OK, I've just bought the OAK<->SEA plane tickets for RainFurrest, and here's what my schedule looks like:

September 26 2008
       Alaska Airlines 353
       Depart: Oakland, CA at 8:30 AM
       Arrive: Seattle, WA at 10:26 AM

September 28 2008
       Alaska Airlines 356
       Depart: Seattle, WA at 7:45 PM
       Arrive: Oakland, CA at 9:43 PM

Yeah, I'm a little early, what with it being over five months away, but I noticed the prices were starting to go up, so I jumped on it. The final total came to $210, which isn't too bad. Also, since I'll be attending this one properly (rather than attending two cons at once and staying in a hotel 40 minutes away >_>), I'll need a place to sleep, so is anyone looking for a roommate? I don't smoke or drink, shouldn't be bringing more than a backpack, and I'm willing to pay my share in advance, if need be.

I'm a bit late posting this, but I thought I'd mention that I finished the first part of the medical exam last Sunday and Monday (basic vision, hearing and blood tests, chest x-ray, height/weight, that sort of thing) and have scheduled the follow-up appointment with the doctor a little over a week from now. An earlier appointment probably would have been better, but I'm pretty full next week with labs and an important exam I need to study for, so I didn't reschedule it.

Speaking of exams (er, sorta) my uni posted the academic calendar for the spring and summer semesters, so I know when I'll be off next year, and, contrary to what I thought earlier, it looks like I might have some time for conventions! I have the entire month of September off, which I'll be using to take a trip back to California, the tail end of which will likely include a side trip to RainFurrest (although it's going to be during Ramadan next year, which could complicate things, so I'll have to think about it). There's also this little gap between the spring semester and my summer training period:



Gee, I wonder if there's anything going on between the 18^th of June and the 5^th of July? :p

In all seriousness though, airfare to the US is about $2k, and that's fine for a month-long trip, but not so easy to justify for an extended weekend. I did a rough estimate for how much it would cost to go to AC (travel, hotel, food, dealer's den + a little over estimation) and came up with $2800. :(   Couple that with the fact that I still feel a little guilty over what happened last year, and I think it's probably best to wait for some other AC.

That was the craziest weekend ever. It was crazy, creepy and cute, all rolled into one.


The only things I regret about the experience were missing the fursuit performance panel on the first day, and trying to cram two conventions at once. I tried to keep things fluid, rather than stick rigidly to my schedule (I would have had to have taken the bus eight times to see everything I had planned! Luckily, I ended up only using it four times), but that still had me missing a LOT from both cons. Hopefully, future RainFurrests and PAXs won't fall on the same dates again. All in all though, I had a great time, and I can't wait until my next con!

Had some time yesterday and today to hang out with t_moss. I wish it could have been longer, since I won't be able to see him again for at least two years, but we had fun, played some video games and walked around town for a bit. I'm just glad I got to see him this summer.

Right now I'm headed out to the Amtrak station on my way to Seattle, PAX and RainFurrest, but I've started uploading some of the pics we took during our trip to Santa Cruz. I don't have time right now to set up a fancy gallery to show them off with, so for now here they are in a plain directory-style format. When I get back I'll make them all spiffy and resized. We aren't bringing a laptop with us, so aside from public computers, we'll be without internet while we're there.

See you guys in a week!

Wow, it's been nearly a month since my last entry! Time's going by so fast, and I've just been too busy to sit down and write out an entry until now. What usually happens is that I'll do stuff in the evening, and by the time I get back I'm too tired to post anything. Then I'll forget to do it the next morning, and by the time I remember, I figure it's too late to post about it. I want to keep this journal up though, so I've just gotta force myself to write!

So what follows is a general update on what I'm doing this summer:

Mostly, I've been spending time with my friends from high school, since I won't be able to come back next year due to the summer co-op session I'll be doing for my university next summer. It's been pretty good for the most part: just chilling out and relaxing, with really only one bad night, which wasn't as bad as it was worrying. I don't want to go into it right now, but it was basically something stupid that a friend of mine did, and it requires some background info.

***

I still haven't been to any furmeets. There are parties in SF every other Friday: I missed the July 20th one because I didn't think my friend was free that night and I didn't want to go alone, and the August 3rd one was canceled because everyone was going to be at the FC campout/picnic, which I also didn't attend because I thought it would be awkward to go when I'm not attending FC 2008. There are supposed to be weekly meets in Fremont and Sunnyvale, but I don't know who organizes them or if they even still happen. Essentially, there are loads of furries in the area, but they're not that organized, so if I want to meet some I guess I have to curb my shyness, stick my head out and actively look for them, but I'm still nervous about it. That, and driving forty minutes to Fremont at night, only to find that whatever group that used to meet there no longer does isn't exactly my idea of fun...

***

My friend who was going with me to RainFurrest, then unable to, then able to again, is now, once again, unsure if he will be able to make it. The problem seems to come from the fact that his classes start on the 27th, and RainFurrest is the 24th-26th. He should be able to make them on time if he takes the plane back, but his mother still has reservations about it. She's also worried about how "safe" the trip will be (he tells me she wanted to make sure the hotel had locks on the doors and windows...). I'm going to have to sit down with her and discuss our plans. I mean, not only is he going with a friend, but my sister and even my mom will be with us!

***

Tomorrow, our family leaves for a short trip to Santa Cruz (there will be lots of pics!). It's got redwoods, streams, and all that good out-of-the-way foresty stuff like Yosemite, but is a lot closer and not actually out of the way (if we get bored, the boardwalk* is less than 30 minutes away). Gotta love the coastal ranges. :)

We should be back on the 16th, and then on the 20th we leave for Seattle, won't be back 'till the 28th, and on the 1st of September I leave for Saudi Arabia. These last few weeks of summer are going to be awesome, but the sooner they happen, the sooner it's over. :(


*No pun intended. Seriously. My intended puns are much more painful.

While I may not be going to AC this year, I still went ahead and commissioned a conbadge from mitsu_chan, which I'll take with me to RainFurrest. I really liked the other art she's done, but since it was the first time I've had something commissioned and it would be the first finished drawing of my fursona, I was a little nervous as to how it would look. I think it came out great, though!



Thanks Mitsu!

...and in other news, I'm busy packing for my trip (one of the upsides of not going to AC is that I'll be in California two weeks earlier).