Apropos of nothing, I suddenly created a new epithet to express shock or disgust, to wit:

"By the Prophetess' braided pubic hair!"

or

"By the Prophetess' fragrant nether regions!"


Yeah, I have a lot of fun going on in my head, and what of it? Anyway, my character generator kicked in, and I'm thinking that she's a giraffe - tall, with a willowy build. Her headfur is black, straight, and extends all the way down to the black tuft of fur on the tip of her tail. Her pubes hang to her knee in two braids decorated with gold and glass beads, and she's notable for not having any offensive odors about her no matter what - very much an odor of sanctity.

She generally goes about naked except for bangles and amulets around her wrists, ankles and neck. She's also blind in both eyes, but doesn't need them.


I might see about getting someone to draw her sometime.

Hats tipped to  slickpuppy for posting this on his page earlier. It's a movie, it's hilariously surreal, and it features - well, look at the title!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guE0Qd8BRw0

Roberta Flack, R&B and soul artist, passed away three days ago at age 88.

Gene Hackman, actor, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home yesterday. He was 95, she was 63.

Rest in peace.

(Greenslade): "The war entered its fourth year."
(Eccles): "Happy Birthday to you . . . "
(Seagoon): "Shut up, Eccles!"
(Eccles): "Shut up, Eccles!"


Yes, three years ago today, just a few days after unilaterally declaring two eastern Ukrainian provinces independent republics, Russian Federation President V.V. Putin ordered his armies to invade Ukraine. It wasn't a 'special military operation,' unless you count ethnic cleansing and massacres of civilians 'special.'


In the latest assessment of the war by ISW, one of The Homunculus' 'special' envoys indicates that the US will be using as a "guidepost" in its negotiations a draft treaty formed in Istanbul (not Constantinople) back in 2022 that essentially amounts to Ukraine's complete capitulation to become a vassal state of Russia. Here's the link: https://understandingwar.org/backgr.....bruary-23-2025


Of course, Ukraine will continue to fight on. Slava Ukraini! Geroyam Slava!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqNIZnKmC6w

State of play, February 2025:

1. Kiss Me in the Dark: A Quiet Life. -- ongoing

2. Sky Above, Sea Below. -- ongoing

3. Lemon Curry? -- in production

https://www.wdtv.com/2025/02/13/wil.....s&tbref=hp

But, chocolate cake . . . I really can't blame the little greedyguts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5VRX6cbdH4

". . . And virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJG4DhJDVQk

I has returned from this morning's activities, and I shall Tell All. I covered about two miles walking about downtown visiting the two open-air markets that had been set up (one at the central park, the other several blocks south). Having seen what there was to be seen, I paused at the public library to see what new tomes were on offer before departing for the BBQ festival.

The festival's in aid of the county Humane Society and an advocacy group for girls and young women. Parking was free, admission cost $20, and you had to buy 'bark bucks,' or tokens, in order to buy food or drink. It was somewhere between 10:30 and 11 AM, after my first full circuit of the grounds, so I felt rather peckish.

First up was gator sausage, smoked, cut up and served with a fork and the option of adding some sauce to it. It was very tasty; gator is fairly bland, hence the old canard that it "tastes just like chicken," but the spices weren't overpowering. Very tasty, and I consumed it with a chilled bottle of water.

Another circuit of the grounds, and I decided upon a can of Sprite and some corn. The whole ear had been steaming, and was shucked right in front of me. The husk was used as a handle, the silk was removed, and the ear was soaked in butter before serving. I ate it with salt and pepper, and it were yummy.

While I was eating, the band on the stage had finished tuning up and I stood, faced the flag and stood, hat off and hand on heart, as one person belted out what might have been a C&W vocal cover of Jimi Hendrix's cover of the National Anthem. People applauded, but I put my hat back on, finished my vegetable course, and went for more walkies.

As I started walking, what I can only describe as a ZZ Top-esque cover of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues was performed, which I will leave to your imaginations what it sounded like. After purchasing some soft-serve ice cream in a waffle cone, I shook the dust of the place from my shoes and took myself off home after having walked a total of three miles.

It's their year, after all.

