Four...

Today was my last 5:30am day. For the time being anyway. I got assigned to Door 3 (hanging clothes). Kim got assigned to Door 6, and wasn't thrilled. Another girl (forgot her name, sorry) was assigned to Spider, and since it was her first time doing the 5:30am shift, she didn't know what to do. Kim asked Rob if they could trade. Rob said no. I tried to help Kim as best as I could, at least in terms of finding the "door" area and wondering with her if Door 8 (which was listed on the same sign) was her responsibility or someone else's. Turns out, it was her's.

Jerri, one of the stock women, officially celebrated 5 years with the Company today. It was actually earlier in the week, and Manager Ginny had brought her flowers, but today was official. The stockers all gathered in the managers' offices area, where they gave her a pin, a card, and Manager Meag brought out Munchkin donuts. I had two covered in small, multicolored, round sprinkles. Awesome ^-^

Back in the tunnel, however, I found out from Terri (working the other half of Door 3 with me) that 5 years used to be celebrated with a breakfast. They'd have it over in World Showcase before it opened, and there'd be a slideshow and the managers would all be there. Plus, Terri said she was trying to help Jerri put the five year pin on her name tag, and realized the pin was plastic! Apparently two people have 25 year pins, and one's different (cheaper?) than the other.

Spent some time letting my imagination go while in the tunnel ^-^

Today I also got my Public Storage unit. Found out the woman I left a message with actually LIVES at PS, which seemed kind of interesting. She showed me around, told me about the things she'd be fixing and what she planned to do, and gave me a whirlwind of information and paperwork. It cost...about the price of a hotel room for the night, but honestly, I thought it was kind of neat. I've got one box there now, and really need to get to packing things up a little more.

Finally, while trying to find out when I work tomorrow, I discovered that I'm scheduled for next week Sunday through Wednesday. I'm sure this is from when I talked to Sandra about going seasonal and she told me to put my availability in The Hub. But as the schedule's still temporary, who knows? We'll have to see about it all.

One last thing I want to mention before I go, even though it may not have been my last forever, today was my last Wave as a CP. That was always one of my favorite parts of the 5:30am shifts. It was so nice to take a break from stocking (unless I was way behind), go and sit and listen to the store updates, and then fun trying to find the right right-handed Mickey mitt to wear while standing outside in the Breezeway. Sometimes, like today, the weather would be just absolutely wonderful, and that breath of fresh air would be so rewarding. Of course I'd watch the Fab Five as they made their way around by the people. And then the "First Family" Test Track car would drive by and we'd all cheer and wave. Finally, the Guests would be let in, and sometimes it would be nothing short of a sea of people (or a little group if the weather was meh). It was always so cool to see that many people headed straight towards you, and fun watching Attractions people try to keep them in line. And more fun to watch the random stragglers from the morning's Princess Breakfast try to get out of the way. Ah and then the waving and the "Good morning"ing and the high four-ing too, all these people rushing past on their way to Test Track and Mission Space. It wasn't hard to give a geniune smile to these people.

And some would pin trade too, that I loved.

I'm also going to miss being in Epcot in the early hours of the morning. With the Flower and Garden festival going on, the air always smelled so sweet in the mornings. It would be so cool to skirt around the trucks and pargos driving on the paths and avoiding getting sprayed by the high-pressure hoses 3rd shift was using (or the watering system the park employs). Secretly, my favorite part was being able to see Spaceship Earth. It hasn't really been lit up in the mornings, "conserving energy" I guess, but today it had a bit of its nighttime glow and then some reflected white light from goodness-knows-what project was being worked on that required bright lights. Walking down the (nearly) empty pathways, seeing people work or just enjoying the quiet peace, that's something to be savored, for sure.

And walking by Test Track maintenance in the morning and peaking in to see what the guys were doing! It was always awkward when they'd say good morning to me. Polite, but then I'd feel like I should be staring. But it was still neat. Especially when I could look into the back of Test Track, right off the end of the ride, and see the sign hanging that says "Test Track, opening Spring 1997". It's nice when they keep stuff like that.

Oh my, I've got to get to bed! Here's hoping that things'll be ok, since the next couple of days are just going to be crazy. I've got lots of fun packing and organizing to do, not to mention wanting to get some laundry done (believe it or not). But sleep is good too :P

"Gosh we've missed you"

I know, I know, I know, it's been a while since I've updated on here. And it's going to be a little longer. Sorry, but I've got lots to do tonight: graduation photopass, thank you notes, making food for tomorrow. I will sum it up by saying: week at World of Disney, Shalom suspended, and now (sadly), terminated, David and Jill visiting, lack of sleep, visiting Casting. How's that for a start?

Oh, and the title comes from a Disney promotional e-mail I got. Awww ^-^

Soon(ish) ok?


One other thing. Today is/was approximately two weeks until I have to leave. Technically it's less than two weeks that I have to work, since the 14th is the day that they want us out of the apartment, but still.

Two weeks left until I'm a(n official) college program alumni.

Today was also a 5:30am day, and I got Breezeway. Nobody got Bubble (apparently) because we were shorthanded.

I can't believe it. Two weeks left.

Man...

5:30am Days - One Month Left To Go

Beginning of a crazy six-day week. Today 5:30am - 4:00pm. Tomorrow 11:00am - 6:00pm on register. Another 5:30am - 4:00pm after that. Then normal day of 5:30am - 2:00pm. Then I'm deployed to World of Disney. Sunday register. Monday stock from 3:30pm - midnight. Shifts are all until late at night. It's going to be fun.

Woke up today not feeling all that great. Managed to get to work and was put in Bubble. Found out General Manager of something from California was doing a walk of store from 3-5pm. Met woman looking for black visor. Didn't have one out on display, offered to check stockroom really quick. "Really, really quick" she said. Had to meet someone, didn't tell them she was stopping. Raced downstairs, skimmed hats, took stairs two at a time to get up, opened door to find Cast Member standing where woman was now rolling away (wheelchair? ECV?). Other Cast Member told me the woman had said I was taking too long.

...

Coolest thing happened while I was working on shoes. Family came in, looking at shoes and chatting. Thought it would be polite to acknowledge them. One of the young adult daughters was wearing wedding headband ears. Said they looked nice. Dad told me I looked like one of the people he went on the Keys To The Kingdom tour with yesterday. He looked familiar. Asked him what time his tour was at. 9:00am he responded. "Wait..." I said, "Alabama? With the Wrigley Field shirt?" It was him! He was surprised to see me, especially to find out I was a Cast Member. "Ta Da" I said weakly, commenting it would've been nice to have transformed into something a little better looking (Mouse Gear costume's kind of cool). Said it was nice to meet him again.

Also met up with Holly from Sunset later in the day. Was there with her former roommate, who had extended and works in Dinoland now. Holly's living at home with her parents. Doesn't know what to do with her life. Is thinking about going to grad school as a result.

