I've been having a pretty good time lately working over at Busch Gardens. I had asked Kim if she wanted to go back over to Adventure Island for a little while on Friday morning but she didn't call. We just finished watching the Dream Team's Olympic debut against Angola. They look like they're having an awesome time and ended up smashing them by 68 points! I think the score was 116 to 48! That's ridiculous but really fun to watch. Everybody else went shopping this morning and since I didn't work I thought about going to the beach. It was already pretty late so I decided to pretend that I was already in college and cook me a nice big lunch. I sort of modeled it after the International House of Pancakes. I had a plate full of grits smothered in melted cheese and sprinkled with cubes of cheddar. I also made a big fried egg sandwich, and a plateful of French toast covered with butter. I topped it off with a glassful each of milk and orange juice. It filled me up and was really good.
On Friday and Saturday I was scheduled to work Congo pool which consists of the Python, Mamba, bumper cars, and kiddie rides. If they can't find you a job, then they'll just send you home with two hours' pay. I was scheduled from 4:15 to 8:15. I stopped by Albertsons on the way over and picked up the pictures that I had developed. The first one was of Cathleen way back at Christmas, and the last was at Brooker Creek Park last Sunday. I like spreading out a roll of film like that because it makes the memories of seeing those events from way back more fun. There were a bunch from Senior Field Day at Leto. I hadn't realized that my hair was that long and still wonder how I went at Busch Gardens for so long without them telling me to cut it. There is one of Jana and I standing together with Nicole waving in the background. I hadn't remembered, but Jana actually had her hand around my side. There was also a good one of Nicole and I after we had soaked each other. I was actually smiling really big.
Anyway, the guy on the tram was telling me jokes (that tourists have told him) all the way over to the Flume. I went into our lounge and talked to Mark for a little bit and then to Paul and Alan for a few minutes. He was talking about his baby and said how I should really go into medicine especially with children, because they make lots of money. He referred to one doctor who was in his wife's room for two minutes and charged $150 for it. We were talking about programs that would let you work your way through graduate school and stuff. I then went over to the Vivi lounge in Congo. I had never been there before so I asked this girl who I knew from Leto where it was. When I walked in, Carisma was just getting off and goes, 'Hi, Dan!' and gives me a high five. She was with three other really cute almost-college girls and they were all hyper about going out that night. One was on the phone and when she sees me she goes, 'You have really bad hair!' I had my forelock down over the side of my face and it looked good. As I was talking to all of the girls I hadn't noticed that a couple of the guys from grounds over by the Flume were there. I was with the girls and they weren't, ha ha.
Steve, the Congo supervisor that used to work at the Flume came in and says, 'Hey Daniel!' and then tried to call around to find me a job. He then took off up to Python and he told me to wait there. At five a couple other supervisors from different areas tried to find me a job but couldn't so they told me I could go home. They had even tried calling Flume. Meanwhile it had started pouring and I didn't have my raincoat. I walked over to the Flume and got completely soaked. MichŠle and Rebecca were out front so I went and talked to them for a while. Rebecca was feeling sick. I told her that I would stay for her but we both didn't think that Alan would let me since I wasn't on Flume payroll for the day. I went around to the front and talked with Sharlene and the others. We fooled around, as usual, and then Alan asked me if I would stay for Rebecca and I said yes. I got to tell her and she was very happy when she found out that she got to leave. Alan sent Sharlene out front so I told him that I would go pan and broom the quehouse (to talk to Sharlene), but he said that somebody already had. I told him fine, that I would go out front to talk to Sharlene. MichŠle had come back and he told me to talk to her since she looked lonely. So I did. The three of us talked until we went back up from the rain. Saturday was her last day working and I didn't think that I would have a chance to talk to or even see her again after we talked Thursday night, so I'm glad that Alan suggested it. He also called me their little water rat when he sent me to work because I'm always the one to end up soaking wet.
