As I sit here in full costume dress, waiting to dry off from the regimental sunscreen I slather on myself everyday before work, I thought it'd be a good time to update my blog.
A little behind, I know, so let's get started.
Today's the sixth day in a row I'm going to be working. Not terrible, but not great either considering Tuesday and Thursday were both ten hour days. It's a little...much, especially for someone new like me, whose training was...well I learned things, but when I officially started working, I had (and still have) a lot of questions.
But I wanted to write about yesterday, since yesterday was actually a (gasp) good day. Now, now, I don't mean to say that since I've arrived here it's been nothing but crappy days. More like really overwhelming days, as I try to grasp the way Disney's organized things while attempting to appear trained.
Yesterday, however, started off with my getting assigned to trash. Now, I know, this doesn't sound like a great way to start off a day, but you have to understand that besides the heat, the smell, and the trash factors, trash isn't necessarily a horrible thing. You get to be outside (which can be good or bad depending on the weather), you go at your own pace, unless there's a rush, and even then you can still take it a little slower, you get to wander both on-stage and off, and, perhaps one of my favorite aspects, you can have a little bit of guest interaction without them expecting food or drink or proper change from you.
So I got my trash assignment and headed out to take over from Cordelia, who was happily reassigned to Scooper at Hollywood Scoops. And then...well...I took out the trash. I noticed the park attendance seemed a little lighter. There were still plenty of people, and lines at all the food places, but the seating areas just didn't seem to overflow with people so much. Frankly, I was a bit happy, just a little bit. After a week or so of mass people wanting food and tossing trash, it was nice to have things let up just a little.
During my trash run, I happened upon an abandoned Guest bag. It was a tote bag (if that's the correct term for it), so basically an open rectangle with two large straps at the top to lift it (think vertical cloth grocery bag?). I could see it was jam-packed with all sorts of touristy park-visiting items, but "SafeD begins with Me" or so our little safety spiel goes, and I got Emilee (who was bussing and whose name I'm sure I'm spelling wrong) to look at it before she ran off to tell a manager. Word reported back to wait for about five minutes, and if nobody showed, they'd call security. After all, this innocent bag could be harboring something not so innocent.
No one showed up, and by this point Omar, who's from Mexico, had joined our little waiting party. He went to talk to a manager and returned saying that security had been called. Twenty minutes later, a guy finally showed up and proceeded to poke around in the bag and talk on a walkie talkie about heading to lost and found. I'm pretty sure they figured the bag wasn't a danger, otherwise I think they would've been there a lot sooner. I had seen one previous unattended bag left in the middle of the Tower-side eating area (as opposed to the Produce-side eating area), and security had acted a little faster and cleared more people away. But because this one was sitting on the little stone wall ledge near Fairfax Fare, I don't think they were as super concerned. While we were waiting, I happened to spot a pair of sunglasses someone had left on Fairfax's counter, and so before the security guy left, I handed them to him too. He thanked us for calling it in and went on his way. Emilee and Omar went back to bussing, I went back to trash duty, missing the shade of the bush I had been standing beneath while waiting.
Unfortunately, because of how long everything took, the trash had built up a little bit, so I spent the next little while trying to catch up. I nearly ran out of space in the garbage roller at one point, and at another time, had such a large bag of garbage I was pulling from a can, that when I tossed it into the rolling garbage holder, it proceeded to nearly tip over. I grabbed it at the last minute, but still, that's a lot of trash.
And, of course, sometimes bags are leaky. We actually put holes in them when we put them in the trashcans because it lets the air out and allows them to hold more. This does cause a little leak problem though, and the bottoms of the rolling holders sometimes end up with a puddle of soda and other garbage juices. This leads to lots of "fun" trying to hoist the bags out of the holder and into the trash compacter, especially with liquid flying everywhere and the bottoms of the bags begin soaked and not very fun to touch when they need that little extra push into the compactor.
One bag was particularly wet and I got juice backsplash. A little lot of liquid landed right on the corner of one of my lips. I finished the trash and rushed over to Rosie's/Eddies to get some water to wash my mouth out.
I did trash for a few hours, managing to get it under control and talking to a woman about her very nice-looking hat, which, it turns out, she got at Kmart. Then, just before I was going to make another round, Emilee found me and told me there had been a slight mix-up. Apparently I was supposed to be scooping ice cream, but the person who was supposed to bump me over there never did, so I had been working trash for a half-hour to an hour longer than I should have. In any case, now I was on break, so I rushed to the assigner's desk to be sure, and when he said it was okay, I ran to Take Five to wolf down a sandwich and some delicious grapes.
And that's where I have to end it for now, as it's time for me to head off to work again.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
nihongo o wakarimasu!
I just heard my roommate talking on the phone in Japanese...and I actually understood little bits and pieces of it.
Arigatoo gozaimasu Motoyama-sensei!!
Arigatoo gozaimasu Motoyama-sensei!!
Friday, August 21, 2009
A backpost of bussing and trashing
This is a backpost, since I was plenty tired at the end of this work day. Plus, I needed a shower.
Today was one of two “double days” as I've decided to call them, wherein I work the same time and hours two days in a row. 11:30 to 8pm were the hours, which isn’t terrible. But, of course, that all depends on what you are doing. I started off the day by sitting in the parking lot of Hollywood Studios, calling my Mom (and hearing my Dad in the background), trying to figure out exactly what to say when I called my bank back. Via text the day before, my Mom had suggested that trying to talk to them about the over-draft would be a good idea, and my desire to have my finances in order (and to not be awarded another over-draft fee) prompted me to pick up the phone and call. I couldn’t completely understand what the guy on the phone was saying – his accent was a little heavy, I was a little tired (and teary), but somehow, somehow, I managed to get some of the fees taken off, which was simply WONDERFUL. I need to watch my bank account like a hawk ::goes to do so now::
Then it was time to go off to work. I have to pause here, because I’m not sure if it was today or the day before or some combination of the two, but I actually got to see some behind-the-scenes work being done for the Toy Story Block Party Bash parade that runs every day at 3pm. In either separate or whole combinations, I was walking from my car to the costuming building where Cast Members enter the park, when I overheard the music for the parade playing. Sure enough, as I was counting the number of rows I was away from the building, I could see people up on one of the floats and could hear directions being called out. I also saw Slim (the walking-stick bug from “A Bug’s Life”) wandering around. Later, when I was on my way to work, the backstage road I was walking down was getting the parade set up, so I saw large orange traffic cones with scooters, and a couple of rectangular costume holders on wheels. They were open, and in one I could see Sully’s body, and in the others I could see the body and head of one of the dorky interns from Monsters, Inc. I know, I know, I should know his name. I’ll get it when I watch the movie. He’s the orange one.
I also saw Mr. Potato head, but he was turned around, so I saw potato butt. But I thought it was kind of neat, seeing people practice in the growing heat and getting this glimpse into all the effort that goes into putting a parade on.
Since today was my final day of training (woo -.- ), I figured that our taste-test lunches would be going away pretty soon and decided to bring a lunch. Of course, I was a little unsure of what to do. Unlike the Magic Kingdom, which has the utilidors (underground tunnels) to transport the Cast to and from where they need to be without being seen, Hollywood Studios only has backstage area. So when it’s time to go to work, a Cast Member like me has to walk from backstage area to backstage area, occasionally going on stage and passing through the park and the guests. For me, it sort of ruins the atmosphere a little bit, seeing Cast Members wander across Hollywood Boulevard with backpacks and purses. I know, I know, they’re people, they need these things, but this is Disney for goodness sakes!
Anyway, I was unsure of what to do because I had brought a lunch with me – a squished, sad looking sandwich from the day before with Lucy and Lisa, an apple I had been trying to eat for the past couple of days, and a water. I managed to put them all into a grocery bag, but it just didn’t seem right walking across stage with it. But I needed to get to work, and I went, trying to quickly speed across the Guest areas so they wouldn’t notice.
I met with my trainer, Ronnie, a guy who I believe is from Puerto Rico if I read his name tag right. He informed Frank and I that we’d finish up with our computer training and then it’d be off to the excitement of bussing and trash. As usual, we were offered something to drink before we set off, and then it was time to wander backstage, past buildings that used to be part of a functioning studio, around the front of the animation building (I like walking by it), across the street from a parking garage and the Earful Tower (water tower with the Mickey ears on it that used to be the park’s icon before the big hat moved in), and into Bungalow 2. They then had us move over to another building where the Disney Learning Center (room with a bunch of computers) was. This is being moved into the Costuming building, but for now, it’s still there. I was surprised to see someone had doodled on the dry-erase board in there. They had drawn Mickey’s head, and a very well-done Donald’s head. Donald looked right on character, and I kept glancing over at it instead of paying tons of attention to the module showing me how to work the register.
