| Staying Flu-free at this year's MFF? Here's how! |
[15 Nov 2009|07:56am] |
Only five days left til MFF!
While studying this year's programming, I saw "Con Health 101" listed, talking about ways to stay healthy during (and after!) this year's con. That's an awesome idea for a panel! I remember coming down with some sort of bug from last year's con, and it almost seems inevitable, doesn't it?
My community's been hard hit by the H1N1 virus since fall started. I spent several days in bed with the worst flu I've had in years, and I'm eager to ensure no one has to endure this bug (or any of the others) as a result of being in close quarters with a big chunk of furry fandom for three or four days!
What precautions are you going to take to keep yourself healthy? Here's a few of mine:
-Avoid touching your face. Seriously. Eyes, nose, mouth, all will happily take in any germs on your hands that you've picked up from touching the same cool stuff everyone else has been touching
-Don't snack from a communal snack bowl. If you reach in for a handful of snacky goodness, you're touching a bunch of food that's not going to your mouth, and you're eating a bunch of food touched by someone else. Who's probably been licking their fingers. Mmmm.
-Wash your hands like you're five and your Mom is standing over you watching.
Warm water, soap, and lather/rinse for 20 seconds. That's how long it takes for the soap to be effective at killing the germs and/or dissolving the oils that the germs are clinging to. If you're finished washing your hands before you would finish the ABC song (at the regular speed you'd sing it with kids), you've not done it long enough. Get your cuticles and fingernails too: you've got lots of time. If you think you're too busy to wash for that long, try and decide if you have time to be in bed for three days, wondering why the painkillers and cough syrup don't seem to do anything. I'm not exaggerating.
-Dry your hands with paper towelling. Studies have shown that not only does bacteria growth on your fingers and palms increase after using an air dryer, but the air dryer itself can blow germs onto people nearby! Paper towelling also helps finish the job of removing germs from the skin, removing 77% of the bacteria left on the hands (air dryers can increase the bacteria left on your hands after washing by 254%) You know those new model jet dryers, with the high speed air and quick dry time? Those only increase bacteria by 40%. However, where the old dryer only blow bacteria a little ways from the user, the new machines can blast them up to 2 meters away (that's 6 feet for you non-Canadians :)
-Carry hand lotion to compensate for the extra hand washing you'll be doing. If your hands get dry and cracked, the germs can just get into your body directly, none of this waiting til they're near your face.
-Carry hand sanitizer for the times you can't wash your hands. The stuff is no substitute for soap and water, and won't make hands less dirty (only less germy) but it's a whole lot better than nothing at all. The stuff can be drying to the skin, so see above, re: hand lotion. You can get both in wee little travel bottles, convenient for pockets.
Tell me some of the things you'll be doing this year! Anything from coughing into your sleeve to not licking your roomies. You know, unless that's something you're all into. Consenting adults and all that. ;)
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| Last Chance to Pre-Register! |
[14 Nov 2009|05:36pm] |
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Don't forget that online pre-registration for Midwest FurFest closes tonight at 11:59 PM CST! You can still register at the door if you prefer, but this will make the process easy, painless, and quick! Pre-register now!
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| Room |
[14 Nov 2009|10:59pm] |
I was wondering if anybody has space for a fursuiting Wuff at FC this year , will pay my share .
Thanks
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| Why be hatin on... |
[14 Nov 2009|03:59pm] |
...Facebook?
Now, I have been using Facebook since high-school, and I was on back in the day where it was students only and no one else really. Of course, it has evolved from that point on, but by-in-large it has been a decent networking service that I have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy using.
Of course, this year, the cries of "I hate Facebook!" began to my utter bemusement, and I have yet to receive an explanation for the otherwise inexplicable hatred that has been flying about the wires. I can see how people might view it as another myspace, which I used to bash but now just kind of regard as just another website that has befallen the unfortunate spam bots of the internet and has been left to mildly rot in the background. I can also see how people might find all the little apps and tests to be particularily bothersome (though I find them fun, as do many).
So, I am wondering...Why the hate? Why the distaste? It seems redundant to drum up such a dramatic emotion about such a basic website.
