Disneyland - Mint Julep Bar - Cast Member Susy

This past Friday evening, we piled into the car for a trip to Disneyland in the rain.
The Park was not crowded, and the wind and rain blew as if Hina and Tongaroa-Ru were Annual Pass holders.
Of course, the "Bubble" (as Cast Members know) was in full effect at times, too, as the rain let up for most of the evening.  The "Bubble" is a reference to the Park's unique ability to remain a lone dry spot in Southern California, even when the entire region is in the midst of a storm.  The term arose because some guests actually wondered aloud if it was true that Disneyland has a glass dome or bubble that is turned on to keep out the elements.  To Cast Members hoping to avoid a closing shift due to inclement weather, the "Bubble" was a term of frustration.  You would call in to see if you were still scheduled only to be told---Yes.  Really?  It's pouring where I live and hasn't let up all day!  Um.  Not at the Park.  There's a break in the clouds above us and we can see sky.  See you at 5:00 p.m., don't be late for your shift.
Okay.  Where was I?
Oh yeah.  Rain, Disneyland, Cold.
My youngest and I spent some rare time inside "Innoventions."  The attraction is pretty much only good for keeping you dry in a rainstorm.  Being 7, she actually enjoyed walking around and looking at the "house of the future."  You mean someday people will have flat panel big screen TVs in their homes?  No way!
While we wandered in "The Future," my dear wife and older daughter braved the elements and even made their way onto Casey Junior.  A cell phone call advised me to meet them at Tiki Room and that they were cold and wanted hot chocolate---Stat!
We met at the Tiki lanai, took in the show and headed to New Orleans Square after we left the theater.
Mint Julep Bar.
They have hot cocoa, beignets and funnel cakes.
We rounded the corner and found a small line of guests at the service counter.
When it was my turn, I approached and placed our order. The cast member working there was Susy.  She was on until 11:45 p.m., I learned by pestering her.  She was very nice and a testament to what a cast member can and should be.  I teased her, as I am wont to do, and she smilingly went along with it.
"Name?" she asked as she took my order.
"Mike."
"We already have a 'Mike' ahead of you."
"I'm the better 'Mike,'" I said, "Put that down."
She looked up and laughed.  And started writing.
"Hey!" said the "other" 'Mike' standing to our left and waiting for his order. "I'm the BEST 'Mike!'"
My wife, all too familiar with her husband goofing around with guests and cast members for no apparent reason, cringed slightly and rolled her eyes.
"He better give you a five dollar tip!" announced the "other" Mike as I stood at the counter before Susy.
Ouch.
I smiled and walked over to "Mike."
"Hi, I'm Mike Kelly," I said shaking his hand firmly and smiling that mischievous smile that comes from years in the Jungle.
"Mike Valero, pleased to meet you."
"Where are you from?  Cold and wet enough for you?"
"Connecticut.  This is a dream compared to the weather back home.  I was in Hawaii on business and we stopped here on the way back home."
Mike introduced us to his wife and we told them we envied their recent trip to Hawaii.
In the end, we both agreed we were pretty darn good "Mikes" and would consider it a draw.  They left, sipping their hot coffees and heading off toward the Rivers of America.
"'Better Mike,' your order is ready!" announced Susy's fellow cast member from behind the "Pick Up" window.
"Why, thank you, my dear," I said taking our cups of warm libations and poking my head low to call into the Julep Bar window.  "Good work, Susy!!  As you can see, I eliminated all confusion at the pick up window by drawing the distinction of being the "Better Mike."  Susy flashed a Disney smile and wished us a fond "Good Evening!" as we left with our order.
I should have snapped her picture with the cell phone camera, but I'll have to immortalize her here with this brief---ok, not-so-brief---mention.
She brightened our cold, damp evening with a cheerful smile, a good attitude, hot coffee and cocoa and funnel cake, too.
In our best nod to the classic TV show Hee-Haw, Jungle is "101" salutes Susy, French Market Mint Julep Bar closing shift cast member from Friday, February 18, 2011.
SAL-LUTE!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled daily activities.
Oh, and if you should see Susy at the French Market during your next trip to Disneyland---tell her the "Better Mike" says hello!

