Friday was equally exciting and depressing.
I began the day with a job interview at BBM that I felt went really, really well. That feeling was qualified when they invited me back, on the spot, for a second interview the following day. I left there feeling like I essentially had the position wrapped up, but trying to be humble and not jump to conclusions. I called my dad to let him know, and after expressing great enthusiasm for me, the conversation then got turned on its head.
He informed me that my grandma had passed away the night before. They didn’t want to tell me at the time because they knew of my job interview and didn’t want me to be distracted and not do a good job. Earlier in the week, they had put my grandma in a Hospice, so the outcome was pretty much never in doubt; it was more a matter of “when?” Luckily for her, she went out in her sleep, without much suffering. And while I’m sad that I didn’t get to speak with her again, I feel lucky that I got the opportunity to visit her a few nights before.
After speaking with my dad, I got ahold of Kara and informed her of how my interview went, and she asked if I had heard the news yet. Apparently, my dad let her know of my grandma’s fate and wanted to give her the heads up before I found out. I told her I knew, and was doing okay. It didn’t really hit me until then, and at that point I kinda broke down a little. I made sure she knew I would be okay, as I didn’t want her to worry while at work.
After composing myself a bit, I headed off to SeaWorld, as I feel the park is good luck to me, and I wanted to have all the luck I could get after my interview. Pulling into the parking lot, there were numerous news trucks outside the main entrance, and even more inside. This day was only two after Tillikum killed trainer Dawn Brancheau, and you could just feel a heavy cloud hanging over the entire park. The employees obviously affected, but it was strange feeling a sense of anxiety from the guests, as well. I managed a couple rides on Manta before my friend Todd met me there, at which point we headed back to Shamu Stadium to see what was going on in the area.
At each entrance to the stadium, there was an employee blocking the roped-off walkway, and the underwater viewing area was roped off, as well. Just being in the area at this time was very strange, and its still amazing to me that they resumed shows the following day.
After a ride on Kraken and a couple more on Manta, we decided to take off. I got home and Kara and I spent a quiet Friday evening in.
Saturday turned out to be a GREAT day! Kara started getting really sick the day before, so we spent all day laying around and being lazy (sign me up anytime!) before I headed to my second interview in the early afternoon. That second interview could not have gone better. After arriving, I sat down in the office and the GM basically came right out and said “We were so impressed with you yesterday, that this interview is just a formality. We’d love to bring you on board.”
Kara and my parents were thrilled, and you could definitely feel a bit of tension lift off both of our shoulders. The position is in sales, but I feel as if it could lead to some great things, and I can’t wait to get in there, start, and hit the ground running.
Sunday was an AWESOME day. Chris showed up at our apartment around 8am and we enjoyed a spectacular breakfast from Kara before heading out to Universal. Kara dropped us off and we went straight for Rockit where we managed two front row rides in about 20min. It was somewhat cold out so the ride didn’t seem very fast, but it was a lot smoother than I’ve experienced before, and Chris loved it. My songs of choice today were Crocodile Rock and Freebird.
After our two good morning rides, we bee-lined for Mummy where we walked right onto the front row, as well, which we followed up with a spin on Men In Black. The rest of the day was spent just hanging out around the two parks and CityWalk with an amazing lunch at NASCAR Cafe, before heading into Islands to grab a prime seat to watch the USA-Canada Gold medal game.
During the second intermission, we headed back to the Studios, rode Mummy a couple more times, and then planted ourselves down at Finnegan’s in the park to watch the end of the game. I’ll tell ya what, I’ll never forget that game. Its unfortunate that America lost, but, being in that bar with hundreds of fans of both countries, and experiencing the rollercoaster that was the end of that match is something I’ll always remember.
On the way out of the park, however, something happened that I wish I could forget (and sort of don’t remember). Chris and I were joking around and he knocked me off my feet, and I slammed the back on my head on the ground. I think I was out for a second or two, but I remember hearing the loud crack as it collided with the ground. An employee walked me to First Aid where he treated the scratches and cuts on the back of my arms and head, and made sure I didn’t have a concussion. Everything turned out alright, luckily.
The rest of that night we spent playing basketball, pool, ping pong, virtual golf, and eating lots and lots of Publix hot n spicy wings. Monday was spent sleeping in before having lunch at Panda Express before sending Chris on his way back to Gainesville. I then headed to take my drug test for work and came home with a new game, Fallout 3, which so far, seems to be pretty amazing.
Now if this headache would just go away…
