Kaien and Howlie

Well, it has been awhile since I have updated anything.  I apologize for that, but there have been a lot of big changes going on mainly centered around a new job and doing a lot of photography work.  I've also been drawn back into organizing events for a few local, automotive groups next year so I do have a lot on my plate.

What I wanted to share here though is some progress on my fursuits.  Yeah, plural, as in two, heh.  My first suit is being made by Syber at Made Fur You which should be done sometime in the month of December.  I'm very excited to see her take on my fursona.  In the interim, I met a wonderful wuffy named Kio.  We sparked it off since we both share an interest in cars to find out that he is a rather talented fursuit builder as well.  He was open for commissions so I had him make me a head.  What he turned out is amazing.  The quality and functionality are superb.  I'm eagerly awaiting my second slot to come up so he can finish the rest of the suit to accompany his head.

Visit Kio's FA here:  Kio Wolf on FA

Another big piece of news is my bf Howlie's new head was finished by Fursuiting.com, so now his fursuit is complete again.  We spent the holiday together and took some pictures together:

Kaien the Husky

Finally, some artwork of me!  I've wanted some artwork done for awhile, just never got around to talking to the right people.  ^^;  Albeit, I'm lagging on updates, these pieces are rather recent, showing the evolution of my fursona from when my friend Aetherfax first penned me with my mate.

The first drawing is from my friend Carissa, or Adorable Foxie.  She's a fursuit builder and artist, and quite talented at both.  I saw a similar drawing of another character which is absolutely adored.  I asked her if she could draw one of me in the same style.  When she finally showed me the finished piece, I was quite ecstatic.  Captures my mischievous, playful nature perfectly.  Although, I am probably just fixated on my wonderful mate just out of picture.  =P

Next up is another piece from my good friend Aetherfax.  I needed a character reference sheet so I could finally have my own fursuit commissioned.  I figured since Aeth was the first to ever pen me, he should be the one to create my reference sheet.  I am truly honored to be able to work with Aeth in such a way.  He basically takes my ideas and brings them to my character just how I envisioned them.  After a lot of back and forth, sharing ideas and viewing numerous sketches (Aeth, thanks so much for making any changes that I requested!), Aeth finally delivered to me a finished reference sheet, and I couldn't have been happier with the result.  Not only is it a great representation of my fursona, but captures all of my unique touches that I wanted to incorporate.  I then sent it off to a few builders and now have a commission for my fursuit on order, which will be completed in December (more on that when updates come from the builder).

 I am very pleased with both pieces.  If you wish to contact either artist, please visit these links:

Adorable Foxie 

Aetherfax on FA 

Chicago Fur Meet

Two weekends ago I made a much needed trip back to Chicago to visit family and friends.  It had been awhile since I had been back that way, and with my promise to do as much traveling as I could this summer, I took a little, 5-day trip down to the Windy-City.  There was a little twist to this trip however.

Remember my good friend in North Carolina, Foxglove?  Well, through him, I was introduced to a fellow husky named Razz, who interestingly enough, lives in Chicago.  Not only that, but the time of my visit was during his birthday.  So, aside from meeting a friend for the first time in real life, I get to celebrate his birthday with him as well!  These are the trips worth remembering.

Okay, so I didn't really get to celebrate his birthday ON his birthday.  His mate was taking him on their own little trip the weekend prior to my visit and were returning on the Thursday I was getting into town.  Razz's birthday fell on a Tuesday, July 13th.  I got to my family's house on the 15th.  I did get to spend a good amount of time with my family, especially with my cousins Jenni and Tom, and Jenni's son, Tanner.

Friday was the day that I met Razz.  I went to go visit him at his work.  It was quite the experience, butterflies in my stomach, the whole excitement of meeting someone whom you got to know online for the very first time.  I felt the same way with Foxglove, as well as when I met my boyfriend and mate for the first time in Arizona.  It was kind of funny, because he came to the door first.  We greeted each other like we had always known each other, but in reality, it was our first time meeting, ever.  I stayed for a bit and chatted, keeping out of the way so he wouldn't get in trouble.  Luckily, his boss and the other employees he works with are all really cool and didn't mind that he had a visitor.  After about an hour though, I left so I didn't over stay my visit at his work.  I was going to meet him and his mate later to hang out, which gave me the chance to pay a little visit to my friends at Sound Performance and see what I could buy for my IS300.  I caught them just as they were putting cars away for the day but Reid and the owner Larry stayed and we talked shop for a bit, coming up with a new setup for my IS300.  The guys at SP are very knowledgeable, and Larry is one of the best tuners in the Mid-West.  I highly recommend clicking the link provided and checking out what they have to offer.

Later that night, I met Razz and his mate, Gixxer at the Woodfield mall.  I took them out to dinner in celebration of Razz's birthday.  We went to the Rainforest Cafe, which I hadn't been to in years.  We all had a good meal and a fun time.  We went back to Gixxer's place, where we made plans for the festivities on Saturday.  See, the reason Razz wanted me to come was because there was a big fur meet that weekend and wanted me to come down and check it out with them.  The start of the meet was going to be in Waukegan, WI, for a softball game and picnic, followed by bowling that night back in Chicago.  So, it was going to be an early, and long day.  I went back to my family's house and stayed up way too late still, hehe.