---Mike

The Shirt Lives!!  

Disneyland - Ephemera - Main Street Electrical Parade - View-Master - 1979 Informational Guide - Pirates Postcard - Family Circus

Let's open the old box of Disneyland stuff and see what's in it.

Hey!  Here's my old Main Street Electrical Parade souvenir album.  Still works!  If only I had a record player.  The artwork is fanciful and fun.  The music plays in my head without any effort on my part at all.  I can see each float as it rolls by on a Main Street summer night.  I'll bet most of you can, too.

I like to look at the listing of the songs on the back of the album.  There are a few offerings from Pete's Dragon, which isn't surprising, as it was released right around the time the parade made its Main Street debut.  Speaking of Pete's Dragon, I saw a local news snippet just yesterday that Mickey Rooney---elderly and ailing---has won a recent court battle to keep his stepson away from him.  Seems the stepson was trying to hone in on Rooney's estate, was mistreating him and making him "a prisoner in his own home."  Poor Mickey.  Hard to imagine elder abuse involving a person who is perenially young in my imagination.  My thoughts and prayers are with him.  Heck, he was the voice of Santa Claus, Judy Garland's pal, the star of a fabulous Twilight Zone episode, a singer, a dancer, a Hollywood sensation---just to scratch the surface.  Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett will forever live on in my memory for their sensationally funny turns in It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, the 1963 comedy starring Spencer Tracy, Jimmy Durante, Milton Berle, Sid Ceasar, Ethel Merman, Jonathan Winters, Jim Backus, Phil Silvers, Dick Shawn, Terry Thomas, Edie Adams, and even Eddie "Rochester" Anderson---to name but a few (even the Three Stooges show up in this film in a cameo role). 

Whoa!  Here are some of my old View-Master reels!  I could go to Disneyland in three dimensions any time I wanted.  I would flick through these images at home between those summer trips to the Park when I was a kid.  Looking through these today literally transported me back.  The Park was really something!   Of course, it still is.

Ooh.  An old Pirates postcard!  Does that date on the back say 1966?  Love the artwork.  Talk about an all-time classic attraction---though I have to say, it was better before Captain Jack and "Davy Jones" moved in.  The Davy Jones fog effect is fine, but actually the tunnel was better when it was pitch black and a disembodied voice intoned: "No fear hath ye of evil curses, says you. Arrrr. Properly warned, ye be, says I. Who knows when that evil curse will strike the greedy beholders of this bewitched treasure."

An here's a couple of old clippings from The Family Circus in the late 1970s when they took a trip to Disneyland.
Speaking of the late 1970's, here's a Disneyland fold out brochure from late 1978 or early 1979 that promises Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will be opening in the Fall of 1979.  Looks pretty cool in the drawings.  Wonder if it will be worth it?  Little did I know then that I'd be clomping around the load area in miner's boots, sporting a Disneyland name tag, eight years later.

Well, better close the box and get off to work.
"Heigh Ho!" as they say.
Keep imagination alive in the world, my friends.

---Mike

Disneyland - Country Bear Theater - Hot Day

Dateline: Bear Country. Summer 1985.  Day Custodial Shift.  Sweeper.
Always enjoyed Bear County, but on hot days it was, well...a bear.
Despite pine trees, most of the area was open and exposed to the sun.
Where Splash Mountain sits today was a row of buildings with a covered porch and restrooms.  The porch provided welcome shade.

