The door people seem incredibly disinterested though. I mean, it's not everybody's thing. I've worked all kinds of events, like one day I had to work an opera and monster truck rally the same day but I never just apathetically sat there like I didn't give a shit about what people enjoy doing, even though I "get" the one and don't "get" the other. Part of the job of and door person or movie theatre usher which they train you on is you're the last face you see before enjoying your thing no matter what that is.

One of the best things I always look forward to seeing every year on POEtv.

Also IZ, I am curious which one you "got", opera or monster trucks?

Really, it was monster trucks. I was an opera singer growing up. So I liked being on stage but never in the crowd. But all I wanted to do was watch WWF, listen to punk rock, things like that. I wasn't forced into it by any means though. When my voice went from soprano to somewhere around tenor, I gave up on ever being a lead.

There's good Opera out there, don't get me wrong. Adams, Neuwirth and even Glass are keeping the artform alive but it's a far cry from whatever I'd imagine Monteverdi and the Camerata's vision was some 500+ years ago. But nobody wants to see the new ones, and complain when the old ones are repeated. It's just a social club for a whole bunch of bridge and tunnels who just use it as an excuse for socializing. Monster Trucks on the other hand. Bring on the truckafuckingsaurus!

Clearly the way forward is more operas about monster trucks.

Yeah! That would be great! Not sure if it's been done. I think there was one about Nascar, or maybe F1 racing, like for real. The Frozen Walt Disney one was cool too. Not frozen, just about Disney getting frozen himself. The band The Knife has a cool opera about Charles Darwin out there too. There's definitely cool opera, but it's never commissioned anywhere in these United States, or at least where I live, which is the "weird" part of the country.

A couple of years ago when I was still working there, we started a program to get younger folks into opera: 5 dollar tickets for anyone currently on food stamps. And what did that do? It drove the old people away who didn't want to sit next to the guy with a backpack with their tiny little purses and shit. For a lot of these dudes it was their first opera ever. I'd get people to go by wining and dining at cheap places downtown vs. the expensive ones and they'd come. I really thought this was the way to save opera, because these old fucks will be dead soon enough. Instead I got laid off and I think they stopped the whole program so fuck opera.

ruh roh

My favorite was the articulated cardboard skeleton and the vaguely Portal-y robot person. Raptor Jesus at 25:50 was pretty classy, too.

I'm noticing a lot more non-traditional fursuits this year (the ones above, plus GIR, lots of faceless furries, and a handful of ponies). Is that a "thing" now? Also, speaking of the Confederate Flag furry, this is very off-topic but does anyone have a picture of the flag, draped across something roughly mound-shaped (end table works too), and on fire?

^ 12:00 and 16:35 for robot and skeleton furry.

Sadly, I did not spot Sharky anywhere. He may be the "muscle shark", but I am not sure!

This guy's commentary track is a great idea on paper, but in practice it falls flat, because he fails to give equal screen time to all the furries, and he only remembers to name like twelve of them. Next year, what needs to happen is that someone with a bit of discipline and professionalism should go film the parade, while reading off the list so the rest of us know who's who.

And skip to 28:10 for a fat man in a kilt.

pretty sure sharky is in there in the first 10 minutes!

I hope the Confederate Flag furry doesn't give people a negative image of furries!

OH! I just went back and check again. Sharky show up at 0:55 or thereabouts! I must have been distracted momentarily.

Hi, Sharky!

I'll have to go and look for all of the Dogs, I haven't watched any of the videos yet, and I have short videos of my own too.

This year was the best time I've had there in several years, we didn't equester ourselves in a party room, so I was able to meet more Furs I knew, Aerofox, Howler, Tycho Aussie, and others that just stopped to chat or for hugs.

They also switched the toney fish place in the hotel with Bill's Burgers, a more budget place to eat, at least on Furry budgets.

I'm glad to hear that there was more diversity in costuming and materials used to make costumes this year. It's bound to happen with many more Furries getting involved and the need to be creative and try something new.

Boomer

I actually liked the bird ones, yeah.

Also the birds! More birds every year. Eeeexcellent.