MeghanIsMe

Me at my first convention that I want to all by myself without my parents; Midwest FurFest 2002.





One of these days, hopefully, I'll make it back. I hope everyone there this weekend had a good time. And thanks again to the staff for making it clear that wearing and carrying Confederate symbols is not socially acceptable. That makes me feel good about the community.

I guess I'm supposed to post old pictures on Thursday; I fail at throwback.

This is a picture of me that is twelve years old now, from the first convention I ever went to on my own, without my parents. I spent all of Friday and Saturday at Midwest Furfest 2002 being painfully shy, taking photos of fursuiters, and talking to not a single person except for Dana Simpson. She's an artist from whom I bought an original hand-inked comic strip from Ozzie and Mille. When she wrote before the con about the possibility of selling originals, I emailed her ask her to bring a particular strip, which was a huge feat of bravery for me. I have that strip, now framed, on the wall over to my left.

On Sunday, I finally got up the nerve to approach one person whose name I recognized from lurking on Livejournal. Though him, I kind of got started in being an independently social creature in Chicago furry fandom, and from there, a social creature in general. Though the process was a long and slow one.

This fursuiter had servomotors in the ears that let them move into different expressions. I thought that was so awesome. I still do! I don't know who this was; I don't suppose any of my readers do?

At that point in my life, I knew various members of my parents' social circle who I still consider to be friends, but I had not a single friend who I'd met in person on my own. I recognize parts of myself in that person, but I don't know if he'd recognize me.