How It Goes

So.  Five days of orientation, five days of training, and three days of actually working (mostly) by myself.  What have we learned/relearned/remembered/discovered we'd forgotten?

~ King's Cross station has the most amazing air conditioning known to man.  Serious, it's at least thirty degrees colder in there than it is outside.  It's kind of fabulous.  Especially when you consider how much we have to wear at work.  Heavy black pants and two layers on top (shirt/vest) . . . and that's just the work wardrobe!  I've only trained on the Hogsmede side so far, but I have two shifts over there next weeks and I'm already dreading them.  (no air conditioning at all!!!!!)

~ Either people have gotten dumber in the last five years, or tourons are just stupider than I remembered.  No particular specific example here, just . . . yes, there are two different and completely seperate theme parks here; no, you are not a Disney World right now; and no, your ticket to SeaWorld is not going to get you onto the Hogwarts Express.  Also: if you choose not to ride because/complain about a TWENTY minute line and whine when I tell you that there is no express pass/fast pass . . . you need to get over yourself because that's pretty much the shortest line you're going to wait in all day.  Also I hate you.

~ Universal treats their employees a lot better than Disney does.  At least that's the impression I'm getting.  I haven't decided yet if I'm going to stay at Universal permanently - I had kind of carved out a mental career path for Disney before we got here, and it involves positions and places that just don't exist at Universal.  That said . . . I get a 35% discount on merchandise that goes up to 50% at Christmas (versus 20% and 40%) and there is some AWESOME Harry Potter stuff available.  I may just stay long enough to buy pretty much one of everything and then renew my oath of loyalty to the rodents.

~ The Wizarding World sections of the parks are among the most AMAZING things I've ever seen.  Seriously.  We're talking indescribably incredible here.  Especially Diagon Alley.  Ho.  Ly.  Crap.  There are no words.  And what does Disney do to compete?  Spends the summer gluing cardboard snowmen to popsicle sticks and builds Avatarland.  *insert sad trombone noise here*

~ That said . . . Universal's fireworks show is basically a fifteen minute trailer for every movie Universal has ever made on a water screen punctuated by fireworks whenever there's an explosion in the movie clip.  Compared to this, this, and this . . . well *we all know what goes here*

~ There seems to be a somewhat alarming number of people desperate to see the Harry Potter stuff when they have neither read the books nor seen the movies, and in fact, have only the vaguest idea of who/what Harry Potter is.  Setting aside the sheer bizarreness involved in wondering how that's even possible, it makes it rather difficult to be a Muggle working at King's Cross these days.  Watching kids giggle when you ask them why they're wearing a snuggie (Hogwarts robes) and carrying a stick (wand)?  Fun.  Telling a couple of twenty-somethings you have no idea what Diagon Alley is and having them say "oh that's right, you don't!" and hurry away?  Fun.  (getting away with playing dumb and not actually answering people's question?  very fun!)  Watching an eight-year-old's eyes go wide as she frantically hides her wand in the pocket of her robe when her mom whispers to remind her she's talking to a muggle and that's why I don't know where platform nine and three-quarters is?  Fun.  Having people say they can't find Diagon Alley anywhere?  Less fun, but then you ask them if they've read the books, and then you ask them if Diagon Alley was out in the open for anyone to see and their eyes get all big as things start to click and you just say "think about that for a minute" and they turn around because now they know exactly where to go even though you didn't actually tell them anything.

Angry people (these one are always angry) complaining that they've been up and down this area twenty times (they haven't) and this ride is on the stupid map so where the *insert colorful word of choice here* is it, and you personally have ruined their entire vacations and by extension their entire life because you personally designed this new addition and personally deliberately misprinted the map so that they would look in the wrong place and they're going to have you fired on the spot if you don't tell them where this thing is YESTERDAY and no, they haven't read the books, who reads books in this day and age and no, they haven't seen the movies, why would they watch movies made for five-year-olds, just tell them where the *insert string of colorful words of choice here*  ride is already!

Those people . . . I long to ask them what they're even doing here.  But you're the peon (and the part-time peon at the moment at that) so you smile and say "to the left"and hope they just go away instead of asking for more specific directions, forcing you to break character in front of half a dozen little kids carrying wands and wearing robes and spectro-specs amd deathly hallows necklaces and Hogwarts house lanyards and holy crap I am seriously getting myself one of everything and Rogan is getting one of everything too because DID I MENTION THEY HAVE PLUSH HIPPOGRIFFS AND PLUSH CORNISH PIXIES?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! 

