Conventions, Work, Life
Oh look, a LiveJournal update!
[For reference, the best place to find regular updates from me is currently on Twitter as MwakoLion]
Conventions:
This year was a pretty major slow down for me on the convention front. I attended Furry Fiesta, Furry Weekend Atlanta, Megaplex and Midwest FurFest. Out of those, I was only on staff at MFF, but earlier in the year had reduced my involvement a bit. Part of this was due to wanting to save money, part of it was due to uncertainty at work [more on that later.] The biggest news, I think, is that I am not on Staff for any conventions next year.
For those that did not know, I was on the Board of Directors for MFF, but chose not to run for re-election at the Annual Meeting during the convention this year. I served one two-year term, during which time I learned a lot, both about convention management and about myself. Unfortunately, I can not commit to any obligations for 2014 and beyond, and it would not be fair to the Board or to the convention to continue my involved on the Board.
I have also chosen to step down from staff at MFF for much the same reason. I learned a lot since I joined staff in 2008 and am incredibly grateful to the people that have helped and supported me during my time with the convention. I can't go without specifically thanking Duncan and Takaza, who acted as my mentors during that time.
Work:
For a recap for those just joining: My facility will be shutting down in Mid-2014
Things have not changed much at this point, except that the tension at work has increased significantly. The temporary (i.e. until closing) manager seems to have no clue what he's doing and has made some monumentally stupid assumptions and decisions. That led to a significant amount of overtime during September and October that was mostly unneeded (there would have been some, but at least it wasn't all his fault.) In general, work is work and proceeds much as it has for the last 11 years.
After the first of the year I will be looking to snag a transfer, but there are no guarantees about when it will happen or where I'll end up. My first priority is to find a job that I can do well at and won't hate. My second priority is to escape Kansas for a better location.
Life:
My overall health is good, though I have a not insignificant issue with my right heel. There is a small bone chip that is positioned under the Achilles tendon. It causes inflammation when it become irritated, which can be quite painful. I am on medication and still recovering from a flare-up at the beginning of November. Between medication and some targeted stretching exercises, the situation is slowly improving.
The main issue, though, is my weight, which I'll be working on this month. Unfortunately it's hard for me to get much exercise with my heel still not fully recovered. I'll be trying to shift my diet and hopefully drop 5-10 pounds by the end of the year. Yay.
Mwako
[For reference, the best place to find regular updates from me is currently on Twitter as MwakoLion]
Conventions:
This year was a pretty major slow down for me on the convention front. I attended Furry Fiesta, Furry Weekend Atlanta, Megaplex and Midwest FurFest. Out of those, I was only on staff at MFF, but earlier in the year had reduced my involvement a bit. Part of this was due to wanting to save money, part of it was due to uncertainty at work [more on that later.] The biggest news, I think, is that I am not on Staff for any conventions next year.
For those that did not know, I was on the Board of Directors for MFF, but chose not to run for re-election at the Annual Meeting during the convention this year. I served one two-year term, during which time I learned a lot, both about convention management and about myself. Unfortunately, I can not commit to any obligations for 2014 and beyond, and it would not be fair to the Board or to the convention to continue my involved on the Board.
I have also chosen to step down from staff at MFF for much the same reason. I learned a lot since I joined staff in 2008 and am incredibly grateful to the people that have helped and supported me during my time with the convention. I can't go without specifically thanking Duncan and Takaza, who acted as my mentors during that time.
Work:
For a recap for those just joining: My facility will be shutting down in Mid-2014
Things have not changed much at this point, except that the tension at work has increased significantly. The temporary (i.e. until closing) manager seems to have no clue what he's doing and has made some monumentally stupid assumptions and decisions. That led to a significant amount of overtime during September and October that was mostly unneeded (there would have been some, but at least it wasn't all his fault.) In general, work is work and proceeds much as it has for the last 11 years.
After the first of the year I will be looking to snag a transfer, but there are no guarantees about when it will happen or where I'll end up. My first priority is to find a job that I can do well at and won't hate. My second priority is to escape Kansas for a better location.
Life:
My overall health is good, though I have a not insignificant issue with my right heel. There is a small bone chip that is positioned under the Achilles tendon. It causes inflammation when it become irritated, which can be quite painful. I am on medication and still recovering from a flare-up at the beginning of November. Between medication and some targeted stretching exercises, the situation is slowly improving.
The main issue, though, is my weight, which I'll be working on this month. Unfortunately it's hard for me to get much exercise with my heel still not fully recovered. I'll be trying to shift my diet and hopefully drop 5-10 pounds by the end of the year. Yay.
Mwako