SO SORRY!

I know I am very behind on my updates... as my friend Craig has told me. Ill try my best to update on what the last three weeks has been like.



Foodrunning



I have been in foodrunning for the last three weeks. I personal love it. I get to feel like I actually am helping the servers out and making an impression on the guests. It's really fun to put the poutine (thats right... I said POUTINE) down infront of a guest. Within an instant you can tell if they are canadian or not. If they are canadian their eyes light up as if you just brought them the world on a plate. My next adventure at the Canadian pavilion is becoming a server. I start that on monday, and have a few training shifts. I am really excited about this. I hope I will do a great job of it. I know I have served before but here its very different.



Goodbyes



There has been alot of goodbyes over the past few weeks. Saying goodbye to Allison Wong, and Kyla was tough. Games night isnt the same without those two. I realize every week that goes bye how much harder it is going to be to say goodbye to those around me. Even thinking about saying goodbye to the next group that goes home, already brings tears to my eyes. Another person I had to say goodbye to and it was the hardest so far was Jason. Jason was a member of my arrival group and I am really going to miss him. But I do know that next year when I get home and have an extra leaf ticket, one of my favourite PEI people will be there to sit beside me and cheer for the leafs with me.

Hellos

A huge group of newbies came this week... and when I say huge I mean huge. The throw in was fun but just something didnt feel right. I did however get a little sibling. Her name is Heather, she is from Vancouver and is also 24. She will be working in food and beverage with me. Also a few more of the people I ate dinner with the night before our interviews arrived this week as well. YAY!

Other stuff

I starting hanging around Jen L. more. I really enjoy her company and am upset that she is in the next group to leave. Luckily I get to spend some more time with her tomorrow. :)

My twin, Mel, and I ate at Bistro de Paris the other night. Let me tell you it was AMAZING! I tried something I wouldnt normally eat, duck. It was a duck breast and some raisin polenta. Really nice. I highly recommend this restaurant.

I cant really think of anything else atm, and I know tons of stuff has happened its just that I got home from work and my brain is not all here. When I remember more I will update!

OH, lots of disney photos on facebook! Have a look.

The week of Rain!

Well since my last post on here I do have some good and some bad news.

I'll start with the good news. I passed my spiel and start food running on Monday which means I'll be a server soon. I am really excited about this as I love to serve tables and be able to make more guests happy while doing this. I dont know how long I will be in food running but I dont think it will be that long as many other people are trying to spiel which means they will be put into food running shortly after me. But only time will tell.

Well the bad news, my 21 year old cousin was killed. She was crossing the street (jaywalking) and got hit by a car. This is the second death that I have had in my family since I have come to work for Disney. This is the one negative of this job. Being away from home when emergencies happen. I feel like I should be home to help out, but I do understand there isnt much I can do to change the events that have happened.

The remainder of this week has been wet, very very very wet. As I write this, I glance outside my window and see just buckets of rain. It isnt even hurricane season yet but it has rained for 4 days straight. Yesterday I was suppose to work my last popcorn shift, and I got a lovely call as I was putting on my costume telling me that due to the rain I didnt have to come into work and I got an ADO (authorized day off) I will have a smaller paycheck next week but its better than getting sick by standing in the rain behind the popcorn cart. So I bought a poncho and went to the studios with David and Craig. We didnt do that many things but i t was nice to get out of the commons for a bit. That night I went to Jellyrolls, a bar/lounge at Disneys Boardwalk. I really enjoyed this place. Its not a club, but you get to listen to great music, from gentlemen playing pianos. I want to go back there again.

Today as I said before its raining again! So I pretty much am not leaving my apartment. My roomies are going downtown tonight to go to a club but I dont want to get soaked so I think I have a date with my laptop and Season 3 of Criminal Minds.

Hopefully the rain will stop tomorrow so I can get to work without being drenched!

Character Breakfasts and 4 park challenge!

