I was going to rant about this in Twitter, but there is no way I can fully get my point across in short 140 character bursts... and I think there are enough basketball fans here to give me some feedback. (or at least 1 or 2 that don't comment on my FA)

But my current thoughts are this....

The Memphis Grizzlies Management is probably the dumbest, most incompetent bunch collection of know-nothing "basketball experts" in the whole league by far.

"Oh wow" I can hear you say. "You just now figured that out? And all on your own? I'm so PROUD of you!" [enter John Stoat reference here]

Yes I know, it's not like I just woke up today and had a basketball epiphany. The Grizzlies have never really competed at all, and they have a laundry list of bad decisions (Pau Gasol to Lakers, getting Kwame Brown, Mike Conley, Hasheem Thabeet (the next Darko), no chemistry in lineup, etc). Of course I'm leaving out a particular experience gone wrong, but not because it was a horrible decision. Just the way the management handled it was simply idiotic. (more on that later)

And as if it couldn't get any worse, now the Grizzlies are rumored to be interested in signing Jamaal Tinsley.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/new.....guard-jamaal-/

What... the... FUCK?!

Ok, it's not bad enough that you thought Mike Conley was OBVIOUSLY the next John Stockton if you gave him a little more time, therefore a 10 time all star with a career average of 27 points/game couldn't start over him, but now you're going to instead go with a guy who hasn't played ball in 2 years and who was arrested 3 times in 14 months and told to stay away from his team?! Are you on Crack?!

Scroll down the comments in that article about Mike Conley. Every Memphis fan knows he sucks. Iverson actually averaged nearly as many assists as he did per minute, and HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A BALL HOG, whereas Conley is the starting PG! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Iverson deserves to start over THAT!

Yes, admittedly, Iverson is being childish in the matter, he has a huge ego and can't accept a role, blah blah blah. But seriously, would YOU want to back up MIKE CONLEY if you were 2 years removed from averaging 26.4 ppg and 7.1 assists?

http://www.basketball-reference.com.....iversal01.html

7.1 ASSISTS!!! Conley averages 5.3 assists, but he's starting because AI is a me first player who never distributes the ball. Carmelo Anthony didn't seem to have a problem with him in Denver (he averaged 25.7 ppg). The only reason Iverson underperformed in Detroit was they had Richard Hamilton at the SG and the idiot coach Curry refused to start AI over Rodney Stuckey, so his minutes and production dipped. But he still managed to average 17.4 ppg and 4.9 apg. And he CAN STILL BALL if given a chance!

And now they've pissed him off, slapped him in the face, and are now about to sign a criminal to the team to take his place... and watch, I bet he STARTS eventually. The fact that the Griz staff would rather start Conley AND Tinsley over AI, even when AI was being nice about it all and not giving them a reason to bench him out of spite, is just...

Can I apply for a management position in Grizzlies-land? I run a pretty decent fantasy team and I'm not a complete idiot! :D

This is why the Griz will never compete until they fire the entire team and start over. Get a decent coach who starts your best players, try to actually WIN games. The young players can't develop unless you actually try to WIN!

Only thing I can blame Iverson for is how he's handling it so far, and the sudden "leave of absence" he took before even giving this a chance to work out. But perhaps he can see that the management and coach isn't about to suddenly see the light and learn how to run a basketball team and is jumping ship before his image is soiled any further. I can totally understand why this man is pissed, and it's a shame to see one of the NBA's most exciting players of the past 13 years treated this way.

Oh, and the whole 'veteran mentor' thing for the youngins? Have fun with Zach Randolph and Jamaal Tinsley serving that role. Iverson wasn't a great candidate for that position either. He might have been a good candidate for All-Star caliber scorer and for giving those poor, dejected Grizzlies fans something to look forward to... but not a mentor. Go sign Lindsay Hunter for that role.

http://www.theonion.com/content/new.....zlies_continue

Sad part is... this actually seems true.

I was starting to see myself cheering for this lowly squad and hoping for good luck for them in the future, but that seems about as logical as hoping for the sky to turn green.

First of all, I just want to say thank you to everyone who left a message of condolence or well wishes on my last post, be it LJ, FA or Twitter. The outpouring of support really lifted my spirits and made me feel loved. Thank you all. :')

Sorry for being so distant from the internet lately. I seem to be distant from a lot of things at the moment. Kinda stuck in my own little world with my mate paradiseforlorn and no one else lately. My apologies for not keeping you guys up to date on my situation. Just haven't felt like computerin' really.

That's not to say that I'm wallowing around in sadness and hopelessness either, because I'm not. I guess I've just been... doing many mundane things like dealing with the unemployment place, random shopping, running errands, looking for jobs, and also doing some nice things I haven't done in a long time, like relax and play video games with my mate, play with the cat, play guitar, watch television/movies and snuggle... things I never have time for. It's been sorta nice. In a way, I guess I needed the break.

The relaxing part probably isn't going to last all that long though. It's now been exactly one week since being laid off, and I need to get to finishing up these commissions, as well as dive deeper into my job search. I've made a little bit of progress on both.

Speaking of job search, I believe I have a pretty solid idea of what I plan to do with myself post-job... those changes that I talked about in my last (admittedly emo) post... They're still coming, but I'm hoping for enough time to actually plan for them to come instead of just floating helplessly down the raging current, trying to stay afloat.

The biggest change is where I'll be living. Kat and I talked about it in depth, and my first choice, and frontrunner for now is to move to Los Angeles, CA (more specifically, Culver City, a sort of "suburban burrough" of LA, if you will).

