SYNCING

My thoughts

Sunday November 26, 2006

Song:"I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell" By Rob Thomas
Mood: On a natural high...
Time: 5:15pm
Weather: Comfy

"We may never find our reason to shine, but here and now, this is our time. And I may never find the meaning of life, but for this moment I am fine." Streetcorner Symphony By Rob Thomas

Wow, Thanksgiving already. It's amazing how time seems to keep flying by. I worked at Epcot doing the Around the world at Epcot Segway tour and then completed my shift at the Help Desk. It was a crazy, but good and productive day. It's amazing how passionate Guests get about their experiences on the holidays. That's all I am gonna say about that. *grin*

I got home around 6ish just in time to get ready and head out to Cali's for Thanksgiving dinner with my good friends. It was really great. Cali's parents, Tony, Jody, Ray and Ashley, and G were all there as well. A nice homey feel with great food, great company and a lot of laughs. I hadn't laughed that hard inawhile. Jody said grace and was so funny when praying for us. She prayed for "the Del Cid's, the Acuna's...the....and the other two" because she didn't know G or I's last name. So funny. We all died laughing in the middle of the prayer. Amen. After dinner, we played pin the hat on the turkey. Always have to pin something on something when we celebrate anything at Cali's. Cracks me up! Then, we played a game that kept us laughing until we cried for the rest of the night. It was so much fun! Good Thanksgiving.

I have a lot to be thankful for. Always. But, since it's the time of year to share, I will. First off, I am very thankful to have a very supportive group of people that surround my everyday. My family is always there for me, in every single way. My friends have been so supportive and caring with everything that I have done. I am thankful that I have the job that I do and have been able to do the things I have done with major support from my management team. It's been a great year and I feel like I've accomplished a lot of things within my career as a tour guide and in my own company. It's been very positive. I'm also thankful for all the challenges I have had this year, because although they completely suck when they are occurring, they have each made me so much stronger and more thankful.

I was off on Friday to semi-recover from all the craziness that has been going on with tours and work. I hadn't had a day off in awhile so I used the time to clean up a bit, put up decorations while singing my Christmas tunes, do some shopping and rest up. I even took a nap and it was so nice. Got ready and headed out to 867's for the Big 10-4 show at Wall Street. Nikki was there as well and we chatted and I had some amazing tea before we headed out. Ran into a lot of our friends. Got to the Globe and enjoyed some coffee and hummus. *grin* Rocked out to Big 10-4 although the sound at Wall Street is never impressive. We were front row and enjoying the music in the on-again, off-again rain.

Saturday was pretty much my perfect day. I got up at a decent time to head out to work in anticipation of having my #1 wishlist on tour. Let's just say that I was a bundle of nerves. I was excited, happy, nervous, sick to my stomach, shaking...everything you can think of. I was nervous because I wanted the day to be great and I wanted them to have an amazingly magical time, but with the crowds and craziness of this time of year and only hanging out at one park for the day worried me a bit. All I can say was that everything went really well and "smooth". *grin* It was one of the most perfect days in general and very surreal. I have never felt like that on a tour before. The feeling of "is this really happening?" It was pretty much just great. I am still grinning ear to ear about it. I think my favorite part was when we were walking down the Streets of America and watching the dancing spectacle of lights. It was just an amazing moment that I was very fortunate enough to share with this amazing family. They were all so wonderful in so many ways and I felt completely included in their lives for the day. I can't wait for them to come back and there will be more fun to be had! Good times!

posted by Carolyn Ohme at 11:59PM

Wednesday November 22, 2006

Song:"Guess I miss you......one more night?" By Tony Lucca
Mood: Motivated
Time: 12:20am
Weather: Brrrrr

"Maybe it's just me, but you seem finally happy" Butch Walker is on to something with that. At least, I'm definitely happy for the moment. So when it rains, it pours. But...when it's sunny, everything just seems to be going right. That's one of those moments right now. I have to record it in my blog, cause I definitely want to remember this moment at this very second.

Sipping on my Prince of Earl tea, snuggled in my new brown knit sweater/coat, listening to Randall Shreve's "Dancing in the Rain" and enjoying the thought of what will be makes me smile.

