Saturday, April 30, 2005 10:02 am

Oops, I forgot to upload my last entry. Sorry about that.

Yesterday, I worked in the Emporium and stocked Clothiers, the womenÕs room. It was not as exciting as the Princess Room that I worked in last week because stuff didnÕt really run out fast; I mostly just rearranged things. The stock was scattered all over three different stockrooms, including the second floor of one that was a pain to get to, so I spent a lot of time running around looking for things.

After work, I went to Bahama Breeze with my friend Nicki who is also a new CP from strollers that worked over in the Emporium. I had a 30 dollar gift certificate from complaining to them about a disappointing meal I had a few months ago at the Seattle location. Nicki and I got slushies that were really good and I got a veggie sandwich. Having some good, not over-priced restaurant food was a real morale lifter!

Friday, April 29, 2005 2:06 am

I havenÕt posted in a while. I worked Monday through Wednesday with few memorable events. It poured on Tuesday and it was freezing bringing the strollers back from the hub. They ended up early releasing us because we got done so fast and I went ahead and took it because I had to be in at 8:30 the next morning. I got a ride from Alejandro, a full time guy my age, the night it rained and the night before. I spent my free time relaxing, reading, lounging at the pool, and enjoyed eating all of the yummy treats that my familyÕs long time friends sent me a few days ago.

Wednesday, I got off work at 5 (which is usually around when I start, give or take a few hours) so I wandered around the park thinking about how tired I was on the Magic Kingdom and how much I needed to get out to other parks. I bought a pineapple slice from Aloha Isle and went on Country Bear Jamboree. A girl peed on the floor in the queue and was whisked away by her laughing parents, which may have been good because the show was really skanky for little kids and boring to everyone else. There was a song where a bear drank wine and sang about tears being their chaser. There was another song about getting turned on. I wonder if parents get mad at the cast members who work on that show. Oh, I also started a short story on register tape while at Station Break. IÕve gotten good at working in distraction, there was a parade going on while I wrote. I left it in my locker, but IÕll type it if I remember to bring it home.

Today, I too a bus for CPs to Clearwater Beach near Tampa with my friend, Rachel. We were only there about four hours, but it was so much fun! We got henna done (I got a pattern on my foot) by this cool girl from Israel and then went out to lunch at a yummy restaurant that had lots of vegetarian food. I think our waiter was on something because he knocked my water over and slurred when he talked, but it may have just been his accent. The food was really good (I got a veggie sandwich) but there was tons of it. I took up the waiters offer for some yummy rice with vegetables along with my huge sandwich and the homemade-looking chips I didnÕt realize came with it.

Tonight, I watched the Breakfast Club and did laundry and saw a squished lizard and went to the gym (still didnÕt make up for all I ate today) and picked up a package my grandma sent me. I asked the guys at the front desk if I could have a bike if I kept it in my room and they said no because itÕs a liability--same with rollerblades. I can keep rollerblades in my room if I had some down here, I could carry my bike like I would skates. I pay 69 dollars a week to live here, I should be allowed a little more freedom. I really miss my bike. I have thought about trying the one at the gym so keep those muscles in shape but I worry it will make me miss the real thing.

Afterwards, I was going to go to Pleasure Island with Rachel but nobody felt like going to I just hung out instead and got to know a bunch of people IÕd never met before. I feel like I was kind of annoying and made a bad first impression (I had a bunch of makeup on and kind of nice clothes which looked more like ÒThe Disney Look.Ó)

IÕm off now to take out my contacts and put the sheets back on my bed. I am going to post this tomorrow, so you may get two updates at once.

Monday, April 24, 2005 1:13 pm - 3:13 pm

ItÕs been a few days since IÕve updated so IÕll try to catch up. I finally dug out my headphones so I can ignore the TV that is always on with my collection of MP3 remixes of video game soundtracks (yes IÕm a huge nerd, but at least theyÕre legal) or episodes of my favorite show, Battlestar Galactica (probably not so legal, but who knows). This music is making me miss my one friend who was also really into video game music, but never returned my Happy Birthday phone call or answered the E-mail I sent him or burnt that CD of his own remixes for me so I feel kind of neglected. You know who you are, if you read this!

Saturday, I slept about 9 hours and spent the rest of the morning at the pool. It was cloudy and smokey because the pool is next to the bus stop, so I went inside and got dressed and took the bus to West Clock. I went to property control and bought two shirts that I didnÕt really need and a set for four 2003 pin-trading pins for 9 dollars that I began trading with cast members. IÕve got a few cool pins from it so far, but I still need a lanyard since they fall off my purse.

I took the cast bus over to the back of the Magic Kingdom and went up through Fantasy land behind Snow WhiteÕs Scary Adventure to hang out in the park. I wandered around trading pins and went on the Liberty Belle river boat, Thunder Mountain, and Jungle Cruise. I got a Dole Whip pineapple float because I heard they were good and IÕd never had one before, but I thought it wasnÕt as good as the plain slices of pineapple that are sold there that cost a lot less. While I was eating my Dole Whip, I stood under the entrance to the Big Thunder queue and talked to the guy there. He could tell I was a CP and asked me if I wanted to hang out. I asked for clarification, because around here guys seem to think hanging out is a date and IÕm not really used to that (or male attention in that way) or even interested.

I started my Emporium shift at 5 and worked in the room with all of the stuffed animals. It was busy, and I soon got very confident on the register (it is usually slow in strollers merchandise except when doing rentals and deposit returns, and that is easy and repetitive) I learned how to do a shipping order and cast discounts, which I hadnÕt done before. Fortunately, most of the cast members know what type of discount they are and sometimes can tell you how to do them (because we all are kinda clueless and have to look it up).

