The great grilled cheese caper (and other stories!).

A picture of my awesome roomie, Megan and I, wearing reversable/matching hats from our visit to Animal Kingdom. Thought I'd open up with a creepy picture to challenge your intestinal fortitude. Enjoy!

Boy, do I have a couple of non-work stories to tell YOU!

Now, don't panic. I decided to wait a day to recount these little tales of wonder because I know my family would freak out otherwise-- you know, if I told you the day of. Heck, they might even freak out now (I imagine some of you in your cubicles, about to shake your heads in collective shame, wondering why your daughter/cousin/friend is such a moron). What is it that Megan says, "That was a good life choice"? Well, this is a BAD life choice!

I spent the entire day yesterday, vegging in my pajamas, like most of my family knows me. Megan was at work most of the day, and came home late, but when she did, she decided she was going to walk to the outlet mall nearby and buy a new pair of boots for work (as the ones she got from Wal-Mart were not working out). So, believing whole-heartedly in the buddy system that both my mom and dad ingrained in me, I volunteered to go along. The outlet malls are maybe a ten minute walk away, no big. However, we left in the evening. We had no idea it was going to be a super-sketchy trek to Timberland. We thought that by cutting through a parking garage, we'd arrive there faster... but I reminded Megan of what usually occurs in the parking garages and we decided to cut through a parking lot instead.

Let me just say, we are never leaving the apartment after 6 P.M. ever again.

Sketchville, USA. It's like the few cars in the parking lot decided, in synchronization, to turn on all at once. We were honestly convinced that a drug-deal was going on in there and we were going to get whacked. The funny thing about it - other than practically jogging to the outlet mall the rest of the way - is that on our way back (after saying a quick prayer), we decided to cut through a church yard instead, thinking it'd be safer. That's when I figured the people in the parking lot must have been coming out of church. Makes sense, right? I'm so smart. I felt really guilty afterward, assuming what I had assumed. But hey, two girls in one empty, dark lot? Scary, all right? Needless to say, the sign that said 'CHATHAM' got a big, huge hug.

However, the adventure doesn't end there! We were scrounging around the kitchen, trying to decide what to make. I thought about cooking chicken, but let Megan have the stove first since she was going to make some grilled cheese. I don't even know how to describe what happened next.

After tearing some impressive holes in the bread while spreading margarine, she set the pan on the stove on 'HIGH', which we both thought would be okay. Then, she tossed the bread onto the pan and POOF! Smoke everywhere. It was like a ninja was escaping the kitchen under his patented veil of secrecy. We panicked so bad we thought the stove was going to explode and we were going to set the sprinklers off. We both grabbed all the towels we could and windmilled around the kitchen, trying to clear the smoke, and Megan quickly turned off the stove and moved the skillet to an unused burner. The smoke was so dense! Deciding it was too hot in the apartment and really scared that the continuous billow of smoke was going to set the alarm off, Megan went outside with the pan and threw the toast-- or what was left of it-- on the ground.

Proof, see? Doesn't it look like someone took a sharpie and drew on the concrete AND the pan? I decided not to cook chicken after that and made a nice tuna sandwich instead. And Meg? She had microwavable chicken nuggets. Muuuch safer!

Praise be! I'm not Megan Fox and other stories.

My schedule has been righted! I got a call this morning telling me that I would have tomorrow off and that subsequent Thursdays would be my day off. Yay! This is me releasing a big sigh of relief.

So last night I found out my roommate has a bun in the oven. Not Meg, but one of the girls that lives in the room next to us. She just waltzed into the kitchen last night and said 'So I'm pregnant.' My ever-articulate response was to look up, blink, and ask 'You're getting a new apartment?'

I didn't hear her, honest.

It's difficult to act surprised when Gaby (my other awesome roomie) had told me that she had something cooking in there. What's the appropriate response to finding out about a pregnancy, anyway? I mean, congratulations are in order when it's family, but when it's a girl you barely know who's barely older than you? What the heck are you supposed to say? "Umm, cool. Don't pick up heavy objects?" I nearly told her that too. I mean, it sort of doesn't make sense. She's working at one of the resorts and that she doesn't like kids... sooo, she's never heard of a condom (man, am I being mean or what? Yikes!)? At least she said she got excited after the initial surprise of, oops! there's a baby in me! And her boyfriend is supportive, so that's good. I wish her the best, I really, really do.

