Index | Glossary | April 2005 | May 2005 | June 2005 | July 2005 | August 2005

Wednesday, June 29, 2005 Time is going by really fast, probably because I am having such a good time. I canÕt believe itÕs the ÒweekendÓ again already--and almost over, too! I went to Epcot with Eddie on Sunday after I finished work. We watched a movie after Epcot so I got to bed kind of late but had slept decently the previous nights so I was okay getting up early for my morning shift Monday. Work went by pretty fast so I extended a few hours, until 7:30. It was probably a good thing I did since we had a big storm and the power went out. The ceiling leaked in Exposition Hall! The characters came in there to do autographs and I saw the shortest line ever to meet Mickey (one family). The lights were off in part of Expo Hall so it was kind of creepy seeing Pinocchio and Gepetto giving autographs in the dark. (IÕll never think of those two the same again after reading the recap of the Monstro level in Kingdom Hearts.) Yesterday, I had the day off and hung out with Eddie again. We explored downtown Orlando which was kind of a lame downtown but we still had fun anyways. I really liked the library. It was four stories and had a huge young section. (That is the age group my stories are usually written for.) When I got home, I went to the gym and watched Fox News while listening to my headphones. What I saw: lots of waving American flags, terror alerts written in bold red letters, a flashing shark attack headline with a CG shark swimming by, and commercials for BushÕs speech that looked more like a movie trailer. I didnÕt watch the speech, but my mom said it was just damage control. IÕve been out of the loop as far as politics and what is going on in the world. This is ironic because the TV is always on in my apartment, often on the news. After the gym, I took the bus to Chattam and walked to Publix to do some grocery shopping. I was bad and bought some tofutti ice cream (itÕs already gone) but I actually fit all 50 dollars worth of my groceries in my backpack and canvas grocery bag, including two cartons of soy milk. I realized I should just buy the precut pineapples (pineapples are my new favorite food) so that saved me some space. In the checkout line, I talked to these two French guys who were working in Magic Kingdom custodial over the summer. One pulled a twig out of my hair. They were too lazy to walk back to Chattam with their groceries so they called a cab. I beat them back on foot. When I got home, I put my groceries away and watched ÒThe Pacifier,Ó a cute but formula Vin Diesel movie. Lorelei Gilmore was the love interest. As much as I love her on Gilmore Girls, I see why she doesnÕt get many other acting jobs. I finished the movie just in time to hole up in my bedroom because Kate was having a dinner party. The pro: she cleaned the apartment. The con: we canÕt find anything. Meg was home so we both cleaned up our room while watching Jurassic Park. One of KateÕs friends, a guy who plays Prince Philip and Goofy, barged in without knocking to make fun of his friends to Meg. Today, I got up and showered early to go to the gym, but it was closed so I came home and made a big pot of whole grain pasta with broccoli and fried tofu. I ate a bit of it and put the rest in the fridge to chill and make into a pasta salad to eat in my lunches this week. I had my Disney class at 1 and did an informative speech on hurdles that writers face. I got a pretty good grade on it (despite little practice) and received the paper back that I wrote last week with another good grade. My secret? Following the rubric that the teacher gave us. Remember my popcorn burn? It turned brown and crusty (minus a little normal circle that was left unscathed thanks to the pattern on the bottom of the pot) and pealed off. Now it just looks like I bumped my chin on something. I am not worried about it scarring or anything, but I am going to miss all the laughs I got when I told people what happened.