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| Job |
[14 Nov 2009|09:34am] |
| [ |
mood |
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 chipper |
] |
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music |
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Owl City - Fireflies |
] |
I got this e-mail about a job. Its pretty much exactly precisely what I want to do with my life. Except:
1. Its about 2 hours away.
2. I'm still attending school.
Life isnt faaaiiiiir.
Granted the job only requires a bachelor's degree, and I'm going to school for my master's. So I could leave school if I got the job and be pretty much happy. But thats kind of hard to do when I have a full ride for my master's... something I don't plan on giving up.
Barg.
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| Lot o' disks. |
[14 Nov 2009|06:44am] |
# zpool status
pool: rpool
state: ONLINE
scrub: none requested
config:
NAME STATE READ WRITE CKSUM
rpool ONLINE 0 0 0
mirror ONLINE 0 0 0
c0t0d0s0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c0t1d0s0 ONLINE 0 0 0
errors: No known data errors
pool: vault
state: ONLINE
scrub: none requested
config:
NAME STATE READ WRITE CKSUM
vault ONLINE 0 0 0
raidz2 ONLINE 0 0 0
c0t2d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c0t3d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c2t0d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c2t1d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c2t2d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c2t3d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c3t0d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c3t1d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c3t2d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c3t3d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c4t0d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c4t1d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c4t2d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c4t3d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c5t0d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c5t1d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c5t2d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
c5t3d0 ONLINE 0 0 0
errors: No known data errors
#
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| Vacation: Day 2 |
[13 Nov 2009|11:16pm] |
This was the busy day!
Waking up was the hard part. Finally we did get ourselves together and get out.
Drove to Brevard and got a tad lost. the gps is not going so well when its not a major city. but we went into the Pisgah (something) National Forest and drove thier back roads to our first stop. i dont remember this one being on the side of the road, but whatever. Slick Rock Falls. usually a trickle, but the recent rains had it flowing good. scrambled to its base and got off a few shots from side and front. then scrambled to its top where i find that theres an equal ammount more in slides above it. tried to pull out our trail gps, but it lost its satalite settings for some reason and could not lock on. we brought it to mark each waterfall so i may plug them into google earth and maybe put them on panaramio. we failed to remember it yesterday, but didnt matter. thing is lost and refused to work.
from there, drove onward the dirty road to th Daniel Ridge area. full of cars this place. but we hiked the nice trail/road over a river and its completely clear waters. found the waterfll Daniel Ridge or Toms Springs. right out in the open and covered in sun. so photography failed, but it was full of water. some locals came up behind us and said that this is the most wter they have ever seen on it. we chatted some and eventually left. we came back to the bridge and poked about and took each others picture posed on a bolder in the river.
headed even further down the raod and finally stopped on top of another waterfall (Cathy Creek?). lots of slides and falls but all behind trees. the trail to one drop was a nice scramble down the bank aided by a rope in one place. lots of roarin waters... and direct sunlight. but nice place anyway. lots of power in it.
left there and drove the rest of the way and back trhough town again and back onto the road we started on again to pick up a few more known falls in the forest.
Looking Glass. lots of water as is now being common. went to the lower deck and got sprayed with mist, but i was still able to fire off few suprising shots. oh, and a scuba diver came and swam in the pool below the falls O.-.o . twas looking for "tourist treasure".
Went on to Moores Cove and hiked the gentle trail (hah) to tht nice falls. unfortunatly it failed miserable at photography being in direct sunlight and needing a wide angle lens of which i couldnt put on my polarizer. oh and my new tripod's leg broke ;.-.; . but the falls was nice to stand under and explore behind without getting wet.
then went off to find the second falls there thats unnamed and unadvertized. literally a stones throw away just on the otherside of a "bump". to get there takes 4 creek crossings though. nice creeks there. and the falls is identical, but just half the size in every way. oh, it was in the shade and didnt require a wideangle. so got a few nie shots off ^.-.^
a third wet weather falls is included in my gallery and was used as a landmark to find the dang trail.
