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.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Postcard post with a glass of orange juice
Had Marketing You at Vista today. Learned I'm an "S", but also seem to match up with "I" and some points of "C" in the I-DISC test. All letters got combined into groups. Ss were the only groups to include everybody in their "What would your office look like?" question. After class, saw notices for upcoming career events. Also saw posting for something like "Get to know a Disney character". This month is Horace Horsecollar. Learned things I didn't know about him. Need to have stuff like this posted at Patterson. Vista's neat like that. Rented The Best of the Mickey Mouse Club and The Absent-Minded Professor. Yes, I'm a dork. Didn't have breakfast besides orange juice. Went back to apartment for lunch of Chicken Noodle Soup and orange juice. And Mickey Mouse club. Drove to Chatham so I knew where classrooms were. Found my way into a classroom, wasn't sure if it was for Heritage since it seemed full, but I was in the right place. Watched end of Jonas on Disney channel since it was playing. Never seen Jonas before...not sure if there's really any reason I should watch again. Class was pretty cool. Seems to be a lot of fun stuff lined up for us. Teacher was a CP and hated his job too. Has gone interesting places with Company though, nationally, internationally, and to Marceline, Missouri. Got into the closed Disney museum, the Disney elementary school, a bed and breakfast, and the Disney house. Learned what the Dreaming Tree was today. Very cool. Thought I recognized a girl who was on the Expedition Everest tour with me. Also Holly from Sunset? Tried to talk to EE girl, but she left for bus. Can't walk fast in high heels x.x Went to Publix for (more) orange juice, chicken noodle soup, and gnocchi. Then to McDonalds for Bacon-Cheese Angus burger, fries, and Coke. Got to play Monopoly! Intended to do stuff tonight, followed by watching Aladdin on Disney. Instead, helped Misako with cover letter and resume. She met a pilot at the Polynesian and got his business card to be a flight attendant! Amanda was trying out for a face character and didn't make it. While Carter took her out to dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, Jenny, Misako, and I went to Walmart and got her a cookie cake. Read "You will always be a princess to us!". Guy gave us a free Belle. Picked up a card that plays "You've Got A Friend In Me". Also got a little tiara. Returned to sign card in laundry room while Jenny took laundry out of dryer. Jenny put "Honorary Princess for the day" sticker on cake cover. Set up for Amanda. Called Mom. Jenny went to Jelly Rolls. Amanda came back with Carter. Was all hugs and smiles when she saw the cake/card/tiara/Belle. Found out peanut butter should not have oily shine inside. Had to toss :( Switched food from above stove with items in lower cabinet. Inspection tomorow, need to clean.
Best advice of the day heard from my Heritage professor: You've got to bloom where you're planted.
Best advice of the day heard from my Heritage professor: You've got to bloom where you're planted.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Part 2 of 3
And so, I'm back.
My flight got in just a little over an hour ago. Since then, I wandered around the A-side of the airport (and found out it's apparently a Hyatt), was told I couldn't hitch a ride on the Magical Express, took a taxi, greeted my car, called Mom and Dad, called Ralph, and headed inside for a mini-whirlwind of semi-unpacking and a dose of Airborne.
All that being said, I'm tired. I think I have a cold. I have class tomorrow at 8am.
But first, a few thoughts...
In approximately 2 months from now, my family will be here. Approximately two months ago today, I had checked into Disney and was looking forward to a day at the beach with my family. Time seems to fly fast, and yet, not at all.
I'm also not exactly as thrilled to be here as I know I could be. True, this is probably due in part to having such and early make-up class, not to mention that I seem to have acquired a pseudo cold (or an actual one), but I know most of it is because I got to go home again. I got to see my family and my friends, got to experience weather that's more familiar to me. Got to take it easy. Got to sleep in. And, honestly, it's a little hard to think that I've still got another two months before me until I see my family again, let alone nearly three months until I see my home again.
These thoughts are making it hard for me to be interested in applying for the professional internships. Don't get me wrong, I can understand how they'd help me, and I think I'd have fun doing some of them if I got in. But, wow, being home, and then realizing I have to leave again, and that I might have to leave again-again and for six months at that? It's tough.
But I am on to the more-or-less second part of my Disney College Program. Time did fly, at least a little bit, and Amanda told me that it only gets faster once Halloween hits. I guess it's just a little weird to think that I just went through two months of Disney, and now I get to go through another two months of Disney, plus an extra bonus round of crazy.