~ AND ACTUAL QUILL PENS?!?!?!?!?!?  AND SOME OF THEM ARE EVEN OLD SCHOOL STYLE WHERE YOU HAVE TO ALSO GET A BOTTLE OF INK?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

~ On that note, if anyone would like a postcard that is post marked from Hogsmede, let me know.  I'll also, you know, need your address.

~ So Pottermore sorted me in Slytherin, and I feel like that's pretty official, you know?  Like, as compared to just some random person making up an internet "what's your house?" quiz.  But I've always sorted myself into Ravenclaw, and I prefer that house's colors.  So I'm not sure which house colors to collect everything in (although I am seriously considering both).  Any advice/opinions would be appreciated.  (also if you're on pottermore you should add me)

~ They also have plush spiders.  Rogan is NOT getting one of those.

~ Butterbeer is pretty much the most amazing thing on the face of the planet.  I'm told it's eclipsed by butterbeer ice cream, but I haven't tried that yet.  I'll keep you posted.

~ Should I get a pink pygmy puff, and purple pygmy puff, or both?

~ Say purple pygmy puff five times fast. :-)

~ It's quite a different thing having to leave for work an hour before your shift starts.  Especially considering a few months ago I could leave seven minutes before I was supposed to be at work and as long as all four lights were green I could get there with time to spare.  On the other hand, I could not get off work, change clothes, and go hop on a roller coaster before going home.  You win some, you lose some.

~ Universal is really hard core about taking pictures backstage, so if anyone wants to see me in either outfit . . . well, you'll just have to come visit me while I'm working I guess.  Or search twitter/facebook/instagram for any pictures tagged Harry Potter or Universal or Wizarding World or anything like that.  I've posed for, like, a million already.  I know I'm out there somewhere, I just need to find me . . .

~ You should all come visit me anyway.  :-)


P. ost  S. cript
Going to have to start checking youtube for me again . . .

Ode to Thirty

Also known as my second twenty-ninth birthday.  Because

Yeah, that sounds about right.  Anyway.

Starin' out into the wild blue yonder
So many thoughts to sit and ponder
'Bout life and love and wonderment of
And this craziness in my heart

Too old to be wild and free still
Too young to be over the hill
Should I try to grow up
But who knows where to start

So I just sit right here and have myself another snowcone
Do my best to waste another day
Sit right here and have another homemade snowcone
Let the packed boxes melt any blues away

Sun comes up and sun sinks down
And I seen 'em both in this two-horse town
Up for days wishin' for a raise

 Or just a job that is full time

From the answers and the reasons why
I'm at these crossroads in my life
And I think I mostly know

 Which way to fly

So I just sit right here and take another trip to the library
Do my best to waste another day
Sit right here and stack the books two feet high
Let the crappy novels (these days) melt any blues away

Maybe I'll settle down, have babies
Or stay kid-less and stay free
Which road I travel
Is still (slightly) a mystery to me

So I just sit right here and cross another square off the calendar
Do my best not to waste another day
Sit right here and grasp at straws for one more line
Let the passage of time melt any blues away

P. ost.  S. cript

 Apparently Kenny Chesney employs time traveling songwriters that steal from blogs.  Because that's a much more interesting explanation than saying I heard the song a couple weeks ago for the first time in ages and totally identified with it.

 

Do Not Adjust Your Television Set

So I know this is totally going to sound like I've been hacked, and I suppose I can't really prove I haven't been . . . but I'll start by saying I haven't.  And move on to sounding like an infomercial hosted by a Nigerian prince who wants to help you enhance your . . . "stamina" . . .

Anyway.  You may have noticed a new little box over there >>>>>>>>>

Keep going.  It's about halfway down.

There you go.  Yeah.  That one.

It leads to this kind of brilliant little site I discovered back in January through pinterest.  And clearly I need to go through and actually read some of the other money saving pins I've repinned without actually reading.

Anyway.  You sign up.  You do surveys and crap.  You get paid.  Actual money.  I'll be getting a check in the mail in a week or two and that will bring the total amount of money they've sent me to $120 . . . which is not a lot - but is $120 more than we would have had otherwise.

I KNOW.  IT TOTALLY SOUNDS LIKE A SCAM.  IT'S NOT!