Not the most productive day in Bubble. Finished and walked back to Cast Services. Quick costume stop and clothing change, and I was on my way to get gas. Then it was over to Walmart to get a new pair of work shoes. After much back-and-forth, chose same brand and style ("Captain") as before, just larger. Then back to apartment to try to make Pasta Primavera. Lots of work, hard to keep track of the two different items. Managed it anyway. Food was delicious, although not feeling well now. Possibly just because not having felt well this morning?

Had chat on phone with Mom (Dad in background) about next steps. Really feeling uncertain. Waiting on Professional Internship, but no idea whether or not I'll get it. Had sent e-mail yesterday, asking why I had been denied. Generic e-mail response: too many requests, not enough roles. I understand why my parents say there's more opportunity here, but I don't feel ready to get involved in getting an apartment, at least, not in Florida, not for a minimum wage job, and not without a focused future.

Not happy with the way I act sometimes, especially when my family's trying to help me.

I know I should have looked at jobs, or read "Parachute" book. But sometimes, you just gotta watch Ed, Edd, n' Eddy.

Just watched South Park's 200th episode. Dramatic and funny, nicely done. Definitely time for bed now. Lots to focus on, lots to think about.

Happy One-Month-Left. One month from now, I'll officially no longer be a CP. Whether I'm here at that point, working, driving, or at Acen, I don't know. I wonder where I'll be. But, I've got to say, I can't believe there's just one month left. Crazy to think about, especially when I think about the journey I've taken since that March day (March 17th maybe? 12th?) last year, when I decided to go for the Disney College Program. And now, here I am, trying to get a hold on my future.

Amazing.

5:30am Days - Is there a spider in my nuts?

Title comes from something my Dad asked my Mom tonight. He's referring to a can of nuts (I hope). Mary Carmen was MOD this morning. First time. Brought in bagels from Panera for us. Cinnamon-Crunch is delicious! Talked a bit about where we're from, how long we've been with Disney. Then, off to work. Assigned to Bubble. No assistance from an accessories person. Tried to do what I could. Shoes just always a pain in the butt e.e Looked like rain for this morning (it did last night maybe?) but cleared up and got sunny, yay! Was still told to go get ponchos. Also had to check sizes on all Hoodies In A Bag. Pain in the butt, but gave me a little project to do. Really hungry all day for some reason. Finished work with a race to get last pair of large black Crocs onto shelf (didn't have any in cart). Weather really nice this afternoon. Got back to apartment and nibbled on S'mores Goldfish while reading Haunted Mansion book on the couch. Eventually moved outside onto balcony. Brought chair out to sit and read. Was a little bit in sunbeam. Watched it slowly move away as sun set. Finished Haunted Mansion book. 2/3s was good, last part about movie was blah. Got a txt from Misako. She's arrived in Chicago. Good to hear, glad to know she got there ok. Anthony called to say hi. Was on phone with Mom at the time. Called back afterwards. Told me it was 80 degrees one day, and then snowing the next. Also said worked 9 (9 1/2?) hours on Easter, got holiday pay for all of it. Big news - Charlene called him to say she's gotten a full time job with Disney. Will be working Spaceship Earth, woo! Must get over to Sunset to congratulate her. Things still up in the air for me. Need to get it sorted out. Need to make a list. Need to get to bed first. Excited about Baby-Sitters Club post. Although, I think they added in extra characters near the end. Not so great, but those first books were awesome. Makes me want to pick them up again, especially originals with original references. But for now, sleep. Gotta keep one thing in mind though...

Today, April 5, 2010, is approximately FIVE WEEKS until my College Program ends.
Gotta get doing stuff...