Let's go back a bit. Last Thursday, I finally was back at Epcot Guest Relations from my cross-u with DSA supporting the Food & Wine Festival along with Super Soap Weekend. It was great to be back. Working the window that day made for a great welcoming. Everyone was happy (and surprised) to see me back. It's always like a celebrity appearance for me when I get back "home". The day flew by and was amazing. I made magic and a lot of Guests were super happy. It felt good to be back. I also got a one-on-one with my "one-on-one" *grin*. It was good to chat with him again. I was floored and very honored to have maintained my top rating for another year for my role. My one-on-one told me some amazingly flattering things and I left feeling very accomplished and satisfied with the meeting. That was a great day at work!

Friday was a much anticipated day for me. I worked as an assist at DSA and was able to help book tours and assist a lot of people with their vacation planning. Again, another fun and productive day that seemed to go by rather quickly. There were a lot of fires that I had to put out, however, not only at work, but also with the evening's events. I was able to complete a lot of things at home before heading out to Studio Cafe and get things all settled for the event. We had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Randall Shreve (for the recorded 7th time, yay!), Gary Pfaff and Berg. Mike Sanchez was going to be on the bill, but due to unfortunate and unexpected events, he had to take care of some priorities. He was definitely missed, but it did turn out pretty great in the end. This was one of most successful nights and what was amazing about it, was that most of our Guests were random and there for the pure reason that it was a CCMaD show. Happiness! Due to the last minute pull of Randall Shreve, none of his "usual" crowd was there (which was assumed and perfectly acceptable). Having Gary and Berg from completely other locations didn't pull too many people or their regular fans out, which was pretty expected as well, but instead we had an in-house birthday party from Cali's friends and family along with many Studio Cafe regulars and an entire group of people that were at our last show, who brought friends. What a great show! The boys rocked out and impressed everyone (of course!) and at the end, they all played "Stand By Me" and blew people away. So happy with the turnout. I heart those boys!

The end of the night came too quick and 867 was hosting the peeps that night, so we all headed over there to hang out for a bit. Brought in reinforcements of beer, music and pizza and we were set to go. Gary was the "chef" and threw pizza all over the floor. I pretty much lost it, trying to assist in support (basically just watching). He cracked me up the entire night. Nikki and her turkey hat was about all I needed to keep me laughing all night long. Berg was adorable as usual and we bonded over the amazing night we had prepared so much for. Things happen for a reason...and good things happen to good people. I believe that...more and more each day. 4:30am came around and everyone was crashing, including myself so I headed back and thankfully had the following day off to sleep in a bit until woken up by "the boys" crashing at my apartment.

Woke up in enough time on Saturday to recover and head over to Cali's to grab her and Tony for Knick's requested listening party. We got to Knick's in record time from Cali's and met up with Tera and Sprocket (cutest dog ever!) to listen, enjoy and give our opinions. It was mucho fun and time went by too quickly. We had apples that were half apple and half grape (nice!) and fun treats. We got intermission with Sprocket and tricks (he says "I love you" and plays dead when he hears a "bang" noise). So entertaining! We had a great time, but had to leave shortly after getting into it to make my work dinner.

We got stuck in I-4 crazy traffic heading downtown, but made it in plenty of time to dine with some co-workers of mine, celebrating the fact that Food & Wine is really over. We were in the wine cellar of Absinthe Bar & Bistro, which my friend's husband owns. It was so nice. Great food, amazing portions, outstanding service, yet kinda pricey, but well worth it! We were seated at the Chef's table and treated as such. Great experience and I'm glad we went! It was good to see the work folks out of work as well.

Had to head out from dinner fairly early to make it to Barnie's Coffee to see Randall Shreve preforming for their "open mic" that was previously set up. I didn't think that "open mic's" could be pre-planned as it was, but whatever. I guess you could say that Randall was "headlining" so that was cool. After two large coffees and mint tea, I was warm and ready to rock! Coffee boy was nice and gave me a drink on him. *giggle* Only cause I was so flexible with having tea instead of coffee when he mentioned it would be really loud to brew during the music. I agreed. And I got a free tea :) "This is for Carolyn...cause you're right there" Hearts! Shannon and I still danced, despite her sickness. I wasn't gonna even ask, but she was like "we HAVE to dance...we can't NOT dance". *giggle* Well said. That was a fun night and I heart Barnie's Coffee...and the boy behind the counter. *grin*

