Islington Furmeet

A REVIEW OF A FURMEET -- A PERSONAL VIEW

As at least some of you know, the dysfunctional social maniacs in the
Toronto Furry sorta-organization managed to actually co-operate long enough
to organize something big.  As a group.  With different people doing
different things.

I hadn't thought it was possible.

Of course it WAS only one day, and may have been a bit TOO optimistic, but
everything has to start somewhere.

Note: Unlike my commentary on my MFF experiences, this will be a lot
shorter.  After all, I was only there for ten hours -- there's only SO much
that can happen!  Although I guess I could break it down minute by minute--

Note: As usual, I am horrible with names, so I know I've forgotten a lot.
Please forgive me!  Fortunately there is now an attendee list up at
http://www.furnation.com/toronto/islingtonfurmeet.html at the very bottom -- thankees
Dan!

Some background first.  As somebody at work was on vacation, I've been
working the overnight shift -- i.e. 11:30pm to 7:30am.  And, on Fridays, the
shift I worked was from 3:30pm to 7:30am.  What this meant was that I worked
for 16 hours, rushed home, prepped the chilli, got ~3 hours sleep, and then
went to the furmeet--

PREPARATION: Patched and updated various bits on the fursuit based on Centre
Island experiences. Sadly, my first attempt to fix the hooves by putting a
1/4" bolt through worked, but the bolt was so high that I was basically
standing on it.  As a last bit of inspiration, I shoved thick pieces of foam
in underneath which sort of worked -- see below.  That, some packing of
stuff to maybe sell, and prepping the vegetarian chilli, were it.

Note: Chilli consisted of a chopped green pepper, a chopped red pepper, a
chopped red onion, chopped mushrooms, ground tomatoes (from can) and
shredded tomatoes (from can) all tossed into a crock pot along with a
tablespoon of Cayenne and some pepper.  That was it!  It was set to simmer
until needed, for five hours before leaving, and another six hours at the
furmeet.

ARRIVAL: Getting to the building was easy.  JacobRahRah had come up from the
states as he needed to pick up a partial fursuit on Sunday and wanted to
visit.  So he drove.  I used to live right across the street from the party
location so getting there was easy, though the exact path was a bit crooked
because of traffic and impossible left turns.  Parking, of course, was next
to impossible to find as the parking lot (after we got lured in by the decoy
TTC parking lot) consisted of two garage doors leading into the stygian
depths.  Jacob stayed with the car, I went to the building entrance and
snuck in through the door (like a professional thief) after somebody who
lived there opened it, and got a hold of somebody.  Then down to the party
room, acquiring of KI (co-host and actual building inhabitant) and then a
drive down into the black stygian depths of the underground parking to
finish unloading into the actual con location, and to start the chilli a
bubbling.

GAMES AND SOCIALIZATION: After fearfully arriving at ~2:30, I found that
almost nobody was there.  I figured that everybody would have arrived nice
and precise at 1pm and the fursuit games would have just ended and everybody
would be glaring at me with annoyance (and hunger -- damn carnivores!)
asking "WHERE WERE YOU?!"  But, I should have know the meet was on "furry
time", or, "We're too young to worry about socially correct punctuality."
Some day I'll understand.

So, I ended up playing a silly game (San Juan) where you help develop a
Spanish colony in the new world by building stuff and producing stuff and
trying to get the most victory points.  Turn sequence was oddly like
Twilight Imperium, and I got a VP bonus card early on and optimized my
strategy to make use of it and won.  GO HORSE!

After that it was random talking, the two primary vocal targets being
D'otter and Draekaar.  I guess some background is needed as to why I finger
these two--

D'otter is the kindly otta who keeps track of the birthdays on the Torfur
mailing list.  But, that's not why he's on the list.  The real reason is
that I'd met him, all unknowingly, at Portoroo's Halloween party in 2006,
and we'd had a long and interesting writing conversation.  And then I never
saw him again, and didn't knowingly hear from him, being completely unaware
that he was the one who kept track of the birthdays as mentioned.  So, it
was nice to touch base, get reacquainted, and make arrangements to try and
stay in contact this time.