Sliding rock. the waterfall that takes throusands of swimmers for a ride on thier butts. completely empty today. and lots of water, so probably bash anyone anyway.
from here we tried to find ourway to mt mitchell area and then to bristol. getting lost constantly nad getting on the blue ridge parkway and running into a dead end due to closures and taking a very steep windy road with some floridians and nearly givingmy parents heart attacks.. we made our way to one waterfall in that area as the sunlight was fading. long road in the bakcountry deep in the mountains. Walker Falls. took a few poses including of me and my car and the waterfall all together. had to take 8 second long exposures at that time cause it was well after dark. and yes, i have uploaded my ugly human form for all to see >.-.<
we drove back from there is the dark darkness and all the way to Bristol in one shot. much fun driving the highway at nearly 80mph at some points on steep downhill turns.
made it and found some food. chinese. heh.. we were hungry. and found a hotel and now heres me typing this up way past whats healthy.
so yep, same album here, just find the day 2 stuffs.
ooh, looks like we went further than we thought! california! heh... weird places the hotels get thier internet. we in Bristol Tenn. and im tired and headed for bed.
EDIT: actually we are in Virginia a good ways. so yeah.
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| Thoughts |
[13 Nov 2009|07:03pm] |
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Why do I feel so removed from everybody lately? Been feeling pretty isolated, from friends home and local. Just can't seem to really have a meaningful conversation anymore...
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| Ten Things You May Not Know About Midwest FurFest! #2: Last-Minute Hotel Reminders |
[13 Nov 2009|02:13pm] |
As we count down with excitement to Midwest FurFest 2009, whan that Aprille with his shoures soote, the droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote, and bathed every veyne in swich licour, of which vertu engendred is the flour: TEN THINGS THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT MIDWEST FURFEST!
Here are a couple of important things that you should know about our hotels.
First off, something very important for folks who are still looking for a room: The Courtyard Lincolnshire still has rooms available, but the block has closed for the convention, which means online reservations are no longer available. Good news, though! You can still get a room at the convention room rate. Call Joan Bochat (847) 232-5303 (their system will ask you to enter in a phone number, just enter your own phone number), and she will be able to set you up with a room at the convention discounted rate.
Next up, how to pay for your hotel room: If you can in any way, check in using a credit card. Midwest FurFest does NOT recommend using a debit or check card to check into your hotel (and even the Federal Trade Commission does not recommend checking into hotels with a debit card). When you check in at the Westin, the following things are blocked on your card:
1. The full cost of your stay (# roomnights x room rate + tax)
2. $100 room deposit (required)
3. $50 per day for amenities. THIS IS OPTIONAL! Amenities include the ability to charge things to your room (like meals), telephone calls, movie rentals, etc. You may decline this.
If you have a credit card or a debit card, these things are all blocked on your card when you check in. If you are paying cash, you must pay for all of this at the time of check-in.
If you are staying at the Hampton Inn, no room deposit is required; you will just be responsible for the cost of the room and amenities (which may be declined)
If you are staying at the Courtyard, in addition to the cost of the room, there is a required $20 deposit per night.
As a reminder, Midwest FurFest recommends that if you need to cancel your hotel room, you should cancel at least 72 hours before your check-in date to avoid any charges for the room.
Finally, please do not tape anything to the outside of your hotel room door! We are providing blank door hangers in every registration bag just for this purpose. Support the furry art community by bringing your door hanger down to the Artists Alley or Dealers Den and commission one of the fine artists there to draw you something spiffy and personalized on it!
That's all for this installment of TEN THINGS THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT MIDWEST FURFEST! It's time to find out what Number One will be...on Monday. See you then!
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| Sorry to keep spamming you. :C |
[13 Nov 2009|02:54am] |
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mood |
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 hopeful |
] |
It'll end after I get enough to move.
Anime Plushes and games: Tenchi, Pokemon, FFVII, and more!