5:30am Days - C-C-C-C-Changes

Today 5:30am-4:00pm shift. Not very thrilled. Especially after lack of being able to go home for Easter. Got assigned to accessories (slightly better). No other CPs this morning. Announced that Magic Kingdom got some toy monorails with purple color. Purple's retired because of accident. Were told to check ours and be on the lookout. Manager Ginny asked me if I'd done accessories before. Allowed me to ask questions. Had a slice of Cuban (not French) bread with butter. Had one more, plain, later on. Helped guy named Kevin in Bubble. Only second time on 5:30am shift for him. Gave a little advice and help, went on my way. Phone can now play music. Made good use of that this morning until Epcot music came on. Kept volume low though, polite to others. Found out author was doing booksigning in Bubble today. Ridley Pearson, author of Kingdom Keepers series. Book three out today. Instructed by Manager Ginny to stack and arrange book display. Kind of fun. Suggested to Manager Ginny that some of the books should be displayed at registers. Was told that was a good idea. Spent most of day working on books and shoes, occasionally making it to other areas. Occasionally helped Guests too. Ran around looking for sharpie for woman celebrating 14yr Anniversary, but had only been given "I'm Celebrating" button. Need to get more markers and sharpies. While working on books, teen girl (with birthday button) and her parents (with anniversary buttons) came in. Said they wanted to get autographed book, but author signing only from 4-6 and they had dinner reservations at Hoop De Doo for 5:00pm. Have to be at location at 4:15pm. Wanted to know if they could leave book to get signed. Said I'd seek out manager. Found Coordinator Gwen instead. She said no, went to see Guests anyway. Told them that Pearson's time relaly restricted. Wristbands being given to only 150 people. Family wasn't very happy to hear this. "Happy birthday" the Mom sighed, and picked up book to purchase as gift for daughter. Later, on second break, thought that maybe, if Pearson was worth his salt as a writer, he could sign just one copy of book. I could take copy over to Hoop De Doo, find family, make swap. Would maybe even be willing to have manager come along, if they thought I might do something fishy. That's Disney magic right there. Finished break and went to find manager. All standing around on stage, waiting for Pearson to show. Not doing anything, just standing and talking. Finally Manager Ginny was free. Told her about family, asked if Pearson could do any signing. Was told he had been set to sign a bunch of extras. Due to time, never happened. Wanted to explain rest of my plan, stalled by young boy who wanted to pin trade. By time I traded, Manager Ginny was chatting with another manager. No good to interrupt there. I'm sorry, Celebrating Family. You may never read this, but I heard your problem, and had a solution. I'm very sorry it didn't go through. Finished work day and walked long way backstage, chatting with Mom on phone about not being able to finish telling Manager Ginny what I planned to do. Changed in car and headed to Hess across from MGM to get my car a carwash. Tried to pay at wash. No way to do so. Drove through, parked along random curving curb. Went inside. Waited in line. Paid. Went back to wash. Started entering code. Notice displayed: Carwash broken, please tell manager. Drove through. Parked along curb again. Think I spotted Ketty from Sunset (in Sunset clothing and holding a hot dog) heading towards store. Went inside. Waited in line. Guy went to go reset. I pondered 99 cent Coke slush. Guy returned, said it was a go. Went back to carwash. Laserwash, just like at home, only with chirping beeps to tell me to stop and to drive. Happy dryers pass overhead instead of my having to drive beneath them. Left. Was about to merge onto World Center. Remembered Soyoung saying she was working today. Soyoung getting new role - moving to full service food and beverage at Polynesian at the Luau. Thought it might be nice to visit her in qsr. Turned around at Shades of Green entry road. Tried to get into Boardwalk parking lot at stop light just a little down the road from main entrance. This entrance used by buses. Waited. Tried id. No good, arm wouldn't go up. Had to make awkward turn around and go in proper entrance. Parked in self-park. Walked onto Boardwalk (funnel cakes smell delicious). Played a little phone tag with Mom. Made my way to Yacht and Beach Clubs. Determined weather was good ice cream weather. Got to Periwig Salon/Beaches and Cream area at Beach Club when thought Soyoung's costume looked more like something found at Yacht Club. Turned around. Hunted a little for store at Yacht Club (got just a little turned around at lobby). Found store. Wrong place. Had to go back to Beach Club. Once there, found store, but no Soyoung. Waited and wandered, still nothing. Decided to get a Dole Whip. Walked around a bit, looking for bus stop. Found signs and followed, enjoying walking by fountain and pleasant summer-like night air. Found bus stop and sat. Listened to family plan food at Magic Kingdom. Guy's phone had menus - cool. Just sitting made me feel like I was on vacation. Bus finally came. Encouraged couple to get on before me, despite his logic "It's not gonna leave without me". Seeing ad for mobile magic (updates sent to phone) also made it seem like vacation for some reason. Saw monorail Gold. Laughed to myself - saw Gold this morning when setting up books and getting things ready for Guests. Arrived and headed into Magic Kingdom (semi-thorough lady Guard). Walked left side of Main Street, headed into Adventureland. Saw people could walk through Castle. Was happy. Little line at Aloha Isle, but no worries. Guy behind me asked if this was ice cream. Was asking wife/girlfriend, but I answered. Said sort of, had pineapple and orange flavors. He wanted ice cream. I recommonded the plaza. Said he wanted soft serve, like at Animal Kingdom. Realized it would be helpful to have tell-a-cast for that. Woman in front of me passed flavor information back to him. He wanted to know if there would be cones. Said I was unsure. Got a Dole Whip float. Haven't had one since my Disney vacation in October. Still delicious. Sat down on rockbench facing land entrance. Took in some details, and annoying sound of "Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It" parade. Enjoyed, then walked to Hub and aimed to go through crowd to castle and beyond. Saw Mad Hatter dancing atop one of the floats. Whoopie? Walked through. Couldn't remember which Imagineers are in murals. Wondered which door leads to "Castle Elevator". Wandered Fantasyland. Took in some of the beautiful details of where the Skyway used to be. Lots of lush greenry and levels. There's a clock there too?? Wanted to ride a ride. Lines long all around. Figured parade was over and was getting late. Back to front of park and buses. Boardwalk and Yatch and Beach Clubs buses pulling away as I arrived. Boardwalk had another one come soon after. Drivers changed, first one telling me he'd had a long day. A long day? Two families got on bus. One went to back. Dad and daughter (son?) sat more in middle. Then Dad said "Let's go to the back". Sitting at front of bus, not really showered, wearing "Painting/Pain" t-shirt. Was it me? Enjoyed ride. Drove back to apartment. Saw lovely colors of evening sky (and star) in parking lot. At door, noticed next door had notice in their door. Inside, saw little bags of cookies. We passed inspection! Found Soyoung. She'd called in. Was supposed to work at Yacht and Beach today too x.x Went to change, saw moving notice on dresser for Soyoung. Talks of May move already? Turns out, no. She's got to move this Monday. Monday - Wednesday to be exact. No idea where she's moving to either. And role change not next week, but the week after. Chatted with her a little about Luau area of Polynesian, maybe living with person next door (Soyoung said Korean girl lives there, maybe same depature date, would explain the notice). Made me wonder if I'm going to be getting new roommate. Showered, decided on leftover Hamburger Helper Italian Lasagna. Scooped out from container, looked like cat food example you don't want from a commercial. Still delicious. Ate while reading Shalom's borrowed Haunted Mansion book. Finished with a little salad and V8 Raspberry Goji drink. Delcious. Had nibbled on cookies a bit :P

Need to update on things, like Easter. Tired now though.

Oh, also, got denied my request off for May yesterday. First one denied - can't give time off during final week of program. Second - program ends on the 14th, can't give time off.

...awesome.

Weather was hot today, apparently. But the night time was very nice. Reminded me of the summers of home.

I miss home.

But I really got to get my act together.

Sleep first :P

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter!!

Yes, the big day has arrived (and practically gone at the time of this writing). Kind of fell off the Lentan (Lentian?) bandwagon a little near the end. Gotta keep trying. HOpefully I can do a better entry tomorrow as, believe it or not, it's 11:04pm and I'm tired. I've got a couple of things to do tomorrow that simply must get done, but otherwise, I'm gonna try to take care of things on here. Much writing to do, and not all of it in the blogging style.

I will say this though: I am more than a little disappointed that I couldn't be home for Easter. I don't think there was too much I could've done in regards to getting these exact days off, but I'm still a little bummed that I missed yet another holiday. That being said, yay for having a bunny in my pocket and for being assigned to Accessories after being assigned to Bubble (yep, it was a 5:30am shift today too).

Also, Easter candy is awesome, Easter phone calls and relaxing, more awesome..er.

And as a little side note, since today is Sunday, I got to take a look at my schedule for next week. Mostly 5:30am days once again, but next Wednesday, I had a shift from 5:00pm - midnight. Which, while different, isn't terrible. Until I figured out that I'd have to work at 5:30am the next day. That doesn't fly with me. Hopefully it'll be fixed :P

Happy Easter to everyone once again ^-^

Lent xx - 5:30am Days - Dadgum!

