For reasons that can all be traced back to the current economy or lack thereof, I did not go to MFF this year. I did keep a bit busy anyway.

Friday night Fairmont had a parade that supposedly kicks off the Christmas shopping season, as if that hadn't really started a few hours after Halloween if even that late. In years past, the city kept the decorative lights off until the night of the parade. This year the light were on a few days early. Not sure if that was lack of caring about the setup or a ploy to say "start spending already."

I met up with Gerry Busse and his team of Belgian horses (Connie and Lynne were pulling that night) in the Harsco Track Technology (formerly Fairmont Tamper, formerly Fairmont Railway Motors) parking lot rather than the usual lot. He was about set up by the time I got there so I really don't do much of anything there other than supply his always-forgotten throat drops. The trolley had a couple changes. The brake is now a nice lever with a catch, the sound system has a wireless mic., there are lights that indicate the remote-operated steps are down, and the front string of Christmas lights is LED. There are also "ground effects" LEDs under the trolley, casting a reddish glow that reminded me of the looks of some college kids cars in the early 1990s.

The weather was decent, for the time of year in Minnesota, for once. No single digits and strong winds, but high twenties and an almost calm night. Gerry had position 20 in the parade and we found it without any real trouble for the setup. The girls on whatever float was ahead of us all stayed at the rear of the float to watch the team.

If I had gone to MFF, I'd have missed Gerry and the team completely this year. He won't be giving rides in Fairmont the first Friday of December this year. Instead whoever makes that decision had him stay after the parade and go until about 9 PM giving rides. I suspect it's again a matter of economy. It's going to seem quite strange that Friday without him around.

Gerry has a bit of a shtick worked up when things are ready to go. Instead of just going, he introduces the team (sometimes letting people see the names on the front posts... which are for Connie and Buttercup, so they aren't always right), says a bit about them ("They weigh about 2,000 pounds each, and when the trolley is fully loaded with adults, they're pulling about 14,000 pounds.") He then asks how to get the horses to get going and people suggest things.. one of which almost works ("Well, they thought about it.") and since I was up front I could see the gimmick. Before he rings the bell (rather than saying, "Team!" which also works) he quietly releases the brake - no wonder the team only "thought about it" earlier.

The shorter route he was using last year was continued. It lets people wait inside a building rather than out on the street. It also means Gerry has time for two Christmas carols and another short shtick, "How do you suppose we make the horses go faster?" A few suggestions are tried and then Gerry explain, "Horses are like kids... if you really want them to do something for you, you just give them a little kiss..."

I wound up leaving when the last ride was over but didn't stick around for anything else. jmaynard had been putting off supper long enough and we both we hungry. I had expected to be home much earlier, but that was before I knew about the after parade rides going so long. In other years Gerry would give a couple rides if folks were interested and then pack up.

I spent most of the time either up front on the trolley with Gerry, or standing in front of the team when stopped giving them some attention and generally just showing that they were approachable despite their intimidating size.

Current Mood: a bit tired

I've made MFF for the last few years. This year I'm not sure I will. It's not that I don't want to go. I would like to go. It's that being able to afford it is in question. The expense of the entry fee is not a big deal, but time off for travel (money not being made), motorfuel, hotel costs (that's the big one), food costs, and yes the incidentals of Artist's Alley and the Dealer's Den (or whatever name those things are given) all add up to probably too much. And that doesn't include ACME supplies.

I'm not counting it out completely, just yet. We do have a room reserved at the main hotel since if I/we do go, I want to be in the main hotel for the ease of fursuiting issues. But if you were expecting me and Orvan to be there, don't count on it. I'd like to have other news, but given the state of the economy and its unlikelihood of changing for the better anytime soon, this is the news I have.

I don't have much for RCFM at the moment, either, alas. I hope to somehow manage to make Penguicon.

That said, there is always the slim chance of things working out. Thus the following poll. I will not make any promises since if I make no promises then there are no promises to break.

( Advise ACME )

Current Mood: DEMpressed

We were all answering various questions Duncan was asking when suddenly, this adorable ox named Orvan showed up with deliveries from ACME for Foxfeather, Lucky and both Matt and myself. Being Wyle Coyote fans, Matt and I weren’t sure what to expect from a package marked ACME, but he was so cute you couldn’t help but trust him. Thank you for the box of goodies, Orvan Ox!