I would also add that it's Wood Snake, but you can't get the wood, you know.

 eocostello I just thought of a name for another one of your bands. "Projectile Vomit."

 walt46 I like it. Country-Western / Zydeco fusion. Their female vocalist sings her signature ballad "Your Love Ran Down My Leg (and Now You're Gone)."

 eocostello Smash hit.

 walt46 A sextet of mouth harps to mimic bedsprings in a cheap hotel. And a washboard and squeezebox accordion for the full zydeco add-in.

 eocostello A cheap hotel with lots of bedbugs.

 walt46
"In a cheap hotel with lots of bedbugs
With cigarette burns on all the rugs
You and I made love, without no hugs
Oh,
Your love ran down my leg, and now you're gone
You stuck me with the bill, and now you're gone
Now I'm stuck in Alabama
And I'm not with the programma
Your love ran down my leg, and now you're gone"



(Joel) What do you think, Sirs?

There's SPORT!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL2KMMaGwQ8

Somewhere in the back of my head, they gathered at my summons. Sheep, horses, deer, a donkey and a llama, all of them characters of mine.

Once everyone was seated comfortably (the Drama Llama had brought her fainting couch, as usual), I said, "Today is the first day of International Hoof Care Week, ladies and gentlemen." I gestured, and the defined space materialized. "Form an orderly line."

"But I take good care of my hooves!" Electra protested. A few more nodded, while the Drama Llama sniffed a restorative.

"And I do not care," I said. "So go see the farrier and have him take a look to make sure it's being done right - and that goes for YOU, too," I snarled at the Drama Llama, who promptly faked a faint worthy of a Premier League footballer.

With some muttering, all of my hoofed characters lined up, and I kept an eye on them to make sure they didn't skive off.

Yes, it's a comic convention, not furry, but there were fursuiters there as you can see from my Scraps folder, so there nyah.

As is my wont when I attend a con, I look for writing panels and make certain that I attend those, so we'll start with Friday, yay!

Friday: Attendance was a little down, even for a Friday, as the con had planned around the schools giving a half-day because of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, but the school boards made it a full day after Hurricane Milton and all that, so no schmutter. The first panel I attended was a sparsely-attended Q+A with actor Michael Yurchak. Yurchak acted in the movies Beerfest and Super Troopers 2, and does voiceover work on Naruto as Tobi. He answered questions put to him by the moderator, and choked up when talking about the fires in the Pasadena area as he lives there.
The first writing panel was on indie publishing, and consisted of Bohdan Neswiacheny (comic author), Heidi Hess (paranormal horror author), and Martin Pierro (comics publisher). They imparted that it's never easy to self-publish, despite what Amazon might tell you, publishers like Wellspring and Comic Impressions are good choices to publish comics.
The second writing panel was on world building, offered by author Megan O'Russell. She has 32 novels spread over 9 series, so she does have some grasp of the subject. She discussed what she called "sexy world building," basically an inside-out approach that begins with certain foundational points such as agriculture, literacy, population limiters and attitude toward birth control, religion, and the need to construct a consistent magic system if you're writing fantasy. Very informative, and I took notes.

Saturday: I had to blow off the panel on writing fantasy fiction & graphic novels (let's face it, if you've read a tithe of my material here on FA you might think I know what I'm doing) because I was 10th in line to get Erica Lindbeck's autograph. She's the voice actor who does Loona on Helluva Boss, and she and Brandon Rogers were there at the con. I plan on framing it.
The writing panel I did attend was a character development panel. Sure, it was oriented toward Dungeons and Dragons, but I do have a roleplaying game subplot running for my Meredith and Varan story, so you might see something derived from the info I took notes on.
(evil grin)

Sunday: There was only one writing panel, and little else I wanted to see, so after taking a few more pics I sat in on a panel titled "Surviving the Writing World." There were five authors up on the dais: Steve Altier (young adult/ghost stories/mystery), Maria De Vivo (dark fantasy), her 10-year-old daughter Morgan (science fiction/fantasy), Gabrielle Snyder (cyberpunk), and Jackie Sonnenberg (horror/science fiction/fantasy). They discussed the pros and cons of self publishing, indie publishing, and traditional publishing, and all five agreed that vanity publishers are scamming little shits who should be avoided at all costs.

All in all, it was a fun convention, and I had a good time.

Back on on January 7, we lost folk singer Peter Yarrow. He was eighty-six.

Today, baseball player and radio commentator Bob Uecker passed away. He was ninety.

And also today, film maker David Lynch died today. He was seventy-eight.

As is my wont, I was in an online chat with a few of The Usual Suspects when  eocostello suddenly remarks about Something Interesting he spotted on the Mephit Fur Meet Faceborg page.

To wit, the con has changed hotels.

I went to the con site and found this under the News tab:

We have exciting news!

Starting in 2025 Mephit Fur Meet will welcome everyone home in our new home, The Vitality Hotel in Memphis, TN! That’s right, we’re going back to Memphis!

