At 1:01am on Friday, November 13, 2009, I applied for an extension.
My role choices were Character Performer, PhotoPass Photographer, and Merchandise. I also requested to stay at Hollywood Studios, if it was at all possible.
One more iron in the fire?
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Should I stay or should I go?
Today marks one month exactly until my family shows up.
Crazy, isn't it?
But their coming to visit is exactly one month away, and I have so much to do in the meantime. I still haven't gotten my Main Entrance Pass, even though I managed to get my holiday booklet sent to me. I've gotta go check on the hotel, look into the events going on when they come down, and, perhaps most of all, I've got to see exactly what Cast Member discounts and perks I have that I can use for them.
I'm looking forward to it. I mean, it'll be a slightly-more-affordable vacation for them, and an actual vacation for me. In the place that I work. And visit frequently.
Ah, I'm looking forward to it ^-^
But in the interim, however, I have much to do. The biggest thing I'm facing now, besides that paper I should be writing for Marketing You, is the debate as to what I'm going to do next. With less than two months to go before my program ends (or about 56 days (I think) or about 7 weeks), January's coming fast, and with that approach are coming some difficult decisions.
Let's face a couple of facts here: though I have a degree, I highly suspect my going home and trying to get a job in that career area isn't going to be very likely, even with Disney on my resume. Jobs are also harder to find, both because of the depression and also, as I learned, because all the good ones are filled by people who hire from within their company. But let us also take note that although I view money as something that has to be dealt with, a necessary inconvenience perhaps, happiness is key for me.
That all said, I've been debating back and forth about my next steps. As of now, my program's ending in January and I'll be heading home. I haven't heard from any of the professional internships I've applied for, I applied for a job, but haven't heard anything on that end either, and there's an audition coming up on the 19th that I want to apply for, but if I do get in, I'd have to extend. And since I haven't heard from or have little information about my Disney Company professional aspirations, it's pretty much come down to whether I extend or go home.
Just a few weeks ago, this wouldn't have been a very difficult decision. I got the "Want to extend?" e-mail in my inbox, said "Nope*" and moved on. It wasn't that I didn't think the notion of staying with Disney was a bad thing, but I had applied for the professional internships, and was hoping (and still am) to pull myself up above minimum wage work.
But now...well, as my Mom puts it, there really isn't anything much for me to return to in terms of a career. I haven't done anything with communications and writing in a long while, let alone anything down here. Since I wouldn't be able to get a job in my major right off the bat (unless I start trying to freelance and do little projects down here, and we all know how likely that is e.e), I get the feeling I'd be stuck back in retail again. No food and beverage. I've had enough food and beverage. And it hasn't even gotten to the crazy times yet. That return-to-retail notion is more than a little depressing. I really would like to start on my career. I really would like to move beyond minimum wage jobs and general job duties. I'd like to actually have some talents and shine a little bit.
But it's not like it would be much different if I stayed down here. Extending would mean I could (maybe) move into another area, which would be awesome, but I get the feeling I would be placed in merchandise. Retail. Just more crazy. Plus there's always that slim chance that I couldn't move around, in which case it'd be Hello Sunset!
No.
No, I don't think so.
This isn't a terrible job that I have, and believe me, I'm thankful to have one. But there's something sort of depressing about knowing, even as a little kid, that you don't want to be in food and beverage, and then to find yourself working in it some years later because you don't know what you want to do with your life.
That's the other aspect of it too - what to do with my life? I spent a little time on the phone with my Mom yesterday, sitting in the Cast Member parking lot of Hollywood Studios, watching some of the Osbourne Spectacle of Lights and taking in what I could of Illuminations. I was telling her how disappointed I was with the Company for, in my opinion, cutting quality. Don't get me wrong, Walt Disney World and the Disney Company itself are models of quality and high standards, but they seem to be lacking a certain something that made them spectacular world-class leaders not so long ago. Maybe it's just the atmosphere and the culture that I've encountered, but it's not for me. But when I expressed to my Mom how I wasn't thrilled with the cutting of corners and the extreme focus on the bottom line (did we really need to buy Marvel? Probably...but that money could've been sunk back into the parks, or into the studio space they're looking to create out in California), she told me that I was essentially looking for a Utopia. And in the business world, that just doesn't exist. I'd be better off going into a helping profession, something non profit. Or I could be a teacher :P
I find myself feeling torn between staying and trying to do something good for my future, or returning home and trying to get my act together, along with a return to happiness. But will returning to no job, very little money, and no free park admission mean happiness? In the same consideration, will staying far from family and friends doing a minimum wage job in a crazy and very business-minded atmosphere with vacation-minded people while not really seeing where else the job could lead except to stay in the parks be any better?
I'm thankful for my job.
Thankful that Disney chose me to come work for them.
Thankful that I have this opportunity to work for Disney, as well as to get into the parks and really enjoy myself.
But there's that happiness that I'm looking for. It's a motivator, that's for sure, and if I could just find the right career, or even the right area, to work happily in, I'd be - simply - amazing.
Maybe I really should do those exercises I've supposed to have been doing all along.
But it comes down to the question of staying or going and trying to determine which one will bring me the most happiness? Which one will allow me to be the most productive and do the most for myself? Which one is right for me at this time in my life?
I think the answer's become sort of obvious, but I want to look into it all and be sure.
And after all, it would be nice, if I were to extend, to get into a job area where I could really shine. Really make Disney thankful for hiring me. That'd be a nice thank you to them, ne?
And at the same time, it would be nice to return home, take a look at all that I've learned from my experiences at Disney, and start making the future I want happen.
But all these thoughts and ponderings will have to be put on hold for just a little bit longer. I've got a paper to write tonight, interview questions to write down, and, of course, work to get to now. Again, let me stress that I'm thankful for the family that I have, who so kindly got me down here. I'm thankful that Disney took a chance on me and brought me into the Company.
I just want to find my own happiness however. I think this is what everyone seeks out, and I know I've been sort of searching for awhile now. But I'm getting that feeling, once again, that I should do something about it. And with such a major decision as choosing between staying and going...maybe this time will be the time I actually start towards that happiness.
No. This time WILL be the time.
But first work.
And maybe a trip to Target,
Every goal-oriented person's gotta look good at some point, right?
Oh, and randomly, my Mom now understands " :P "
*More likely "Hell no!", but lets be polite.
Crazy, isn't it?
But their coming to visit is exactly one month away, and I have so much to do in the meantime. I still haven't gotten my Main Entrance Pass, even though I managed to get my holiday booklet sent to me. I've gotta go check on the hotel, look into the events going on when they come down, and, perhaps most of all, I've got to see exactly what Cast Member discounts and perks I have that I can use for them.
I'm looking forward to it. I mean, it'll be a slightly-more-affordable vacation for them, and an actual vacation for me. In the place that I work. And visit frequently.
Ah, I'm looking forward to it ^-^
But in the interim, however, I have much to do. The biggest thing I'm facing now, besides that paper I should be writing for Marketing You, is the debate as to what I'm going to do next. With less than two months to go before my program ends (or about 56 days (I think) or about 7 weeks), January's coming fast, and with that approach are coming some difficult decisions.