I forgot to mention about character breakfasts.

After my backstage tour of the Haunted Mansion. Cale and I went to eat breakfast at Cinderellas Table. There we got to meet Cinderella, Belle, Jasmine, Ariel, and Aurora. It was pretty good. The food was okay but the atmosphere was amazing. I do have pictures and will post them soon. Another breakfast with characters that I have attended recently is 1900 park fare. This breakfast was for Kate's birthday. The characters I met there are Mary Poppins, Alice, the Mad Hatter, Tigger and Winnie the Pooh. I am really enjoying these character breakfasts and think I will try to dine at as many character meals as I can.

4 PARK CHALLENGE!!

So, yesterday I went to Boma for Breakfast which is located at the Animal Kingdom lodge. From there we ( Allison, Robyn, Louisa, David, Rebbeca, Lynsay and myself) went to Animal Kingdom. Rode Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, and the Safari. Drove to Epcot parked there. Got on the parking lot tram. Hopped on the monorail to MK. Rode Pirates, Splash Mountain (I GOT WET!) and Haunted Mansion. Then took the train from Frontierland to Mainstreet and headed to the ferry back to the TTC. Then hopped on a bus to the Studios. Rode Tower of Terror, Great movie ride, Rock N' Roller Coaster, and Toy story mania. Then took the friendship ferry boat to Epcot. Rode Journey into Imagination, Test Track and Spacemountain. Finished the evening with firework viewing at the Rose and Crown Pub. This day was insane and I am so glad there are videos and many photos of this amazing task.

Well the last bit of news this week is tomorrow at 10am I spiel the menu to a manager. Im extremely nervous. I'll let you all know how I do later.

A week and a bit in a glance

Ok, so I know I have been horrible and not updating this blog like I should. But the last 2 weeks have been very very very busy. Lets see if I can start writing some of the wonderful days out.

I've learned that I really enjoy the restaurant stocker shifts. I dont know why I like them, but I do. You just do your job, and if you do it properly no one comes and bugs you. You get to be on your own mini schedule of cultery, break, plates, napkins, and you get to help more in the dining room busing tables and resetting tables. I just like be in the middle of the action. I also get to talk more the servers, and kitchen castmembers.

I have my culinary day on the Thursday coming up. I am really excited about it. Not only about the tasting part but the actually learning how the kitchen works here. I will write more about this after it happens.

This past week I had my disney basics class. It was fun. The castmember leading it was great. She was tres perky which was perfect for this class. I also had another class this week, not as much fun, but a great learning experience.

Outings
On friday I went to the magic kingdom which 2 of the newbies and Louisa and Robyn. We ran around like little kids, which is always so much fun. We watched wishes again and I think I am in love with those fireworks.

On sunday, Jacqueline and I went to the studios. It was her first time and I loved showing her around them. Before we had gone to the studios we took the I-ride trolley to the Prime outlets and went shopping. OH side note... there is.... a .... BESTEY JOHNSON outlet... and I am going to go and buy a dress in 2 more paychecks... HEHEHEHEHE. Ok back to the story. We were only there for 2 hours but we did a ton of stuff. We started out on the Tower of Terror, headed to Rock and rollercoaster, then went to Toy Story Mania. Ok this was my first time on this ride and I have to say that Disney did a GREAT job on both the actual attraction and the que line. I didnt even mind waiting the 30 mins or so as there was so much stuff to look at in the line. Plus the giant talking Mr. Potato Head, BRILLANT! We then ran over to The Great Movie Ride, Muppets Vision 3D, and then ended the night at Star Tours. Lets just say Jacqueline wasnt too much of a fan with star tours.