So did the Hungry Bear Restaurant, but this was a Bussing location, so we sweepers did not have to venture there---onto Busser turf.
The most inviting option for a cool down during a hot summer Bear Country shift was to sweep the queue and the lobby of the Country Bear Theater.  The covered bridge leading across a little stream and to the shady entrance was inviting.  Entering the barn-like structure that contained the Country Bear lobby, I felt a draft of cool, conditioned air.  Aaah.
I would, of course, exchange hellos with the hostess at the turnstile.
Then I would step into the long, wood-floored lobby and slowly make my way up and down its length, looking for wayward bits of paper, crumpled Souvenir Guides and maps, popcorn and the various and sundry detritus that guests would drop on the ground.
I would glance at the posters and pictures along the wall and watch the flickering lights inside the hurricane lamps.  Between shows, we sweepers would jump in ahead of the guests and quickly run through the long rows of theater seats, looking for trash and other items left behind.  I would work quickly, usually focusing on the center rows, as they were the most filled with guests, typically.
The theater was always cool and comfortable.  As a guest, the Country Bear Jamboree was on the "MUST DO" list during mid-day and early afternoon periods in the summer.  A great show taken in while seated on comfortable benches with air conditioning wafting over your flushed cheeks?  Who wouldn't take advantage of this?
Today you can ride Pooh.
Hey, that didn't come out quite right.
You can enjoy the Winnie the Pooh attraction.
(That's better.)
I remember looking up at Max, Buff and Melvin as I swept through the rows and headed to the exit doors.

They're still hanging around "Critter Country" to this day---permanently affixed to the wall in the Pooh attraction.  Sigh.

The exit of the Country Bear Jamboree looked like an old mine or a covered bridge.  It lead you back into Bear Country, past my all-time favorite water feature---a small waterfall tucked in the far western corner of the park.  It trickled over round, granite stones and was surrounded by trees, ferns, moss and flowers.  There was a little wooden bridge that crossed the stream at the exit.  You could stand on that bridge and listen to the waterfall and the trickling brook.  It was peaceful and pretty.  An unexpected little pleasure.  The Park has always been famous for these -- the rounded staircase in the middle of New Orleans Square, the Snow White Wishing Well, the benches along Matterhorn Way, tree-shaded Thunder Trail, the tables on the porch of the Plaza Pavillion, etc., etc.
Just across the little bridge was the Mile Long Bar.  I can still smell the warm pretzels.
Today?
Today we have "Critter Country."
I'll leave it at that.

To fond memories of the past and savoring the challenge and promise of the future!

---Mike

Disneyland - Going to the Top - Videopolis!

It was the next big thing.
An all new venue north of Storybook and west of Small World.
Videopolis.
It was mid-80s on steroids.  A huge stage, videos shining from TVs all over the place, and swirling, flashing lights that blinked to the beat of whatever was playing.
Videopolis opened in 1985.  I remember, for some reason, a particular Danny Elfman video when I think of this location during its heyday.  The song was Gratitude and here's the video.


The music was loud, the lights bright---think "Tween Nightclub."  I remember thinking it a bit odd to hear such Oingo-Boing-esque sounds at Disneyland---not to mention seeing images of Satan (popping up during a friendly game of poker) splayed on a large screen and 70 smaller ones.  And all of this within a stone's throw of the entrance to It's A Small World.
Nonetheless, Videopolis did capture the vibe of the 1980s.  I'll give it that.
Was it really something that Disneyland needed?  I'll leave that one to Michael Eisner.
It ceased its run as Videopolis in 1995 and has since become the Fantasyland Stage - where various shows have been presented.  I hear you can catch a glimpse of a Disney princess or two over there these days.
During a Fantasyland shift, when assigned Small World, I would be sure to sweep over by Videopolis on summer evenings and watch the lights, the videos, the dancing. 
The pink and funky green color scheme was lifted from Miami Vice, and the whole place shamelessly pandered to the youth market.  Disney Dollars anyone?
In so many ways, it was a classic Eisnerization of the Park.
Now...
...is THAT gratitude?

Happy Monday, my friends!