Fast forward to Sunday. I worked with all the other assists...and Mark at DSA. It was a crazy morning and a dead afternoon. It took everything we could from not just closing the place down for all of those reasons. It was insane. It is that time of year though, I guess. Although that's not the best excuse in my book, if you ask me, but you take what you can. Was so tired after work, that I literally came home and snuggled up in bed and took a nap. I woke up around 8ish searching for something to do. Called 867, looked up The Social calendar and we decided that $10 might actually be worth it. Headed down to see Brad from 111 Records and his previous co-band member Devin (ha!), along with Orange Ave (love them!) and our friend in Foreverinmotion, who did not recognize me (grr *shrug* I'm not very recognizable, perhaps I should wear my hair like Randall's). Wes was there and made me smile. Jimmy from Big 10-4 was doing sound AND it was a great show. Totally worth $10 in my opinion. Especially the tiger shirt comment! "Wes? Do you have coffee?" No, but I do have non-dairy creamer. What? I heart Wes.

After the show, we stopped by the "still open" Globe and the amazing bartender brewed me a pot of coffee and came out with four to-go cups FULL of coffee and charged me $1.99. I heart him BIG time! 867 and I split the massive amount of coffee and tipped him well before heading out to find more entertainment. What we found was said to be "Orlando's best kept secret" from their favorite "groupie". We were at the Cantina enjoying a cover band called "Quick Change" who were all very talented in their own right and sounded great with their cover choices, but unfortunately way to reminisive of what we will be like when we are older. We totally saw ourselves in their fans and I couldn't stand to watch it all any longer. What a fun, random and entertaining night though to say the least!

Yesterday, I got up leisurely and got a lot of paperwork done for the most part. Enjoyed a restful morning, with hot tea and some daytime television before rushing to get to work at 2:15 to close the helpdesk. Was a pretty crazy day to be quite honest. A lot of new Cast Members in the Lobby and a lot of Guest's challenges, but we got through it and before I knew it, it was over. I did get some great news while at work. I was chosen and given to be a DSA TBA again. Good times ahead for that! And....I got a page about a wishlist tour. Called Glen and found out that my #1 is coming this weekend. I'm gonna throw up. Pretty much sick to my stomach, but in a great way. I'm slightly nervous...can't really stop shaking, but can't wait either way. Just hope everything goes right.

I had a dream last night that I was visiting New York. I was sitting outside a club, in the cold with a few friends apparently waiting for a show to start or something along those lines. Choosing to wait outside for something. For someone. Outside the club walks out a friend of mine. Or someone who I thought was a friend. He walked out and around, noticed me and looked for a moment without expression and then walked back into the club ignoring the fact that I was there. This is very similar to what is occurring in a way in real life. I don't think he would actually treat me like that specifically in real life, but it's definitely similar in a way. I miss his friendship. I miss the freedom to talk to him when I wanted. I guess it just makes it worse not knowing when I will be able to see or talk to this person again. I hate not knowing. Hope you are well. Thinking of you.

Went to Knick's practice tonight and it was mucho fun! They are such a great group of fun people. Tera was there so we were the best fans ever! Got to meet Chad and Raul plus hang out with Edwin and Knick. Good times!

Just got back from my 4 mile run and weight lifting appointment. John Frank has been cracking me up all night with random MB20 lyrics. So funny! Still gonna throw up :)

Since I last wrote, I have pretty much been working nonstop, but gladly and with a smile on my face because the OT is much needed and also keeping my mind of current challenges is a plus. I had been teaching ATS at DU, which was really fun and a nice break in my regular schedule. Last Wednesday was a long day with facilitating and then going straight to our Super Soap Guide meeting, but again OT is so nice in the long run. Thursday I helped with Food and Wine and in addition, at the office at DSA. Found out all of my information for Super Soap and went home at a decent hour to get some rest. I feel like I prepared as much as I could for the crazy weekend. I got home, ate and worked out probably my best work out I had all week and went to bed at the reasonable hour of 9:30pm to anticipate my early wake-up call at 3:30AM to start my long day ahead with a pick up from the airport for one of my Guests.