The park closed at 7 and the Grad Night kids started showing up about an hour later. It got really busy around 12. The Southern kids are a lot different than I am used to. They were really polite at the beginning of the evening and said, ÒYes, maÕam, no maÕamÓ to me in their Southern accents. At least half were African American, and I saw no Asians or Hispanics. I did help two nerdy guys (represent, yo), and it was a relief to see them because I have met barely any since IÕve been here and I miss having people to talk about Final Fantasy or super heros with. (Fortunately the one person IÕve befriended who likes sci-fi is one of my roommates, Kate, but we work different times.) Oh, the guy I went to the Studios with the other day, Jeremiah, read Animorphs, if that counts. It has been years since IÕve met someone else who read more than one or two of the books in the series. Those books got me through junior high. I was planning on bringing them up to school next year to reread them, but since I donÕt have a place to live I donÕt know if that will happen.

By the end of the night, the kids were really dragging their feet. The lines were really huge and I didnÕt get my last break until I was almost off and I had to call and tell the captain (assistant manager) that I hadnÕt gotten mine yet because I couldnÕt get away to slip into the back. I tried to hurry people through, but theyÕd stand there forever trying to find their money. When I asked, ÒWould you like the receipt with you or in the bag?Ó, they would just nod. Okay, bag it is.

I got off work at 3:30 am and hurried over to West Clock to catch the 3:50 bus back to Vista Way. It didnÕt show up. The 4:10 bus didnÕt show up. A few people called Dynamic and asked when the bus was coming, and they said a half an hour. By then, there were so many CPs gathered that were getting off from Grad Nite that they wouldnÕt have fit on the bus when it finally showed up. So I walked over to the exit of the bus stop, stuck out my thumb, and asked the first two girls that walked by, ÒGoinÕ to Vista?Ó A blonde with short pigtails, a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, and a skewed John Deer hat said, ÒYeah, need a ride?Ó She was from Detroit and worked on Space Mountain and was awesome. I heard her life story on the way home, and some interesting things about Space Mountain. The way she went was a lot faster than the route the bus takes. It was a straight shot out West Clock on this country road (why is there farmland behind the Magic Kingdom?) that took us right back to Vista. I could totally do it on my bike in less time than it takes to take the Dynamic bus, but oh yeah, we canÕt have bikes at Vista because there is Òno room to store them.Ó Whatever. This is more spread out than the Fairhaven dorms, and people shove their bikes all over down there.

When I got home in the wee hours of the morning, I was shocked to find a snoring lump in the other bed in my room. My roommate came back! I put my ear-plugs in and fell asleep. It sounds like her being there was a one-time thing.

Yesterday, I woke up pretty early and went over to the front desk to sign up for a trip to Clear Water Beach on that is on my day off, Thursday, for myself and my friend Rachel. I made a pasta salad with tri-colored elbow noodles, tofu, and broccoli for lunch then I then headed out to the parks with Amanda, who turned twenty and was collecting birthday buttons from all of the parks. We took the A-bus to the TTC and hopped on the monorail to Epcot. On the bus, we met a guy from Lake Meridian which was a small world since he knew where Fairwood and the Lake Desire mountain were.

From Epcot, we went to Animal Kingdom and then waited a half an hour or more for the Disney bus to take us to MGM. It was ridiculous how infrequent the buses for MGM come from Animal Kingdom, especially considering MGM had Extra Magic Hours so there were lots of people trying to go there.

I worked from 7 pm to closing last night (which was 1:15, since the park stayed open until 11). It was pretty easy, and felt good to be back in strollers because I love the people I work with. I was in Station Break (the train station) the first half of my shift and put the wheelchairs and EVCs back the second half. I think a rat died in the back room because it smelt really awful, like Òass and BOÓ as some of my coworkers put it. The only thing that sucked about work was that Nicki (a CP newer than me) and I had to get all of the wheelchairs that people left at the bus stops all by ourselves, and there were like fifteen. The lazy people just stood around and watched but some of the hard working girls came out and helped us when they realized what was going on.

Our hard work was noticed (mine has been before) and we were invited out to DennyÕs after we got off. Nicki was too tired, but I went and it was really fun. I guess IÕm in part of the strollers Òin-crowdÓ now. We complained about the lazy people who donÕt do any work and I learned some new things about life working for the ÒTragic Kingdom.Ó One interesting rumor is that Coke supposedly paid for the apartments the CPs live in and we were supposed to live in them for free and there is a lawsuit going on against Disney since they are making $1600 a month off each of these apartments. Our whole tiny paychecks just goes back to Disney!

Practically everyone in DennyÕs was from Disney. They gave us a discount! I ordered onion rings, which were kind of cold but filling as all IÕve eaten today so far are five Fig Newmans and IÕm not hungry.

One of the girls I went to DennyÕs with, told a funny story about something that happened on Tuesday night. She was pushing strollers back after the park closed with this cool 75 year old man who works in strollers with us. There were these two kids walking down Main Street that were in his way. He said, ÒMove,Ó and they ignored him. He said it again, and they still ignored him. So he yelled, ÒMOVE!Ó and they turned around and it was Ashley Simpson and Ryan Cabrera!

A group of people in Haunted Mansion costumes were sitting at the table behind us and piped in. One girl said, ÒRyan Cabrera is an idiot. He asked me if he could sit in the front.Ó For those of you who have never been on the Haunted Mansion, it is a continuously loading ride.

