On Costumes

I picked up another Safaris shift yesterday.  I really miss that place.  The people, the trucks, the animals, the trucks, the long breaks and the trucks.  I love it all!

Well, as I made my five minute walk down to my car, these guys in a golf cart came speeding around the corner.  I kind of jumped out of the way and they noticed me at the last second and slammed the brakes.  Then, the guy driving looked at me and his first words were not, "Oh, sorry!  I didn't see you."  No.  His eyes were all big, then he saw me, smiled and said, "Heh, I like your costume."  And they drove off.

Seriously?  I  couldn't help but laugh.

I'm normally extremely averse to wearing Disney costumes in public.  Any time I go to Walmart and see cast members with their IDs out and their Disney shirts untucked it just makes me mad.  I'm fairly certain they told us in Traditions not to ever do that.  And I'm a stickler when it comes to rules.  But yesterday, I was coming home from work and I was incredibly thirsty.  I don't have my water bottle anymore so I was in the hot sun all day with nothing to drink because the break room was out of cups.  I even went to the cafeteria on the way to my car but they were closed and had gated off the drinks part.  Including the water fountain.  The only water was another "fill up your cup" station with no cups.  Stupid.

So not only was I thirsty, but I was craving mac & cheese.  My ridiculous cravings made me decide to run through Publix on the way home.  I got out of the car and was halfway in before I remembered I was in my costume, still.  I took off my belt and nametag and unbuttoned my shirt (I had a white tank top on underneath, no worries, but I wasn't about to go into public with just that on).  And I went inside hoping to look as discreet at possible.

I didn't expect everyone to stare at me.  Even more, I didn't expect people to whisper about me as though I didn't have ears.  "Does she work at Disney?"  "Look, that's a cast member."  "Do you think she works in Animal Kingdom?"  I pretended not to notice as I drank from their water fountain for like five minutes straight.  I got up and turned and it was just like in Beauty and the Beast where they were all staring at me and as soon as I turned around they turned back to what they were doing.  So funny.

I grabbed my Mac and Cheese and headed to check out.  As the guy bagged my mac and cheese (and I asked him to un-bag it because I don't like wasting them) he struck up conversation.  "So, do you have to wash that costume yourself?" 

I think I grossly underestimated how much I'd stick out.  Either that or people that shop at Publix just love Cast Members.