The next day Robyn and I went to explore Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is my least favourite park, but I am starting to warm up to it. We did Everest first, where we rode as single riders as the line was HUGE. I ended up sitting with a Canadian family from about 15 mins from my house. It truely is a small world after all. We rode on Dinosaur twice, watched the Festival of the Lion King, and rode the Safari ride just as the park was closing which meant NO LINE. This was a great day, so much fun that it looks like we are planning another Animal Kingdom adventure day next Saturday, hopefully starting with a breakfast at Tusker House with Donald.

The following day I got up before the sun and headed to the Magic Kingdom. I told a few people that I was going on the backstage tour of the haunted mansion and this was very very true. However that is as much info as I am going to write here as I refuse to spoil the magic for everyone. I will say the tour is great and the mansion is one of the best designed rides there is in Disney. One day if I ride it with any of you I will point out a few little fun details to make your experience better but dont even think of asking how things are done cause I am not going to tell you.

The rest of the week I have mostly stayed at home except for Wednesday. Wednesday we had formal. I sort of felt like I was back in highschool again and didnt stay too long there. I did get a picture with Goofy which was tres cool. Then there was a throw out, which was kinda sad. Im not liking these throw outs.

Well I need to get ready for work. Its my Friday today but I only get one day off , then work for 4 days then I get a 3 day weekend. Tomorrow is Kate's Birthday so my day off will be spent doing whatever the birthday girl has planned.

Major Update - Yeah yeah I know update more!!

Ok so where did I leave off... oh yeah my first throw out. Since then a million things have happened and I will try my best to list off what happened. This may be completely out of order as the days here melt together and become one big disney blob.

Lets start with the easiest thing to talk about, WORK. So I have offically earned my ears on both podium and popcorn cart. The little ribbon is now resting beside my bed until I need it again for the next Food and Beverage adventure. All my trainers were great, I guess once again I got lucky. Thanks Ty, Rebecca, Sasha, and David. Now I am working normal shifts instead of on the job training ones. I am still loving it here and although I am missing home, I love this job.

After work comes HOME. So the commons have started to have their inspections and of course building 8 was the first one on the list. So last thursday we had our very first inspection, and we passed, and got some fruit by the foot candy. Our next goal is to get the "white glove" award. We will see if that ever happens, but hey our apartment is clean and doesnt smell like other ones so I guess we are in great shape.

Outings

So this past week I went out alot with the canadians. Wednesday I went to the bar Buffalo Wild Wings, and get this, I really enjoyed myself. I loved that place. First off there were televisions everywhere with SPORTS, and since I dont have a tv in my apartment seeing tv's was a big yes yes yes. I ordered some wings, and although they might not be firkin status (any of my canadian friends reading this might understand what I mean or they might not but oh well) they were really good. I will def go back to this place.

The next night I went to Chillers, a club in downtown Orlando. So before I actually talk about the club, lets chat about downtown orlando. Hmmm, its SMALL. It's got a few and when I say a few I mean like 3 highrise buildings then a bunch of small buildings. It reminds me of like Markham. Ok back to Chillers, it was a 4 floor club. So we went in, got our drink at the bar, and then I was told by Sasha to follow Matthieu. So I did. Well we got lost for about an hour before we ran back into our fellow canadians. To me the club was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too busy, I didnt like the atmosphere at all, and I wont be going back. But either way I went, had the experience, and doubt I will return.

Sunday, my roommate and I went to Publix. Its a grocery store. A fairly nice grocery store. I behaved myself and didnt go crazy with chocolate and candy, even though it was a close call. We then ate lunch at the subway beside the store and then walked back to our apartment complex. Her and her german friends were going to go drink around the world so I tagged along, not to drink as I dont have the money for that number 1 and number 2 thats not really my idea of a wonderful time. But we went to Epcot, I did have one drink, a margarita. IT WAS AWESOME. I got to meet Belle in France, she called me a princess. :D I took many pictures. I will post them on facebook later, step one was update blog, camera was step two. We stayed for the fireworks. And then came home and went to bed.

