| 2003 - jan - feb - mar - apr - may - jun - jul - aug - sep - oct - nov - dec - 2005 |
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Aug 31.04 The World Cup hockey championship opened with a bang today (Canada vs. our arch rivals and champs from the last cup, US), and I happened to be at work for the game. So I requested I be up at Ghoster Coaster where I could get cell phone updates on the game, hidden in the operator's booth. Hey, the guests appreciated it when I announced the scores on the station P.A. and Laura the lead was all ears too. We slapped American booty 2-1. --------------- Aug 30.04 Today was a pretty pointless day off, since it comes after the weekend off, and I only found out yesterday anyway. Highlight of the day would have to be another random run-in with that guy from the Science Centre from Seneca. --------------- Aug 29.04 Got back from the cottage. I guess I can say my mission for the weekend has been accomplished: do shit (shit as in 'nothing', not shit like 'stuff')and get lots of sleep. --------------- Aug 28.04 Spent much of the day sleeping off the seven days of work just completed. Had dinner with the neighbours and their family. The food was all hearty and homemade, but it looked much better than it tasted. Still, kudos to the chef for a great roast and wild raspberry pie all from scratch. The BEST part of the day has to be meeting the neighbours' youngest son Chad, who I'd heard much of and concluded that he was going to be a troll but never met until today. Let's just say I was very very very wrong in a very very very good way. To the point where I might actually look forward to coming up the cottage now. Okay, that's bullshit. But this guy is fucking hot. --------------- Aug 27.04 Today was a friend's last day with our crew. He was a stupid lazy ass, but I'm gonna miss the guy for being such a sweet softie at heart. This is a guy who brings Krispy Kreme donuts for the crew all the time (even though I usually don't get a chance to grab one before they're gone), is a secret lover of Hillary Duff (I'm gonna get someone in trouble for telling me that), and is the kind of "I don't get it but be nice to them" homophobe like you see on Will&Grace. And I know he'll change his mind and come back for weekends anyway because he's a greedy bum just like me, but in the meantime, he'll be missed. My seven day stretch just ended, and I finally got overtime! Yes, it's only 5 hours over, but that's as good as a $20 bonus to me. A real reward for working 49 hours in five days, I must say. Like a pidgeon in a conditioning experiment, I want more. More, more, more. Headed up to the cottage right after work to maximize Plan B of spoiled weekend off. It was a promising cold, stormy morning, but after the briefest of rain, the day got worse by getting both sunnier and more humid *and* more busy. So the car trip to Alban was muchas unpleasant. However, I can say this was one of the first times I actually looked forward to going up there. --------------- Aug 26.04 It was another humid day. Honestly, I thought summer was over. By the end of the night, I was hyped up on I don't know what. Maybe it was that Hai wasn't around, but being at Ghoster Op at night with the new lead and the fun crowds and doing crazy stuff on the P.A. (how's that for guest interaction) just brought the energy level really high. Then after the day was over Laura let us all go to her old area, Nickelodeon Central, and ride Scooby's Haunted Mansion (Since it's such a popular ride, they have to close way later than we do to get all the people out). I have been waiting to ride that ride for years. It was a bit of a letdown because it's im-frickin-possible to hit the targets (unlike the Men in Black or Buzz Lightyear rides in Florida), but oh well. We screamed and floundered and had a good time. So today was definitely a great day at work -- finally I understood what Vijay meant working at Wonderland should be like. 30-day old plans that got screwed up for this weekend off threatened to ruin the good vibes so I decided to get away and head up to the cottage instead. --------------- Aug 25.04 blank. Well, what do you expect, I worked another double. Although I was upset at having to take a third break. Kind of takes some of the fun out of working a 12 hour shift. --------------- Aug 24.04 Rode my bike all the way down to the bank this morning before work so that I could pay (the minimum amount required) tuition fees in time, allowing for 5 business days processing or something like that. But I got there too early so I had to hang around like a hobo dog. On a positive note, I did feel kind of good about paying my own bills for once, though the $4000 I had to shell out is basically all the money that I've made this summer working at Wonderland, so I feel like I'm back at