Legen...wait for it...dary!!

Thursday, Dec 1st: At Back To Nature, I took care of the screech owls, squirrels, Spike, and the ring-tailed lemurs! This was the first time I've gotten to work with the lemurs all by myself, so I was super pumped. They're so fascinating to watch when they're climbing around their cage. We have three: Thumbelina, Honeybear, and Whimsa. I love preparing their diets because I can get creative with it. I give them a big plate with colorful fruits, veggies, greens, and "monkey biscuits". They absolutely love avocado and mini-bananas, especially.

After a great afternoon, the day went downhill. On my way home, I turned onto International Drive, literally a mile from home, and my gas pedal lost all of its tension. So instead of speeding up when I pressed the gas, I kept slowing down. I started to freak out, but luckily I was able to pull into a nearby parking lot and slide into a spot. I turned my car off and then on again, and when I tried to pull into the next spot, I barely could. The car literally could only go about 5 miles per hour. Not a good thing. I called AAA, and they said it would take about 90 minutes for them to get there, but it only ended up taking 15! Jose drove me to Riker's, which was pretty close to my apartment. I left my car there overnight, and Cassie picked me up (my favorite roommate haha).

Friday, Dec 2nd: Today was an awesome day with Hulbie--I finally got the chance to go to Universal Studios! It consists of two parks, and we decided to just go to Islands of Adventure. It includes Jurassic Park, Super Heroes, Suessland, Comic Strip land, and Harry Potter World. Right when we got there, we went to HP World!! YAY! The butterbeer was absolutely fantastic. I want the recipe for it! We went on a few rides and walked around the shops. It's pretty amazing how much it all really looked like Hogsmeade. It was like I was actually in the movies! Although Universal is completely different than Disney, it has its own charm. We got our pictures taken with soo many characters, and we rode some of the rides several times since the park was pretty much empty!

 
After a wonderful time with Hulbie, we went to Riker's to pick up my car. The GPS took us to a very sketchy area, and we were a little scared for our lives haha. Eventually, we found our way, but the place was closed by the time we got there. Luckily, Sonia was nice enough to wake up the next day and drop me off so I could finally get my car back!

Saturday, Dec 3rd: I heard a funny story from the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) guy that works next to the Asia Kids' Discovery Club. He said that one time when he was working at MK, a guest asked him, "Where is the dome that goes over all of Magic Kingdom?" REALLY?! Wow. That has to be one of the most ridiculous guest questions of all time.

That night, BTN was hosting "Christmas with the Critters", a fundraiser for the refuge. I took Cassie along and showed her all the animals I work with. They had a bake sale, auction, face painting, and Santa! Unfortunately, Mr. Clause had already left by the time we got there.

Sunday, Dec 4th: Awful day at work. I was at the Dinoland KDC, and some stupid middle or high school football players were across the path at the crocodile exhibit. One of them thought it was fake, so he started to climb over the fence. Before I could say anything, the adult with him told him to get down. Since I am not allowed to leave the KDC, I couldn't go over there. But when he did it again, I walked halfway over and yelled at him (oh and did I yell!). He tried to tell me that the "alligator" wasn't real so it was ok. He also told me to make it move. Then the idiot adult said, "He's not moving, he has cobwebs on his mouth. He isn't real." I tried to calmly tell these ignorant people that he sits still in his natural habitat and waits for his prey, but then they just asked if they could throw rocks at him. What the hell is wrong with you?? I argued with them for a good while, trying to convince them that Marley was real. Eventually, I just gave up because they were causing a scene. So then I just gave them the death glare until they left. Those were the most frustrating people I've ever talked to.

The day got better after that, because the roomies, Hulbert, and I went to DisneyQuest, which is a big place with arcade games and interactive activities. It's like a 10-year-old boy's dream! Also, it was one of my favorite parts of Disney when I was young. What can I say, I was a tomboy.

Monday, Dec 5th: Happy 110th birthday to Walt Disney! Thanks for having all those ambitious dreams so families could come together. Because of you, I have made so many friendships and memories that I'll cherish forever!

