told me his major problem with the wi-fi is people in the morning turning on their computer.. and then leaving it on all day... Sound familiar (to those who attend cons?)

UPDATE: I went to Hawking Technology's website and downloaded the latest drivers released this month. I got a nice speed boost and a stronger connection with them!

Happy Thanksgivin' everybody!