square one. And I really hate to nag my parents for what they owe me, if we're to follow this half-tuition arrangement for this year. Smells suspicious. --------------- Aug 23.04 Went to work extra early so that I could get my fill of free pancakes and juice, another one of those staff appreciation things. The pancakes were kind of bland, but really all I ask of a pancake is that it soak up syrup. Honestly, I'll eat a sponge if you throw some pancake mix on the outside and cook it a little before dumping it in syrup. So I had five pancakes and took two boxes of juice for later, feeling satisfied that I got my money's worth. On another note, both of our leads got promoted to supervisors, which sort of came out of nowhere. And Hai wasn't in today, so we got to meet our new lead, Laura, on our terms. Bad idea. Gotta give her credit for being such a good sport though. And since she left in the afternoon, we got to manage ourselves. When the cat's away the mice will play? Definitely. --------------- Aug 22.04 Got to watch a little soap opera unfold today during my break. Apparently the two gay ecology guys were having a fight, which was irresistably juicy, since I now find the pretty boy cute and want the ugly one to stop hanging around him. This isn't an out of the ordinary event, but we just got our schedule for the next week (starting tomorrow) tonight after work at 9:30pm. Turns out I'm working the next five days in a row. And since I've just worked two, that makes *another* seven day stretch. What I like about this one though, is that I get to complain about it, even though it really only feels like five days starting tomorrow. --------------- Aug 21.04 Was left alone in the house again. Had the option of going down to Mississauga for a party but it was such a hassle to change the appropriate shift at work that I just gave up and sat around doing nothing after work. I did clean up the house a little and mowed the lawn, but nothing much happened at all. Except for a lovely little e-mail from my Seneca friend from the Science Centre. Chalk up one for the gaydar. Finally it's paying off. --------------- Aug 20.04 Went to the Metro Toronto Zoo for the first time in a year with a friend. I think the prices have raised or something, because even with free admission (score one for Wonderland) it was still a bit pricey (I had the moral obligation to split in the light of gas and parking costs). As suspected on my chilly, gloomy day off, all the animals in the zoo were bustling about. That's the secret with zoos. You have to go on crap days, not in the summer when it's too hot for anyone to have the energy to do anything. It was crazy, reminiscent of days when I had a zoo pass (that's definitely worth it: open 364 days a year). It was like "Wild Behaviour: Caught on Tape. *With Animals*!!!". They walked all over the place, all out and about, bobbing heads and rolling around and exhibiting interesting behaviour, superstitious, sexual, and both. We spent the whole day at the park, seeing everything but mostly wasting time trying to get good shots on my camera. Of note are trippy polar bears, tiger groups, gay tiger sex, tigers attack, flamingos squawking, orangutans (shambling striders and lesbians), leopards and mandrills up to the glass, Harvey's heavenly burgers, the spiritual native trail, the sudden realization that one hour before close, there are only couples around (12 sightings in 10 minutes) and the long arduous journey to the Canadian Domain and back (Kenneth's theory: "You have to go out of your way to get there, and when you do, it's a lot of hard work for little reward, so the only justification is bragging rights. It's so Canadian." --------------- Aug 19.04 Today I was on Ghoster Load and I had to watch as my friend on Ghoster Exit (the most stressful position on our area) got ripped apart on a bad day rivalling mine from a while ago. We need a name for that physical law of bad things piling up at the same time. When I come up with one, it goes into effect immediately. It was extra sucky knowing that as Load, I am also responsible for easing the stress on Exit by proactively dealing with situations as they come along. Sort of like the first line of defence. Unfortunately, no matter what you do, Exit gets bitched at since people hang around the exit ramp. A moment to rant: I sent four kids down to get their parents/guardians to ride with them (chaperone rule), and told them to come up the exit to skip the line. A long time later, up comes the angry woman with two confused kids, not knowing where her other two are. She yells at Exit and we call security for lost kids. Okay, so she can't find her kids. I'd be upset too. But we are not babysitters. She sent them up to the damn ride by themselves in the first place! So it wouldn't have happened if she had