Draekaar was the other.  I've met her on the IRC channel, and had asked if
she could sell stuff for me as I was fursuiting.  Or at least had been
planning to.  It was nice to meet her in the flesh, so to speak, exchange
words, and (unsuccessfully) try to make a little money.

SUPPER: The fursuit games were fairly unanimously decided to be a bust by
this point but I REALLY needed to test my fursuit out prior to AC so that I
could fix any remaining bugs.  And there were a few other suiters there.
Anyway, since fursuits generally have issues with eating (i.e. not able to),
I, at least, chose to get in costume AFTER supper.  Agreement with that plan
was unanimous.  We ended up ordering lots of Chinese, and a few people
sampled my chilli to positive reviews (assuming they weren't just humouring
me).  Details of the feast can be found at
http://www.furnation.com/toronto/islingtonfurmeet.html#Aftermath (scroll
down); scroll up for other interesting stats and lists.  Oddly my chilli is
not listed amongst the food items, or at least it wasn't when I wrote this.
Discrimination, I say!  DISCRIMINATION!

FURSUITING: A full suit is *HOT*.  UNBELIEVABLY *HOT*!  I hadn't been
worried about heat, or at least not much, but then my only real exposure had
been wearing a partial.  Of course, finding out that the wondrously soft and
pettable seal fur I'd got for the bodysuit was also known for its extra
special insulatory goodness, did make me a little bit concerned.

Well, it IS survivable, but it is *HOT*!!!!  What a great way to temporarily
lose weight--  I think I was fursuiting for an hour or so (it wasn't the
heat that beat me -- more on that later).  I can stand it -- probably a good
thing. : )  Still--

As an illustration, the hands/arms of the suit were damp to the touch -- 
just to show you how much I was sweating!   :)   (And yes, I was making sure
to drink lots of water).

Anyway, I got a storage locker room to change in, and had a half decent
mirror to put the eye makeup on (oh, the joys of a "uses your own eyes"
head).  Putting the foam padding under the insoles in the slippers the
hooves were built around worked, but they were a bit thick.  My right foot
was manageable, but my left toes were dangerously pinched.  Not painfully,
but I could feel it if I thought about it.  The changes/updates to the suit
generally worked -- need to attach the hood to the shirt to make sure no
pesky pink skin gaps appear between the head and the bodysuit.  Still need
help getting the arms on right, but I can live with that.  I do need to get
a proper tube for drinking -- got one, but it's way too thick-- ENOUGH
design thoughts!

I got it all on, came out, the hooves were manageable, but I knew there was
going to be a time limit.  The heat was-- impressive.   :)   Still, it was
fun.  There were some others there -- Peromyscus brought his rat partial,
Bungee Skunk put on his raccoon (he BETTER have as he just lived upstairs),
robodobie came late, but put his doberman on for a bit.

And then there was Danny Dingo.

I like researching things before I do them.  You know, learn as much as
possible so I don't make a complete fool of myself.  So, I'd read and
researched, seen a panel at MFF (really bad one), observed videos and those
actual fursuiters in their native environment at MFF.  And still, I never
got the meaning of "constant motion, exaggerated movements".  Oh, I KNEW
what the words meant, but it never sunk in exactly how much, and how much of
an effect it has.

Until Danny Dingo got into his suit at the furmeet.

He was always bouncing.  Almost always running.  Hugging and wiggling in
pleasure.  Always reacting in huge movements of recoil, or eye hiding, or
arm waves, or whatever.

It was-- it was--  It was like a ray of sunshine after months of clouded
winter.  Like cool water after being locked in a sauna for three years.

Like-- like-- WOW!

Danny completely changed my entire mindset.  I'd been trying to do the
motion, but I really WASN'T -- just thought I was.  Now, I don't know if
I'll ever be able to, but at least I now have something to aim for.

Thank you!  Thank you so VERY much!

