Okay, not sure if this belongs under stupid guest tricks or stupid cast tricks, but I'm gonna start by blaming a guest -- y'all can tell me if I got it wrong.
Sunday night, I was conductor on a train leaving Main Street. Shortly after departure, I thought I smelled smoke, and started looking for the source. Sure enough, a guest was smoking a cigarette about half a car up the train.
"Extinguish that cigarette NOW."
Seemed like simple enough direction, but as usual, the guest was also simple. He took one long drag, then tossed the lit butt overboard... right into a pile of dry leaves in the middle of Adventureland.
So, I hit the E-stop and announced, "Folks, we'll be making a brief stop here. A guest has tossed a lit cigarette from the train and I need to make sure it doesn't set the jungle on fire before we proceed. Please stay in your seats."
By then, the train had come to a complete stop, so I proceeded to step off. Know what? There ain't no platform in the middle of Adventureland! For some reason, I neglected to remember this, and as a result landed way too hard -- as I learned later, tearing a tendon in my leg.
Not satisfied with that, I then tried to stand on that leg and promptly made a four-point landing, bashing both knees into Technicolor splendor. (Polyester costume pants providing no noticable protection.) Gloves saved my hands, but not my dignity.
Just to make sure he added insult to injury, the smoking guest started to laugh at me. One smoking look later, he stopped laughing! (I knew that scowl was useful outside the classroom.)
Limping though the darkened jungle, I found the cigarette, which had indeed started the leaves smoldering, so at least I felt virtuous about "saving the park," no matter how lame I felt otherwise (pun intended).
Naturally, one of the engineers on the train came back to help... just as I was limping back to the train. (Not his fault, it's a long walk through uncooperative landscaping.) I elected to ride back to Frontierland rather than make 300 guests evac in the dark.
Once at Frontierland, I limped forward to the smoker, gave him another patented LOOK, and said, "Don't you ever, EVER, light a cigarette ever again -- here or anywhere else -- unless there's an ashtray within arm's reach. Understand?"
His, "No sir. I won't. I promise, " was so contrite, I decided to let him stay on board. Yeah, I'm soft. Besides, I couldn't lift my leg far enough to kick him anyway.
Again, not wishing to disrupt train operations with three trains and a busy park, I limped downstairs to the greeter position and called for a manager.
Ten minutes later, I paged him again, asking the radio operator to advise him there was an injured cast member. :(
Ten minutes later, word was passed by a trian conductor that the manager would be on the next train. :mad:
Ten minutes later, he wasn't.
Ten minutes and another train later, :twisted: I gave up and called for an Alpha Unit myself. Gotta love Disney efficiency, huh?
Fortunately, Reedy Creek is very efficient, and had me in the Alpha Unit within 4 minutes of my call. Have I mentioned before how much I love the RCID Alpha crews?
By the time the paramedics and I had decided that nothing was broken or worthy of a trip to the emergency room (Cast health services isn't open for cast injured at the late night hour of 6:30pm when the park's open until 10pm), I emerged from the Alpha Unit with an ice pack stuffed in my sock to find... let's not see all the same hands now... right, my manager and my area manager!
Of course, the Disney grapevine had somewhat embellished my story by this time. According to my area manager, I had lept from a moving train and been severely burned while singlehandedly battling a six-foot wall of flames that was threatening to engulf all of Adventureland! :flamethro
And management says we pay too much attention to rumors.
Anyway, I've now got the holidays off, as I'm on "sit-down work only" for the duration, and there aren't any sit-down jobs on the railroad.
I guess the lesson to be learned is to pay attention when you're doing even the routine stuff if you want to keep your body intact. That and to call for an Alpha Unit first and let your manager find out on his own!
But it was on fire when I stopped the train!
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Ouch!! This definatly belongs in this forum if it wern't for the guest's stupidity none of that would have happened.
"A little swordplay, now and then, keeps my mind off sheep!"
"You're messing with my Zen thing, man."
"Dreams are as portals,
flat visions of misty places,
fragments bound below my surface,
but I can write dreams,
they flow from me,
inscribed but now unbound,
I touch them,
and they are real,
and they are real."
"You're messing with my Zen thing, man."
"Dreams are as portals,
flat visions of misty places,
fragments bound below my surface,
but I can write dreams,
they flow from me,
inscribed but now unbound,
I touch them,
and they are real,
and they are real."
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- Zazu
- Permanent Fixture
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Hiyas,
Just a quick update. The surgery went very smoothly, and I'm on the mend. Still no pain (but also still not kewl drugs). From what I've been led to understand, the pain will arrive with the physical therapy. :duh:
Here's the funny part though: My surgeon gave me written instructions that I am not to go to work, drive, or hold any posture where my leg is lower than my heart, effective through 27 January.
Two days after the surgery, I called Cast Health Services, and offered to fax them the doctor's instructions so they could cut the paperwork on my absence and forward it to my department. No can do.
