Three Posts; Five Days

Post #1: In Which Cinderannie Sends a Present and Almost Faints

On Friday the 21st I wrapped Lydia’s presents and mailed her package. It was fun to pack everything up. I had a terrible time finding the post office, however – it was hidden in a strip mall, tucked toward the back, and with no sign except a paper in the window! Government! I drove around that area at least three or four times before I managed to find the place. You’d think they could have a sign up above their section, like every other store in the strip mall… it doesn’t have to be fancy – just block letters saying, “POST OFFICE” would suffice! Once I was inside, they were very nice, however, and helped me figure out which size box I needed. I packaged everything up, taped it, and sent it on its way – and by the time I got back, had just enough time to pack food and dash to the bus.
I was excited for work – it was a Halloween party night! I was working in Toontown, so I wouldn’t be able to see the parade, but I would see the fireworks as well as everyone in their costumes. I started work at 3:15. Earlier in the week I had looked at myself in the mirror with hat on and hat off and decided I liked how I looked better without the hat. However, this was a mistake…
At about 5:15, I was finishing up a trash run. A lady came up to me, wanting to know where Cinderella was. There is a number, the Chip hotline, that we can call to find out where any character is at any time. I had the Nextel radio on me, so I attempted to figure out how to call the number – I had a terrible time getting the dumb thing out of the holder, it was so embarrassing – only to realize that you couldn’t use those radios to call normal numbers, you could only call other radios, or if you could I didn’t know how, because the Chip hotline was just four numbers. I was feeling very hot, and frustrated by my inability to help this poor lady who just wanted to know where Cinderella was – and I was starting to feel sick. I looked around for another cast member to help me. Finally I found another Custodial who had been there longer than me and knew that Cinderella was in the County Bounty tent, just a short distance from where we were, and if for some reason she wasn’t, the people there would know where she was. I was getting lightheaded now. I got back to the lady, told her this with a smile and apologized for the delay. She thanked me and headed for the tent. Just as she was leaving, I started getting tunnel vision. I stumbled to a bench and groped for it as my vision went dark, thinking “Don’t pass out, don’t pass out…” Fortunately, I managed to sit down on the bench and keep my consciousness. I breathed deeply a few times, my vision came back, and knew I needed to get to the air-conditioned break room. Never mind the last can of my trash run, if I passed out in the middle of Toontown it was not going to be good. Still feeling sick, I made it backstage and into the breakroom and collapsed at a table. I knew I should drink water, but I wasn’t sure I could make it to the cooler, and anyway there were never any cups. There was a man sitting at the table next to mine. This was no time to quibble over being forward.
“Excuse me sir?” I said. He turned. “I’m sorry – I just almost passed out out there – would you mind getting me some water?”
“Sure,” he said. I was expecting him to just go to the cooler, and at most have to fetch cups from somewhere – but he disappeared to somewhere and came back with a cold bottle of Dasani water. I thanked him very much. Some places they provide water bottles for cast members, and I don’t know if he got it from one of those, or if he paid for it out of a vending machine. I would have liked to have paid him back for it if he did, but by the time I had drank some and was feeling a bit more coherent, he was gone. So thank you, wonderful Photopass man.
Once I could think, I called the other Toontown custodial Nextel, and asked that person if they could get the last can on my trash run. The guy, Michael, not only did this, but also came to the break room to check on me and make sure I was okay. It was funny – we learned about asking someone who is hurt or whatever three times if they want a paramedic called, and also telling them it’s free – because sometimes someone will be like, “no, I’m fine, I’m fine,” but if they think about it they realize it would be a good idea. And when he came he did the asking three times and saying it was free thing to me! It made me laugh. But I told him no, I would be okay now that I was in the coolness and had something to drink, and thanked him for finishing my trash run.
It had been time for my break when I came into the break room. It was just supposed to be a 15 minute break, but I stayed there 25 minutes, and had some trail mix that I brought, because I knew that if I didn’t stay there long enough to cool down thoroughly I would just go out there and pass out again. Fortunately, when I did go back out, I was fine.
We had “track talk” (when all the custodials from Toontown and Tomorrowland meet and get any news) at 6:00pm. The only important thing there was that everyone who was sweeping needed to occasionally go up and down the Alice and the Mad Hatter’s Treat Party trail because people drop candy a lot there. I liked this, because I get to see all the characters (the Alice is so perfect! I love her!) and listen to the Alice in Wonderland soundtrack music.
This was the only 8 hour shift that I’ve had so far – I finished at midnight. I was really tired going back, from walking all that time, but it was a good night. Seeing everyone in their costumes is so much fun. And the HalloWishes fireworks are LOUD!


