Hi there (gonna try for a less controversial post this time :-)-
 
I love the ideas of an FML meet and a potential shirt/badge id.  I think
BIG's idea for DisneyWorld is excellent....and he's right, airfares are
getting less expensive.  I think ValuJet has some good fares too, but I
can't speak to their policies about animals on board.  In addition to hotels
and flying, camping out and driving to FL is always an option.  Camping is
another asset to going to FL....not many places where you can camp
comfortably in December.  I understand that some folks, for whatever
reasons, wouldn't be able to go wherever the meet is held.  Would it be
possible for those folks to get ahold of a camcorder and record a little
bit, just to say hi and introduce their fuzzbeans, etc?  The videos could be
mailed to someone going to the meet who could play them for the rest of us.
That way, everyone could feel a little included in on the fun.
 
The shirt idea could also be a good one, although a bit more pricey than a
designed pin or the safety pin idea (although that's a pretty darn good
idea, Ela, maybe that's why you're in MENSA <G>).  I had a group of friends
online that met every weekend, and one of them had a shirt designed for Xmas
and gave it to each member of the group.  It was pretty basic, grey with
black picture and lettering (I won't even say what the drawing was--was way
too silly).  But it was effective, when you saw that shirt coming you knew
who it was.  Decisions, decisions....glad I don't have to choose :-).
 
Bob posted about dominance-
I had a suspicion that fert dominace went in that pattern....works that way
in my house.  There's not one head honcho, everyone has someone different
that puts them in line if they get too uppity..
 
Ferret type creatures in art-
I can't find the book now, but in "The Art of the Western World" (the one
that companions the tv show), there's a Da Vinci portrait called "Lady with
the Ermine".  Anyway, the ermine in the picture bears a pretty good
resemblance to an albino fert, minus the defined musculature on the front
legs and the slightly pointed nose.  It still amazes me (and it's not hard
to amaze me<G>) how similar some of the ferret relations look.  I saw the
Dateline with the minks that had the mad cow type disease, and it was almost
like looking at my Marshmallow.  Minus the thick coat though :-).  If anyone
else knows of any art that shows ferret type creatures, please feel free to
email me with the info.  It's kind of nice to be able to show non ferret
type folks art that has ferrets or their relations in it.  IMHO, it's hard
to maintain that ferrets and their kind are dirty rodents when you see them
in art pieces done by well known artists.
 
Laura, Gatsby, Saffy, and Marshmallow
[Posted in FML issue 1530]