MFM continues to have a really good relationship with the Whispering Woods Hotel, our previous home since 2010. The Whispering Woods has entered an agreement with a company to rent out the entire hotel, so they informed us that, regretfully, we had to find a new home for 2025 and beyond. MFM wishes them well in their future endeavors!

Our wonderful new home will be The Vitality Hotel. It has two pools, a hot tub, lots of conference space, and best of all, all of the convention space is on one floor! They reached out to us when they learned of our situation, and are very excited to open their doors to our big furry family reunion for many years ahead! The are a brand new hotel opening only a few months ago.

Sprinkle me with brown sugar and call me for breakfast.

The place has a few things going for it; i.e., it's fairly new and has 300 rooms.

However (there's always a however, isn't there?) it's close to the Memphis Airport, and at least two people recalled the rash of car thefts and vandalism when MFM was at the Holiday Inn across from the airport. It was a major reason the con moved to Olive Branch, MS to the Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center starting in 2010.

I called Vitality Hotel about that concern, and their parking lot is fenced (you can see it in Google Maps, too) and patrolled by private security.

I've reserved a room at the place, so I shall see how things go. Hopefully there will be no bedbugs* and I won't be forced to dry out my commissioned art after the con.**

*MFM 2021. I had to throw out my luggage after doing an Exterminatus Protocol.
**MFM 2024. The air blowing from the HVAC system was damp.

May your good outweigh your bad.

And now, the Old Traditional, performed by Guy Lumbago and His All-Rheumatic Orchestra:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik7ktS3PqEs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZFTUtbn1RU

James Earl Carter, Jr. 1924-2024.

Lieutenant, United States Navy
Governor of Georgia
39th President of the United States
Nobel Peace Prize winner, 2002
Founder, Carter Center

"My life, when it is written, will read better than it lived."

And now, a Deep 13 holiday presentation, Pia Zadora in Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

Shield your eyes, Frank.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgcclbBmdEY

Well, it IS December 24th, yes?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL0lPcNwRqQ

Beatnik poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919-2021), reciting his Christmas poem (copyright 1958):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz78npvSZvo

In case you want to follow along:

Christ climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
there were no rootless Christmas trees
hung with candycanes and breakable stars

Christ climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
there were no gilded Christmas trees
and no tinsel Christmas trees
and no tinfoil Christmas trees
and no pink plastic Christmas trees
and no gold Christmas trees
and no black Christmas trees
and no powderblue Christmas trees
hung with electric candles
and encircled by tin electric trains
and clever cornball relatives

Christ climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
no intrepid Bible salesmen
covered the territory
in two-tone cadillacs
and where no Sears Roebuck creches
complete with plastic babe in manger
arrived by parcel post
the babe by special delivery
and where no televised Wise Men
praised the Lord Calvert Whiskey

Christ climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
no fat handshaking stranger
in a red flannel suit
and a fake white beard
went around passing himself off
as some sort of North Pole saint
crossing the desert to Bethlehem
Pennsylvania
in a Volkswagen sled
drawn by rollicking Adirondack reindeer
and German names
and bearing sacks of Humble Gifts
from Saks Fifth Avenue
for everybody’s imagined Christ child

Christ climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
no Bing Crosby carollers
groaned of a tight Christmas
and where no Radio City angels
iceskated wingless
thru a winter wonderland
into a jinglebell heaven
daily at 8:30
with Midnight Mass matinees

Christ climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and softly stole away into
some anonymous Mary’s womb again
where in the darkest night
of everybody’s anonymous soul
He awaits again
an unimaginable
and impossibly
Immaculate Reconception
the very craziest of
Second Comings

(sings unnecessarily, to the tune of It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6anjIP0X3M )

"It hangs down from our chandelier
We don't know what it does
It drips with goo and stringy stuff
And lets out a high-sounding buzz
It grows a couple of feet each day
And moves with kind of a twitch
We keep it 'cause it's a present from
A visiting uncle who's rich."

-- MAD Magazine, ca. 1970s

Just read a journal by  wolfkidd that Richard Bartrop  rjbartrop, one of the original furries, passed away last night.

Rest in peace.

The United States Geological Survey has reported a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in the Pacific Ocean just off shore of Humboldt County, CA. Tsunami warnings have been issued.

West Coast Furries, head inland for higher ground in you're able until the danger is past. No one's paying you enough to be Superman.

EDIT: National Weather Service has lifted the tsunami warnings. Phew.