Schedule kinda went like this: Friday morning up at 3:30AM, pick up first Guest at 6AM and bond over music talks and good times, pick up second Guest around 11:30ish AM and went until 1:30AM with SS activities and rehearsals. It was great to see my Guest again though and it was an even better experience than two years before when I had her last. I know she misses her old guide, but I think she's getting used to me in a way. I think we all had more to talk about this time around so that helped. Saturday was up at 6AM and clocked out around 11:00PM so another long day, but it did seem to go rather quickly with our schedule being back-to-back with activities, but still my feet were in the aching phase by the time I was getting home. Sunday was up at 7AM and out at 11:30PM, but this was the day that my feet told me they hated me with a passion. I could barely walk without feeling the pain, but I know I wasn't the only one with this challenge, but it certainly felt like my feet were going to fall off. This day did go by quickly until about 8PM where it sorta just slowed down and I thought the night was never gonna end. Luckily, our managers told us we had to be out by a certain time so we were free to go whether our Guests were or not so that was a bonus. Monday, I was in at the later hour of 9AM (yay) and finally got out around 2:15PM. Had about an hour nap and then headed out to meet up with Shannon, 867, Kim, Nikki and friends for an amazing show.

Got to the UCF arena just in time to hear Gym Class Heroes take the stage. I heart them! And Dirty was there :) I wanted so badly to try and say hey to him, after all I am his VIP Tour Guide *grin*, but there was no getting to him and I had never obtained his cell number so oh well. Hello from the crowd Dirty! The Format came on shortly after, which I couldn't wait for. I heart them big time. I rocked out, pretty much by myself cause no one else around me loved them as much as I did, but that was okay. I jumped, sang and rocked out with them. "I was the only one who got burned" They rock my socks off. The Starting Line came on right after. I was very impressed by their efficiency and timely manner. That almost never happens. The Starting Line was even more amazing then the last time I had seen them. I'm becoming more of a fan each time. Kim rocked out and it was good to see her again and having such a great time! Then....after a longer delay, the amazing All-American Rejects took the stage. Oh, I so needed this show. With The Format and the All-American Rejects, I was the happiest person there. Every song was great and I needed the venting and rock out experience that I got so badly. I guess since I hadn't been to a real rock show as of late, I really need to get out my frustrations and rock out. That's how I roll and it was so amazing! "Let me know that I've done wrong, when I've known this all along" They basically made my month in so many words.

So after a crazy schedule and hard weekend to get through nutritional-wise, I got through it without getting too off track. Tuesday, I stepped on the scale and wasn't too disappointed, but now I'm back on track and feeling good about this week. "Don't throw it all away, just take it day by day by day" It's always a struggle and always a journey, but nothing is a quick fix and I believe all things work out in the end. "Ain't it funny how everything works out"

Moving on from that challenge onto another one. I am finding myself really wanting what I can't have. I guess that is how it usually happens though right? You always want what someone else has or what you can't have for whatever reason. I'm not sure why it's such a strong feeling, but just being observant to all that is going on around me and looking at my own situation, it just makes it so hard to deal with what's going on. It's like I know what I want, but I don't in a way. I don't know if what I want is the right thing for me or even what is what's important for my future and what is suppose to be right for me later on in my life. It's such a challenge and a strange thing. I'm becoming more and more impatient as time goes on and I figure it's my time to wait, but I just don't like this entire process. When do things work out? When do things happen as they should? I have been having dreams of past experiences and memories lately that make me re-evaluate how I was treated and what could have gone in a different direction if situations were handled differently, but I need to stop looking in the past and start looking forward. It's such a hard task to do though.

Gonna take a walk...clear my mind or at least that is the intent. Typically, it just makes me think more. Need to stop the thinking process altogether.

Just finished watching Pride and Prejudice for the second time. It's the type of movie that makes my heart ache, in a good way. Like love actually does occur. Like that feeling really does happen. The feeling that makes you so happy that you can't imagine life without that feeling. It makes me think that it's possible to find that, even if it takes a lifetime. But you know, the movie ends and my head comes back to reality and realizes that life doesn't always work that way. Looking at and reviewing a lot of what life is like right now for a few of my friends currently proves that love does not last and love does not fix anything.

So last week was a test. I've determined. A test of life and of my emotions again. The week started out okay. It had gotten better than the weeks before, then I ended up having some unexpected experiences. Went to see Copeland do an in-store at Park Ave with 867 and the greeter at the door was a face that I wasn't expecting and definitely not looking forward to seeing, but luckily he might not have even known who I was, which would be beneficial if that is the case. Copeland was good, but just like having someone you love breathing the same air makes me happy, having someone I don't like breathing the same air makes me sick to my stomach. Kind of affected my whole experience in a not-so-positive way.