Thought someone was up this morning. Heard someone in the bathroom, and thought I heard Misako/Shalom's door open, but was interested in cereal and reading a mail ad booklet for Sony products. Got Bubble again today. Was also the only person (in the group of Kim, Robyn, and Alice) to work. Where is everyone? Ginny gave me a mini "moving stuff around" project. Nothing bad at all, just switching some tops and shorts. She did say the people down in the tunnels were cranky today. I think it's just the coupon. The doors leading to Bubble were unlocked. A moth managed to get into the store. No idea where it went. Also got to see the moon hanging over what I believe is the side of "Honey, I Shrunk The Audience". Kind of cool. Had seen the moon on Monday as I was heading home. Big and pale and beautiful, it was rising up over the horizon. Got to get a nice look at it while stopped at the light by the Hess at the intersection of International Drive and World Center. And there it was this morning, hanging in the sky, going to bed while I was going to work. Hat wall was redone today too. Looks a little overwhelming, but also kind of nice. Didn't get my break until late again, meaning I got to eat at least seven hours after "breakfast" this morning (is there a meal before breakfast? Cause that's what it is really). Kept busy trying to stock. Wasn't doing the greatest of jobs, but things looked...ok. Neat...ish anyway. Left the doors to Bubble open today. So nice to see the people and feel the breeze. Plus, heard fountain today. It makes funny little popping noises. Neat ^-^ Had a woman describe a hat to me ("Walt Disney World written on the side of the bill, and a metal medalion in the center. Brown and khaki") and I managed to find just the right one. Woo! Helped a ten year old out, writing his name (Brian Allen, first and last!) on his birthday button. I told him it was cool that he had hit the double digits, and that now he was "seasoned". Took my second break around 1:15pm. Headed up to the managers' office area. Heard news of popcorn. There was! Probably stuff left over from Christmas tins. Three kinds, but I stuck with a handful or two of carmel. Also (finally) had a hot chocolate. Headed to breakroom to sit. Decided, at the last minute, that Bubble needed some more work, and extended an extra hour. Managed to straighten more, made a list, nearly ran out of time. At the last minute, a woman asked me to take her to the hats, since we didn't have a shirt/hat combo in the size she was looking for, and wanted a medium size in the doggie shirt. First time finding those things. Now I know where they are! Thought I had lost my cart after that. Searched everywhere for it. Found it in jewlery, not too far from where it should've been, I think, but now it had a couple extra t-shirts and items people didn't want. Well...nice of them to put the items in there. Met Coordinator Miguel in Costuming. He was going in while I was leaving. Said he was going to have to work seven days in a row. That sucks. Called (and got another number to call) to find out info about Professional Internships. No longer staying 45 minutes away, but if I can't work at Mouse Gear between the end of my college program and the beginning of the professional internship, I gotta take my stuff home. No early moving in. Ah, more fun. Seriously debated a Chick-Fil-A shake. Also found out there's a Chick-Fil-A coming to Chicago, woo!! Had a little munch-fest when I got back to the apartment. Tried new Banana Nut Granola. Tasted good. Still waiting on the "final results". "It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" was on tonight too. Happy to see it ^-^ Believe it or not, tried calling a couple of people to see if they could work Easter for me. Usha works until 11:00pm tonight. Barbara Diaz is not a girl, but a guy, and he's working at Blizzard Beach all week since he's seasonal. I had such wonderful hopes for being able to find someone, to get it approved (quickly), and to be able to fly home tomorrow night. I still do...

Windows keeps asking to restart to make changes. Leave me alone, I've got pictures of "Mator" the UFO from one of the Car Toons to find. And stuff to prepare for tomorrow.

After watching Easter Beagle, I'm still really, REALLY hoping for some Easter goodness.

Dadgum >.<

Lent xx - 5:30am Days - It's not 5:30!!

9:00am - 5:30pm shift today!
No wait...9:00am - 6:00pm shift today!
Wait, wait...9:00am - 6:30pm shift today!!

Yeah, that's right!

I'm tired, I need sleep, and I don't know how I feel about being on register.
But I've got a craving for some of Goofy's candy :P

Also, I picked out Kirsten Storms on General Hospital! I'm not sure what that really means, as I don't really watch the show, but woo!!

Lent xx - 5:30am Days - I need to be cuddled

Checked cds this morning: Easter Sunday - 5:30- 14:00.

...

Assigned to home dec today. Originally had a partner, but then she got moved to kids. Need to learn how to fold towels. Manager Rob was asking what sections we like. Kind of really didn't say anything, when I should've. Had also asked which ones we didn't like. Figured if I told him this, then if I screwed up, he'd put me there. Probably should have spoken up, ne? New plush named...P...uh...don't know. Nicknamed Pluto "Ninja Pluto". Met little girl in Tiana dress. Really cute, really nice. British accent? Scraped her knee on the side of a pool. Got a little Figment to kiss it to see if it made it better. Figment kissed her cheek too. She said it didn't help :P Asked if Donald was up in the office. Said he was, but busy because he was dealing with his nephews. Tried to put out Fab 5 display frame. Wrestled with the box for a few minutes, ended ripping it to get at frame, then struggled to put frame together (Minnie separate piece that helps hold photo display), and finally, after getting it, lifted it up to check for price and price tag...and dropped it. Minnie's arms and nose popped off. Off to damages...lesson learned. Went on first break a little late, but went instead of going to register. Needed food and a break. Never got to my second break. Considered extending. Decided against. Did find $5 though! And gave it to the manager x.x I really need to learn... Nicknamed Alice and Robyn the Tweedle Twins. Started to rain as I got to my car. Got to apartment, chatted with Mom on phone, and got into apartment just as rain started really coming down. Almost like snow. Outlines of things were all fuzzy and white. Little lightning and thunder too. Got to watch Dumbo (finally) when I got back. Good movie. Haven't seen it since I was a kid, which was weird, because I remembered some parts. Ah Dumbo. Related a lot to him in more than one way. "Baby Mine" sequence got me sniffly. At 64 minutes, decided to watch again with audio commentary. Was learning some neat stuff, but had to go to Church and so had to shut it off halfway through. Palm Sunday Mass - long, but enjoyable. 6:00pm Mass, ended at 7:30pm. Got me kind of down too. Partially because I kept thinking about Baby Mine. Also because of lack of Easter Headed to Vista to drop off Dumbo and Jurassic Park (really wanted to watch the rest of Dumbo and actually watch Jurassic Park). Picked up Great Mouse Detective and 101 Dalmations. Actually watched an episode of Jonas on Disney Channel. I know!! Wtf?? Also chatted with Mom again. Feeling down about Easter. Feel I can't really go anywhere, because it's spring break, everyone's here for vacation and Easter, and since I'm working Easter, not really much of a "vacation" or holiday for me. Mom suggested visiting the tourist traps. Good idea. Delayed in getting to bed when I wanted to, so I should probably go now.

Why is everything I want on iTunes $1.29?

Also, I forgot to mention yesterday that I learned how to hand hug. If I give my right hand, you give your right, so we're palm-to-palm with thumbs on opposite sides. Then, move thumb around side of other person's hand. It's a hug!

Dumbo taught me you don't need wings to fly.

Lent xx - 5:30am days - Changing Awkwardly

Assigned to home dec today.
Got many mini projects.
Brad left.
Anthony's leaving.
According to a Facebook quiz, I'm supposed to be an entertainment Cast Member.
Time for sleep.

P.S. - Epcot at night, with no people, and pathways large enough to presumably fit three cars, is cool

Lent xx - 5:30am days - Expected Changes

Charging $4.50 just to PROCESS extension request? Ridiculous! Yesterday was assigned to Bubble. Stocked on and off throughout the day. Just kind of needed it. Ginny pulled me to do a project at one point. Had Pirates t-shirts on one wall, wanted to swap them to another. While doing so, Mom and two little girls came in. Little girls wanted to pin trade. Traded, chatted about pins. Saw one was wearing an "I'm Celebrating" button. Asked what it was for. Little girl looked at Mom and Mom said to tell. Little girl said "I'm celebrating my little sister kicking ::kick:: cancer's butt". These girls were like...three? Four? Incredible. Definitely something to celebrate. Engaged with family for little while more, then they were off. Later, while I was running around trying to find an adult a hat that only seemed to come in youth sizes, Ginny told me I had done a good job with the Mom and the little girls. Said it was good of the Mom to tell the older sister what was going on, but not to make it scary. Good point. Still...wow. What an encounter.