Yesterday morning, Amanda and I were both scheduled for pool at 9:45 in the morning. I parked the little lot across 30th Street since we little people aren't allowed to park in the Center any more as of last Wednesday. Amanda pulls up at about the same time and tells me that I have to walk with her over to the Vivi lounge. We stopped to go to the bathroom at our lounge by the Flume to fix our hair and then went over. We were the only two people in there at the time. I helped her find an empty locker to put her stuff in and went into the bathroom to pee and then she calls me. I go back out and she can't get the locker door open because the handle was broken off. I used my keychain to pop it open and saved the day. Ha ha. We found another and I asked her to put my raincoat in with her stuff. The phone rang so I answered it like I heard someone else answer it yesterday. It was Steve and he wanted the two of us to come over to Python. I really dreaded working on the Python because I would be bending over checking seat harnesses all day which would suck. He sent Amanda over to train on the swinging vines and told her that she would be there all day until about seven.
The Python was shut down because two sensors were not aligned so I got to sit at the control panel and hold in a discrepancy button for a while. It was to keep the coaster from rolling into the quehouse and running over the mechanics. I talked to Steve about the new roller coaster. It's supposed to be over across from the Congo Train Station and will be seven feet shorter than the water tower at the brewery. That tower seems to dwarf Lift 2 on the Flume because it is so tall. The ride will last about eight minutes compared to the Python's two, and will be ready by February. It's supposed to be one of the largest in the Southeast and will be truly awesome.
When Steve found out that it would still be a while before the Python opened, he decided to send me over to Timbuktu. He told me to go over to the office just inside the Festhaus. I slowly meandered my way over making a stop at the Flume. I talked to Alan for a few minutes and he said that I would probably be working the Desert Runner kid ride or checking belts on the Scorpion. I saw that Kim was out on the loading brakes so I opened the curtain, and not smiling, waved to Kim. She waved back and I left. This blonde, Terry, who I had seen around and said hi to before was supervising Timbuktu. She was being really nice and asked me if I'd rather work the kiddie rides or the merry-go-round. I opted for the kiddie rides figuring that the kids wouldn't be bad for just three hours. She only needed me until two and told me I'd probably get to go home afterwards. A girl who pooled on the Flume once, that I worked with, walked me over. I trained on the motorcycles, and a girl named Holly ran the Desert Runners. It wasn't that bad, I had a cooler right behind my seat and a big fan to keep cool with. I kept making cute remarks to Holly. It was OK working with the kids, I liked helping the little cute ones on and off, especially if they had cute mothers. Later on, Holly made me trade and work on the boats until two. Terry called and told me that Steve needed me back at Congo when I was done.
Since I hadn't had a break in over four hours, she gave me a lunch and a break together, and old me to be at the bumper cars at three and have them page Steve when I got there. I went and bought a ham sandwich and Sprite and went over to the back of the Flume. Alan was there and he was just sending Kim on brake so I went over with her to the lounge. I tickled her on the sides as we were going. For some reason I left my food on the counter at Flume. Agnes came in at the same time and sat at a different table. She hadn't seen us so I told her that she was allowed to come sit with us. She sarcastically said that she was here first and if we didn't want to sit with her that was just fine. We didn't move though. I chatted with Kim for a few minutes and told her about all of the fun places that I had worked the last two days. She had seen some guy she knew in high school and she felt like kicking him in the face. She called him a schmuck of all things. How awful! Ha ha. She was talking about how all of her friends in high school had scorned her for being engaged before she graduated, and they all got married soon after. Now she's one of the only ones who is still not settled down. I just nodded and then laughed at her for still living at home with mommy.