I just got a magazine in the mail for Safeway employees that my Aunt Patti sent me. It made me miss all of my friends from Safeway and working there, where I was definitely treated better by the company than I am at Disney. But this is a more fun job, and nights like the one I had last night make it worthwhile.

A couple of people have asked about my roommates. To recap, there are six of us total. Meg, my actual roommate, was only there the first three nights and the night before last. I know three of my roommates pretty well and like all of them, and the other one is hardly ever here but seems nice when she is. They are really territorial about their food, though. DonÕt use anyoneÕs ketchup without asking!

Today, I slept in until noon then went and signed up for the Communications class because Marketing U was full. I donÕt know if IÕll like it, but I thought it sounded like the most useful skill I could get out of the classes they offered that werenÕt already full. The class costs money, which is lame because they donÕt tell us that when they recruit (like a lot of things they donÕt tell us), but it is only like 40 dollars.

IÕm not sure what IÕm going to do with the rest of my day before work at 7:15 pm. Possibly go to the pool and read. Maybe work on my novel, but I have been working on this post for two hours and am getting tired of sitting at the computer. WeÕll see.

Friday, April 21, 2005 5:30 pm

Yesterday was my day off. I went to MGM with a guy I met on the bus a few days ago. We went on the Backlot Tour first, which was unfortunately a lot shorter than it used to be. That was disappointing because the Backlot Tour was the studios, like, main attraction back in the day. I volunteered us to be in the water part of the show and saw my roommate, Kate, that works there. It was really fun and I got wet.

I went on Tower of Terror and RockinÕ Roller, of course, and my favorite Star Tours. I saw the Beauty and the Beast stage show and the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. I volunteered to be in the show and was picked! I got to go on stage in front of thousands of people and play one of the extras. I wasnÕt shy or embarrassed at all.

Today I worked in the Emporium, the big shop along the west side of Main Street. I just stocked the ÒPrincess RoomÓ where they keep all of the little girl stuff, which was easy but fun. The guests werenÕt cranky like they were in strollers (no adults threw a temper tantrum, and I only heard one or two screaming kids all day) and didnÕt ask me the same questions over and over. I now no longer respond to my name since spent seven hours hearing in shouted in reference to something else. I think I see now why my parents didnÕt respond to ÒMom/DadÓ when we were in public.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005 11:02 pm

Last night was really chaotic. The park closed at 10 and I was off at 10:15 but didnÕt leave until 10:45 because I was trying to help get things under control. I just finally gave up and went home. There were strollers all over the place. I think the people good at crowd control and stopping people from abandoning their strollers on the other end of the entrance were off or something. One of my fellow cast members, who I helped try to clear out fifty strollers from the other exit tunnel before the fire works ended and the herd started dumping more strollers next to the abandoned piles, said sometimes managers tell people they can leave their strollers where ever they want. I think those managers should be the ones to bring the strollers back, then, if that is true.

I fixed a broken EVC yesterday. I was really proud of myself, even though all it took was changing the fuse.

I didnÕt get home until midnight. When the bus back to Vista (my apartment complex) came to West Clock (the Magic Kingdom parking lot... we take another bus to get there from the actual MK) there was a stampede of CPs running to get on. I didnÕt join the herd, so when I was about to get on the bus driver put up his Òno-moreÓ hand. One of my roommates, Shanika, was left behind too so she entertained us with jokes while we waited for the next bus.

My alarm didnÕt go off this morning for reasons unknown. I woke up and swore because the clock read the time I was supposed to be starting my shift. I pinched myself to see if I was just having a nightmare. I called my mom in a panic, brushed my teeth, splashed water on my face, and ran out the door without even peeing.

I felt nasty all day since I didnÕt shower. I kind of stunk and had a greasy face and hair. This was my first time working during the day, and it was almost entirely different people. I mostly worked on the register, which I like. The last three hours of my shift, I was in station break, which is the locker rental under the train station. I saw the parade and told about fifty people where the bathroom was. It was fun and easy. I was alone the first two hours or so, but that didnÕt bother me. IÕm confident enough on the register now that I can solve any problems that give up regularly in transactions.

After work, I came home with an evening cleared to watch the two hour season finale of Lost, which wasnÕt even on so I made no plans for nothing! I was going to read, but one of my roommates wanted the TV on so we put in the movie Raising Helen but left halfway through. I enjoyed the movie, though. All evening, I ate and ate: I finished up the chocolate bar IÕve been working on since I got here, I had a garden burger ÒchickenÓ patty, ate a carton of blueberry soy yogurt with granola, finished up my toffuti soy ice cream with some chocolate syrup, and had a bowl of CracklinÕ Oat Bran. Yum, but now I am stuffed!

After I watched the movie, I wrote the following entry on the ÒCustomers SuckÓ LiveJournal community. Don't worry, it's intentionally snarky.

Monday, April 18, 2005

Yesterday was a really long day. I got up at 9 to head to the Magic Kingdom with my new friend Justin that I met on the bus a few days ago. We hung out until he had to work at 1, and after that I just hung around the park until my shift started at 6. I went on a bunch of attractions I hadnÕt been on yet this visit: itÕs a small world, Jungle Cruise, Carousel of Progress, and the Enchanted Tiki Room. I went on the People Mover twice, because it is my favorite ride and I must ride it every time IÕm in Tomorrowland, and also went on my first complete loop around the park via the railroad. I was really impressed by the animatronics in the Tiki Room. Every little bird moves its head, blinks, ruffles its feathers, inhales and exhales--and those are the original, old school birds. (I like Zazu and Iago as movie characters, but I could take the Tiki Room without them.) I think the old attractions are the most amazing (like the Haunted Mansion).