Post #2: In Which Cinderannie Has Two Terrible Days

On Saturday the 22nd, I worked in Fantasyland, bussing tables. At first it seemed like everything was a mess, because two of us were doing a trash run in the same area at the same time, and it seemed like there were too many custodials in the area getting in each others way, and everything was frustrating. But then a manager came by, and I asked her about the schedule, and it turned out that I was the cause of all this confusion – I hadn’t understood the schedule, and I was actually supposed to be in a different area, a short distance away – Scuttle’s landing, instead of The Fry Shoppe. Rats. So I go over there, and of course it’s a bit of a mess because I wasn’t there, so I dash around, sweep up and wipe the tables, and empty all the trash. By time I finished with all this, it was getting dark out. The lights were out that were around the tent that was over the tables, and I thought, “that’s weird, you’d think they’d want them on when it’s dark, but maybe they only use them when Ariel is here doing a show (there’s a stage inside the tent).” But then a little later the manager came and said, “Have these lights been off the whole time?!” and they were supposed to be on and maintenance should have been called… honestly, that whole shift I felt like I was doing everything wrong and couldn’t fix it. I don’t know what was wrong with me. But another girl I talked to, who took me to where the trash that can’t go down the AVAC goes so I could know where to put it, said that everyone feels like that the first time they do a new type of shift. So that was comforting.
After the park was closed and my area was all clean and the trash was emptied, I still had a little less than an hour before my shift ended. I went to ask the manager whether I should go to Main Street, since that’s usually what we do. But instead, she said,
“Okay, I’m sorry to ask you to do this, but could you please close out the male Peter Pan restrooms?” Of course I said, “Sure,” and went. I was doing okay, despite being tired and frustrated, until as I was cleaning I left the stockroom door open, because I was going back and forth getting different cleaners for different things, and then the lady doing the female restrooms told me crossly that I had to close it and lock it every time. After she had gone I yelled under my breath,
“There’s nobody here but you and me, lady! Who do you think is going to come steal or eat the chemicals!?” And to my frustration tears came into my eyes. I blinked them back and went into the restroom, carrying my cleaner, and to my surprise, there was a man in there cleaning!
“Oh, hello,” I said. “My manager told me to close these out.”
“Oh. Well, we will help each other,” he said in a Spanish accent, and we did. You would think it would be awkward, cleaning a men’s bathroom with a man, but for some reason it wasn’t. He wouldn’t let me clean the toilets and urinals, insisting that he would do that. So I cleaned the sinks and mirror and swept the floor and checked to make sure there was enough toilet paper and paper towel, and then before I knew it, it was time for me to go clock out. I thanked him very much, and gladly went to go home. It was nice of him to show up before I went to pieces.
I’m sorry that I’m going to tell about another crummy shift, but I figure you want to know what’s really happening to me. Don’t worry, this next one (Sunday the 23rd) was the worst day, and after that it all gets much better – indeed, right up to wonderful. But first…
On Saturday I was working in Tomorrowland again. Everything was going well, until I had to do a closing trash run. Ian, another custodial, had show me where everything was, and I thought it was going to go okay. But for some reason, things always take me longer than they take other people (except assembly line things. Then I can go the fastest. I wonder why that is?), especially the first time I do them. I was supposed to clock out at 12:15. But it took forever, and I was finishing the outside trash cans at ten to midnight and still had to do the bagged trash inside the rides. At that point I still thought I would make it, even though I also had to clean the dumpster area – I didn’t realize how many cans there were inside Buzz Lightyear, Stitch’s Great Escape, and Monster’s Inc. I got through Buzz, and it was 12:15. Then Stitch – it’s the old Alien Encounter, which was designed to be scary, and they haven’t changed the pre-show areas at all. It was a little creepy but not too bad when I was in there at first. Then I went to do Monster’s Inc. and realized I’d left the roll of plastic trash bags behind. So I had to go back in and look for them. Ugh. I practically ran out of there… shudder. It was nearly 12:45 when I finished Monster’s Inc. The trash cart was so heavy I could barely push it. I sang songs as I went back to the dumpsters.
All the trash liners on the cart had to be dumped into the compactor and rinsed, and then I had to sweep up the area. We aren’t supposed to clock out more than 15 minutes past our scheduled time, but by this time I figure I might as well be hung for a – what’s the expression? A dollar as a dime? No. A horse as a rabbit? Definitely not. I can’t remember at all. Well, anyway, I figured now that I was here I might as well clean the dumpster area thoroughly, so I got it all swept up and hosed down. As I was finishing the last of it, maggots started crawling from under the dumpster. Lots of them. Ugh ugh ugh. Thankful that they hadn’t come until I was done, I fled with my trash cart, left it in its spot by the Carousel of Progress gate, and went to clock out with great relief.
I had missed the bus that afternoon, so I’d had to drive to work. Fortunately I’d paid very close attention to where I parked, so I didn’t have any trouble finding my car. Getting home, on the other hand, was a different story. I got so lost! In the middle of nowhere! And when I did get to somewhere, everything was closed! I turned around, hoping that I could retrace my way back to Disney, and wondering what my mother would think if I called her at almost 2am telling her I was lost in Florida. Well, I didn’t get back to exactly where I started, but it was with extreme relief that I saw a Disney logo on a sign. I was over at Buena Vista video headquarters, and I have no idea where that is in the Disney complex, but all I knew was that once I was within Disney either there would be signs to tell me how to get home, or I would find someone who was awake and working. I drove along – stopping at a lighted building to see if anyone was there, but no one was – until I saw, with great relief, a sign that said “All Guest Areas” with an arrow pointing to the right. From there I just followed the signs until I knew where I was and could get home. And I was sooo glad to get back…
Thus ends the account of the two worst days of work so far. Again I say, don’t worry, it all goes up from here.

