Oh Aunty Em, there's no place like home!
Mood:  down
Topic: Reflections

So, today I was watching a documentary on Benjamin Franklin and I suddenly realized I was incredibly homesick.  As I watched the show, fleeting memories of walking the streets of Old Philadelphia danced across my mind and I ached to once again see our country's incredible historic places and soak up our rich history.  One of the things I loved about living in Philadelphia was being so surrounded with so much of the past.  At any given time, one can walk a street filled with buildings from times long gone by and know that each one of those buildings contained many stories of those who entered their doors.

I used to joke about how tourists paid a lot of money to come and see our historic places and there I was living right there and could see it all whenever I wanted.  I remember the first time I went inside Independence Hall and was kind of unimpressed.  I don't know why, except that the room our forefathers drafted the Declaration of Independence in was much, much smaller than I had ever imagined.  But then, I suppose one always conceives such a monumental event as taking place in a huge space. 

One of my most favorite things to do was to go on the ghost tour during the Halloween season.  That tour takes you to some of our oldest homes, churches and historic buildings.  The stories about those places and the ghosts that supposedly inhabit them are pretty interesting and very believable, if one believes in the paranormal.  Just for the record, I do believe. 

Ben Franklin's house no longer stands, however there is a marked off area where it once was, so you can still stand upon the ground that this famous statesman stood upon almost 250 years ago and imagine what life was like back then.

Yes, I do miss Philadelphia.  It was my home for many years.  I miss walking through Valley Forge Park.  I miss walking through my own neighborhood for that matter.  There was so much rich history in Roxborough, where my home was, history that dated back to the 1600's.  And I eagerly read every piece that I could get my hands on. 

It's funny, but I guess even though I know Philly is a dirty, crime infested city, I've wiped all of that out of my mind and only remember the good.  I guess that's the romantic in me taking over.  Maybe some day I'll go back and visit and once again walk the streets of the city I'll always love.

The Happiest Place On Earth? Perhaps...
Mood:  d'oh
Topic: Mouse Tales

I work in the Magic Kingdom.  And it's my job to make sure our guests have the best time at WDW.  Let me tell you, oftentimes, its not easy.  I think many people come to the MK with an unreal perception of what to expect.  The following may sound like a rant, but it really isn't.  Its just reality....

Strollers ~ we move them around to keep them in some kind of order.  If we didn't, they'd be all over the place, blocking pathways and possibly being moved by other guests to some place far away from where they were originally parked, and thus be lost forever.  We're not responsible for things left in strollers, we can't possibly know who belongs to which stroller, so we make every effort to let guests know to take everything out of their strollers and keep things with them.  Mostly, that doesn't happen.  You know, its Walt Disney World.  Its safe.  Not!!

Lines ~ Guests love fast pass.  Guests hate fast pass. It's Disney.  Lines are going to be long no matter if one has a fast pass or not. But those on the standby lines may have a very long wait if the fast pass lines are long. Something to remember, the fast pass guests actually wait longer than the standby guests because most of the time, those fast passes were issued about two hours prior to their return time.  The difference is that fast pass guests did not have to wait on the line. They were able to use that wait time to do other things in the park.  Fast passes are free, and were intended for that purpose, to give guests time to do something else other than waiting for an hour on a long line.  You'd be surprised how many standby guests just don't get that concept.

GWD cards ~ these are supposed to be issued to guests who have disabilities in an effort to help them easily navigate our attraction entrances, however, the system is highly abused.  Why? Because many people know how to get around the system. In fact, due to the fact that no proof of disability is required for the card, way too many people get those cards simply to be expedited on the lines, and are in no way disabled, and then they have the nerve to complain if they have to wait a few minutes and/or are not escorted to the front of the line. But GWD cards are not fast passes, so there will be some attractions where there will be a wait, and since most of our fast pass entrances are also GWD entrances, fast pass lines will be longer and wait times increased for those on that line. Also, GWD cards are not honored at character meet and greets or parades and/or parade detours.  IOW, its not going to get a guest across the Liberty Square Bridge when its closed for a parade.  I can't tell you how many people have gotten mad at me, when they can't go where they want or do what they want after showing me that card.