In fact, I set up an email account just to sign up for it just in case it was a scam (and I would recommend doing that anyway since there is a bit of spam involved . . . a worth it amount, but this way it's easier to keep track of what's what).  But it's actual checks that we took to our actual banking institution and got actual money deposited in our actual account and there has actually been no bouncing.  It's kind of awesome . . . actually.

So what do you do?

You get emails with a link at the bottom that acknowledges you read it.  You click the link and you get 2 cents credit, which is not a lot but totally adds up.

You take surveys and get paid for it - usually under a dollar but sometimes up to four bucks.

You use their search engine and get credit for it, and if you use it consistently you get a ten cent bonus that week.  And unless you're using an internet connection like the one my parents had up until, like, two minutes ago, you lose no time in doing that first and then doing the same search on google if the results aren't what you were looking for.

You watch short video ads (I use the term watch a little loosely here) and get paid a few cents for each.

You print off coupons which save money on groceries and on top of that get a ten cent credit when you use them.

And you tell everybody you know about it so you get a bonus when they sign up and then more bonuses every time they do a survey.

Oh yeah . . . did I mention I was posting this entirely for mercenary reasons out of the goodness of my heart?  ;-)

Anyway . . . yeah.  I know all y'all are just as broke as us (well, maybe not that broke) so I'm passing it on, now that I've done the "proving it's a real thing" thing.  And now we can all celebrate together.

*this is probably the part where I should mention I didn't get paid to post this. like I said my motives were purely mercenary.  well, somewhat mercenary.*


P. ost  S. cript
So maybe there are only seven plots that keep getting recycled over and over, but here we have more proof that only one song has ever been written in the history of ever.  (side note: Katie - remember the mash-up version of "Friday" and "Baby" a certain someone sang a few years ago?  It still weirds me out to hear "Friday" sung to its actual tune!)

Seasons of Joy

So I recently read this book and I may be a bit of a word nerd, but it was pretty fascinating.  Among all the other bits if trivia about how English is the biggest hodgepodge of borrowings from every other language known to man was the part where English has lots more synonyms than most other languages.  And the great part about that is the part where you literally have a specific word for almost every possibility.

For instance, sometimes "happy" just doesn't cover it.  Sometimes the only word for what you're feeling is JOY.

And that definitely applies today because WE JUST PAID OFF MY STUDENT LOAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, in this case there AREN'T enough words to describe how excited Luke and I are feeling today.  So I'll have to express myself this way:  (in no particular order . . . well, alphabetical order because I just went down the list of gifs I've been saving up just for this blog post)

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm . . . I'm assuming your computer is now running like you're using dial-up circa 1992. And I probably should apologize for that, but I'm going to be honest instead.

Because seriously.  I could go on.

But honestly, today is by far the happiest day of MY LIFE.  Better than getting married, getting engaged, even the day I graduated from college.  Because on every single one of those days I had this stupid student loan hanging over my head.  Even if it wasn't something I consciously thought about, it was always there in the background.

In fact, to go back to the last time I felt so uninhibitedly happy would have to be high school graduation . . . and we all know how long ago that was.  Because that was one of the last days when I still believed I'd get a grant instead of a loan.  Well, actually the last day for that was when Ashli applied for her financial aid.  I mean, let's be real here - in what world is it logical for a family to add a college student to their roster and then the original college student not only doesn't finally get a grant then but gets their loan amount cut?!?!?!  I suppose I shouldn't complain too much, at least my loan was still subsidized - Ashli's wasn't - but seriously.  I have yet to meet anyone to whom that makes sense.

But I shan't get into my financial aid rant today because I am just too happy.  There is such a weight off our shoulders . . . it feels like we might actually be able to make a living someday.  Assuming I ever get a full time job, which I'm thinking is not going to happen as long as we're living in this town.  But in the meantime where we can take a few things off the back burner and start actually moving forward.  And it.  Feels.  Awesome.  This is seriously exciting and the only thing keeping me from celebrating in Vegas or something is the part where I don't get paid time off.  :-)

The best part is this time a year ago we thought we still had two or three years left before we finally kicked this thing to the curb.  But along about five or six months ago the numbers started looking do-ably small.  So we crunched some numbers and it turned out that with a few financial changes and ramping up the bare bones-ness from Def-con 4 to Def-con 3 we managed to pull it off.  And now it's over.  And that still feels a little surreal.  In fact, I almost don't know what to do . . . maybe we should go buy a house . . . on the moon.

In a word -

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


P. ost  S. cript
There are not many things that could make today even better.  Underwater kitty mews are one of them.  :-)