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| Vacation: Day 1 |
[12 Nov 2009|09:19pm] |
still alive!
but yeah, tired its late, going to make it quick.
we packed up and got everything to fit in my car. an we got out of there before 10!
flew down the interstate at average of 80mph and ate lunch in newberry at well, noon.
made our first destination, a wicked road climbing up the side of a mountain. my car didnt even grunt as we rocketed up the steep road and ridiculously sharp switchbacks. but made it to the waterfall at top. messed with my camera some and just enjoyed the scene.
made it back down in one piece and headed to the next stop. after going on that lonesome windy road. we got a tad lost as the author has us go here then backtrack to find something that didnt exist >.-.< . so w try a steep riprap and hit dead end. go to the other trailhead and hike the wrong patch causing us to climb a 50ft wall covered in wet leaves. we finally foun the right trail and headed on our way till a creek ford. waded in the fozen waters with bare feets and haded on the wway to the nicest waterfall yet. my camera liked it ^.-.^ . would be a nice place to lay out and watch for a bit. but it was getting dark and cold and windy.
drove to the last destination for today to be greeted by a gate and that sorry we are closed sign. they closed an hour ago at the time >.-.<
so drove on to Hendersonville which is where we are despite lj saying otherwise. found a hotel on the first try that had ground floor exterior rooms with two conjoining free. so i am now tyoing this with wireless internet in my own room! ^.-.^
but yeah, looked up a japanese resturuant online and we ate there. nice food and people. but yeah. i wanted bed.
so here i am uploading images and typing this out. i have put the images into photobucket here. they should have some details on them (and i figured out tagging some) and hopefully arent backwards. so view and enjoy. and i will enjoy my sleep.
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[12 Nov 2009|05:47pm] |
So!
Demon's Souls for the PS3.
Is one of the artistic experiences of my life.
No joke! It's a masterpiece of a game, a true classic, and it is such a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful thing to be in the state of playing and discovering and exploring a masterpiece again. It has been such a long time. I feel like I can -be in love- with this game. *happy sigh
Now its only a matter of time until the game gets to KNOW me and decides it doesn't want to live with me anymore. But hey! :D hahahaha
Honestly though. It's obvious the graphics are better on these systems, but this game -feels- like a NEXT GEN game. It's the first time I've really had something FEEL next gen so far on these systems. I love it. It's revolutionary in design in many ways, and the artistic style is a refreshingly serious, artistic, beautiful beautiful... oh... damn... I sacrificed making a proper sentence while embellishing on its artistic design. But seriously. It feels so vindicating, so rewarding to be playing something by designers who want to look level with their gamers and take their affections seriously, treat them with love. I love the PS3 for that. The XBOX feels to me like its just trying to fill the flash quota, the hollywood buxom bullshit, I dunno. It's not fair to rag on it entirely, it has lots of great stuff, but there are those games that are pretty content feeling like a polished waste of time, and then there's these....
Man. I itch to play it right now. And Dragon's Age is out too. I have this strange feeling that one might get me as well.
Interesting:
Dragon Age for PS3 hasn't been at EB Games. TONS of copy for XBox and PC, none for PS3. I asked why it hasn't come in yet. Apparantly it's come in multiple times, and has sold out over and over again. What that means is the kinds of people that own a PS3 are looking for -that kind of game-, something in depth, and... er... what's a good word for it? I feel cheesy saying transcendental cause that's (possibly) an exaggeration. But that depth, that above and beyond that captures you...
But not so much the XBOX.
......
Lost Odyssey was WASTED on that system.
Oh well. I know a bunch of people that disagree but ah well. Wish they'd publish it for us too though...
Man, play Demon's Souls. It's really really fucking hard, and truly disturbing and terrifying, but my god, it's wonderful...
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| dealers table sizes? |
[12 Nov 2009|12:15pm] |
Hi guys! I was looking on the website for this information but I think it's gone since the dealer's den is full.. but how big are the tables? Thanks!
BTW, is anyone else heading to the airport really early on Monday? I have a flight that leaves at 7:15 AM from O'Hare.
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| Ten Things You May Not Know About Midwest FurFest! #3: Amazing Programming! |
[12 Nov 2009|12:21pm] |
As we count down with excitement to Midwest FurFest 2009, a bunch of introductory text that you may or may not read but let's skip to the important stuff: TEN THINGS THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT MIDWEST FURFEST!
Number Three: MFF has some great programming!
We know that there are dozens of furry conventions out there, and we feel that it is our duty to make your time at Midwest FurFest more than just a "standard convention experience". To that end, we work hard to come up with truly innovative programming, and to improve on some of your favorites each year to make them memorable for you. A great example of this is our Furry Variety Show, at 7 PM Saturday in Ravinia DEF.