Let's face a couple of facts here: though I have a degree, I highly suspect my going home and trying to get a job in that career area isn't going to be very likely, even with Disney on my resume. Jobs are also harder to find, both because of the depression and also, as I learned, because all the good ones are filled by people who hire from within their company. But let us also take note that although I view money as something that has to be dealt with, a necessary inconvenience perhaps, happiness is key for me.
That all said, I've been debating back and forth about my next steps. As of now, my program's ending in January and I'll be heading home. I haven't heard from any of the professional internships I've applied for, I applied for a job, but haven't heard anything on that end either, and there's an audition coming up on the 19th that I want to apply for, but if I do get in, I'd have to extend. And since I haven't heard from or have little information about my Disney Company professional aspirations, it's pretty much come down to whether I extend or go home.
Just a few weeks ago, this wouldn't have been a very difficult decision. I got the "Want to extend?" e-mail in my inbox, said "Nope*" and moved on. It wasn't that I didn't think the notion of staying with Disney was a bad thing, but I had applied for the professional internships, and was hoping (and still am) to pull myself up above minimum wage work.
But now...well, as my Mom puts it, there really isn't anything much for me to return to in terms of a career. I haven't done anything with communications and writing in a long while, let alone anything down here. Since I wouldn't be able to get a job in my major right off the bat (unless I start trying to freelance and do little projects down here, and we all know how likely that is e.e), I get the feeling I'd be stuck back in retail again. No food and beverage. I've had enough food and beverage. And it hasn't even gotten to the crazy times yet. That return-to-retail notion is more than a little depressing. I really would like to start on my career. I really would like to move beyond minimum wage jobs and general job duties. I'd like to actually have some talents and shine a little bit.
But it's not like it would be much different if I stayed down here. Extending would mean I could (maybe) move into another area, which would be awesome, but I get the feeling I would be placed in merchandise. Retail. Just more crazy. Plus there's always that slim chance that I couldn't move around, in which case it'd be Hello Sunset!
No.
No, I don't think so.
This isn't a terrible job that I have, and believe me, I'm thankful to have one. But there's something sort of depressing about knowing, even as a little kid, that you don't want to be in food and beverage, and then to find yourself working in it some years later because you don't know what you want to do with your life.
That's the other aspect of it too - what to do with my life? I spent a little time on the phone with my Mom yesterday, sitting in the Cast Member parking lot of Hollywood Studios, watching some of the Osbourne Spectacle of Lights and taking in what I could of Illuminations. I was telling her how disappointed I was with the Company for, in my opinion, cutting quality. Don't get me wrong, Walt Disney World and the Disney Company itself are models of quality and high standards, but they seem to be lacking a certain something that made them spectacular world-class leaders not so long ago. Maybe it's just the atmosphere and the culture that I've encountered, but it's not for me. But when I expressed to my Mom how I wasn't thrilled with the cutting of corners and the extreme focus on the bottom line (did we really need to buy Marvel? Probably...but that money could've been sunk back into the parks, or into the studio space they're looking to create out in California), she told me that I was essentially looking for a Utopia. And in the business world, that just doesn't exist. I'd be better off going into a helping profession, something non profit. Or I could be a teacher :P
I find myself feeling torn between staying and trying to do something good for my future, or returning home and trying to get my act together, along with a return to happiness. But will returning to no job, very little money, and no free park admission mean happiness? In the same consideration, will staying far from family and friends doing a minimum wage job in a crazy and very business-minded atmosphere with vacation-minded people while not really seeing where else the job could lead except to stay in the parks be any better?
I'm thankful for my job.
Thankful that Disney chose me to come work for them.
Thankful that I have this opportunity to work for Disney, as well as to get into the parks and really enjoy myself.
But there's that happiness that I'm looking for. It's a motivator, that's for sure, and if I could just find the right career, or even the right area, to work happily in, I'd be - simply - amazing.
Maybe I really should do those exercises I've supposed to have been doing all along.
But it comes down to the question of staying or going and trying to determine which one will bring me the most happiness? Which one will allow me to be the most productive and do the most for myself? Which one is right for me at this time in my life?
I think the answer's become sort of obvious, but I want to look into it all and be sure.
And after all, it would be nice, if I were to extend, to get into a job area where I could really shine. Really make Disney thankful for hiring me. That'd be a nice thank you to them, ne?
And at the same time, it would be nice to return home, take a look at all that I've learned from my experiences at Disney, and start making the future I want happen.
But all these thoughts and ponderings will have to be put on hold for just a little bit longer. I've got a paper to write tonight, interview questions to write down, and, of course, work to get to now. Again, let me stress that I'm thankful for the family that I have, who so kindly got me down here. I'm thankful that Disney took a chance on me and brought me into the Company.
I just want to find my own happiness however. I think this is what everyone seeks out, and I know I've been sort of searching for awhile now. But I'm getting that feeling, once again, that I should do something about it. And with such a major decision as choosing between staying and going...maybe this time will be the time I actually start towards that happiness.
No. This time WILL be the time.
But first work.
And maybe a trip to Target,
Every goal-oriented person's gotta look good at some point, right?
Oh, and randomly, my Mom now understands " :P "
*More likely "Hell no!", but lets be polite.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Up!
Tonight there was a movie night at The Commons featuring the just-released-today "Up!"
I ended up going with Amanda, driving to The Commons and asking her a little about character auditions along the way. I felt bad, since when you're off of work, the last thing you really want to do is discuss it, but there's an audition coming up I'd like to try to attend, if anything just to say that I did it and did it well. We ended up in the clubroom, which I had promptly forgotten is probably one of the coldest places on property. Not that I mind the cold, but after sitting there for a couple of hours during one of my training days, I decided it would be best to go back to my car and get my jacket for the movie.
When I returned, Amanda's friend Adonis ::has no idea if this is the proper spelling of his name...sorry:: had found her, and together we sat in the middle back of the room, eating our free (delicious) popcorn and drinking our free soda. I got a Cherry Coke ^-^
Up! is just as I remembered it, full of amazing visuals, furry Dug goodness, and a story that makes you laugh while tugging at your heart. I love that Pixar has such a good grasp on moments like that. Granted, it sucks to experience the sadder side of things (I still got teary...what can I say?), especially in a room with a group of your peers, but I love that Pixar can do that to me. And the plethora of "Awww"s and sad "Ohhh"s I heard around the room made me think I wasn't the only one getting caught up in the story. Oh! And to have the experience where everybody in the room finds something funny and laugh all together? Wonderful! I'm loving these group experiences!
I realized part-way through the movie that the last time I'd seen it was back home, in summer, before I left to go to Disney. I remember seeing the castle on the screen and having my Mom remark that soon I was going to be there. And now, here I was, seeing it again at the beginning of Up!, less than two months before I would be leaving to go back home. There's a sort of profound feeling I get from this realization. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but there's just something about seeing that castle and knowing that I'm looking at it now, as a Cast Member, and also remembering how I looked at it in the theater in the past, thinking to myself that I really was going to be going to Disney.