Saturday, June 25, 2005 My fun little ÒweekendÓ came to an end and it was back to work for me with a morning shift on Thursday. I got to watch the cute little park opening, but after that I was stuck the backroom cleaning strollers all day. I had another morning shift yesterday (not quite as early). I took it easy all week because of my cold, getting lots of sleep. Today I finally felt well enough to go to the gym but I didnÕt stay long. Before todayÕs little six hour shift, I made popcorn for lunch. I donÕt have a popcorn popper so I made it in a big spaghetti pot. While I was shaking the pot to stir up the margarine I hit myself in the face so now I have a lovely burn mark on my chin. The popcorn tasted delicious, however. The first half of my shift I was Elvis (in charge of the ECVs and wheelchairs) so I was yelled at a few times. I even had my first guest pull the race card after I yelled at her for being in the backroom when she wasnÕt supposed to be. (Turns out another cast member had brought her back there. Wanker.) After my break, I tasked for a bit (a.k.a. wandered around pretending to look busy because they didnÕt have an assignment for me) then headed over to my old favorite, Station Break (the locker rental). I have barely worked there in the last two months so I was feeling all nostalgic for my early days as a CP. On the bus ride home, this girl was talking really loudly on her cellphone. I got to hear her story about giving blood TWICE (once to each parent) then hear her nag at her boyfriend for not calling her. I donÕt really blame him for not calling if she doesnÕt have anything nice to say. I hope I donÕt talk that loud on my phone when IÕm on the bus. Tomorrow, I work from 8 am to 2 pm then I am going to Epcot after work! IÕm very excited and planning on going to bed early tonight to make tomorrow come sooner so I can start having fun.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005 I had the best day yesterday! I woke up around 8:30. A few minutes later, my friend Delba called from work to ask if I wanted to go to a river with her and her sister and their kids. I quickly got ready and tried to jog on the treadmill at the gym but felt too sick so I just came back and ate breakfast. Delba picked me up around 10 and I got to meet her family. Her sister was really funny and the kids (4 and 7) were entertaining. I really hit it off with DelbaÕs neice, who was a brave and friendly girl. She jumped in the water right along side me and made me feel like I was a kid again back at Lake Chelan with my summer friends. The river was amazing. Its source was a spring emerging from some rocks. It moved along the whole park like a lazy river! The water was clean, clear, and populated with little fish and water grass. IÕm so glad I was able to get out and enjoy some of FloridaÕs nature. I even saw my first armadillo. DelbaÕs son, only four, was a little harder for me to relate to than Kimberly. He got a sliver and screamed when his mom tried to take it out. Kimberly and I were amused since I pulled out her sliver with my fingernails. On the way home, we taught each other how to make animals and other shapes out of our hands. I taught them to make a dragon and a church, and they taught me how to make a dirty diaper. (I remember the diaper one from when I was a kid, but I played dumb.) I went back to DelbaÕs place with her to drop off her family and we headed over to Epcot to meet our friends from strollers to have a farewell dinner with Isaac, Carey, and Zita. We got 15 people together, which was amazing because most of us usually work nights. We ate at Morocco, which was just okay. The service was bad (like it usually is at Disney restaurants) but the food was alright. I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, an appetizer salad, and filled up on the free bread. After dinner, we watched IllumiNations and then went over to Magic Kingdom to watch Wishes. The security guard at West Clock wouldnÕt let us in so we watched from the parking lot while cursing about how much Disney doesnÕt want us. After Wishes, my friend Eddie picked me up and we went to see Batman Begins at Universal. It was a really enjoyable and well done movie. I had a great time and it was a fantastic finale to one of the best days IÕve had since IÕve been down here. (And IÕve had a lot of great days.) Today, I had my Disney class and relaxed while drinking lots of liquids to try and get over my cold. (I only got four hours of sleep last night, which didnÕt help.) Isaac just came over to say goodbye because I donÕt feel up to going to Magic Kingdom with them tonight. He went sky-diving with Carey this morning! He gave me his copy of Lord of the Rings and wrote something really nice in the front. He also gave me two pictures of us and brought me his leftover food. We had a great heart to heart about how glad he was to become my friend despite our language barrier. I almost cried when he left. I finally feel settled into my life down here and my friends are beginning to leave. I know now it is going to be hard to go home. Will I return changed, or slip into my old routine like none of this ever happened? When I have had bad things happen to me, IÕve just gone back to normal like it was just a nightmare. What will something as positive as living down here do for me?