gone with them, nevermind that my instructions to them were clear because sometimes kids get confused and are too afraid to ask for clarification. But on top of it all, she's yelling at the wrong person. I was the one who told them to go down in the first place. Five minutes later after she goes to look for the other two kids, I see them in the line. I don't know why they're there. But we call Lost Kids anyway to let them know they've been found. Fifteen minutes later the woman comes back and she screams her head off in personal attacks to my crew mate. And afterward, my friend is calm and friendly and doing her job as normal. Now that's class. That's all I have to say. I feel really guilty and she says "It's OK. She wasn't shouting at me. She was shouting at herself." Class. That's it. Just class. It was a different crew mate's last day today and I'm gonna miss him a lot. He often reminded me of a 60's Indian porn star, but with a charm that was friendly and even sexy at times. And yet, his attitude (sexual and otherwise) wasn't macho, pushy or what have you, the way a lot of guys at Wonderland are. It was sort of implied, and there's credit deserving there, I think. Where I've heard "Check out that girl. Nice rack," sometimes we could exchange a lift of the eyebrows and know who we to look at and why. Refreshing. A friend from the beginning, we were the first to form the anti-Hai faction, which did eventually spread out into general mutiny among the crew when things started to fall apart. I guess that's sort of how he is. One of those people who are fun to be around with others but best on a one-to-one level, with a more intimate insider/underground exchange. And that is the definition of charm, isn't it? Making you feel like you're special. That's probably why when you see someone with a smirk on a face like they're just remembering a good joke, you notice it. Which reminds me... --------------- Aug 18.04 Our supervisor didn't show up today, which is always a good thing, so last year's Ghoster Coaster supervisor, Vijay, (now at Vortex) filled in. All I can say is this guy is great. After asking me how to bump the trains (how to start the ride, essentially, which is supposed to be secret knowledge), he went on to explain his philosophies about what working at Wonderland should be like. "Doing shit (as in 'stuff') when you're off, and then coming back to work and doing shit (as in 'nothing')." Then he badmouthed our current supervisor, expressing shame in how he turned out as he trained him (sort of like ObiWan to Darth Vader). Needless to say, the day was fun *and* productive. After work, I decided to live by Vijay's sound philosophy and do some shit. So we went to play mah jek and then ate at East Side Mario's, where I finally got to use my gift certificate from last Christmas (and blah blah. Go see December 13, 2003). Then we drove around aimlessly and went back to my place to shoot a little bit of pool. Eventually though the night turned into a photoshoot (the classy, sexy black and white kind with wine glasses). A little self-indulgence in vanity never did anyone harm. Except for maybe Narcisses. --------------- Aug 17.04 Had my follow-up appointment with the dentist since I got my wisdom teeth out. It was short and sweet, with most of the emphasis being on how I'd fared with the painkilling drugs. Seeing as how I hadn't needed to use very much of them, I think I'll just tuck the rest away for a rainy day or something. Or as the oxycocet and the tylenol#3 are both depressants (I think. The tylenols have codeine and caffeine in them, and I do feel kind of peppy on them), maybe they'll be of more use on one of those annoying sunshiney days. We'll see. One thing I regret though, is not taking a picture of myself with the swollen face, just for the record. Plus the jawbone thing was kind of cool. After the appointment I headed down to the Ontario Science Centre with my sisters. Free admission is a beautiful thing, I must say. But first, this is an amusing story. When I walked in, I immediately noticed the extremely cute greeter handing out maps and stuff. Right away I get to thinking I need to somehow lose the deadweight (my sisters). I go to ask for another map, and then it hits me that this guy looks familiar. I kind of keep my eye on him and, yeah, I think I recognize him as this boy I used to be friends with in my grade 5/6 split class in Seneca Hill. I spend, essentially, the next few hours wondering if I should go and ask if it's him until I work up with the nerve to make Evelyn call her friends on their way by bus and make them ask him as they come in. Later when I see them they confirm that it is him. Ah, I must marvel (and be slightly disturbed) at my excellent memory. I spend the rest of the day thinking about how cute he's gotten (true; he