This evening was the College Program/Professional Intern formal dance at Coronado Springs Resort. It was so much fun! There was dancing, food, and obscure characters to meet. I met the three hyenas from Lion King, Baloo, Mowgli (who was an awkward adult trying to look like a kid...), safari Mickey and Minnie, and Tarzan and Jane. I was pretty much starstruck when I saw Tarzan...in just a loincloth. He said, "You can stand right here next to me!" Don't mind if I do! So apparently he's the only Tarzan at Disney. He was the same guy I barely missed trying to meet at Mickey's Not-So-Scary party in September. You have no idea how excited I was to get a second chance! Because we got a big group picture with him and Jane, Cassie and I went back later to get one with just him. We JUST made it before he was done for the night. Overall, it was a spectacular night with good music, friends, and smokin' hot Tarzan.

If only I would have thought to touch Tarzan's butt...

Tuesday, Dec 6th: I had my interview for the animal keeper trainee position during my lunch. I thought it went pretty well, but ultimately, they didn't choose me.

Tonight, Cassie and I went to our first Candlelight Processional. Here's what the event is: Every year around Christmas time, our cast choir (plus some high schools from around the country) perform concerts, three times a night. There is also a guest celebrity that narrates the story of Christmas in between each song. Tonight, it was Edward James Olmos. Award-winning actor from Miami Vice, Battlestar Galactica, and Stand and Deliver. Or, if you're a Dexter fanatic, he was frickin Professor Gellar!! And trust me, he was every bit as scary while he was reading about shepherds and inns as he was on Dexter. But he was so amazing, you can tell that he loves doing Candleight every year because he spoke with such passion and meaning. Love him.

Wednesday, Dec 7th: During our morning meeting, Sonia said to me, "I think I'm in the mood for ice cream." This was the best thing I'd ever heard. She isn't a big sweets eater, so I knew when that time came that her, Cassie, Alyssa, and I were about to face the biggest challenge of our lives. The Kitchen Sink. This is something that many people attempt, but few finish. It's an epic dessert served at Beaches and Cream, and you need at least 5ish people to eat. It's 8 scoops of ice cream (3 flavors of your choice), all the toppings in the house (angel food cake, brownies, hot fudge, bananas, marshmallow creme, various chocolate candies, almonds, sprinkles, cherries, and more), and a whole can of whipped cream. Here's the complete recipe!

So the whole thing is served in a bowl that looks like a sink, and when the waiters bring it out, the lights and sirens go off in the 50's-style ice cream parlor. Now some of y'all probably know how much I love ice cream. I eat a bowl every night...sometimes even two. So we thought it was gonna be an easy challenge, but we were so wrong. I don't think I've ever felt so sick in my life. But at the same time, it was EPIC.  Halfway through, Alyssa pulled out, so Sonia, Cassie, and I had to eat for her, too. It was kind of funny, because we saw families of 6 people, or groups with huge guys that finished it. But we just had 3.5 tiny girls, and we flat-out dominated. It took us 50 minutes to finish, but we did it. Afterward, we felt like we were all going to explode, and I said I'd never eat ice cream again...Needless to say, that only lasted one day.

Before...and after...

Thursday, Dec 8th: Somehow, David, Debbie, and I were the only ones at BTN today. Usually there are 5 or 6 of us, so we were super short-staffed. David isn't exactly the most motivated person around, so I had to, once again, do most of the work with the resident animals while Debbie took care of the babies and raccoons. At least I got to see all of my favorite animals!  Besides the birds, squirrels, and emu, I spent some quality time with the lemurs and Spencer the Arctic Fox. Spencer is so sweet, he's just like a little puppy. He even eats right out of my hand! Since he's an omnivore, his diet always has variety. Some fruits, veggies, dry dog food, a chicken, and some other kind of meat. Usually I hide the chicken in a bell pepper so he can find it, or I freeze it in ice so he can try to scrape it out. He's so precious and I love him.

