Time in: 7:45 a.m.
Time out: 8:45 p.m.

Today I trained with Ginnie on track 5. It's another track that's pretty different from the others but exactly the same at the same time. I guess the thing is that they all have the same major parts but a bunch of the details are different. For this track you start the day at shade control checking heads and shoes for damages that you'll need to replace before the first parade. By the time Ginnie and I finished with all our morning stuff and made it to the PC it was a mad house! Our coordinator, Kansas, was nowhere to be found. All the stiltwalkers positions had changed all over the place. The track 1 person had called out so the truck wasn't moved. Enda was going on and on about something I have no idea what she was talking about. It was like Ginnie and I walked into crazy and it was up to us to fix it. Well, Ginnie, really. She's really fantastic.

We went about getting everything pulled together and managed to make it to the PC all in one piece. It's this track's job to help Lumiere get dressed which I've never actually done before. So the boy that was playing Lumiere today, Jared, was so understanding and sweet about the whole thing. He can actually get himself dressed all by himself and doesn't need my help, but before each parade he showed me step by step how to get dressed in case I ever have to help a performer that can't do it by himself. It's common knowledge that Jared doesn't need help getting dressed but I was really impressed with how patient and understanding he was about explaining everything to me. It was so nice. I'm starting to really be friends with certain performers and have jokes with them. Today marks the very first day that certain performers were specifically looking at me and joking with me on their way out to parade. It's a big deal to me because I've been watching them be friends with other costumers all this time and I finally feel accepted now. I'm so glad and the performers are really funny friends to have! It makes for good days.

After lunch and everything we did our presets which were easy. I'd helped with Splash breakdown so many times when I worked in the Character Room that I knew EXACTLY how to put Woody and Jessie together. It was actually kind of eerie. Ginnie and I volunteered to make a run for the DP people to pick up a Smee head from Shade Control since we were done so early. It killed some time and made us look good which was doubly good. We added a stilt for the last two parades so we had to grab the clothes and take them with us up to Shade Control. We built it up real easy and had it ready to go for Jarrod. Then we had a whole bunch of time to waste so all the other CPs and I sat around and tried to learn Spanish from each other. It was absolutely hysterical the things we learned. But it was pretty awesome too. One of the girls is from Mexico, one boy is from Puerto Rico and the other girl is from Alabama. So me and Amanda (from Alabama) are teaching Ana Maria and Christian english and them vice versa. It was really awesome that in the middle of a day at work we could sit down and have this multi-cultural experience. I mean, where else can I work daily with people my age from different countries all over the world? It's really an aspect I'm loving from this experience.

After the last parade we broke down and loaded the truck and went back to the PC. It was kind of crazy unloading because Ginnie was trying to train me while also helping Ana Maria do track 3 stuff because you never technically get trained on track 3 you just have to wing it. But we got everything done and were perfectly on time.

This was the very first holiday I've had to work on, much less the only holiday I've been away from home for. I was kind of glad I had a 13 hour work day instead of having to sit in my apartment all day and wish that I was home. I was glad for the distraction and it ended up being a really cute day at Disney! A lot of people brought in goodies to share and they had a little Easter egg hunt on the dance floor after the parades. It was so adorable. I'm glad I got to experience a holiday away from my family and in a new environment, however I'll be really glad to be back to my mom's holiday cooking when the time comes!

That's all the magic for today!

Time in: 7:45 a.m.
Time out: 8:45 p.m.

Today was crazy yet calm at the same time. I'm finding that most of my days at MiSiCi are like that. It'll be really busy and hectic one second, and the next second you're sitting doing absolutely nothing. It's the exact atmosphere I thrive in though so I'm starting to feel right at home. The day started out with no extra large stilt liner again just like yesterday. The coordinator today was Julie so she called down to Alt's and had them drop one off at Shade Control so I didn't have to go all the way and get it again which was nice. I had to make a whole new King Louie since we used my preset last night. I've discovered the easiest way to get the rings inside Louie and Baloo is to literally crawl myself into the pad and then snap the rings in. I don't know exactly what I look like to the people walking by but I'm sure it's something special. No one has said anything about it though so I think they all know exactly why I need to do it. They're both just so big and annoying to deal with! Anyways I built Louie in no time and then we were loading the truck and off to shade control. Right when I got there I got to work on building my stiltwalker. The zipper on his pants was really tight so I had to try and loosen it using pliers. They were too big to work though so the seamstress used a smaller pair she had. I really wish Disney would let CP have Gerbers on them at work because I would get one in a heartbeat. They're so handy! It's first thing on my list of necessities for next semester. So the seamstress got it all fixed and I finished the stilt and went on to build Louie's headpiece. I realized I forgot to grab the arm covers that poof up his arms so I had to take the Pargo and run back to the PC for them. I was annoyed I had forgotten them but Julie wasn't upset at all so it was okay.