used to be a very cute boy) until I'm sitting around waiting with Melanie for my dad to pick us up. Finally I decide not to be such a loser and I go around looking for him, to the point of asking other employees that look my age if they know him. Finally I found some luck, and asked if the person could say hi for me. Even better, I was given the offer to leave a message for him in the break room, which I took. So now no one can say I'm a chickenshit, okay?! Fine, so I am. But it's a step at least. It better pan out. Other (less) interesting things about today: seeing the funky bronze welder at the OSC, playing Mario Tennis at my house, and learning that my father is planning a career change and be a truck driver for the rest of his life. Right. --------------- Aug 16.04 I finally had to do the dirty work at Wonderland today. And it wasn't even my responsibility. While Walking past the merry-go-round I noticed a lovely protein spill (read: pile of puke) that my lead was ignoring. So being the model employee I pointed it out to her, and was then asked to grab the kitty litter and cover it up. Never mind the fact that I was on my way to break. So I smiled and did it. Okay, so I was smiling the whole time just because I thought it was so funny, but if I were like everyone else I wouldn't be smiling. What did make me disgruntled was when I was spreading the litter around with the broom and ecology showed up with their litter and brooms and they laughed. No thanks, no ACE award. Just a derisive chuckle. So I swept up a little bit more and then left the rest of the cleaning stuff with my lead. Didn't really break my own smirk but it did put things into perspective, as in "Doing good deeds is not always it's own reward. Stop enjoying your work." I did get my pin while hanging out in the operator's booth at Ghoster Coaster today. My ACE award pin. I'm such a tool I even felt bad about sitting in the booth, when Carolyn, the manager who most likes me, and always gives me ACE awards, clearly didn't care. She didn't even know why I said I felt guilty. On the way home, I made a last minute decision and jumped off the bus at Yonge so that I could get some books from the library. I then had to walk home. Why this is of note, I'm not sure. Let's just say because I hadn't done the library walk in a while. --------------- Aug 15.04 Alexei Ponikarovsky and family showed up at the park again today, and this time some of the other crew members recognized him. Finally -- proof that I'm not crazy. But playing casual was fun. "Oh yeah, he comes here all the time. I shook his hand." Nevermind the fact that he probably wants me to leave him alone, if he gave a shit in the first place. Oh well. That's what you get for playing on the Maple Leafs, honestly. There was another torrential rain also, causing all the rides to shut down for a blissful forty-five minutes, but that was all that we got. Other snapshots from the day include seeing a little girl lean her buttcrack on the bars of the gate. Except it wasn't leaning so much as it was trying to get as much of the gate in between her two cheeks as possible so that the gate disappears. Another kid, a boy, was absentmindedly licking the gates waiting for his turn on the ride, licking the rusty, rainy, grimy gates up and down and all around. Oh, the life of an iron bar. --------------- Aug 14.04 Upping the post-operative stupidity factor, I decided to go out today (!) before work (!!!), so we went for lunch at Kelsey's. I had soup and a wrap. Didn't give me too much trouble. Later we went to a little video game store in the area and I just couldn't stop smiling (which hurt) because of all the ancient Super Nintendo games that I recognized and had played. They even had a little trophy case with Final Fantasy 2 and 3, Chrono Trigger, Breath of Fire and Secret of Mana to name a few. After scoping the wares, we randomly saw a friend walking down the street so we pulled a U-ey and flagged her down. Eventually I realized I was going to be late for work so I got my ass to Wonderland where I did my shift without painkillers, and without the usual enthusiasm on the microphone (nevermind that, mushy mouth on the damn mic made me sound drunk). And my reward for coming in for my shift two days after surgery without drugs? Not even an ACE award. Just my crew mates staring at my chipmunk face with awe, something like respect, but mostly fear. Like what psycho is that crazy to work? Speaking of chipmunks -- well, Wonderland wildlife anyway, (okay that's the worst segue ever) a baby bunny rabbit hopped into the dark Aerofield mechanic/hydraulic pit after closing and we needed three people to catch it because it couldn't get out. We managed to scoop it into a dust pan, although it jumped out lots of times and hurt itself, which was a bit freaky. The