Friday, Dec 9th: Since there had been a lot of drama going on lately, I really enjoyed whatever time I could just have by myself. So I had some fun "me time" at Hollywood Studios. I saw the Beauty and the Beast theatre show, went on Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Tower of Terror, and then headed to the Pixar area to meet Buzz and Woody! I was pretty much in love haha. On my way out, Buzz pointed to his cheek and asked me to give him a kiss. I bet YOU haven't kissed Buzz Lightyear before! All I know is that it was probably some creepy or old guy in the costume. I then went over to the Animation Building where I learned how to draw Sorcerer Mickey from a real animator, and I met Mr. and Mrs. Incredible and Sorcerer Mickey himself. The Pixar "Countdown to Fun" parade was at 3, and it was really cool. There were a lot of stars in it that you can't meet in the parks. Later on, I rode Star Tours (LOVE it), and met several other characters. Finally, my goal of doing just about everything at Studios was complete, and I went home feeling accomplished.

Saturday, Dec 10th: Tonight was legen...wait for it...dary! Karen, Lindsay, Emily, Erica, and I went to Epcot straight after work for Candlelight. NEIL PATRICK HARRIS was the guest narrator. Holy heart attack, Batman! We got there at 6:15, and the line was SO LONG. We knew we weren't getting into the 6:45 show, and we knew it wasn't even guaranteed we'd get into the 8:15 one. So we sat down and made friends with the couple behind us. Over the next two hours, we got to know them and had a good time playing cards. The whole theater seating pretty much got filled up, but they were trying to get in as many people as possible. When we got to the front, they asked how many were in our party. We didn't even think to include our new friends, and we unfortunately got separated. We felt awful because we weren't sure they were going to get in--but they eventually did! There literally was no room for anyone else by the time the show started. NPH was incredible, he made a few jokes about Disney in his opening speech. I love that man so much, and I wish I had tried out for the choir so I could have met him. Damn!

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS!!

Sunday, Dec 11th: NPH was at DAK as a guest today, and when Steph sent me a picture of him on the Pangani Trail, I'm pretty sure I squealed so loud that everyone in the cast cafeteria heard me. NBD.

Monday, Dec 12th: Today I met a new security guard named Russell, who was kind of awkward and strange. He showed me a scar on his arm, and told me it was from an alligator bite. Ummm, what?! I didn't believe him, but he showed me a video later on that proved he wasn't kidding. Him and his friends went fishing and they caught a small alligator, and they all thought they could hold his mouth open and stick their arm in. It didn't work out so well for Russell haha. Wow, he's not the sharpest crayon in the box. Pretty entertaining, though.

Wednesday, Dec 14th: The presenter Christmas party was tonight at a member of Core Team's house! She had her place all decked out with the holiday spirit, and it really put me in the mood for Christmas. I had soooo much food, I was stuffed. After eating, we opened our secret santa gifts. Mine was a penguin photo frame, a Happy Feet puzzle, and a penguin card, all in a penguin bag. I'm glad everyone knows how much I love penguins! I think everyone had a good time, and it kind of brought us all together like a family again.

Ok, so that's the end for now. I'm going to have two final blog posts after this so I can finish up my stories about Disney! Even though I've been home for over a month now, I'm having fun writing these and bringing back some of the great memories from my internship! I hope y'all enjoy them, too. I'm gonna finish off with a quote I thought was appropriate because I'm basically living in my own fantasy world right now.

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope, which is what I do. And that enables you to laugh at life's realities."--Dr. Seuss

Living The Dream...This Life Never Gets Old!

Sunday, Oct 30th: Steeler Sunday!! At work, I saw a woman wearing a #86 pink football jersey. I couldn't see what team or player, but I figured it was Hines Ward. So I said, "Go Steelers!" And she replied, "NO! I don't like the Steelers! This is a Ravens jersey!" HAHA my bad. I feel like I insulted her, but it was kind of hilarious.

I went to Aaron's house to watch the game with him and his roommate Jillian. It was a great game against the Pats, although the end was a bit scary when they tried to make a comeback. It's good to have someone to watch the Steelers games with--sports are way more fun to watch with other people!