Today assigned to Bubble too. Merchandise display people in store, moving things around. Got pulled by them to do little projects involving the hats/t-shirts and, later, the shoes. Took up most of my morning. Manager Brad wandered by at points, first to ask how I was doing ("All right." "Just all right?" "Doing great!" Asked me if I was lying, said no, just stretching the truth. Asked if I was telling a tall tale, said I was) and then later to see if I was still... I suggested awake, he said breathing. Said I was, thanks for the concern. Stocked a little once I was finished with projects. Break and then had to work on putting away the stuff the display people had taken down from Breezeway. Got caught in assisting Guests, calling down to the stockroom, calling Mail Order, calling Port Orleans - Riverside. For that one, the Guests had wanted a grey Minnie pull-over/hoodie they'd seen there. Woman took a bit to check the stock, then revealed she'd grabbed a medium. That was the sku I had read off, yes, but I had wanted a large, which I didn't have in order to read off. Don't know if the phone disconnected or if she never came back, but stood through at least 10 minutes of silence while the busy lines kept building. Then, while still trying to stock and take care of the Breezeway items, Manager Brad found me and asked if I had done cardboard. I said no and he moved on. Then, when I was on floor, got called by Robyn and Alicia (?) to help. Turns out, we were all on cardboard. Got to push a whale (big tub/bin on wheels) full of cardboard. Up the incline, felt like Sunset again ^-^ The cardboard pargo (full of cardboard from yesterday since it had been broken yesterday) was sitting at the entrance of the tunnel, where the cardboard compactor was. Recognized it, since we had it at Sunset. Unloaded. Three older men chatting and smoking nearby. One, the oldest, said the other two were waiting for us to empty the pargo. If they really wanted it, they could've helped. Got it done (eventually) and they took it. Saw Jasmine walk by. She greeted us with a hello ^-^ Finally got through everything. Decided the compactor sounded like Chewbacca and nicknamed it "Chewy". Noisy trip back through tunnel. Got back in amount of time I had guessed it would take us. Manager Brad greeted us. Bumped both fists and did an "explosion" noise with "explosion" fingers with each of us. At this point, still hadn't finished putting away the Breezeway stuff. Hadn't even stocked, let alone cleaned. Decided to extend until 3:00pm. Managed to at least organize Bubble and grab all the misplaced items. Finished with Breezeway items. Break again. Went to stock backpacks that were needed on a fixture. In basement, I and another girl wanted to head up to first floor. Went up, but were delayed in getting off the elevator. Elevator moved up to second floor, where we met Manager Sandra and Manager Brad. Girl jokingly gave them a hard time about having us come up and the elevator doors almost closing on her butt. Manager Brad said thank you for the work I did, especially with the projects this morning. "Katie rocks", Manager Sandra said. Manager Brad agreed. Said thank you, kind of awkwardly. Manager Sandra also saw that I was bringing backpacks to stock my area, said it was a good thing. Helped a young boy find the ear hats. Brought him new, red, character model sheet Mickey hat. Seemed to like it. Also called stock for a pair of pjs for a woman shopping for her daughter. Didn't have them, but offered up suggestions. She seemed happy over those and said thanks. At this point, time to go. Left, got the mail with a borrowed mail key from front desk, watched coupled of episodes of Wizards of Waverly Place. Had had window open because weather was so nice. Saw two people pull up in a pargo and figured they were here to check running toilet. Tried to clean a little bit. Knock on door. Turns out they'd spotted the open window and wanted to write a reminder that we couldn't have it open. WTF? I understand, but writing stuff? Not in trouble though. Talked to Mom a bit about career and future. Talked to Ralph about life and Pokemon. Saw today was last day to extend program through summer. Decided at last minute to go for it. Think $4.50 just to apply is stupid, even moreso because it's charged to credit card. Went for concierge, hospitality, character attendant, merchandise (I know!), main entrance operations. Find out status in mid-April.

Quick notes because I have to go to bed:

Got my hair cut (finally!) at Kingdom Kutters (Magic Kingdom utilidors) on Monday at 10:00am. Long hair not long enough for Locks of Love. Vice President of Magic Kingdom goes there too!

Found out today (tomorrow?) is Manager Brad's last day at Mouse Gear. Being moved to Downtown Disney. So much for looking forward to morning managers...

Anthony's last day of work at Jungle Cruise was on Thursday. Supposed to leave on Sunday. Bummer. Real bummer.

Also, apparently it rained last night. Slept right through it.

Mike Simmonds is working 12 hour shifts from 5am to 5pm. And I thought stocking was bad...

Time for bed. Need to work more towards my future. Also, need to watch movies.

