Yesterday, I got my schedule for next week. It had four six-hour shifts on it, plus one eight. Not only does that mean NO OVERTIME, but it also means, well, things have slowed down A LOT before anyone in management was expecting. When my friend Hattie and I were first hired, there were A LOT of "new hires" giving tours or supporting the tour staff, because A LOT of full-time employees had adjusted there lives to a new "attraction" on our lot. Also, we got pretty doggone busy at the beginning of the summer, and A LOT of employees up and quit. This was to be expected, as the summer season's supposed to be a real bear of a season, and not everyone is cut out for this type of work. As you know from reading here, I absolutely love my job as a tour guide. My worst day as a tour guide is about on par with my worst day on set: not so bad, not nearly as bad as my best day in some other jobs I've had.
So I had three tours today, and they were all pretty good, and I got to end my shift with a really good tour, so I was happy. I went to Trader Joe's to pick up some ingredients for key lime pie ice cream, because I was just feeling really good. Stopped at the credit union first to make a deposit, and encountered Wil Wheaton again. This time, rather than telling him what a fan I was, I asked him "any work on Big Bang coming up in your horizon?" And we had a lovely conversation that didn't feel at all like celebrity vs. fan. I mentioned that I give tours at Warner Bros., and that I love pointing out the theater where "Wil Wheaton plays his [celebrity] card" (okay, so there was a little bit of fangirl mushmouth at that point; I said "Wil Wheaton plays his Wil Wheaton card"), and/but he smiled and said with the utmost sincerity, "I love that tour. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour is the best one in town." And I just died to know that, even though he hasn't taken my tour, he essentially thanked me for doing the job I do.
Got home on Cloud Nine and checked the aforementioned stuff. Discovered that my schedule for next week has been adjusted: I now have an additional eight-hour shift, but it's not on tours, it's at the "new" attraction. Not sure how I feel about that. I'll take the hours, but I have a feeling it's going to be A LOT of standing in one place. That's one of the things that I love about giving tours - I stand, walk, drive, move for the whole shift, so my body doesn't ever tire of being in one place. So, I'm a little something-not-quite-eager about that shift.
Then, in Facebook, I discovered that Hattie's been informed that next Saturday (the 29th) is her last day. Yes, this was always set up as a temp gig, and yes, we all always knew that our "projected" end date was September 12th. But Hattie's end date is now two weeks earlier. What the eff, man? I'm totally bummed, both on her behalf and on my own, just because I know I'll be getting a similar notice any day now, and while the Captain at my local TJ's is possibly ready to bring me in any day now, there are no guarantees that he will, and also, I've really enjoyed being fully employed and being able to make a dent in debt these last few months.
#FirstWorldProblems, I know. #EverythingHappensForAReason, I believe. #ProductionGigsAreTempJobsToo, yeah, I get it. I got to "stay" in my industry this summer, even as everything slowed down to a nearly grinding halt. #IAmBlessed, yes, I surely am. In some moments, I really do feel like I'm the luckiest gal in my corner of the world... and then sometimes, I'm only the luckiest human gal on my futon. ;)
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| yeah, I know it's dark in here. shut up. we have no light in the living room except what comes from our 'lectronix. |
V cool regarding Wil Wheaton, I had to google who it was, but now I know and am totally starstruck. Can't imagine to live in a World where you can just bump into celebrities in grocery stores or parking lots or similar and have conversations with them just like anybody else.
ReplyDeleteTrader Joe's IS my go-to grocery store, and I am ALWAYS bumping into famous people there. The convos are ALWAYS just like talking to anybody else, although the FIRST convo is usually started with "love your work on _____".
Delete... then again, on my tours, I tell people "we are a working lot, so there is a CHANCE you will see someone today who is More Famous Than I Am..."
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