Thursday, June 24, 1993

June 24, 1993 - Thursday - Health fair with Terri!

It's been over ten days since I've last written in my journal. I've been working a lot of hours at Busch. My social life seems to be going a little slow, although that's mainly due to the fact that Karim and I aren't joking around like I would like for us to be. That jackass from grounds, Jason, is still hanging around her a lot. I went to park the bumper cars Tuesday night with her only to look up and see him looking in watching us. As soon as I looked, he took off. I drove along with her until Dale Mabry on the way home. She drives really fast and I told her so yesterday. It's funny how it always turns out that the women I like speed like crazy. I must like fast women.

Terri showed back up the other day. Spending my spare time with her even when she was leaving really paid off. Now we're pretty good friends and talk all of the time. She's moved into an apartment here in Tampa but drives up to Jacksonville on the weekends to see her boyfriend. I was really surprised to see her standing at the height stick that day. She said that she wanted to secure a job before moving to Ft. Meyers for good.

We both were working on Kumba on Sunday. She was on the panel for a hell of a long time. Jimmy gave me a turn a little while later and gave me a pretty long shift. He's supposed to give everybody a chance each day, but oh well. When I was done, my hands were freezing and my butt and shoulders hurt from sitting down so long. I loved telling the others that I was up there that long. The best way to stay up there is to talk to the supervisor up there. If he likes you, he'll leave you alone. Jimmy and I were playing with the cameras, zooming in on some really cool shots of the coaster. Terri came running up and said that this black guy was yelling at her after she asked him to return to the entrance, for he had cut in line. Jimmy ended up backing down and letting the guy ride. He then told Terri that sometimes you just have to back down and let things slide, because it wasn't really hurting anybody. That hurt her and pissed me off! I was very careful for the next few minutes to make it appear to each that I was fully on their sides, like I always do.

Jimmy soon left, but Terri stayed in the booth with me. She wasn't emotionally ready to face the people again. This is when we had a very deep and building conversation. We both agreed at times like this, you just want to go home and start over new and fresh tomorrow with an entirely different group of people. I felt that way when that black women was yelling at me. that time, however, Ron was on MY side. I really think what Jimmy said was uncalled for. Once you tell somebody that he has to go through the line again, it should be so, no matter what!!! When a supervisor goes over your head in that situation, it makes you look bad and feel like shit, and it let's the guy know that he can get away with what he had done. She told me, referring to what the man was saying, that incidents like this is what can make a person prejudice. I agreed and was glad to hear her say so.

After all had calmed down, we continued to talk for quite a while. She was figuring out her paycheck for the week, and mine as well. I have way over fifty hours for last week. I was telling her how I figure out overtime and taxes for my checks. It was really funny because she has 39.75 for last week and I instantly gave her an amount. She laughed and then I told her that I had the exact same check last week. She had gone to Clearwater Beach on Saturday, and had been complaining all day about her sunburn. I went with the family on Saturday to Sand Key and was burned myself. There were actually waves and Cathy and I were playing close to shore where they were breaking. We were getting thrown all around and were having a blast. There was a gorgeous girl in a hot pink tiny bikini. She looked about seventeen. She went in and we flirted a lot. She was there with her mom and little sister as well. After a while they came up to the shore as well after seeing how much fun Cathy and I were having. I kept an eye on her as each wave would pull that tiny bikini almost off. I would have jumped at any opportunity to talk to her, but one never arose.

Anyway, Terri pulled her shirt way to the side and way low to show me her burn. She wore a tiny bikini and had to show me a lot of her chest before you could see any white. We were talking about her day at the beach for a few minutes when Stephen came in. He's always been really cool to me and we'll talk and joke all of the time. He soon left. She was telling me how she had used sunscreen, and just as I was getting ready to promote my Hawaiian Tropic, she told me that she then used some of it. We then were telling each other how much we love how it smells. It was really cool. We then compared tans. Our arms are about the same, but my legs are much darker than hers. She was concerned that her shoulders were going to peel. She wants this to be her base tan for the rest of the summer. I took a chance and told her that I sometimes will reapply some Hawaiian Tropic on the burned area two days later even if you aren't going into the sun. I kind of remember it working and it makes sense because it gives back essential oils that the sun dried out of your skin.

