Good News Is On The Way

It's 03:00. I have a slight feeling that a certain Marine is going to verbally jump down my throat in the..oh, it's already morning. Later on today, then. Currently, I am sitting waiting for my four individual banana cakes to bake. One for each room mate; including the new room mate scheduled to arrive in six or so hours.

This post is brought to you by anxiety. Anxiety, meet insomnia. I have a feeling you'll get along swell. Though, in all honesty, the anxiety is quite mild. Most of it has been baked out, if not drowned by drowsiness and herbal tea.

The last few days have been a proper mess. For two nights on, the Magic Kingdom has been host to a Christian festival called the Night of Joy. I would say more on it, except I don't really know too much about it. What it meant for those of us at the prison; is that we closed early. As in 16:30 (4pm) as opposed to 22:00. This should have meant that everyone involved, morning and late shift, would get shorter shifts that day. Simple, easy day, right? Except, as per usual, the kitchen was chaos. No one actually told the night shift (including myself) that we were coming in early, or even that we were closing as early as we did. What this led to, was everyone showing up at once, late, and having to figure out what we were supposed to do. The next day should have been sorted. Except, not. We still ended up with too many people in an already crowded kitchen, and schedules being messed, and what have you. /sigh
Though, it did make for a rather hilarious, screw it all mentality. Oh, we don't have any prep? No dinner, just lunch? No break? No one has a clue? Screw it. C'est la vie. So was the experience of the Night of Joy.

In other, better news, the school non-sense has been tackled! Persistence is key. Really. I think they were simply worn down by my constant correspondence. So, I can now complete my degree at my leisure through online courses.

What this really means, though,  is that I am now less than two weeks from working at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival! If it doesn't sound exciting enough on it's own, here's some more info about it. In 2008, they hosted the USA Bocuse d'or. Which is about as prestigious as you can get as far as culinary competitions go. This is what I came here for. I'm counting down the days.

Of course, I'll probably be even more of a slave. But oh, what a willing slave I'll be.

Things I have discovered about myself during my time in Florida:

-I love loud thunder
-I want to test my emergency readiness..though I have a feeling I would flail and fail miserably
-I love British music, and British slang. In fact, living in the UK for a time seems like a grand idea.
-I'm a simple creature. I'm also quite romantic. (If only in my head)
-I want to make the world a better place, even if it's only by putting a smile on someone's face as they enjoy a good bite of food.
-My new favorite word is spectacular

Enough time killing. Ding, cake is done. Success!

Sleeping would be productive. Should not greet new room mate as a zombie, me thinks.

~Cheers

Listening to: Float On by: Modest Mouse

..huh, the time's all wrong..

So Glad to Meet You

The thunderstorm early this morning sounded like a coffee pot brewing. I think thunderstorms have become my favorite thing about Orlando. During the summer, there's a storm nearly every afternoon. Sometimes they come on unexpectedly, clouds forming before you even realize it. The lightening is beautiful. On occasion you'll get a lightening storm, one where the lightening is concentrated in just a few clouds, but there's no thunder or rain. After it rains here, there's a brief moment where everything is cool and the humidity dissipates. Of course, after that brief moment the humidity comes back with a vengeance, since everything is so moist. Still, I much prefer the rainy days to the sweltering Florida sun. I honestly don't know why they call this the 'Sunshine State', it's overcast so often. The oranges are a lie, too. Florida oranges are really only good for juice, and only when they're in season. Everywhere you go to buy oranges they're always California grown.

There are times I feel like an implant that's been rejected, a seed that can't flourish in this environment. I wasn't meant to live in Florida, I don't think. Most things seem like a weak comparison to their California counterparts. There are definitely things I have come to enjoy here, though.

Downtown, there are quite a few lakes. I think my favorite is Lake Eola. Every Sunday there's a market, and it actually feel like the city is alive with something other than cheesy tourism. There are black swans on the lake, art sculptures and museums and shops surrounding it. The library is down the street. It's four floors, and has the biggest cd section I've ever seen in a library.

