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Further Confusion 2024
 Luckily, Further Confusion 2024, held from Jan 11-15th, taught me that it’s still possible. It was the best time I’ve had since that fateful 2018 con. Hotel room booking remained competitive this year. After some struggle, I ended up with a Hilton room, with roommates Conrad, Wylie, Raff, and Smoopa. Willow, also in a Hilton room with Donut, Colfox, and Spiral, made several phone calls to the hotel requesting that we have conjoined rooms. In the end, we were told this wasn’t an option for queen rooms, and it seemed the best they could offer was to make sure we were on the same floor as each other, which sounded fun in its own way. I arrived at SeaTac on Thursday morning with Willow and Col. Willow’s carry-on was full of DJ equipment, and needed to be hand-inspected and sent back through the scanner at least 3 times. On the last inspection, I couldn’t stop myself from busting out laughing when the TSA agent removed and swabbed Willow’s bottle of Metamucil. I received a look of disdain from the agent.
 After finding some food, getting situated, and doing the typical Grocery Outlet and liquor store runs, the party could finally get started. Like last year, I planned an outing at the nearby tiki bar Dr. Funk, but I got a more substantial number of RSVP’s this time. Arriving at 10:30, the bar was once again basically dead. The staff were helpful in quickly assembling a few tables together for our party of 12 or so furries. Wylie and Conrad, who drove down from Seattle, met us there. We had a blast as the cocktails flowed. I even got a good buzz going instead of just getting really sleepy. That’s getting harder these days. Back at the hotel, we chilled and watched TV and made grilled cheese & quesadillas. I used the life hack Toni had taught me a couple FCs back - just wrap them in foil and set the hotel room iron on each side for awhile. Smoopa finally rolled up a little after 1 AM.
 Jovian, Colf and I browsed the Den together at opening time. It was packed! We visited Gwen, Arthur, and Willow at their respective tables. Willow’s had formed an impressively long line. Then, we were off to the art show. Jov, Gwen, and Willow all had pieces up for auction. Jov’s panel in the adult section was amazing! Colfox and I then split off to join a small group Knox had organized for a record shopping trip. Other than my Grocery Outlet and Egyptian Museum outings, I don’t typically venture far from the convention center during FC, so the walk over to Needle to the Groove allowed me a rare glimpse at a more residential area of San Jose. I love all the old houses around there. The record store had a great selection, and I found multiple things I wanted, but the best find of all was John Fahey’s The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party and Other Excursions. I’d been looking for it for quite awhile, and the perfect used, well-loved copy of my dreams was waiting there. Yeaahh…that was comin’ home with me.
 Back at the room, Wylie and I got in fullsuit together. We ran into friends and got plenty of photos in the con center. Our fursuits look awesome together, if you ask me. On the way back up to the room, I was surprised by an epic running glomp from behind by Gwen.   Post-tackleglomp tomfoolery.
 I once again was up before the others on Saturday morning, and Willow and I went out to eat at Whispers. I tend to hate on this popular FC breakfast spot, but I had to admit it was pretty good this time. After I saw her off on her way to Dealer’s, I went back to the conjoined rooms to chill. Colfox and I spent awhile watching figure skating on TV and laughing at how brutal the commentators were. When lunchtime rolled around, Jov had taken over Gwen’s Dealer’s table and was craving General Tso’s chicken. So Gwen, Arthur and I set out for the nearest Chinese restaurant. However, it ended up being a very authentic spot only serving various soups. That just wouldn’t do for Jovian’s Americanized needs. There didn’t seem to be a source of General Tso’s anywhere nearby. So we decided to settle for fried chicken - which came from a ghost kitchen inside a deserted nightclub. We waited there for way too long, and it was not worth it. But at least I had my hard-won chicken strips in time to make it back to the room before the Fursuit Parade.
 Dealer’s Den activities - shopping, bringing food and coffee to Willow, and looking at a couple live snakes some guy was carrying around - passed the time until my Taco Bell Cantina outing. We had a modest group of about 12 people this year. The Baja Blast freeze machine was down! But the pina colada freeze with rum was good too. Raff got to try Baja (in soda form) for the first time ever, being British and all. After our nourishing meal, we headed back to prepare for the Night Market. As is the norm, the line was insanely long, so we decided to take our sweet time getting ready. We formed a furpile on one of our four beds and chilled. When we made it down to the line, it was still long, but certainly improved. There was a mime posted up on one of the walkways above, entertaining us in the queue with his antics. As a lover of mimes, I was thrilled by this. I didn’t know at the time that the dude was cosplaying Bomb Voyage from The Incredibles and that he would go on to cause problems and stir controversy at various furry conventions. Ignorance is bliss…   Colfox and Ribsy, caught in the rain outside the Night Market. The Night Market was, to me, pretty mids. It just has never been as good as it was the first year. I thought the music was unsexy and hard to dance to. Colfox and I eventually left to suit up, returned, and hung out with various friends, trying our best to get some dancing in. Outside the convention center, Jov took some great flash photos of us. There was also a memorable moment in the courtyard where Willow removed a sock and shoe and let her built-up sweat spill out the leg of her latex catsuit, splashing on the pavement. Saturday evening featured a visit to the party floor, as well, though my memory is hazy. I remember arriving at the Adventureruum balcony by way of the AwooCru party, getting to see Devin and Mojave, and admiring the decor and lighting.
 I enjoyed some Bro Time by the astroturf with Jovian after that, and then he saw me off to a fursuit photoshoot. An attempt had been made to have another Gorehund fursuiter shoot, but the planning was unsuccessful. Still, Krazed Hyena wanted to get some photos together. I met him, a MadeFurYou suiter, and a photographer named Fletcher, and we ventured outside the con center for both group and individual pictures. I parted ways with the group when they hit the nearby ice skating rink for fursuit pics (I’m not athletic enough for that!). I had my Mattel Meeko plush with me, who attracted several admirers as I fursuited my way from the streets of San Jose up to the inflatables panel. I don’t get to solo fursuit very often, and it was actually really fun to interact with strangers all by myself in suit.   I love Meeko!
 Saying goodbye to our super-room the next morning was painful. At least we once again had a whole bunch of friends on the same flight - although our gate, for some reason, was situated in the darkest depths of SJC this time. Back home, Mae picked Willow, Colfox and I up from the airport, and soon we were back to our normal lives. This con report alone can’t convey what a good time I had. I fursuited so much more than usual, enjoyed the company of so many friends and acquaintances, and fit so many different activities into the weekend. I left a little piece of my heart back in those two connected Hilton queen rooms… PS: Thanks to Jovian, Conrad, and Vec for some of the snapshots used on this page!
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