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Jul 31.04 Heading down to the cottage today to meet the rest of my family after having been left home alone (so to speak) for four days. After work though, I discovered that the old Lumina had crapped out on my dad on the the highway en route to pick me up, so I was to head home and wait first. I hopped in the car with a friend from work and I, being the big spender that I am, treated her to a sundae at McDonald's for her company. We chatted about family and other stressing matters for a bit, which was cool -- the bonding outside of work thing. I had fun, and went home tired but feeling up. It wasn't until around 1:00am that my dad got home, at which time I was very tired, but slightly relieved I have to admit. We headed out for the cottage at that time for my four day 'vacation'. Not really how I'd choose to spend it, but I'd had my fun already so I was looking forward to the down time. --------------- Jul 30.04 I got somewhere in the ballpark of three hours of sleep (good sleep, at least) after last night's exploits, and had to catch the bus out from Mississauga back to Richmond Hill. I gave my thanks for a fun time (definitely a memorable one at least) at Square One and proceeded the long trip back home -- I mean, to work. There it was a gruelling, slow, lethargic day of operating heavy machinery on emergency energy reserves (body fat. Personally, I think those reserves should always be accessible for energy use). On an interesting note: Ponikarovsky was at the park again but he avoided me and the ride I was at. (or that's what I'm making up anyway.) I arrived back home that night, realizing that it had been dead empty, without a living thing inside for over 50 hours. Oh, if only my parents knew. The newspapers and recycling bins had been thoughtfully moved by neighbours, at least. I drank in the only time I would get to spend in the empty house (even though it kind of gets me depressed). I think it got me a little giddy though because when I went to check the mail, I decided not to bother getting dressed or anything. So there I was in the middle of the night, wearing only my pajama bottoms and jogging in the misty rain. And I have to say, there's nothing like a barefoot, half-naked jog on a drizzly night to make you feel alive. I recommend it to everyone, it was so exhilarating. (Girls should probably wear something on top though, lest the cops show up.) --------------- Jul 29.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 28.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 27.04 It was a cold and misty day today, and as luck would have it, apparently (this is what I've been told anyway), the oil on the tracks at Ghoster Coaster had dried up just a little too much. Meaning that a train loaded with people slwoed to a stop coming around the last bend before reaching the station. And anywhere the train stops on the tracks past the lift and before the station, there's nothing to move it. So the mechanics had to come and manually release all the guests, who had to walk the rest of the track to evacuate, and then a hydraulic machine was set up to pull the train round along the track. Me, I was leaving for my break, so like I gave more than a shit and an amused smirk. Around the time I was biting into my sandwich in the break room I saw out of the corner of my eye and through the window, one of the empty test trains whiz by down the hill and up the next. Everything seemed to be OK now. Then there was a moment of double take when I noticed something wrong about the train coming down the next hill. It was going backwards. Yes, folks, it was rolling back down the hill. And then up again. And down again. Until it came to a stop at the valley in between. And that's not good. Most of the rest of the day the ride was shut down, so it was pretty easy going. I got my evaluation from the one of the managers. Very good to exceptional. Yup, that's me. Mr. Model Employee. --------------- Jul 26.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 25.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 24.04 Headed down to the Beaches again for the Streetfest On Queen St., which I'd never been to before. It was mega crowded, and I wondered how exactly I'd find my friend and hers at the busy intersection. Somehow we met, and proceeded to wander along, enjoying the carny atmosphere of the rowdy music, spicy and burnt food, and all kinds of people around us. We didn't really take in much shopping or music or festivities, but there wre some interesting points through the night. Firstly, seeing little Robbie from York Region band camp jazzing up "Fly me to the Moon" on his flute, the strange 'hip hop band' that did Eminem with a tenor sax, getting our picture taken by a tipsy woman who thought the camera in herhands was moving, walking through the cemetery in the dark, and, of course, my highlight of the entire summer. We were about to leave and wondering if there was something else we could do in the short time we had left, when someone noticed the general orientation of people's heads over to a small fire truck parked on the grass next to the street. But lo, not just any old fire truck. A truck with firemen on it. Now that was juicy. The collective will of all the women on the street (I felt a little bit sorry for the