It was a wonderful night, full of shared experiences and a very good story (although the dogs in the planes still threw me a bit). The very best part though was at the end, when Carl awards Russell with the badge while saying "Russell, for going above and beyond in the line of duty..." The entire audience cracked up over that one, and even though I was feeling a little touched by the emotion of the scene, I too laughed loudly aloud with the rest of the audience. I don't think I'll ever forget that moment, especially when I hear that line.
Afterwards, they had a little raffle for two posters and two copies of the movie. I didn't win anything, of course, but still had had fun. I was hoping they would've been raffling off one of the Dug plushes, but that's what holiday Cast discounts are for, ne?
I also ran into Kimberly, one of the girls I work with whose brother is an Imagineer. We stood in the rain and chatted for a little bit, said good bye to Amanda and Adonis who were off to get food, and then, because I found out she lives at Patterson, gave her a ride. On the way back, I asked her what she knew about extending.
I've got a four day work week this week. Tomorrow I'm sure I'm going to be encountering Fairfax's new menu. But for now, sleep sounds like a good idea.
I ended up going with Amanda, driving to The Commons and asking her a little about character auditions along the way. I felt bad, since when you're off of work, the last thing you really want to do is discuss it, but there's an audition coming up I'd like to try to attend, if anything just to say that I did it and did it well. We ended up in the clubroom, which I had promptly forgotten is probably one of the coldest places on property. Not that I mind the cold, but after sitting there for a couple of hours during one of my training days, I decided it would be best to go back to my car and get my jacket for the movie.
When I returned, Amanda's friend Adonis ::has no idea if this is the proper spelling of his name...sorry:: had found her, and together we sat in the middle back of the room, eating our free (delicious) popcorn and drinking our free soda. I got a Cherry Coke ^-^
Up! is just as I remembered it, full of amazing visuals, furry Dug goodness, and a story that makes you laugh while tugging at your heart. I love that Pixar has such a good grasp on moments like that. Granted, it sucks to experience the sadder side of things (I still got teary...what can I say?), especially in a room with a group of your peers, but I love that Pixar can do that to me. And the plethora of "Awww"s and sad "Ohhh"s I heard around the room made me think I wasn't the only one getting caught up in the story. Oh! And to have the experience where everybody in the room finds something funny and laugh all together? Wonderful! I'm loving these group experiences!
I realized part-way through the movie that the last time I'd seen it was back home, in summer, before I left to go to Disney. I remember seeing the castle on the screen and having my Mom remark that soon I was going to be there. And now, here I was, seeing it again at the beginning of Up!, less than two months before I would be leaving to go back home. There's a sort of profound feeling I get from this realization. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but there's just something about seeing that castle and knowing that I'm looking at it now, as a Cast Member, and also remembering how I looked at it in the theater in the past, thinking to myself that I really was going to be going to Disney.
It was a wonderful night, full of shared experiences and a very good story (although the dogs in the planes still threw me a bit). The very best part though was at the end, when Carl awards Russell with the badge while saying "Russell, for going above and beyond in the line of duty..." The entire audience cracked up over that one, and even though I was feeling a little touched by the emotion of the scene, I too laughed loudly aloud with the rest of the audience. I don't think I'll ever forget that moment, especially when I hear that line.
Afterwards, they had a little raffle for two posters and two copies of the movie. I didn't win anything, of course, but still had had fun. I was hoping they would've been raffling off one of the Dug plushes, but that's what holiday Cast discounts are for, ne?
I also ran into Kimberly, one of the girls I work with whose brother is an Imagineer. We stood in the rain and chatted for a little bit, said good bye to Amanda and Adonis who were off to get food, and then, because I found out she lives at Patterson, gave her a ride. On the way back, I asked her what she knew about extending.
I've got a four day work week this week. Tomorrow I'm sure I'm going to be encountering Fairfax's new menu. But for now, sleep sounds like a good idea.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
A bit of a quick morning post
I’ve only got a little bit of time to write. Today I work from 10:45am to 6:30pm, which leaves me about fifteen minutes to write. I just woke up too, having decided since I had stayed up until after 1:30am and had to work early today, that sleeping in a little extra would be a good idea. I was dreaming about Disney water parks and about leaving two “kids” (one was a boy who was a kid, the other was a teenage girl who looked a lot like Emilee from Sunset) on their own. There was an older guy too, and I had a bit of a dry exchange with him. Parent? Ex of mine? Who knows. I was just starting to apologize for my actions since this was the first time I was leaving them on their own, when the alarm rang. Before that, it had been folding sheets with Candice, with her noting their significant importance. I remember asking her and her Mom if they did this all the time before vacation and they said yes.
And I would’ve expected to have dreamed of Christian wandering around with his pants open and low enough to see his boxers almost all the way. But maybe that’s for another night?
That pretty much summarizes my day from yesterday. Since I had class, I pretty much lazed around, getting up at 10:00am, checking out Disney forum websites, seeing my first half-episode of Jon and Kate and full episode of Say Yes To The Dress. I also got to try Misako’s massager, which looks like three three-pointed, clear splats of pink plastic have been attached to either end of a wishbone. It feels pretty good and only costs about $10 in Japan. I may have to look into that.
Somehow, despite, or maybe because of, my laziness, I ran a little behind on making my way to class. I still made it, but I didn’t make it as early as I had wanted. As I signed the roster, I was greeted by laughter over Phineas and Ferb. Good sound.
Class was neat, we learned a lot about the first five Disney animated movies, their animators, a little bit of the history going on at the time of their release. We also learned about television, which was funny because Zorro was mentioned, and earlier in the morning, I had purchased seasons 1 and 2 on dvd to be shipped to Walmart. I’m not pleased with how expensive they are, especially because I could’ve gotten a D23 membership with the money I spent, or at least saved it towards something a little more productive, but I like Zorro, and didn’t’ want to miss out on my chance to get it. Kind of sucks that I couldn’t have bought it at Disney, but I don’t think Cast Members get discounts on dvds, and I wouldn’t have gotten as low of a price.
We also got to see a bunch of film and tv clips, including deleted scenes and songs. It was a wonderful experience, since the clips were watched as a group. The group laughter and group emotion was fun, I’ve never really gotten to experience things like that, at least not in theaters, and not so much where everyone agrees with me that a certain point is fun to watch.
Oh, and my team didn't win the competition. We didn't come in second or third either. But oh well, it was fun anyway ^-^
After class, I debated food, but wanting to see Wishes, I grabbed a graham cracker and a granola bar and left for the Magic Kingdom. I got to park in Happy in the Seven Dwarves lot, just like I had the previous night with Alex. Kind of exciting because it was new to me. I ended up hanging out on Main Street, talking to Alex and her friend, while waiting for Alex’s ER to come through. I ran to the bakery briefly because I was starving, but I’m trying to cut back on spending money ::coughZorrocough:: so I didn’t get anything. Unfortunately, when I got back, Alex had already gone to change, so I ended up wandering and waiting for a few minutes. She came back and found me, but she’d gone to the Emporium first. Oops x.x
The train had stopped running, so we walked over to Frontierland, heading towards Big Thunder Mountain. We made a stop at the Country Bear Jamboree first, which was entertaining. When we got out, it was five minutes to Wishes and we had to make a choice: go back to Main Street and see where Tinker Bell lands, or ride Big Thunder. We chose Big Thunder. It was nice and empty by that point, and despite the sign that said there was a 10 minute wait, we walked right on. Even got to choose our own seats too. We chose the back.