Of course, I will pass this along to Orvan.

Current Mood: happy

The ACME Delivery gallery for
MFF 2008 is finally up. The ACME Delivery Products page has also been updated. If you are in any of the photos (or suspect you might be in a photo I didn't use on the ACME site) and want the unedited original(s) of those, let me know and I can get them to you.

( The deliveries. )

Orvan managed to get all the deliveries done, save one that was planned but cancelled - there were no leftover undelivered parcels. And Orvan did have some time to just be himself, which didn't happen last year partly due to being so busy. Looking back at MFF 2008 now, I think I it might have been a bit better than I thought it was at the time, and I didn't think it was bad then.

And a note to the RCFM folks: I haven't forgotten. I know the RCFM 2008 delivery photos and such are very, very late. They will be a bit later still, but I plan on getting dealing with more of them this weekend so at least progress will be made.

The trip over was delayed by jmaynard's work so that we didn't get on the road until around noon, a few hours later than we both would have liked. Still, we made the trip in just under 8 hours and managed to avoid all tolls. Sure, we found a few traffic lights and such along the way, but they're still less frustrating than toll gates.

( MFF )

Current Mood: tired

The first ACME Deliveries of a few years ago were fairly minor things. Hopefully memorable and amusing to the recipient and hopefully anyone else around would get a chuckle or smile out of it. Most ACME Deliveries are like that. But a few stand out.

* At Penguicon 5 Orvan didn't find security guy Bruce Schneier and so Matt Arnold wound up with keys at Closing Ceremonies.

* At MFF 2007 Uncle Kage got ACME wine, some of it from Iowa and bottled in a screw-top plastic bottle.

* At Penguicon 6 Jer Lance received a physically real F-bomb. (And I got a cookie!)

And at MFF 2008 2 the Ranting Gryphon... well, for those not familiar with the story, perhaps it's best to fill in some details first. Earlier this year 2 was at an event in London and not everything went right, to put it mildly. Somewhere along the line, he was drugged. The consensus of the emergency workers who dealt with him was that it was most likely some sort of date rape drug. (2 posted about this incident a few times: here, here and here.

If you haven't read that last link, please go at least skim it. Seeing that 2 was taking it so well, a delivery idea occurred to me. But even though 2 was taking it well and all, I wasn't sure of things. I sent a message to Uncle Kage about it and got a reply that didn't say anything about the delivery contents, just to be mighty careful not to mess up 2's show timing with an interruption. I had hoped to do the delivery just before or just after his show, but I thought it over some more.

And then I did something I hadn't done before: I informed the recipient of ACME's plans and asked if it was something that should best be done at a specific time or if it should be forgotten. I was expecting to be told to do the delivery right before or right after 2's show. I was half expecting to be told to forget it. I was not expecting the reply I got, which was to change the contents, "going all the way" - and then deliver it in the middle of the show.

If you were there, you saw the gag and all the stuff that 2 and another did around the delivery to make it much funnier than a simple delivery ox could have done. If you were not there, the delivery happened during a specific segment that was cleared for the delivery, 2 signed for the parcel and took it and then left it alone for a while. As Orvan walked off, his job finished, 2 made some remarks about the ox and then went on with the segment.

At the end of that segment a character appeared on stage and worked around the parcel, eventually indicating that it was from him and 2 should open it. When he did, he eventually revealed a 2 Liter bottle with a big yellow label that read "DATE RAPE DRUG." From what I recall the audience reaction was a fraction of second of a weird silence or worried reaction of the "My God, he didn't..." or "The hell?" followed immediately by at least chuckling as the "hey, it's a joke" thought processed. I don't have any of the photos Jay took at MFF ready yet, but nikolai_miko posted this one to flickr.

There was a bit more to it that I didn't see, but did hear, and then 2 started talking about his London experience. And drinking from the bottle (which of course had only water in it). I was later told that 2 drank most of the bottle through the rest of his show.

Let me update my list:

* At MFF 2008, 2 the Ranting Gryphon got a big bottle labeled DATE RAPE DRUG.

