It's gonna sound redundant, given how many times I've said this in previous entries, but I cannot believe it's been so long since I last updated (over a month!). I'm so, so sorry for leaving you guys in the dark like that. But there really hasn't been much time to sit down and just write about what's been happening -- free time gets eaten up pretty quickly by plans and chores. In any case, it's my day off and I'm pretty sick (ugh), so I'm not going anywhere for a while. Now's as good a chance as I'm going to get.
I'm a little nervous about trying to summarize anything, given my current mood. Really not feeling well right now; I woke up with a cold sore at the corner of my mouth and several cysts on the tip of my tongue (they tend to pop up when I'm stressed or sick), so talking and eating are painful. Plus, my nose is dripping like crazy, and I can't seem to stop coughing. Fun times! I've actually been sick since Saturday afternoon, but leaders generally won't send you home unless you've got particular symptoms like nausea, diarrhea, or fever.
Speaking of this weekend...man, was it busy. I seriously have never seen the crowds get that bad -- the closest was Memorial Day weekend, and even that wasn't as crazy. On Saturday and Sunday, it was estimated we had about 8,000 guests in the park, and for a waterpark, that's a lot. Typhoon apparently had to start turning people away after they reached maximum capacity on Saturday. And it was doubly startling after two weeks of rainy days and slow business. Seriously, we had thunderstorms almost every afternoon in the second half of June, and when lightning comes within thirteen miles of the park, we have to shut down the rides. So people would pour out of the park, and we'd be left with about 200 guests. It's a little boring when it gets slow, but it's not bad. I just wish there had been some sort of transition from slow to ridiculously busy.
If I sound tired of my job, that's the cold talking. I am really enjoying the experience, and even when things seem rough, the benefits are definitely worth it. There's so much to do, so many places to go! Heck, I'd be out park-hopping today if it weren't for how sick I am. I still had to go to costuming this morning, but I bought lunch and a cupcake at Pop Century to try and cheer myself up. I did lots of fun stuff in June, though! Hmm, to name some hilights:
Early in the month, Ariane finally was able to move out of her empty, lonely apartment into a two-bedroom with new roommates, and it was a huge relief. The last thing anyone working at Magic Kingdom needs is stress in their home life -- things are crazy enough at work.
Around the middle of the month, I was finally able to get to Hollywood Studios and meet Phineas and Ferb at their new character spot (it's near the exit to Muppets 3D, for anyone wondering). The theming is really neat -- apparently the brothers have decided to film a movie based on their summer adventures, and so the spot looks like a sound stage made to resemble their backyard, complete with props from the show. The ambiance for the spot is also set up as a radio show being broadcast over the Tri-State Area (that's the fictional place Phineas and Ferb live in), with characters from the show calling in to request songs from the show. I need to put a photo dump together, because I got some neat shots of the spot.
Also managed to pick up a lot of merchandise over this last month. I bought a tonne of stuffed animals at Property Control, and -- get this -- I finally got my Perry the Platypus doll! Although I had to buy it online at Disney Store.com, but he was marked down! And he's so precious -- he's the small version and perfect for carting around the parks in my purse. Which I've been doing. I have a picture of him sitting on top of Mickey's head, but it's still in my camera. Man, I am sitting on way too many photos right now. Sheesh!
I worked on Canada Day, but it was a short day shift, so I was able to get to Epcot that evening and hang around the Canadian pavilion for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. I had a frozen cappuccino, which is about as close to a Timmy's iced cap as I can get down here. I watched the Canada movie, and while waiting for the fireworks, joined in when the crowd began spontaneously singing "O Canada". It was somehow incredibly comforting to know that for a moment, I was surrounded by Canadians. Wasn't quite like being at home, but it was close, even with World Showcase being as kitschy as it is.
I can't think of anything else right now...I'm so tired, augh. I'll try to post some photos ASAP. Again, I'm so sorry for vanishing like that. I'll try to make my updates more frequent, but I can't promise anything. Anyways! Time to fold some laundry. Tomorrow I'll be going to Universal Studios with a friend, and hopefully I'll be feeling better by then.