Dress Code ~ we do have a dress code.  Its a family park.  You may not know it though.  People think, its Florida, so its ok to come to the park wearing a skimpy bra top and short shorts down to their hair line and up to their hips. In theory, its not ok, in reality however, it is.  And that's because unfortunately, our Security does not enforce our dress code.  About the only time they will is if someone is wearing a lewd t-shirt.  Then, they'll either ask the guest to turn it inside out or take it off.  And while I'm on the subject of dressing for Florida, it really riles me when I see infants and very young children in t-shirts and shorts during the winter.  Our winters are damp and cold.  It may be 60 degrees but the same thing that makes us hot in the summer...humidity...is what makes us cold in the winter.  Its bone chilling and those little kids HAVE to be cold.  Parents should bring something warm for their kids to wear or be prepared to pay a lot of money at the parks for sweats, hats and gloves.

Attraction policies ~ I won't get specific here because every attraction has its own set of rules.  I just want to say, I wish people would be more receptive when CMs explain our policies to them. There have been many times when I shook my head at guests who have tried to hop in or out of moving cars instead of waiting until those cars come to a complete stop.  Again, I guess they're thinking its Disney, its safe.  Uh huh....

Food & Shopping ~ yup, its costly. There's no way of getting around that. And, large coolers are not allowed in the park, so one pretty much has to buy food there. Souveniers are going to be expensive too.  I don't think we have more than a handful of items less than $5.  Most things cost $15 and up.  So those that come to Disney thinking they can eat and shop cheaply, should forget it.

Parades ~ As much as they'd like it, guests just cannot come to the parade route five minutes before step-off and get a curbside seat. If one wants a good seat, one really needs to be there at least an hour or more before. Its as simple as that.

Stage Shows ~ Vision will be obstructed for most, since everybody is standing and/or moving around. Guests who video, should be aware that parts of their taping may have a big head in front of their lense.  Also, speaking of taping, its not allowed in our 3D attractions.  The reason is not what most may think, its mostly because its annoying to the guests behind the taper, having to view the movie with the glare of the video screen in their eyes.  Also, if someone does manage to sneak a taping, they need to be prepared to view double images on their tape. Putting 3D glasses in front of the lense will not remove them.  Those glasses are made for two eyes, the video camera only has "one".

Well, I'm sure I've missed a few things, but I'm going to stop now.  This post really does sound like a very negative rant, and I don't mean it to be.  There are many, many wonderful things about vacationing at Disney.  The main one being the look in a young child's eyes the first time he or she sees one of the characters.  One of my fondest memories was of a young boy who ran joyously to Peter Pan's Flight just after the park opened one morning.  When he got there, he stood in the middle of the path, turned around to his family, opened his arms wide and said, "We're here!"  Its little happy moments like that one that make my day. That's what its all about, and I'm honored to be able to help make the magic.

A Friend Is Lost
Mood:  sad
Topic: Letting go

I lost a friend today.  More than that.  I lost a member of my family.  He had been with me for nearly 13 years.  Right now I am too sad to type his name, its just too painful.  This is not the first time I have lost an animal friend.  I have had many pets over the years and fully understand that they can never have the life span of a human.  And each time I watch one of them grow from young to old, and then eventually pass on, a piece of my heart goes with them. 

I guess I am lucky that none of them have met with violent deaths, at least so far.  Each one has lived to a ripe old age and passed rather peacefully.  This friend too went quickly.  Unknown to me, he had an enlarged heart that caused a blood clot, that in turn blocked the blood and nerves in his legs.  Literally, the day before yesterday he seemed fine...normal, doing what he always did.  Then, that night I noticed him dragging his hind legs.  The next morning, yesterday, I took him to a trauma center and was told to leave him.  This afternoon the doctor called me and told me that he had passed.  He told me about the x-ray findings and the attempts to dislodge and dissipate the blood clot.  But suddenly my friend had what we humans call a heart attack, and died.  I guess all the strange touching and proding and being with people he did not know frightened him.  He always was a bit skittish.

My heart is broken.  I didn't even get to say good-bye.  I felt so bad leaving him, but what else could I do?  I had to try.  To give him a shot at getting better.  On top of everything, the vet bill is over $1,000 plus what I will pay to have him cremated.  Don't get me wrong, I would have paid three times that much and more to have him with me right now.  But it was just not meant to be.

Why?

I guess I'll never know.  It was just his time.  I will miss him. I will always love him.  And I will always have my memories. 

Good bye my beautiful little black prince.  I hope to see you again one day.