When I got back it was time to help the stilts get ready. I don't know if it was just the group I had today or if it's just getting easier but today was much less awkward. It was a little bit right at the beginning of the morning but all through the day it got easier. I just joked with them and had little sarcastic snippits and we all got along fine. I like track 2 better now that I feel comfortable with what I'm doing. The first show went fine and we headed to the Character Room to put away NSA. Nothing really that exciting there.

My good friend from home was in town at the parks for her spring break so I went out on my lunch break to hang with her and her family. It was really nice to see a familiar face here! We rode the Pirates ride and watched Day Parade together. It was the first time I've seen Day Parade since I started working parades and it was really weird! I found myself looking at the costumes for anything messed up or really bad sweat stains. I also recognized a whole lot of the performers which was weird too. I really liked it, however, because I feel pretty at home with parades now. I realized just how special my job is and I think I'll be more appreciative of it. I don't have too much longer here and I don't want to let myself stop realizing how special this adventure is.

After lunch I built my presets pretty quickly and then helped do a few odds and ends. Day Parade did a reverse step off for the second parade, meaning they stepped off from Splash Mountain and stepped down at Shade Control. Julie had us go up to Shade Control earlier than we were supposed to so that we didn't get caught in traffic with the floats. We got to see the DP people break down the pre-parade which was really cute bunny stuff for Easter. Then we helped break down DP as usual and then headed back to the PC. Julie had us help DP unload the truck of their stuff and immediately load up our stuff and head back up to Shade Control. We took our 30 minute break there just to make the day flow easier and it really worked. We set up and everything went smoothly for the 5:15 parade except I had forgotten to set up the stilt bins with the mesh bags. I felt really bad for forgetting, but it wasn't really a big deal. I guess I can't win 'em all.

When they were out, one of the stiltwalkers got pooped on by a bird. It's kinda funny now, but she was not very happy about it at the time, even though Julie said that was good luck. Julie had me make a run back to the PC for another vest for the girl. I remembered to put shoulder pads in it which was a win for me because that's what I forget the most with my stilt presets. When we got ready for the last parade of the day it was pretty eerie because I knew exactly when the stilts were going to need help. Especially Robert, this extravagant and needy performer that everybody knows. He'd been yelling at me every time he was ready so far that day and the last time I knew just exactly when he'd need help. It was kind of impressive but kind of sad at the same time.

The rest of the day went right on cue. We set up for step down, broke down all the costumes, and were sent off to the Character Room. It always feels really weird to be in the Character Room now on my MiSiCi days. They feel like two different worlds in my mind but they're not really. I like the tracks that go downstairs fine but the worst part is the 15-20 minute wait for the washing machine to get done. That's when we just help out the Character Room people and I have CR shift flashbacks. They're not pleasant. I can't even explain how happy I am to be on MiSiCi. I'm really loving it.

That's all the magic for today!

Time in: 7:45 a.m.
Time out: 8:45 p.m.