husbands who suddenly had to stop for a bit of a 'rest') seemed to do little, but we all watched in the dim, vague, desparate hope that we'd see something. For a moment we were dismayed when they put on jackets, but after just a bit more strained patience, the band across the street made an announcement: to promote the new 2005 Toronto Firefighters calendar, they would now play a little striptease for the firemen before us. Oh, benevolent gods. The four men stripped to the music (though it was hard to hear what with all the ecstatic screaming around us). We exchanged thoughtful commentary on their body types and moves (the two older ones were hot in admittedly stereotypical ways, as was the young one, but the average joe type with the best moves and was therefore the sexiest). In the end they kept their pants on (damn), but gave away their shirts (some of which sadly got caught in trees and telephone lines). And honestly, that was so much better than anything I saw at Pride just last month. Firemen, indeeed. After getting back, I stopped over at a friend's birthday party in a sort of non-fashionably late way (not that there is such a thing, but coming for the end is a pet peeve for me). There, I was for some reason a total clutz, spilling stuff all over my self and the house and breaking a few more chairs. I think I impressed my friend's potential date with my airheadedness. Score. --------------- Jul 23.04 On my day off, my quest for a good pair of jeans led me to a snug pair of low-risers, which was interesting if a bit curvy. After further shopping, I went another jazz band rehearsal for the upcoming stint at the pool. It was short and sweet, and afterward, I decided to stay for the 'parents are gone for the month so lets have the house' party. First off was actually hanging out with my pal of old times, who I'd interacted with only briefly over the year. And my how things've changed. Call me what you want, but I think that there should be more to a person than just one cultural facet. Otherwise what you get is just trash. And that's quite harsh but I'm also kind of bitter and jealous at the same time. And able to be that way because this is more the kind of person that I resented back in grade school before getting to know the insecure, awkward nerd at heart. Sadly he's gone again. We had a bit of sushi for dinner, and then walked around to grab other friends and their drinks. And the rest of my family meanwhile left for the cottage for the weekend. Why do I lie for no reason? Honestly. It baffles the mind, the kind of shit that I get myself into. I guess I'll never learn. Later at the party, where there were big, old, friendly bikers and jam sessions (only at the house of Falconi would this happen), I did my drinking for the year in a few strange mixes. Probably the one that made me sick later was the peach schnoppes and orange juice from a water bottle. Thanks. (ed.: the memory of that particular taste to this day makes me feel that sickly bile in my chest) Eventually when I had a couple of long near-blackout vision brownouts, I decided I needed to take it easy. So drinking lots of water and lying down did the trick. For the record, the pale-as-a-ghost host and I spent most of the night lying in the living room while his alcoholic sister stumbled around the house singing and groping people and sloshing drinks all over the place (and worst of all, wearing an unpleasantly green floral top). Never again, I said, walking home with a buddy after the sickness had faded a bit. Though, as an afterthought, it was definitely one of those experiences you kind of look back on and smile about, wondering what the hell you were thinking. All this while furiously scrubbing my slick orange tongue with a finger to substitute for brushing, and in the dim subconscious hope that I could induce vomitting. No such luck. --------------- Jul 22.04 Everyone was soaking wet by the end of the day at work, and not just due to the sweltering sticky sweaty heat. Pouring water on each other was the name of the game, culminating in soaking the entire platform after close and turning it into a slip n' slide ramp (with ice). Not so smart. --------------- Jul 21.04 Today at work I got a PIN (Performance Improvement Notice) for lateness. I was called down to the HB Manager's office where I met my supervisor Hai and the new manager Clayton. I have to say, as I was spoken to, and as I wrote down my plan for improvement, I was biting my tongue, struggling not to laugh. It was obvious neither of my superiors really cared, and that both knew the there was little I could do about lateness when it happened, as I rely on public transportation. At any rate, I composed a perfect paragraph regarding the situation, and it reads as follows: "I will wake up earlier, allot more time in the morning to prepare for work in order to be more reliable with taking the public transit system to the park. This is so that I will avoid tardiness and further inconvenience to employees and guests in the park. By giving myself more time I can hopefully account for circumstances which have made me late on previous occasions." At closing, I got to do my first track walk to find someone's lost hat. It was scary and I had no flashlight, so it was a wonder that I didn't smash my head countless times on the wooden coaster beams. I did