17 ... 16 ... 15 ... 14 ... 13

Thursday the 21st: It looks as if Bruce is going to try for the Lodge too and was arguing the point with Richard.

Friday the 22nd : I called in ... the cold that I thought I was over came back with a vengence. I was throwing up. Head was. all stuffed up. Still is. This was not a welcome advent because even if I work Christmas Day because I took off a day before my weekend before a holiday I loose my holiday pay ... can you believe it?

Saturday the 23rd: Felt good enough to go with Yoko to our holiday splurge we planned the begining of this year ... going to the Bob Carr theater downtown O-town and see "The Lion King." It was good ... but better was the resturant, Hue. The atmosphere was a little urban chic, but the food was great. I had one of the best pork chops I have ever had and the salad had duck on it.

Sunday the 24th: A quiet day. We had our Christmas feast on Christmas Eve because I had to work on the Day. Just a very pleasent day spent doing holiday things and taking it easy with my beautiful wife. Read "The Night Before CHristmas" to both her and my stepmother, Sylvia ... a holiday tradition.

Monday the 25th : Had a marvelous Christmas ... Yoko spoiled me big time. Just had a really good time. Took some of her party potatos ... a speciality she makes to work with a tin of cookies. I was suprized because it looked like everybody joined in and brought something. I finally ran the numbers and figured that I am on the border line and could go one way or the other given the bidThings started out slow but after our 2 o'clock went ome we had a rush and Santa delivered . I broke $200. I can't remember when I did that in cash. What a way to go out.

Tomorrow is the big bid ... I bid at 1:35 ... Wish me luck and light a candle.

20 ... 19 ... 18 ...

I'm sorry for not being more dilagent. The requirements of the holidays have taken a bit more of my time than I had expected.

The 18th was the day that they were to announce the plans to re organize the staff into bellmen. As we arrived they handed us our packets. In them was a time to bid on one of 3 days, a proxy sheet and other instructions. On the boards, the seinority list were posted. So as I understand it; we will show up on our day and time, bid first for our property, secondly for our schedual ... all in 5 minutes. There is rumor that they will have some way to show the choices outside in the waiting area.

I was lucky and am #51. This may seem a low number and while it is the bottom, it is still the top 25% ... this will put me into a premium resort. There are 108 of those positionsand about anpther 100 postions in the mderate resorts. We figure they have eliminated 38 lines. Besides this for every resort they have eliminated a line so they can keep 7 part timers. This means 18 full timers woun't have bell positions. Finally the press release said those who did not get compareral rolls. Some how becoming an attendant at the archade as ... compareral rolls. How appropriate is that the first day is the 26th, the day after Christmas, aka "Boxing Day." For those not familair, this is the day traditionally that one bundles up (boxes) up the scraps of the Christmas feast to give to the poor.

The 19th and 20th:

Things are once again swirlling. Bob on Tuesday changed his destination 3 times. The next day he and about 5 people decided not to go to the Animal Kingdom (the rooms are too far) and will go to the Wilderness Lodge. There are 2 bellmen there that if they stay will be bumped from 1, and 2 will go to 6 and 7. If they go to gain higher seinority else where, Bruce and Richard may go there as well. This will blow my chance to go there. So the swirl grows and goes.

Finally I had to go home early and was so sick that I nearly colapsed and left my soprano dulcimer at work. It has a tag and I hope it is till there when I gtet there tomorrow.

23 ... 22 ... 21... Counting down

Again not much to report. Friday was not as busy as Thursday was. Joan is still having major problems with the Maximo system and has a major challenge with the simplest of tasks. She is a nice person but just ... doesn't get it. Very frustrating ... and detrimental to one's income.

Sunday I had a most incredible experiance. Yoko took me to the Candlelight Prosesion. We had a lovely dinner at Le Celler in the Canadian Pavillion. After that we saw the definate NON PC show at the American Garden's Theater for traditional Christmas Carols. Kirk Cammeron was the narriator. It was very moving and I admit to weeping openly. This was a great treat and I have thanked my lovley wife for such a present.

25 and 24

Not much of consquence in the last two days. Wed. the 13th, I was assigned a room change. Rarely pleasent ... almost never profitable. These guests were complaining that their room was dirty. When we opened the door they smiled and said, "We're saved ...it's John!" It seems as if we had a simular experience 2 years ago. I had moved them into a satifactry room and had calmed their upset child. They chatted with me and thanked me again for making their visit pleasent.

The dirty rooms should not be blamed on the housekeepers. More than a few years ago they were doing 14 rooms a day. Around Christmas, they were offered a bonus for every extra room they could do. They averaged 16 rooms ... the Mouse's responce was that they had been slacking and 16 rooms a day would be the norm. Then they got rid of those who were going behind to check on the housekeepers' s work. That and the wonderful treatment of the last couple of years have caused a decline in quality.

