New Job. Looooong hours
I can't believe it's been 7 weeks since I posted. I'm probably going to over post now, but I've got catching up to do.
I've been working for a while now at Old Town Trolleys in St. Augustine. Which is where I worked straight out of college. I had to relearn my jail script and I learned how to drive trolleys and now I drive the ghost bus at night.
It was terrifying learning how to drive those trolleys. Three big cars attached to each other and the back one would always sway from side to side as you drove down the road. My trainer Savannah was a horrible trainer. She had four of us to train though, and she's from the be a bitch to manage school of thought . She would explain something once and expect you to do it and then snap at you if you had to ask clarifying questions. She also hovered over your shoulder and constantly asked you questions while you were driving. She stressed me out so much and the whole process felt a LOT like math class. Ugh. I did however discover the secret to dealing with her (half a xanax before I went out on the road) and I passed my CDL and am doing fine driving now. And we've become friends now that we're not in the trainer/trainee situation.
Also I've been giving loads of tours through the old jail and have even dressed up as a prisoner a few times. It's so fun to have kids on my tours. I really get them involved. I got to take a group of 3-6 year olds through the jail last week. It was hilarious. All the other tour guides were scared of the little kids. I got them in there and told them the most bare bones stories that I could and then got them involved acting out going into the jail and making the food and whatever else I could think of. They were absolutely adorable and tiny and one of them even held my hand when she got scared. However- trying to explain the gallows to a bunch of toddlers? AWKWARD. I tried to brush over it, but they got really interested in it and one little guy wanted to know whether the blood spurted everywhere. After he asked that question, another little guy raised his hand and informed me he had a Transformer. I love kids.
Also last week- had a double shift with 2 meetings in between which meant that I was going from 8 am to midnight with only a 40 minute break at 7:30. My big plan was to eat my second half of my footlong for dinner during my first meeting. Only I got so into the conversation (we're planning out the script for the ghost tour in the jail) that I didn't eat. So by the time I went to my second meeting, I was getting dizzy and cranky. Oh- and I had managed to sprain my ankle the day before, so I was hobbling around in awful pain and trying to get my foot up with ice whenever I could sit down. I hobbled into meeting # 2 late cuz I stopped to get ice and someone got up and gave me their chair. But it was SO quiet in there and no one else was eating, that I couldn't unwrap my sandwich and eat it there. So I sit through the second meeting and I was really ready to chew my own arm off when the meeting FINALLY ended. Oh yeah- and I need to mention that both meetings had Ed and Dave in them (the general manager and director of operations). So I'm ready to bolt out the door and eat my sandwich when Savannah says- Elizabeth, I need you to stay after the meeting.
And before I can stop myself I wail, Loudly, "But I need my Fooooooooood!!!!". And Ed busted out laughing and told me that I wasn't allowed to ever eat and laughed evilly. I responded by shoving my sandwich down as fast as I could and then going over to Savannah. All in all, not my finest moment. But pretty hilarious all the same at the time.
I've been working for a while now at Old Town Trolleys in St. Augustine. Which is where I worked straight out of college. I had to relearn my jail script and I learned how to drive trolleys and now I drive the ghost bus at night.
It was terrifying learning how to drive those trolleys. Three big cars attached to each other and the back one would always sway from side to side as you drove down the road. My trainer Savannah was a horrible trainer. She had four of us to train though, and she's from the be a bitch to manage school of thought . She would explain something once and expect you to do it and then snap at you if you had to ask clarifying questions. She also hovered over your shoulder and constantly asked you questions while you were driving. She stressed me out so much and the whole process felt a LOT like math class. Ugh. I did however discover the secret to dealing with her (half a xanax before I went out on the road) and I passed my CDL and am doing fine driving now. And we've become friends now that we're not in the trainer/trainee situation.
Also I've been giving loads of tours through the old jail and have even dressed up as a prisoner a few times. It's so fun to have kids on my tours. I really get them involved. I got to take a group of 3-6 year olds through the jail last week. It was hilarious. All the other tour guides were scared of the little kids. I got them in there and told them the most bare bones stories that I could and then got them involved acting out going into the jail and making the food and whatever else I could think of. They were absolutely adorable and tiny and one of them even held my hand when she got scared. However- trying to explain the gallows to a bunch of toddlers? AWKWARD. I tried to brush over it, but they got really interested in it and one little guy wanted to know whether the blood spurted everywhere. After he asked that question, another little guy raised his hand and informed me he had a Transformer. I love kids.
Also last week- had a double shift with 2 meetings in between which meant that I was going from 8 am to midnight with only a 40 minute break at 7:30. My big plan was to eat my second half of my footlong for dinner during my first meeting. Only I got so into the conversation (we're planning out the script for the ghost tour in the jail) that I didn't eat. So by the time I went to my second meeting, I was getting dizzy and cranky. Oh- and I had managed to sprain my ankle the day before, so I was hobbling around in awful pain and trying to get my foot up with ice whenever I could sit down. I hobbled into meeting # 2 late cuz I stopped to get ice and someone got up and gave me their chair. But it was SO quiet in there and no one else was eating, that I couldn't unwrap my sandwich and eat it there. So I sit through the second meeting and I was really ready to chew my own arm off when the meeting FINALLY ended. Oh yeah- and I need to mention that both meetings had Ed and Dave in them (the general manager and director of operations). So I'm ready to bolt out the door and eat my sandwich when Savannah says- Elizabeth, I need you to stay after the meeting.
And before I can stop myself I wail, Loudly, "But I need my Fooooooooood!!!!". And Ed busted out laughing and told me that I wasn't allowed to ever eat and laughed evilly. I responded by shoving my sandwich down as fast as I could and then going over to Savannah. All in all, not my finest moment. But pretty hilarious all the same at the time.