After a nice 3 hour nap, I had to wake up to go meet Razz at Gixxer's place.  Gixxer unfortunately had to work, so he wouldn't be joining us till later.  We left my LS400 at his house and took Razz's car to pick up his friend Heath, and then we were off to the softball game.  I was excited and nervous because my last experience with a fur meet wasn't the greatest.  I wondered if I would get the same reaction, but who knew.  The park we arrived at was pretty nice, next to a man-made lake which also had a nice recreational and fitness center.  The lake could have come in handy because it was HOT.  Probably near 100* with humidity and no clouds and no wind.  This was going to be a workout. 

We got there kind of early, but after a little bit, the furs started arriving in full force.  It was shaping up to be big, but Razz informed me that this was the biggest game of the year, so the turnout was expected.  Razz did a great job introducing me to a lot of other furs, a few of which I talked to a little.  Everyone was very friendly.  I was surprised to see some people getting into suit despite the heat.  Of course the socializing paused for a bit once the games got underway.  Since I was the newcomer, I sat on the sidelines and cheered Razz on.  I suck at softball anyways, so I wouldn't have been much use.  At the end of the day, Razz's team lost one game and one the other.

After the games, we drove back to the city and picked up his mate from work, where we headed back to Gixxer's place to get ready for bowling that night.  We sat around and talked for a little bit before heading out to grab some food at the Steak N' Shake, then headed to bowling.  The group pretty much rented the place out, and we had it to ourselves, including the billiards room, so I was a very happy husky.  I started racking them up and playing whoever wanted to play.  It was a lot of fun.  After a little the suiters started coming out in full-force, including Razz, who came to shoot some pool, even beating me, in suit.  Impressive to say the least.  After a few games, I started floating around with the camera, that is until the music started.

Now, Razz has a funny way of making people do things they normally wouldn't do.  He also told me, one way to get people to come talk to you at a fur meet, is to do something out of the ordinary.  Once the music got going, some of the people and suiters started dancing.  I've told Razz, without a lot of detail, that I breakdance a little, dancing at car shows and other events.  Well, Razz put me on the spot and challenged me to a battle.  Needless to say, once I started breaking and spinning, others took notice, really getting into our friendly battle.  It was great, I was not embarrassed at all, and afterwords, people were coming up and talking to me, asking me about all sorts of things, especially my cars (thanks Gixxer!).  At the end of the night, I had an absolute BLAST!  I met a lot of people, took a ton of pics, and just had a great time really hanging out with other furs.  We ended the night with some shakes again at Steak N' Shake, and then I was back at the family's, getting ready to leave in the morning.

It was a great trip, and well worth the time and money.  I needed a great experience with a big fur group to really boost my confidence in the fandom, and I got it at that meet.  I really can't thank Razz enough for inviting me down to hang out and share that with me.  I hope to be back at more of them in the future.  It was also great to make another friend (or a lot), finally meeting Razz in person.  Just something about meeting people in person whom you normally associate with just online.

Anyways, onto the pictures.  I will have a link to the gallery to make it easier.  Enjoy

Razz and I

Gallery:  Photos by Kaien

PS117 Updates

It has been awhile since I've given a proper update on why things have slowed down a bit.  The most simple answer is; life got busy.  Family, work, cars, relationships, everything got hectic and I'm trying my best to hold everything together.

The IS finally has it's first serious break since getting built.  The head-gasket popped between cylinders 3 & 4.  Still ran fine, just down two cylinders.  So, it's been sitting in my garage as my friends and I have slowly torn into it on our free time.  We have almost everything off the head, sans the timing belt.  My friend Brando will come down to mock up a new intake manifold for it before we go any further with it.  The rebuild is shaping up to be quite good.  Complete head work, new springs and retainers, new valves, new cams, bigger injectors, new intake manifold, and if all goes well, a new turbo.  Should be quite the car come 2011.

I'm back on the Civic again too.  After sitting for months, deciding if I should sell or not, I changed directions AGAIN.  This time though,  I will stick to my guns.  I knew this project was going to take awhile anyways.  I've wanted to get back into drag racing, and while my IS300 is a great candidate, I've wanted to build a drag Honda for some time now.  Since my coupe is a stripped shell, I figure, what better place to start.  I finished prepping the bay for paint and did some work to the front-end to get it ready for a good-sized FMIC and some big tires.  I will be joining the ever increasing group of Civics running an Exospeed Racing front end for the car.  Check them out here:  Exospeed Racing.  Going to be a blast when it's done.