It was a treat getting to go on the Carousal of Progress since it is usually closed. A family in line in front of me asked what the attraction was and I said, ÒItÕs a show.Ó They said, ÒCome on, we donÕt want to watch a show,Ó and got out of line.

I also saw the Share a Dream Come True parade, which was smaller than I remember but still cute, and Cinderellabration, which was a show in front of the castle with the Disney princesses attending CinderellaÕs coronation as princess. I also sat in the upstairs deck of the Main Street train station and wrote in my journal. I wanted to go on the riverboat but by the time I did all that, it was 5 oÕclock.

Two days ago, at work, I was skipping around on my breaks because I was so cheerful and happy to be in such a fun place. Last night, I was in a worse mood. I was assigned ÒElvisÓ duty, which wasnÕt as fun as stacking strollers or working in a register. IÕm not sure why it is called ÒElvisÓ, but I basically put away wheelchairs and ECVs (the electric carts) and got new ones for people. It was... interesting. I realize that a lot of people have real medical problems and injuries and not all disabilities are visible, but it is hard for me to sympathize with people who rent wheelchairs and EVCs in too bad of shape or too overweight to walk the park. (I realize thin does not equal healthy. You can be overweight and still be in decent shape.) People kept wanted to take the wheel chairs to the Transportation and Ticket Center, to the resorts, the other parks. ÒShe canÕt walk,Ó they said. I wonder, but donÕt ask, ÒThen how does she get around when sheÕs not at Walt Disney World?Ó

One lady walked back stage shouting, ÒHello? Hello?Ó then demanded I give her two ECVs for her parents. I told her that I needed to check if we had any charged and escorted her back outside. When I found two for her, she was gone. Guess she realized that would have cost to 80 dollars.

The second half of the evening I was on stroller duty and helped stack and bring them in. We have tactics to get people to bring the strollers back so we have less to collect at the end of the night: yelling at people to keep moving towards the stroller garage and unload as far forward as they can. Otherwise, they block the whole walkway under the tunnel and stop everyone from getting out of the park, and more people leave their strollers further up Main Street which means there are more for us to collect. Even though I had kind of a nasty, shaky yelling voice, I like doing this. There is something satisfying about ordering people around. There are people who ignore me, of course, and cast members who will stand twelve feet in front of the garage and stop people to unload the kids there instead of keeping them moving.

I also learned last night if we have to keep the other exit tunnel clear or there will be hundreds of strollers piled up over there since people see one stroller and theyÕll think that means they can leave theirs there, too. People would see me stacking the abandoned strollers over there and start unloading them. I would politely say and point, ÒPlease unload your strollers over there and youÕll get your DisneyÓ and one couple refused, saying it was not worth two dollars for their strollers. I was angered by them, but what could I do? Most people were polite and did as I asked, and I soon started saying Òget your deposit backÓ so they would actually return the stroller hoping for a five.

So last night I was kind of grumpy. I was bitter about living in such an expensive place but not being paid enough to enjoy it. Every locker I rent costs the guest more than what Disney pays me for an hourÕs labor. I also was annoyed by the lack of respect guests have for the park: treating the strollers like garbage cans and leaving their soda cups, broken toys, and dirty diapers inside for us to clean out (we found a turkey leg in one of the strollers, and there is something about rotting animal flesh that makes me unhappy). Sometimes when people try to clean things up they just make a bigger mess. Someone spilt their juice and used a pile of park maps to try and mop it up, but just left the whole big pile on the bench.

Once the park cleared out and everyone went home, my mood lifted. It was just me and my new friends in a beautiful setting. I enjoy the time with my fellow cast members then. We untuck our shirts, work together to get everything in fast, then hang out until itÕs time to go home. There are the slackers, but the people whoÕve been there a while already recognize that IÕm a hard worker and have begun to include me. Last night, we traded pins and watched the ducks, narrating what they were doing. I really still really like my job, and think I was just in a bad mood last night. I think venting about idiot guests helped, too.

Saturday, April 16, 2005 4:29 pm Pics

I finally got around to posting those pictures from last Friday when I went to Epcot and Animal Kingdom all day.

Friday, April 15, 2005 4:29 pm Food food food food

Today, IÕve been catching up on all the meals IÕve missed since IÕve been here. I had a bowl of millet puffs and a bowl of my favorite (expensive) CracklinÕ Oat Bran this morning for breakfast, then went to the pool, wrote in a notebook, and came back and made some pasta with broccoli and tofu and had some tofutti ice cream with chocolate syrup. That put me in a chocolate mood, so I had some of the dark chocolate candy bar IÕve been nibbling off of since I got here. Then I had another bowl of millet puffs. By then, it was four and I went to pickup my three packages, which were my contact lenses, my featherbed thing, and another care package with more food than I can fit in my section of the kitchen. After that I ate a frozen organic flax seed and blueberry waffle and got the taste of meat in my mouth from something that dripped on my hand and washed it away with some more CracklinÕ Oat Bran.

