Sit Down, Sit Down, Sit Down Sit Down, Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat

No, this isn't the revival of Guys and Dolls 2011, it's what I say about a million times while doing the pirate cruise when I have ten kids standing up and leaning over the edge of the boat. I got to do the pirate cruise twice this week and be the Captain which was a lot of fun. I had one kid ask me if he could get off the boat to push us out of the grass when I "crashed" about a thousand times and I told him he couldn't and if he asked one more time he would have to walk the plank. Least I stayed in character and played the part as I was slowly loosing my patience. Disney should be proud.

I am sad to report the news of a loss of mine. My name tag :( How I lost it from the apartment to my car is beyond me but its gone now so I have to order a new one. For now, my name is Lariza and I am from Carolina, Puerto Rico. It's a fun name and everyone compliments me on it. Since I work at YB most often, I see the same kids everyday. I had some little girls ask me if I was friends with Sarah since I look alot like her.  I said she was my sister and she was over at Boardwalk for the next few days and we switch back and forth.  I then asked who they liked more and they said Lariza because, 'Sarah wasn't great at water volleyball." They were right, I'm not good at it, but Lariza wasn't much better.
The only other problem with wearing my Lariza name tag is people coming up to me talking to me as if I speak Spanish which is unfortunate because I don't and I just look dumb when I can't respond. This is the part where my mom says I should have stuck with Spanish and the part I would not admit she was right as per usual.

On Tuesday I had the day off so I went with a friend to the beach and a Tampa Bay Rays game. It was a ton of fun and the weather was gorgeous. I was happy to not have to pay to get on the beach either, which is something Floridians were shocked to hear that we do. As we were sitting in the water front bar enjoying a drink we saw on the TV the earthquake that  hit the east coast and all the damage it had caused. Glad everyone home was ok, I was thinking of you as I was sipping my Mai Thai. Speaking of weather, I'm just glad  Irene has decided to come this weekend and not next because I am looking forward to my weekend home to share in the nuptials of Adrienne and Aaron and be home for a few days and I wasn't letting some biotch ruin it for me or them.
The Rays game was fun especially since the tickets are dirt cheap and you can move down rows once the game is a few innings in. We sat in the upper deck right above the home dug out with a bus load of senior citizens out for a nice night of America's past time. Old people are funny and listening in our their conversations are just amusing. The word Bengay came up once or twice and they discussed the price of a hotdog for about 5 mins. $7 foot long hot dog, $7 large beer, $12 upper deck tickets. Watching the Rays loose in the bottom of the ninth bases loaded two outs surrounded by the AARP monthly meeting? Priceless.

When I'm this age I hope I'm as passionate in anything
as much as this guy was raising up his original signs
for every player that came up to bat. 

Glorious

Summer is officially over and last night we had our goodbye party to those of of leaving for the school year. I feel that every weekend we have had at least one big event to see people off but last night as we all left the house at 5 am we knew this was the end of the summer as a whole. Out of the 22 summers I have had, this is by far the best one yet and it's the people I met in this journey that have made it all the while. The only thing more upsetting then leaving everyone at the end of the night was walking out to my car with the windows half open because it was such a nice night only to find the automatic sprinklers went off and my car inside was wet. I can never win.

This blog is dedicated to all of my amazing friends I have met here. Chris- Semper Fidelis. Be safe out there, Kid. Austin- David and I are coming to visit you in Tallanasty. Get pumped. Marine- have a safe flight back to France. Jehan- Don't go too crazy in Daytona. To everyone else, good luck and you know where to find the rest of us when you're home on Thanksgiving break.


A happy belated Birthday to Cool Daddy T!

Patti always blowing out the candles. 

"It's a Great, Big, Beautiful, Tomorrow"

Shining down on each and everyday.....

Today is a day that all parents look forward to with joy and anxiety. It's the day where their oldest child flies the nest for good to move in with their  fiance in southwestern Virginia to start a new life together in a two bedroom apartment. Folks, if you see Patti Ann, congratulate her on becoming a big girl. If you see Brad, wish him good luck. If you see my dad, shake his hand and tell him only one more to go. If you see my mom, give her a hug but remind her her favorite child will be home soon.

