Back in the saddle again

Welcome to my Haunt blog. I decided to make a second blog because my other one (All the Spit and Sweat) seemed like it should be for my "normal" life outside of Haunt. Knott's Scary Farm's annual Halloween Haunt is a BIG part of my life so I decided that I needed a completely different blog devoted to it. As many of you know, I finished working at the hospital at the end of May and started back up again working at Knott's Berry Farm. I started working there a year ago as a scenic painter, then worked as a monster for the Haunt, then was placed in the Props department for strike and Christmas set up. They kept me on the books as a casual employee (WOO HOO!) so now I'm back helping out the paint department until it's time for Props to start up. Right now we're not doing any Haunt stuff yet, and a lot of the stuff we are doing I won't be able to give you much information on because of our non-disclosure of information contracts, but I still feel entitled to share my warm fuzzy feelings with you about it all. :-D

Being back at Knott's has been a total breath of fresh air for me. I enjoyed working at the hospital, but being in the sunshine and fresh air and being back around all my friends was just what I wanted. I love my job for so many reasons. The main reason I love it so much is the people there... everyone from the countless employees who always smile when we pass, the cook who always gives me tons more food than I ordered, all the way up to the head honchos in management. They make Knotts a great place to work because there is no blue collar/white collar separation... at least not to me. I am free to walk into my boss' offices and chat with them if I want to, or sometimes they sit with us at lunch. They make the place inviting. And I LOVE the entertainment crews that I work with. The carpenters are so warm and friendly.. seeing them every day makes me smile. And my coworkers on the paint crew are SO great! Dave, Vera, Tim, Joe and Carmen are never too busy to stop and help me or show me how to do something. I'll be the first person to say that I am by no means a seasoned painter, but with their help I am improving every day. I want to learn as much as I possibly can, and working with people as talented as them has helped me so much. And I can't forget my props family. I love Cameron and Yolanda soooo much, and Dave is a total sweetheart. Emily and Ryan are funny as hell. I'm really looking forward to working with them soon. Cameron has a lot in store for me. He wants me to learn sculpting and woodworking and probably a million other things. But ya know what, I'm up to the challenge. Cameron is a great guy and he loves to tease me, but I'm ready and willing to do what it takes to earn my place on props.. to prove I belong there. I'll take whatever he can throw at me with open arms! rawr... bring it on Cam! :-D

Did I mention I work at a THEME PARK?! That has to be one of the other obvious reasons why I love it there! I work in the early morning so it's incredibly relaxing walking through the park with no guests running around yelling, smelling the fresh cut grass, hearing tractors or carts in the distance, the sun peeking over the clouds. It's like being in a dream. On Monday I was walking backstage and looked up at Ghostrider.. and it dawned on me... I WORK AT A THEME PARK! It had never really sunk in because no one is there when I work and I am usually in the scene shop. How funny is that? :-) Anyway, I really enjoy being there. My bosses are friendly and treat me right and I am liked and respected. I don't think it can get much better than that.