Tomorrow, my email is going to be published to the Main Street Diary, aka a newsletter posted around the WDW Resort that is written by Lee Cockerell. I'm very excited.

In other news... Tower has been wonderful, life is good... and I really don't have much exciting stuff to say... besides the fact that Jerry Rice is very nice and Mariah Carey should really not try to run over poor defenseless bellhops like me. XP

If you guys want to add my myspace... http://www.myspace.com/takarakanashi

That's love. :D

Tower Ridethroughs: 64

Nothing much going on. We just got done with peak week... and now we're smack dab in the middle of ESPN the Weekend. You know your life is going right when a big football player VIP almost has to catch you to keep you from hitting the ground while you're out at FastPass Distribution and you're sick and you almost pass out. *smirk* Did I mention that he offered to carry me to the office too? And I'm no small girl.

Lately, things have been quiet. I've found a few friends to hang out with... my roomies are good... life is normal, I guess.

Anyway, off to bed with me. I have work at 3 pm. :D *hugs everyone*

Number of rides on Tower: 44 (I've hit a lull.)

Last night, I decided that I was bored as hell... I was watching Viva La Bam Season 4 and doing laundry... so I decided that it was about that time that I take off on my own and do something.

So I went to the Magic Kingdom, figuring that I'd go see Wishes. The website said that there would be no fireworks or parades... but I never trust that... not after working here. So I headed out, drove to the MK, and parked. I got on the monorail, and as I was getting off at the main gate, I found my co-bellhop, Jeremy. He was there with his roommate, Kelly, so I asked him if there was a way that I could hang out with him. He said yes, of course. So we hung around for awhile, riding Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Stitch's Great Escape, and going to see Mickey's PhilharMagic. Then we got a spot directly in front of the castle to see Wishes at 10.

( Wishes was beautiful as usual. :D Click for pictures. )

Then Jeremy, Kelly, and I went on the Haunted Mansion, and they left. So there I was alone... not for the first time, haha. I went and got a Fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain, then I walked over to Pirates of the Caribbean and rode that. After, I caught the 11 pm SpectroMagic Parade, then went and rode Big Thunder. It sort of sucked, because the Standby line was at a 10 minute wait, and yet, I had a Fastpass, but whatever. XP I went right on, and when it was all over... I decided to try and head for It's a Small World... but I looked at my watch and decided that was a no go, because it was 11:55, and the park closed for 12. So I headed for the exit. As soon as I reached Casey's, When You Wish Upon A Star started playing, and the spiel thanking everyone for spending their day in the realm of fantasy played... and then it was all over and I was on the monorail and then I was home. I talked to Kenny on the entire drive, which was nice, because I hardly ever get to anymore.

Today I have to work from 3-9, and then I'm off... wonder what I'm going to do. *grin*

Tags: wishes
Current Mood: content
Current Music: Wishes soundtrack

Much much much thanks to ciara_belle for the postcard I got today! That's actually my first bit of mail from anyone besides Kenny or the WDW College Program peeps! And I got it on Valentine's Day!!!

I didn't work today, but I definitely went to MGM with Britt, and we rode the Backlot Tour, played Who Wants to be a Millionaire Play It!, and went on Rockin Roller Coaster and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

And then we went to Wal-Mart (eeeew.) and now we're at the apartment, watching American Idol, then we're going to go watch Lost and eat pizza.

Number of ridethroughs on Tower: 32

Amy? Um... Amy?? I'll PAY you to make my layout, ok?

I have a few pictures that I wanted to post... here you guys go!

( Click for Pictures! )

Number of Rides on Tower: 29 (due to a lot of midshifts and tired times... not to mention Early Releases and days off)

Today was a good day, for it being 9 hours long. I had a dizzy spell around 45 minutes till shift end, but I was okay... tomorrow I have to work from 7-1:30, then I have class at 3 pm, my Security class at Disney University. Thursday, I have to go in at 8:45. I get off at 8:45. 12 hours. I am going to die. Seriously.

That means that I need to get plenty of sleep and I need to bring something with me for lunch, or I need to bring money and get something for lunch. HOWEVER... there's that small problem where I don't have much money. :( Other than all that... I'm doing okay... I'm just REALLY tired.

Number of rides on Tower: 25

I've been in Florida for three weeks as of Wednesday, and I've been loving every single minute of it. I have made so many new friends, done so many new things, and I've been to all four parks.