Anyway, other than being awed into submission, I tried some (brief) fursuit
Twister, though I was the only fursuiter.  I was knocked out in the third
round with a position anatomically impossible even for a contortionist.  I
tried a bit of dancing -- it was okay, I can do it, but it didn't do
anything for me.  Did the requisite hugs, took lots of silly pictures.

And then, after about an hour, the pressure on my left toes got too much as
they started to go numb.  That seemed like a good time to desuit.   :( 

AFTERMATH: After that it was talking a bit, watching a bit of some movies,
and then staggering home barely awake (remember the double shift and the
three hours of sleep!).  Home was achieved successfully, and bed was
attained.  Or, at least I assume it was as I woke up in my bed--

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: It worked, but--  There was no way to meet people -- a
problem that seems to exist at most cons.  Once you get beyond a certain
size, everybody hides in their known friend clique.  There needs to be a way
to force people to mix and talk to strangers.  No real ideas how though--

I can hardly wait for the next one!

Time	Lounge 1 (Kitchen)	Lounge 2 (Games, Art, Dealers)	Lounge 3 (Music, Dancing, Fursuit Games)
11 AM
12 PM	Pot Luck Lunch
1 PM		Colouring Corner
2 PM
3 PM
4 PM
5 PM	Planning dinner.
6 PM	Dinner
7 PM			DJ Off
8 PM			Spot Dance	DJ Potoroo
9 PM			Spot Dance	DJ Branwyn
10 PM
11 PM
12 PM
1 AM
2 AM

Cost Of Renting Party Room	$75
Dealer Table Sales	~$72
Tip Jar	$82.50
Chinese Food	$140.40 + $20 tip

2-Way Radios	Bungee Skunk
TV's	Bungee Skunk, Ki Wind
VCR's	Bungee Skunk, Ki Wind
Playstation 2
Wii
DDR	Peromyscus
Guitar Hero	Dracon
DDR Pad	Peromyscus
Cribbage	Dan Skunk
Bang!	Richard K Niner
RoboRally	Richard K Niner
Carcassonne	Richard K Niner
San Juan	Richard K Niner
Twister	Draekaar
Sound System	Potoroo
DJ Computer	Potoroo
Glow Sticks	Silver Cat
Prizes For Spot Dance	Ki Wind
Crayons	Kitten, Dan Skunk

Cups, Plates, Bowels, Cutlery, Napkins	Dan Skunk, Ki Wind, Kitten
Sandwiches	Dan Skunk
Coke	Ki Wind
Canada Dry	Ki Wind
Diet Pepsi	Bungee Skunk
Sprite	Dan Skunk
Root Beer	Dan Skunk
Chips	Ki Wind, Dan Skunk, D'Bandit
Doritos Sweet Chili Heat
Candy and Chocolate Bars	D'Bandit
Pocky	D'Otter
Reese's Bits?
Potatoe Salad	Kitten
Chili	Morgan
Macaroni Salad	D'Bandit
Canadian	Matt
Coolers	Matt
Jamaican Rum
Richard's
Vex
Rev
Rockets	Kitten

2	Steamed Rice	3.00
1	Shrimps with Lobster Sauce	10.00
30	Egg Roll	33.00
1	Beef with Baby Corn	9.00
1	Chicken Soo Guy	9.25
1	Ginger Beef	9.25
1	Beef With Green Peppers R/N	8.50
1	Mixed Vegtables with Pork	8.75
1	Chicken Fried Rice	6.00
1	Beef Fried Rice	6.00
1	Pork Fried Rice	6.00
1	Bacon Fried Rice	6.00
1	GT Ch	9.50
30	Chopsticks
	TOTAL w/ tax	140.40

Islington Furmeet

Activities

Food and Beverages

Snacks

Lunch

Dinner

Rules

Organizers

Attending

Maybe

Directions

Facilities

Aftermath

Photos

Reports

Staff

Attendees

Fursuiters

DJ's

Dealers

Money

Items Provided By Attendees

Food

Chinese Food

Morgan's Report