Once Upon a Time There Was a Tavern

September 27 marks the final night for Pleasure Island. Located here is my favorite spot on property, the Adventurers Club.

Why was this my favorite spot? The reasoning is more than the alcohol and talented actors. My close friends that I made on the college program bonded here.

This was our spot. It started out as a place to go that was cheap, served alcohol, and was different than seeing one of the night time shows for the thousandth time. The performers were talented and we enjoyed watching them work, whether it was deliver a line they had said a million times before or improvise something to entertain us with. They were able to keep the shows fresh and lively. The bartenders, Jessica being our favorite, made a good drink. Once they got to know us, the drinks got a little stronger. Kirk was an amazing seater/host. He was always friendly and welcoming and didn't let anything shady slide.

It grew into something more. My friends and I would people watch, vent about work, drink, laugh, and become closer as the nights went on. We generally went once a week, sometimes making a second appearance. The actors started to recognize us and occasionally would stop to chat when the nights were not as busy.  We got to dress up a little, put on some makeup, and go out without having to worry about going to a sleazy part of town that was unfamiliar. We were still on Disney property, which is much safer than downtown Orlando, but we were somewhere that wasn't covered in Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell.

After our Program ended, Brittney and I continued going once a week. Occasionally Shelley or Stephie would join us, but Britt and I made it a point to go. This place had become our Cheers. After Britt left, I hardly went anymore. When I did go, it was usually with Shelley. It felt weird going with other people.

When they announced the closing of PI, I vowed to go once a week.

My favorite show was the Hoopla (hoopla). The craziest things would happen, it usually held the most improvisation, you could have the same actors playing the same roles two nights in a row and the Hoopla (hoopla) would not be the same, and everyone was singing and dancing and having a wonderful time. A great way to end the night.

I am going miss that place and all of the memories it holds. It strengthened 3 friendships for me. It held a lot of firsts for me; first bar, first place where I was publicly intoxicated, first place where someone bought me a drink, and where I first realized that if a man had a bald spot, but had a sexy accent and was attractive, the bald spot didn't matter so much.

Although September 27 is the final Hoopla, I will not be attending that night. Not only will I have to pay to get in, the place is going to be ridiculously crowded. I would rather my spot be taken by a die hard fan who has been going for years or a person who has never been. My final night will be on Wednesday the 24th.

I may find another place to become a regular at, but that establishment will never take the place of The Adventurers Club.

Once upon a time there was a tavern...

Where we used to raise a glass or two...

Remember how we'd laugh away the hours....

Think of all the great things we would do...

Those were the days, my friend...

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and Dance forever and a day...

We'd live the life we choose...

We'd fight and never lose...

For we were young and sure to have our way...

Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days!

Kungaloosh!

Bitchfest '08

I love my job. There is a problem with the managers. I feel as though a majority don't communicate why certain things happen or why they aren't getting fixed. This gives people the impression that the are cold, not caring, and not understanding to their cast members. It is very frustrating from our point of view to feel as though anything and everything we say is going to be ignored and no changes will ever occur.

That being stated, tonight was wonderful. Tonight we had a meeting with out managers. We were divided into what area of the park we work in and each area got one manager to give feedback to. I went into it thinking that either a) everyone was going to bitching the entire time about every situation both ridiculous and not, b) no one was going to say anything since we had to tell the manager everything face-to-face, or c) we would be sharing our concerns and the manager would be making excuses and not trying to see our side of the situation. I was not looking forward to this at all.

We started off evaluating the manager we were assigned. Luckily, our room had one of the few I feel as though we can really talk to. That part of the evening did not take more than 10 minutes.

We then moved on to concerns in the area that we worked in. She gave us input on things we were unclear about and if she did not know the answer, she admitted that and said she would look into it.  She wrote everything down and seemed eager to make things better for us at work. She didn't promise any change but she is going to look into all of our concerns and hopefully, some things will change.

I am not holding my breath. I don't expect things to change overnight. I, however, am pleased to know our concerns are out there and they are known.

Even if nothing comes of it, at least it is off my chest.

Busy, busy, busy!

The past month has been crazy busy. I have been working, maintaining a social life and attending (sort of) a class.

Work has been going really well. My coworkers for the most part are pretty awesome. I love doing parade. I enjoy both roles that I am trained in. Its nice to be able to be used for more than one thing and it is a nice change of pace. They actually called me into work to do parade last Monday.

My social life is crazy. Britt visited a few weeks ago, which was uber fun and then a few days after she left Cristina came to Disney for the first time. I had so much fun showing her around the parks and getting to be a guest. Our resort was nice and we got a ton of things done in the short amount of time she was here.

My class? Ridiculous. I have never been good at math. I think part of the problem is I don't care so I don't work as hard. My current math teacher is really smart, he just has trouble teaching us because of the language barrier. All of our homework, quizzes, and tests are online. The is interesting. I have to make special trips up to the school for the quizzes and tests, but the homework I can do in the comfort of my home. The good thing about this is that I can re-take everything as many times as I like before the due date until I am satisfied with my grade.

The Adventurer's Club is closing (along with the rest of Pleasure Island) after the 27th. I am going to write an entry about that in the near future.

Now I have to put away clothes, I just wanted to give everyone a quick update.

School, Work, and Friends

I had my frist class last night and it was not wonderful.
1) It is a 7 pm class at a community college, you would think finding parking would be easy. NOPE. I had to park by building 8. My class is in building 2. I had to walk very far to get to my class. Luckily, I had gotten there early.
2) English is not my professor's first language.
3) I feel old.
4) I loate math.

On my way home, one of my best friends called in hysterics. I dropped my plans of cleaning and sleeping and rushed over. We sat at Perkins until about 1:30 with a few others and then until about 2 wetalked int he parking lot. Realizing that I would have be be up in 3 and a half hours and knowing that I still had to clean for Brittney's arrival, I called in personal. Yes, the money would have been nice, however, my friends are more important and a friend needed me.

Work has been going well. The new bid starts the week of the 27th and my new days off will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays. That will be odd since I have had Sundays and Mondays off for a year. I was approved in the role I was learning for parade and I get to do it next Monday and Wednesday. I am really excited. It will be hard work but I am ready for it!