As you read above, it was all coordinated and from what I could tell went off very well. While I hope every delivery is memorable to the recipient, I think this one is the one that stands out for me and probably many others. I really must thank 2_gryphon for not only going along with the delivery, but also making it so much more than I had hoped for. I was also way too amused by seeing that bottle sitting in the fridge for a few days before MFF. As for the original delivery idea, I'm not saying what it was for a good reason. I think it might still get used for someone else. Mwahahaha!

I suppose I ought to ask, "Did anyone get video of all of it?" But there's only a segment or so that I'm really interested in, and would like to put up om the ACME Delivery site assuming permission was obtained from various parties.

Current Mood: grateful

Short version: Arrived home safely.

Current Mood: tired

I've been preparing for MFF for a while. I will be there. Orvan will be there, doing stuff for ACME again. I still have a bit more to do, but I have a couple days yet and expect we (Jay & I) will be leaving for MFF early Thursday and arrive that afternoon, possibly even with a bit of daylight left. After that, plans (that don't involve ACME) aren't very specific.

Anything anyone thinks I ought to be aware of?

Current Mood: calm

I'm getting a bit of a head start on things for ACME at MFF. I'll have a couple other ACME polls for Penguicon and RCFM later this month.

I'm looking for suggestions of what ACME should deliver at MFF this year, and who things should be delivered to.

( Advise ACME )

NOTE: Friends replies are NOT screened and will be visible.

Current Mood: curious

09:04 pm - Hey, rillaspins...

Ever see what happened with that Crave Case? In case you missed it, start here. Saying Stego seemed to enjoy the delivery seems something of an understatement. I've been told he actually packed all the mallow-burgers and mallow-fries and took them home with him. That unnerves me some.

I had one more mallow-burger left than originally fit into the Crave Case. After MFF, jmaynard and gave it a try. We each took half... and each ate less than a quarter of it before tossing the remainder.

I've finally gotten a bunch of Midwest FurFest 2007 photos edited and put up on the web.

Current Mood: mellow

After I got back from RCFM I had a sore throat. No headache, no queasiness, just a sore throat. Well, I'm back from MFF and guess what? Yep, sore throat. It seems to have peaked last night or this morning and is on a slow decline, but still enough that it gets my attention. I don't know if the Halls Defense stuff (which i started taking before leaving for MFF) is having an effect, but short term use shouldn't hurt.

I'd blame travel, but it's just as long (or longer *grumble*) to get to there as to return. I stayed hydrated. Maybe it's the exposure to exhaust on the more crowded highways and in larger cities? Maybe it's that I wind up talking more and louder than normal. For all I know I was singing along to the tape too much. I'd just like to know what was causing the sore throat so I can avoid it in the future. Sure, it's not nearly as bad as a kidney stone, but it's still something I'd prefer to avoid. Oddly, it doesn't seem to start until the day after I return.

( Preserved comment(s) )

Current Mood: sore throaty

This is the short version.

Thursday: Travel.
Driving in MN: No problem.
Driving in WI: No problem.
Driving in IL: I have a renewed contempt for tollways and bad design. And for poor signage. And for hotel clerks who don't know the area. Evidently the right way to get to the Schaumburg Hyatt, at least for me, is via Elgin.
Arrived at hotel at long last - met some folks. Generally had a good time.

Friday: Attended a couple panels, saw a show or two, wandered around.

Saturday: Like Friday, but with the amazing sponsor's bunch. How good? There was smoked salmon available and I simply never got to it.

Sunday: Attended a panel, recovered sketchbooks from dealer's area and artist's alley, and drove home. Via Elgin since the supposedly closer access to I-90 was effectively blocked by a crowd of folks whose mental capacity indicates that they probably were designers of signs for Illinois tollways.

Conclusion: MFF was great, though I can't really say I did that much. It helped that I knew some people already and saw them repeatedly. I will almost certainly return. If the weather looks decent, I am very likely to plot a route that avoids I-90 in IL and aim for Elgin intentionally.

( Preserved comment(s) )

Current Mood: relaxed

( MFF 2004 )

( Preserved comment(s) )

Current Mood: content

As I'm about to start on a trip, I've been getting things together for it. I have a checklist to help prevent my forgetting anything. Even so, I always have the feeling that I'm overlooking something. Any ideas, serious or silly, about what my checklist might be lacking?