 And if you see me, I'll tell you how proud and happy I am for my sister. Especially now that she knows her way around a kitchen.

This blog is for you Patti Ann, one of the biggest kids I know.

They grow up so fast

To be honest, I don't really have much to update on except that I got to hang with the Thornton family on Sunday which is always a good time. It seems that no matter where I am from Virginia to Florida the Thorntons aren't far behind.  I also was able to see Aunt Dana and Dana Marie and had lunch in Germany. Nothing better then a german sausage buffet to start your day off. Sadly I couldn't join them in Morocco for dinner since I had to work gates but it was really nice seeing family this week.

O yes, I did get to go to Magic Kingdom after work on Monday which was, well, magical. I finally got to do the Snow White ride and although it was a bit anti-climatic, I was still scared at the part the witch turns around and is all scary looking. We also rode the Carousel of Progress (hence the title which I found to be highly appropriate) and Buzz Lightyear, a ride that I am pretty terrible at although very fun and florescent.

Umm well really that's it. Sorry I have nothing funny to report but sadly life is that way. It gets boring and unfunny. The weekend is coming up though, and I'm sure I'll have some awkward encounters with someone or something. Seems to always happen that way.

Like we needed anymore proof that I was a dorky person, here is me at my Junior prom. Complete with Tinkerbell Wings

"Live from Disney, It's SNL!"

No, that is not a new version of SNL, it is the name of mine and Lauren's Disney's Wine and Dine half marathon relay team name. the SNL stands for Sarah and Lauren for all you slower ones out there. Corny? yes. Cheesy? Absolutley. But it's very fitting for the two of us. I"m seeing Christopher Walken and  a cowbell on our shirts.  For the run, Lauren will run 4.8 miles from Animal Kingdom and we will meet somewhere near Hollywood Studios where I will run the remaining 8.3 miles to Epcot. As a team, we get t-shirts, a glass of beer when we cross the finish line, free entry to the after party, a $10 gift card, and my favorite, a commemorative  baton! The race is Oct 1 at 10 pm so we have alot of traning to do but we are excited it's something we can do together.

Zach and I after my run. I have a terrible camera phone

Besides working a storm the past week, I have also had a great time on my leisure time. I ate in Morocco which was amazing and on Saturday we all (recreation cast members) went out to the Dance hall on the Boardwalk which is normally only visited by 20 people a night but since there was a Vet School symposium at the Beach Club, many twenty-somethings were partying it up their last night at Disney. I was working gates that day so I gave a few of them their wrist bands to get into the pool. When I spotted them at the dance hall they were like "Omg you're the girl who gave us our bands thats so cool you have a life!" Why yes, I do. The dance hall was not bad especially since they have music videos playing but since i have a short attention span I'd sit there and just watch the videos instead of dancing or what us white girls call dancing.  Normally, I shove all my valuables down my shirt when out but tonight I decided to be classy and put my cards in my pocket. At about 1:30 am I pulled out my cards to make sure I had them all and realized I lost my debit card. Of course no one has a TD account down here so I had to call mom and ask her for the number. She didn't seem too annoyed and was probably just happy I wasn't calling wasted like last time. After getting the phone number to cancel the card I went back on the dance floor, pulled the cards out and realized they were just stuck together and all was fine with the world. Next time i'm carrying cash....

At 2 am the joint closes down. Disney makes sure the lights are on by 1:40 so you are literally cleared out by 1:50 and the doors are locked by 2. We all wanted to take a picture on the Boardwalk but security was yelling at us to keep it moving or they would take us downtown if we didn't cooperate. Could you imagine those headlines? "20 Disney employees arrested at their own resort for taking a picture past 2 am!" O the humanity. As we were walking to our cars I saw the Jelly Rolls piano players walking by and I yelled out that I loved them and thought they were awesome. Now before I start this story let me preface it by saying I was completley sober. Moving on.