Monday, June 20, 2005 Finally, a chance to sit down and write! I have been really busy the last few days, pushing myself too hard so now I have a bit of a cold. (IÕm surprised I hadnÕt gotten one before, handling money and strollers.) Thursday was my first day back to work after my nice little Òweekend.Ó I had a little, six-hour morning shift (started at 9 am) and kept extending because I was avoiding that British guy. (It turns out he stood me up, too, so IÕm glad I didnÕt come home for him.) I didnÕt go home until 11:30 pm!) I ended up going home at 11:30... over 14 hours after I started! I originally was scheduled for only 33 hours last week, so the extra hours will help my paycheck grow from miniscule to merely puny. Extra Magic Hours are now on Mondays and Fridays at Magic Kingdom. I worked the closing shift Friday night and didnÕt start work until 9:45 at night! My friend Priscilla drove me home (and we had a nice heart to heart conversation) and I got home less than a half an hour after my shift ended: a record for me! I played World of Warcraft until 6:00 in the morning. Saturday, I worked from 6:15 until 12:15 (the park was only open until 10). Afterwards, I went out to a restaurant/bar called the Orlando Ale House with some of the people from Delivery Services that was filled with Disney people that my non-CP friends new! As people broke away for the evening, I ended up with Scotty and Eddie, two part-timers who work in DS. We couldnÕt think of anything to do at 2 in the morning so we wandered around a new Super Walmart but thankfully didnÕt buy anything. Eddie had the day off Sunday so i was crazy enough to get up and go to Magic Kingdom before work with him. (I started at 2, got up at 9:30). A guest walked up to me at Newstand and handed me a newborn duckling. Melinda and Dylan were going to take it home because pest controlÕs voicemail said they were out of the office for the weekend, but they managed to show up anyways and steal our beloved little Sparkplug away from us. It started pouring at work around the time I was supposed to go home (10:30) so I extended until 12 to help clean up the mess that was the park and the backroom. (The ECVs were parked horribly and had to be rearranged.) Most of my friends were working, so about 18 of us went to IHOP after work to celebrate NickiÕs birthday. I had to be up at 6 this morning to make my 8 to 2 shift at work and felt really sick, but work went by fast because I was on a shop register for the first four hours then the last hour and a half flew by in between the back room and Station Break. I came straight home from work and fell asleep for four hours. I watched Hitch this evening and ate an entire pineapple! I now feel like I have a cold, which kind of sucks because itÕs my own fault for not sleeping enough. I hope that I get better soon because I have missed the last two days of the gym and have big plans tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 When I got up this morning, I opened Rotten Tomatoes this morning to see what reviews Batman Begins got and saw huge banners for Hayao MiyazakiÕs latest movie, HowlÕs Moving Castle. It claims it is now playing, but is listed in no theaters in Washington State or Florida. Since Disney is putting their name on the movie (they used to hide behind Miramax before the success of Princess Mononoke) I figured it would be playing at Downtown Disney. My two days off were relaxing. Yesterday, I lounged around (watched Monster in Law and part of Spiderman) and worked out until I went to Magic Kindgom with Amanda and my tripod. I took some great photographs of the fireworks and parade, which I will post soon if I remember. Please remind me if they donÕt show up in a day or two. Today I went to class, the gym, and just hung around the apartment. I was going to walk to the grocery store after class, but it was pouring and I was wearing a thin white shirt so I just went home instead. I havenÕt really had the energy to go out and do something, it feels good to have time to just sit in front of my computer. I meant to get some reading done, but that didnÕt happen. The pool used to be my quiet place to read, but since the British invasion I always end up going off on some adventure every time I go down there. One of my old friends from Final Fantasy XI IMed me yesterday. (That is an online game I used to play.) She told me my exboyfriend is playing again and that he misses me and thinks I hate him (I thought he hated me). I donÕt know if itÕs true, but such a simple conversation brought up a lot of things I hadnÕt thought about in a long time. It left me feeling melancholy and anxious--nostalgic with this knot in my neck and stomach--two feelings I havenÕt really had much since I came down to Florida. I have to be up early for work tomorrow. I only have 33 hours this week and a nice six hour morning shift that will fly by. I want to extend, possibly because IÕm avoiding that British guy who likes me and he wants to go to Mr. and Mrs. Smith tomorrow when I get home from work. I donÕt really want to be spending money right now, either, and he already got me to spend 15 bucks on a late night dinner the other day when I wasnÕt even hungry.