Alas, the air conditioned comfort ended all too quickly and it was soon time for us to head back outside. Ronnie informed Frank and I we were first up…on trash. It was lucky someone had overhead we were learning bussing and trash today and mentioned wearing sunscreen, because I spent the rest of the day outside. Trash is…as you would expect it to be. We go around with a big trash holder, checking trash cans and taking out the bags if need be. It’s kind of surprising how quickly those trash containers can fill up. If we take out a bag, we put one in to replace it, tying knots and poking holes in the bag in order to keep it secure and air-free. And once we’ve hit all the trashcans (and occasionally Farefax and Scoops when they need it), we wheel the trash holder back stage and head to the trash compactor. The job can be kind of messy, but this is where it gets really messy. The scent of over-heated, leaking trash permeates the air in this area, and as you pull the bags from the holder and throw them into the compactor’s open door, you have to take care to avoid getting garbage juices on your gloved hands or on your costume. I tried…but I still ended up smelling sort of trashy at the end of the night
Bussing was a little better, despite the heat. It’s mostly cleaning tables and organizing chairs, but every once in a while you can help grab a Guest’s tray and toss their garbage out for them. Which, it’s not that I like working on trash, but when my family arrived in Florida during our roadtrip to get here, we ended up stopping in Gainsville to eat at a Chick-Fil-A. Their service was absolutely wonderful there. Cow mascots, when they were taking a break, would come by and visit with the people eating in. Managers and employees alike would go from table to table, asking how the food was, getting people refills on their drinks, and taking the trash from the customers when they were done. It was excellent service, and that’s something I’d like to try to pass along to the Guests here at Disney. Granted, I can’t get them refills (I guess we don’t do them? Not at Sunset anyway), but I can still try and reflect that service I had at that Chick-Fil-A. I think it’d be just a little better if it wasn’t so darn hot and humid. And that was a bit of an issue. I was sweaty and hot and my face turning red a little bit from the heat. Not exactly something you want to see while you’re eating, ne? But we’re allowed to have water breaks, since it’s important to keep hydrated, so every once in a while I’d duck into one of the Sunset restaurants and get some water.
Our break came around four, and I managed to grab my sandwich, apple, and drink from the Cast Member fridge in the kitchen before we left. While everyone else went to buy something, I sat and ate my squished sandwich in peace. The apple…well before I ate, I headed to the bathroom, and although the apple was in a bag, it fell out of the plastic bag I was carrying it in, and then at the table, it slipped out of its little bag and onto the seat. That kind of ended it right there. Luckily, I had grabbed a granola bar too, so all was not lost. Then, after a little sitting, the trainees and I headed over to costuming to get ourselves rain gear. It was said that hurricane Bill was coming our way, and even if it wasn’t, we were supposed to get rain. It was here that I found out our food is not supposed to be visible to Guests. My clear bag (and apple) were taken back to the fridge, and I walked to Costuming with the rest of the group, wondering what I was going to do about lunches. We soon readed Costuming and walked right in to tell the Cast Members there what we were looking for. We were directed to a portable clothing rack near the door which carried the rain gear. I accidentally picked up rain gear that consisted of a jacket and pants, but the other trainer, Scott, caught it, and I swapped for a big, clear, plastic jacket. Then it was back to work for more bussing, and eventually, condiment table-replenishing for Frank and I. Although it rained a little bit, it wasn’t anything too bad, so I began to get sweaty inside the rain gear in addition to my costume.
Needless to say, that night I took a shower.
The condiment bar wasn’t too bad. It consists of a lot of restocking, both of the things that people grab, and the supplies underneath. Trying to do this in a raincoat was more than a little awkward, and one of the buttons got pulled out because of the thinness of the plastic, but Ronnie, Frank, and I managed to get it done. We had to wait to leave, however, because the Checker (the person who checks to make sure your area is set for the night before you can leave) had to wait until the last Guests left the area. And there were a couple that REALLY liked to linger.
Btw – one of the questions was how Disney gets its Guest out of the park at the end of the night. The answer, as far as I’ve seen, is that the shops and restaurants and rides close, which means that there’s nothing else to really do in the park. And for any Guests sitting and relaxing, a manager or some higher person will go and stand awkwardly next to them, subtly trying to tell them to leave without (as far as I know) actually saying anything.
There’s also a spiel that plays, as when I was in Hollywood Studios in October, I heard it. Alas, either we’re too busy, or it just doesn’t travel by us, but I haven’t heard it yet.
I was supposed to help put covers on the condiment bar, but all the trainees were called to the manager’s office to go over and sign a form basically saying we wouldn’t eat the food while working (or afterwards) and that to do so was a terminable offense. Fun.
Then we could leave, and I happily returned my trashy, sweaty clothes to Costuming the next morning.
Oh, by the way, I got a lovely light "necklace" of sunburn on my chest because I forgot to put sunscreen there. And now I know :P
Today was one of two “double days” as I've decided to call them, wherein I work the same time and hours two days in a row. 11:30 to 8pm were the hours, which isn’t terrible. But, of course, that all depends on what you are doing. I started off the day by sitting in the parking lot of Hollywood Studios, calling my Mom (and hearing my Dad in the background), trying to figure out exactly what to say when I called my bank back. Via text the day before, my Mom had suggested that trying to talk to them about the over-draft would be a good idea, and my desire to have my finances in order (and to not be awarded another over-draft fee) prompted me to pick up the phone and call. I couldn’t completely understand what the guy on the phone was saying – his accent was a little heavy, I was a little tired (and teary), but somehow, somehow, I managed to get some of the fees taken off, which was simply WONDERFUL. I need to watch my bank account like a hawk ::goes to do so now::
Then it was time to go off to work. I have to pause here, because I’m not sure if it was today or the day before or some combination of the two, but I actually got to see some behind-the-scenes work being done for the Toy Story Block Party Bash parade that runs every day at 3pm. In either separate or whole combinations, I was walking from my car to the costuming building where Cast Members enter the park, when I overheard the music for the parade playing. Sure enough, as I was counting the number of rows I was away from the building, I could see people up on one of the floats and could hear directions being called out. I also saw Slim (the walking-stick bug from “A Bug’s Life”) wandering around. Later, when I was on my way to work, the backstage road I was walking down was getting the parade set up, so I saw large orange traffic cones with scooters, and a couple of rectangular costume holders on wheels. They were open, and in one I could see Sully’s body, and in the others I could see the body and head of one of the dorky interns from Monsters, Inc. I know, I know, I should know his name. I’ll get it when I watch the movie. He’s the orange one.
I also saw Mr. Potato head, but he was turned around, so I saw potato butt. But I thought it was kind of neat, seeing people practice in the growing heat and getting this glimpse into all the effort that goes into putting a parade on.
Since today was my final day of training (woo -.- ), I figured that our taste-test lunches would be going away pretty soon and decided to bring a lunch. Of course, I was a little unsure of what to do. Unlike the Magic Kingdom, which has the utilidors (underground tunnels) to transport the Cast to and from where they need to be without being seen, Hollywood Studios only has backstage area. So when it’s time to go to work, a Cast Member like me has to walk from backstage area to backstage area, occasionally going on stage and passing through the park and the guests. For me, it sort of ruins the atmosphere a little bit, seeing Cast Members wander across Hollywood Boulevard with backpacks and purses. I know, I know, they’re people, they need these things, but this is Disney for goodness sakes!
Anyway, I was unsure of what to do because I had brought a lunch with me – a squished, sad looking sandwich from the day before with Lucy and Lisa, an apple I had been trying to eat for the past couple of days, and a water. I managed to put them all into a grocery bag, but it just didn’t seem right walking across stage with it. But I needed to get to work, and I went, trying to quickly speed across the Guest areas so they wouldn’t notice.
I met with my trainer, Ronnie, a guy who I believe is from Puerto Rico if I read his name tag right. He informed Frank and I that we’d finish up with our computer training and then it’d be off to the excitement of bussing and trash. As usual, we were offered something to drink before we set off, and then it was time to wander backstage, past buildings that used to be part of a functioning studio, around the front of the animation building (I like walking by it), across the street from a parking garage and the Earful Tower (water tower with the Mickey ears on it that used to be the park’s icon before the big hat moved in), and into Bungalow 2. They then had us move over to another building where the Disney Learning Center (room with a bunch of computers) was. This is being moved into the Costuming building, but for now, it’s still there. I was surprised to see someone had doodled on the dry-erase board in there. They had drawn Mickey’s head, and a very well-done Donald’s head. Donald looked right on character, and I kept glancing over at it instead of paying tons of attention to the module showing me how to work the register.
Alas, the air conditioned comfort ended all too quickly and it was soon time for us to head back outside. Ronnie informed Frank and I we were first up…on trash. It was lucky someone had overhead we were learning bussing and trash today and mentioned wearing sunscreen, because I spent the rest of the day outside. Trash is…as you would expect it to be. We go around with a big trash holder, checking trash cans and taking out the bags if need be. It’s kind of surprising how quickly those trash containers can fill up. If we take out a bag, we put one in to replace it, tying knots and poking holes in the bag in order to keep it secure and air-free. And once we’ve hit all the trashcans (and occasionally Farefax and Scoops when they need it), we wheel the trash holder back stage and head to the trash compactor. The job can be kind of messy, but this is where it gets really messy. The scent of over-heated, leaking trash permeates the air in this area, and as you pull the bags from the holder and throw them into the compactor’s open door, you have to take care to avoid getting garbage juices on your gloved hands or on your costume. I tried…but I still ended up smelling sort of trashy at the end of the night
Bussing was a little better, despite the heat. It’s mostly cleaning tables and organizing chairs, but every once in a while you can help grab a Guest’s tray and toss their garbage out for them. Which, it’s not that I like working on trash, but when my family arrived in Florida during our roadtrip to get here, we ended up stopping in Gainsville to eat at a Chick-Fil-A. Their service was absolutely wonderful there. Cow mascots, when they were taking a break, would come by and visit with the people eating in. Managers and employees alike would go from table to table, asking how the food was, getting people refills on their drinks, and taking the trash from the customers when they were done. It was excellent service, and that’s something I’d like to try to pass along to the Guests here at Disney. Granted, I can’t get them refills (I guess we don’t do them? Not at Sunset anyway), but I can still try and reflect that service I had at that Chick-Fil-A. I think it’d be just a little better if it wasn’t so darn hot and humid. And that was a bit of an issue. I was sweaty and hot and my face turning red a little bit from the heat. Not exactly something you want to see while you’re eating, ne? But we’re allowed to have water breaks, since it’s important to keep hydrated, so every once in a while I’d duck into one of the Sunset restaurants and get some water.