If you read An amalgamation of training hell (especially the bit on the Icon Nut), then you know that I had to work overtime to serve a bunch of rowdy, 15-year-old New Yorkers. Other than being a barrel of monkeys, there was something I forgot to mention. One of the boys, the loudest, most obnoxious, and clearly the most New York (I kid, I kid) of the bunch pointed out my name-tag at one point and said 'Mikayla! Like Megan Fox's character in Transformers.' I died a little on the inside. Instead, I sort of scoffed and rolled my eyes and told him, 'Yeah, I know. It's unfortunate.'

And he, of course, responds with, 'WHAT, WHY?! MEGAN FOX IS HOT!'

Yeah, if you find trampy, talentless hacks hot, then I guess so... ? I mean, hey, whatever floats your boat or whatever. I'm not judging (or am I?). I forgave him and blamed his ignorance on raging hormones and told him that I didn't like sharing a name with a girl whose IQ is somewhere between a brick and a house plant. I've made a habit of shutting people down lately, but luckily I managed to divert the topic of conversation from discussing any similarities I might share with the Wonder Woman-hating bimbo to different ways of telling people they were morons. 'Dumb as a box of rocks, dense as brick, dumb as a pole...'

The Icon Nut was a lot better than Pretzel hell, I have to admit. We had a couple of magical moments there, including that last, insane, free-nut spree with the marching band kids. I mean, one of them even squeezed into the stand to shake our hands. They were pretty chill. I do have to wonder, though, when I make quips like the one about Megan Fox, or when I make fun of someone's opinion, is it going to stick with them or do they brush it off? I don't know which I prefer. Sending that boy home with the idea that there is a girl working at Hollywood Studios who is kind of a Mean Girl, or if he went home, watched some E! or VH1, saw something of Megan Fox, and will inevitably think back to HS and think to himself, "Yeah, she kind of is a moron." I like to think I saved his terrible sense of taste and he is slowly going through a metamorphosis.

...Ha ha ha!

Speaking of guys with weird tastes, one of the guys here on the program keeps hounding me. I hang out with him occasionally in our collective group (usually with Megan and another guy, Tom), but only ever as a platonic group of friends. Yet somehow, the day after we legitimately met, he decided I was The One (and not like Neo). Ever since then, he's been texting me nonstop, dropping hints, even when I shut him down when we were in class. I pretty much told him at the table (in the company of three other girls) that I did NOT come to college looking for a relationship and that's the last thing I wanted on this program. End of discussion. I told them all that I thought Valentine's day was the most commercial holiday (mostly out of my ire in light of Wal-Mart) and pretty much set my foot down when it came to romance (at least for now. Mami is probably like 'NOOO, I WANT GRANDBABIES!'). I mean, it wasn't so bad, really, until he invited himself over.

I slept in on Sunday, and yet I get this text at 8 in the morning asking if I was around. I answered at around 11 saying, yeah, I was, but Megan and the girls weren't. He said cool, (and I quote) 'Me, Chris, and Tom are coming over there in a bit.' Um, what? I texted back 'Over where??' and he responds with 'Ur place lol.' Lol, indeed! Lol my butt. I was definitely not amused. So I told him that he can drop by whenever he so pleased, but that I was not guaranteeing that I'd let him in. After all, I don't invite people into my home who invite themselves over. That's not how wooing works. Maybe in the 1800s, but not now. And with that said, I did not do/say anything that implied any interest. I assure you, his delusions were self made.

So guess who invited himself over at around noon? I told Gaby not to open the door. Megan later asked if I saw Charles that day. I told her, 'Yeah, I did. Through the peephole.'

How the heck do you handle something/one like that without hurting their feelings? If I said half the things that crossed my mind, my foot would be so far in my mouth, I'd be digesting it. Unfortunately, I've been getting to the point where I just want to be straight with people. I hate sugar-coating things for your pleasure. No. If you're being dumb, I want to tell you you're being dumb. I'm hoping one day I'll just get tired of the social norm (being too nice), crack, and just shuck that skin. I'd rather be straight-up with a person than pussy-foot in telling them they're being a real dipstick.

All right, that's enough of my ranting, right? I hope so!

The girls and I had pancakes for dinner the other night.



That was fun. I made nine massive pancakes, put them in a stack, and set them (and the table) for a big dinner. We actually just made them for Meg, Gaby, and I, but eventually Stephanie and Elisha came out too. It was nice. We all sat down at our Thanksgiving Table (that's what we call it, it's so big!) and ate while watching She's the Man. Suuuch a cute movie, and Vinnie Jones is in it-- so worth it. Now I want to impersonate a guy and see if I could pull it off. Probably not... but it'd be worth trying. Then maybe I could take a peek into guys' heads!

On second thought, I'd rather not. Well, I'm heading out now! I'll update a little later! <3>

The 9 to 5 cross-post, 1.

The 9 to 5:

An amalgamation of training hell.