After a wildly awesome ride in which we could see the fireworks going off as we raced around the track, we headed back towards Main Street and through the crowd of zombie people (they all stop and stare, I love looking at them) and Alex showed me where I could find Tinker Bell. Then she headed to her car, and I pushed my way through the now-leaving crowd to mine. Ohh, there was a teen girl and her 10/11/12 year old brother I saw on the way out. She was telling “Drake” not to run, that he needed to stay by her. Maybe those were the kids I was watching in my dream?
Alex and I ended up getting back around the same time, I arriving mere seconds before her. She changed and headed out to Wendys to meet her friends, inviting me to come, but I declined in favor of not wanting to impose on their growing friendships (not unannounced anyway) and also to call my Mom. We ended up discussing my nearish future (within the next couple of months), which proved to be a bit of a downer conversation-wise. Do I try and stay and extend and continue to have a job? Or do I try to free myself and see what options lie at home, where I’d like to be? I was tired and felt kind of down, so even though Alex had her friends come over and build a tent, I didn’t participate. Christian did pull down his outer pants though, numerous time, which was a natural perk :P
I got out of the room later that night, but by then it was after 1am, and seeing as I had to get up early (and am already running late), I headed to bed, only to get one more moon from Christian. I’m just amused by the comfort level some people have with physical humor, especially with pulling their pants down in front of strangers.
Frankly, I feel there’s a lot to be thought over. I tried checking out the Disney careers website on the advice of my Mom, and really didn’t find anything there. I’ve got to try to figure something out, it’d really be a good idea anyway.
But for now, off to work.
And I would’ve expected to have dreamed of Christian wandering around with his pants open and low enough to see his boxers almost all the way. But maybe that’s for another night?
That pretty much summarizes my day from yesterday. Since I had class, I pretty much lazed around, getting up at 10:00am, checking out Disney forum websites, seeing my first half-episode of Jon and Kate and full episode of Say Yes To The Dress. I also got to try Misako’s massager, which looks like three three-pointed, clear splats of pink plastic have been attached to either end of a wishbone. It feels pretty good and only costs about $10 in Japan. I may have to look into that.
Somehow, despite, or maybe because of, my laziness, I ran a little behind on making my way to class. I still made it, but I didn’t make it as early as I had wanted. As I signed the roster, I was greeted by laughter over Phineas and Ferb. Good sound.
Class was neat, we learned a lot about the first five Disney animated movies, their animators, a little bit of the history going on at the time of their release. We also learned about television, which was funny because Zorro was mentioned, and earlier in the morning, I had purchased seasons 1 and 2 on dvd to be shipped to Walmart. I’m not pleased with how expensive they are, especially because I could’ve gotten a D23 membership with the money I spent, or at least saved it towards something a little more productive, but I like Zorro, and didn’t’ want to miss out on my chance to get it. Kind of sucks that I couldn’t have bought it at Disney, but I don’t think Cast Members get discounts on dvds, and I wouldn’t have gotten as low of a price.
We also got to see a bunch of film and tv clips, including deleted scenes and songs. It was a wonderful experience, since the clips were watched as a group. The group laughter and group emotion was fun, I’ve never really gotten to experience things like that, at least not in theaters, and not so much where everyone agrees with me that a certain point is fun to watch.
Oh, and my team didn't win the competition. We didn't come in second or third either. But oh well, it was fun anyway ^-^
After class, I debated food, but wanting to see Wishes, I grabbed a graham cracker and a granola bar and left for the Magic Kingdom. I got to park in Happy in the Seven Dwarves lot, just like I had the previous night with Alex. Kind of exciting because it was new to me. I ended up hanging out on Main Street, talking to Alex and her friend, while waiting for Alex’s ER to come through. I ran to the bakery briefly because I was starving, but I’m trying to cut back on spending money ::coughZorrocough:: so I didn’t get anything. Unfortunately, when I got back, Alex had already gone to change, so I ended up wandering and waiting for a few minutes. She came back and found me, but she’d gone to the Emporium first. Oops x.x
The train had stopped running, so we walked over to Frontierland, heading towards Big Thunder Mountain. We made a stop at the Country Bear Jamboree first, which was entertaining. When we got out, it was five minutes to Wishes and we had to make a choice: go back to Main Street and see where Tinker Bell lands, or ride Big Thunder. We chose Big Thunder. It was nice and empty by that point, and despite the sign that said there was a 10 minute wait, we walked right on. Even got to choose our own seats too. We chose the back.
After a wildly awesome ride in which we could see the fireworks going off as we raced around the track, we headed back towards Main Street and through the crowd of zombie people (they all stop and stare, I love looking at them) and Alex showed me where I could find Tinker Bell. Then she headed to her car, and I pushed my way through the now-leaving crowd to mine. Ohh, there was a teen girl and her 10/11/12 year old brother I saw on the way out. She was telling “Drake” not to run, that he needed to stay by her. Maybe those were the kids I was watching in my dream?
Alex and I ended up getting back around the same time, I arriving mere seconds before her. She changed and headed out to Wendys to meet her friends, inviting me to come, but I declined in favor of not wanting to impose on their growing friendships (not unannounced anyway) and also to call my Mom. We ended up discussing my nearish future (within the next couple of months), which proved to be a bit of a downer conversation-wise. Do I try and stay and extend and continue to have a job? Or do I try to free myself and see what options lie at home, where I’d like to be? I was tired and felt kind of down, so even though Alex had her friends come over and build a tent, I didn’t participate. Christian did pull down his outer pants though, numerous time, which was a natural perk :P
I got out of the room later that night, but by then it was after 1am, and seeing as I had to get up early (and am already running late), I headed to bed, only to get one more moon from Christian. I’m just amused by the comfort level some people have with physical humor, especially with pulling their pants down in front of strangers.
Frankly, I feel there’s a lot to be thought over. I tried checking out the Disney careers website on the advice of my Mom, and really didn’t find anything there. I’ve got to try to figure something out, it’d really be a good idea anyway.
But for now, off to work.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!!
When the crypt goes creak,
And the tombstones quake.
Spooks come out for a swinging wake.
Happy haunts materialize,
And begin to vocalize.
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize.
Now don't close your eyes,
And don't try to hide.
Or a silly spook may sit by your side.
Shrouded in a daft disguise,
They pretend to terrorize.
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize.
As the moon climbs high o'er the dead oak tree,
Spooks arrive for the midnight spree.
Creepy creeps with eerie eyes,
Start to shriek and harmonize.
