Wow. This may be the longest I’ve gone without a substantive public post to LiveJournal since I started this journal. What has happened since I last updated? Here’s the short version:
- Midwest FurFest happened. It was a great convention, though it was the usual blur for me. It was my second and final year as convention chairman (MFF has a tradition of two-year terms for its chairmen). I didn’t accomplish everything I would have liked, but I feel that I was able to keep the convention on its upward trend and overall people seem to be very happy. How do I know? Well, we’ve got this nifty survey up, and if you take it you can win a free room night at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare! My biggest personal regret from the convention is that it sounds like there was one hell of a party in our suite on Sunday night but I was just so exhausted and done with socializing that I wound up taking a nice relaxing bath and going to bed early. Oh, and rest assured that I will not be disappearing from Midwest Furfest staff! I will be taking over the position of Hotel Liaison for MFF 2010, just as we’re going into a new hotel. Whee!
- Thanksgiving happened. We were pleased to welcome Roho, Genet, Bander, Shawn, Shadowstalker, and Tarin over for Thanksgiving dinner, with a delicious turkey made by takaza‘s mom. The food was delicious, and the company was fantastic! Incidentally, if you were at Midwest FurFest, you might have met Dan’s mom – she was Staff Liaison, and her job was to go around the convention and make sure that folks who were stuck in one location got an occasional snack and drink and had everything they needed. She was a tremendous help during the convention and I’m so glad she was able to make it!
- Dan’s birthday happened. We rounded up a bunch of folks and went out for dinner at Wildfire Restaurant, which was really excellent. Dan ordered the martini flight (!) and even drank a few of them. Great steaks, and really tasty desserts.
- A doctor’s visit happened. I found out that what I thought was carpal tunnel is in fact tendonitis. This led to a nice cortisone shot (ow) and orders to wear an arm brace for two weeks. I’ll be living on Advil for a while, I think.
- And finally, a brief visit down to Urbana happened. mirkowuff‘s neighborhood revived the “Candlestick Lane” tradition on short notice, so he threw a small short-notice party to celebrate. We had a lovely time and got to see some great old friends and meet some new folks as well. It was a very pleasant weekend.
So now we’re pretty much caught up. What’s coming up? Well, we’re going to dog-sit this weekend, and hopefully visit either Evanston or Milwaukee to go to The Spice House and do some restocking. We’re flying down to South Carolina for Christmas. And of course there’s Wuffmeet coming up, for which we really need to start making specific plans for food. December is a trainwreck, as always, and it doesn’t look like January will be much better! But we’re having fun and all is right with the world, regardless.
Thanksgiving was wonderful, thank you once again for having me.
Good to hear from you! Sorry aout the tendonitis – owiee. And I wish I coulda joined you for thanksgiving because it sounds like you all had a ball 🙂
Tendonitis is much more fun that Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.
I just had surgery for my left; and they had to do Ulnar release too; which means under gas for two hours while they scraped my wrist and chiseled bone off my elbow. That was the day before Thanksgiving, and I still haven’t healed – had to put off the other arm.
Take Vitamin D, or otherwise have your level checked. If its not about 60, find liquid capsules in the 2000-5000IU range and take them, often. We live in northern climes and UV is the best way we get Vitamin D. Lacking that, we have to supplement, and the fact is that the USDA only recommends 1/4th of what we need, and doesn’t account for lack of UV.
Anyway, I hope you visit my LJ more often, and that you are able to read my recent post on my thoughts on where the fandom should go.
I am infinitely curious about catering at your hotel though. I am planning an event, and discovered that hotels take catering costs out of space rental; meaning I could give my guests a free meal or two. I know things are different for a large convention, but given how vital I think it is that furries get together physically more than they do (and that means more socializing at conventions, not just meeting up with and staying in your cliques), I’m interested in helping find ways to make catered events happen, even at bigger events (and especially since I intend to plan a VERY large event soon.)