Our break came around four, and I managed to grab my sandwich, apple, and drink from the Cast Member fridge in the kitchen before we left. While everyone else went to buy something, I sat and ate my squished sandwich in peace. The apple…well before I ate, I headed to the bathroom, and although the apple was in a bag, it fell out of the plastic bag I was carrying it in, and then at the table, it slipped out of its little bag and onto the seat. That kind of ended it right there. Luckily, I had grabbed a granola bar too, so all was not lost. Then, after a little sitting, the trainees and I headed over to costuming to get ourselves rain gear. It was said that hurricane Bill was coming our way, and even if it wasn’t, we were supposed to get rain. It was here that I found out our food is not supposed to be visible to Guests. My clear bag (and apple) were taken back to the fridge, and I walked to Costuming with the rest of the group, wondering what I was going to do about lunches. We soon readed Costuming and walked right in to tell the Cast Members there what we were looking for. We were directed to a portable clothing rack near the door which carried the rain gear. I accidentally picked up rain gear that consisted of a jacket and pants, but the other trainer, Scott, caught it, and I swapped for a big, clear, plastic jacket. Then it was back to work for more bussing, and eventually, condiment table-replenishing for Frank and I. Although it rained a little bit, it wasn’t anything too bad, so I began to get sweaty inside the rain gear in addition to my costume.
Needless to say, that night I took a shower.
The condiment bar wasn’t too bad. It consists of a lot of restocking, both of the things that people grab, and the supplies underneath. Trying to do this in a raincoat was more than a little awkward, and one of the buttons got pulled out because of the thinness of the plastic, but Ronnie, Frank, and I managed to get it done. We had to wait to leave, however, because the Checker (the person who checks to make sure your area is set for the night before you can leave) had to wait until the last Guests left the area. And there were a couple that REALLY liked to linger.
Btw – one of the questions was how Disney gets its Guest out of the park at the end of the night. The answer, as far as I’ve seen, is that the shops and restaurants and rides close, which means that there’s nothing else to really do in the park. And for any Guests sitting and relaxing, a manager or some higher person will go and stand awkwardly next to them, subtly trying to tell them to leave without (as far as I know) actually saying anything.
There’s also a spiel that plays, as when I was in Hollywood Studios in October, I heard it. Alas, either we’re too busy, or it just doesn’t travel by us, but I haven’t heard it yet.
I was supposed to help put covers on the condiment bar, but all the trainees were called to the manager’s office to go over and sign a form basically saying we wouldn’t eat the food while working (or afterwards) and that to do so was a terminable offense. Fun.
Then we could leave, and I happily returned my trashy, sweaty clothes to Costuming the next morning.
Oh, by the way, I got a lovely light "necklace" of sunburn on my chest because I forgot to put sunscreen there. And now I know :P
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Morning on the new apartment wireless router
Man do I have a lot to do.
I know I've been a bit behind on the writing. It's been...not nuts...it's been sort of busy around here the past couple of days. Mostly it's just trying to take everything in. I do have a post from yesterday that I'm intending to put up. In fact, I had been intending to put it up last night. But for some reason websites weren't loading. Maybe it had something to do with the signal strength of the new wireless router our apartment got? In any case, it's saved on my computer, and I shall flesh it out and post it. Hopefully right after writing this, although I really do have a lot to do.
For example, my dirty laundry's just exploding all over the place. Now, I know how to do laundry. It's just the adjustment of having to actually see myself pay for it that I think is the problem. Back in college, everything was pre-paid. So when I went to get something to eat and used my dining/everything else card, it was like getting things for free, even though I'm not. Laundry was the same, since my family put down cash so I could do my laundry at school (I think it was the college's subtle way of saying "Learn to do it yourself!") rather than bring it home.
Here I suppose we could have something similar. Disney's given us cards that are connected to our cast member accounts. So when we get paid, it's just direct-deposited into our accounts, and then we can access it with the card. But, until I get that set up, I'm paying for everything with cash. And considering how little I have (thanks wedding expenses!), I've been more than a little hesitant about shelling out money.
Or in the case of laundry, hesitant about attempting to figure out how things work in the laundry room. The laundry area is a separate area. There's a couple low little buildings situated in our parking lots. They're square with triangular roofs; in fact, they look very similar to children's drawings of houses. But it's there that the laundry machines are. It's nice, since it's separated and, as far as I know, open twenty four hours a day. But when I went in there yesterday, it seems like you have to have some sort of laundry card to operate the machines. You also need money to put on the cards. As I don't know if I have the card (or the money), this will be something to investigate, especially now that it's after 9am and the club house is open.
But whatever I do, I better do it soon. I'm working tonight (and tomorrow, and the day after that), and it's going to be my first officially late night. Last time I worked until close, but that was 7pm for the park, which meant I was going to be out by 8pm (I don't know if this included training). However, cleaning ran late, training ran late, the bus missed us completely, and I didn't actually head out until 10:15pm. I'm not complaining, but tonight's going to be later than that.
I'm not even quite sure why it's so late. Extra Magic Hours? Fantasmic? Should be fun to find out :P
I don't know if the park closes at 10pm or 11pm, but today I'm working 2:30pm until 11pm. I'm going to be working at Scoops, which is (obviously) an ice cream place. I think I might be bussing things though, which I've never had any real experience in since I've never had any real food and beverage experience. In any case, it should be interesting.
But before that I've gotta take out the trash and check the mail and make a phone call and make another phone call and try to get some laundry done...
And, of course, I need to finish (or start) updating things on here too. And, whoa, do I need to clean out my e-mail inbox too.
Well, nothing left to do but to start!
Actually, there's plenty I could do to avoid starting, but I'm gonna be good to myself and get to work on things anyway :P
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Oh yes, today's been an interesting day already. It's 12:13pm. I've already wandered around Patterson looking for mailboxes, found mailboxes only to not find ours, finally found it and got the mail out, only to discover that about 9/10 of it is for the people who lived here before us. I got a letter, and there's some resident mail as well. But wow. It's interesting to look at this mail, because I don't know who these people are. I don't know if they extended and had to move. I don't know what roles they did or where they came from or even who else was living with them. WHen we came into the apartment, it was clean and clear and looked as if it'd never been lived in. Other than the broken nightstand that I had (which I re-settled the drawers, so it's ok now). Then to get these letters and to really realize that, yes, there was in fact people here before us, and probably just by a few days, and then to also realize that I don't know them and have never heard of them and that right now the only thing we have in common is that they came before us...well it's something interesting to experience for a morning.
Oh, and then there was the whole "You have a negative balance of $112" thing with my bank account. Yep. Needless to say, I now know how to call my bank, have them transfer money, and I am now counting down until my subscription to Entertainment Weekly runs out. That part sucks (like the whole thing doesn't?), but at least I'm hoping to get it sent here. Though, with the way things have been going, my parents may have to send it because the address change didn't work e.e We'll see
But I still do have plenty to do. Laundry's being opted out of until I can find a local bank branch and get my money issues in order. I do need to swing by the club house and see if they can forward the mail that the people before us (which seems so weird) didn't get. And then there's all the rushing around and getting ready for work. Because who doesn't want to serve ice cream to crazy crowds after dealing with financial issues?
Oh, and apparently, if you work in merchandise, not only do you get to trade pins with people, but merchandise Cast Members actually GET a pin for merchandise.
Oh blah...
Ah well.
Onward ho!
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Back-posted because of busyness
We left off with my going to work for my first late night and having nothing short of a blast with my bank and the financial issues. I decided to take matters into my hands. No, I didn’t go storm a branch of my bank. Instead, I learned what a good time one can have when trying to do bank matters by phone. In short, it was a little disaster. I tried calling my Mom at this point, this being my first encounter with late fees, but I got no answer. Again attempting to get control of things, I found out that the internet can be useful, at least in viewing a statement. It was there I discovered that it was the checks I wrote for the wedding that put me over the limit, and then my purchases of food and socks made it go downhill from there. As if the fees for those overdrafts weren’t fun enough, I discovered that if you have no money in your account, the banks will actually charge you $10 for it. Yes, that makes sense. Someone doesn’t have money, let’s charge them for it!
Finally I reached my Mom, who told me it would be a good idea to call my bank and find out what exactly happened, and to transfer some money so I didn’t have more to worry about. So I did. In-between a few tears (because I get teary when faced with first-time over-draft fees) and on my Mom’s advice, I explained to the woman on the phone where I was, what I was doing, and what happened. She kindly transferred the money that I wanted ($200, not $2 like the phone had thought), and told me about their over-draft protection. My Mom had recommended this, but this particular bank’s idea of protection is to transfer money from savings to checking if you’re going to have an issue…and then charge you $10 for it! Still, for a few moments, I thought it was actually a good ideas, but because my account had such issues, she wasn’t able to do it. I was told I could go sign up at a branch, and that led into the mini-adventure of the phone person trying to find a branch near me. I’ve been trying, believe me. I eventually got a number to a branch that’s close, but not near-by, and was told to call them and ask, as maybe they could help me further.
Note to self – constantly saying “This is my first time having an over-draft fee” or some variant of such does NOT constitute as asking if they can do anything to help you out.
I texted my Mom to tell her what happened and she (after saying the over-draft protection sucked) suggested I call them back. But I had to go to work, so unfortunately it would have to wait a little while.
My trainers for the day were Lucie and Lisa. Lucie’s from Staten Island, NY and has an accent to prove it. I forget where Lisa’s from, but boy were the both of them fun. Both like to talk fast and jump from topic to topic, Lisa moreso than Lucie, but despite their big personalities, they both are approachable and friendly and I found myself having a great time and learning a lot with the both of them. Frank and I were originally supposed to be Lisa’s, but somehow we ended up being shuffled between the two, just like everyone else.