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize.
When you hear the knell of a requiem bell,
Weird glows gleam where spirits dwell.
Restless bones etherialize, Rise as spooks of every size.
If you would like to join our jamboree,
There's a simple rule that's compulsory.
Mortals pay a token fee.
Rest in peace, the haunting's free.
So hurry back, we would like your company.
And the tombstones quake.
Spooks come out for a swinging wake.
Happy haunts materialize,
And begin to vocalize.
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize.
Now don't close your eyes,
And don't try to hide.
Or a silly spook may sit by your side.
Shrouded in a daft disguise,
They pretend to terrorize.
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize.
As the moon climbs high o'er the dead oak tree,
Spooks arrive for the midnight spree.
Creepy creeps with eerie eyes,
Start to shriek and harmonize.
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize.
When you hear the knell of a requiem bell,
Weird glows gleam where spirits dwell.
Restless bones etherialize, Rise as spooks of every size.
If you would like to join our jamboree,
There's a simple rule that's compulsory.
Mortals pay a token fee.
Rest in peace, the haunting's free.
So hurry back, we would like your company.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Happy Anniversary!!
Today marks the one year anniversary since I came down to Disney on my first solo vacation.
It seems so weird to think that an entire year has passed since then. True, not all my memories of this time last year are as sharp as they could be, but it's interesting to think about what I do remember, both with my trip, and the days leading up to it. I still distinctly remember checking in movies one day at Blockbuster, not being happy about it, but being in the sun shining through the window and thinking "two weeks". Well...I think I was thinking "two weeks". But I do remember.
And now, here it is. One year later, and what have I done since then? Well, I'm out of Blockbuster for one thing, so I guess that's good. And I think I'm a little more on my way towards figuring out what my future is. Although I still totally suck at trying to write cover letters. I'm working on one now for the Communications Professional Internship, and it's just not happening. It's not that I'm not excited about the internship or the opportunities it could provide. I just always seem to have trouble trying to summarize myself in such a business-like way. But I can do it ^-^
I guess the most obvious change since last year is that I'm working at Disney as opposed to just visiting. Or, should I say, just visiting for vacation. We're all just visiting Walt Disney World, no matter who we are. But what a funny thought. I came down here a year ago because I loved Disney and wanted to visit, and a year later I'm working here because I love Disney and I wanted to give it a try.
Speaking of work, tomorrow's my return-return to work. I haven't worked in a long while due to my being sick, which I know I need to update about as well. So much to do. But, right now I'm in a bit of a busy period. I need to finish applying for the professional internships and have to start preparing for the interview phone call. Plus I have homework for Marketing You that really, and I mean REALLY needs to be taken care of. And this Saturday there's a Tower of Terror marathon going on, so the park stays open unti 1:30am (I get to stay until 2am), and then the very next morning, I get to be at work at 10:30am.
Ah, so it's back to work for me. But I did want to mark this occassion, special as it is to me. It was a wonderful time, and I certainly hope there are more wonderful times ahead.
Happy One Year ^-^
It seems so weird to think that an entire year has passed since then. True, not all my memories of this time last year are as sharp as they could be, but it's interesting to think about what I do remember, both with my trip, and the days leading up to it. I still distinctly remember checking in movies one day at Blockbuster, not being happy about it, but being in the sun shining through the window and thinking "two weeks". Well...I think I was thinking "two weeks". But I do remember.
And now, here it is. One year later, and what have I done since then? Well, I'm out of Blockbuster for one thing, so I guess that's good. And I think I'm a little more on my way towards figuring out what my future is. Although I still totally suck at trying to write cover letters. I'm working on one now for the Communications Professional Internship, and it's just not happening. It's not that I'm not excited about the internship or the opportunities it could provide. I just always seem to have trouble trying to summarize myself in such a business-like way. But I can do it ^-^
I guess the most obvious change since last year is that I'm working at Disney as opposed to just visiting. Or, should I say, just visiting for vacation. We're all just visiting Walt Disney World, no matter who we are. But what a funny thought. I came down here a year ago because I loved Disney and wanted to visit, and a year later I'm working here because I love Disney and I wanted to give it a try.
Speaking of work, tomorrow's my return-return to work. I haven't worked in a long while due to my being sick, which I know I need to update about as well. So much to do. But, right now I'm in a bit of a busy period. I need to finish applying for the professional internships and have to start preparing for the interview phone call. Plus I have homework for Marketing You that really, and I mean REALLY needs to be taken care of. And this Saturday there's a Tower of Terror marathon going on, so the park stays open unti 1:30am (I get to stay until 2am), and then the very next morning, I get to be at work at 10:30am.
Ah, so it's back to work for me. But I did want to mark this occassion, special as it is to me. It was a wonderful time, and I certainly hope there are more wonderful times ahead.
Happy One Year ^-^
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Sick
I'm sick.
I arrived back from home with what I thought was a scratchy throat from the change in weather and a stuffiness in my head due to homesick tears. As soon as I stepped out of the airport (after being shot down by the guy at the Magical Express when I asked if they could give me a ride), I thought my throat had gotten better. But, alas, it was still scratchy.
The next day, I had to get up early to get to Vista Way. I was making up my Marketing You class, which I hadn't been able to make on Monday since I was still out of town. I woke up feeling under the weather, and this plus my lack of time prompted me to down some orange juice for breakfast. Class was fine, although I was worried we were going to have to read our revised 30 second commericals aloud (we didn't). Then I rented two movies, headed back to the apartment, and had a lunch of chicken noodle soup and orange juice. The first Heritage class was pretty cool, and it seemd like we'll be doing a lot of interesting things, but I was worried because I started to feel a little nauseous while sitting these. But the class kept my interest, so yay.
The next day, yesterday, was my first day back at work. And what a first day back it was. I was supposed to be there at 10:15am, which is a lot to ask, even if I'm not sick. When I informed Coordinator Tammy about how I wasn't feeling well, I asked if I could be an "outdoor slave" for the day. Not the best choice of words x.x But I did get to stay outside...on condiment bar. Happily, I found a cart early on, but between feeling sick and sniffy and the beating I was taking from the sun, I was moving at a really slow pace. I did get briefly pulled into bussing. A guy approached me and asked me if I could wipe off a table for him. I said I could, and it was totally no problem, but I looked around and noticed all of the bussers had disappeared. Wtf? Four and a half hours of condiment bar later (yes, that's right), I got taken off of condiment bar...only to be put on Scoops register. This was not a happy thought to me. Speech was sort of difficult for me with my scratchy throat, and speaking actually made me feel a little sick too. And since I like to be the talkative type at Scoops, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. But I was delayed a bit from the register as we were just opening the second window, so I took my time getting the napkins and spoons ready, checking the cash, and getting water from Fairfax. Please don't think I was trying to abandon the people waiting in line; there was a window open before I got there. I just needed to take some time and prep myself for what would've been a difficult task for me at the time.