 

Who We Are vs. Who We Want To Be
Topic: Reflections

The internet is an amazing thing.  It has given us the opportunity to do things we never thought possible.  We can travel to another country or even another world, we can talk to people anywhere, we can look up literally thousands of topics for information, we can be creative, we can auction, buy and sell items, and much, much more.  And the best part is that we can be annonymous.  Or is it?

The annonymity of the internet is questionable, IMO.  Yes, we can exist here and nobody will know who we really are unless we want them to.  But is that a good thing?  Think about it.  Being annoymous, gives us the opportunity to say things to others that we would probably never say to their faces.  Because we ARE faceless here.  Very rarely do we get to know the actual people we are messaging in real life.

I once belonged to a large and volatile (to say the least) online community.  We all came together because of our love of a TV show. We took on pseudonames known as "handles" which we chose for our own reasons.  We discussed episodes, we talked about relationships, we role played, we wrote stories and poetry and we fought.  I mean big time fighting.  But we used words instead of weapons.  And words can be very powerful weapons.  Words can hurt.  And I admit, I was guilty of using my word weapons there too.  And sometimes my word weapons hurt others.  And for that I am truly sorry.

Back in those days, logging in and reading posts was just about my whole life.  Yes, I worked and yes I had a family and yes I did other things.  But always, first thing in the morning, I'd log in, check email and check the forum I posted on.  In the evening, after work, shopping and chores, I'd log back in, check email and the posts and stay on until I could not keep my eyes open anymore.  I would even sneak on during the day from my job.  That's how much being a part of this subculture meant to me.

I have been out of all of that for quite some time now.  When I moved here to Florida, my whole life changed.  Now my life revolves around working many hours to keep a roof over our heads.  And that doesn't leave me much time to play online.  It was a painful separation at first, but as time went on, I realized how I really did not need this addictive internet existance.  And then I began to reflect upon on my past and my role there.  I saw that at the time I desparately needed to be recognized.  It was like I wanted to shout out to the world, "Hey, I'm here!  Look at me!"  And so I took on a few personnas to get the attention I needed.  But they really were not me.  They were the online me, but not the real me.  Yes, the real me is a strong and sometimes opinionated person who oversteps bounds in real life.  I cannot count how many times I've said things that I immediately regretted saying and wished I could take them back.  You know, open mouth, insert foot.  Sheesh!  But the truth is, I hate arguments.  So why did I engage in so many arguments online?  I guess it was just another way to get attention.

Now that I'm older...much older (lol), I know that for me, attention really isn't necessary.  All I want is to live comfortably.  I do like my job, even though it doesn't pay very much, and I do like living here.  I love my little family and our home and will do everything in my power to keep us together.  What I miss though, is being creative.  I haven't felt any kind of muse for years now.  Maybe that's because I really don't have the time to sit down and just write.

Well, maybe one day that will change and I can write that novel I've had kicking around in my head for years.  But for now, I'll just keep on keeping on and be glad that after so many years of living, I finally found out who I really am.

Peace out.

RedPrincess {{~_~}}, aka Who I Am

One And A Half Years Later...
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Reflections

Wow!  Hard to believe its been that long.  So much has happened during that time, yet so little has changed. 

 

I'm still here, still struggling, barely making ends meet.  I love my job...really!  But hate the stinky pay.  I've moved up a bit on the ladder, hoping to move up to LCC (management) one day soon.  I like being a supervisor, and I hope that I am a fair one.  I do try my best to handle all situations professionally.

On another random note, I don't tolerate the heat like I did when I first moved down here though.  Finally getting old I guess.

Don't write anymore.  No time.  And even if I did have the time, I have no muse.  Ahh well.  I guess I've entered a different phase of my life.  I remember when posting on message boards, writing poetry and living my life online was the most important thing to me.  No more.  I've moved on.  And looking back, I find it hard to believe that I spent so much of my life doing those things.  But, they were important at the time, so its all good.

Well, speaking of life, I've got to go to work now.  See?  No time!  Maybe one day I'll get my life back and can enjoy the simple pleasure of being myself again....

A December Time Of Year
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Florida Lifestyle
Have I ever mentioned how much I love Florida Decembers? Well, I do. This is the nicest time of year down here weatherwise. Not much rain, humidity is down, temps are cooler...its all good.