On Wednesday's there are food truck pods. Goat tacos, be still my ..growling stomach? There's a bazaar on some Sundays, but I never have the time off to go check it out.

What I enjoy doing most is baking at my apartment, and thinking about how, when I get back, I'll bake for everyone else too. Looking forward to coming home, and creating new things.

Sorry this wasn't really about Disney, but oh well. I'm off-stage, I don't feel like being a cast-member right now. ; )

~Cheers

Listening to: Angeles by: Elliott Smith

Set Sail From Sense

Well, it's been a while. Really though, y'all expected this from me right? I'm magic, I can pixie dust right through August and you'll never know.
That's a lie. It's 1 a.m and I'm delirious. A lot has happened this month, and the previous month, actually. It has been quite a while.
I've been taken to task on my lack of updates, so perhaps you'll see an improvement. Then again, perhaps not.
Let's just start with today, with a random gripe about people in general. It started out earlier as a rant about gym posturing. You see, normal people go to the gym to work out. Disney people go to the gym to pick up other attractive Disney people, whilst filling up the gym and generally not working out at all. This irritates me. This irritation was further fueled by our "guests". I think courtesy and sense have left our society, really. Just stocking the salad bar I felt like I was playing a game whose rules I was not informed of. The goal of this game seemed to be to hide as many things in the salad bar as humanly possible. Whole apples in the macaroni? Sure. Bread in the salad? Why not. Dirty plates? Sure thing! You know a cast member will take care of it, and smile all the way. Best believe that we are all secretly cursing you backstage though.
I digress.
The majority of the time, things are uneventful. By that, I mean that it's the same level of grunt work in a dramatic kitchen full of Haitians and Puerto Ricans and yes I am still Bipolar. So, always a fun time.
Every so often, though, there's been an occasion where the girlfriend has pneumonia, or passes out, or my school withdraws me, or nasty rumors begin, or I get into Food and Wine, and then I don't. It's a lot, actually.
But, really, August was a blast. Seeing the girlfriend graduate, going to the beach and Harry Potter (fuck yeah!!) with family, and going HOME, was amazing. Having my dad here and seeing a friend graduate made my birthday special. (even if work did BLOW that night) Did I mention there was a lot of good beer this month?
Now we're on to September. I missed a lot, and now I might be coming home sooner than I thought. Even though it's been a little like my personal hell, I don't regret it.(even if I gained ten pounds) I had a lot of fun memories, and maybe I'll get to do what I came here to do after all. (free park admission really doesn't suck, either)  I guess I'll have to keep this updated until then, at least. Who knows, maybe someone's still reading.
Oh, and yeah, made peanut butter chocolate banana bars today. Got to believe I am a fatty that is dragging my butt to the gym in the morning, even though I had closing shift tonight. Woo, two days off again!

~Cheers

The new profile picture is the one and only Crystal Prison in Tragic Kingdom ; ) 

Listening to: Golden Skans by:  Klaxons

When I wake up..

Ask and you shall receive, folks! Today's creation was upside down sticky peach pound cake. Mouthful that that is, it's delicious. : )

( pictures taken on my shiny new web-cam! )

Things around the Crystal Palace have been looking up, but the chaos is far from over. Fourth of July was not as crazy as I thought it would be, but tell that to my right hand and it would slap you. It's still recovering from carving meat on a night that people generally consume a boatload of meat. More responsibility has been coming my way, and I might make my way into the Food and Wine Festival! That is, if things go as they have been going. However letting things play out may change that a bit. At this point I had pretty much settled on staying, and was happy with the progression. Until today. Today I got a message that my request to transfer locations had finally been sent. So, limbo again. Such is life. I just have to hope and pray everything goes the right way.