The three piano players said thank you and kept walking. Me and my large mouth said to the one "OMG I gave you my number and a dollar when I was there on July 4th!" This poor kid is maybe my age and is ignoring me but the other two guy were interested in what I had to say. Here's how the convo went.

JRG (jelly rolls guys) O yeah you did? How did that work out?
ME- Well, he never called
JRG- Well come on give him back your number
Me- I proceed to type in my number on his phone
At this point the kid is red and a mysterious women is standing next to him. NJ Lauren is having a full convo with this women about who knows and I hear..
Women- 'Yes, isn't my son a great piano player? I just came down here to see him and make sure his apartment was all set up.
Me- Jaw dropping because I just realized I am awkwardly hitting on some kid in front of his mother. The poor kid didn't say a word the whole time. Hell, he didn't even say his name the JRG said it for him.

Ah yes. Score one for Sarah. I wanted to text him the next morning apologizing but that would have just been more awkward. The next day I wouldn't wait to tell roommate Lauren what happened and she couldn't stop laughing considering she was the only witness to me giving the kid my number.

Thank goodness for Lauren. We are similar in many ways but different in so many others I like to think we balance each other out nicely.  Just looking at our room my side is a disaster; I sleep on a bed that normally has clothes all over it, random stuff I put there throughout the day, and blankets falling off. She is away this weekend to graduate from Texas A&M (congrats!!!) and I miss not having someone to come home to. Which leads to me to......

When People Stop Being Polite and Start Getting Real. 

--The Real World, Lake Buena Vista. 

Earlier this week one of the roommates moved out because of her direct roommate. It was a shame because she was so sweet and we all got along. Today a new girl moved in who actually works at Boardwalk ESPN Club. She seems very nice and outgoing so that should be a good addition. It's sad we lost one, but she is just a few buildings away. As a former RA I feel like I should have seen the signs, but having a rommmate ignore me was fine because I didn't have to awkwadly sleep next to someone who didn't acknowledge my precense. When Lauren comes home we will have an apartment meeting. Mediation skills at it's finest....

I had wayyy too much fun this week but as I explained I binge party. I will have a week of fun and then nothing for a few weeks. Since everyone is getting ready to go back to school we are all celebrating their departures. I won't go into too much detail but basically let's just say I have been drunk 3 times in my life. One of them was my twenty first at home and the other two have been at Disney. As I was being dropped off at the front entrance of my complex with my  shoes in my hands while wearing someone else's shirt ( I jumped in the pool, shirt got wet, you know the deal) I just stopped and waved at all the new College Programers eagerly waiting to move in for their first day at 7am and told them they would have a great time here. They will have a great time here as long as they work hard but party responsibly harder. That day I had work at 12:30 and was a champ.

I can't help but think how my time would have been at Mason if I had made other decisions. I was at school for 4 years. Four long years but they couldn't even touch the time I've had here.  4 years at Mason, 2 months at Disney. I had a blast at school, but I worked a ton in housing and then did my school work later. And o yes, there were those boyfriends I had the whole time except for my last semester and a third of college that were somewhat of a buzz kill.  If I could do it again, I would take more chances, have more fun, and loosen up. I wouldn't go out to the frat parties or go nuts drinking, but I would go out more with people and expand my circle of friends. I would try new things because once those four years are done they are done. I know I can't stay down here past January as a CP because I can't live a fantasy life forever, but I am so glad I am having this moment now.

Enough of that Lifetime Movie junk...

Today was my first day off in ten days so I just relaxed at the pool and went to the mall. Since it's Thursday, we all met up at the Ale house as a recreation department for some late night fun. In college they call it Thirsty Thursday but here at Disney it's just plain old payday. Why not waste your whole pay check at a place that sells  pitchers of beer your drink out of?  Fun time shared by all tonight and I was glad we could all get together without wearing our white or yellow shirts.

In just 3 long weeks I'll be home for 3 short days. It will be a tease but I'm looking forward to it so much.

Here are some random photos taken from my phone. Now that I can sync it with bluetooth to my computer, uploading is so much easier.