biggest freak though was the guy who declared he was going to take the poor thing home as keep it as a pet. Someone please think of the rabbit children! Finally, the 2004 Athens Olympic summer games started today. I'm looking forward to seeing hot athletes, but I know that usually the showing is pretty poor. Time for Canada to step up, eh? --------------- Aug 13.04 The swelling has gone done a little, but the main thing is that my face is no longer numb. The first thing I did after waking up (I can't brush comfortably. The grode level is too high) was go downstairs, break out the chicken pasta and start eating. Which was probably a stupid idea. It was slow going, a little painful, mostly uncomfortable, and for the most part, tasteless, but at least I could say I was eating. I moped around for most of the day, dreading the return to work. Watched Hidalgo, which was slightly entertaining, but a lot of times I found my thoughts drifting off. Recurring thought: "No, really -- how long was I unconscious yesterday?" --------------- Aug 12.04 Got my wisdom teeth out, all four of em. It was sort of fun, in one of those new experience kind of ways. Especially with the getting put under anasthaesia and all. I got the IV drip in my hand, which hurt at first but then didn't really feel like anything. The doctor said I'd start feeling really relaxed, but I didn't. It was funny though because I could hear my heart monitor racing so I consciously tried to calm down so as to not look so nervy. My body didn't feel really heavy, I just sort of lost feeling I think. And around that time I smiled just because I could tell I was probably gonna conk out soon. I was right, but it's hard to tell because there wasn't any fade to black really. I just kind of woke up some time later (I never found out when specifically, because I never asked), feeling very refreshed in my head, but very sore of body. My throat was dry and I was drooling, I think. And bleeding. But it was definitely interesting. I'd do it again, possibly. I stumbled out of there feeling OK, but when I got home and looked at my swollen face in the mirror I decided to take some heavy narcotic, possibly habit-forming oxycocet to stave off 'severe pain', just in case. A short while later I was drifting off again. The rest of my day was spent avoiding the dreaded pain but feeling otherwise fine. My mouth remained paralyzed despite the freezing only supposed to last a few hours after surgery, so I felt stupid. Ah well. --------------- Aug 11.04 Reached the end of my seven murderous days of work, amounting to 68 hours of paid time (no overtime pay), only to get to my two days off for wisdom teeth removal. Partly in celebration of finishing work and partly to load up before I couldn't eat anymore, I had Japanese buffet, whereupon I ate so much that I got sick and lost it all after getting home anyway. --------------- Aug 10.04 Woke up early to grab more courses now that priorities have been removed. So my courseload is extra heavy right now. I'll be dropping that deadweight soon, I expect, since on this track I should expect to pay over $7000 for tuition this year. Had a pizza party for the Ghoster Coaster crew, paid for by the leads and supervisor, in honour of our smashing NASCO audit. True, there wasn't that much food, and the company wasn't that great, and we did get stood up again, but hey, I can't complain. Plus it was worth it to see Hai charging like a rabid hippopotamus and then tripping, flying, skidding, and then just lying there. Other notes: seeing an armed canine cop, discussing the finer plot points of Deep Blue Sea (another great shark film), and being the obnoxious patrons at Pizza Pizza. --------------- Aug 09.04 Today I finally pinpointed the source of my allergic troubles at Wonderland. It's happening when the wind picks up, at the pine trees at Aerofield and Rocketport. So I'm actually allergic to the (debatably) worst rides of the Ghoster Coaster area. Weird. Not that I'm planning to use that as an excuse, but it's definitely a consideration now that I realized why mucus is pouring out of my nose onto kids at those rides. I had the worst day of the season so far today with three encounters at Ghoster Coaster (exit of course) in a row, with the usual complications on the side. I think it's a law of physics or something that shit always piles up at exactly the same time. I almost broke down and started crying when I thought the exit gate lock was broken. Argh. At times like those you'll realize you're one of two kinds of people: the ones who'll survive by biting back and being the way they normally are; or the ones who'll suck it up and be extra smiley and cheery and use the powers of positivity to pull themselves through. Me, I think I'm the latter. It's kind of freaky but I feel good about that. Knowing