Riddled with Glee

The furries get their own post, obviously.
Here’s one from 2013.
And a different one from 2014.

2015: I’m a cat with a dog tail and Helen’s a Fur-affe.

The furry’s, while a “con”, are the opposite of negative.  Unlike other cons (Comicon, for example), which pay homage to other peoples work, Anthrocon is left to an individuals imagination.  You can’t go wrong as long as you have an animal theme and an open mind.

Russ (!) and Jesse (sight unseen) flew in from out of town and we rented an AirBnB apartment.

9am: Day One: Opening Ceremonies! The American Sign Language Interpre-furs were back and I studied the schedule booklet carefully in order to decide which events we were going to go to (all of them).

The exact same kind of strange ❤

“People” watching.

Their own mockumentary.

I went to a lecture called ‘Unleashed’ which was geared toward helping people get in touch with their inner animals. It’s possible to have multiple, rotating fursonas, totem pole-style; some days an alligator, other days a badger.  After the visual meditation, where I stifled laughter and listened to an erratic drum beat, yellow and white butterflies emerged. But after (the Feline Talk, the Wind and Wings Talk, the Rodent Talk, and) the Canine Talk —  which may be one of the best things that has ever happened to me — I came up with this: A Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.

All of the dogs stopped what they were doing and gave me their undivided attention when I walked into the room as if they missed me, loved me, and had been waiting for me.  Lauren was right, I’ll talk about this furever.

Self portrait.

“Thanks for coming and for not eating anyone” the head rat said to the owl after the Rodent Talk.

This was the year that we accidentally learned about Bronies, Potatopia, and when I wasn’t fast enough on my feet to say “Yes, I’m Karen.”

A plane ticket away from Whinnyapolis.

Over lunch Jesse said it was just going to “keep getting better”.
I hyperventilated.

Could
Not
.

And then it did: Katie Diamond. The Chicken. Tears of joy.

Previously unknown to me (us), The San Diego Chicken was this years famous-fur invited to the Con.  He was (apparently) the first official sports mascot.  And now my absolute favourite celebrity. Here’s a link to his promo video.

It was an honor to be around such an inspirational, articulate role model. — A downright legend!  He thoroughly impressed us all.

Seeing this in “real”-life makes me pathologically optimistic.

Friends, in solidarity:

Rusty: Franco was with us the entire time and so were you!

As a grown up I am longer an awkward teenager!!!
I can still be awkward but at least I’m not a teenager. 😉

This event is incredible (have I mentioned?!).

Wag, wag, knock-that-cup-off-that-table WAG,
‘mi