It seems I have to go to work in person in order to get the paperwork that says I'm not permitted to go to work.
At times I wonder if the folks who write Company policy are refugees from the writing staff at Monty Python.
Just a quick update. The surgery went very smoothly, and I'm on the mend. Still no pain (but also still not kewl drugs). From what I've been led to understand, the pain will arrive with the physical therapy. :duh:
Here's the funny part though: My surgeon gave me written instructions that I am not to go to work, drive, or hold any posture where my leg is lower than my heart, effective through 27 January.
Two days after the surgery, I called Cast Health Services, and offered to fax them the doctor's instructions so they could cut the paperwork on my absence and forward it to my department. No can do.
It seems I have to go to work in person in order to get the paperwork that says I'm not permitted to go to work.
At times I wonder if the folks who write Company policy are refugees from the writing staff at Monty Python.
Zazu
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Here's what you need:
A. A hospital gurney
B. A fake IV bag
C. Someone to push said gurney
see where I am going with this?
Have a pal push you into the office on a gurney, oh man, that would be a RIOT.
A. A hospital gurney
B. A fake IV bag
C. Someone to push said gurney
see where I am going with this?
Have a pal push you into the office on a gurney, oh man, that would be a RIOT.
Comedian and Writer
http://www.alfredmuller.com
http://www.alfredmuller.com
- Zazu
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Don't tempt me!Weeble wrote:Here's what you need:
A. A hospital gurney
B. A fake IV bag
C. Someone to push said gurney ...
Have a pal push you into the office on a gurney, oh man, that would be a RIOT.
So far, they've agreed to give me a wheelchair, but only for use at work -- I wouldn't be allowed to take it home. Makes me wonder how they expect me to get the 3/4 mile from cast parking to City Hall!
How many of you think they'll meet me in the parking lot with my wheelchair each day?
Zazu
- Zazu
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I'm Baaaaaack!!! :twisted:
Yup, as of yesterday I'm back on the trains. Only took nine months; not bad for a torn Achilles tendon, actually.
Of course, I'm not yet on the schedule. Seems that when I laid off to spend three weeks in Africa last month, my manager didn't do the paperwork. I got scheduled - I even got paid for one day - but I collected six "no-call no-shows" and said manager got a memo directing him to termintate me.
We had words yesterday.
His were, "Sorry, I'll go fix that now."
Of course, I'm coming back into the wake of three hurricanes and a state Governor who goes on national TV to say, "Don't come to Florida!" Business is down almost as badly as it was after 9/11 and shifts are scarce, so who knows when my next shift will be.
The good news is that my recert. went well. Since it was less than a year, I wasn't required to recert, but I asked for it because I knew there had been a number of changes made during my absence and didn't want to get hung for one of them. Turns out the only big change was new hand signals -- actually an improvement! I was supposed to do two full rotations with the trainer, but halfway through the first one he said, "This is stupid. You know this job cold. After all, you trained me! I'll go wait for you in the break room."
Almost as nice to hear that as it was to see the blood drain out of my area manager's face when he saw me in costume again! :hysteria:
Yup, as of yesterday I'm back on the trains. Only took nine months; not bad for a torn Achilles tendon, actually.
Of course, I'm not yet on the schedule. Seems that when I laid off to spend three weeks in Africa last month, my manager didn't do the paperwork. I got scheduled - I even got paid for one day - but I collected six "no-call no-shows" and said manager got a memo directing him to termintate me.
We had words yesterday.
His were, "Sorry, I'll go fix that now."
Of course, I'm coming back into the wake of three hurricanes and a state Governor who goes on national TV to say, "Don't come to Florida!" Business is down almost as badly as it was after 9/11 and shifts are scarce, so who knows when my next shift will be.
The good news is that my recert. went well. Since it was less than a year, I wasn't required to recert, but I asked for it because I knew there had been a number of changes made during my absence and didn't want to get hung for one of them. Turns out the only big change was new hand signals -- actually an improvement! I was supposed to do two full rotations with the trainer, but halfway through the first one he said, "This is stupid. You know this job cold. After all, you trained me! I'll go wait for you in the break room."
Almost as nice to hear that as it was to see the blood drain out of my area manager's face when he saw me in costume again! :hysteria:
Zazu
I'd run and find you give up a good hearty WELCOME BACK and a hug...yet its awefully far to drive to WDW from Long Beach and well I have class tomorrow, and I am working Mansion Holiday all weekend. But welcome back to the insanity of the parks Zazu. (Some day I will make it to WDW and I will have to find you then)
Look Duckies!
These are the rafts TO the island. Not AROUND, not OVER, not UNDER and not THROUGH. Thank you for riding T. Saywer's shuttle service please visit again.
These are the rafts TO the island. Not AROUND, not OVER, not UNDER and not THROUGH. Thank you for riding T. Saywer's shuttle service please visit again.
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