I opened the window, took a couple of orders, and as I was waiting for the last two of five sundaes to be made (cookies I think?), Emilee showed up and I got to go on break. I didn't have a lunch, since I had to toss my peanut butter out (it looked like there was some oil that had separated), I got a fruit cup and some combos and sat down for a much-needed break. Near the end, I gave my Mom a call and, not to gross you out, blew one seriously snotty tissue. This is when I began to suspect I wasn't suffering from just a weather change.
After break, there was no one at the coordinator's desk, so I took my printed job at condiment bar again. I also got yelled at, or at least had a talking-to by Ketty, this Hatian (spelling?) girl who'se been at Disney for 10 years. Apparently she'd noticed earlier that when I was doing condiment bar, the closer-to-the-Guests side at the one by Rosie's had gotten down to bare bones supplies. "You fill them. Not half way." she'd said, to which I responded "Oh never half way."
I don't fill condiment bar half way.
She gave me a look that, frankly, told me she thought I was talking back, and continued "You fill it up all the way." I do agree that, when I saw that side of the condiment bar, I knew I was falling behind and really needed to attend to that side. I mean, I guess logically, the Guests could've seen that that one side was nearly empty and could just walk around to the other side, but these are vacation-minded people. They can't be bothered with logic. Or rational thought (sometimes). Anyway, I got back to work, and yes, I filled the condiment bars. Ketty had wandered by a couple of times, whether to spy or just bored, who can say. I had a pretty good starting base anyway. Who ever had done condiment bar before me (and had disappeared before I had gotten out there after my break), had left things pretty darn full. It also wasn't busy...but all the same, I appreciated it.
And then I got switched the Fairfax kitchen. I had been afraid of this, since when I got back from break, I took a sneak peak at the closing list, and had found my name next to Fairfax kitchen. This, as you may not, was not something I wanted to see. In short, I suck at closing Fairfax kitchen. I never seem to be able to do things in the right order at the right time, and never seem to remember every little thing I need to do. Thus, I end up staying late, and have made a mess with the food more than once. Chili spilled on my shoes after Night of Joy, beans BURNING my fingers, spilling the chili into the big container where the food sits in its dishes (some of it got down the drainage pipe too). Look at my hands - if they're covered in food, I'm closing Fairfax. Plus, I wasn't sure how healthy it was to have me serving up food. But, have no fear. I THROUGHLY washed my hands, kept them safely in the gloves and kept my germy self away from the food as much as possible.
Manager Susan stopped by, but only to second-harvest some of the turkey legs. She didn't have any bags to dump the food in, as a sort of way of speeding things up. Riann, who was closing the front, did have some excellent advice however. She told me to start putting all the salad fixings into salad containers. Since the first and main goal of Fairfax is to get the dishes to, well, Dishes, this would help speed things up a little. I had been worried, since the then-coordinator John had stopped in, pleased with himself that he'd gotten people to their closing positions early, and chatting about how Dishes has already knocked out quite a bit and should totally be done by 7:30pm.
But we closed, and I tried, and somehow, somehow, I managed to get out only 25 minutes after I was supposed to be done. A new record! I also managed to talk to Coordinator John, who I think was the same coordinator I tried talking to back home to say I couldn't work Tuesday because of class. John managed to tell me who my Leaders are (Melissa and Catelyn (spelling?) ) and got me the number of Sunset, which is awesome because...now I have it?
Afterwards, I got to my car...and just kind of collapsed. I was definitely starting to not feel well, and got the feeling that soup would do me some good. However, I wanted restaurant soup, or at least premade soup, not soup from a can, so I drove down 192 for a little bit, trying to see if there was a place with a drive-through that served soup. I'm aware that I had a change of clothes and could've gone into a restaurant, but I was lazy (and sick) and just wanted the soup.
I managed to find, of all things, a Steak n' Shake, which I was plesantly overjoyed at. It took a little bit of manuvering to get to, since I passed it and was in the wrong lane to turn around, but it was neat to find one. As I pulled in, I was kind of creeped out by this guy and his two friends in the parking lot. He appeared to be hitting on two girls, but no matter! I had found a Steak n' Shake!
After pausing at the menu to look for soup (they didn't have any), I ended up getting 3 sliders. I think the guy at the window might've said something to me other than the usual total, "here you go", and "thanks", but I couldn't tell. I'm pretty sure he could see my costume though (I DID manage to take off the nametag beforehand though). As I drove away, creepy guy was taking cell phone pictures of the two girls. I sure hope they knew how to handle themselves.
Back at the apartment, I ate and watched most of The Best of The Mickey Mouse Club. I was really starting to feel tired, and was still drippy and blah. My throat was still hurting too, so before I settled in, I poured myself some water to have by the bed. I left the tv on, tuned into TCM, which was playing all sorts of old black and white "comedy" movies. They were funny, not drop your pants funny (wha?), but they were pleasant and humorous and something interesting to stare at when I woke up a couple of times during the night. This was actually kind of interesting, since, because all the movies were in black and white, when I woke up, i was never quite sure if I was watching something new, or the same movie. Not without paying attention first.
And then this morning...
I didn't have to go in until 1pm, so I managed to sleep in a little more, but I still wasn't feeling well. I was coughing a little more, and my throat was still bothering me. I thought about it...thought about how I wasn't feeling well...how I was dripping and sneezing and coughing and just wanted some rest...how as much as I loved the parade duty (and I was assigned to it today too), I wasn't exactly the epitomy of the Disney look at the time...thought about dealing with Guests and other Cast Members, speaking and lifting objects and being outside...and at 10:02am I called in for the first time ever.
I dialed the number, got a phone menu that asked if I was calling in, then if it was an emergency, and then reached a deployment Cast Member. They asked my name, which I had a bit of a hard time sharing because my voice was starting to fade a bit, where I worked, whether it was a sick call-in or personal, and what my personel number was. And that was it.
Free to spend the rest of the day getting well, I plopped down in front of the computer and discovered a site featuring badly photoshopped advertisements. Misako randomly came in, asking me, and then asking Alex and I, how to spell words like "um" and "blah". After a call to my Mom, and a little more computer surfing to work up the energy, I headed out to Walmart to stock up on health supplies, as well as a couple of groceries. I hadn't bought too much last week since I was going home.
Then it was back to the apartment. Misako had been so gracious as to offer me some of her leftover soup, so I had that with some green tea and honey. The soup was absolutely delicious, reminding me of home, and was exactly what I had needed. The tea seemed to help too, along with the two full spoonfuls of honey I swallowed afterwards. And then...more sitting. Amanda eventually came back to the apartment, and we chatted for a bit about how little kids are scared of Jojo the Clown, and how difficult the life of an entertainer can be. She had a glass of apple juice, and set it down, only to discover it had ants in it not too long afterwards. Bleh x.x Alex came back too, and I chatted with them both for a little while more. But I noticed, as I did so, that I kept resting my head on things (the chair, the table), and that my voice making me sound more and more like I was a smoker. After observing a sort of brief, but torrential rain shower (the lighting set off car alarms!) I opted for a nap, and slept until about 6.