Lent xx - 5:30am Days - Connecting people by (tele)communications

Today was my Friday. So excited! Got assigned to Spider. One of the busiest sections in the store, especially because of 20% coupon and predicted rain. Oh boy. Stocked what I could, then found a bunch of what I was missing packed up, sitting in the tunnel, waiting to be opened. Managed to unwrap and hang on hangers some of the pj tops I needed. Jeri, stocker lady, took over, and did all the rest. Discovered Kim was at work during the morning meeting. Traded shifts, so she got to start at 9:00am. The Wave was fun this morning. Little girl spotted me and immediately wanted to pin trade. Her sister came over and traded with Brian. So early and right off the bat! Went back, stocked fancy white rain jackets and finished 2/3 of the hats. Deemed it "decent" and went to break. Must say, maybe they stocked Spider really well last night. If so, I absolutely appreciated it. Did not have anything caffinated while on break. Realized on my way back onstage that that was probably not the smartest idea. Got pulled back and forth between working register, directing Guests, and trying to straighten. Didn't get to give that much attention to spider actually. Met a woman from around Elgin. Special Ed assistant on spring break. Talked a little bit about all the education layoffs happening in that area. Later, met a stressed out Dad who was buying all sorts of items for his family. Worked through his pile of items as quickly as I could. Though stressed, he still had a bit of a friendly tone. Hope all's well for him and his family. Biggest event of the day was couple I met who wanted a cloth (soft? Not fleece) zip jacket in navy blue in XL. Tried calling stockroom. Must've not had my radio connected properly, never got a response. Went down and checked. Only had medium and 3x. Woman, annoyed, wrote down the sku number from the jackets, saying she could never get what she wanted at any of the stores. I offered to call World of Disney to see if jacket was there. Had to head to jewlery to get a phone. Soon as I reached it, stopped by the other two Cast Members there. One, older British-sounding guy, wanted to know if we had extra links for a certain watch. Other had a question about batteries being included in the watches and how to start them. I had no answers; it was my first time in jewlery. It was their first times too. Called operator to connect to World of Disney. Had to go through a little phone menu. Pressed key to talk to Cast Member. Phone went silent. Not dead, no ring tone, but nothing was going on. Tried again. Same thing. Tried again, got a little further, then phone went silent. Kept trying, alternating with Mail Order (apparently closed on weekends, thanks a lot), and trying to figure out how to dial the World of Disney number directly so I didn't have to keep using the operators. Got someone's private voicemail, and when I finally figured it out, twice got the message that Merchandise was closed on weekends. I pressed number to talk to Cast Member, how'd I get there? Meanwhile, continued to get asked a couple of questions from jewelry Cast Members, still trying to help their Guests. Couple said they had to meet someone (eventually revealed it was for a Fast Pass). Would come back to find out whether or not World of Disney had jacket. Woman's name was Denise, that's all I got, and then they left. FINALLY reached live person at World of Disney. Was asked to hold as they had a substantial line. Must work really, really quickly, because not too long after, they were back. Explained what I needed. Said they needed to walk the floor. Came back after a bit and said no. Thanked them profusely. Decided to go on break. Just coming up on 1:00pm and figured if couple would be back, I should be there for them. Jewerly was a little better. Meag stopped by and helped sort things out with the links Guest, although they also wanted to do a return, and Meag directed her over to the other Cast Member (busy helping start the watch) to wait even longer, rather than just doing it and getting Guest on her way. On my way to break, recalled what I had learned in the morning regarding white rain jackets and pj tops (and salmon-colored Minnie pants and black patch peace jackets!) and checked with stockers unloading tubs. Jeri had just hung up an XL navy jacket. Thrilled, though didn't show it. Ran back up to get back and Guest hold form, put the jacket on hold, and went to break. Cut break early by 7 minutes. Felt couple would've been back by then. With less than half hour to go, decided to try straightening. Was asked by random Guest if we carried Hollywood Studios shirts. Meag found me and asked to go to register, since Guests were coming in from rain. Explained I was waiting for Guests and had to leave in 15 minutes, but agreed. Got register in Bubble and helped Kim out by cutting down the line. Luckily, in 15 minutes, another Cast Member (possibly Alice?) took over. Finished taking care of packages being shipped out, returned my radio, and clocked out. Never saw couple. Mentioned to woman named Karen (staying until midnight) about the Guests, should they come back. Cleaned up my cart and inktags and left. Took bus to keep out of the rain. Didn't help in parking lot. Right foot feeling pretty wet. Rain coming down at different speeds and angles prompted me to have some crackers and chill out. Managed to take a bit of a nap. Woke up just as the rain was letting up a bit, yay! Started car and was headed out, when noticed the entrance to backstage had big puddle of water people were driving through. Decided to exit by health services. Got back to apartment and ate two bowls of Cinnamon Chex (new, just opened, and quite good). Took care of an e-mail, learned some Disney trivia on The Hub, and fell asleep. Had planned to be up to watch first episode of "Life" on Discovery Channel. Woke up half way through. Said screw it, went back to bed. Woke up again after midnight. Decided to take care of little mess I'd made with my impromptu nap. Clothes away, teeth brushed, ect. Soyoung asleep on couch, so decided to update here. Stacy came back, waking her up, so Soyoung moved in here. Stacy now unnecessarily on computer on couch. Sorry, probably still tired. Much to do, but going back to bed.

This week Wednesday I start at 10:45am (or something like that, maybe 10:00am). Otherwise, all 5:30am days. No Monday or Tuesday off, working those days straight through until Friday, whch was requested off for Easter. All 5:30am days except for one. Still don't know if I'm working Easter. Working Tuesday means I can't go to Kennedy Space Center. Got to change that, yessiree.

Also, while at work, Democrats only needed 2 more votes to reach 216 needed for their healthcare bill.Looking up "yessiree" on Yahoo! just now, looks like they got it. Woo hoo!

Lent xx - 5:30am days - 56 feet?!?!

Was in Breezeway today. Good change of pace (I hoped) compared to yesterday's near-disaterous time in Bubble. Found out Kim got awarded a GSF card. Good for her. I'd still like one. Turns out, while Breezeway was still organized, not enough time for my meticulous approach. Tried to prepare a last minute stock of all that I could. Got to go and do the wave this time. Yesterday, had been stuck hanging f*cking Dooney and Burke (:P) purses and missed it. Kid told me I was missing a finger. I was amused. Back in to attempt to stock what I could. Definitely not enough. Open pegs and lack of sizes. Went on break to call about setting up professional internship interview. Apparently they didn't have my application? Need to fix that. Did set up haircut appointment at Kingdom Kutters. Family Feud's interesting to watch. Got off break a little before 11:00am and heard call for stockers to come help out on register. Sure enough, got pulled to help out with someone's break. Was told it was going to only be for 20 minutes or so. Met a Polish woman (finally! Polish person!) and a British man who mentioned how many Americans they'd encountered because of spring break. Finally, at 2:00pm, I finally got to go on my second break. Met Karen, who said she didn't think I'd get to take her Monday 6pm - 12am shift, since it would put me into overtime. Said she talked to Sandra, and that we'd all see. Came back and attempted to start organizing to stock. Not easy with people moving merchandise around and trying it on, but I tried. Felt bad about the appearance of Breezeway, even though I couldn't help being on register for so long. Went to get stock and came back to work on it. Jan appeared (thankfully). Gave me a mini hug. Said she thought I was hiding because I was scared what she'd think of the area. Honestly, didn't want to give her more work to do, and didn't want her to have to come into work like that. Just so I can briefly demonstrate the importance of words - encountered woman who said she'd seen a woman with a white sweatshirt. Said I thought we didn't carry any, but woman insisted, saying she saw it in the woman's hands. Just then, woman appeared. Woman pointed clothing out to me. It was a jacket. But I knew where it was and took her to it. Apologized, saying I thought she'd said sweatshirt, and she said the clothing IS a sweatshirt. Thicker, yes, but it zips, isn't that a jacket? Mom told me later it really could go either way - could constitute as a sweatshirt. Oye e.e Ended up running around to hang clothing, ink tagging pants (incorrectly - supposed to be on a seam, and because they're reversable, have some pants in order one way, and then flipped outwards and in order the other way), and helping her dig out jacket sizes from a huge pile she'd brought up. Ended up getting out late again. Not as late as yesterday (4:45pm) but around 4:20pm today. Ended up not having to drive Brian, as he got to extend how long he kept his loaner car. Took a mini drive around property. Back at apartment, changed into shorts and went for a walk to the Shrine and back. Leftover pasta for dinner and spent my evening watching a tribute to Horizons. No idea the ride vehicle hung 56 ft in the air at some points!! Really tired now. Need sleep.

Just wanted to mention, saw The Princess and The Frog yesterday. Pretty good movie. Liked the music. Happy to see animation again. Felt a connection concerning the characters having to "dig a little deeper" to find out what they want. Loved Naveen telling Evangeline he loved Tiana. And may I just say - Yay Jim Cummings!! Got to take home a Coke and some popcorn.

Also just wanted to mention, one of the ink tags must've leaked. I now have blue splotches of ink on my hand. I'm marked as a Disney merchantainer.