The training modules included one called “Introduction to Labor Operations”, which featured three robots with bad senses of humor and poor comedic timing. It was…entertaining…at least I learned stuff, but wow, that was…interesting.
Frank and I had a test-taste dinner of a hotdog and a pulled pork sandwich from Farefax, both of which were very good. When the other trainees showed up, however, they had ice cream from Hollywood Scoops. This was to be our home for the rest of the night, and boy was it busy. Fantasmic was going on, and the line in front of the entrance kept swelling to huge proportions. Naturally, because it was hot, people wanted ice cream. Apparently they also wanted beer, but that wasn’t our section. But even though the work was busy, it was fun. I worked the register, and ended up having to do a fair bit of solo work, since Lisa and Lucie were running around trying to help everyone else. Lisa eventually told me to get off the register and give someone else a chance, so I finished up the night scooping ice cream. This was rather fun, especially as I tried to figure out how I could make someone a Mickey Mouse-shaped dessert. It was only after we closed that I noticed a sign at the front of the store, showing how it was supposed to be done.
I left that night tired, but happy. My trainers were good. I actually understood the work at Scoops. And I got to taste test the ice cream – mint chocolate chip and chocolate, yum!
Also, Happy 18th Birthday Kristi!
I would've loved to have been there and have taken you out to breakfast with Mom and Dad. Still hunting for your birthday (and graduation) gift :P
I know I've been a bit behind on the writing. It's been...not nuts...it's been sort of busy around here the past couple of days. Mostly it's just trying to take everything in. I do have a post from yesterday that I'm intending to put up. In fact, I had been intending to put it up last night. But for some reason websites weren't loading. Maybe it had something to do with the signal strength of the new wireless router our apartment got? In any case, it's saved on my computer, and I shall flesh it out and post it. Hopefully right after writing this, although I really do have a lot to do.
For example, my dirty laundry's just exploding all over the place. Now, I know how to do laundry. It's just the adjustment of having to actually see myself pay for it that I think is the problem. Back in college, everything was pre-paid. So when I went to get something to eat and used my dining/everything else card, it was like getting things for free, even though I'm not. Laundry was the same, since my family put down cash so I could do my laundry at school (I think it was the college's subtle way of saying "Learn to do it yourself!") rather than bring it home.
Here I suppose we could have something similar. Disney's given us cards that are connected to our cast member accounts. So when we get paid, it's just direct-deposited into our accounts, and then we can access it with the card. But, until I get that set up, I'm paying for everything with cash. And considering how little I have (thanks wedding expenses!), I've been more than a little hesitant about shelling out money.
Or in the case of laundry, hesitant about attempting to figure out how things work in the laundry room. The laundry area is a separate area. There's a couple low little buildings situated in our parking lots. They're square with triangular roofs; in fact, they look very similar to children's drawings of houses. But it's there that the laundry machines are. It's nice, since it's separated and, as far as I know, open twenty four hours a day. But when I went in there yesterday, it seems like you have to have some sort of laundry card to operate the machines. You also need money to put on the cards. As I don't know if I have the card (or the money), this will be something to investigate, especially now that it's after 9am and the club house is open.
But whatever I do, I better do it soon. I'm working tonight (and tomorrow, and the day after that), and it's going to be my first officially late night. Last time I worked until close, but that was 7pm for the park, which meant I was going to be out by 8pm (I don't know if this included training). However, cleaning ran late, training ran late, the bus missed us completely, and I didn't actually head out until 10:15pm. I'm not complaining, but tonight's going to be later than that.
I'm not even quite sure why it's so late. Extra Magic Hours? Fantasmic? Should be fun to find out :P
I don't know if the park closes at 10pm or 11pm, but today I'm working 2:30pm until 11pm. I'm going to be working at Scoops, which is (obviously) an ice cream place. I think I might be bussing things though, which I've never had any real experience in since I've never had any real food and beverage experience. In any case, it should be interesting.
But before that I've gotta take out the trash and check the mail and make a phone call and make another phone call and try to get some laundry done...
And, of course, I need to finish (or start) updating things on here too. And, whoa, do I need to clean out my e-mail inbox too.
Well, nothing left to do but to start!
Actually, there's plenty I could do to avoid starting, but I'm gonna be good to myself and get to work on things anyway :P
-------End Transmission -------
-------Resume Transmission -------
Oh yes, today's been an interesting day already. It's 12:13pm. I've already wandered around Patterson looking for mailboxes, found mailboxes only to not find ours, finally found it and got the mail out, only to discover that about 9/10 of it is for the people who lived here before us. I got a letter, and there's some resident mail as well. But wow. It's interesting to look at this mail, because I don't know who these people are. I don't know if they extended and had to move. I don't know what roles they did or where they came from or even who else was living with them. WHen we came into the apartment, it was clean and clear and looked as if it'd never been lived in. Other than the broken nightstand that I had (which I re-settled the drawers, so it's ok now). Then to get these letters and to really realize that, yes, there was in fact people here before us, and probably just by a few days, and then to also realize that I don't know them and have never heard of them and that right now the only thing we have in common is that they came before us...well it's something interesting to experience for a morning.
Oh, and then there was the whole "You have a negative balance of $112" thing with my bank account. Yep. Needless to say, I now know how to call my bank, have them transfer money, and I am now counting down until my subscription to Entertainment Weekly runs out. That part sucks (like the whole thing doesn't?), but at least I'm hoping to get it sent here. Though, with the way things have been going, my parents may have to send it because the address change didn't work e.e We'll see
But I still do have plenty to do. Laundry's being opted out of until I can find a local bank branch and get my money issues in order. I do need to swing by the club house and see if they can forward the mail that the people before us (which seems so weird) didn't get. And then there's all the rushing around and getting ready for work. Because who doesn't want to serve ice cream to crazy crowds after dealing with financial issues?
Oh, and apparently, if you work in merchandise, not only do you get to trade pins with people, but merchandise Cast Members actually GET a pin for merchandise.
Oh blah...
Ah well.
Onward ho!
-------End Transmission -------
-------Resume Transmission -------
Back-posted because of busyness
We left off with my going to work for my first late night and having nothing short of a blast with my bank and the financial issues. I decided to take matters into my hands. No, I didn’t go storm a branch of my bank. Instead, I learned what a good time one can have when trying to do bank matters by phone. In short, it was a little disaster. I tried calling my Mom at this point, this being my first encounter with late fees, but I got no answer. Again attempting to get control of things, I found out that the internet can be useful, at least in viewing a statement. It was there I discovered that it was the checks I wrote for the wedding that put me over the limit, and then my purchases of food and socks made it go downhill from there. As if the fees for those overdrafts weren’t fun enough, I discovered that if you have no money in your account, the banks will actually charge you $10 for it. Yes, that makes sense. Someone doesn’t have money, let’s charge them for it!
Finally I reached my Mom, who told me it would be a good idea to call my bank and find out what exactly happened, and to transfer some money so I didn’t have more to worry about. So I did. In-between a few tears (because I get teary when faced with first-time over-draft fees) and on my Mom’s advice, I explained to the woman on the phone where I was, what I was doing, and what happened. She kindly transferred the money that I wanted ($200, not $2 like the phone had thought), and told me about their over-draft protection. My Mom had recommended this, but this particular bank’s idea of protection is to transfer money from savings to checking if you’re going to have an issue…and then charge you $10 for it! Still, for a few moments, I thought it was actually a good ideas, but because my account had such issues, she wasn’t able to do it. I was told I could go sign up at a branch, and that led into the mini-adventure of the phone person trying to find a branch near me. I’ve been trying, believe me. I eventually got a number to a branch that’s close, but not near-by, and was told to call them and ask, as maybe they could help me further.
Note to self – constantly saying “This is my first time having an over-draft fee” or some variant of such does NOT constitute as asking if they can do anything to help you out.
I texted my Mom to tell her what happened and she (after saying the over-draft protection sucked) suggested I call them back. But I had to go to work, so unfortunately it would have to wait a little while.
My trainers for the day were Lucie and Lisa. Lucie’s from Staten Island, NY and has an accent to prove it. I forget where Lisa’s from, but boy were the both of them fun. Both like to talk fast and jump from topic to topic, Lisa moreso than Lucie, but despite their big personalities, they both are approachable and friendly and I found myself having a great time and learning a lot with the both of them. Frank and I were originally supposed to be Lisa’s, but somehow we ended up being shuffled between the two, just like everyone else.
The training modules included one called “Introduction to Labor Operations”, which featured three robots with bad senses of humor and poor comedic timing. It was…entertaining…at least I learned stuff, but wow, that was…interesting.
Frank and I had a test-taste dinner of a hotdog and a pulled pork sandwich from Farefax, both of which were very good. When the other trainees showed up, however, they had ice cream from Hollywood Scoops. This was to be our home for the rest of the night, and boy was it busy. Fantasmic was going on, and the line in front of the entrance kept swelling to huge proportions. Naturally, because it was hot, people wanted ice cream. Apparently they also wanted beer, but that wasn’t our section. But even though the work was busy, it was fun. I worked the register, and ended up having to do a fair bit of solo work, since Lisa and Lucie were running around trying to help everyone else. Lisa eventually told me to get off the register and give someone else a chance, so I finished up the night scooping ice cream. This was rather fun, especially as I tried to figure out how I could make someone a Mickey Mouse-shaped dessert. It was only after we closed that I noticed a sign at the front of the store, showing how it was supposed to be done.
I left that night tired, but happy. My trainers were good. I actually understood the work at Scoops. And I got to taste test the ice cream – mint chocolate chip and chocolate, yum!