Click for more!

Eye is on the mouseketeer and I know he watches me.

I lucked out. It's not even luck really, more like The Big Guy Up Top really looking out for me. I have a fabulous roommate, Megan, and really chill apartment-mates. Really, what are the chances that the person I would be sharing my room with would be in love with Disney, cry during every animated movie she watched, was best friends with her sibling, and had the same sense of humor as me? And! is as big a Harry Potter geek as I am with Wonder Woman and Predator. Now that is something special.

I am, again, really tired as I write this... and staring at the sad block of uncooked rice on my plate (that I'm pretending is pegao). A half failed dinner on that part-- my chicken came out ace, though, and I have none other than my pops to thank for that. Next time I won't be so gung-ho about with the Adobo, though.

Anyway! I know my family doesn't drop by here to read about what I'm having for dinner (or maybe they do, just to make sure I'm eating). Just what! have I been up to?

I'm a little mad at Disney, to be honest. I mean, not every aspect, but with the working aspect. I understand customer service, but the scheduling hours for my work weeks don't jive well with me. I'm not a huge fan of having to work late one day and then having to work early the next day. I clocked five hours of sleep last night. Not only that, but they haven't fixed my schedule and I spoke to three people about it already. With a full-time job and a four hour lecture class, this is unnecessary stress. I was told by one manager that it would be taken care of and I would just need to check my schedule the day following, only to be told by another manager that 'it didn't work' followed by 'go back to Stephanie while I figure this out.' I always jump to worst case scenario, but really? Class comes before work. I'm not going to skip class to work, that's ridiculous.

Now, I completely understand that I signed up late (a lot of people did), but they were supposed to work our class schedule around our work schedule and vice versa. I made a call to the education office and was told that I would be called back after 'I'll see what I can do.' I waited until eight, periodically checked The Hub, and got nothing. Now that entire portion of the site will be down at 6 A.M., when I planned on waking up to check it (JUST IN CASE). I refuse to miss my second day of class though! Ugh, stress.

THAT aside, before classes and work started, Megan, Charles (a boy from my uni), and I went exploring. Let me tell you, the World of Disney store is massive and yet managed to have absolutely nothing I wanted to buy. Okay, so I very nearly bought a stuffed animal of Lady, but I refrained. I'm on the hunt for Dug from the movie Up as it is. Walking around downtown Disney was a lot more fun when you're people watching. The couples and kids milling around with their families is much more appealing. Everything is lit up like a tiny park, and they had music playing over multiple speakers. Charles managed to drag me into a miniature competition taking place in the square with a bunch of half-sober adults and their kids. Two lines, linked hands, and hula hoops that we all had to shimmy ourselves out of. I think the best part of that was just losing-- we had to do the chicken dance, and after a while of wacky dancing, the kids joined in, and there was this adorable little girl watching me to see what the next moves were.

There is just magic when a kid is literally looking up to you to mimic your movements. It's beyond endearing and it just reminded me why I accepted this job down here away from my family and friends in the first place. Tiny moments like that. The little girl might not remember it down the road, but I will remember her.

My class opened up in the most awesome manner as well. I don't even know my professor's name! He insists that we call him Obi Wan, and continually refers to himself as such (I just asked Megan if she remembered and she just stared and said 'Could be Stewart? Or I could have just made that up'). He tells wonderful stories, and manages to keep my attention without even trying. A definite plus and another reason I am determined not to miss the class! Come on, Disney, do your job!

On Saturday, we (Megan, Justin, TJ, and I) went to Animal Kingdom after my park orientation. Megan was DETERMINED that I ride Everest and Dinosaur, the latter of which I realized I had ridden upon approaching it. Megan, by the way, practically lives at Disney. It's like her family's go-to spot for vacation, so she's the WDW pro. It's pretty sweet.

So, right, both rides were fantastic. Dinosaur for opening up with Mrs. Cosby, and Everest for the phenomenal set-up. Disney puts a lot of care into the making of its park rides. However, I have to admit, seeing as Everest goes forwards and backwards, beware. We were all really light-headed after the ride, so I'm not sure I would ride it again. It's weird how we were at the park for maybe four hours and only rode two rides. Buuut! We also stood in line to meet characters, so that may have been another part of it.

Speaking of characters, that 100 Acre Woods... what ARE they putting in their water? Megan and I got really excited when we saw Tigger from on the bridge, so we headed over there with TJ and Justin, determined to meet them. Just as we were taking the little walkway to get to the meeting place, Eeyore and Tigger were leaving. I stopped them both for a hug before they got too far. Pooh Bear was up ahead (he's Meg's favorite), so we stopped to snap some pictures with him (which are forthcoming, I promise!). Most lethargic Pooh ever, actually. They probably didn't give him honey.