When I awoke, I headed to the bathroom, only to see a note taped to the door with a Mickey sticker. It read "I promise I'm going to fix it... Dramatic pause". Opening the door, I saw the shower curtain rack lying on top of the side of the bathtub. I opened the door to the apartment where I found Alex, and applauded her for the note. But I didn't sleep through a crash, apparently; Alex had caught the rack on the way down. I decided to try my hand at making a Tombstone. Alex had been watching something on pizzas earlier (I got to see the deep dish part, woo!), so I kind of had a taste for pizza. But also, I figured it wouldn't be too hard to make. Ha.
I started by having to clean off the baking sheet, which had little bits of Texas Toast crusted to it. Then I faced a connundrum over how long to preheat the oven, since it's electric and it heats faster and our smoke alarm is kind of sensative. Then, after cooking the pizza once, cutting it, and deciding it wasn't done enough, I ended up microwaving pieces, then laying them on the baking sheet (why did I use parchment paper then and not before when I was starting??) and reheating the oven and the pieces twice!
At the same time, I was trying to finish my Y.E.S. audition video, which had to be delayed when I decided to swap one segment for another. Then I tried to send it via e-mail, my Mom on the phone giving me ideas what to say while reassuring me that the bendy slices of pizza were ok, but could maybe use a little more time in the oven. E-mail failed, the file was too big, so then I had to sign up for a YouTube account, put in "mai" instead of "mail" which caused me not to get the confirmation e-mail, had to fight my way to getting to the page where I could change it, had to change my e-mail address, log into another account, upload the video (took a while), had the video checked...or something (also took a while), rewrote the e-mail, checked the video and the links and how to search for it, and sent it, all while still having to be mindful of my pizza in the oven (again), the smoke alarm, the open patio door window (we now have a little dragonfly in the apartment), and the end of Ratitouille, which was playing on Disney Channel.
Then Alex came in with her friends, and the guy remarked on the way I was sitting (non-conventional indian style). While on the phone with my Mom, she'd remarked on how bad I sounded, but trying to communicate with these people even briefly made me sound like a smoker. I quickly reorganized the fridge, opted to do my dishes later, and slipped into the room.
I need rest, I think. My body's kind of sore, although it could be from my writing this entry. I did try this spray that's supposed to numb my throat, but unfortunately, my aim was off, so the top part of my mouth and some of my lips got numbed instead. It seemed to help, or at least I think it would have if I'd hit the right area. But yes, rest definitely seems like a good idea right now.
I arrived back from home with what I thought was a scratchy throat from the change in weather and a stuffiness in my head due to homesick tears. As soon as I stepped out of the airport (after being shot down by the guy at the Magical Express when I asked if they could give me a ride), I thought my throat had gotten better. But, alas, it was still scratchy.
The next day, I had to get up early to get to Vista Way. I was making up my Marketing You class, which I hadn't been able to make on Monday since I was still out of town. I woke up feeling under the weather, and this plus my lack of time prompted me to down some orange juice for breakfast. Class was fine, although I was worried we were going to have to read our revised 30 second commericals aloud (we didn't). Then I rented two movies, headed back to the apartment, and had a lunch of chicken noodle soup and orange juice. The first Heritage class was pretty cool, and it seemd like we'll be doing a lot of interesting things, but I was worried because I started to feel a little nauseous while sitting these. But the class kept my interest, so yay.
The next day, yesterday, was my first day back at work. And what a first day back it was. I was supposed to be there at 10:15am, which is a lot to ask, even if I'm not sick. When I informed Coordinator Tammy about how I wasn't feeling well, I asked if I could be an "outdoor slave" for the day. Not the best choice of words x.x But I did get to stay outside...on condiment bar. Happily, I found a cart early on, but between feeling sick and sniffy and the beating I was taking from the sun, I was moving at a really slow pace. I did get briefly pulled into bussing. A guy approached me and asked me if I could wipe off a table for him. I said I could, and it was totally no problem, but I looked around and noticed all of the bussers had disappeared. Wtf? Four and a half hours of condiment bar later (yes, that's right), I got taken off of condiment bar...only to be put on Scoops register. This was not a happy thought to me. Speech was sort of difficult for me with my scratchy throat, and speaking actually made me feel a little sick too. And since I like to be the talkative type at Scoops, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. But I was delayed a bit from the register as we were just opening the second window, so I took my time getting the napkins and spoons ready, checking the cash, and getting water from Fairfax. Please don't think I was trying to abandon the people waiting in line; there was a window open before I got there. I just needed to take some time and prep myself for what would've been a difficult task for me at the time.
I opened the window, took a couple of orders, and as I was waiting for the last two of five sundaes to be made (cookies I think?), Emilee showed up and I got to go on break. I didn't have a lunch, since I had to toss my peanut butter out (it looked like there was some oil that had separated), I got a fruit cup and some combos and sat down for a much-needed break. Near the end, I gave my Mom a call and, not to gross you out, blew one seriously snotty tissue. This is when I began to suspect I wasn't suffering from just a weather change.
After break, there was no one at the coordinator's desk, so I took my printed job at condiment bar again. I also got yelled at, or at least had a talking-to by Ketty, this Hatian (spelling?) girl who'se been at Disney for 10 years. Apparently she'd noticed earlier that when I was doing condiment bar, the closer-to-the-Guests side at the one by Rosie's had gotten down to bare bones supplies. "You fill them. Not half way." she'd said, to which I responded "Oh never half way."
I don't fill condiment bar half way.
She gave me a look that, frankly, told me she thought I was talking back, and continued "You fill it up all the way." I do agree that, when I saw that side of the condiment bar, I knew I was falling behind and really needed to attend to that side. I mean, I guess logically, the Guests could've seen that that one side was nearly empty and could just walk around to the other side, but these are vacation-minded people. They can't be bothered with logic. Or rational thought (sometimes). Anyway, I got back to work, and yes, I filled the condiment bars. Ketty had wandered by a couple of times, whether to spy or just bored, who can say. I had a pretty good starting base anyway. Who ever had done condiment bar before me (and had disappeared before I had gotten out there after my break), had left things pretty darn full. It also wasn't busy...but all the same, I appreciated it.
And then I got switched the Fairfax kitchen. I had been afraid of this, since when I got back from break, I took a sneak peak at the closing list, and had found my name next to Fairfax kitchen. This, as you may not, was not something I wanted to see. In short, I suck at closing Fairfax kitchen. I never seem to be able to do things in the right order at the right time, and never seem to remember every little thing I need to do. Thus, I end up staying late, and have made a mess with the food more than once. Chili spilled on my shoes after Night of Joy, beans BURNING my fingers, spilling the chili into the big container where the food sits in its dishes (some of it got down the drainage pipe too). Look at my hands - if they're covered in food, I'm closing Fairfax. Plus, I wasn't sure how healthy it was to have me serving up food. But, have no fear. I THROUGHLY washed my hands, kept them safely in the gloves and kept my germy self away from the food as much as possible.