Also, Happy 18th Birthday Kristi!
I would've loved to have been there and have taken you out to breakfast with Mom and Dad. Still hunting for your birthday (and graduation) gift :P
Postcard from the edge of sleepiness
--- Wireless issues prevented my being able to post this at the original time. Time and date are accurate ---
Went to Hollywood Studios today to learn about the park and my area for assessment. Spent part of the morning in costuming. Hope I found things that fit ok. Traveled out to park to learn. Finally know where Guest Relations and Tip Board are. Don’t understand why first aid is hidden behind a truck. Almost went on Rockin’ Rollercoaster. Chickened out. Next time? Had a chocolate muffin from Starring Rolls. Recommended, with napkin. Photo with Donald. Was going to get Goofy, but line got cut off right before me x.x Rained, but was in queue for Voyage of the Little Mermaid and sheltered. First time seeing it. Water effects and opening puppetry the best of Mermaid. Ok, Ursula too. Watched Block Party Bash. Amazing amounts of energy. Lots of time looking at animation stuffs and The Princess and The Frog material. Got to see Carl, Russel, and eventually Dug the dog from Up. No picture though. Toy Story Midway Mania is AMAZING! 140,000 points. I got a Beaver prize. Was gonna travel my area again. Alex called to go to Magic Kingdom. Said I didn’t think I would. Went anyway. Rode monorail to Epcot and back. Arrived in park and went to Tomorrowland. Rode Stitch’s Great Escape for first time. Chili dog smell seemed to follow me. Carousel of Progress is still awesome. FINALLY HAD TURKEY LEG. Rained again. Waited for Alex. She arrived and we both watched Egret choke/swallow huge piece of left-over turkey meat. Wandered into Toontown. Alex rode Barnstormer. Need to go on that. I had umbrella. She had to buy poncho. Her first cast discount. Stopped raining. Wandered to Splash Mountain. Found it was out of fast passes. Went to Country Bears instead. Rather enjoyable. Would like to go again ^-^ Headed out and chatted with Mom on phone in parking lot. Kristi moved in to her dorm today. Went to Wal-mart for crew socks and sandwich bags. Showered. Decided I have a crapload of things to do tomorrow, including work. Have “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” still playing in head.
Went to Hollywood Studios today to learn about the park and my area for assessment. Spent part of the morning in costuming. Hope I found things that fit ok. Traveled out to park to learn. Finally know where Guest Relations and Tip Board are. Don’t understand why first aid is hidden behind a truck. Almost went on Rockin’ Rollercoaster. Chickened out. Next time? Had a chocolate muffin from Starring Rolls. Recommended, with napkin. Photo with Donald. Was going to get Goofy, but line got cut off right before me x.x Rained, but was in queue for Voyage of the Little Mermaid and sheltered. First time seeing it. Water effects and opening puppetry the best of Mermaid. Ok, Ursula too. Watched Block Party Bash. Amazing amounts of energy. Lots of time looking at animation stuffs and The Princess and The Frog material. Got to see Carl, Russel, and eventually Dug the dog from Up. No picture though. Toy Story Midway Mania is AMAZING! 140,000 points. I got a Beaver prize. Was gonna travel my area again. Alex called to go to Magic Kingdom. Said I didn’t think I would. Went anyway. Rode monorail to Epcot and back. Arrived in park and went to Tomorrowland. Rode Stitch’s Great Escape for first time. Chili dog smell seemed to follow me. Carousel of Progress is still awesome. FINALLY HAD TURKEY LEG. Rained again. Waited for Alex. She arrived and we both watched Egret choke/swallow huge piece of left-over turkey meat. Wandered into Toontown. Alex rode Barnstormer. Need to go on that. I had umbrella. She had to buy poncho. Her first cast discount. Stopped raining. Wandered to Splash Mountain. Found it was out of fast passes. Went to Country Bears instead. Rather enjoyable. Would like to go again ^-^ Headed out and chatted with Mom on phone in parking lot. Kristi moved in to her dorm today. Went to Wal-mart for crew socks and sandwich bags. Showered. Decided I have a crapload of things to do tomorrow, including work. Have “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” still playing in head.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
First Working Day Postcard
Finished first day of work today. Costume makes me look like I should be selling peaches and sunflower seeds on side of road. Awesome. Met my trainers, Paul and Linda. Lovely people. In sixties and working Disney, oh my. Walked around a little bit, feet hurt from yesterday's grand park tour. E-learned about Labor Operations with robots with bad comedic timing. Got assigned to Fairfax Fare with Trainer Linda and fellow CP Frank. Worked register - one Guest, then lunch. Linda made Frank make us salads to take to cast break area. Taco Salad is delicious! And for free! At Take 5 (cast break area) for one hour with other CPs. Back to work, this time on food duty. Learned to not open hot dog buns all the way. Sort of know what goes in salads. Didn't make many though. Had register duty after that. Reminded me too much of retail. Tons of cleaning afterwards. SO much food tossed out :( Reviewed with trainers afterwards. Assessment end of the week - much to learn. Shift ended at 8:00pm. Left 9:30pm. Bus arrived 10:15pm. Talked to family. Alex took picture of me in costume. Ate an apple. Definitely need to update things. But first - sleep.
P.S. - grr for not being able to register for Haunted Mansion tour. I totally nearly missed the bus waiting for it x.x
P.P.S. - I need socks - Disney-approved socks that is :P
P.S. - grr for not being able to register for Haunted Mansion tour. I totally nearly missed the bus waiting for it x.x
P.P.S. - I need socks - Disney-approved socks that is :P
Friday, August 14, 2009
Traditions
All together now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc
TRADITION!
TRADITION!
TRADITION!
I know, I know, I need to finish writing about everything that went on for my first day. But I've got to interject my writing with more writing because today I had Traditions.
Traditions, just so you know, is essentially a "welcome to Disney" class. It's an overview of the Company, as well as a business presentation on practices and standards, and since we get paid for it, it's our official start date too.
Today's fun began early for me. Very early. I had to catch a 6:45am bus for a class that started at 8am and lasted through noon. I'm not really a morning person. I like mornings, don't get me wrong, I just happen to like sleep a heck of a lot more. And since last night was the last my family and I would spend together for a couple of months, I got a bit of a late start on trying to go to bed.
Morning seemed to come all too quick, and before I knew it, my cell alarm was going off. I turned it off, and proceeded to stumble around the apartment in the most awkward of manners, trying to recall why I was up so early and what it was I needed to do. By myself, getting up early isn't too bad, but this morning I had a roommate to contend with and respect. I tried to be as quiet as I could, although I discovered we have a door that squeaks right before it's fully shut. Breakfast was a piece of bread with some peanut butter smeared on it. I would've had more, but I figured I should give myself fifteen minutes' worth of time to get out the door and to the bus stop, and time was just ticking by. Back through the squeaky door and into the room as quietly as I could. Brushing my teeth never sounded so loud. A quick change in the closet (why? I have no idea), and I grabbed my stuff and was on my way, only a minute or so behind.
As I rounded the corner, I noticed the Chatham fountain had soap bubbles in it.
Ah, the little things that remind you of home...
Three buses were waiting to take all of us smartly-dressed interns to wherever it was we were going. I boarded the second and soon we were on our way. Along the route, I switched from gym shoes to fancy shoes, figuring I wouldn't have made the walk to the bus stop otherwise.
I'm still new to the area, or at least new to paying attention to the area around Disney, but eventually I figured out where we were. Okay, so the giant sign welcoming us to Walt Disney World helped. I won't say exactly which park we were headed to, just in case Disney throws a fit, but I will say that while we were heading towards it, we ended up going around the side of it and into the back areas. There's space back there, no surprise, but it does seem a bit more normal as opposed to the rides and theme lands we'd just previously passed. There was a parking lot that was either under construction or is home to construction machines. To the left of the bus, tall barbed wire stands tall, keeping people out of the park unlike the first day Disneyland opened. To the right, the monorail lines disappear into a service bay. I saw a one or two-story building titled "Holiday Services" and figured that that was probably Halloween and Christmas central, to say the least.
Eventually we wound our way into the Cast Member lot, where I spotted another building (this called "Textile Services") before noticing we had arrived at a building with the words "Disney University" affixed to the front. The buses parked at a ninty degree angle to the building (so they could turn around) and we were told this was were we'd be picked up at the end.
At 7:09am, I stepped into Disney University and my first day of work.
The first thing I really noticed was that there was a quote from Walt on one of the walls to the left. It's the one that's at the end of Meet The Robinsons (go watch the movie, it's cute). The lot of us, a rather large group, were then immediately directed to the left and into the commissary. Vending machines and low seats were the norm, but I seem to remember some Disney artwork on the walls. Those of us who could get seats, did (I did), and everyone else was told to stand. After a few minutes, a Cast Member stood up and began separating the group. First, those going on a walk-through of the Magic Kingdom were sent out, then we were put into groups depending on the numbers on the back of our program booklets. I followed a guy named Ty out into the rest of the building. It's designed as a typical office building, with many little rooms behind doors, overhead spot lights shining on the walls and floor, which are neutral business colors of course.
But all along the walls were pictures: movie stills from animated and live action alike, blown-up copies of Walt's diagram for Disneyland, one entire wall was even dedicated to Beauty and The Beast, showing the synergy of the animated movie, tv shows, characters in parks, finally showing the Broadway show. Rounding the corner to the left, we stopped and were told to wait in line, while before us was a small table with two Cast Members. One was standing and taking your driver's license or other photo id. He'd find you on his list, and presuming you met the Disney Look standards (for this is what this was), he'd pass the license to the girl next to him, who would find you an ID. A few people weren't on the list and had to go back to the front desk to see if they were in the right place. One of them was told that while he was on his way, if he could please stop in the bathroom and wet his hair down a little. It was a little fluffed up.
