My World and Welcome to it, but please don't touch anything!

Well, I guess I should spend a little more time talking about me and my world instead of the past and 'He who shall not be named'. After all, this is a MouseWorld isn't it? And I should be speaking about my adventures in the land of the Mouse.

Here it is, the tail end of April and most of our Spring Break Guests are winging their way back home (not soon enough as far as a lot of us are concerned!). Now don't get me wrong, I love what I do and look forward to getting onstage everyday. When asked what I do for a living I always say that I am a Professional Mouseketeer, with a license to carry Pixie Dust . . . And I'm not afraid to use it.
I guess what I do falls into the category of 'Practical Magic'. Myself and thousands of Cast Members just like me work onstage and off stage to create *Magical Memories* and 'moments that will last a lifetime' for every one of our Guests that cross through the turnstiles everyday. That being said, we do encounter many Guests on a daily basis that make that a little harder than it has to be. As a rule, I've learned that while Guests scurry about with last minute packing, the two things they always seem to leave behind is their common sense and courtesy. I think they're sitting right there on the top of the bureau, along with the pocket lint and that fuzzy lifesaver they found in the pocket of their old blue jeans.
Almost every Cast member has stories of being accosted by Guests asking "What time is the 4 o'clock Parade?" Or, "Where is Cinderella's Castle?" And my personal favorite, "Where are the shuttles to California Adventure?" Those aren't so bad, and it's kind of fun to educate the Guests with a smile and a touch of Pixie Dust. However, there are the 'Guestzillas' that are demanding compensation at the top of their lungs because they had a 75min wait for 'Space Mountain'. During Spring Break. On a Saturday. DUH! I'm sorry, but if you've planned your family vacation for one of the busiest periods of the year, along with 100's of thousands of other people, don't you think that you're going to be inconvenienced at some point? And screaming at a Cast Member, that more than likely makes less money that someone working at Starbucks or In-and-Out Burger, is really not going to accomplish anything more than increasing your already dangerously high blood pressure?
Take a chill pill people and realize that every Huey, Dewey, and Louie with 10,000 miles had the same idea. Make the best of it. Buy the multi-day tickets and don't try to do it all in 1 day, you can't. There is no freakin' way you can. Get over it. Take a break during the day and go back to the hotel and use the pool, spread out your 'must-sees' over several days. See the shows, act like a kid and get your picture taken with 'Winnie the Pooh', buy your golden mouse ears. Remember this is a vacation and not the 'bataan death march', remember you traveled with family and/or friends. They're not really enjoying your vitriol and spinning head (... Well, maybe just a little), and it will be a much nicer homeward bound trip if you've kept your sanity during your visit. Just remember one thing, they may be the captive audience to your drama, but they're going to let everyone back home know exactly how you chewed out the poor kid at 'Indiana Jones Adventure'.

My part of this 'Magical Memory Machine' is relatively sane. I'm spared the 'in-your-face' Guest interaction that sometimes scars and embitters Cast Members. I'm only in the Park for Media and VIP events or as a Host during a special in-house/Park event. My daily interaction with Guests is a bit more civilized, but if they insist on working that one last good nerve, I can tell them where to put there concerns in that 'oh-so-Disney-way' that they're never quite sure if they've been insulted or just won the lottery. I've been with the company for a short time, but I've been a part of the company for decades. Shareholder, Annual Passholder, I've marched on the Parade Route all through High School, went to more Grad Nights than any I know, danced with a same sex partner before it was readily accepted, become very at-home in Club 33, found all the hidden Mickeys, and generally avoided become a DisneyFreak by the skin of my teeth. Working for the Mouse at this point of my life was the fulfillment of a childhood dream I put off in pursuit of fortune and glory.

Company lore states: "A Dream is a Wish your Heart makes...", it's something that I've held onto as a truth my whole life.
The whole message of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Disneyland Park has been 'Welcome Home!" It make take a while for dreams to come true, and wishes made upon a star to be fulfilled, but if you truly believe in Pixie Dust, Truth, the power of Good over Evil, and the Magic of True Love . . . You may find a home in this Magic Kingdom . . . Just like I did.