Sunday, June 12, 2005 10:00 am My grueling week at the Emporium has finally come to an end. I go back to strollers today for an evening shift and am really excited. IÕm worried that it is going to be really strange being back there since I havenÕt worked there since last Friday. I sat next to Carey, one of my friends from strollers, and she said she had two days off and when she got back the new CPs showed her how to stack. My new British friends never called about going to Pleasure Island on Thursday. I donÕt know if thatÕs their culture or what because my male friend I met at the pool last week stopped coming around after a few days, too. I hope I hear from them eventually since I loaned one of them some shoes for Traditions. Friday and Saturday I went to the gym and worked. I made scones yesterday but they didnÕt turn out very good so I threw half of them away. I plotted out a sci-fi novel while I was at work and want to start writing in my notebook (the old fashioned paper kind) today so I have something productive to do on my long bus trips to and from the Tragic Kingdom. IÕm watching Brother Bear this morning (IÕve been catching up on all the Disney movies I havenÕt seen down here). ItÕs really cute and the animation is beautiful. It makes me sad that itÕs DisneyÕs last film with traditional animation. Monday, June 13, 2005 Evening Time I couldnÕt post the entry I wrote yesterday because my internet was down all day, so you get a two-for-one tonight, folks. My strollers homecoming wasnÕt all IÕd imagined because I was stuck at Newstand, the most boring position, for five hours out of my eight hour shift. (Thankfully not five straight hours.) IÕd gotten out of shape with stacking, but it was fun being back with the gang during closing. I left at 11:45 and went right to bed because I had to be in at 9:15 today. On the bus home this balding fellow in a Pirates costume caught wind of me liking sci-fi when I briefly told the friend from Emporium I was sitting next to the genre of the story IÕm working on. He talked my ear off and ignored my friend. We exchanged a few interesting words about the inconsistencies in Dragonriders of Pern and Starbuck being female but still a macho swashbuckler in the new Battlestar Galactica, but I felt like was talking at me and I had to interrupt to add my own opinions. I hope I donÕt do that to people, it is kind of annoying. Today I woke up at quarter seven, grabbed a shower and my last bagel for breakfast, then hurried off to catch the 8:01 bus. I was in the stroller shop for nearly four hours before my first break. I like being on the register in the morning because it is super busy and the time flies. I was stuck at Newstand for a bit during the middle of my shift but got my second break early and spent the afternoon as ECV runner, a very fun position. I went on two ECV runs: an unplugged fuse at Pooh and a low battery at Haunted Mansion. On my second break, I had a nice discussion with two of my colleagues, a part time high schooler and JR, a laid back CP who likes to quietly screw Disney. He talked about the eight months heÕd given to the place and how good heÕd had it back home, and I mentioned how I saw Disney as a black hole sucking in money and people and happiness. We both agreed we were sticking it out because we arenÕt quitters, and I thought about how my experience really hasnÕt been that bad. I havenÕt really been digging deep within myself or the world around me, but IÕve learned how to physically work hard and IÕve become a more independent person. I can solve my own problems and take care of myself. After work, I went down to the pool and ran into some of my English friends (they are always there), including Steven, the fellow that fancied me. He talked me into breaking my fast and going out to eat. I suggested Bahama Breeze, but I donÕt think he liked it much. I had my usual portobella sandwich with a fruit slushie. Steven got to experience the large American portions, being able to send back things that arenÕt good, and doggie-bags. I went to the gym tonight, keeping up my exercise for a fourth day in a row. I hope this stays a habit. IÕm really proud of myself for being so disciplined. A four year old died on Mission Space today. My roommate, Tori, told me when I got back from the pool and seemed upset. There was a blurb about it on the news, but they didnÕt even have a generic clip of the ride to show. One of my roommates, Lindsey, went home the other day. She says she is coming back in three weeks, but I donÕt know how that is going to work with Disney. I guess she is sick and wants to get better.

Wednesday, June 8, 2005 11:52 pm My internet is down so I'm forced to find other means of entertaining myself. I'd actually be glad for the subtraction of a distraction (I do need to spend more time writing) but I'd been left with a cliffhanger in an update from a friend so my mind is on that instead of my creative facilities. Still, it's actually nice to sit and curl up with some tea and my word processor and not feel like I'm forcing myself to do something unpleasant. I love writing, after all. I just need to be more disciplined while I'm here. (As well as playing less video games, going to bed earlier, and eating healthier and exercising.) Today was my day off. I stayed up late last night playing World of Warcraft, chatting online, and doing homework for my Disney class and but I hauled myself out of bed by 9 or 9:30 in the morning. I practiced my speech on Walla Walla sweet onions, went online, and showered. I had a cinnamon raison bagel and a bowl of cereal while I chatted with my grandpa on the telephone. My Disney communications class was at 1 pm. We were giving speeches, and I tried to volunteer to go first but someone beat me to it so I went second. I thought I did rather well, considering I was under two minutes (the requirement was 1-2) and all but about three people went on and on, many stretching five minutes or more. I didn't need notes and really got to the point. I only got an 83, however, because my transitions between topics were too subtle and the teacher didn't pick up on them. I left class a bit grumpy about my grade and annoyed at the numerous overachievers who turned this little assignment into a huge report. (Especially the guy who works on Mission Space that had to add his two correcting cents to everyone's speech at the end.) When I got home, I went directly down to the pool, which, as usual, was taken over by the new British international students. (Those Britons sure love their pools.) I joined in their conversations and met about twenty or more of them, including a girl who is going to work in strollers. I went out to dinner with them tonight, and for many was the first American girl they'd really had a chance to talk to. I really like several of the girls and hope to become good friends with them. They were fascinated by the drinks at Bennigan's and how huge the portions were. The girls I sat with were great. One was a journeller and had a great sense of humor. One shared mutual friends with the Prince and had met him a few times at pubs! I'm really stuffed now and regretting eating so much at dinner. I really need to stop eating before bed. Side bar: My hair is really long now, down to my mid-back while curly. I broke two hair bands today trying to fit it into a bun. I am pilfering ones I find lying around the flat (see, these Brits are rubbing off on me) as replacements since I didn't bring much from my meager collection of accessories down with me.