I had to burn in on track 2 today since I trained on it yesterday. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Track 2 is the most different track I've learned so far so I thought I was going to forget everything. When I started building my stilts this morning I needed an XL liner for one of my performers but we were out. I told my coordinator about it and she called to Alterations to see if they had any that they could push to the front and fix so we could use them for the day. I was nervous for what would happen if they couldn't fix it. Would that stilt just be down (meaning not in the parade)? I would feel so bad since that was my stilt preset. Fortunately, Alt's had one ready and so once we loaded up the truck and got to Step Off I went downstairs to Alt's and picked it up. I had to kind of run to be sure I made it back with enough time to finish all my other things as well. I got back with time to spare and made the preset for Robert then ran to go set up King Louie's head piece but my coordinator Ana was already working on it. I was relieved because I didn't really want to do it. Ginny taught me well yesterday and I CAN do it, it's just a pain and I don't WANT to do it. Then I helped the stiltwalkers get ready for the first show since that's my track. It's kind of awkward to just stand there by myself watching them get ready until they need help with something but somebody's got to do it, I guess. Luckily they just kind of ignored me staring at them until they dropped something or needed scissors. I also asked them if they wanted water or anything to be nice and hospitable and stuff. It's hard for them to get water once they get suited up in the stilts.

After the first parade I went downstairs to the Character Room to put away the stuff from last night in the dry room and help with what got dropped off from NSA. We had to check it all for damages and send some stuff to Alt's. Then to waste time I went through the line of MiSiCi clothes and checked that things were sorted correctly. After that was lunch break.

I build my Louie, Baloo and Lumiere pretty quickly so I helped Luz sort helmet pads for a while. She is one of my absolute favorite people to work with. She's hysterical and we have a great time. Today Day Parade did a reverse step off so we had to drive the van up to Shade Control to help break down. I always get the Day Parade music stuck in my head, it's so catchy. We had a break after that and then we headed back up to Shade Control for the last two shows. It got less awkward with the stiltwalkers and most of them learned my name and we were kind of joking which was really nice. It's hard to get really comfortable with them because they change daily but I've been trying.

We had a different King Louie for the last two shows so we had to use the preset I had made. That means I'll have to make another one when I get there tomorrow which is annoying. But that also meant that I had to set up Louie's head again and this time Ana didn't do it for me. I did it right, thankfully and it only took a second. After the last parade we broke down and I did the NSA laundry downstairs in the Character Room. The day flowed pretty nicely.

That's all the magic for today!

Time in: 7:45 a.m.
Time out: 8:45 p.m.

Today I was training on Track 2 with Ginny and it was a relatively easy day. There were a few hiccups but nothing major. For starters, the Track 1 lady today (Edna) was late so the rest of  us had to build her stilts and load up the truck. She didn't show up until it was time to leave for Shade Control. Once we got there, Ginny taught me how to put together King Louie's head and arm pieces which look much scarier than they are. She showed me how to put together the mesh bags in the stilt bin and things like that. The stilts are Track 2's responsibility so that's much different than any other track. I like it and I don't like it at the same time. I like the people who are the stilt performers for the most part but it puts more pressure on me to have to interact with them and make conversation which usually takes me more time to get up the courage to do. So I'm working on that. We did a check with all the stilts about whether or not they wanted red shirts preset since a lot of the cards are mislabeled. The rest of the morning was easy and uneventful. After lunch we had a huge chunk of time where we had to pretend to be busy so I sorted and organized head pads for Lumiere.

The last two shows were relatively uneventful as well. We did have to build another Baloo costume because the performer wouldn't stay for the last show because he "had plans" and wasn't scheduled to be there that late so they had to pull in another performer last minute. So it was Ginny and my responsibility to build the extra costume. He's easier to build than he looks too. I'm noticing that pattern with pretty much every costume I learn to build. At the end of the night track 2 sends out the NSA laundry from the character room and Ginny and I sat down to review the day. It was a pretty solid day.

That's all the magic for today!

Time in: 7:45 a.m.
Time out: 8:45 p.m.

Yesterday was crazy. It was the first day of the two Double Day Parade weeks, meaning the parade schedules are all kinds of whacked. MiSiCi only has one morning parade, then an early day parade, then normal 3:00 day parade, then two more MiSiCi parades. It's crazy. The poor performers are dead by the end of it. But yesterday we also had a mini-monsoon complete with tornado warnings, so the second day parade got cancelled. It was all kinds of confusion. Let's start from the top: (my track sheet can be found in the pages to the left)