I love Decembers because I can finally be comfortable outdoors. Sometimes I can wear short sleeves and sometimes I need a light jacket, but no matter which, the cooler weather is most certainly that proverbial breath of fresh air! I love Decembers because I usually only have to mow my lawn once during the month. LOL! I love Decembers because everybody (including me) decorates their houses with wonderful Christmas lights and other lawn ornaments. I love Decembers because here in Florida, December is Fall, and the leaves on the trees are starting to turn into their firey Fall colors. I love Decembers because my grapefruits and oranges are finally ripe enough to pick and eat! LOL! But most of all I love Decembers because it means my little family and I have made it through another year, still alive, still healthy, still here. :)

Each new year down here brings new challenges and many changes. 2006 will certainly be a year of much adjustment for us. But more about that in another entry.

Next week I train on the the remaining attractions in Fantasyland. I'll be learning to run Peter Pan, Small World and the Carousel. And after I feel comfortable about running those rides, since I will then be fully trained on all the attractions in Fantasyland, I plan on talking to my managers about possibly becoming a trainer myself, or a training facilitator (one who takes new CM's around and gives them an overview tour of Fantasyland and what their role there is). If I am successful in obtaining that goal, it will mean a little more money. I will still have to work long hours in order to make enough for us to continue to live here, but at least there will be a bit more breathing room.

Anyway, I do love Decembers down here. And next up...the challenge of Christmas in Walt Disney World, where 50,000 to 60,000 guests per day will be visiting us during the Holiday season, all with their own particular ways of enjoying their vacations...and all who most probably will be giving us CM's a whole lot to talk about at the very least! LOL!

RAGE
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: Poetry/Prose
holding back because I have to
why?
because its beyond my control?
because if I don't I'll hurt someone I love?
or maybe
because nobody really cares
and why should they?
its not their problem

wanting to scream
wanting to pound my fists into the wall
wanting to jump in my car and drive
far, far away
maybe I'd come back
maybe not
but I can't

hating my helplessness
what do you do
when what's done is done
and cannot be undone?

you just accept the unacceptable
you try to pretend normalcy
even when everything is anything but
you take a deep breath
and rethink
and reroute
and reschedule

then, in the dark
in your own private space
you cry
because you know
nobody will hear you
no one must ever suspect
no one must ever know
that your strength is faltering

must maintain courage
for those who look to you for guidance
for those who depend on you
for those who need you
but who do you turn to
when you need?

that question goes unanswered
and always will
and so you hold your rage inside
battling to keep the volcano from exploding
while battling to hold it all together
for those you love
because you
are all they have
and they
are all you have

and so you hope
that somehow
it will turn out alright

why do we think if we're bad in life
we'll go to Hell
when Hell is right here and now?
there is no Hell to fear
we're damned to stay among the living
until we atone enough
to die and go to Heaven
maybe...

Why I Love Dumbo AKA DON'T CROSS THE YELLOW LINE!
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Mouse Tales
Wow! It certainly has been a long time since I wrote anything here!!! Well, lets see if I can play catch up really fast...

First of all, I did finally get a job. Now I too am a proud Disney Cast Member. The pay stinks. The work is not hard but physically draining. Its totally not worth it...BUT...it just happens to be the only gig in town. *shrug* Which leads me to the subject of my title today.

First of all, let me say that I work in Attractions. What that means is...I operate rides. I make Dumbo fly. I send you through Winnie The Pooh's storybook land. I send you into that dark place known as Snow White's Scary Adventures. I spin you in Alice's Teacups. And, I make you move all the way to the end of the row in Mickey's PhilHar Magic.

Actually, its a fun job. I get to interact with lots of people every day. The kids are great! The parents...well, MOST of them are great. Some of them...mostly men...are kind of grouchy. I have a theory about this. I think that Dads are not used to being around their kids all the time because most of them work during the day and only see their kids at night when they're pretty much wound down. They don't usually have to deal with the screaming, tantrums, spitting up, crying, demanding, etc, like Moms do (and yes, I do include the working Moms in this group as Moms are usually the primary care givers in the family unit, whether they are in the work force or not).

Anyway, back to grouchy Dads...here they are...workaholic men who finally manage to work in a two week or whatever vacation for themselves and family, and all of a sudden, they have to deal with all of the above PLUS endure our Godforsaken Florida heat and long lines at "the most magical place on earth". And its just too much for them. A lot of them are in management positions and are use to barking orders, so unfortunately, we Cast Members have to bear the brunt of their frustrations. Having to patiently deal with angry men getting in our faces over silly complaints, or adversity to Disney policies (i.e. parking strollers in specific areas, or having to finish their turkey legs before entering the theater, etc.) Let me tell you, I see a whole lot of men walking around the MK with that "I just wish this stupid vacation was over" look on their faces every day! LOL!