Post #3: In Which Five People Notice Cinderannie

On Monday the 24th I worked in Tomorrowland again. I went with some trepidation, given my previous experience, but when I looked on my sheet I didn’t have a trash run at all! So it was an easy night, nothing but sweeping and chatting with guests, and drying the tables after it rained. There’s nothing much to tell about it, other than that I was talking to a guy doing a trash run during the fireworks, and the music was playing and everything was beautiful, and then suddenly he said he’d ask me to dance, but I wasn’t wearing gloves. At first I was thinking, “Huh?” But then I realized that he was wearing gloves and his hands were dirty from the trash and he didn’t want to get my hands dirty. So I said, “Well thank you.” It was nice. I was glad that there was that excuse to not dance, because I wouldn’t want to slow dance (which is the only kind you could do to that music except waltzing, and somehow I doubt he knew how to waltz…) with someone I wasn’t in a very serious relationship with, but trying to explain that would have spoiled the moment. So it worked out very nicely. But that’s the only interesting thing that happened that day.
On Tuesday it was another shift in Tomorrowland. I had one trash run, which Ian showed me all the cans for, but it was in the middle of my shift and it was easy, and I got to do the zone that includes the Fantasyland bridge instead of the one in front of Space Mountain where I had been working. One of the best parts of the day was Diane, a manager, coming up to me and giving me a pin lanyard! So now I can trade pins! It’s so much fun, and it gives more opportunity for guest interaction. Oh, and since on this day my shift started at 3:30pm, I wore a hat so as not to pass out.
At one point during the evening, I was talking to Ian about the fireworks and how I always want to stop sweeping and watch them.
“Oh, we can!” he said. “The managers don’t mind if you’re just sweeping. If you’re doing a trash run, you’ve gotta keep going, but if you’re sweeping you can stop to watch them. Do you want to watch them with me tonight? I’ll show you my favorite spot to see them.”
“Sure!” I said. What is it with guys and fireworks? It’s nice being noticed, but it’s also a little strange. Oh, and some guy on the bus asked me out once. I turned him down - nicely; I’m not going to date unless there’s a possibility of marrying the guy, and any guy who asks a girl out after one conversation is not marriage material. I’ll try not to let all this noticing go to my head. :-)
Watching the fireworks with Ian was nice. It was sort of funny; the place that was his favorite spot was the place on the Tomorrowland bridge where Tinkerbelle goes right over your head – it’s the same place my family watches them; I’ve known about it for years. But I didn’t tell him that. :-)
At one point during my trash run, I was coming out of the backstage area with my trash dolly when a manager saw me and said,
“I like your smile out there. You’re doing good.” So! A manager noticed me smiling! This is good. And I got noticed again, by another manager, later that night. I was over at Main Street, Toontown having emptied of guests and been swept, and it was almost time for my clock out when a manager named Russ came up to me and, rather desperately, asked if I would do him a favor. I said sure, and he told me that his cast member was missing and could I please start on the BDO (Bus Drop Off) trash run. So I took off with the trash dolly he pushed at me, and quickly started on it. I finished half of it in only 15 minutes, and meanwhile another person had been doing the other half. Russ came back, thanked me very much, and said to just call the deployment base when I went to clock out and tell them that he said to extend me. But it turned out that on my way back another manager lady came up to me and said that they’d gotten me an extension until 9:50 (I was supposed to clock out at 9:30) and I was all set. So it was nice to be able to be of help, especially because he was so appreciative, and it didn’t take long at all.