I worked on the Mamba on Tuesday with the new guy, Michael. He didn't feel `comfortable' controlling the ride this morning so I was at the controls all day long. No big deal because I love it there. three people got sick on the ride throughout the day. The first mainly got it all over himself, and Bob was there for the second. The third was at seven thirty and I closed the ride down. I was glad that I was working efficiently, because I noticed Ron Belson watching me off through the queue. Martin had dumped water on these two girls, my age, and they were complaining. I was very sympathetic and was talking to them quite a bit. One was a very hot blonde and Bob and I were very impressed. He was the relief person. We met these two girl's from Sea World. One was huge and very ugly. The other was a very cute girl in spandex. Her name is Carrie. They kept riding over and over again. They thought I lied to them when their gondola didn't spin, but I eventually convinced them that I didn't.

We eventually got on better and better terms. Carrie has hypoglycemia, the same thing Kimmeth has. Bob asked what it was and I explained it to him. Bob finally had to go up to Python. The big girl rode while Carrie stayed by the control panel with me. We talked a lot. I first told her about Kim having hypoglycemia and we talked about her incidents a little bit. I wanted her to see that I could easily be serious. We then were talking about her going to school. She is almost eighteen and was a junior last year in high school. She had moved down and could have graduated already but the requirements down here are different. I really enjoyed talking to her. We sweetly said goodbye and Carrie said that they'd be back but I think they stayed at Python when I shut down due to the sickness.

I was sitting in the breakroom with John and a couple of others when Terri came in. She looked at me and exclaimed that my idea worked! She then pulled her shirt down at the collar again and showed me and it had indeed turned to tan. I was really glad it worked and she seemed extremely impressed that it had. She then had to explain to everybody what she was talking about.

I went over to Bumper Cars with Karim that night. When we were finished, I asked Terri where she was going and she came and walked out with me. I tried to wait for Karim but she was taking too long and Terri told me to come on. I realized once we got to the parking lot, that Karim wasn't too far behind, by herself. Bob walked with us and we were all joking around. Terri was telling us that a guy with two kids was hitting on her at Kiddie Rides. She's had a couple of other incidents and was asking Bob and I if she looks better now, or what?!? I said yes, because last year she was as ugly as sin. It was really funny and then I apologized and assured her that I was kidding.

Yesterday I worked on the Kumba again. I volunteered to park patrol and Ryan let me. I came back with two dollars and a huge bag of trash. I saw Terri and Michael going to wipe down the coaster so I called out to her. We said hello and talked for a second from across half of Kumba. She and I found out at break that there was a health fair during the day in the training rooms. We decided to go together when we got off work at two. We also asked Ryan if we could just have a break instead of lunch, and get paid an extra half hour. Ryan gave us our choice of positions and I quickly acquired the control panel. Before doing so, Ryan and the mechanics let us all ride in the front seat once. It seemed so much faster in the morning, when things are still moving slow. It was awesome! I then drove for an hour. Alan had fucked up the schedule, leaving Ryan with too few people. Ron was up there then. We were looking at this gorgeous girl in line in a navy and white striped tank top that had the most perfect breasts and no bra. She couldn't have because so much of her tits were hanging out. She was almost too good looking. Sensuous too!!! And she did see us looking at her!

Terri and I talked while we worked the front of the Kumba. Karim came in at eleven but we didn't really say anything. She asked me to stay for her when I left, and so did Ron Jones, but I was leaving with Terri. There is a short haired girl on the train who I have admired a little and have said hi to before. Her name is Jennifer and she came to work for us. Terri trained her for front unloader, we had already said hello, but she introduced us. We laughed and I told her that it was nice to meet her. We talked a little. I think Terri and I were the only two she talked to all day. She told me that MichŠle is on a month long tour of Germany, again, and that she's going to school in Gainesville in the fall. Yes!!! That's great news! I talked to Jennifer some more later on while she was boardwalk and I was at height stick. She's been working there since February. It's cool because now I'll be able to talk to her if I see her in the park.

Terri and I went to the health fair at two. We took the breathing test and I asked Terri how good she is at blowing. I only got 80% but she had 91%. 70% and above is normal. We then took a blood pressure test. I had just run up stairs at Kumba and was a little nervous and got a pretty high reading. He took it again on the other arm and my diastolic, the important one, had dropped by ten. I told Terri that she excited me too much. The guy asked me to come back when I had finished the other tests. My blood sugar level was 86 with 70 to 140 being normal. Terri's cholesterol was 156, which is very good. There was this older woman whose was 210 and was disappointed. Her friend was surprised because she always eats health food. She exclaimed that Terri must never eat French fries when she saw her reading. A black girl in front of me got 155, and then I waited for mine. I'm glad that woman didn't see my reading of 133!!! My diastolic dropped another ten points, and the guy told me that my blood sugar and cholesterol levels are extremely good. I was glad I went. Terri and I then walked out to our cars and said our goodbyes.

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