---Mike

Disneyland - Main Street Surprise

"Wanna see something cool?"
Whenever a fellow sweeper would ask this question, my heart leaped---especially when it was a lead doing the asking.
"Let's go!" I replied instantly.
Olympic Summer 1984 was remarkably slow.  We were near midday and handfuls of guests straggled about Main Street.  Supervisors were probably at lunch---certainly nowhere to be seen.  Our area looked spic and span and could go on "autopilot" for some time if we decided to do a little exploring.
My lead yanked open the East Center Street gate and headed out, with me a few steps behind.
We crossed Main Street and headed into the Emporium mall and out through the front doors of the Emporium.
He stepped through the little door in the fence right next to the brick Disneyland Fire Department building.
I followed.
We were back stage on the West Side of Main Street.  The horse drawn trolley tracks led back here.  We could see the back side of the Jungle Cruise berm (just behind the hippo pool to be exact).
To our left was a set of stairs that led up the side of the Fire Department building to a small porch and a door.
He marched up the stairs and produced a key to the door.
"Come on!"
I was up the steps in an instant.
He opened the door as I made it to the top and we both stepped quickly through it.
The door closed behind us and we stood in a small foyer.  I remember the carpet was a bright red, with a busy pattern.  The walls were shiny white and the room was filled with sunlight.
Stepping around the corner we stopped.
We stood there and he gave me a knowing nod and smile.
I looked around at the red drapes and brass curtain rods, the neat little furniture, the built-in bookcases, the white columns framing the sitting room. 
We were in the Disney family's quarters above the Fire Department.
There ahead of me, on a fine round table below the center window of the east wall, was a hurricane lamp with an electric bulb, standing at the edge of the table, closest to the lace half-curtain that graced the window.
This was the lamp I always saw from the street below---ever burning in Walt's honor (unless, of course, it's Christmas---then you'll see a small tree in its place).
I breathed in through my nose.  I wanted to inhale the aroma, the atmosphere, of the apartment.
I had been many places where Walt had been---heck, anyone who's been to Disneyland can say that!
He had stood on the bow of the Mark Twain, on the stage at Plaza Gardens, before the flagpole in Town Square, on the steps of City Hall, on the platform of the Monorail station in Tomorrowland, at the base of the Matterhorn.  I had been those places.
But never had I been in his personal quarters above Main Street.
It felt a little like church and a little like home.
I felt a wave of respectful self-awareness.  I had invaded a private place.  Someone's home.
Walt's apartment.
I walked around the corner and peeked out the door of the Apartment onto the little porch located between the Fire Department and City Hall on the second floor.  It had lattice overhead and patio furniture and a great view of both Town Square to the east and the Jungle to the west.
"We better get back to the area locker," my lead urged.
"Okay," I answered slowly.
I stepped into the middle of the room and walked over to take a peek out of the window nearest the foyer.  I could see through the lace the guests walking on Town Square below.  The Emporium was to the left.  I could hear the trolley bell ring and the clop of hooves below.
The lead opened the door and the sunlight came in, flashing me a clear sign it was time to dart back to our post.
I turned and gazed at the place---the white walls, the fine chairs, the red curtains and carpet, the lamp on the table.  "Wow," I said half to myself and half out loud, I suppose.
"Come on!"
I followed him out the door and back down the stairs.  In an instant, it seemed, we were pushing through the door leading from back stage onto Main Street.  We walked along the north side of the Fire Department and out into Town Square.
I turned around and looked up at the high arched window centered above the words "Disneyland Fire Department."  I saw the lamp glowing there behind the lace curtains.  As a kid coming here I had never noticed it up there.  I was too interested in running inside to clamber up the old fire wagon.
Now I saw the place very differently.
Perhaps you will, too.

---Mike

Disneyland - Bits of Adventureland, Autopia ala Jungle, Ned and the Old Dock

The haunting figure above lurks within the tropical confines of Adventureland.  Any idea where?  Here's a pretty darn obvious hint.