Right now, feeling tired and sick, I'm not exactly thrilled.
But I did get to go on a plane today. Got to see the plane's shadow on the tops of the clouds. There looked to be a rainbow aura around it; that was cool. The clouds looked like snow too, so that was cool as well. I got to see dots of light indicating towns and factories and civilization. I got to see lightning far off in a neighboring cloud. I got to see the Orlando International Airport again and find my way to the Magical Express busses.
It's just...I know there's good here. I know it's a good thing for me to be back and trying to better myself. I know it's good to continue with the College Program and to have it added to my resume. I know it's good to get the perks like discounts and free park entry.
But when I got on that plane today, I started to cry. I missed home. I miss home.
But I'm back, and hoping to maintain what I've already started, and improve where I see fit. And that begins, of course, by getting a little extra sleep tonight. Especially since I didn't get a lot last night.
Don't get me wrong, I am sort of happy to be back. And I'm sure once I get into the swing of things and have some better times, it will be better. But class tomorrow morning? Having to work starting at 10:15am AND having to close the day after that? Seeing on my schedule I have a 14 hour day coming up? Just a little hard to be excited. Just a little.
But I've got to try.
Off to bed!
My flight got in just a little over an hour ago. Since then, I wandered around the A-side of the airport (and found out it's apparently a Hyatt), was told I couldn't hitch a ride on the Magical Express, took a taxi, greeted my car, called Mom and Dad, called Ralph, and headed inside for a mini-whirlwind of semi-unpacking and a dose of Airborne.
All that being said, I'm tired. I think I have a cold. I have class tomorrow at 8am.
But first, a few thoughts...
In approximately 2 months from now, my family will be here. Approximately two months ago today, I had checked into Disney and was looking forward to a day at the beach with my family. Time seems to fly fast, and yet, not at all.
I'm also not exactly as thrilled to be here as I know I could be. True, this is probably due in part to having such and early make-up class, not to mention that I seem to have acquired a pseudo cold (or an actual one), but I know most of it is because I got to go home again. I got to see my family and my friends, got to experience weather that's more familiar to me. Got to take it easy. Got to sleep in. And, honestly, it's a little hard to think that I've still got another two months before me until I see my family again, let alone nearly three months until I see my home again.
These thoughts are making it hard for me to be interested in applying for the professional internships. Don't get me wrong, I can understand how they'd help me, and I think I'd have fun doing some of them if I got in. But, wow, being home, and then realizing I have to leave again, and that I might have to leave again-again and for six months at that? It's tough.
But I am on to the more-or-less second part of my Disney College Program. Time did fly, at least a little bit, and Amanda told me that it only gets faster once Halloween hits. I guess it's just a little weird to think that I just went through two months of Disney, and now I get to go through another two months of Disney, plus an extra bonus round of crazy.
Right now, feeling tired and sick, I'm not exactly thrilled.
But I did get to go on a plane today. Got to see the plane's shadow on the tops of the clouds. There looked to be a rainbow aura around it; that was cool. The clouds looked like snow too, so that was cool as well. I got to see dots of light indicating towns and factories and civilization. I got to see lightning far off in a neighboring cloud. I got to see the Orlando International Airport again and find my way to the Magical Express busses.
It's just...I know there's good here. I know it's a good thing for me to be back and trying to better myself. I know it's good to continue with the College Program and to have it added to my resume. I know it's good to get the perks like discounts and free park entry.
But when I got on that plane today, I started to cry. I missed home. I miss home.
But I'm back, and hoping to maintain what I've already started, and improve where I see fit. And that begins, of course, by getting a little extra sleep tonight. Especially since I didn't get a lot last night.
Don't get me wrong, I am sort of happy to be back. And I'm sure once I get into the swing of things and have some better times, it will be better. But class tomorrow morning? Having to work starting at 10:15am AND having to close the day after that? Seeing on my schedule I have a 14 hour day coming up? Just a little hard to be excited. Just a little.
But I've got to try.
Off to bed!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Who's got stuff to do? Mee!
Just a quick post because it's late and I still have more to do on my homework tomorrow, not to mention much more to do in general.
I got my first official I-requested-it ER tonight.
I ate chicken hearts and rice.
Good night ^-^
I got my first official I-requested-it ER tonight.
I ate chicken hearts and rice.
Good night ^-^
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