Monday, Kate, Cale and I went to the bank. Ok, banking here is WAY WAY WAY different than in Canada. First off when you line up to go see a teller its a screen. There is no physical person in front of you, WEIRD. Ok so we went there, Cale got his account open and I deposited my checks and then set up direct deposit. So at least I dont have to make that trip every week now. We then went to property control and cast connection. And I did behave myself I didnt go crazy even though I wanted to. I bought a $60 silver mickey necklace for $15 and 2 pirate pins that came to $10. We then went to the Magic Kingdom. We went on the Haunted Mansion after eating a quick lunch. And then we lined up for the parade. The parade was amazing. I got lots of pictures. Before working here I was never a big parade person, that could be because my brother wouldnt of let me watch the parades in the first place, but I dont know. After the parade we went to Big Thunder Mountain and grabbed some fastpasses. Then out of no where a cast member handed us 2 splash mountain fastpasses for roughly the same time. SWEET!. So we headed over to pirates, got a quick glance at Jack Sparrow as he ran away from "the governor's daughter" and then rode the ride. We then looked through a bunch of the shops while waiting for our fastpass time to begin. We rode thunder mountain and thats Kate's favourite ride. We then flipped over to Splash mountain and we did ask to sit in the back so I didnt get too wet. I am not a fan of being soaked, never have been, never will. After that, we got on the train and rode it around once and a bit and got off in toontown. We then rode... now wait for it.. wait for it.... ITS A SMALL WORLD. I have to do that ride at least once while down here. Its a classic. After that Kate and I met up with Rebecca and Sasha. Rode Pirates and Buzz lightyear, and then went to our Dinner at the Plaza restaurant. I ate the club and it was tres yummy. Then I had the brownie for dessert and I couldnt finish it. After dinner we went to fantasy land and rode almost everything. We did Pooh, Peter Pan, and Snow white. Then it was firework time and we got a great spot and watched Wishes. I am starting to fall in love with fireworks. No matter how many times you watch them, they never get old. We then went home, and I went to games night.

Tuesday. Iwent to work but after work went out for Dinner with Janna at TGIFridays. Since when we came home from work there was apool party with free pizza, which I did eat. I only got a dessert. Then we returned home, got changed and headed to another throw out. This one was really sad. Im not going to go in too many details, but throw in's and out's are a sign of respect to either to the new people entering the pavilion or people leaving the pavilion. No matter how close you are to the person being thrown out, you GO.

Wednesday, was the throw in for the newest 2 canadian pav members, Eric and Sam. It was a lot of fun being on the other side of the throw in. After the thrown in, I came home, checked my email and went to bed.

NOW YOU ARE FULLY CAUGHT UP WITH MY LIFE... PICTURES TO COME ON FACEBOOK THATS TOMORROWS GOAL!!!!

Popcorn Cart, Seating, Easter, Throw Out

So since my last update a few things have happened this week.

Lets start with the popcorn cart. I actually enjoy working the popcorn cart, there tends to be a lot of people working and you get to have quite a bit of fun while you pour people their beers and give them fresh popcorn. The best part of the job is the 8:30 - 9:00 pm rush before the fireworks. As soon as the fireworks start, after we serve our last guest we all get to stand in front of the cart and watch the fireworks. How many people get to say watching a Disney firework show is part of their nightly routine.

Oh, I am done my popcorn cart training so I have half earned my ears. The other half of my ears are being earned this week in the restaurant as a seater, greeter, and stocker. The first nice thing about the restaurant is .... AIR CONDITIONING. Even though I have to spend some time outside, the ability to walk in and get cold air on my face is amazing. I have only had so far one shift in the restaurant as a seater. I and Kate were trained by Rebecca. I really enjoy the restaurant. So far I am really enjoying everything. Everyone so far is really nice, and friendly. I havent run into anyone that isnt yet, including guests. Had a few that werent the happiest people on earth but still no one has been mean yet.

