3/31/12: Major bummer

So for a while now my knee has been getting more and more sore.  At first I just kinda' shrugged it off and kept doing what I was doing, but eventually I went out and bought a knee brace and some pain killers.  However, every time I knelt I could feel grinding and popping in my right knee.  Finally, on Tuesday, I went to Health Services.  The nurse verified that there was something wrong with my knee and set up and appointment for me on Wednesday.
On Wednesday I left my spare shift at DAK (Disney's Animal Kingdom) early (unfortunately they could've used me, but Disney is good about making sure their cast members get better instead of worse) and saw the doctor, who told me "something something something meniscus" (that may not be a direct quote).  He gave me some pills, a knee brace, and some work restrictions (specifically no kneeling and I couldn't stand for more than 45 minutes out of the hour).  The first restriction I thought I could work around and the second was a non-issue, but when I got to work the next day, the manager at DAK put me on Modified Work till at least next Thursday.
Modified Work means that I can't do what I've been doing, so I don't get to hang out with characters at all.  To make things worse, the whole "don't stand for more than 45 minutes out of every hour" bit pretty much prevents me from working onstage at all, so all of my Modified Work shifts are backstage.  For instance, today I organized Entertainment shoes at Magic Kingdom.  All day.  Aladdin and Jasmin need to get rid of some of their shoes, they have entirely too many.  For my other shifts I'll be working in the stockroom at Pirates, the Glow carts, and the Emporium.
It's very easy for me to complain about this upcoming week, and I promise you, I do.  A lot.  But I suppose I should just be appreciative of the fact that the company I work for is willing to make sure I still get hours even when I'm pretty much useless.

Star Wars auditions!

So I know it's been a good while since I updated this, but it's pretty much been work as usual.  Which is awesome.  I'm still really digging my job, and every day there's something different to remember.  Maybe someday I'll bother figuring out how to upload pictures and whatnot, but today is not that day.
The big thing today was auditions for Star Wars Weekends, which is a huge event in May and June.  I'm in the right height range to be friends with Darth Vader (or as friendly as you can be with a guy like that), and, out of hundreds of applicants of all shapes, sizes, and experience levels, I was one of four to be pulled for and fitted for the position.
This doesn't mean necessarily that I've got the gig, but it does mean that I'm in the pool for the job, which is pretty friggin' cool.