Nervously I traveled down the line, but when I got up there, the guy took my driver's license, found me on the list, and proceeded to hand things over to his fellow Cast Member. But she'd spotted someone she knew and was in the middle of a hug-fest. Thus he handed me the items, and I headed inside Studio (classroom) 104. There, a guy was waiting next to a table, and I was instructed to find my name and then take a seat wherever I wanted. I looked down, and there before me were four or five rows of neatly-printed name tags. It took me a moment, but I found mine.
I was a little worried, since my tag listed my school instead of my town, and even then, it listed the school I had graduated from, not the school I had applied for the internship with. The guy had asked me if I had any problems, and when I mentioned this, he opened a little book, preparing to make corrections. But I asked if it really mattered, and when he said it didn't, I kept the tag and sat down.
The room was full of a handful of tables with chairs around them scattered through out the rooms. I took a seat, put on my pin, and lookd at the walls. One side was covered with line drawings of Disney animated characters, but in random places, a box covered a section of them, and within these boxes there was color. I saw characters such as Flik and the Circus Bugs, Chip, Dale, Turk, Tarzan, the cows from Home On The Range (never saw), Buzz and Woody, Jim and B.E.N. from Treasure Planet, and, I'm pretty sure, at least Goofy and Donald, although the presentatios we watched had characters featured too, so it's kind of a blend.
Eventually our group was all seated, and Traditions began. We were welcomed profusely by our Cast Member instructors: Jami and Kellee. I was a little amused when they introduced themselves, because Kellee's from Kansas City, MO, and Jami's from Orlando. Disney runs in locations too apparently. We began by discovering that participation in today's class would earn us little prizes, little plastic Disney figurines to be exactly. People were awarded Donalds and Goofys and Plutos which, my Mom informs me, is a management thing to do, but it did catch people's interest. The icebreaker was first, of course, and the workbooks we were provided had a page to write down the names, hometowns, and roles of each of the people sitting at our tables. I met Tiffany - working Quick Service in Adventureland, David - Custodial in Epcot, and Heidi - Lifeguarding at the All Star Resorts. Then it was learning time.
Traditions covered three areas of the Disney Company: past, present, and future. We worked our way along a power point, watching videos in-between. Cast Members were invited to share Disney memories with each other at one point, and Tiffany told her story of being four and waiting in line for over an hour to meet Beast. When she finally met him, he was so huge, his hug engulfed her. She came back to her parents absolutely amazed.
I enjoyed the video on the history of the Company, especially when they glossed over Eisner and how he eventually got voted out. No mention of his leaving, just "In xxxx year, Bob Iger became the new C.E.O...."
It was pretty neat to hear that this was now part of our history too. I mean, all this stuff is already a part of my history, but it's nice to hear the Company officially acknowledge it.
I also had a proud Hermione moment or two. One of the instructors asked us where Walt was born. My hand shot up and I said Chicago. "Good! VERY good! Most people think it's Marceline, MO" was the reply. And later, "Animal Kingdom opened on April 28, 1999. What else is special about this day?" I waited a moment, then my hand went up, "It's Earth Day."
I know, I know, I'm such a dork :P
Breaks were scheduled between the segments, which was good because I was starving. I went back to the commissary and got myself some vending machine Sun Chips for $.95. Guess Disney pricing follows you everywhere too. I also found the Company D store, which is a place for Cast Members to shop for discounts. I wanted to take a look, but we had more to do. Plus, I spotted Yankee Candles, so I figured maybe I could wait a bit. I can find those in my mall, and arranged them at Hallmark...plus we can't have them at the apartments anyway. But I still want to check out the store.
The "present" portion was all business stuff. Disney's equal opportunity, they have guidelines, they don't want you to be harrassed... actually, the harrassement video was pretty funny. I know it's a serious subject, even the Cast Members acknowledged it, but the video's just so poorly done. Delivery men hitting on secretaries to pose nude for magazines, one guy insulting another's sexuality, a guy doing WAY too much of an over-share, talking about his wife wearing ratty t-shirts, nothing fun any more.
Future was about Disney standards and practices, since we're the future of the Company. They also went into a little more detail about what an opportunity this internship is. We can network with people, we have stuff to put on our resumes, plus we get into the parks...wait for it...for free!
All in all, a very awesome class.
There's more to tell, but it's definitely time for bed. Now I've got the first day AND the after-Traditions updates. And the day in-between! But first...sleep.
Why did the song "Bet On It" pop into my head?
Maybe it's all that Disney promotional material we watched.
It's sinking in...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc
TRADITION!
TRADITION!
TRADITION!
I know, I know, I need to finish writing about everything that went on for my first day. But I've got to interject my writing with more writing because today I had Traditions.
Traditions, just so you know, is essentially a "welcome to Disney" class. It's an overview of the Company, as well as a business presentation on practices and standards, and since we get paid for it, it's our official start date too.
Today's fun began early for me. Very early. I had to catch a 6:45am bus for a class that started at 8am and lasted through noon. I'm not really a morning person. I like mornings, don't get me wrong, I just happen to like sleep a heck of a lot more. And since last night was the last my family and I would spend together for a couple of months, I got a bit of a late start on trying to go to bed.
Morning seemed to come all too quick, and before I knew it, my cell alarm was going off. I turned it off, and proceeded to stumble around the apartment in the most awkward of manners, trying to recall why I was up so early and what it was I needed to do. By myself, getting up early isn't too bad, but this morning I had a roommate to contend with and respect. I tried to be as quiet as I could, although I discovered we have a door that squeaks right before it's fully shut. Breakfast was a piece of bread with some peanut butter smeared on it. I would've had more, but I figured I should give myself fifteen minutes' worth of time to get out the door and to the bus stop, and time was just ticking by. Back through the squeaky door and into the room as quietly as I could. Brushing my teeth never sounded so loud. A quick change in the closet (why? I have no idea), and I grabbed my stuff and was on my way, only a minute or so behind.
As I rounded the corner, I noticed the Chatham fountain had soap bubbles in it.
Ah, the little things that remind you of home...
Three buses were waiting to take all of us smartly-dressed interns to wherever it was we were going. I boarded the second and soon we were on our way. Along the route, I switched from gym shoes to fancy shoes, figuring I wouldn't have made the walk to the bus stop otherwise.
I'm still new to the area, or at least new to paying attention to the area around Disney, but eventually I figured out where we were. Okay, so the giant sign welcoming us to Walt Disney World helped. I won't say exactly which park we were headed to, just in case Disney throws a fit, but I will say that while we were heading towards it, we ended up going around the side of it and into the back areas. There's space back there, no surprise, but it does seem a bit more normal as opposed to the rides and theme lands we'd just previously passed. There was a parking lot that was either under construction or is home to construction machines. To the left of the bus, tall barbed wire stands tall, keeping people out of the park unlike the first day Disneyland opened. To the right, the monorail lines disappear into a service bay. I saw a one or two-story building titled "Holiday Services" and figured that that was probably Halloween and Christmas central, to say the least.
Eventually we wound our way into the Cast Member lot, where I spotted another building (this called "Textile Services") before noticing we had arrived at a building with the words "Disney University" affixed to the front. The buses parked at a ninty degree angle to the building (so they could turn around) and we were told this was were we'd be picked up at the end.
At 7:09am, I stepped into Disney University and my first day of work.
The first thing I really noticed was that there was a quote from Walt on one of the walls to the left. It's the one that's at the end of Meet The Robinsons (go watch the movie, it's cute). The lot of us, a rather large group, were then immediately directed to the left and into the commissary. Vending machines and low seats were the norm, but I seem to remember some Disney artwork on the walls. Those of us who could get seats, did (I did), and everyone else was told to stand. After a few minutes, a Cast Member stood up and began separating the group. First, those going on a walk-through of the Magic Kingdom were sent out, then we were put into groups depending on the numbers on the back of our program booklets. I followed a guy named Ty out into the rest of the building. It's designed as a typical office building, with many little rooms behind doors, overhead spot lights shining on the walls and floor, which are neutral business colors of course.
But all along the walls were pictures: movie stills from animated and live action alike, blown-up copies of Walt's diagram for Disneyland, one entire wall was even dedicated to Beauty and The Beast, showing the synergy of the animated movie, tv shows, characters in parks, finally showing the Broadway show. Rounding the corner to the left, we stopped and were told to wait in line, while before us was a small table with two Cast Members. One was standing and taking your driver's license or other photo id. He'd find you on his list, and presuming you met the Disney Look standards (for this is what this was), he'd pass the license to the girl next to him, who would find you an ID. A few people weren't on the list and had to go back to the front desk to see if they were in the right place. One of them was told that while he was on his way, if he could please stop in the bathroom and wet his hair down a little. It was a little fluffed up.
Nervously I traveled down the line, but when I got up there, the guy took my driver's license, found me on the list, and proceeded to hand things over to his fellow Cast Member. But she'd spotted someone she knew and was in the middle of a hug-fest. Thus he handed me the items, and I headed inside Studio (classroom) 104. There, a guy was waiting next to a table, and I was instructed to find my name and then take a seat wherever I wanted. I looked down, and there before me were four or five rows of neatly-printed name tags. It took me a moment, but I found mine.
I was a little worried, since my tag listed my school instead of my town, and even then, it listed the school I had graduated from, not the school I had applied for the internship with. The guy had asked me if I had any problems, and when I mentioned this, he opened a little book, preparing to make corrections. But I asked if it really mattered, and when he said it didn't, I kept the tag and sat down.
