Friends

I have returned from Midfur! Here is a tip, when on a plane going from Australia that is transporting a person who has just eaten a lot of Mexican food, make sure that person is you. Heh. That was fun.

Midfur this year was like dousing a house cat in axle grease and throwing it down the front of your pants. It was awesome! Last year was great, but they really stepped it up a notch this year. Of course, I haven't been to every furry even in the world, but I would have to say that next to Eurofurence, this year's Midfur was the most professionally hosted foreign furry con I've ever experienced.

Being the GOH at Midfur was a pleasure. They really took care of me! I'm not talking about "here, have some beer! Have some food! Have this toothless kangaroo we trained to suck!" No. Well, except for the booze and the food. They did do that. And they offered the kangaroo, but the hotel wouldn't let it in the hot tub with me.

But there were also limousine rides to and from the airport and literally a long red carpet into the event space! They made me feel like a dignitary in a foreign country! Not only that, but they inducted me into their Furry Hall Of Fame. It was a brilliant ceremony! It was like the furry version of the Academy Awards. And the statue they awarded me is absolutely beautiful! I'm proud to display it in my studio.

While I was there, I was interviewed by several magazines and video shows, some furry, some not. One of the ones I had the most fun with was ACTfur On-Air. They're a furry video show that is starting up in Australia, and their material is really nicely put together. You can check out some of what they've done on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/user/HuskyPause

In short, everything was taken to the next level this year. Probably actually the next two levels. For those Americans who like to travel to more exotic places to far away fur cons, this convention is perfect! I truly believe that Midfur is quickly going to become the next big foreign fur con in the world. And from what I've seen, the staff there will be more than able to handle it.

I certainly hope to be able to attend again next year!

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!

today we got our first snow of the year and I will be offline more than likely because I'll be in Texas with my girlfriend visiting her family. we leave on the 17th and return on the 28th

Hello folks! I'm still down in Australia after having performed for Midfur. The organizers were kind enough to give me a few extra days to relax and see the country and I have to say, it is very hard not to fall in love with this place and the people. Not only have I had a brilliant time down here entertaining the Australian furs, I've also had a few very enlightening moments. In fact, one of these moments has very likely changed how I look at the world entirely -- probably forever. Bear with me a moment and perhaps I can give you something to think about...

Jenner.

Jenner is a friend of mine down here. What makes him so cool? Well, in the first place, he is the creator of the Doc Rat comic series (http://www.docrat.com.au/), probably the best anthropomorphic comic strip in all of Australia. He's royalty down here. He's like the Bill Holbrook of Down Under. But what makes him even cooler is that he's a 51 year old furry who is an actual medical doctor currently practicing in Melbourne.

Jenner whips up a mean martini, let me tell you. I know because he invited me to his place to have one. His wife cooked a wonderful dinner and then he and I sat down for a couple of his "Doc Rat" cocktails -- made with some crazy fruit that only happens in Tazmania or something. Very unique and very tasty.

Well, as a person who is also very deep into comedy, we began to discuss what it was that actually created a laugh. After all, as comics, this is very important to us. I told him my idea that in the end, death was always the base motivator in human emotion. And then, he laid it on me....

Injustice.

"What?" I said.

"It's not death that is the base motivator, it's the injustice of death," he said.

Injustice. I thought about it a minute. Injustice. Of course! If I'm dying, it's not the sole fact I'm dying that makes it suck. It's that I'm dying and others get to continue living. It's that I'm dying instead of bad people who don't deserve
to go on. That no matter what good I've done in my life, it's not going to keep me alive any longer than anyone else, no matter what they've done.

The biggest, wide-spread emotional defense to the concept of death has been religion. And basically, religion is just a judgment system. It's there so we can believe that evil people are punished and good people are rewarded. That's what really matters to us as humans. We're not so much adverse to the idea that we'll leave this existence one day as we are to the idea that an innocent six month old baby and a 60 year old child molester could both die and wind up in the same place. The entire purpose of the most popular and unavoidable mind cults on the planet is to develope the idea that this can't happen!

If you talk to religious people, many of them are not afraid to die. But why not? Because they believe their consciousness will continue past death? Or because they believe it will continue in a place where there will be no worry of the people who cause hardship and pain? Would religion take away the fear of death if it taught that we would continue into eternity in the same place with murderers and thieves?

Upon thinking about it, I believe Jenner is some kind of whacked out, crazy, doctor genius. The guy is fucking DEEP. And he's given me a lot to think about. He's said that he might be able to make it to AnthroCon for the first time next year, and I certainly hope he can. I have a feeling I'm going to miss him a lot when I leave here.

I will have a more detailed report of Midfur when I return. For now, see you later, Australia. Thank you guys for the astounding hospitality you've showed me while I was here. I hope to see you again next year. You guys rock!