find the hat so I did feel like my efforts were worthwhile. However, next time, if I don't get to have the extra long closing rotation at Ghoster Op, I'm not doing that walk. Tonight was the series finale of a TV programme close to my heart, Friends. I've been watching since the first season in 1994, and it became a Thursday night tradition for many to follow. To be honest for the past few years I've not been the most faithful viewer because of my schedule (and because the show started to get really crappy, though still with the occasional laugh, around the time Rachel got pregnant). I wasn't planning to watch the finale but since I was home at the time I figured what the hell. For old time's sake. It wasn't bad -- it wasn't great but at least there was no sour taste in my mouth afterward. (with the exception of Mike, Phoebe's husband and Friend-wannabe. Thankfully his appearance was brief.) This is probably what will mark the end of what survived of my golden 90's (childhood). Goodbye, Friends. May you have a long, zombified grip on prime time TV in syndication. --------------- Jul 20.04 This morning, the Weather Channel reported a 40% chance of severe thunderstorm. And oh, what a forty percent that was. I was at the HB-Go-Round at the time, and all within ten minutes, the sky turns black and the rain starts coming down in buckets. The people on the ride looked dismayed, and I started to chuckle. I wasn't sure why. I was starting to get wet and I hadn't brought my fleece. Then the thunder and lightning started, and the rain came down even harder, torrentially, so that you couldn't see very well. And the chuckle turned into a belly laugh. We ran the ride and the water was splashing down on me and all the while I was laughing so hard my abs and my face was cramping. I was soaked to my dark places and was ankle deep in water and I think (but it was hard to tell) I was even crying a little from the laughter. Finally we got the call to shut down the ride, at which point we opened it up for everyone to take shelter under. So the guests were right there with us. And I couldn't have picked better company, so we all just shivered under the sheets of rain pouring off the merry-go-round for what seemed like hours but was really only half of one, while people waded through small lakes and rivers to try to get around. When I got moved to Rocketport I was shivering uncontrollably to the point that my teeth were actually chattering. I had conversations over the microphones to Aerofield and waited for the end of my shift to roll around. The rain had stopped when I left, traversing still flowing bodies of water, but after I got home I learned that the storm was raging on again in the town of Maple, apparently localized over that area where I work. The thunderclouds lingered overhead yet mine remained sunny. --------------- Jul 19.04 Today I got sent over to another area for the first time at work. I went to Kidzville, where I was asked to stay for five hours at one position (Jokey's Jalopeys). Thankfully that was cut short by the arrival of rain, which shut the ride down after one hour of work, and lasted for about an hour and a half. Factor in break and my crew called me back early anyway, so I got away without having to do too much. Someone else got in shit for not wanting to switch shifts with the crew's boy who cried wolf. Eventually I had to reluctantly agree to rearrange my busy schedule. Now everyone hates the other guy. Guilt? Not really. --------------- Jul 18.04 There's so much tension at work between the crew, the leads and the supervisor with the shitty hours we've just been handed and all the politics. Everyone's getting strung out and there's dirty talking behind the backs. It's kind of like those Big Brother-type reality shows where everyone's really friendly and excited to work at Wonderland while it's fun, and then we all spend too much time together doing the same thing and everyone starts hating each other for the stupidest reasons. Amusing to watch, but since I'm involved, I'm busy keeping my nose clean. And figuring out how to get more hours while hiding the fact that I got way more than most people. In other words, manipulate the masses. It's what I do best. I met this girl on break today, who's apparently in on the whole gay network at Wonderland. Turns out my gaydar isn't half bad. Now where is that face painting guy? If I see him again, I will so consider thinking about entertaining the fantasy of talking to him. Right. --------------- Jul 17.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 16.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 15.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 14.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 13.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 12.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 11.