Monday, Oct 31st: Today was my interview for the Research Administration internship. That morning started off HORRIBLY. I got to the entrance gate at 7:30, but the guard said I didn't have clearance. Ummm that's complete BS! I told him I had an interview at APA, but he said he couldn't call them because no one would answer. Even more BS!! So I parked my car in the regular cast lot, and then ran to the CCC to throw my stuff there. I called Core Team twice, but no one answered. I wanted to see if they could drive me up to APA, but I had no choice but to bike there. Keep in mind that it's on the COMPLETE OPPOSITE side of the park. I got there at 7:52 (my interview was at 8:00). Stephanie, who had her interview after me, had called Core Team, and apparently I DID have clearance, but I guess they spelled my name wrong. Great. So I went into the interview out of breath, but I had calmed down by then. It went pretty well (although you'll find out later that I didn't get accepted).

After the interview, CT drove me down to the CCC, where everyone was decorating our team's Halloween pumpkins for the cast member contest. After a rainy and gloomy day at work, Sonia and I watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and then took a nap until 9:00 (don't judge us, we were tired!). Later, Betsy came over and we watched "Sweeney Todd." I'd forgotten how much I love that movie!

Tuesday, Nov 1st: Favorite quote of the day...I was at the anteater exhibit and three guys in their early 20s came up to it. The first one said, "That thing is pimp! It's badass!" The other one said, "That tail is off the chain!" Hahahaha. Wow.

That night, Melissa Hartley, Lindsay, and I went to Hanson's concert at Epcot. Again, don't judge me...I only recognized "MMMBop," but it was still fun!

Thursday, Nov 3rd: BTN was soo much fun today! I took care of Jenn, the squirrels, and harriet the opossum. Cait, Megan, Annie, and I even got to pet Zema the bobcat!! Definitely one of the highlights of my time there.

After getting home and showering, I headed out on my drive to see Chelsea in Tampa!! I met her and her grad school friends at Ceviche Tapas Bar. We went around to a few more bars that night and had a good time. It felt great to just get out of Orlando and away from all the drama that had been going on. I'm so glad I got to see Chelsea, too! :-)

Friday, Nov 4th: My drive home was pretty easy--only a little over an hour. When I was leaving Cumberland with Steph to go to Costuming, we almost died. I was making a left out of the apartment, and someone was coming from the opposite side to turn into the plan. I slammed on my brakes, and he fishtailed across the lanes, but luckily no one was hurt. Phew! After that, I paid more attention to traffic every time I left Cumberland. After I got a new presenter vest, we went to an info session about the animal keeper trainee positions at DAK. There are 4 positions available: one with the DAK Lodge, one with the Safari, one with Conservation Station/Tree of Life/Oasis, and one with Pangani/Maharajah Jungle Trek/Backstage Aviary. The meeting was really helpful, and I knew even more afterward that I wanted to apply for it.

Saturday, Nov 5th: Sonia, Steph, Lindsay, Karen, and I went to Cafe Tu Tu Tango for dinner, and it was delicious!! The food was very eclectic, and the atmosphere was bohemian-artsy. The meals were all in appetizer sizes, so we got several plates. Sonia and I got chicken pot stickers, steak skewers, and mango pizza. Karen and I also shared the rocky road dessert pizza. Although it was kind of expensive, the place was amazing and I'd definitely go back someday!

Sunday, Nov 6th: Alright, so I officially freaked a guest out today. We were at the main entrance with our bugs, and all of a sudden, I saw a guy with a Juniata Baseball shirt on. He was clear on the other side of the entrance, but I had to go say hi. So I ran over with my scorpion and asked if he graduated from JC. He said yes, and I replied, "That's awesome, so did I! You're the first person I've met here from Juniata and I got really excited to see a JC alum!" He responded rather rudely with, "Well that doesn't take much." Haha oh well, I think I just kinda freaked him out by running up to him.

That night, I went back to Aaron's to watch the game against the Ravens. For the most part, we were screaming at the refs for their horrible calls that changed the entire game. When I got home, I kind of had a breakdown. I just got upset about the Steelers, all the drama with the presenters, and my uncertain future. The animal keeper position was supposed to be posted that day, but it never was, and  it was really frustrating. It was finally up the next day, so I applied right away.