A skipper and his crew approach the "first sign of Danger" in the Jungle.  They've just turned past the rain forest and are chugging toward the Monkey God and the Ancient Cambodian Shrine.  The Skipper is probably reminding guests to keep their hands and arms inside the boat and watch their small children.  A large part of any trip through the Jungle consists of the Skipper facing aft---completely unaware of what is ahead of him.  During a breakdown once, a Skipper, who was in mid-spiel and deeply enthralled with his own performance, did not hear the 6-shot signaling a derailed boat up ahead.  My boat was stopped just abreast of the African Veldt when the boat behind me rounded the bend.  The other Skipper, who shall remain nameless (way to go, Doug!), was pointing out the "Mother-In-Law" elephant and not looking ahead of him.  He realized, all too late, that my boat was stopped in front of his.  He tried to slam his throttle into reverse.  Nope.  Too much forward momentum.  He rear-ended us like an Autopia car.  Everyone in my boat lurched back and then forward in their seats with the impact.  I somehow kept my footing.  With hands on hips and much overacting, I proceeded to chastise him over the P.A.  We parried back and forth and the guests on our boats seemed to enjoy the exchange. 
"Why don't you watch where you're going!?" 
"What's the idea of stopping in the middle of the River?!  River hog!" 
"I hope you have insurance!" etc.  It was actually one of my better breakdown experiences, because we had two skippers and two boatloads of guests to pass the time until the attraction was up and running again. 

I worked with Ned, above, in 1987.  He was our closing lead for most of the summer until one day when we completely lost track of him.  He was last seen aboard the skiff, puttering around the bend on his way to help with a rumored native disturbance and uprising.  Ned started as a skipper in '55 and was one of the few cast members who could sport facial hair---having "grandfathered in" along with one of the original sweepers and a security guard or two that were permitted to keep their plumed mustaches.  Nice guy, Ned.  Good head on his shoulders.  Quick witted.  Sporting fellow, actually.  Favored hot tea on muggy days.  He always kept our boats loaded and cycling without a hiccup.  Sure miss him.

Drifting back to the Jungle dock in 1968 (with thanks from Gary Bowden who originally posted this one), we get a clear view of the loading area and one of the old striped-canopied launches.  Seat cushion, anyone?  You can see the quaint old queue, with its thatched roof of palm fronds.

A happy Friday to the four (4) of you (Hi, Mom)! 

---Mike

Disneyland - Bamboo-zled and Elephant-ized

A dead spot in the Jungle lies just after the scene where the gorillas trash the safari camp.
I mention thinking the battery was dead on my Jeep, but am happy to see that the apes tried and tried - and were finally able to get it to turn over.
Downbeat, two, three.
And over on our left you can see an amazing array of jungle bamboo.
Our botanist says it can grow SIX stories tall!  SIX stories!
(Leaning out the boat and gazing upward)
I dunno, to me it looks like SEVEN stories, but you know something, folks?
Downbeat, two, three.

That's another story altogether...I really don't want to go into it right now.
Hey, speaking of bamboo, did you know it is one of the most dangerous and sneaky plants of the Jungle?
While our Jungle trees may have roots and bark. And Jungle flowers, poisonous blossoms.
As for BAMBOO, it stalks, shoots and leaves.
Three, four.
You folks are lucky!  That one went over right your heads!
Missed you by THAT much.
Just ahead is Schweitzer Falls.  Not to worry if you forget its name...
...as we'll be going over it again later.
We've entered the Nile River of Africa, and I'm sure you're still wildly interested in bamboo trivia.
Did you know bamboo...
...is the one of the world's tallest grasses?
...can be made into homes, furniture, shoes, food, clothing and paper?
...comes in green, red, black, brown, yellow and blue?
...has a higher tensile strength than many alloys of steel?
...is the fastest growing plant on earth?
...has been around for over 200 million years?
LOOK!! (pointing wildly) GOOD HEAVENS-- An African Bull ELEPHANT!!
Second most feared animal in the Jungle.
Of course the MOST FEARED ANIMAL IN THE JUNGLE is over on there on the bank to our right...
...that's his Mother-In-Law.
(variations)
...that's his attorney.
...that's his cousin Harold.
...that's his accountant.
...that's his principal.
...that's his orthodontist.
...that's his evil twin - Skippy.
...that's his dental hygienist.
...that's his brother-in-law, Eddie.
...that's his guidance counselor.
...that's his pilates instructor.
...that's his congressman.
...that's his seventh grade algebra teacher!