I lost my faux diamond nostril screw the other day. I think it fell out of my pocket in the locker room at the Magic Kingdom. I ordered a new one online, but today I was able to get my 16 gage hoop in. IÕm surprised it would go through since IÕve been wearing nothing lately had to push hard to get an earring through to see of the hole was still open. I feel all punky with my nose ring and green eyeliner and sexy Animal Kingdom tee. Not many people have facial piercings here (probably because Disney doesnÕt let you wear them at work and most spots close up really fast), but I see a lot of bellybutton rings on the girls. It makes me glad I donÕt have one, although maybe it would motivate me to get rid of my flab because I think they do look good on tone stomachs.

IÕm disappointed my ÒweekendÓ flew by so fast, although I suppose it isnÕt over yet. Amanda and I have plans to go to go to Epcot and watch IllumiNations. I saw her at the pool when I picked up my package and she said she was going to shower and straighten her hair so sheÕd call in a few hours. Hours? How long does it take to straighten hair that isnÕt even shoulder length?

Friday, April 15, 2005 11:36 am

It is hard living in such an expensive place while making less than Washington's minimum wage.

Yesterday, I got up around 9 and went online for a few hours in the morning. One of my roomies, Tori, took me to Publix to go grocery shopping and I was in grocery heaven! The store was clean, they had a huge natural foods section, took me to an item I asked about, and offered carryout! Tori didn't buy anything so I felt kind of intimidated having her follow me around and forgot to get bread/bagals and lettuce but other than that it was a great grocery shopping experience like one I would have had at my own Safeway or the co-op in Bellingham.

I went over to see Gina, who I know from home through Patrick, and took her to property control (my fourth visit in less than two weeks, I'm obsessed) and got myself an Animal Kingdom waistpack for two dollars and forty cents (with tax) and spent way too much on some pins. I really don't need to get into pin trading, it is such a rip-off and I already lost the back to one of my new pins! At this rate, I am going to be lucky if I break even when I get home.

Gina and I went to the Magic Kingdom and reluctantly went on Stitch's Great Escape. It was just like Alien Encounter, the cool ride/show that used to be there, except Stitch was the alien instead of the old one. They even used some of the same animatronics. The ride wasn't bad until the last room, where Stitch barfed up a hot dog and burped and we got to smell it. The lights went out and he stomped around and spit on us while recordings of children buzzed in our ears, "Mom, it's Stitch!" and "This is fun." I heard those voice clips were added to the ride after Michael Isner went on it and saw how bad it was and said, "Fix it." I guess a kid telling me it is fun is supposed to help me get over the fact that this sad attraction is replacing Alien Encounter.

Gina invited me to the Rainforest Cafe and Pleasure Island last night and I felt kind of bad I didn't have a very good time. I wore new shoes that gave me killer blisters almost as soon as I stepped off the bus. The Rainforest Cafe was mobbed but a nice buser agreed to seat us over an hour before we were supposed to come back for a table. Our waitress came up and saw we had two more coming so she told us we had to order food now or leave. We said, "What if we just order drinks?" and a few people were willing to get the ten dollar drinks. She said, "I only do three tables and have to keep it moving to pay my rent." She also only would split our checks up three ways! She made us leave so she could sit someone else at our table. If I'd been in charge, I would have gotten up and refused to come back, ever, but since I was with new people I kept my mouth shut.

When we finally met up with the rest of the group and got another table, another two hours had passed. Our new waitress was really nice and helped me find something vegan to eat and split our checks up separately. I got the cheapest thing on the menu, a vegan version of their veggie burger (ironic that there are only two vegetarian options at a restaurant that supposedly cares about the environment) and water which came to 12 dollars. I guess that isn't bad for eating out, but everything was twice as expensive as it is at the Southcenter Rainforest Cafe menu.

I need to go check out Pleasure Island again when I'm in a better mood and have more comfortable clothes on.

Friday, April 15, 2005 1:06 am

I've been kind of up and down the last few days. The good: I loved the first two days of my job and have met a lot of really cool people over the last few days that I hope to become good friends with. The bad: I feel kind of disconnected from the people at home and some of my fears have come true as far as housing next year. Right now, I have no place to live next year. I may be able to get back into the dorms, but I'll have to start over with my priority and be with the freshmen. It's kind of embarrassing being a junior living in the regular, double dorm rooms, but if it comes to that, I'll deal. Patrick, who knows everyone, is trying to help me set something back up, and I know I can rely on him, so I can relax having an ambassador back home.

Yesterday, I did laundry and went to work in the early afternoon. I was on the register in Newstand, the gift shop at the left entrance of the park, for the few couple of hours, then worked over in strollers stacking, cleaning, and giving park-hoppers new strollers. It was fun and I didn't want to go home when my shift was over after the post fireworks rush (it was Extra Magic Hours so the park was open until 12 for Disney Resort guests).

Today I didn't know what to do with my free time! This was only my second day off since I'd gotten here. I am kind of tired so I think I'll put off writing about it until tomorrow.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 10:35 am

I meant to update yesterday before work, but went to MGM (excuse me, Disney-MGM Studios) with Kate on a whim. We went on Rock-n-Roller Coaster (starring Aerosmith), checked her schedule, and headed over to Star Tours, my favorite ride at the studios. I think if I could work on any ride, it would be that one, so I could make up a Star Wars persona and get into role-playing it with the guests. Plus, I'd get to hang out in an Ewok Village and listen to Star Wars music all day.

After Star Tours, we went on Muppets 3D, which made me miss the Muppet Show that used to rerun on Nickelodeon when I was a tween. We went on the Great Movie Ride and Tower of Terror next, but Kate decided she was scared when we were in line for the later so I rode alone. The ride was much shorter and wimpier than I remember! Rock-n-Roller Coaster was really intense and fun, though.

