Anthrocon report, Cliff's Notes

[kajarainbow]

Wandered around going "Whee! This is a furry con! Whee! I'm here! Whee! Fursuiters!". Browsed the dealers and artist's alley (rather cramped together, that last one), bought some stuff, complimented some artists. Ate with a bunch of people I had known only via the Internet previously, did some back-and-forth chat-writing on notepads.

I'll have to see if next time I can bring something more sophisticated and easy to use (type directly on or the like). This is also a big reason why I'd consider a cochlear implant, really. More non-signing people I actually want to talk with than signing people. It's not like I have much if any vestiges of deaf culture left in me to worry about. ;) An option I really should seriously explore, the implant, though it'd still take me a fair while to acquire the language afterward.

Not much to say about my con experience. It was pretty exciting to a newcomer, probably not as exciting as it would've been to a newcomer. Tragically, I didn't get to do anything scandalous. ;)

Lessons learned:
Bring cellular phone to con and keep it charged. Make sure everyone has your number for SMS text messaging purposes and you have everyone's numbers.
Maybe make more plans to do stuff with people, maybe not. shatterstripes told me one tends to end up feeling out of touch on things unless one sticks to ones own "social clique" most of the time, and I sort of pulled a loner act some of the time. At any rate, it sounds like I missed a cool party at cargoweasel's Capsule, whatever that was.
Generally prepare more, but I was doing crazy moving stuff.
Maybe try and push for more social interaction in general. Openness to meeting new people not necessarily needed but fun? I met... a couple, not many, mostly I ignored the people I didn't already know from online.
Search my con bag more thoroughly for the program book. I completely missed it in among all the papers and the big con booklet and such until... Sunday. Sunday was when I found it.
Make sure I have food on hand or a route to food in case I don't end up on a meal run. Which I did most of the time.

Impressions overall of con:
Growing pains but reasonably fun. Future cons I'll probably mill around less aimlessly.

Comments

[glashund.livejournal.com]

I had to do a search on "cochlear implant" when I read this post, and...wow. Color me gobsmacked; I had no idea such technology even existed!

[kajarainbow.livejournal.com]

Yep, it does. ;) Mind, its results has limits--but I appear to be the category of deafness it works best on. Will have to get evaluation for that, though.

Also, I've expanded upon my post since you commented. Was in a bit of a mad editing-flurry there.

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

Capsule was Cargo doing a set of chill/dark techno music in a somewhat dark room. With inflatable chairs. I'm not sure it would've been a very welcoming environment for you, given that you need good lighting to communicate. The music was loud enough that you might've felt some of it...

[bossgoji.livejournal.com]

You were at Capsule. The inflato-chairs, remember?

[kajarainbow.livejournal.com]

Oh! So that's what it was!

[kajarainbow.livejournal.com]

It was a pleasant enough environment to relax in for a while, even if I eventually got bored of it (because it just wasn't really a place for deaf people). I did feel the vibrations.

[alfador-fox.livejournal.com]

Get a DS for Pictochat! And when you're not using it to talk, you can use it for...games!

Sorry, I've just recently acquired a Nintendo DS Lite, and I'm still swimming in the rockage. ^^;

[kajarainbow.livejournal.com]

You aren't the first to suggest that to me. ;)