The room was full of a handful of tables with chairs around them scattered through out the rooms. I took a seat, put on my pin, and lookd at the walls. One side was covered with line drawings of Disney animated characters, but in random places, a box covered a section of them, and within these boxes there was color. I saw characters such as Flik and the Circus Bugs, Chip, Dale, Turk, Tarzan, the cows from Home On The Range (never saw), Buzz and Woody, Jim and B.E.N. from Treasure Planet, and, I'm pretty sure, at least Goofy and Donald, although the presentatios we watched had characters featured too, so it's kind of a blend.
Eventually our group was all seated, and Traditions began. We were welcomed profusely by our Cast Member instructors: Jami and Kellee. I was a little amused when they introduced themselves, because Kellee's from Kansas City, MO, and Jami's from Orlando. Disney runs in locations too apparently. We began by discovering that participation in today's class would earn us little prizes, little plastic Disney figurines to be exactly. People were awarded Donalds and Goofys and Plutos which, my Mom informs me, is a management thing to do, but it did catch people's interest. The icebreaker was first, of course, and the workbooks we were provided had a page to write down the names, hometowns, and roles of each of the people sitting at our tables. I met Tiffany - working Quick Service in Adventureland, David - Custodial in Epcot, and Heidi - Lifeguarding at the All Star Resorts. Then it was learning time.
Traditions covered three areas of the Disney Company: past, present, and future. We worked our way along a power point, watching videos in-between. Cast Members were invited to share Disney memories with each other at one point, and Tiffany told her story of being four and waiting in line for over an hour to meet Beast. When she finally met him, he was so huge, his hug engulfed her. She came back to her parents absolutely amazed.
I enjoyed the video on the history of the Company, especially when they glossed over Eisner and how he eventually got voted out. No mention of his leaving, just "In xxxx year, Bob Iger became the new C.E.O...."
It was pretty neat to hear that this was now part of our history too. I mean, all this stuff is already a part of my history, but it's nice to hear the Company officially acknowledge it.
I also had a proud Hermione moment or two. One of the instructors asked us where Walt was born. My hand shot up and I said Chicago. "Good! VERY good! Most people think it's Marceline, MO" was the reply. And later, "Animal Kingdom opened on April 28, 1999. What else is special about this day?" I waited a moment, then my hand went up, "It's Earth Day."
I know, I know, I'm such a dork :P
Breaks were scheduled between the segments, which was good because I was starving. I went back to the commissary and got myself some vending machine Sun Chips for $.95. Guess Disney pricing follows you everywhere too. I also found the Company D store, which is a place for Cast Members to shop for discounts. I wanted to take a look, but we had more to do. Plus, I spotted Yankee Candles, so I figured maybe I could wait a bit. I can find those in my mall, and arranged them at Hallmark...plus we can't have them at the apartments anyway. But I still want to check out the store.
The "present" portion was all business stuff. Disney's equal opportunity, they have guidelines, they don't want you to be harrassed... actually, the harrassement video was pretty funny. I know it's a serious subject, even the Cast Members acknowledged it, but the video's just so poorly done. Delivery men hitting on secretaries to pose nude for magazines, one guy insulting another's sexuality, a guy doing WAY too much of an over-share, talking about his wife wearing ratty t-shirts, nothing fun any more.
Future was about Disney standards and practices, since we're the future of the Company. They also went into a little more detail about what an opportunity this internship is. We can network with people, we have stuff to put on our resumes, plus we get into the parks...wait for it...for free!
All in all, a very awesome class.
There's more to tell, but it's definitely time for bed. Now I've got the first day AND the after-Traditions updates. And the day in-between! But first...sleep.
Why did the song "Bet On It" pop into my head?
Maybe it's all that Disney promotional material we watched.
It's sinking in...
Thursday, August 13, 2009
On-boarding
Disney.
I'm sitting in my new apartment, lights off, watching Man Versus Wild and listening to my roommate talk to her boyfriend and my other roommates chat in the kitchen.
It's like living at college all over again.
I don't have much time to write, as usual, but since today was a rather big day, I feel you're owed at least something of an entry. So let's begin...
This morning, I was the second one up, which is amazing because it usually takes a sonic boom to get me out of bed. Wait, scratch that, I've slept through a sonic boom. Of course, it took a half hour of rolling around and listening to jabbering morning television, but eventually I got up. While I dressed, my Mom, who seems to always be the first one up, managed to rouse the rest of my family. Sleepily, we headed downstairs to the Holiday Inn Express' continentental breakfast. Nothing too amazing, but I had delicious sausage and had a yogurt spit at me when I opened it.
I found myself amused watching the people around me. Behind me was a tv with the Disney Channel playing (of course). Special Agent Oso was on and I couldn't help but watch as people randomly became entranced with the show. Even my family was swept in, my Dad wondering why Oso was teaching three year olds how to make pancakes and my Mom wondering why Oso is yellow and green. My Dad said it was jaundice from all the drinking.
We headed back upstairs and I tried to grab all my items scattered around the room. I left the food, and Mom and I headed out toward the car, Dad and my sister following soon after. Although I was tired and would've rather gone back to bed, it was beginning to dawn on me what was going to happen today: I was going to become a Disney Cast Member. I was starting to feel a little nervous.
My roommate Alex had called me earlier in the morning to tell me she was going to arrive by 8:30am. I had aimed to live a little early too, so as to make the nine o'clock starting time. Needless to say, the drive to Vista Way had taken just a little longer than usual (traffic). We arrived, my Mom and I in one car, my Dad and sister behind us, and found ourselves having to navigate around the unfamiliar complex. There were signs, of course, and Cast Members directing traffic. I was a little worried about one Cast Member: with my window open, I could hear her directing the car in front of us, and when we pulled up, she repeated the directions in the exact same voice. And then did it again to my Dad and sister. It was like being in the queue for a ride and hearing the same sound track repeated over and over again. Creepy.
I wonder if they train you to do that.
Winding our way on the roads through the close beige complexes, we finally found parking spaces, mine opening up when a nice guy removed a yellow cone blocking a space. From there, my family retraced our path, walking together in the humidity, already building in the early morning. I called Alex trying to figure out where she was waiting for me. We had spotted a white tent full of people that I had presumed was the check-in area, but it turned out to be a tent for family and friends. Proceeding onward, we went around a gentle curve in the road and found a building swarming with teens. I kept walking, past a slow moving family, and turned just in time to hear a Cast Member tell my family they couldn't go any further and would have to go back to the tent. "Bye Kate!" my Mom called, and I was off.
Walking up to the building, which was one story and had "Welcome!" posters featuring classic-style Disney characters, I encountered three or four Cast Members, two standing, the others sitting at a table. I waited behind a person who had walked up before me, and heard her being asked her name. We were getting name tags, but not the officially official Disney ones. Just white oval stickers upon which our first names were written in black sharpie. We were told to put them on our left side, turn to the left, and follow the red carpet. I didn't quite notice the carpet until I was almost off of it. I was busy being distracted by the large group of people I saw before me. It was an outdoor area in the shape of half a hexagon. There was a low metal divider guiding newcomers to the left side, past what looked like a giant postcard featuring the classic characters and welcoming us to Disney (near Donald was the phrase "I'm here and you're not". To my right, beneath a celing of fans, were tables where small groups of people stood, grabbing pens laying in the center and filling out paperwork. Beyond them, in typical Disney fashion, lay a huge line of people winding its way into a building. Over the din of chatter, a dj pumped loud beats.
At the end of the divider, a Cast Member stood, greeting people, answering questions, and handing out thick paper books. She spotted me, said hello and smiled (in Disney fashion), and handed me one of the books. I was instructed to fill it out and the paperwork within. On-boarding had begun.
And that's where I've got to leave it for tonight. More tomorrow, hopefully, but for now, sleep once again is definitely a good idea.
I'm sitting in my new apartment, lights off, watching Man Versus Wild and listening to my roommate talk to her boyfriend and my other roommates chat in the kitchen.
It's like living at college all over again.
I don't have much time to write, as usual, but since today was a rather big day, I feel you're owed at least something of an entry. So let's begin...
This morning, I was the second one up, which is amazing because it usually takes a sonic boom to get me out of bed. Wait, scratch that, I've slept through a sonic boom. Of course, it took a half hour of rolling around and listening to jabbering morning television, but eventually I got up. While I dressed, my Mom, who seems to always be the first one up, managed to rouse the rest of my family. Sleepily, we headed downstairs to the Holiday Inn Express' continentental breakfast. Nothing too amazing, but I had delicious sausage and had a yogurt spit at me when I opened it.
I found myself amused watching the people around me. Behind me was a tv with the Disney Channel playing (of course). Special Agent Oso was on and I couldn't help but watch as people randomly became entranced with the show. Even my family was swept in, my Dad wondering why Oso was teaching three year olds how to make pancakes and my Mom wondering why Oso is yellow and green. My Dad said it was jaundice from all the drinking.
We headed back upstairs and I tried to grab all my items scattered around the room. I left the food, and Mom and I headed out toward the car, Dad and my sister following soon after. Although I was tired and would've rather gone back to bed, it was beginning to dawn on me what was going to happen today: I was going to become a Disney Cast Member. I was starting to feel a little nervous.
My roommate Alex had called me earlier in the morning to tell me she was going to arrive by 8:30am. I had aimed to live a little early too, so as to make the nine o'clock starting time. Needless to say, the drive to Vista Way had taken just a little longer than usual (traffic). We arrived, my Mom and I in one car, my Dad and sister behind us, and found ourselves having to navigate around the unfamiliar complex. There were signs, of course, and Cast Members directing traffic. I was a little worried about one Cast Member: with my window open, I could hear her directing the car in front of us, and when we pulled up, she repeated the directions in the exact same voice. And then did it again to my Dad and sister. It was like being in the queue for a ride and hearing the same sound track repeated over and over again. Creepy.