We headed over to the Magic Kingdom and went to Property Control, my new favorite place to shop (I went there two days ago and got an Animal Kingdom beach towel, Star Wars t-shirt, Mission Space shirt, and Animal Kingdom shirt for 20 dollars). Kate had never been there, so I showed her the ropes and got myself a cute Pirates shirt for 9 dollars that was regularly 38. Kate got a basket full of lots and lots of stuff. I could have easily done the same but I feel too poor since CPs make less than Washington's minimum wage.

After shopping, I headed to the locker room, changed, and went to my first day of work without a trainer. During the first few hours of my shift, I worked at the stroller return and pulled in strollers and gave people their Disney Dollar for bringing it back. Some people were mad because we supposedly didn't tell them to retain their ticket stub and when they finally found it was only a dollar, and not even a real one. Otherwise, working at the stroller return was pretty fun. There was a constant flow of people, it was easy, and time went by fast.

I had a break after about two hours, then was sent to Station Break, the locker rental/gift shop under the train station. It had a pretty area with a view of the castle and a shelf nearby with Genie's lamp and Pooh's pot of honey. I mostly did locker returns the whole time, which was easy but the registers were really, really slow. I suspect the machines are quite old.

After park closing and the people filtered out, I went back to strollers and helped bring the abandoned ones in. We got it done pretty early and just hung around talking until it was time to clock out. They said it was a slow day in the park and unusual to finish that early.

When I clocked out, the Spectromagic Parade floats were out and some people on laptops were playing with the castle lights so I walked back outside. The park is really beautiful at night without all the frumpy tourists that clash with the fantasy world.

Monday, April 11, 2005 9:48 am

Yesterday was a really long day. My anxiety followed me through the night and has left me uneasy this morning. I don't really understand how the Cast Deployment System works (CDS, Disney's time clock system) and am upset I've been assigned to work on the Emporium (the huge store that stretches the length of Main Street) next week with no training.

I met Rachel, the other girl training with me, on the bus out of Vista. We walked over to Costuming, which was closed according to the door, but open according to the people working inside. We found our lockers in a huge locker room and met our trainer, who showed us how to clock in on the CDS. Supposedly there is a way to print out deployment but it has to be from a cast portal computer with a printer. Don't ask me how to tell the difference. The trainer was nice, but kind of a ditz and answered questions with something completely unrelated. For example, I asked why the planets were removed and not rotating around the Astro Orbiter and she started telling me about when Tomorrowland was rehabbed like five or ten years ago into the New Tomorrowland. Some of the stuff she told us was good, though, like positive ways to tell guests where they can get cigarettes and newspapers, which aren't sold at the Magic Kingdom.

She had us practice driving the EVCs, electronic convenience vehicles, around in front of the train station. They were really easy to drive, just like Safeway's, except we have a tow vehicle for when they break down. At SW, we had to drag them, sometimes with customers in them.

We walked around for a few hours listening to her talk and being shown ways to get around places in Main Street. The second half of the night, we practiced a few minutes on the registers but kept being interrupted by guests. Two people came up and wanted help getting their Pal Mickeys to talk about the parks (like they're supposed to, they have sensors in their noses that know where they are). Theirs were only telling jokes, and my trainer replaced them with two that wouldn't talk at all.

When it was close to park closing, we walked over to strollers and helped usher people to the door and unload their crap. This was pretty fun since there was a continuous stream of people and I was able to answer everyone's question and yell, "Keep it movin'!" After the fireworks, I went around Main Street and collected strollers that people had abandoned. I felt like I was back at Safeway... only I love working at Safeway. I thought Disney would be more fun, but so far it seems really impersonal and inflexible. I have no idea even who my manager is!

The second half of the night, I kept thinking, "This is my own fault. Why didn't I put operations only on my application?" I checked merchandise on a whim without really reading or thinking about it, and now it is my fate for the next four months. I see people working in other lands, in fun shops, and especially on rides and get very jealous.

Since I was about fourteen or fifteen and discovered self esteem, I've always had a good body image. The entrance uniforms, though, could drive anyone to an eating disorder. All the girls look heavy in them, even the girl I trained with who looks like a five when she's in regular clothes. I'm embarrassed for people I know to see me at work.

I hope I make friends soon. I have no desire to go to the parks by myself right now (except maybe Epcot, because it is really special to me). I don't work until four today, which is my second and last day of training. I will probably just go online all day until then. I might go to the gym or the pool, but I'm expecting a package and afraid of missing the driver. Maybe I will read/write if my roommates go away so I can turn the TV off.

April 10, 2005 9:53 am "I look like a dyke!"

Last night, I watched the Emperor's New Grove, which I've never seen before. I'm trying to do some Disney research for my job by catching up on the movies I haven't seen. I'm getting good at writing while watching TV since it is always on here. It's a pet peeve of mine, but the alternative is my dark, dark room. I'm amazed by how much TV people my age watch, and how much they like dramas that seem really cheesy and melodramatic to me.

Yesterday, was really, really fun. I took a class that was more like a tour. We met at the Disney University at 7 am and took a bus to the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. We went in and visited Main Street and learned about the way the buildings are built to create optical illusions and the stories behind some of the names on the second floor windows. We walked around Fantasyland and watched everyone prepping the rides for opening then sat in a cafe in Tomorrowland and watched the people stampede towards Space Mountain after the rope drop. We went on Buzz Light Year, the Haunted Mansion, then headed backstage and went on a tour of the tunnels. When we walked under the castle, moat water dripped! In the end, I got a special pin trading pin that only people who've got through that class get that says "Magic Kingdom Fantasy".