Thurs. 14 was a day when the Maximo system was going nuts. It is to complicated on a busy day to impute work orders and answer guest's questions with a single dispatcher. And now that the control of dispatching DME work orders, chaos reigns supreme.

But this was nothing to the news I got from the Boy. I really shouldn't call him that. He is a man. But he is the son of my best friend from jr. high school. I remember seeing him as an infant, and I have been his Uncle John for 20 years. He has struggled with Ceribal Palsy all his life, because of that or in spite of that he has stode broad steps and has stood taller than most his age. He has gone through more than most twice his age. Today, he told the doctor has found a lump that is to be tested. This makes what I and all my fellow cast members are going through seem as to a mosquetto bite. I ask any and all reading this blog to say a prayer for the Boy. Thank you.

... 26 ...

Tues 12/12/06

I didn't think I would have anything to post for today until Mike came up to me. He told me that this day was his 15 year anniversary. I cingradulated him, but Mike just shook his head. He went on to tell me that he hadn't been given his castle. For those of you who don't know, every 5 years is celebrated at Disney. At 5 years your get a new pin and a breakfast ... at 10 it is a new pin, a plaque and a dinner ... at 15 it is a new pin, a castle trophy, and a dinner ... at 20 it is a new pin, a watch or gold ring, and a dinner ... after that it is a new pin, a trophy with a different Disney character and a dinner. I went to Kris and asked him about Mike's castle. I asked him if they were stopping this because of what was going on. He gave me an uncomfortable look. He told me he had been looking for the award but could find no sign of it. He had called Joe our area manager but he was just as clueless I suggested that Kris might want to talk to Mike as he was pretty much down. That we were all pretty much down and this wouldn't help. I was pleasently suprized when Kris took my suggestion.

The funny thing is I got to thinking about how valuable these trinkets will become in about 5 years. After all, with no more perminant employees there will be no more of these awards. Some cast members, like Daryll, already have sold his. The Disney Collectors already prize these. How much more when they become a finite collectable.

27

Not much to report again. We're just counting down. A week to go til they announce what their doom is. As for my colitus 4 times in 3 weeks.

On the lighter side I have a new nickname. Checked in a guest and it was their anniversary and I told them about Yoko and my marriage ... how we ran away to Memphis to get married. Saw him again at the bell desk and he called me Memphis.

31 through 28

Just little things to report the last four days.

Thursday 12/7/06 : Shafe, a union rep, came by with some flyers that concern the Friday march ... they had it at the Crossroads where we were suppose to end. I questioned him if we weren't suppose to meet at the Sheridan. He gotan "Oh Sheet!" look on his face. We found out from Shafe that the Grand is going down for rehab which has got a few people changing their mind about going there.

Friday 12/8/06 : I guess the march went off but other than talking about it with a waiter at work, I dont know how it went. Yoko was not feeling well and stayed home from work. Can't count on the news to see if we got any coverage as we live in Polk county and get the news out of Tampa Bay. My first check in was a Mrs. Miller. She has been coming to Disney for about 32 years. She loves the Contemoporary for the nice people especially Johnny and Inez. She even mentioned my brother Fred and mentioned how sorry she was when she found out he had been killed by his adopted son. I didn't have the heart to tell her that when she came here next, they wouldn't be here nor would be the reason she came.

Sat-Sun. Nothing on Saturday ... but both us were so tired on Sunday we just crashed and did our Christmas Cards. Had a talk just before bed and found out that Yoko's job is in jeperdy too.

32 ...

12/6/06

Not a lot to tell today. It seems that of late, I start my statements with "I heard." I guess that's what I'm doing alot of ... hearing.

Today I heard ...

That if CARS can't make a go in 4 months they have to pay a $1,ooo,ooo penalty.

That the Mouse is looking at holding a double bid at a convention room at the Contemporary. You would show up and choose your property and then go on to bid your schedual. Hmmm what was that acnology Gary used comparying us to cattle in a pen ...