I wonder if they train you to do that.
Winding our way on the roads through the close beige complexes, we finally found parking spaces, mine opening up when a nice guy removed a yellow cone blocking a space. From there, my family retraced our path, walking together in the humidity, already building in the early morning. I called Alex trying to figure out where she was waiting for me. We had spotted a white tent full of people that I had presumed was the check-in area, but it turned out to be a tent for family and friends. Proceeding onward, we went around a gentle curve in the road and found a building swarming with teens. I kept walking, past a slow moving family, and turned just in time to hear a Cast Member tell my family they couldn't go any further and would have to go back to the tent. "Bye Kate!" my Mom called, and I was off.
Walking up to the building, which was one story and had "Welcome!" posters featuring classic-style Disney characters, I encountered three or four Cast Members, two standing, the others sitting at a table. I waited behind a person who had walked up before me, and heard her being asked her name. We were getting name tags, but not the officially official Disney ones. Just white oval stickers upon which our first names were written in black sharpie. We were told to put them on our left side, turn to the left, and follow the red carpet. I didn't quite notice the carpet until I was almost off of it. I was busy being distracted by the large group of people I saw before me. It was an outdoor area in the shape of half a hexagon. There was a low metal divider guiding newcomers to the left side, past what looked like a giant postcard featuring the classic characters and welcoming us to Disney (near Donald was the phrase "I'm here and you're not". To my right, beneath a celing of fans, were tables where small groups of people stood, grabbing pens laying in the center and filling out paperwork. Beyond them, in typical Disney fashion, lay a huge line of people winding its way into a building. Over the din of chatter, a dj pumped loud beats.
At the end of the divider, a Cast Member stood, greeting people, answering questions, and handing out thick paper books. She spotted me, said hello and smiled (in Disney fashion), and handed me one of the books. I was instructed to fill it out and the paperwork within. On-boarding had begun.
And that's where I've got to leave it for tonight. More tomorrow, hopefully, but for now, sleep once again is definitely a good idea.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Disney
I made it!
And I got free chocolate!
Tomorrow's the check-in day. More information then. For now, sleep definitely seems like a good idea.
But if you're looking for something to read...
Man Convicted of Groping Minnie Mouse
AP
ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 11) - A 60-year-old man has been convicted of groping a woman in a Minnie Mouse costume at Walt Disney World.
John William Moyer of Cressona, Pa., told the judge he is innocent. His son said before sentencing that his father would never inappropriately touch a woman.
He was convicted Tuesday of misdemeanor battery and sentenced to write the victim an apology, serve 180 days probation and complete 50 hours of community service. Moyer must also pay $1,000 in court costs and possibly undergo a mental evaluation.
The victim says she had to do everything possible to keep Moyer's hands off her breasts.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
2009-08-11 16:26:18
And the caption beneath the picture of Minnie:
A 60-year-old tourist has been convicted of groping Minnie Mouse at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. The cherished cartoon character is seen here in happier days.
...
Good night.
And I got free chocolate!
Tomorrow's the check-in day. More information then. For now, sleep definitely seems like a good idea.
But if you're looking for something to read...
Man Convicted of Groping Minnie Mouse
AP
ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 11) - A 60-year-old man has been convicted of groping a woman in a Minnie Mouse costume at Walt Disney World.
John William Moyer of Cressona, Pa., told the judge he is innocent. His son said before sentencing that his father would never inappropriately touch a woman.
He was convicted Tuesday of misdemeanor battery and sentenced to write the victim an apology, serve 180 days probation and complete 50 hours of community service. Moyer must also pay $1,000 in court costs and possibly undergo a mental evaluation.
The victim says she had to do everything possible to keep Moyer's hands off her breasts.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
2009-08-11 16:26:18
And the caption beneath the picture of Minnie:
A 60-year-old tourist has been convicted of groping Minnie Mouse at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. The cherished cartoon character is seen here in happier days.
...
Good night.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Cordele or bust
Time for another postcard post!
Last one up this morning. Went to Waffle House. OMG happiness. Started driving around 9:50am. Sky cloudy with humid shades of white, grey, blue. Drive through Nashville and just keep going. Attempted to find Bug Scuffle this time around. Still no luck. Maybe too far south? Hit the mountains in Tennessee. Rest stop had bug-infested tables, but beautiful lake/mountain view. Had a sweet tea and a salad from Wendy's. Stopped by a Truett's and learned the origins of Chick-Fil-A. Baptism by fire into Atlanta's rush hour traffic. Nothing but driving after that, with more-than-occassional construction. Saw signs for Orlando Discount Tickets right along with Adult Superstores. Finally made it to Cordele. Ate at Captain D's. Sweet employee gave my sister and I some food. At hotel, trying to finish Disney on-boarding paperwork. Dad was watching show about baboons, now we're on to the space program.
As with yesterday's post, I'll write more later. I do have another question that needs answering. While my family and I were eating dinner, we began to wonder how it is that Disney gets all of its Guests out of the park at the end of a long day. Another thing to learn!
Last one up this morning. Went to Waffle House. OMG happiness. Started driving around 9:50am. Sky cloudy with humid shades of white, grey, blue. Drive through Nashville and just keep going. Attempted to find Bug Scuffle this time around. Still no luck. Maybe too far south? Hit the mountains in Tennessee. Rest stop had bug-infested tables, but beautiful lake/mountain view. Had a sweet tea and a salad from Wendy's. Stopped by a Truett's and learned the origins of Chick-Fil-A. Baptism by fire into Atlanta's rush hour traffic. Nothing but driving after that, with more-than-occassional construction. Saw signs for Orlando Discount Tickets right along with Adult Superstores. Finally made it to Cordele. Ate at Captain D's. Sweet employee gave my sister and I some food. At hotel, trying to finish Disney on-boarding paperwork. Dad was watching show about baboons, now we're on to the space program.
As with yesterday's post, I'll write more later. I do have another question that needs answering. While my family and I were eating dinner, we began to wonder how it is that Disney gets all of its Guests out of the park at the end of a long day. Another thing to learn!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Bowling Green or bust
It's late. 12:40am Central to be exact, which is kind of funny since we were in Eastern for a while. Guess Days Inn offers many of the amenities of home, ne?
Anyway, since there is a leftover KFC biscuit to be had and some stretching out to do, I'll give the shortened version of today. Call it a postcard post:
Left late. Came home from last night's wedding and fell asleep instead of packing. Left at 11:43pm. Went to library, post office, then friend's house. Had to pick up shoes left there from yesterday. Pair of sneakers, really needed, Disney not foot friendly. Great amounts of driving. Great amounts of construction. Drove through/around big city for first time. Lunch at McDonalds, dinner at KFC in Kentucky. Reached Bowling Green after 9:30pm. Family and car taking a well-deserved rest.
When I have a little more time, I'll write a more complete post about the day. Or at least as much as one can write about a ten hour day consisting mostly of driving.
But there's one more thing before I go.
A month ago I had wondered where I would be today at 8:04pm. Although I was on Eastern time (so it sorta counts), at 8:04pm today I was just minutes south from the boundaries of Louisville and had run into yet another section of road construction. The shoulder of the road had become the left lane, and as we sped over the safety ridges, the resulting noise could only be equated to a rather large dog in an empty, echoing house, barking through a window. The safety barks carried through the frame of my car, immersing me in surround sound, and for a split second I was convinced there was a Doberman outside my door.
Yes, a dog outside my car at 70mph. That makes sense :P
But it was pitch perfect, which was pretty impressive. And interestingly enough, I Dream Of Jeanne's on right now, and it's an episode featuring dogs. Perhaps we've reached the Dog Days of summer?
Boo.
As for 8:04pm Central time? Unfortunately, my phone was in my pocket at the time, so I didn't quite note where I was, but I'm very sure I was driving, and possibly singing along with the radio.
And on that note, I'm off to finish that KFC biscuit and to go stretch out.
Anyway, since there is a leftover KFC biscuit to be had and some stretching out to do, I'll give the shortened version of today. Call it a postcard post:
Left late. Came home from last night's wedding and fell asleep instead of packing. Left at 11:43pm. Went to library, post office, then friend's house. Had to pick up shoes left there from yesterday. Pair of sneakers, really needed, Disney not foot friendly. Great amounts of driving. Great amounts of construction. Drove through/around big city for first time. Lunch at McDonalds, dinner at KFC in Kentucky. Reached Bowling Green after 9:30pm. Family and car taking a well-deserved rest.
When I have a little more time, I'll write a more complete post about the day. Or at least as much as one can write about a ten hour day consisting mostly of driving.
But there's one more thing before I go.
A month ago I had wondered where I would be today at 8:04pm. Although I was on Eastern time (so it sorta counts), at 8:04pm today I was just minutes south from the boundaries of Louisville and had run into yet another section of road construction. The shoulder of the road had become the left lane, and as we sped over the safety ridges, the resulting noise could only be equated to a rather large dog in an empty, echoing house, barking through a window. The safety barks carried through the frame of my car, immersing me in surround sound, and for a split second I was convinced there was a Doberman outside my door.
Yes, a dog outside my car at 70mph. That makes sense :P
But it was pitch perfect, which was pretty impressive. And interestingly enough, I Dream Of Jeanne's on right now, and it's an episode featuring dogs. Perhaps we've reached the Dog Days of summer?
Boo.
As for 8:04pm Central time? Unfortunately, my phone was in my pocket at the time, so I didn't quite note where I was, but I'm very sure I was driving, and possibly singing along with the radio.
And on that note, I'm off to finish that KFC biscuit and to go stretch out.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
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