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 10.04 Saw another teacher today on the way to the bus stop in my neighbourhood, out for a morning walk. Why do all the teachers live up north? Had a get-together barbecue at a friend's house. This would be the first time that I would actually see my friend since her return a month ago from the infamous trip to Ecuador. She brought back funky red pants for me and strange gooey 'candy' (okay, it looked ilke chewing tobacco right in the tin) for everyone else. I wanted the Ecuadorian lighter. It was really just a run of the mill gas station lighter with a cool package, but the flame went out really high. We also got funky (sex) bracelets, made by orphans no doubt. Mine was red; I think that's fisting or something. Anyway, the barbecue was cool, though I didn't eat much of the authentically Chinese food (plus there was way too much. We probably could have fed a small army). Around the time that the mosquitoes came out, we called it quits and packed up. Shot a little pool afterward and that was the night. --------------- Jul 09.04 Had an early open today, meaning people stand around getting cranky waiting for you to run the ride because security let them in the area too soon. There's a new girl from Ireland spending her summer in Canada. Her name is Aoife (pronounced "ee-fuh", apparently) and she's barely intelligible. You know it's bad when the ESLs are complaining they can't understand what she's saying. I tried my best but at times I found myself blinking in response while my brain processed the Irish English. Oh well, at least it's nice to have someone new to be superior to, in terms of confidence on the job anyway. Also, saw my grade 12 English teacher with his family. He turned out to be one of those parents who tells their kids on the airplanes to push up and then pull down on the control stick, even when they're doing it right, just because they think it'll be more fun. Just let them do what they want to do! Had our first (real) crew event at the bowling alley (my turf). Thankfully, this time people actually showed up. Once again it was weird seeing everyone outside of work with their flashy cars. The parking lot looked like a car show (I didn't even know there were Acura SUVs). The bowling was fun and the music was good. I didn't do too horribly, though Steph, the kickass supervisor at Nick Central, gave me a run for my money. The stupid computers kept on ripping me off points though so I know that I actually won both games. Dignity. --------------- Jul 08.04 My family left for the cottage again today (length of stay: unknown). Before going, my parents said the usual "clean up the house, no people over, etc." So, the first thing I did once their car left the driveway was call up some friends to shoot pool and watch a little bit of the first season of 24 DVD. Good times. --------------- Jul 07.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 06.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 05.04 not done yet. --------------- Jul 04.04 There's a new guy who works at face painting in our area. So cute. Must stop staring while running the merry-go-round but it's so hard. Today I got some training on the highest ride position in our area, Ghoster Coaster operator. I was shown the panel and how to run the ride, and all was going well until I sat in the seat and started to do it myself. Two cycles later lightning flashes, thunder booms and the rain comes down. The ride has to go down because of weather. I wonder if it's a an omen of some sort? And that was the extent of my training for the day. --------------- Jul 03.04 Today at work I saw a boy whose face was so badly disfigured from burns I actually recoiled at first sight. Then I almost cried. Why, specifically, I'm not sure. I think it was just one of those overwhelming sensory overload type deals. But I was pretty shaken after that. Later on in the day I found a nearly full pack of cigarettes lying on the ground at Rocketport. Is that supposed to be a sign or what? Like God sent these cigarettes to me as temptation or something. Why do I want to smoke anyway? It's really disturbing. I took the pack for fun, with no real intention of smoking them. But when I got home I dug up my lighter. Just so that I'd know where it is. You know. For now, I'm wondering whether my first smoke should be one of the God-given ones, one of my dad's, or one that I buy myself. When I get stressed out these days, I take slow, deep breaths through a thin stream as if I'm smoking an imaginary cigarette and it feels really good. I'm not even sure whether thinking like this will sate the urge to smoke or just to fuel it. Got lost in my own neighbourhood after work on the walk to my cousins' house for their birthday barbecue. At one point I thought I was taking a shortcut but I ended up in a dead end and had to retrace my steps. That night my dad was being the "loud uncle" that he always is, but this time (more than usual), a total hypocrite spouting out bullshit about parent-youth generational conflicts. I'm not sure if he did it deliberately for me to hear, but either way, it just doesn't make sense. Does he know what he's talking about and is challenging me to take him up on his words or is he actually just blind and doesn't understand how everything he's saying is what he's already done (and always will be) wrong? --------------- Jul 02.04 After work, went out for breakfast at 11pm at the Golden Griddle. We were the only ones in the restaurant, so, needless to say, we had the undivided attention of the two employees there. Which was good and bad. Afterward, we sat in a parked car outside someone's driveway and talked into the night. My family was back from the cottage when I got home. --------------- Jul 01.04 Canada Day not done yet. --------------- |