As previously mentioned, I have a strange talent for being able to draw a crowd when I speak. I put that to good use one day in front of Gene's Books.

People wonder if the stories I tell are true. I always answer, "They've got to be. I couldn't make this shit up!" I often have witnesses to back me up, and once in a great while I also have photographic evidence, such as can be found in the story of Sam and the Whale.

Despite the lessons learned in the previous story, I still found myself one day about to eat a dead sea mammal.

I had the tremendous pleasure of meeting Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon in 1993. They became such terrific friends! The odd part is that I had no idea that Larry already knew more about me than a lot of people did. It all became clear on The Day I Met Larry.

Uncle Kage did not show up at Mephit Furmeet in 2001. But a mysterious individual was seen lurking amongst the crowd. Who could it have been? Why, The Unknown Furry, of course!

I had the honor of meeting Dan and Josie DeCarlo when they were my guests at Anthrocon in 2001. Dan was the creator of Josie and the Pussycats, and his wife was, of course, the model and namesake. I received the news on December 19, 2001 that Dan had passed away. Here is a brief rememberance.

Eurofurence, the European furry gathering, invited me to be guest of honor at Eurofurence 8. I had such an unbelievably good time I just had to tell the story here.

My company asked me to evaluate some contract laboratories, since we had some extra work that we wanted to outsource. Naturally, I decided that the most likely laboratories were located overseas, and it would be difficult for me to evaluate them without actually going to see them. Hence, I was able to bring back a gigantic stack of photographs from my odyssey of nine days in Britain.

Ten years in the making! Eurofurence once again invited me back to be a guest this year, along with guest of honor Timothy Albee. Damn, those folks know how to put on a good show! Read why I have to admit that Eurofurence is the best convention in the world.

In September of 2004 I was obliged to visit a laboratory in Budapest, Hungary, for the purpose of evaluating their capabilities. Naturally I had to take along my camera, if only to prove to the company that I had actually made the trip. But Hungary? I do not speak the language and had no idea how to get around. On a whim, I tried typing http://www.furry.hu in to my browser to see if maybe there was a Hungarian Furry community. Lo and behold, there is! I got in touch with Ralesk, who served as my guide and companion for what turned out to be a delightful trip to a very charming city. Click here for the Photographic Journal of an American Scientist in Budapest.

On December 1, 2004, the announcement was made that the Adams Mark Hotel in Philadelphia, where Anthrocon had grown up, was to be demolished. It broke my heart, not just because I had so many happy memories, but because I had a contract for July of 2005 that had just been rendered worthless! As the place was being gutted I had a chance to get just a few more melancholy photographs.

NEW! * My 2005 visit to Germany and my fourth ever visit to Eurofurence! Every year they just get better and better. This year they held the convention in a castle (read, "HOLY CRAP! A CASTLE!!") in Nuremberg (or more properly, Nürnberg), Germany. I got far more pictures of the surroundings than I did of the convention. You can see the pictures here, and read the story of how I wound up talking with two friendly German police officers in the middle of the night.

NEW! * After a few years absence, I once again was able to return to FERAL! as a guest. It is quite a unique experience: a furry convention in the Canadian wilderness! This time I brought my camera, and made a nice pictorial con report.