When we first clocked in, it was only three of us there, including my coordinator Amanda. The other girl was track 5 and went straight to Shade Control so the day started with me and Amanda having to start building 8 stilt outfits all by ourselves. Then everyone else showed up and we were back on track. I had to make a run for Lumiere before the first show. He wanted this special extra puffy pad for his helmet so I had to go all the way to the PC for it. While down there Amanda radioed me that she needed character gloves as well. It felt pretty legit to be using the radio for the first time. I felt important. When I got back and the parade was getting to places, I had to walk Lumiere's candlesticks to his float for him because the girl whose track it was was nowhere to be found. Then we went back to the PC for a while and that's when the monsoon happened. The second Day Parade was cancelled so we had to break down Day Parade's costumes right there in the middle of the PC. It was absolute pandemonium because stuff was getting thrown everywhere by performers and costumers alike. I've never seen the PC such a mad house. When we got back to Shade Control to start up the two MiSiCi's we found out that the stilts were down, meaning the stilt performers would go out in the parade on foot. It rained so hard during the monsoon that the driving route that we normally take was flooded and we had to go over the train tracks instead which they never ever let us do. The whole day was just thrown for a loop by that monsoon, it affected everything. Then right before the last MiSiCi of the day I had to make another run to the PC to get a new Goofy head. And then they ended up not using it. By the end of the day I was exhausted and confused. I really hope the rest of double day parade weeks are not this hectic.

That's all the magic for today!

Time in: 8:45 a.m.
Time out: 7:45 p.m.

Today I was on Track 1 again. It felt weird since I've been doing track 4 the last three days. I almost forgot a couple of things I had to do, but thankfully my coworkers watched my back. I really do love the people I work with on MiSiCi (for the most part). Three minutes to places for the first parade Lumiere turned to our group of costuming people and goes "Oh, hey, I just noticed. My costume doesn't have a hard collar." Bad, bad, bad! That's really important for him. Thankfully, I had been checking the inside emergency bin for the last three days and knew exactly where a backup one was kept! So I ran and got it, problem solved. I felt really great for knowing where it was and what to do! It's the first time I haven't hesitated when someone's asked me to help. It felt good. 

It was pretty overcast today again and we thought we were gonna get rain so before lunch we had to move the stilt bins inside the car garage. It never did rain though, so it was kind of pointless. Better safe than sorry I suppose. During the time when we help Day Parade, I was at the top of the hill helping unzip performers from their costumes. I'd never actually done this part of the track before so I was kind of nervous but it was really easy. I just asked them if they were okay and if they needed my help I unzipped them. Most of them were fine, except Stitch was really overheated and I thought the performer was going to toss her cookies. She looked really bad. I'm afraid this won't be the last heat-related illness I encounter. It was pretty nerve-racking since I didn't know how to help her. Poor Genie, too, when he came off the parade he was being escorted by Jafar. Jafar motioned costuming over to help the Genie because apparently his sweatband and skull cap had moved down over his eyes during the parade and he couldn't see a thing! Thank goodness he never stepped on a little kid or anything. I don't know how he handled the situation so well, I would have been freaking out. 

The only other mis-hap we had was with Baloo on the final parade. The performer got switched out because the first one had gotten sick so we had to bring an entirely new costume for the last show. And first, the gloves were the same hand, so we had to get new gloves. Then his costume didn't fit right on his head and he couldn't see out of it. So Ana, the coordinator, tried to put extra pads on it but we didn't have enough at Shade Control so Luz had to make a run to the PC very last minute. Thankfully she got back in time and that got fixed. Then right as Baloo's walking to his float he's trying to put on one of his gloves and it's getting stuck on his sleeve the whole time. I went over to try and help but he ended up getting a Captain to help him instead. It was a hot mess. But, everything worked out and the parade went out perfectly. Laundry afterwards was a cinch and then I went home! 

That's all the magic for today!

Time in: 8:45 a.m.
Time out: 7:45 p.m.

Today was pretty standard up until the last show. It started raining about 30 minutes before the show started and for a while we didn't know if they were going to go out. The stiltwalkers got cancelled first and so they broke down all their stuff before the show. They ended up letting the show go on because the rain let up so we still had the last show. The stiltwalkers went out on foot in different outfits. It was pretty cool to see the precautions that are put in place for things like rain. Every single person knew exactly what they needed to do due to the rain and there were almost zero hiccups. It's a pretty organized ship here.

That's all the magic for today!