Things Have Changed

Once again it's been a crazy long time since I last updated this blog. I just never seem to find the time to update it. Don't get me wrong, I've had the time to do it, but there always seems to be something else to do. Sleep and relaxing from the stress of work are definitely on the top of that list, but I digress.

Let me get back to life as I now know it. There have been a few changes since my last update so let's catch up, shall we. When last I wrote I had been reinstated as a trainer at Mummy. Well, I have now been "upgraded" to a Team Lead at the E.T. Adventure. Yup, you read correctly. I went back into the lead pool at the end of July. I had a great interview and the supervisors saw that I had used their feedback/critiques and had worked hard on my "career" development. In the end, it was a cat fight between my mummy supervisor, Mike and my E.T. supervisor, Eric, as to which venue I would be a lead at. I'm not going to lie, I was hoping to be a lead at Mummy. I know that team, the building, and how it runs like the back of my hand. Looking back though, I think a good chunk of the team would've had issues with me being their lead. Don't get me wrong, we get along as co-workers very well. It's just the fact that I would be in charge that would probably cause problems.

So I was shipped off to the Green Planet and am now homed at the E.T. Adventure as one of their relief (part-time) leads. Basically I have 2-3 lead shifts a week and the rest of the time I'm a lowly peon. It took me a while to get used to the slower pace and the downgrade in technology. The biggest challenge I face is the team members, not the ride itself. It's a mixed bunch of people and there are those that have been there forever and are highly resistant to ANY kind of change. I've found that I just need to flex my political muscle (and sometimes my authoritative muscle) a little more. There have been days when I just want to tell them, "Quite your b@^$#ing! You have it easy compared to other attractions, so shut up and do your job!" Of course I don't actually say that, but I'm screaming it in my head. It just gets pretty frustrating and stressful sometimes, but I really do like being a lead and even though I'm a new lead I think I'm doing a pretty go job.

Anyhoo, I must be showing potential because I was chosen as a house lead for Halloween Horror Nights (from here on referred to as HHN). Let me first explain HHN and than I'll get into how I became a lead for it. HHN is a 5-6 week event that Universal has ever year to celebrate Halloween and make a little extra money. It usually takes place the last weekend in September, every weekend in October and the first weekend in November. People pay a butt load of money to come to the park and get scared s%#@less. There are haunted houses, scare zones out in the streets, special shows and a limited number of attractions open for the guests. Oh and did I mean, alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol. That's probably the biggest money maker and cause of most problems at the event.

Now that everyone is up to speed on what HHN is, I'll explain how I came to be a house lead and all the interesting things that have happened so far. This year the supervisors decided to have a lead draft for HHN. Any lead interested in working HHN as a lead had to fill out a "profile" that was than reviewed by all the HHN supervisors. I honestly didn't think I'd get chosen as a HHN lead. I was on the fence about even turning in my profile. I mean I waited until the last hour of the deadline day before I turned it in. And to top it off 4 of the 5 E.T. leads (myself included) turned in profiles for HHN. Out of the 4 of us, I was definitely the underdog with only a month of being a lead under my belt. Somehow, don't ask me how, I was "drafted" to be a house lead at The Spawning.

Being a HHN lead has been a great learning experience thus far. I've learned a lot about being a lead. It's kind of like a year's worth of lead experience crammed into 5-6 weekends. Our first weekend was by far the toughest for me. Night 1: I code 5 (aka threw up) because I wasn't hydrating properly and I ended up getting 5 lovely blisters on my feet. Night 2: I slipped and fell down a few stairs and threw out my shoulder when I tried to catch myself which put me out of commission for about 2 hours and I could barely walk from the blisters on my feet. Luckily I had 3 days off to recover before going back. I start weekend 4 tomorrow and I think I've finally found my rhythm. I know what needs to be done, when it needs to be done and how long it should take. My team members also know what I expect of them and what the consequences are when they don't follow through. I had to do my first needs improvement observation on a team member last week and since than it's been a complete 180. I really didn't like doing it, but unfortunately it comes with the territory. A lot of the team members working my house are from E.T. so I think there was this misconception that they could get away with certain things because I was their lead. I think, for the most part, I've made it very clear that their are 3 leads for this house who all deserve respect and have certain expectations for the way it's run.

Throughout the past 2 1/2 months I've been a lead, I really think I have grown as a person, a team member and a leader. I've pushed myself more than I have in a long time and it feels good to be challenged again. I have had my share of missteps, but that's all part of learning and I try very hard not to make those same mistakes twice. All-in-all it's been a very positive learning experience thus far.

In the midst of all this becoming a lead and working HHN, my lease for the old apartment ended and my roommate and I had to apartment hunt and move. We lucked out in finding our current apartment a few miles from the old place so it made moving a little easier. We had to downgrade to a 2/2 which upped our monthly cost, but in the end it's totally worth it. We're on the ground floor (yay), it's a gated community (w/o the idiot guards) and there's valet trash (which we pay for but is totally worth the extra $15/mo). The best part is that it's on the other side of the overpass from the Prime Outlets (bonus). J/K, but no seriously I got my black HHN sneakers from the Nike outlet for $30 instead of the original $79 (score). I really do like The Place. That's the name of our new complex. It's really close to work and Sonic (my new fave fast food place because it's open @ 3:30am when I'm coming home from work).

Other than my vacation I'm taking after HHN is over, I've pretty much caught up with everything since my last blog update. Other updates of family and friends include:
*My best friend, Amelia, had her first child, Olivia. I'm once again a proud Aunty.
*I've got Swine Flu infested family out west. They are being medicated and are on the way to recovery.
*Mom is spending 2 months out in Utah with the grand kids. Yes, I'm jealous. I have the time, but not the money for a flight out there.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to include this time around. I need to find my camera so I can start documenting life again. Oh I almost forgot, I changed my number to a 407 area code so I'm officially an Orlando/Orange County resident. It's been 3 years so far and it's probably going to be a while longer before I do another really big move (aka- different city/state). Like I said before, I'm comfortable here and I'm just not ready to leave it behind.

As always, I hope everything is well with all of you wherever you are and don't forget to stay in touch. I'd love to hear what's going on with everyone.

~mari~