Current Mood: curious

Yesterday I got a bit more ready for MFF. I have directions to the hotel, coins for the wretched tolls Illinois inflicts on traffic, and a few other things gathered together and ready to be packed up tonight. One item that is almost finished is a tape for jugularjaguar which might be put to... interesting... use eventually. I need to do just a bit more with it before it's finished. I should also duplicate a couple tapes for myself for use in the car.

( Speaking of tape )

I'm hoping to get a few things started tonight and getting them done early. Then I can get to sleep early, start out early, and arrive before the anything-but-rush hour traffic.

( Preserved comment(s) )

Current Mood: eager

I now have the 18th and 19th of November off work so I can go to Midwest FurFest. I'll be leaving MFF early Sunday afternoon. I did find out that the Fairmont Glows parade (where I'd see those Belgian horses again, most likely) is on the 19th so I'll miss that this year. Fortunately there should be another, better chance to see them in early December.

I also have the 24th off, so jmaynard and I can travel to southern Missouri before rather than on Thanksgiving.

I also finally found some good snap-on sunglasses (not the old flippy clip-on style) that are polarized and will actually be useful when travelling. I still need to gather up a few things for the MFF trip, but it's all stuff I can find locally without too much effort. Hopefully kinkyturtle will arrive at the hotel before I do - and hopefully he won't be waiting around for me for just too long.

Current Mood: chipper

After a couple recent events that resulted in my taking time off work, I looked things over to see if I could still make it to Midwest FurFest without that messing up anything else. It looked like I could it, but I'd have to leave on Monday rather than Tuesday. I goofed. I forgot I'd need Wednesday off for traveling to (or near to) Blue Eye, AR.

That means either I burn another 8 hours of off-time and further erode the buffer I have, or I leave sometime Sunday afternoon. Probably early Sunday afternoon, so I can get home at a not too unreasonable time in the evening. Yahoo maps claims the travel time is about 6 hours and 40 minutes. It will be a bit longer than that, most likely, with stops for all the annoying tolls with which Illinois impedes its better roads, and a stop or two for food, fuel, and such. So, call it 8 hours to be a bit more realistic.

Checking the MFF web site, I don't see a schedule readily available yet, so I don't know what I might miss (besides closing ceremonies and any "dead dog" gathering) with an early departure. I'd like to know that before deciding for sure, even though I'm almost certain I'll end up leaving around 2 PM Sunday.

Tentative schedule is:
* Depart Fairmont Thursday morning and drive to Schaumburg, arriving Thursday afternoon. (If this takes a different amount time than expected, Sunday's departure time gets adjusted.)
* Spend Friday & Saturday & Sunday morning at MFF.
* Depart Schaumburg Sunday afternoon, arriving back in Fairmont Sunday evening.

Current Mood: blah

Checking my accounts this morning, I saw that the check paying for my MFF registration had been cashed. So now I should be properly registered for it and all, even though I haven't yet received the confirmation from MFF.

I've also started setting a bit aside for MFF expenses, so they shouldn't be a problem. Hrm, need to prepare a sandwich bag of dimes (no, not a dime bag) for those annoying tolls that IL puts in the way on the halfway decent roads, at least around Chicago.

I suppose I should also start putting a (smaller, for now) bit aside for RCFM. No, JugularJaguar, I haven't forgotten about RCFM. In fact, this morning I printed out the RCFM registration form. It might be a little while before I send it, but it will get sent.

Current Mood: good

I've checked over what time I have available and it's far enough in advance that I can make reasonable plans for funding and such. I've already talked with kinkyturtle about sharing a hotel room again and in week or three I'll be sending in my registration fee for Midwest Furfest 2004. Hopefully it'll not be overwhelming to me as AnthroCon was.

Checking my schedule, it looks like maybe I can afford to spend an extra day in the Schaumburg area - though I may need to make arrangements for a room for that extra night if I do that. That and hope it doesn't trigger an escape reflex. Hrm, I'm gonna need a navigator again, even if I do have a Chicago map.

Current Mood: a bit nervous