Kimberly and I on her last day at Beaches and Creme :(

this scary drawing was supposed to be of Rapunzel. Clearly I am not the artist in the family. 

They had Jerseylicius crocs. Couldn't resist not trying them on.

Happy 26th Wedding Anniversary to the bestest parents around!

   

"Don't worry, It's in my Fanny Pack. "

I have heard that and many other variations of the same sentence dozens of times since I have been working on gates a few times a week. It's a very simple job that just requires a set of eyes and the ability to stand for hours at a time. Personally, I really like the change of pace because you get to talk to all the guests who try and get in the pool and you get to people watch all day. At each gate you get to look for different things but all of them have one thing in common; silently judging people and their ridiculousness. This is a blog of a few of those things I have seen while at the gates.


The British are Coming! The British are Coming!
I have probably met more guests from the UK then any other nation while working. They not only come to the resort, but they stay for weeks at a time. Although they don't win for guests with the nicest teeth they sure win for guests who know how to have their room keys ready for when they get to the gate so I can check them fast and get them in the pool. It's all about efficiency here.

GTL?
Now as you know, I hail from the great state of NJ. Many people here are either proud to finally be friends with someone from Jersey or make endless jokes. I can easily tell if someone is from the NYC/Philly/Jersey area at the pool and have decided a few things.

1) Chest hair is a no go, regardless of how old you are. And back hair? Please. Find someone who loves you very much to tell you if you are now wearing a man sweater in August and work on it. There are methods of removing it and I suggest you look into them.
2) Gold chains with a side of chest hair? Well sure you need something to sit nicely upon the carpet of man hair.
3) Large gut with a beer in one hand while asking me where the gym is so you can work out. You are not fooling anyone, sir. You don't work out at home so why start now? Sure the gym is free and open 24 hours but looking at the equipment does not help anymore then just thinking about going.
4) Neon acrylic nails with bleach blonde 80s perm. 1986 called, they want their look back.
5) "Yo, Yo, bro, watch the hair." Don't worry, concierge is happy to get you anything you are willing to pay for, including extra hold water proof gel.

"Hmm, you're not really using your degree, are you?"
Well sir, thank you for your outstanding observation.  When a guest says that I say that I am using my Criminology degree by being security at the gates by checking room keys, putting wrist bands on, and handing out only 2 towels per guest and making sure they are not stolen. I have found that giving an answer like that normally stops them from talking anymore because they either feel bad for me or just keep walking. Hellz no I am not using my degree but am I miserable at my first out of college job? I think not.

Check yourself before you wreck yourself.
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages I urge you to stop and look at a mirror before you leave your room or dressing room for that matter. If you are buying a bathing suit, please make sure it fits and covers all parts that should be covered so when you walk out of the pool  it's not like like you are auditioning for the remake of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Forget no white after Labor Day, there should be a rule for no bikinis after a certain stage in life. I should not feel like I am working at the Mens Den on the corner of sleezy and trashy.  Men, you should also make sure your swim trunks (add that to the list of words I don't like) don't fall off when you get out of the pool. If you want to show off your bodacious bod then I am all for that, but they invented the drawstring for a reason. Don't get me started on tattoos. Can't wait until you're old and wrinkled and in a nursing home playing dominoes and you curse the day you decided to get tattoos all over your body.

There are no dumb questions, just dumb people.
Yes, our pool has sand. No, the water is not salt water. No, there are not hidden Mickeys in the grains of sand, no the sand is not man made, yes, the water is warm, yes it is hot outside, yes the lifeguards are trained, yes, the three o'clock parade is at 3pm. You name it, I've been asked it.

And that my friends is a glimpse of how it is to work the gates. It's not a glamorous life, but it's my life.

"You've made great progress in Florida, Sarah"

As said by Lauren in reference to my tan.

Finally I have been working a lot of hours and am going to be working 10 days straight with a 12 hours day  on Sunday. Seems a lot, but some days I don't go in until 6 pm so I really have the whole day off to do what I need to do which is normally sit by the pool, eat, and run errands.