Lent xx - 5:30am Days - Week 2, Day 1 - Anthony Bourdain helps me find a Reuben

After sleeping in late for two days, today first day of full week of 5:30am days. Got less sleep last night (distracted by Horizons), so tired today. Saw plans for Mouse Gear store redo. Assigned to Bubble. Kids being redone, things being moved around store. Disrupted some of my list. Had to ask Manager Ginny about open space where hoodies were. Pulled down into tunnel to talk to stockers about what was in stock to put up. Kept trying to keep up. Got pulled away from Bubble (again) to help put out fancy (expensive) purses. Had to hunt down Manager Ginny, find key, see how to organize, then unwrap and tag purses. Took up lots of time. Could only get the essentials for Bubble. Met couple looking for sweat pants for one of their grandkids. Offered to look around store for them when we didn't have the correct size. Said they'd be back after lunch and took note of my name. Didn't take break until 10:38am. Didn't feel well after food. Busy day. Food and Beverage 20% coupon is in effect. Morning was messy/nuts. Asked permission (sigh) to work on shoes. Got half done before offering to help Manager Sandra with a project. Wanted Jack Skellington hats hung up. Had to hunt around for tag gun (wha?). Found wrong one, as it didn't have a needle. Found the right one and proper hooks. Watched her do it. Tried myself. Hope I did it right. Woman Cast Member remarked that she was watching one of the dressing rooms. Been occupied for an hour. Thought it might be a guy and a girl. Finished hats. Decided to fill up a hole or two, put shoes back in proper stock room place, and be done with it. Encountered Guests all the while. Got a really cool id badge pin. Said it was for Imagineering and featured Figment. Got traded away about 45 minutes before my shift ended. Finally finished and got out of there. Hadn't taken my second break. Decided to go to Beaches and Cream for mint chocolate chip shake, since McDonalds around here don't seem to have them. Tried to park at Boardwalk. Missed parking lot and had to go around again. Explored Boardwalk tiny bit before heading onward. Knees and calves hurting. Shake was good, little foamy, but I got the whipped cream and sprinkles that I wanted, not to mention a cherry and delicious mint and chocolate.

Computer just turned off (needed to plug it in). Blogspot saved draft. Woo hoo!!

Wanted reubin because of St. Patrick's Day. Thought Earl of Sandwich might have it. Debated taking Disney bus. Decided to drive. Parked by Cirque. Thought I could catch a boat. Missed. Walked. Pain. Got to Earl. NO REUBIN!! WTF? Couldn't find boat dock by Rainforest Cafe. Took the boat by Paradiso 37. Back to Marketplace, then to West Side. Boat Captain named Tom. Looked very much like an older Anthony Bourdain. Similar build, hair color, facial shape. Boat ride peaceful. Good suggestion on behalf of family. Thought maybe Panera had sandwich, but Mom said no. Got back to apartment (stairs x.x) and had Lean Cuisine. Managed to edit which professional internships I wanted to apply for, but missed the job in Batavia that my Mom had sent me. Drats. Soyoung listening to music, some of which was covers of songs I'd heard, or was nice music in general. Did have a Stevie Wonder song though. Good choice. Shalom came home and made pizza. Smells good. Said that one of the "single ladies" in the Beyonce video is a guy - and dances the best of the three. Soyoung showed video of two guys at Chatham dancing to song. Off to sleep and a lovely long day of work tomorrow. Gotta figure out what to do next. Need to rest though. Definitely a good idea.

Lent xx - 5:30 days - Day 2 - 5:30am - 2:00pm

Raining this morning. Little thunder and lightning too. Shoes still wet from yesterday. Parked closer to front to try to avoid more rain. Saw bus and wanted to get on it. Driver said it was going west. Met Kim, who was waiting for east bus. Dropped shirts off at costuming while waiting. Determined maybe east bus didn't run so early in morning. Walked to Mouse Gear. Tried drying inside of my shoes with paper towels before clocking in. Not much help, but a little better. Got assigned to Bubble. Spent morning stocking and watching lots of rain fall. Were supposed to have meeting a little earlier. Rope was going to be dropped a little earlier so Guests could get in and out of the rain. Helped Kim stock "Mine" toothpick holders in Breezeway while the meeting went on. Helped her move mugs she'd replaced and rest of holders into stockroom and tried to move my clothing rack into stockroom too so it wouldn't be out on floor when Guests came in. Made it to the wave, just a moment or two behind schedule. Something like 10 people passed us by the whole time we were out there. Went on break a little late, trying to gather remaining shirts I needed. On break, Kim worried a great deal about not checking what time she was supposed to take break and how long she was supposed to be on it. People kept asking for closed shoes. Felt bad we really didn't have anything to offer. Had Manager Brad explain the new stocking procedures. We can stock until first break/10:30am. Then it's out to help Guests. If something really needs to be stocked (not just like two pairs of socks missing), stockers have to call a manager, have them come, explain what needs to be done, and have manager decide on whether to let the stocker stock. Right... Guest asked for a white hat with a pink Mickey silhouette on it. Didn't have any in stock. Called Brad. He said it was ok to take one down from the display...if I could reach it. Thought about stepstool. Then thought about grabbers that managers usually have. Apparently Food and Beverage and outdoor managers get them, but maybe not in Merchandise? Woman named Frances had a hook, however. She came over to the hat wall and managed to knock the desired hat off one of the stands at the top of the display. A little dusty, but ok. Brad found me when I was chatting with a couple of teen girls. Looked like he wanted to talk to me, but became involved in the conversation with the Guests. Managed to sneak off and straighten. Eventually found me again. Had little project for me. Some of the large Vinylmation out on shelf were supposed to come out next Friday. Wanted me to put them back and bring back the ones originally there. Did so. Midway through, he came around and said that some of the ones going back that looked like bowling pins were ok to stay out. Apologized for giving me more work to do. Said it wasn't a problem, I'm a CP and here to serve. He replied I'm not just a CP, I'm a Cast Member. Said, ok, I'm a Cast Member, and here to serve, wasn't a problem. Told me that I shouldn't let anyone say I'm JUST a CP. Thought that was pretty cool., sort of inspiring. Told him so. Told him that's why he gets to wear the normal clothes. He laughed. I finished project. Became a coat-hanger for a couple of Guests trying on wind breakers. Ponchos maybe not working so well? Were out of a lot of sizes on wind breakers, but the couple finally found ones that worked for them. This was in Breezeway. Manager Rob saw me in Breezeway, asked me to get him the Breezeway rings. I had no idea what he was talking about, which he was surprised (and not in a good way) at. Told him I don't often stock Breezeway. Was told it's a ring with pictures on it showing how things should be stocked. Knew what he wanted and got it. After he used it, was told to put it back and find him. He had another project for me, but when he found out I was in Bubble, sent me on my way. Met a guy from Schaumburg (neat) and two ladies who LOVE Kenny Chesney. One had some lovely photos of him on her phone. The other had encountered a stroller and her KC poncho had ripped under the arm. Had asked someone on register to staple it closed. Took Cast bus to go back to Cast Services. Had to wait a bit, but sort of peaceful. Only person waiting for bus. Only person taking bus back. Found a five-pointed star on Spaceship Earth as we pulled away. Shoes still got a little wet during walk to car. Maria was home when I got home. Spent afternoon hanging out in room, eating food, watching tv. Got phone call from Brian, which I didn't pick up. Voicemail said to call him when I got the message. Called back. He and a girl from Ireland named Karen had been in an accident. Rear-ended someone. Both were fine, her hand was bleeding though, so she'd gone to hospital. Brian needed ride. Said I could help him out. He said he'd call with address of Toyota dealship his car would be towed to. Time passed a bit, still no call. Managed to get to Vista to return Saludios Amigos/The Three Caballeros and The Rescuers Down Under. Picked up documentary on Walt. Apopka/Vineland super crowded. Brian called back once I was driving back. Told him I'd call back. Got to apartment to Mapquest. Off Colonial Drive. Heard of, never visited. Wrote directions. Said it'd be about a half hour. Tried taking International Drive to avoid Apopka/Vineland traffic. Some how ended up on Osceloa parkway. Got onto John Young and followed it north to Colonial. North-South streets connect with East-West streets - Amazing! Passed by the dealership, had to turn around to reach it. Once arrived (with bad parking job - sorry), tried calling Brian a couple of times. No answer. Called Mom to be sure signal worked, then, accidentally rejecting his phone call, tried again. Eventually met up. He set up his GPS as a backup, and back we went. Apparently had to wait for cop for over two hours. Firetruck and ambulance had arrived quickly. Couldn't get ahold of Karen. Turns out, other person, who only had a dented bumper as opposed to bit of a crunch and air bag deployment of Brian's car, works on Illuminations. Said he could get Brian and Karen good seats for the show. Crazy. Dropped off Brian and headed back to apartment. Called Mom and chatted for a little bit. Decided sleep might be good. Had a cup of cereal once I got things a little more organized. Hope Karen's ok. Said she hadn't been feeling well earlier. Hope Brian's doing ok too. Weather's supposed to be better tomorrow too.