Fast forward to Halloween. Not really considered a holiday in my mind. It's not something I necessarily notate as a special day compared to any other. I don't dress up, don't get additional candy for any random reason & don't participate in considering it any different to be honest. Shannon had gotten us tickets to see The Fray, which I was looking forward to for awhile. It was gonna be great, because it's a band that Shannon introduced me too and we have bonded over the songs since we knew of them. Berg and Rashon were there as well and we met up with them to enjoy the show. Unfortunately, I was faced with having the same situation as the night before just with a different person breathing the same air and making me feel sick to my stomach. Luckily, it didn't last long and I got through the show without it ruining my experience. After the show, 867 and I dropped off Shannon and we went to meet up with Randall at The Lodge. We hung out up in the loft, I ran into Tommy ("Tommy-Hey Ya! 3000") and he was unexpectedly very happy to see me. Was good to see him again. Got late faster than I noticed and before I knew it, we were walking to get Randall pizza. Before I knew it, we were talking the night away and getting "TMI" between a brother and a sister. Being in the middle of downtown on Halloween night and the only three not dressed up was quite an experience. One I will never forget. Heart you both. It's just what I needed.

Got through a couple of days off, one of which I was recovering from a previous sickness. Met up with Tim House and Linda for some recovering drinks at the Ale House. It was so good to catch up with them. It had really been too long. Amazing what coffee can do to assist. So strange that one visit to the Ale House in forever had me running into tons of people that I know. Just shows how small Orlando really is sometimes. Not that I'm complaining. I like the smallness of it sometimes.

Took Thursday to catch up on all errands and my list of things to do. Got a lot done to get back to work for the weekend and enjoy my last few Food and Wine moments. It was a nice way to end the festival for me.

I was super excited all Friday for what activites were going to occur that night. Kinda anti-climatic for what I was hoping for, but sometimes life just goes that way. I met up with Shannon, 867 & Nikki at the "office" to hang out and get ready for the evening's activities. By the time we all arrived to Tatame, we were ready for the evening and having a good time with our friends. Got to see Matty Matt, Pauly, Davie, Ciara, Shannon, Knick and Tera along with some great Randall Shreve friends that come to every show. Randall dedicated "Dancing in the Rain" to me and Shannon danced with me, per usual. I heart that song! Got a bit talkative and realized this night that twice in a week might not be the best idea for Carolyn. By the end of the evening, I had way too much to say and way too many thoughts. Got ready to head out and chose the drive home to let all things out. When it gets to the point where I'm talking myself down and getting upset over life's general ups and downs, I've determined that I've hit my limit. A limit that I should realize a few minutes before hitting.

So, I realized that the only cure for yesterday is tomorrow. Wonder who taught me that? Yep, Mr. Randall Shreve. So true though...everything just takes time. I've come to realize that I need "me" time when this happens. I basically just let it happen and didn't make a big deal of it, only to find out that after getting in some much needed sleep and moments where I am not forced to be social, I can get myself out of my rut. I'm better now. It's just one of those things I guess.

So, there have been multiple times where I have picked up the phone wanting to call or wanting to make some sort of contact just to know that they are okay. Just so they know that I am thinking of them, but it's so funny to think that it was both of our decision for it to be this way for now. It's just not so easy sometimes. I don't like it that life's challenges has made us not be able to be friends.

Other things have been better. I have sorta gotten out of my big money funk, it's at least more manageable now. Work has been good, for the most part. Super Soap is coming up, which should be an event in itself, but I think I am pretty prepared for it, perhaps just not looking as forward to it as I should be. JHey will be visiting for it so that's a plus.

Last night, I went to The Lodge to see Tony Lucca & Ernie Halter. Of course, it was an amazing experience as usual. They rocked my world. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Joey Fatone. He walked in around 10ish and I was happy to be breathing the same air as himself. He's adorable. I just like him being there. It was such a more positive experience to have him there. Tony was so great! I love his voice. He played "Happily Ever After" which he hasn't played in quite awhile to any shows that I have been too, so I was pleased! Other than there being "crazies" at the show, it was a great venue and a fun night. 867 and I were exhausted so we left close to one am to get some type of sleep before work this morning.

I've discovered that my new coffee addiction is probably not helping anything. Perhaps I should let that go, like I've let so many other things go. Time does cure all. Perhaps time will cure my coffee addiction as well. We shall see.