Life here is getting to be more routine, I can't believe on Saturday it will be two months since I've been down here already; it has been going by very fast yet slow all at the same time. I have done so much in two months and yet I haven't made a dent in the Disney/Orlando scene. Lauren graduates next week and when she comes back we are going to start crossing things off of our Disney Bucket List with help from the book John gave me for graduation. I still haven't been to Magic Kingdom since that first week I was here and only rode Pirates and Small World.  Sad, isn't it?

It's weird to me that for the first time in the history of my life I am not getting ready to go back to school in a few weeks. It's a nice feeling not going to lie, but as many of the college program people and seasonal people are getting ready to leave and head back to school I feel I should be doing the same. In so many ways this is like summer camp that the sun never sets on.  I have gotten to like many of the lifeguards I work with and who are leaving and seeing them go is a weird feeling; I am sad they are not going to be here but I know a new batch will come in and leave with me in January. For someone who doesn't get attached to really anything, I am starting to get attached to my life down here.

Luckily for you all I will come back a softer person. And trust me, it's not dealing with the kids all day that has made me a softer person because most of the times I want to push them in the pool for not following my directions or when they don't understand my simple directions. It's like in cooking camp when I would get mad when the kids would ask me what the next ingredient was when it was written on the board even though some kids couldn't read yet. It's just because when you work at a happy place, you can't help but not to be happy. People still bother me, but there are few days I walk out of work mad, agitated, or upset. Shocking, right?! The people though who bother me the most are those on the bus or in the cafeteria. I sit with my ipod and book every day which I thought was a clear sign of "buzz off" I'm in Sarah land reading what Suze Orman has to say about financial planning. However, I was wrong because some people are too nice here or lonely they see it as a way to start a conversation and want to talk to me about what I'm reading, how my day is going and how I like my job. I'm sorry, but my break is the only 50 minutes in my 8 hour day to zone out and you are disturbing the peace in this smelly and sad cafeteria. The only person I will always allow to interupt is my managers when they come in to eat dinner. I will give up my seat to have them sit with me and it is during those times we talk about random things in addition to work and they really get to know me which is awesome because 1) they seem to like me and 2) they are giving me hints and tips of what to do and how to do it. I'm seeing some nice recommendations in my future.

Again, this is the difference between me and those still in college doing this program. We are all doing it for an experience but as I'm doing it for an experience that will propel my career, they are doing it as an experience to party. Here is a recent conversation I had with someone as I was taking out the garbage...

Random Dude (RD)- Is that your pack [of cigarettes] you dropped?
Me- O no I don't smoke, but i'll throw it away.
RD- Really? You don't smoke?
Me- Nope.
RD- That's weird. Do you just not smoke cigarettes?
Me- [ puzzled look on my face]
RD- Well I mean do you smoke anything else?
Me- Umm no.
RD- O okay. You're probably one of the few.
Me- I like to be original.

As you could probably guess, Disney doesn't do drug testing.

The other day I went to dinner with one of the lifeguards and we went to Pizzeria Uno. Normally prejudice against any pizza that isn't from a mom and pop in NJ, I was hesitant to go but it was actually pretty good even though I had to use a fork and knife to eat it. Anywho, they awkwardly have someone come around and take your picture while you are waiting so we got our picture taken for hahas. When we got the picture back, our waiter asked if we liked it and were going to buy it. Me being me, I decided to go into this long story of how we were breaking up and I wanted to do it in a public place with food so at least it wouldn't be a total loss. Thankfully the kid went along with it and we had the poor waiter going for most of the dinner.  Even off property we stay in character and play the part. He was an amazing waiter paying special attention to us, took away the extra sharp knives, and said he would get us a free dessert. We eventually told him the truth and he was relieved  and earned a very good tip for his participation in our entertainment for the evening.


I promise to have more pictures up soon! I need to get out once in a while to places other then my resorts.  However, a belated Happy Birthday to another Higgins, my faithful follower, Cristina!

The Neighborhood Girls