First off... I know I've already told you all, but I work at the Disney-MGM Studios as a bellhop at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. I trained for 4 days then had my full assessment and now I'm a Phase One trained cast member at Tower. It is quite fun, and I absolutely love it. :D

After my assessment, I went in for my first day at Tower (1/29), and worked just fine like it was nothing. Around 6 pm, I was getting into my groove, working on Charlie Load, when I looked up at Ana (one of the ICPs, who left on Feb 2nd) and she had a party of four for me. I took a good look at one of the boys, then double taked... it was Stanislav Ianevski, aka Viktor Krum, from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Next to him was Devon Murray, aka Seamus Finnegan. They were with a VIP Guide... and my heart leapt to my throat and then dropped like a stone. I loaded them like it was nothing and loaded the platform. I did my spiel, then pressed the overhead safety spiel button, and then the elevator came and I loaded them on. I was blushing, I know it... because when Devon passed me, I was grinning like a fool, and he grinned back and I nodded, as if to say, YES I REALLY DO KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Likely a most successful way of saying hello. :D The entire moment went by just fine, however... I think I died right there and was brought back, because I didn't stop freaking out from the moment the elevator door closed until later that night. Or the next day, not too sure.

Other than that moment... work has been relatively celebrity free. However... the fun has not been lacking! We've had conventions almost every single night... and every time I work one, I end up working with Britt. Britt and I have gotten very close over a short period of time, which is okay, because we only have so much time to get to know each other. I already know more about Britt than I do about anyone else, including my roommates. I love Britt's roommates... well... all except Nicolette... ha. The conventions have been a blast, though. If you've been on Tower before, you know how the bellhops are. We're the literal undead... the epitome of 1939 come back in the form of a hotel whose bellhops remained in form and spirit until the reopening of the Hotel... *wink* We act with the most gracious of hospitality, but we are also quite witty and sardonic. Now... imagine that undead bellhop trying to deal with a bunch of screaming, drunken adults at a party. Not much fun, eh? That is why we're allowed to break theming and have fun with them. I had guests literally flapping their "wings" and yelling that they're having fun and singing "Margarita Cha Cha Cha". Sometimes, I would run back to freak them out and say, "Oh God I forgot to tell you!" as the doors closed. All in all, they were a great group. :D

Not to mention, that was the night that Britt and I had the most fun together, because we had to do ride throughs that night. On our first ride through together, Sean played the Tiki Room theme instead of Tower... heee. It was hilarious. Britt bought the picture and I copied it on photo paper... and I'm so serious about scanning that into my computer. :D Then, we got to go on Rock N Roller Coaster twice. Once was in the pitch black darkness with no music, and once was with ALL the lights on and the music. It was so AWESOME. Then, we ended up doing one ride through with the Coaster cast members, and then we went with Merchandise and took the new big Display Picture for Tower Gifts/Photo Pickup. Julia gave me a copy of that. It is awesome! And finally... after the convention, Britt and I rode through again. That made for 5 ride throughs of Tower in one night.

I had two days off this past week (as well as today, my one day on this schedule), and I used them to go to the parks. Britt and I went to the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday and rode Space Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Then we went to EPCOT, and we ate lunch, then we went and rode Livin' With The Land, Soarin', and Journey Into Imagination with Figment. And then it was off for home. Friday, I woke to a veritable storm outside, thus deciding that I would don my jacket and go to Animal Kingdom anyway and ride Expedition: EVEREST. I did. About an hour after seeing It's Tough to be a Bug. And yes, I did end up riding Everest... three times, in fact... I love the ride sooooo much! Not going to spoil anyone about how it is... but I'll just say... I heart the Yeti. :D Official Opening: April 7, 2006. I had to wait, due to the lightning... creepy... but yeah. Then I went to Disney-MGM Studios to pick up Britt (who had to work until 5 that day). I had met a friend, Annie, at Everest, so she rode with me. We rode Tower together, then we went on Rock N Roller Coaster twice. And then, right after, Annie left, and Britt and I went and saw Muppet Vision 3-D. And then we watched Kill Bill at her apartment. All in all an awesome two days off.

Today I spent my day doing nothing... which was nice. Britt and I watched Fawlty Towers, Invader Zim, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. It was a perfect day. I loved it!

And then this week... I have one 12 hour shift on Thursday (convention again...) and a lot of either mid, or closing shifts. There's one opening shift, and there's one shift for NEXT Saturday that looks like it could be a opening shift... but it isn't because we have Extra Magic Hours that day. Ahhh, whatever. I love it here, and that's what counts. :D

For everyone who wants to get in touch with me... my email address is takarak84@aim.com. Please email me and ask for whatever info you want to know. My apartment address is posted on my main journal (takarakanashi), however, it is friends only.


Rides on Tower since beginning training: 23
Parks visited: 4
Stuff to do with Britt: Lights Motors Action Extreme Stunt Show, Fantasmic!, 50's Prime Time Cafe'

Pictures

( Click for pictures! )

More to come later!!!

Soooo.