Did you know that the Furry Variety Show has existed even longer than MFF itself? It was born back at Duckon, a local science fiction convention, about 15 years ago. The FVS is a little like a furry vaudeville show. Acts are limited to three minutes (we are enforcing that more aggressively now). We all cooperate to try to make everyone's acts succeed. We do prefer that acts be performed in fursuit or with furry puppets. If you have an act or a desire to participate, visit the convention web site for more information and then send email to fvs.2009@furfest.org.
This year, we've made some changes to the FVS to make participation easier.
--We've moved to 7pm Saturday instead of Friday midnight - more rehearsal time and easier to attend.
--People disliked the single long rehearsal, so we restructured so that participants only need to attend one of two shorter rehearsals.
--We now accept video submissions as acts (see our website for guidelines for this).
--Our main stage is 40 x 14 feet for your cavorting pleasure.
As for new and innovative programming, this year we are presenting "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind" by The Neo-Futurists. This will be a theater experience unlike anything you've ever seen before...unless you've caught their long-running late-night show in Chicago. Every weekend they endeavor to present thirty plays in sixty minutes, an ever-changing variety of short-short plays written by the Neo-Futurists themselves. Their approach to theater is something that is best seen to be fully understood, and while the theory and concepts behind the performances are fascinating, the finished product can be hilarious, dramatic, thought-provoking, and at times interactive. This performance will be specially tailored to furry fandom, and it's something that you are not going to want to miss. The show will be on Saturday at 5 PM in Ravinia DEF.
We've worked hard to create a Programming schedule filled with a great combination of your old favorites and new and exciting panels and events found only at Midwest FurFest. As always, we apologize if two or even three of your favorite panels are scheduled on top of each other - there are only so many hours available for scheduling in the weekend (and we still haven't had any luck with anyone taking the coveted Sunday-at-6 AM time slot! I wonder why?).
That's all for this installment of TEN THINGS THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT MIDWEST FURFEST! We're getting down to the wire, now - tune in tomorrow to see what Number Two will be.
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| Pre-Registration Closing Soon! |
[12 Nov 2009|09:55am] |
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This is a reminder that online pre-registration will close at 11:59 PM (CST) on Saturday, November 14th! Sure, you can register when you get to the convention, but this way you know that picking up your badge will be as easy as walking up, presenting your photo ID, and you're done! Pre-register now!
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| Blessingway |
[12 Nov 2009|08:51am] |
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This past Saturday my friend Andrea held a Blessingway for me. It was so much fun to get together with my women friends and celebrate this pregnancy.  Andrea took all these lovely photos of the occasion and there are more in a set on my flickr account.
After indulging in lots of delicious fruit (quite possibly one of the shortest ways to my heart,) opening a few lovely gifts and chatting it up, my friends did a belly cast on me. I don’t think I stopped laughing the entire time, with maybe a couple squeals from cold water running down my side (which was quickly rewarmed and the bowl placed on a heating pad.)  Michael and Damian watched. Michael was as vastly amused as I was which was a comfort to Damian who was rather perplexed by what was going on.
I am undecided what I am going to paint on it and probably will not get to it until Ivy arrives either way. I am thinking maybe some design with lunar moths as they have been so prevalent in my dreams during this pregnancy (as have coyotes and shooting stars for that matter.) I have a feeling the birth will inspire me as to the design.
It was an exceptionally wonderful day and am reminded once again of how very blessed I am to have the friends that I do. I love you all.
Originally published at Michael and Jaspenelle. Please leave any comments there.
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| Writer's Block: If these walls could talk |
[12 Nov 2009|09:02am] |
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mood |
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 bored |
] |
As long as everything has been taken care of after the fact (i.e. thorough cleaning, completed investigations, no other threat of potential danger beyond the norm), then yes I would, especially if I could live there rent-free. Would I think twice about haunting rumors? No, that would only lead me to believe that the neighbors are superstitious buffoons.
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| Good Morning |
[12 Nov 2009|06:19am] |
Good Morning San diego from 8th & Ash!
Pretty colorz
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