When she was ready to go back I noticed that Agnes had gone to Vivi's for food and had a big plate of French fries. I walked up behind her, put my hands on her shoulders, and asked really nicely if I could have a fry. She said sure and I teased Kim that I had one. She then asks for one. I leaned up against her and kept blocking her hands and told her that she wasn't allowed to have any. We were both laughing our asses off up and I was having fun wrestling with her. There were also a couple of people in the lounge that I was glad to have see us doing that for image's sake. I enjoyed myself. We then walked over and realized my mistake of leaving my food and Alan together, but it was still all there. I went back over to eat with Agnes. She was about ready to go back and told me I could have the rest of her fries. She even ended up being late because she wanted to talk to me. She asked me if I was madly on love with Kim. I asked her why, if she could tell. She said it was from the way I looked at her, the way I talk to her, the way I act around her, the way I talk about her, and the way I acted when she left with Mark the other day when I was jealous and kept saying, 'Shit. Shit. Shit. I wish that I could have taken her home...' She then teased me saying that she was going to go tell her. I told her that I wouldn't have minded being in love with Kim. As we were walking back I made the joke that I'm only seventeen, and fell in lust with every girl I talk to, and we laughed.
I really like talking to Agnes. It seems that my closest friends are always girls that are deeply committed to other guys. My two are Agnes, who is married and over five months pregnant, and the other is Jana, who has been going out with Joe forever. One of the reasons that Agnes and I get along so well is that she is only nineteen. I also have complimented her on being so lucky to find true love at such an early age.
Anyway, I headed over towards the bumper cars and stopped to talk to Amanda for about ten minutes. I helped her load kids for a few minutes while we talked. I asked her to just leave my raincoat over at the Flume if she left before I did. I then went to the bumper cars, and Steve sent over this guy, Ron, to train me. My job was to check all of the harnesses, help the loader with the guests, and stop the ride if something fell or someone was in a dangerous situation. This girl, Debbie, that I saw in Vivis yesterday was working the control panel. It ended up that I would walk over and talk with her after every ride cycle. It was fun for one day but my legs and shoes got grease all over them. Damn it! When I went on brake at about five I just went over to talk with Amanda. I also was looking down her shirt. Sorry, can't help it. When I went back, this girl, Sharon, who I had seen this morning at Python took Debbie's place. I talked to her too, but she wasn't as talkative as Debbie. I kept trying to flirt with her while the ride was going.
Later on it started thundering really bad. I asked her if the bumper cars ever shut down. I already knew the answer. No matter how bad the storm, the bumper cars and Questor are almost always open. That's why I sort of regretted getting them in the afternoon when it always rains. Two minutes after I asked, she gets a phone call to shut down. I was estatic and though it was cool how good luck follows me everywhere. First on the Python I didn't have to work, and now the bumper cars shut down for the first time in a long time. She was almost shocked because she had hardly ever seen them shut down before. I was happy. We then were talking with about three younger kids and I kept making witty remarks that made her laugh, and she even repeated a couple to some more people because she liked them so much. I was glad to make her smile that much. One of the kids asked what would happen if lightning hit the ceiling, where all the power screen is. I said something like, 'Well there would be lots of smoke!' I then got to learn how to push the cars backwards. I had always seen the employees do that before and wanted to learn. I like knowing how to operate different rides, it gives you a more global feeling.
They let me off at 6:30 so I ran over to the swinging vines but Amanda had just left fifteen minutes earlier. That means my raincoat was gone. By the time I got to Vivis I was already soaked. I just opened the door and looked in. This black gut that I had worked with on the Flume once goes, 'Hi, Dan!' really loud. I said hi and he asked me what I was doing. I said that I was looking for someone and this cute white girl that was sitting with him goes, 'They're not here.' I smiled and told her, 'I can see that.' and then I walked back over to the Flume. Marcella was out front and I waved and said hi. She did the same. I went into the back and Frank and Agnes were there, and Sharlene, her baby, Marissa, and her roommate. They laughed at me because Amanda had just come with my raincoat. I said hi to Sharlene and she had her little girl say hi to me. Agnes was getting ready to leave so I walked out with her. I let her use my raincoat to cover her book that she was reading since I was already wet. She had parked on the access road despite the new ban and asked me if I wanted a ride over to my car. I told her that I didn't want to get her seat wet but she said that she had towels because she left her windows open yesterday and got her seats and dashboard all wet. She drove me right up to the door of my car and I thanked her a lot as we said our byes.
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