It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

But I'm going to start with the worst of times because it came first. It's always easier to work chronologically. First of all, I forgot to clock out of my shift on Thursday. This isn't really a huge deal, but I was feeling a little stupid about it because it's a routine thing that after three weeks I should have under control. It's not a big deal for me or anyone at the company, but apartness the mansion took offence and decided to level some karma down on me for my mistake.

Right now the Haunted Mansion is undergoing a few updates to the queue and loading stations. The last chance to exit area, also known as the "Full of Fear" hallway, is being reconstructed for wheelchair access so that guests in wheelchairs will be able to enter through the stretch room and have the full experience. While construction is being done in this hallway at night, the smoke detector has to be disabled. Disney, being a company that has safety as its #1 priority, wouldn't allow an area in an attraction to act as a potential fire hazard. The solution: position a cast member there to act as fire prevention! I know it sounds boring but we rotate through the positions so no one would be stuck there for too long. I found this floor plan that will illustrate the hallway I'm talking about. I circled and labeled it in yellow:

You'll also find the worlds largest hidden mickey illustrated here! Yes, it's really like that...

So I log into the computer and the first thing I get is Full of Fear. Great, what a way to start the day. I head over and rotation hasn't come through yet so I end up at unload for about 15 minutes before making sure a hallway doesn't catch on fire. After rotation comes through again, I pull unload which means 40 minutes of telling people to watch their step and then right back to Full of Fear. Luckily my break came next.

Being placed at Full of Fear is a lot like what I imagine an isolation chamber to feel like. No one really talks to you, guests are freaked out and kinda move away quickly when they see you. I find that when I'm positioned there I forget how to talk after a while of not doing it. I didn't have to work it at all during my last shift so I guess two times in basically a row was acceptable. I log back into the computer for a third time: Full of Fear.

At this point it's kind of funny. A really depressing, boring funny, but funny none the less. Basically I'm the only person that's worked this hallway since I arrived. I'm running out of things to think about to occupy my mind. I think I was counting my steps back and forth for a while but I got bored of that around 250... Rotation comes around again and I walk back to the computer for a 4th time and the mansion spits me back to Full of Fear AGAIN.

This is when things started to get real. I didn't know if I was going to make it. I think I saw one of the walls move at one point and it really freaked me out. How much time could I possibly spend in this hallway? Why did the computer keep putting me back there? My shift still has more than two hours left at this point and I was already losing my mind. Thankfully my break came. There where a few people in the break room to wake me out of my comatose state. This was helpful right up until the computer put me back at Full of Fear. 

What is this I don't even............................................................................

Almost an hour goes by before rotation gets to me again. My coordinator is on the computer. He sees that I've been at Full of Fear all day. Where do I want to go for the rest of the night? No hesitation: stretch.

This is where the best of times begin. Last night we had extra magic hours, but not for resort guests. Extra magic hours for high school varsity dance troupes. Are you kidding me? Creeping them out was almost too easy. I didn't even have to try and groups of them were freaking out. I even scared a few of their chaperons. It. Was. Awesome.

That was, and probably will be, the best hour I will ever spend at the mansion. Karma worked itself out in the end. I paid my dues to Full of Fear and got an hour of awesome stretches out of it. Totally worth it. Totally made up for my boredom earlier in the day.

I went out to Apple-bees with a few of the other servants after our shift was over. This was my first time really doing anything after work since I've been down here and it was nice to feel like I was becoming part of the team. I had been feeling pretty homesick the last few days but I think it's going to be alright down here after all.

Cheers,

David

Song of the day - Tyler Durden isn't real by White Noise (which you can hear here!)