that I can trudge through the shit. --------------- Aug 08.04 Did nothing special today aside from watch Scary Movie 3, which was lame and not even the least bit edgy or sexual -- really, the only reason to watch the sequels. The best part was in the beginning with Pamela Anderson. After that, there were no laughs. --------------- Aug 07.04 Today was my last double in a row, and I got stuck with three hours of Ghoster Exit and four hours of Aerofield. By the end of the say, my ankle was sore from grating on the slanted ground all day and I had developed eye spasms again. The only upshot to the day was the flattery from some fifteen year old girl throwing herself shamelessly at me. And even that got old, fast. Total time spent at the park in 72 hours: 37. --------------- Aug 06.04 The second of three double shifts today was an early-open. Meaning I almost broke three labour laws in one day. I have to avoid taking less than 11 hours off in between the three shifts, I had to avoid going over 5 hours without break in a 13 hour shift with 2 breaks, and I couldn't go over the 13 hours from start of shift to end. Phew. Meanwhile, on rebound from the face painting guy (I refuse to call him by his name), I've realized now how cute the gay ecology lead is (he cleans washrooms, but it's better than being named Jose). I guess it's because he has that haughty look and I'd never seen him smile until now. Got a ride home in a cool car (it had illegal exterior lights!) that could start and heat up via remote control. Weird to see someone else do the swervy on the highway too. Maniacs. --------------- Aug 05.04 It's back to work again, paying off that vacation dearly with a seven day stretch of shifts, the first three of which are open-to-close doubles. It was a sunny, but cool, breezy, beautiful day. Naturally it was quite busy. I found that my pregnant crew mate had a miscarriage over the weekend, which just struck me as unfair. Meanwhile, my supervisor and his girlfriend got into a car accident in the morning, so things were chaotic. We also had a new girl transfer from the mysterious office, and she's slow, in many ways, none of them good. I love how she's a McGill biology degree. The one positive note was getting some closure on my face-painting boy, and even that was bittersweet, since it turns out he did quit (it's been almost a month). His name was Jose, which, as a random point, kind of turnoff. I just don't know any attractive Joses, and I know it's self-fulfilling, but he lost points for that. This is a cruel world indeed. --------------- Aug 04.04 Came back from the cottage vacation with a mere 20 moquito bites, which I'm actually quite happy with. They don't seem to swell up much in Alban, although the 6 or 7 small bites all clustered on my left butt check disturbed me. The first thing we did upon arriving back in Richmond Hill, I have to admit, was go to Japanese lunch buffet at Nagoya. There I stuffed my face so that I could leave in time to see a friend from music with her buddies (good timing, that could've been embarrassing). Apparently they have a new waitress or something but we all hate her. It's not unfounded but fun to act on since I think she knows. After the four days up at the cottage I realized that I'd gained ten pounds, after carefully losing it all to starvation without regular meals while my family was away and I was at work. So definitely, those new jeans had to go. We went shopping at the Westbridge outlet mall, which was OK, but in the end, I found stuff that I wanted at Hillcrest anyway. Finished off the day with a haircut, just to shed a couple grams. --------------- Aug 03.04 The Lee family left today. Not much went on, aside from our neighbour Marvelle and the good ol' Dalmation Buster coming over for dinner. I don't remember much aside from eating a lot of salad and a lot of cheesecake, while watching a few movies. I guess it was just more relaxation. --------------- Aug 02.04 (Civic Holiday) There was a bit more activity than the previous day as I enjoyed some tubing and waterskiing. Also we had a cottage life photoshoot, which was pretty fun. Our best shot in the portfolio is the Asian gangster (what else?) pose, which extra irony added by the tilted frame and the juxtaposition with the outhouse. --------------- Aug 01.04 Today was the first day of my four-day vacation at the cottage. I don't recall doing much of anything despite the Lee family being there, probably because I was so exhausted from work and arriving late. I think I slept half the day and spent the rest of it doing cottage stuff with the other kids. Playing cards and charades and watching movies and listening tothe Charlie's Angels soundtrack. (Cottage tradition.) And eating. I'm pretty sure there was a lot of eating involved. There usually is. --------------- |