Okay.  Okay.
Enough!

---Mike 

Disneyland - Deep Thoughts on a Wednesday

Around these parts, when the humidity is up, the mosquitoes are buzzing, and mid-week has arrived, our thoughts turn to deeper things.
Why is it, for example, that Fantasyland is real, Tomorrowland is here today and Mickey is missing fingers?
So many turkey legs...where does the rest of the turkey go?
If it's a small world after all, why is it so expensive to fly to Australia?
What are Main Street trolley horses thinking?
Is "innovention" really a word?  If so, why is it plural?
Can it be erased or deleted?
Where is Henry, the emcee of the Country Bear Jamboree, spending his retirement?
What do you have to do to get a door on Main Street?
Why did they change the FastPass side of the Big Thunder queue?  What's gonna happen when the Park gets crowded?  Will the main line overtake the Rancho de Zocalo Restaurante?
They took out the Skyway because....??????
They took out the Peoplemover because....?????
Why isn't it Club 31?
If a skipper falls in the Jungle river and no one is there to see it, does he still make a splash?
More importantly, do the piranhas feel full or are they hungry two hours later?
How many kernels of Orville Redenbacher's ® Gourmet Popping Corn have hit the ground since the Park started selling it?
Uh, Mr. Eisner, how'd that California Adventure park work out for you?  (Don't look now, but I think they've almost COMPLETELY re-done the place!)
What is Disneyland's carbon footprint and has it in any way contributed to the blizzards that have racked the Midwest and the East?
Are we so stupid as a people that we really need DOORS on our parking lot trams?
Toontown.
Really?
Does anyone else miss "Disneyland" cups, napkins and bags from food service and merchandise locations in the Park?  The "Disney Parks" logo is a touch too generic for me, thanks.  I know, I know.  It's cheaper.
Not the point.
How many light bulbs are on the exteriors of the buildings along Main Street?
Good day, Mr. Dinglinger!  Wherever you are!

Adieu, mon ami.

---Mike

Disneyland - Easy There, Mickey!

The massive Walt Disney Company is a different animal from the company I first encountered in my youth.

And now it's likely to be the first company anyone encounters in their youth!

I saw an article today on Yahoo! about modern Disney's kinda creepy new scheme to get new customers before they can even ingest solid foods or articulate the simplest of words.