Now don't get me wrong here, I have also had to deal with my share of irritated Moms as well. Although usually those women convert their complaints into frantic pleas for rule bending. Let me give you an example of this. A few days ago I was in PhilHar Magic theater. Our policy is to make the audience move all the way across the row to the very end and then fill in every seat. There is good reason for this. If people stop in the middle, others will climb over them which is a safety hazard. Its also a pain in the ass for everybody who has to do it. Seating runs much smoother and faster if everybody just moves to their right. Since PhilHar Magic is a 3D movie on a super wide screen, you can enjoy it from literally EVERY seat in the house. But try to convince the audience of that while they are finding seats! Back to my story...as everybody is coming in, I spiel over the PA for them to move across and almost everybody is complying (a pleasant surprise I might add), everybody that is except for this one woman, who plops herself and her children smack in the middle of a row. I go over to her and ask her to get up and move down. Her response? "I have too many girls!!!!" I'm like..."huh?" So I asked her again to move down. Again she said, "No! I have too many girls!!!" Well I then realized she was trying to tell me it would be too much trouble to move all her kids down. So I said, "Ma'am, if you stay there, people will climb over your girls and they will be getting kicked and stepped on as people go by. Do you really want them to get hurt like that?" She said, "Then we'll just stand up!!! I'm not moving! I have too many girls!!!" And with that they all stood up and backed up as far as they could against their seats. I realized it was a losing battle and let it go. But what I wanted to say to her was..."How strange. You have too many girls to move to the end of the row, yet you had no problem getting them to the middle, huh?!?!" But, I couldn't. *sigh* Ahh well.

I've also had my share of heart attacks as well at Snow White's. I am amazed that some parents do not hold onto their kids while waiting for their mine car to reach the load area. I've had so many kids cross the yellow safety line and dart out towards moving cars, causing me to emergency stop the ride, so as to prevent injuries, that I just want to scream, "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU STUPID PEOPLE???? CAN'T YOU SEE THAT CAR IS MOVING??? HOLD ONTO YOUR KIDS FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!!!" But...I can't. *sigh* So I stand there with my hand over the E-stop and have little heart palpatations every time kids approach the load area.

But Dumbo...ahhh Dumbo, bless his little heart. Now THERE is a ride!!! Dumbo is just your average carnival ride, yet people with kids (and adults alone too) always want to ride him. They will stand in line for an hour, in the hot Florida sun, and never complain. And right before I begin my safety spiel (buckle seat belts, etc), I always say, "Good (morning, afternoon, evening) everyone and welcome to Dumbo! ARE YOU READY TO FLY???" And they always yell back "YEAH!!!!!" with so much enthusiasm that I just have to grin. :) I mean, how cool is that? Waiting all that time just to ride your average carnival ride and still so pumped that they almost fly to the Dumbo cars themselves! LOL! So yeah, I love Dumbo. Working Dumbo is hot because there is no shade, and you're constantly moving collecting tickets, etc. but I love him. Out of all the rides that I operate, he's my favorite.

I get to move about alot during the day as they rotate us through positions every hour or so. So, I'm not actually making the rides run all day. At least the day goes fast. And all this walking around really got me in shape! And even though it doesn't pay much, its cool to work in the Magic Kingdom and see just how they make the magic happen. ;) How *I* get to make the magic happen. ;)

One of these days I'll have to tell you about one of my other positions that I groan every time I get it. I like to call that assignment, ADVENTURES IN STROLLERLAND. But...that's a story for another day. :)

Adventures In Pressure Washing
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: Florida Lifestyle
I picked quizzical as my mood because they don't have an emoticon for tired . Wonder why?

Anyway...

Today was my third day of standing in the hot sun with a high pressure washer, trying to make my dirty black sidewalk and driveway white and gleaming again. Doing this job, doesn't give you a chance to do anything else at the same time. You can't look around, or you'll have high pressure water flipping all over the place. You can't talk to anybody, because the gas engine makes more noise then a lawn mower so you can't hear a thing anybody says to you, and you can't move around too much while you're washing or else you'll skip spots, so, you pretty much have a whole lot of time to think up weird stuff and stupid questions while you stand there pretty motionless sweeping the ground with lots and lots of water. But hey, look at the up-side! After you're done, you can go to your blog, and bore other people by writing about how boring pressure washing is! LOL!