This weekend was Easter!!! And I had sunday and monday off, which is very odd when you dont have a family to spend easter with but still have it off. The parks were pretty busy in the early park of the week, but it seems it started to quiet out a bit for the rest of the week. So today my lobser roommate, Gabby ( I am calling her my lobster roommate because, she decided to go in the sun yesterday for a couple hours and well didnt put on any sun protection and didnt flip over and tan her back at all, so her front is bright red, like Canadian flag RED, and her other side is white white) are going to the Studios today.

Last night I went to my first throw out, and since Craig got a bunch of hangers and a laundry basket, I got to take 4 of the hot pink ones for my jackets. I didnt really know the people being thrown out, Ashley and Billy. I am sure every throw out group that I attend will get a bit more emotional as I get to know these people and they get to be part of my family.

Well until next time I write, have a great day!

Earning my ears.... aka Training

So I am in Training and will be for a few weeks. The day after traditions we did some e-learning classes, walked around the Canadian Pavilion briefly, walked backstage, met one of our managers, Janice. The next day I had Epcot Discovery day, and that was alot of fun. Got to learn about the history of Epcot, what Walt wanted Epcot to become and what it actually did become. Got to walk around future world and name off all the rides and restaurants located inside each area. Before we did the walk around future world we got to ride Spaceship Earth. Now for those of you that arent aware, this is the ride inside the big golf ball thing, yes I know its not a golf ball but for those nondisney people thats the easiest way to explain. I love this ride, Im not a huge fan of the updated version, but I still love this ride. For my theatre friends think of it as a trip through all your VIS portfolios. That class has never made me look at anything the same way again, thank you Peter and Liz. After the walk around future world we boarded one of the friendship boats and made our way around World Showcase. Learning about the restaurants and attractions in each of the pavilions. We started with Canada, WOOT WOOT!



After Discovery day was over, we Canadians had a few more hours of work. We walked around the Canadian pavilion with DJ our CoT. He showed us the locations of everything we will need to know and more. We watched the new O' Canada film, which is very good all of you must go see it when you come and visit me. And then the best and worst part of the day, my COSTUME. I had to try on 6 pairs of pants before I got the best fitting size, its very very stressful. But now I have costumes that fit.

Then the next 2 days were Popcorn cart days. Kate and I are lucky enough to have the exact same training schedule. Tyler is our training for all 3 popcorn cart days. First we learned how to open the cart, the next day we learned how to close the cart, and tomorrow we learn how to stock and clean the cart. I have to say I like popcorn cart. You get a lot of guest interaction, and you get to talk about where you are from alot. The second shift was the best so far (yes I know I only had 2 but it was magical) First at 3pm Tylers family from back home surprised him in front of the cart and that made me smile. Such a magical moment. We also got to take pictures for the guests, give out stickers, and really enjoy being around with the guests. Then the fireworks started. After we finished the rush of popcorn before the fireworks I got to view Illimunations for the first time in years. Very very pretty.

I then had a long weekend off, friday, sat, and sun.

Friday I went and opened my Partners bank account, and went to walmart for FOOD. Saturday I went to Animal Kingdom in the morning with Silvia rode a few rides and returned to my apartment and read a book. Then the best thing happened. A friend of mine, Daniel, gave me a site online to watch the LEAFS game LIVE. I couldnt believe it. I had the leafs game and canadian commercials on my laptop! That by far made my day.

Today is Sunday and right now I am sitting in my PJs on the sofa as I write this. I know for sure that 2 of my roommates work today but I dont know about the 3rd. I think I might walk over to the outlet mall across the street and see if I can find a skirt on sale. I need a skirt. Other than that I am going to take a nice relaxing day. Hmm since we cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen last night, I may go rent the vaccuum and do a quick house cleanup. We have inspections in 2 weeks so my apartment is trying to the clean every week once so we dont have to spend how many hours cleaning for the inspection. In short we just want the treats that come with passing the inspection.