Richard is looking at the same hotels as I am. AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ambiguious Clarifications

All righty now! Went into work and asked if any one knew what went on at friday's meeting. J.D. said he didn't go because he knew our local union head wouldn't be there. Sure enough Joe Condo (what a name!!!!) did not show up. Mike told me that the lawyers had not even begun the discussions yet. They are still deciding what kind of chairs will be at their meetings and what kind of beer in the fridge. He told a tale that was told at the meeting of a book that was left behind at a meeting at the Grand. It layed out a plan to outsource the company in 5 years. So the question is what year are we in? There will be a march this friday just off property. Bob says that our GM, Thea says she can't see the company letting people we don't know enter into the guest's rooms. We can, because the ones doing this don't care about the guests anymore than they do their employees. Mike says that when the Union asked the Mouse if they planned to outsource the Bellmen they replied no comment. A former manager, Pookie, passed through and asked Mike, "How are you doing?" This was a loaded gun waiting to go off, but all Mike said was, "Not good." Pookie told him to get over it. He replied that he was about to lose his job and see if he had enough seinority to get a position as a bellman. He then asked her if after all that did she know if they would then turn around and fire the bellmen come contract time in April. Her answer was she couldn't answer that. No comment ... leagally is taken as the affirmative.

Bob says he was told the company will do a global bid. Jonathan who works for CARS says they took this job because it was a great opertunity. But they will be hard pressed to get the staff to fill their obligation. But I dont see how if they stick to the schedual to do a global bid, then a property bid and then reshuffle everybody to their new locations all by Jan. 6th. The only good thing is that it will be like pulling a band aid pulled fast so it would not hurt so bad. I like a lot of people am not sure of my position to feel safe.

Story of the Day

Apparently CARS was contracted to work an event at Coranado Springs. It was an unorganized mess topped off with them wrecking a Rolls Royce. Oh yeah this was a good idea.

Off Topic

I've decided from now on to add to these reports a lighter note everyday if I can. I bought a huge box of instant potatoes ... 112 servings. They are suppose to be really good and Jim Lang fooled his wife at Thanksgiving into thinking they were scratch. Yoko loves potatoes! I plan to wrap them up and put it under the tree as a gift. I know what you're thinking ... she'll find out when she reads my blog ... who are we kidding ???? The only person who reads this is me as I trype ... I mean type.

The Weekend ... 35 and 34

This weekend I have been doing the usual things with the wife. Practising my dulcimer ... we went to the movies and enjoyed a nice lunch at Bahama Breeze. We had some gift certificates to to help ease the burden of the bill. Yoko likes to look at the hotel's holiday decorations and we have a tradition of going together, so this weekend saw the start of that. The movie we saw was Happy Feet." We had been putting it off until the crowds died down. Today I have just finished Yoko's photo calender, getting ready to turn it over to Kinkos.

So you can see I had plenty on my plate. Should of been to keep my mind off of things, but some how thoughts keep creeping in. I thought about the poor kid that was at our hotel for the first time. He had just been hired as a part time bellman/valet. Why are they doing that when they are getting rid of the majority of the part timers? I thought of Bob who after the 20 years I've known just lost his side business. I still don't know how he did this. He would get up 3:30 in the morning to fly a balloon ... almost every morning, and then work a full day at the hotel. Bob is the seinor guy at our property. In fact he claims they built the place around him. I think about Jim who has been there almost as long. Jim who fought throat cancer this year... fought his way back and has fought everyday for the strength to take care of his guests. I think of Karl, who after giving service to his country, has worked 17 years for the Mouse, all the while taking care of his mother. I'm thinking about about how this may be my last Christmas at the Conteporary and how I will miss Inez , Dale, Danny and Carol. It isn't what I want to think about ... but it keeps a coming and I guess you can't stop the inevitable.

Still ... perhaps I can't help but feel a little sorry for myself. But I heard something today that has put it all into perspective. My buddy Jim whom I have known, since he was in high school and I was teaching at a youth center, told me that he is being dispatch to a convoy unit in Iraq. He should be close to retirement. I may not see my benifits but if he doesn't see them it's because he's given his life for us.

Mindfull, I still think what they are doing is wrong and will stick to my guns until prooven otherwise.

36 ...

Dec. 1st 2006

Dragged my tukas in today after my colitus hit me hard. Wasn't real strong and for a change we were busy. Started off my day with having to be as charming as I could muster given the circunstances. I seems as my first guest was yelled at by her valet. I was lucky and she did not take it out on me. With a little research I was able to confirm that it was a part timer who hasn't worked for us long. Hmmmm??? Is this the shape of things to come.

Today was the day for the union meeting. We had to wonder since they really won't know what details until the 17th and it's not like they could be taking imput. What are we going to ask for ... our jobs. Dave said he was going and if anything of intrest happened he would call me. Bob though leaving late, said he would catch the end. So I didn't have much hope of hearing anything until Monday. That was until Graveyard called in. Tony, my fellow cast member and former room mate came in to cover. He had been to the meeting and though wasn't forth coming with any real details, said the baisc message was that we would be gone ... bellmen and valets ... in about 2 years and he implied that we wouldn't be alone. This doesn't come as a suprize. Other departments, having seen the signs too are wondering how long they have.

Day 37

Today my colitus kicked due from the stress so nothing to report.