Manager Susan stopped by, but only to second-harvest some of the turkey legs. She didn't have any bags to dump the food in, as a sort of way of speeding things up. Riann, who was closing the front, did have some excellent advice however. She told me to start putting all the salad fixings into salad containers. Since the first and main goal of Fairfax is to get the dishes to, well, Dishes, this would help speed things up a little. I had been worried, since the then-coordinator John had stopped in, pleased with himself that he'd gotten people to their closing positions early, and chatting about how Dishes has already knocked out quite a bit and should totally be done by 7:30pm.
But we closed, and I tried, and somehow, somehow, I managed to get out only 25 minutes after I was supposed to be done. A new record! I also managed to talk to Coordinator John, who I think was the same coordinator I tried talking to back home to say I couldn't work Tuesday because of class. John managed to tell me who my Leaders are (Melissa and Catelyn (spelling?) ) and got me the number of Sunset, which is awesome because...now I have it?
Afterwards, I got to my car...and just kind of collapsed. I was definitely starting to not feel well, and got the feeling that soup would do me some good. However, I wanted restaurant soup, or at least premade soup, not soup from a can, so I drove down 192 for a little bit, trying to see if there was a place with a drive-through that served soup. I'm aware that I had a change of clothes and could've gone into a restaurant, but I was lazy (and sick) and just wanted the soup.
I managed to find, of all things, a Steak n' Shake, which I was plesantly overjoyed at. It took a little bit of manuvering to get to, since I passed it and was in the wrong lane to turn around, but it was neat to find one. As I pulled in, I was kind of creeped out by this guy and his two friends in the parking lot. He appeared to be hitting on two girls, but no matter! I had found a Steak n' Shake!
After pausing at the menu to look for soup (they didn't have any), I ended up getting 3 sliders. I think the guy at the window might've said something to me other than the usual total, "here you go", and "thanks", but I couldn't tell. I'm pretty sure he could see my costume though (I DID manage to take off the nametag beforehand though). As I drove away, creepy guy was taking cell phone pictures of the two girls. I sure hope they knew how to handle themselves.
Back at the apartment, I ate and watched most of The Best of The Mickey Mouse Club. I was really starting to feel tired, and was still drippy and blah. My throat was still hurting too, so before I settled in, I poured myself some water to have by the bed. I left the tv on, tuned into TCM, which was playing all sorts of old black and white "comedy" movies. They were funny, not drop your pants funny (wha?), but they were pleasant and humorous and something interesting to stare at when I woke up a couple of times during the night. This was actually kind of interesting, since, because all the movies were in black and white, when I woke up, i was never quite sure if I was watching something new, or the same movie. Not without paying attention first.
And then this morning...
I didn't have to go in until 1pm, so I managed to sleep in a little more, but I still wasn't feeling well. I was coughing a little more, and my throat was still bothering me. I thought about it...thought about how I wasn't feeling well...how I was dripping and sneezing and coughing and just wanted some rest...how as much as I loved the parade duty (and I was assigned to it today too), I wasn't exactly the epitomy of the Disney look at the time...thought about dealing with Guests and other Cast Members, speaking and lifting objects and being outside...and at 10:02am I called in for the first time ever.
I dialed the number, got a phone menu that asked if I was calling in, then if it was an emergency, and then reached a deployment Cast Member. They asked my name, which I had a bit of a hard time sharing because my voice was starting to fade a bit, where I worked, whether it was a sick call-in or personal, and what my personel number was. And that was it.
Free to spend the rest of the day getting well, I plopped down in front of the computer and discovered a site featuring badly photoshopped advertisements. Misako randomly came in, asking me, and then asking Alex and I, how to spell words like "um" and "blah". After a call to my Mom, and a little more computer surfing to work up the energy, I headed out to Walmart to stock up on health supplies, as well as a couple of groceries. I hadn't bought too much last week since I was going home.
Then it was back to the apartment. Misako had been so gracious as to offer me some of her leftover soup, so I had that with some green tea and honey. The soup was absolutely delicious, reminding me of home, and was exactly what I had needed. The tea seemed to help too, along with the two full spoonfuls of honey I swallowed afterwards. And then...more sitting. Amanda eventually came back to the apartment, and we chatted for a bit about how little kids are scared of Jojo the Clown, and how difficult the life of an entertainer can be. She had a glass of apple juice, and set it down, only to discover it had ants in it not too long afterwards. Bleh x.x Alex came back too, and I chatted with them both for a little while more. But I noticed, as I did so, that I kept resting my head on things (the chair, the table), and that my voice making me sound more and more like I was a smoker. After observing a sort of brief, but torrential rain shower (the lighting set off car alarms!) I opted for a nap, and slept until about 6.
When I awoke, I headed to the bathroom, only to see a note taped to the door with a Mickey sticker. It read "I promise I'm going to fix it... Dramatic pause". Opening the door, I saw the shower curtain rack lying on top of the side of the bathtub. I opened the door to the apartment where I found Alex, and applauded her for the note. But I didn't sleep through a crash, apparently; Alex had caught the rack on the way down. I decided to try my hand at making a Tombstone. Alex had been watching something on pizzas earlier (I got to see the deep dish part, woo!), so I kind of had a taste for pizza. But also, I figured it wouldn't be too hard to make. Ha.
I started by having to clean off the baking sheet, which had little bits of Texas Toast crusted to it. Then I faced a connundrum over how long to preheat the oven, since it's electric and it heats faster and our smoke alarm is kind of sensative. Then, after cooking the pizza once, cutting it, and deciding it wasn't done enough, I ended up microwaving pieces, then laying them on the baking sheet (why did I use parchment paper then and not before when I was starting??) and reheating the oven and the pieces twice!
At the same time, I was trying to finish my Y.E.S. audition video, which had to be delayed when I decided to swap one segment for another. Then I tried to send it via e-mail, my Mom on the phone giving me ideas what to say while reassuring me that the bendy slices of pizza were ok, but could maybe use a little more time in the oven. E-mail failed, the file was too big, so then I had to sign up for a YouTube account, put in "mai" instead of "mail" which caused me not to get the confirmation e-mail, had to fight my way to getting to the page where I could change it, had to change my e-mail address, log into another account, upload the video (took a while), had the video checked...or something (also took a while), rewrote the e-mail, checked the video and the links and how to search for it, and sent it, all while still having to be mindful of my pizza in the oven (again), the smoke alarm, the open patio door window (we now have a little dragonfly in the apartment), and the end of Ratitouille, which was playing on Disney Channel.
Then Alex came in with her friends, and the guy remarked on the way I was sitting (non-conventional indian style). While on the phone with my Mom, she'd remarked on how bad I sounded, but trying to communicate with these people even briefly made me sound like a smoker. I quickly reorganized the fridge, opted to do my dishes later, and slipped into the room.
I need rest, I think. My body's kind of sore, although it could be from my writing this entry. I did try this spray that's supposed to numb my throat, but unfortunately, my aim was off, so the top part of my mouth and some of my lips got numbed instead. It seemed to help, or at least I think it would have if I'd hit the right area. But yes, rest definitely seems like a good idea right now.
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