The stress of the whole day was fantasy. My ears perked at this mention since that is what I'm looking for as part of my project. (I need to post my ISP proposal here.) That was the one question on our quiz at the end: "What is our brand at the Magic Kingdom? Say it all together: fantasy!" I really am working at the perfect park, since the goal of the Magic Kingdom is to create a fairy tale for the guests.

The last stop for the day was at costuming. It was a huge, nice building near Property Control that was filled with rows and rows of costumes, ceiling to floor. The sizes were weird. The shirts were huge and the pants were tiny. My pants are two sizes bigger than what I normally wear because they're the same sizes they used in the 70s. It made me think of a conversation last quarter I had in one of my classes. Some of the women were saying pants sizes were getting smaller, it was another plot to make us feel bad about our bodies. My disagreement was quickly corrected.

The shirts, however, were huge! The small I grabbed is really loose on me. I am jealous of the cute, form-fitted shirts and skirts the girls in other lands got to wear, but at least my costume looks comfortable and easy to move around in. And I get to wear black tennis shoes! I'll wear a baggy button-up shirt that has vertical stripes and blue pants or shorts with a black belt. Not incredibly cute, but I think I look better in it than the girl I'll describe in the following paragraph.

This girl is also going to the Main Street entrance, same as me, that really gets on my nerves! When we went on the Haunted Mansion, she said to our male instructor, "I always go on this ride with a big, strong man so I can cling to his arm." When she got off, she commented on how stupid the ride was! When we tried on our costumes, she walked out and yelled, "I look like a dyke! I look like I want to be a man!" She is so negative. I wanted to give her smackdown for her homophobia. I hope I don't have to spend much time with her at work. The other girls I've met that are going to Main Street are really nice and sweet, though. I hope I get to see them today at my stroller training.

Saturday, April 8, 2005 Evening Time Keys to the Kingdom

The thumbnails above are some pictures I took the other day when I went to the Magic Kingdom with Amanda, save the picture on the left which was the one I posted the other day. Then we've got the castle decorated for Disneyland's 50th Anniversary, the Pirates' flag, me taking a picture of myself on Thunder Mountain, and me on the People Mover (taken by Amanda). Click on them to see the bigger picture (except the flag, the rest didn't come out good and I was too lazy to touch it up in photoshop).

Friday, April 8, 2005 Evening Time "We wants the redhead!"

Today, I took 219 photographs. As much as I miss the darkroom, the thrifty side of me is very pleased by the amount of photographs I can take for free.

I woke up around eight this morning and quickly showered, ate, and caught a bus over to the TTC. I took the monorail to Epcot and got there about 9:10. I met a couple of nice high school girls on the ride over. I was immediately in a good mood as I saw Spaceship Earth--the giant golf-ball--growing in the horizon. Epcot is my favorite thing about Disney, and being there today was the first time I've been really happy, carefree, and in awe since I got here. I finally felt the way I expect to feel when I'm at a Disney park!

I made a beeline to Mission: Space (walked right on via singles line), which to my pleasant surprise starred Gary Sinise. He comforted me through the entire ride, which was fun but made me feel nauseous. I was disappointed that it didn't really feel like zero-G (was it supposed to?), but I guess I don't have much to compare to. The ride took place in 2035, and the spaceship was powered by hydrogen.

After Mission: Space (which was a beautiful pavilion, by the way) I walked over to Test Track and went in the singles line, again, and got right on. Then I walked over to the Land pavilion, which is closed while Soarin' gets ready to open, and went to the cast preview of Soarin'. It didn't have as prevalent of a story as I'd have liked (there may be a pre-show when it opens to the public, I don't know), but it was a really, really cool ride. I don't want to spoil it, but it is probably the same as the one at California Adventure if anyone has been on that.

I hit everything in the Future World half of Epcot (which, I just noticed, my spellcheck wants me to capitalize, but that is just too bad, I'm not that dorky) except the Wonders of Life (because it is closed), the Living Seas (because I wasn't motivated to walk over there now that the Seacabs are gone), and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (because I didn't want to wait in line). Everything was great! I sat in the very front (intentionally) of Ellen's Energy Adventure, my all time favorite ride. I had popcorn for lunch, which seemed cheap for Disney at $2.75 a bucket. I can't wait for my family to visit to I can eat like a king.

I realized today that Honey, I Shrunk the Audience is the only Epcot attraction (that I can think of) based on a Disney movie, and it works well for that one because Honey, I Shrunk the Audience rocks. Maybe that is why I love Epcot so much. It's original, rather than Stitch or the princesses being shoved down your throat everywhere you turn at the Magic Kingdom.

Around 1:30, I headed out of Epcot and over to Animal Kingdom on a whim. I don't really feel like going into detail about AK, but I went on Kilimanjaro Safari, Primeval Whirl, Dinosaur/Countdown to Extinction, and saw Festival of the Lion King. Primeval Whirl HURTS. Got to go twice because my car didn't spin the first time.

I had a garden burger herb "chicken" burger for dinner, which was actually really good. I felt kinda icky still, so I had some cereal. I think that my stomach has shrunk. I don't know what I am going to eat when I run out of food because I am not shopping at Walmart again. What I wouldn't give to have a nice, Lifestyles Safeway right outside.