I also sold my truck, so with two cars just sitting in the garage all torn apart, I needed some form of transportation to get around.  Another project I have been wanting to build is something in the VIP area.  I also looked into getting back into VWs, but I guess I still have to wait on that.  Some searching turned up a great candidate in Chicago and I had the car delivered to MN.  It's a 2000 Lexus LS400.  Yes, another Lexus in the stable.  This car is very clean, sporting just 77,800 on the odometer when I took delivery.  Paint, body, and interior are all immaculate.  I've already "borrowed" the Enkeis off my IS300 to bolt on for the time being, and am getting my suspension sorted thanks to GPR Auto.  Keep your eyes peeled for updates.

Otherwise, life has been life, filled with ups and downs.  Right now, it seems more downs than ups, but I just keep trudging along.  I'm still working hard to keep a relationship afloat and have some great friends to thank for being there when I needed the moral support to keep my head straight.  Working on some cool projects with my media-marketing company, so that helps take my mind off of things. 

On the furry side of things, I am finally having a suit made, which I am excited about.  First though, I needed a good reference sheet.  I got a hold of Aetherfax again, who drew the commission I had done for Dracul and I, to pretty much bring my character to life.  What he has shown me so far is great.  I can't wait for the final piece.  When it's all done, I will have a stand-alone feature showing the step-by-step process of my reference sheet.  Thanks again Aeth !

Southern Hospitality: North Carolina Trip

So, I am writing this from my friend's house in Cary, NC.  Why am I in Cary, NC?  Why not?  Since I am finally done with school, I want to do some traveling.  I was having a conversation with my friend Foxglove where he stated he would be home alone for a week and I playfully replied, "I should come and keep you company."  Well, here I am!  Kind of a spur of the moment decision (finding last minute flights was fun!), but I was planning (and still am) to come and visit in June.

A little back-story then on how Foxglove and I first met.  You know, you meet some of your best friends in the strangest of ways, but this one is quite the interesting (at least to me) story.  You see, I never expected to meet many furs being active on car forums.  It just goes to show that everyone has their interests.

I post over on a large IS community board and posted up some new pictures of my car.  I have Fur Affinity tagged on my hood, and while no one took notice, one person did.  I received a message from Foxglove asking about that tag, and I was really quite surprised.  well, after a few messages, we're talking online, and before we knew it, I'm on a plane heading for North Carolina.  Yeah, not as fancy as you would think, but hey, I thought it was pretty darn cool!

I arrived yesterday and he picked me up from the airport.  I had never been to the Carolinas, or this part of the country before, so I was looking a bit curious.  First impressions?  I like it!  Reminds me a lot of Minnesota, but a lot warmer, haha.  Really, the scenery is not so different.  One thing he heard me comment on a lot was the style of the houses.  They are very...southern!  Sorry for the lack of a better description.  I like seeing how housing design changes in different parts of the country, but something about these houses, I just really like.  He showed me around Cary, taking me to some cool car dealerships.  Also checked out downtown Raleigh which was really cool.  Minneapolis and St. Paul are very old, so it was quite exhilarating to see a "new" downtown.  I will bring the camera and tripod next time out!

Today, when he gets home from work, we are planning to visit a good friend of his with some cool toys, including a st165 rally car.  Apparently, I will be given a ride against my will, haha.  I love rallying, but you could not get me into one of those cars to go ripping down a tree-lined trail.  Expect pictures and most likely a video of this husky screaming for dear life.  Oh, and we're going to go to dinner at a place called Bojangles!  Seriously, BOJANGLES!  Yes, I like the name.

No pictures to add right now, I didn't bring the camera with last night.  It's going to be a fun trip and the second round in June will be equally as good.  I like it here, and with a good friend like Foxglove to hang out with, I don't need much to come and visit...although he pesters about me bringing my IS300.  I should though.  Two friends, two of the same car, and a passion for two unique lifestyles.

The picture that sparked a friendship

Local Artist: Ratte

So, we're going to change gears for a minute here.  Car stuff is all fine and dandy, but I'm not so one-dimensional.  I appreciate art, whether traditional or digital, art has always been an interest of mine.  Of course, my own talents are lacking, but that hasn't stopped me from meeting some rather accomplished artists.

One aspect of the fur community that I love is the amount of art that is produced based on the fandom.  I have always liked anthro art, attempting to sketch and draw from time to time.  I say attempt because, well, let's face it, I do not have the talent for it.  However, I have met a few friends that do.

A rather local artist, Ratte, is somewhat of a celebrity over on Fur Affinity.  I chanced a message that eventually led to conversation.  I am quite glad I did.  Not only is she a very good artist, but a rather kind person.  I continually browse her gallery over at FA, impressed at every piece that I see.  Even the sketches, I am amazed at the detail and realism.

However, in one of our recent conversations, she hinted at a new piece she was working on, which she was incorporating some new technique.  Needless to say, I was curious as to what would result, but I knew it would be good.  When she finally showed me the finished piece, I was blown away!  The realism and attention to detail is amazing in the piece.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  If you want to see more of Ratte's work, visit her FA page and gallery here:  Ratte's Fur Affinity Page