Tuesday, June 7, 2005 Here I've gone and let more than a couple of days slip by without an update! The days since my last post have already melted together, and this post has been a few days in the making as I have been busy and working on it here and there. Almost a week ago (Thursday, because I remember being invited to PI and passing it up), I went out to dinner with Isaac and Zita, two of my friends from strollers who are Hong Kong Disneyland representatives. We decided to go to Dragon Court, a Chinese buffet but I ordered off the regular menu because I eat too much at buffets. We had fun joking around with our waiter, who was a few years younger than us and knew all about the college program and the people here from Hong Kong. We compared cultures and they questioned me about things Americans do that they find strange. We laughed until our sides hurt and stayed at the restaurant for two or three hours. Zita and Isaac could really put it away for such small people! I was impressed. Friday, I was on the express wheelchair register and got to deal with the nasty people where pissed we were out of ECVs. I actually like working that register because something interesting always happens. (And I haven't been called a bitch or had a key thrown at me yet.) A woman who worked at Disneyland had an absolute fit and said she should get an ECV over someone who'd been sitting there waiting a half an hour because she'd come by and asked earlier than the woman who was waiting. (We don't hold them, but if the guest wants to sit there and wait for hours, they can have the next one that is available.) We also should conjure an ECV immediately and rent it to her for free because that is Disney does. Rory, one of my managers, took the force of this woman's wrath and supposedly ruined her vacation. We laughed about it in the back room. While working at that register, I also met one of those really nice guests who remind me that not everyone who wants an ECV is a nasty hag. This man was in his forties or fifties and asked if we had any ECVs available. I told him we didn't, and he said that was alright, he was willing to wait. I warned him it may be several hours and the ones he saw coming in would have to charge and may have to be held as backups, and he said that was okay so I pulled up a wheelchair and invited him to have a seat. His son showed up--a boy of ten or so--and we chatted for about twenty minutes exchanging life stories. He was a college professor of film and television and had written screenplays. A fellow cast member and I liked this guy so much we swapped one that came in with a low battery with a backup so we could get him his ECV. It pays to be civil and polite, eh? Friday, I went grocery shopping in the morning and made vegan chocolate chip cookies. I extended a few extra hours to stay and close in strollers. I was reluctant to leave because it had been a good ten-day stretch and I wasn't going to be back for a while since I was deployed to the Emporium for the following week. Saturday was my day off. I got up early to go to MGM with some friends from strollers, mostly the people who work in Delivery Services. (DS is like the front entrance merchandise upgrade, they do the package pickup for crap people want sent to the hotel or to the front of the park.) I brought bagel crisps to eat since I didn't know what our lunch plans were, but they were gone before we even got to MGM. We saw the Star Wars parade, watched the Beauty and the Beast stage show, tried to track down Darth Tater, and ate lunch at the ABC Commissary. (I had my usual stir fry kids meal.) It took us an hour to eat our fast food! We laughed and gossiped until everyone had to go to work. Warwick Davis, the man who played Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi and was the star of ÒWillowÓ with Val Kilmer, was in the Star Wars parade, and the DS people told me that he had come by strollers the day before to rent an ECV. This egotistical CP we all make fun of rented Warwick the ECV and talked his ear off, telling him about he's going to be on Survivor. (I don't think he's sent in his application yet, but he's already telling people he's the next Survivor.) When I got home, I ate the rest of my cookies, went to the gym, went online, and then headed to the pool. The only people down there were three Britons who live in the next building over. The guy was on a pink floatie and the girls were doing laps. I interviewed them and found out they were new international students on a summer program (lifeguards and MGM merch). The guy was hinting he wanted to hang out, so I invited them up to watch a movie (they picked Monsters, Inc.). The girls left to get to bed, but the guy stayed over to see what American TV was like. This may have just been a ruse. I hung out with him again the following night. I worked in the Emporium (big shop in Main Street) the last three days. My shifts have gone by pretty fast, but I am eager to get back to strollers and do something physical. They are really strict over there and I have already been scolded for things by supervisors more times than I have my entire time in strollers! Today, they made me button the top button of my shirt and I felt like I was going to pass out from suffocation. The guests are generally less cranky than they are in strollers, which I appreciate, but I feel bad not being able to answer a lot of their questions since I know so little about the merchandise there.