Eeyore and Tigger came back, though. I was super stoked for that. Eeyore actually waltzed with Megan, which was super adorable. They were so animated! When I went up to him [Eeyore] next, he pretended to be shy before hugging me... and then grabbing my hand and smooching his way up my arm to my shoulder! I was so stunned all I could do was laugh and bark, "Eeyore, I thought you were shy!" His response? A big shake of his head before falling to one knee and proposing to me.



I would like you all to know that as of Saturday, February 13, 2010, I am engaged to a manic-depressive donkey with a removable tail. The wedding'll be in September.



After all THAT craziness, I moved over to take pictures with Tigger. He was much more chill, hugging me tight, but as the group moved to leave, he motioned 'call me' with his paw. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard. What are they putting in the water at the 100 Acre Woods? My theory is that they were just happy to see people above the age of 12-- I don't think Christopher Robin cuts it. Yikes!

We also stopped to say hi to Goofy and Pluto. So totally worth it! I think Goofy is my favorite from the original cast-- he's so... okay, so saying 'goofy' is utterly redundant, but it's late and I can't think of anything witty. Pluto had me scratch his nose and he kicked his leg out like I was itching his sweet spot; it was so cute! And Goofy, holy cow, we got into a hugging war. He nearly crushed my ribs! It was awesome! I realized that in meeting the characters, that's what made visiting the parks for me. Characters transcend costume. When you get coddled by Pluto or hugged and kissed by Mickey, it isn't a cast-member in a suit, it's the character showing you affection. I honestly can't see past 'Pluto' or 'Goofy' or 'Tigger.' In the end, it brought out an excitement and giddiness I haven't felt since I first saw Pluto step out into Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland so many years ago.



I have pictures of all of this, swear, but I keep forgetting to tell Meg to give me her log-in to her Photopass account.

Anyway, this is it for tonight. I'm exhausted! I'll see what I can remember for tomorrow. I'll be posting my work summary next~




P.S. I'm used to the buses zooming by outside. Now, if I could get that guy with the leaf-blower to cut it out at 8 in the morning....

Moving into the house of mouse....

I'd nap, but with everything going on outside, that's going to be impossible. Worst room on the property, I bet-- RIGHT on the street, buses going back and forth. With the sounds that come in, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a loading bay out there. Oh well! I suppose I'll get used to sleeping through apocalyptic-like noises seven months from now.

I'm three days into growing my mouse ears, hooray! It's a tiring process, going to bed at a decent hour only to wake up before the sun is up... and I'm not even working yet. Somehow! I've been doing it without fail. I only hope I can keep up.

Half of me is wondering where the girl from my freshman year of college has gone off to. I was so peppy and energetic! Now I'm just lethargic and shy; at least, that's how I feel. I got to Orlando and wondered just what I was even doing here, which is not normal for me. Maybe it's the knot of nerves that tends to assail us all at the beginning of every new endeavor. I'm aware of all these ups and downs that are going to occur, but I'm just anxious for them (mostly the downs) to get done and over with. I like routine-- I just can't wait to hit it. Maybe it's all this free time they've been giving us. I have NO idea what to do with it.

At least my roomie's super nice. It takes a while to find out who's here for the love of the ears and who's here to get Disney stamped on their resume (the latter of which I'm not too fond of). But hey! What can you do.

Not much has happened-- a lot of meetings, a lot of rain, and a lot of doubt. I was marked as White (including Mexican) during our processing. What do you think that means? I'm not white, and I'm not Mexican. I understand the Company (it's creepy that they even call it that, like it's some super secret government agency [maybe it is...]) likes to promote its diversity, but don't label us wrong. I don't like being marked as 'Hispanic- White' or 'Hispanic- Black'; I'm both! Maybe I should have said something.

I wish my brother were on this internship. I imagine it'd be a lot easier to deal with with him around. It feels as though everyone's a world away: friends, family, familiar faces. I had a long break and it's going to take a long time to acclimate myself to this factory-fresh newness following me. Good thing I have plenty of that, right? Time, I mean!

I think what's keeping me breathing easy is the continuous thought of Walt Disney going through my mind. He was a perfectionist, a visionary, a hard worker. If he did it, all for the love of the community surrounding him and to serve them, so can I. It really brings a calming breath to my otherwise rattling nerves. I remind myself that I am strong, I am independent.

Mickey Mouse is a symbol of independence, Walt said, and Mickey Mouse gave me a big fat hug and kiss this morning on his way out-- honestly, I think that's when I realized that yeah, maybe I can do this.