The Company is literally trying to stick newborn babies in "Disney Cuddly Bodysuits," while coddling new moms who are still suffering the after effects of oxytocin and epidural anesthesia.
Whoa, Mickey!  Hold your horses!! (No offense, Clarabelle).
Methinks there be plenty o' time to cull wee lads and lassies into the warm grip of Disneydom.
Let's at least allow mom and child a little time to get acquainted post-partum before blowing into the maternity ward like an overzealous mother-in-law or great aunt that knows EVERYTHING about caring for a newborn.
"Careful, dear, be sure to support the head!  SHHH!  No sudden noises!  I ALWAYS went right to formula---no child of mine was going to starve trying to breast feed!  Who swaddled this child??  That blanket is so loose the baby will suffocate in it!  Why aren't you using CLOTH diapers??  Those plastic things are so alien.  Desitin??  Why Vaseline was all we had and it was all we needed!  When is the last time you changed the baby?  Oh!  Those socks are ridiculous!  They're much too big!  Look, the baby's already kicked one off.  They're prone to catch pneumonia that way!  Here, let ME hold him/her---THIS is how you do it.  Who's Aunty's little buttercup??  Who's Aunty's little buttercup??  See?  He/she just LOVES me!  Oh dear, does someone have a spit rag---the little angel just spit up all over Aunty's favorite blouse!  Oh, breast milk!!  See?  It upsets their stomach!  That's why I ALWAYS went right to formula..."
And so on.
It doesn't take a Baby Einstein to see that this scheme is a touch over the top, even in today's wildly invasive and prolific marketplace.
We have three children of our own, and we certainly did not need Disney's help in developing them into raging fans by the time they could take their first, uncertain little steps.
I mean, from their first bedding, to their clothing, to the mobile above their tiny heads, to their bottles and bibs, their strollers, car seats and room decor, it is not like we as a society have deprived our children of a healthy initial dose of Disney.
Disney's most recent move looks like something that is going to backfire.
There are already articles blossoming across the web that are negatively panning this marketing scheme.
I couldn't resist joining in the fracas from the moment I saw the article this morning.
Enough.
Enough already!!!

Stay dry and comfortable, my friends.  Try powdering with every diaper change.

---Mike

Disneyland - Cast Member Giveaways

You might be a current or former Disneyland cast member...

...if you can instantly spot a cast member parking lot hang tag dangling from the rear view mirror of the car behind you on the freeway.

...if you find yourself giving a total stranger directions---and pointing with two fingers.

...if guests come up and ask you for directions while you're visiting the Park---even though you are not in costume and aren't wearing a nametag!! (How do they know??)

...if mention of the letters "E.R." triggers happy thoughts, as opposed to visions of hospital crises.

...if you ALWAYS step into the shortest of two lines ("Both sides are open folks!").

...if you smell popcorn and think of the Hub or the Frontier Landing rather than a movie theater.

...if you find yourself irresistibly compelled to "Put a Smile in Your Voice," when answering a phone at work.

...if, when visiting the Park as a guest prior to a parade, you find yourself subconsciously looking around for poles and a plug-puller.

...if you find yourself hanging a hard right at the north end of Main Street to grab lunch at the Inn Between, even though you're off duty or haven't been "on duty" officially for many years!

...if you spot a lost child in the Park and find yourself grabbing the nearest costumed cast member or security officer to help.

...if you still feel strange parking in the "regular" guest parking structure.

...if you can make your way through a teeming crowd without missing a beat.

...if you encounter a crowd of confused people anywhere (inside or outside the Park) and instinctively reach for a coned flashlight (even though you don't carry one anymore) and have to stifle yourself from intoning: "This is a walkway, please stay to the right!"

...if people consistently describe you as "approachable" and easy to talk with.

...if friends still ask if you can sign them into the Park.

...if you exchange a knowing glance with "on duty" cast members when you're in the Park as a "guest" (we know who WE are!).

...if you start to head toward the Plaza or Center Street or the Town Square gates when it's time to leave---rather than toward the exits at the Main Entrance.

...if you have to fight the urge to step back stage when you pass your old haunts during a Park visit (break areas, area lockers, CDS terminal locations, etc.)

...if, when encountering a group of people, your first urge is to ask, "How many in your group?" and to advise, "Two on Row 1, two on Row 2, and two on Row 3."

...if, during Fireworks, you find yourself watching the crowd around you as much as the show in the sky.

...if you see a less than diligent or discourteous Disneyland cast member interacting poorly with a guest and it irks you to the core (a rare occurrence, fortunately).

...if you ALWAYS know where the closest restroom, food service location, FastPass distribution location or outdoor vending stand is, no matter where in the Park you may find yourself.

...if you find yourself poking around the internet for odd little blogs like this!

---Mike