Worked at Tower Sunday through today. Pam is my trainer, totally awesome. Sunday I went in at 11:30, yesterday and today I went in at 7 am sharp. I learned both days how to secure the building and do AB checks, as well as seatbelt checks. On Sunday I rode the ride three times, yesterday twice, and today once. All in all... I've ridden Tower just in the time that I've been working there... more times than I have just visiting WDW. Well, if you don't count the three in one trip. XP

We even have a famous cast member, TJ. If you've been to Tower before (or seen it on TV, especially!), you should know what I'm talking about. TJ has been at Tower since it opened, and he is the person who set the performance bar so high for our bellhops. He has been featured on the Travel Channel MANY times, and he's the only remaining cast member from opening Tower Rotation. He's pretty darn freaky. *grins* At least... well... when he's in character.

I have so much to remember... there are 8 elevators in the building, 6 for the ride, one high rise to the 9th floor (right in the middle of the guest area at unload, where you view your pictures), and one low rise to the 5th (aka the "chicken elevator"). There are 6 stairwells, and the front end stairwells (the ones by the drop shafts) are special. Not going to tell you too much information, though. The lobby? Totally cool and decorated for the express purpose of showing off it's authenticity (see the newspapers and all the neat stuff in there... especially the clock over the elevators, stopped at 8:05 pm.). The library? Also a great place for visitors to be... but of course, also the home of the television loop of Rod Serling.

I know so much about my show now... and I know where the Hidden Mickeys are and everything (MY favorite: when you're walking into the lobby, there will be a desk to your right with a pair of glasses on it. Stoop down and look at the glasses just a little bit higher, and you'll see that they form Mickey's head! There's also one in the Starfield Doors, which are the doors at the end of the 5th Dimension hallway, aka the one that is all mirrored and floaty... the one you actually move FORWARD through. :D). I get to mess with the guests, I know how to load, unload, operate, and I know how most of the ride works now! I also can greet and do FASTPASS lines. It's really not bad at all. I know it's high volume, but it's a really fun little adventure.

For everyone's information... the subject line is one of the many replies you'll get from a Hollywood Tower Hotel Bellhop when you ask them if the library is scary. I used it today, in fact.

I'm still in training, I have my assessment on Thursday, and this is the first time I've been able to get on the computer since the night I visited Jason's apartment.

Anyways... if you have any crazy questions about Tower, ask me, and I'll see what I can actually tell you. *sinister smirk* Do drop in again. :D

Today was my On With the Show class... I made a friend, Jason, and he's cool as hell... until he starts jumping on your table and trying to break it. -_-.

Pretty much what the OWtS class is... it's general orientation at the Disney-MGM Studios. You meet your trainers at the back gate, and then you walk around the entire park and you are showed everything that guests might want or need to see... plus you get to find out very interesting trivia. The first time it REALLY hit me that I was a Cast Member was when we walked past that very obscure forbidden sign that said, "Cast Members Only". I think I spazzed out. :D It was GREAAAAAT. I walked pretty much across the park and back, and it was very very easy to have a good time there. Even while I was working, actually. :D

Then we got our costumes. *grins very widely and cheesily* I think I look good in magenta with HTH symbols all over it. I definitely plan on putting pictures on my computer and getting them on the net when I can get on there... Or hijacking people's computers like I am now... ^___^ I got two shirts, two pairs of pants, one jacket, and one very long trenchcoat. I went and bought black shoes, and now I'm extremely happy. :D

Soooo... um... I'm probably going to head back to my apartment now... I need to not neglect my roomies. :D Later! Anyone out here... call me on my apartment extension... 2662. :D Anyone who is reading this, all my peeps from Target, please do let me know and comment!

Okay... *drumroll* I got my job assignment today.

I will be working at... the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror!!!!

I'm so serious, guys! I'm going to be a bellhop. :D I found out today, at my meeting.

On another note, I got most of my stuff done today. I have Traditions tomorrow, and I have to go get my hair dyed tomorrow morning. I'm quite excited, and I hope that things are done the right way for me.

Still on the agenda:
- Cast Portal Signup
- Get Silver Pass


And tomorrow? We get our Cast IDs, which enables us to get into the parks and such... then Angie, Nicole (Angie's friend from school) and I are going to go watch Wishes at Magic Kingdom.

Which reminds me... tonight we went on an expedition... we rode the bus to the Cast Entrance at EPCOT, then rode the Monorail from EPCOT to Magic Kingdom then around the Lagoon, then rode the bus back. Just for everyone's information... don't do that. Because without a Cast ID, you can get sent off the program. We're lucky for a bit of quick thinking on my part and a really good actor's face... even though I don't even think I was acting... *grin* One of the Security Guards walked us right out of the exit... very nicely and gracefully... and we made it out happy and all! It was really awesome! And then we ran around and had a great time. :D

I'm going to go hang out with the roomies now. *hugs everyone*