Tuesday, Nov 8th: Tonight was another team-builder for the presenters! We went to Fort Wilderness Campground for the bonfire, campfire songs, and viewing of Beauty and the Beast. Roasting hot dogs and making s'mores reminded me of good times I'd had at Juniata and Lake Raystown.

Wednesday, Nov 9th: Today, Cassie and I went to MK to meet characters and cross some rides off of my list. We met Stitch, Tiana, Ariele, and Prince Eric. Tiana has definitely been my favorite princess that I've met so far. She was so sweet and looked just like the real Tiana! I was SO excited to meet Eric, because he's my favorite prince. He asked if I liked the Beatles (I was wearing an Abbey Road shirt), and I said yes. He then asked if I liked the Beach Boys and he started talking about how he and Ariel like to surf. He said that Ariel isn't very good, and she has a dolphin under her board that lifts her up and makes it look like she's actually surfing. Haha sometimes Disney characters go crazy with theming--I love it! In addition to all those characters, we also met Push the Talking Trash Can! It's this robot trash can that walks around and talks to people in Tomorrowland! It was kind of creepy but pretty cool!

Thursday, Nov 10th: My morning started off horribly. I was on my way to the refuge, and when I was less than a mile away, I look in my rear-view mirror and see a cop on his motorcycle with his lights flashing and his siren sounding. My first thought was, "Oh CRAP! What did I do wrong?" So since I was in the left lane and there was nowhere for me to pull off, I kept driving until I got to the refuge's parking lot. He told me that I was speeding in the 45mph zone. I was in such a rush to get to BTN that I didn't even realize it. Also, the speed limit changes pretty drastically within a small distance, so I didn't notice that it had gone down to 45mph. To top it all off, I didn't have my wallet with me. This was the first time I've EVER driven without my license, and of course it's the day I'm speeding. That morning, I had checked to make sure I had everything with me, but I forgot about my wallet. Great. There's ticket #2. I was so freaked out by the situation, but I eventually calmed down. My day got a little better when Cait taught me how to take care of our ring-tailed lemurs! I had been waiting so long for that, so it was a nice reward.

Friday, Nov 11th: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was the last concert at Food and Wine, and it was a pretty good one. Not really my style of music (big band), but they were very entertaining. I also got a bunch of food--the dessert trio, fisherman's pie from Ireland, and tirimisu. Yummyyyy! I'm gonna miss going to Epcot for those free concerts and all the extra pavilions with food from different countries! On the way home, Steph and I almost got into another accident. Another idiot tried to move into my lane when I was in his blind spot. He had no turn signal on, and he slowed down while merging, so I had to slam on my brakes. Typical Florida driver. UGH.

Saturday, Nov 12th: Tonight was the Sleuth's Mystery Dinner event to benefit Back to Nature! They had a raffle, silent auction, and t-shirt sales. The show was a lot of fun--we had to solve who killed one of the characters. The whole event was a bit awkward because I had to sit with strangers, but at least the meal was delicious! Salad, cheese lasagna, and key lime pie!

Tuesday, Nov 15th: I had a few bittersweet memories today at work. First, I met a guy that was wearing a Penn State Ultimate hat!! I wish I had had the chance to talk to him more, but it made me miss the Irish Elk sooo much! Love you guys! Also, because tenting started a few days ago at JC, I wanted so badly to be sleeping in a tent, freezing my butt off with 7 of my closest friends. However, I won't admit that I missed being woken up by a vuvuzela every 15 minutes!

Wednesday, Nov 16th: Our Behavioral Husbandry seminar was today! We went to the elephant barn and saw little Jabali, the new baby!! We also watched the keepers give them baths and feed them, and they explained how they train the elephants. Afterward, we went back to the classroom and learned about husbandry and enrichment.

The only other exciting part of the day was that I used the iPad for the first time while I was at Cotton-Tops. We have a few interactive presentations that we do with guests so we can educate them about our animals by the Tree of Life. I'm not a huge fan of it because I feel like it breaks up the more meaningful conversations that I want to have with guests.

Ok, that's enough for now. Next time, I'll talk about the Pens game in Tampa, the Josh Turner concert (which was quite possibly the best night of my life), and my trip home for Thanksgiving!

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."--John Muir