Wednesday, April 6, 2005 10:47 am

I'm getting ready for my Traditions class by trying to keep my hose from rolling with my pudgy stomach. I went swimming this morning after I got up. The pool is right outside. Nobody was down there yet. The water was a little chilly upon entry, but it only took a few seconds to get used to it. It felt so good to swim! I hadn't since last summer, and all of the Washington lakes bring me to a state of near hypothermia after twenty minutes in the water. I swam some laps (frog kicking, I'm useless at those fancy strokes) and just enjoyed floating with my long hair swishing about.

11:22 pm Where's the magic? My contacts--which I got a week or two ago--have been working really well the first few hours that I had them in then my vision gets all blurry. That happened during Traditions. When I got there, I was pulled aside and scolded for my shoes. I'd carefully studied the dress manual and it said shoes with an open toe, open heal, or ankle strap were okay, but I guess that didn't mean a combination of the two in one shoe. They still let me in, but I was shaking and it made it harder to enjoy the class, which was about the history of Walt Disney and the company.

After the class, Amanda and I explored the tunnels and stumbled into Fantasyland. I was in awe the first few minutes and totally disoriented. We got lost trying to find pirates but when we finally did, the line went fast but the ride seemed really short. I guess I remembered the Disneyland version, with the restaurant and beautiful swamp at the beginning, and hoped for that.

The People Mover, my favorite ride at the Magic Kingdom, was the usual relaxing tour of Tomorrowland. The cars felt impersonal because of the old, dirty plastic, but I love going through all of the Tomorrowland attractions. The Carousel of Progress is open, I noticed, so I am making note to go back and ride it soon since it is usually closed while I'm there and a classic Walt attraction. (Those are getting fewer and fewer.)

Mickey's PhilharMagic was the only new attraction I went on (Stitch had a long line, and I am still pissed they replaced Alien Encounter with it so I didn't want to go on it anyways; with Alien Encounter, Space Mountain, and People Mover, Tomorrowland was perfect). It actually was better than I expected. I would have liked more animatronics incorporated with the 3D show . Honey I Shrunk the Audience is still my favorite 3D show, but I can see PhilharMagic being fun over and over again. I don't want to give too much away, but it really engages your senses.

Hall of Presidents made me pine for the American Adventure over at Epcot. The president animatronics are really neat, but the whole presentation seemed to focus on not being racist, which seemed ironic coming from white men. I want to see people of color and women up there, too. I think that is an issue beyond Disney, though.

We rode Splash Mountain twice. I got to hear my favorite lines, "Laughing place? We'll show you a laughing place," and "P-p-p-lease don't throw me in the Briar Patch!" Unfortunately, there was gum stuck to the ride. A few of you may have been unfortunate enough to hear my Islands of Adventures rant and know how much I hate it when gum is stuck to attractions. I think it is one of my biggest pet peeves, and it totally pulls me out of the fantasy and reminds me that it is all fake.

The only fast passes that weren't out were for Thunder Mountain, which was probably the most fun ride of the evening. The line was quick ride was as thrilling and detailed as I remembered.

There was a major herd vacating the park after the fireworks. We took the resort monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center to bypass the huge line for the express monorail to the same place.

I haven't eaten anything in hours! I was too excited and in my habitual commando mode to stop at eat at the Magic Kingdom. Remembering I make 6.50 an hour now helped me resist the tempting artificial popcorn and pastry smells outside the shops. I'm going to go to bed now since I have to get up at six for my Merchantainment class tomorrow.

Thursday, April 7, 2005 5:38 pm and onward

I'm not so sure it was a good idea to stick us newcomers in with an older group. On the bus-ride home both yesterday and today, I heard people complaining about their jobs and wanting to quit. I've met so many disenfranchised people, I wonder if there is anyone happy around here. Only one of my roommates, the one who works on the Back-lot Tour at the Studios, seems to really love her job.

I experienced my first contemporary Florida storm from inside tonight. It was more furious than Seattle's most malevolent storm of a season, and fun to watch. I was tempted to go run around in it, but too lazy to pry myself from my computer. I love being warm while it rains.

Today, I got up at 6 and hurried and caught the 6:40 bus to the Disney University. I had a bagel for breakfast, which felt horribly unhealthy since I got it and the margarine at Walmart. (Non-hydrogenated is not in their vocabulary.) Where are all the Florida fruit stands I heard about? I need something healthy! Anyways, I got to the DU a few minutes after 7 and hung out until my class at 8. I bought a Peter Pan ID holder since I saw Finding Neverland recently and there was no Ariel or Iago.

I borrowed one of my roomate's high-heals since I was scolded for wearing sandals yesterday. They were really hard to walk in, but I ventured across the parking lot during the lunch break to Property Control, where they sell discounted damaged and discontinued merchandise. I could have spent all day there and spend a hundred dollars, but I just had a few minutes and grabbed a Mickey plushie that knows where it is in the parks for 5 dollars, regularly 60, and a child's large Splash Mountain tee that says, "Everything is Satisfaction." Unfortunately, it looks like the warrior belly-shirt from FFXI on me, so I am going to make it into a pillow.

We learned how to use the registers, which I found confusing and intimidating. I kept hitting the wrong buttons and getting error messages.

After lunch, I felt really sick and had to excuse myself. I think I was dehydrated or hungry. I felt better after I ate and drank though. I came straight home after class and vegged out on the couch for five straight hours. I was going to post a bunch of pictures, but I am too lazy since my convenient FTP client doesn't work. So here is one to tide you over, of my Pal Mickey and my name-tag.