Lent xx - 5:30am Days - Day One - 5:30am - 4:00pm

First day of 5:30 weeks. Woke Soyoung so she could catch bus. Brian offered ride since we both worked same hours. He was at front of Patterson 3 minutes early. Asked me if I wanted to see Alice In Wonderland tonight. Had to see how I felt after work and also cash. Arrived at Epcot. and parked very near front. Met guy we work with. Guy wants to transfer to cruise line. Used to do professional lighting. Girl friend in China. First time 5:30am. Hung out in breakroom watching news. Brian went back to car to get ipod. Little boy hid with sister and called police when house got broken into. Asked for lots of cops and soldiers. Thieves found him. Called him "fool". But ran off. Everyone safe. Whoa. Brave and very smart kid. Got assigned to Kids Clothing. Briefly met girl who's been on a month of 5:30am. Met stocker by the name of Linda. Infants area being reworked. Worked on boys instead. In girls, started getting really tired. Was suprised to see people in park at 8:00am. Realized it was for Princess breakfast. Managed to get through most of girls before meeting. Meeting in bubble. 20% off f&b coupon returning. Crap. Entrance countdown began while still chatting. Managed to get a glove and wave to people for a few minutes. Back to girls to finish up a couple of things. Happily went on 45 break. Rain started early. Not bad. Kept coming and going and was cloudy all day. Tried to work on clothing in center. Was told of new stocker policy. After 10:30am (first break?), no more stocking. Be out for Guest assistance and straightening. Mostly Guests. Began lots of Guest greeting. Got two requests for size "3" - between 2 and 4. We don't have, do we? Rain brought in more people. Store began to get busy. Had been asked earlier for Mad Hatter Hat from new Alice In Wonderland movie. Been out of it for a while. Went to check. Turns out we just got some in. Asked Manager Rob to make sure I could bring them out. Did so, Guest waiting was very happy, I was happy. Went to go tag others. Was informed by Rob that tag needed to go through stitching, not through hat material (not best part of day), but opened them from plastic, tagged them, and got them ready to go out. Also met a seamstress. Neat!

Best part of day - two parents and young boy (9/10/11ish?) came in looking for Mad Hatter Hat. Ran to other side of store to get it. Brought it back. Family was absolutely thrilled. They'd been looking everywhere for it. Was told I just made boy's first trip. Mom gave me rainy half-hug.

Awesome.

Got super busy with people coming in and hiding from rain. Got to go home ^-^

Met Brian in breakroom. He wanted to wait out rain a bit, see if it slowed. Didn't have a rain poncho or a jacket or anything. Waited five or ten minutes. Watching weather on tv. Said tornado warning for Orange County and showed more rain coming. Brian asked if I wanted to hit up a park on my day off. Decided to head up to see how rain was. Coming down, and heavy at that. Stayed in breezeway with Guests for a little bit. Saw some of them take a chance and run. Decided to do the same. Got to pretzel cart. Then to Test Track. By this point, my pants and shoes were absolutely soaked. Little bit of lightning. Little bit of wind. Tried to make it to back of Test Track, maybe dry under track? Rain lightened a bit. Under tracks not dry. Got to Cast Services. Realized we could've tried for the bus. Oops. Met Custodial guy named Matt from Washington. He had fun smacking Brian's wet clothes, first with hand, then a bit with broom. He and Brian displayed their Stitch voices. Matt was very amused. Asked Brian and I to be facebook friends. Matt took random picture of me (not very good one). Told him he should've gotten a picture of my soaked pants. He proceeded to pat my lower leg, as he'd done with Brian. Uh? Kind of laughed. Told him I felt like horse. Off to the stable! Matt told me I'd be a filly. Neat nickname? Brian and I headed to Costuming to check about a rain coat for him. He passed and we headed to car. Thankfully he'd parked so close this morning. Apologized about wet pants on seat. Decided against movie, due to rain. Slight traffic jam on way back to apartments. Got dropped off and headed instead. Pants and socks hung up. Toweled off. Paper toweled shoes. No laundry today I guess. Made garlic shrimp skillet on spinach leaves. Delicious! Watched about extreme roller coaster and water park drops. Indiana Beach, Orlando, and Wisconsin Dells featured! Fell asleep a couple of times. Woke up to The Incredibles and stayed awake to watch. Just as good as I remembered. No school like the old school. Prepped for tomorrow. Misako met Dan Cockrel today as he was walking the park. Said he was gorgeous! Soyoung opened little bag of Famous Amos cookies possibly left by the people from our inspection. Passed, btw. Been nibbling. So good to have some cookies. Need to sleep.

Decided after the new changes and talking to some of the people that've been here awhile that maybe it's best I work for a smaller company, so my work and contributions will be recognized. Either that or a small department. And need to be really good at whatever it is that I do. Just want recognition? Mom said I need to figure out the type of work I want to do first.

Why do I still have the tv on the Lifetime Movie Network?