Seriously though, I have to wonder how concrete can get so god-awful black in a state where the sun shines so much and so brightly. I mean, you would think that the sun would bleach out any stains and the driving rain would scrub away all the dirt so that concrete would always be blindingly bright! But no, that's not the way life is down here. I think I know why it happens though now that I've seen my CLEAN concrete. It's because its not really concrete. Its a mixture of concrete and pebbles, so there are many little crevices in the surface. And when it rains, the dirty run-off keeps getting trapped in those crevices, until viola! You've got a black sidewalk! So, in order to keep your sidewalks spotless and your driveways clean, one must either hire someone at great expense to pressure wash them, or do it yourself. And...well...times being as they are, I chose the latter. :)

There really isn't much to learn about pressure washing. Basically you just have to keep putting gas in the tiny gas tank, keep your eyes to the ground to make sure you're getting everything and move the pressure wand back and forth. Its kind of like sweeping with water. Now, I admit, that doing that for hours and hours can make you kind of antsy and maybe even a bit looney. And I also admit that I found myself using that water to write my name and other assorted expletives on the dirty concrete more than once! LOL! But now that I'm all done, looking at that pretty, clean concrete makes it all worthwhile. And wow did I get a tan! ROTFL! It also makes me half want to go into business hiring myself out to do this. I mean, it ain't THAT bad!!! Heck, I can make 200 bucks or more a house! But...nah...I'm getting too old for this sort of thing. *sigh* Besides, I am not at all finished playing with my new Florida toy...I still have to pressure wash the used-to-be-white vinyl fence that surrounds my property. I just hope that black snake I've seen hanging out back there doesn't decide it wants a cool shower...

Come on down!!!
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: The American Way
I wasn't sure if I wanted to put this post under "Livin' Large At Walmart" or "The American Way". Well you know how I went. ;)

Anyway, when I was a very little girl, there used to be a commercial on TV with this guy wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt and goofy fishing hat, telling everybody how wonderful Florida was. And, he always ended the commercial by saying, "Come on down!" I guess back in those days Florida was desparate for people. Not anymore.

Today I was in Walmart and as I mentioned in a previous post, ours is a Super Walmart, so you can get just about anything there from grass seed, to clothes to food. I noticed several different people with carts piled up with buckets, mops, cleaning supplies, bedding sheets, trash cans, tea kettles, well...you get the picture. These people are definintely not here for vacation. In fact, you can always tell when people first move here, because you always see them pushing carts filled with all sorts of basic household stuff around the Walmart. They wander around, in no particular pattern, mostly because they don't know the store layout, searching for whatever it is they need to set up their new home.

I know this because...a little over a year ago, I was one of them, pushing my cart around, selecting this and that, spending lots of money in order to make my new house "mine". Its different now. I don't have to buy a bunch of cleaning supplies, I only have to replace them when I run out. And I don't have to buy bedding sheets, unless I want new ones, and I have enough garden decorations, so I don't have to buy any of those unless something strikes my fancy. Nowadays, my cart mostly gets filled with pet supplies, people food, and the occasional article of clothing that we may need.

Gone is the excitement, gone is the newness, gone is the exhilleration of thinking that we live in Paradise. Because...I know better now. This isn't Paradise and the only excitement I've had is the constant worry about how to make ends meet. This place has become simply...where we live. A house, in a neighborhood, in a local municipality, just like thousands of others here in the U.S. Its just...home.

Once you live here, you forget about The Mouse, you don't even want to go near the touristy areas if you can help it, because there is simply too much of...TOO MUCH!!!! Eventually you get used to it all, because its part of life, but you never perceive this area as the rose colored vacation mecca that you once did...at least I don't, and others I know who have migrated down here echo my feelings.

As for those Walmart shoppers today...I can only hope that those people pushing those carts around, have had the sense to line up a job already, and aren't thinking that they'll just get one after they settle in. Because it just ain't gonna happen...at least, that's the way of it for a lot of us who move down here first and go job hunting later.

Well, I hate to end this post on a down note, so I will say this...my hope is not gone. I still hope that one day I won't have to do this, to scratch out an existence and live with constant worry and struggle through sleepless nights, only to wake up and stay exhausted all day from doing...nothing.

One day things are going to change. One day maybe I'll feel like Florida really is Paradise and who knows, then...maybe I'll even be telling all of you to...

Come on down! :)