This is a big BIG change, for both me and her. But there are many reasons that I want to move there.

One is there are tons of opportunities for employment for people of my career choice and skillset. LA is a very creative, artistic place, and even though some may argue the market isn't all that hot right now, it can't be denied that it is still one of the meccas of artistic employment in the country. And with these opportunities come the chance to make something of myself. The chance to get out there and land something that will garner some attention on my resume, gain myself some experience working for a hopefully accredited company, and theoretically begin my climb up the artistic ladder. I am not going to achieve my potential sitting around in low-stress, low-profile jobs in small markets with no room to grow in the company and nearly no other similar jobs in the area. As I said before, my most recent job was a good starter job and a means to an end, but the "end" is coming sooner than I expected. Really, I was planning on moving to a bigger market all along. I'm just being forced to act a bit sooner than I wanted to.

Two, I already have friends there. My old roommates/bandmates/friends from Savannah/college set up shop there right about the time I left for Hilton Head. The reason I didn't go with them? I had a job lined up and they didn't. Now 2 of the 3 have jobs and the other one is working for himself at the moment, while I sit unemployed. And I've been considering going over there for a long time because I want to continue our band pretty badly, and I think that if I didn't do that while I'm young and still able to, I would come to regret it. Music is still a passion for me, and I don't want to leave it at the wayside so early. So that's part of the reason for that particular location that I want to move to. The other part is I will have somebody there who can help smooth the transition from no job to job. Staying there rent free until I get a job would be a great help, especially with rent as expensive as it is over there.

Now I'd love to have enough money to get out there right away, but unfortunately, that isn't going to happen most likely. Reason 1: We don't have the funds. I will probably need a loan to fund the move, and also to hold us over until I start making an income again. I'm not sure if I can get a loan right now until I pay off some of my credit card debt. I'll have to check into that.

Reason 2: Kat JUST got a job. Literally like 3 days after I got laid off. It would have been great to have a little bit of time where we were both earning income, but that wasn't meant to be. I'd like to give her some time to at least work there for a bit and earn some money, specifically to pay off her fursuit. Of course, she could do that and quit after Christmas because more workers are required for the holidays and it would be a good time if she had to move. But that's not really the reason why we can't leave yet. The big reason is...

The lease isn't up until May/June, and it costs a full month's rent to break the lease. That's $775. As if paying rent itself wasn't going to be hard enough, now we have to pay it two times over just to leave?!

So basically, my plan now is to get a job here, temporarily, so I can earn some money between now and the end of my lease, then when the lease is up, Kat and I move to California. That will give her some time to earn some money, me some time to plan, and possibly time for me to save up some more money as well to aid us on the trip. Though on the job front, I'll have to aim high, since my unemployment checks aren't taxed and they are right now half of what I used to make per week at my old job (which wasn't too bad paywise) making any low end job or any job that I'm qualified for that is NOT an art/marketing job not worth it, since I would make more being unemployed.

And in the meantime, I have more time to finish commissions, work on other things, enjoy some other hobbies and off time, and plan... scheme and plan... because that's what tiggies do. ;)


Oh, and I updated my comic, but not really. It's a sketch I did on the car ride back from FurFright, one which turned out pretty nice (I couldn't work on commissions because I didn't have any reference material). I guess I should have updated with pictures that I drew for the FBA Draft (hosted by buckhopper and Rookie Report, since that's what I spent the last month or so working on (overachieving, yes, but it did have a time limit). Maybe I'll save that for the next update. Speaking of which, I should have a proper filler for the next update. One of the comic/funny/ha-ha variety. Since it's for a COMIC I figured it would be appropriate.

So that's the plan. I'll keep you updated (roughly) as things progress.

-JT

[x-posted in FurFright]

FurFright this year was a SPECTACULAR TIME! I always make it a point to go each year, even though it's consistently the most trouble to get to (and the furthest away), the con itself is always worth it! This year was no different, as Belic and crew put on an admirable show, running to and fro and keeping the con running as smoothly as could be hoped for, and for that I can't thank them enough! Your efforts are appreciated guys. ^^

I hung out with many great friends and hopefully made some new ones! I suited more at this con than ANY other con and I've never showered so many times a day for so many days as I did at this con. But aside from all the sweat I lost due to my hotel room being hotter than Satan's anus after a chili cookoff, most of what I was dripping with constantly was EXCITEMENT and GLEE! And regardless of what happens with the hotel issue, I will more than likely be back to my favorite con next year. :)

Now without further ado, here is as condensed a report I can make without an official time limit. Abridged con report GO!!!


( Report! )

Thank you, and see you all next year! ^__^

-JT

In joining my Yahoo Fantasy Basketball league with me and buckhopper and whoever else B-Hop knows that wants in? (knaaks, paulshepherdgsd, you interested?) .......robypanther?

I'd like to get an all furry league going. I already have it set up, so if you reply here saying you're interested, I will send you the league name and password. :)

I know some of you FBA fans would have fun with this. Just think of all the players are anthros and you'll enjoy it more. ;)

And remember, it's all for fun! It doesn't matter if you're good at it, as long as you are a fan of the sport and participate just a little. :)

Need at least 3 more people, so don't be shy!

Let me know! ^^

Sorry this is so soon after a TL;DR extravaganza, but check out what amazing things imirici had to say about Fletcher Apts.

http://imirici.livejournal.com/294434.html

Holy crap dude... *blushes hard* I really, REALLY appreciate the kind words! They mean the world! :D

I'm thinking I should use parts of this on my site or something in the future... this just seriously made my day.

Thank you so much! *hugs* ^__^

-JT