Speaking of things going the right way, I should be seeing a certain Marine in a few weeks! The celebration will be merry and indulgent, and rightly so. It's all very exciting. If nothing else, I would walk 500 miles just for that. ; )

~Cheers

Oh, and again, happy belated 4th, all.

Biscuit Crumbs

My sentence at the Crystal Prison has been progressing far better as of late. Of course, being interned (ha, pun) isn't a blast, but it has been getting better. The guards, and my fellow inmates, are softening up..

Ok, enough melodrama. It is, after all, my day off. Still, it's too much fun to put a spin on it like that. Want to know the best perks of working for Disney, in my opinion? Ghirardelli discounts. Guess what I'm doing today? I've been told you crave terrible things as a result of stress. So, there's an excuse! Things have been getting better, though. I got a favorable evaluation, and it seems as though I'm well liked, though everyone thinks I'm far too quiet for my own good. The sous chef has agreed to let me come in early and get paid to make whatever I want. Which, I suppose I could do at home, except I don't have to pay for ingredients, and I'm getting paid myself in the process. Still, it's an improvement. If not, hopefully this evaluation will work in my favor.

On the home front, midnight snacking has never been more indulgent. I should have considered devoting a blog to things I make at 2 am. Many baked goods. Lots of beer involved. (In the baking, of course) I spent a week making chocolate covered frozen bananas. Yesterday there was caramel peanut covered apples. Currently in my oven, is banana beer bread. And the beer cookies from last week. Ooh the cookies. Thank goodness I have people to throw this stuff at. (Though, to be honest, I end up consuming at least half of everything) There will be pictures of this stuff, soon. Pictures of the parks too, I guess. I'm sure people would rather see pictures of a castle than pictures of bread. Oh well, that's what happens when a blog is written by a culinary student.

To all you people on the West Coast: I miss you terribly. Also, I am envious. Envious of your places to go, things to do, food to eat, weather, freeways. FREEWAYS. Not the ridiculous highways/tollways they have here. The highways that all have two names, that interchange at random. I never thought I would miss the 5. That's all for now. Sorry for the inconsistent updates. There will be more. There will be pictures. I just have to leave my computer to accomplish this.

~Cheers

Not all stuffed with fluff

The lack of updates has been due to the fact that I have had one day off in the three weeks I have worked at Disney. Luckily, it's been seven days, so I'm due for another one. Work has slowly been getting more tolerable, though the tedium is still there. If I don't think of it as an internship for my culinary degree, and instead like a summer job, it's a bit better. Though I'm technically a glorified runner for a buffet. My training was due to end in week one, and I have yet to be assessed. Still hoping, though. Today was an interesting bit. There was literally a fist fight in our dining room. Over, of all things, Winnie the Pooh. I do not jest. It was surreal, being that you're in the 'happiest place in the world', surrounded by children, and having something like that happen. It seemed in slow motion. Now I re-enter the real world, with a new appreciation for just how fragile the image is. In an attempt to lighten the tone, here's what is on the plate for the week. Going to the 50's prime time cafe, seeing Animal Kingdom, exploring Little Saigon (and finding some Vietnamese food, there has to be some here), and culminating in Rocky Horror roller derby on Saturday. Oh yes, it will be glorious. It's surprising what I miss from California. We really are fortunate to have a cornucopia of different cultures all in one area, and the dry heat really is different. I miss the Asian food (any kind), the In N Out, Little everything(Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Little Saigon, Olvera st.), the Coffee Bean(which I didn't know was a Cali thing), outdoor malls, L.A, our beaches. Time to go on an adventure to see if Orlando has any potential that  West Coast girl can enjoy. Miss you guys.

~Cheers

It's not a party

Well, well, it's already June. Today is the start of hurricane season, y'all! Also, guess who is working on her day off? That's right. So, I'm trying to get a transfer, and I'll keep trying until they shut me down. At the very least every day I seem to get a little bit better at dealing with bureaucracy. Or so I think. Hm, I suppose there really isn't much to update. Hopefully that changes soon.

~Cheers