So Odd

I've been in Orlando for work all this week, which sounds super fun and awesome and such, but the key word there is "work." People who don't travel for work think it sounds glamorous but those who do know that all you see is the inside of hotels and conference rooms.

I RESEMBLE THAT DIAGNOSIS. Monday I didn't see the sun until after 3:00 pm, and even that was just for a few minutes.

It was good, though. It was a good trip and my work peoples are good peoples. Plus, we were right down the street from where I used to live when I worked at Disney World. Like, we were 20 yards from the Taco Bell where I fueled my will to live for the six months I was there. That meant that when we did have a rare one-hour gap in the work schedule, I knew EXACTLY what to do.

RUN FOR DOWNTOWN DISNEY! Except, it changed names again which is swell since I just now stopped calling it the Village Marketplace. So, Disney Springs. I managed to make it there three times for a total of about three hours this week, which is a victory if you ask me. It's especially a victory because it's like returning home. I worked at Mickey's Character Shop before it turned into World of Disney. I spent many nights walking past the giant LEGO sea creature in the lake.

The only weird thing about the whole situation is HOLY CRAP. WHAT HAPPENED TO 20 YEARS? It has been 20 years since I worked there. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE. I don't understand. Not even a little bit. Time really does speed up as you get older. I swear it.

Considering it has been 20 years (and some change UGH) since I worked there, I walked into World of Disney expecting to see nothing familiar. Somehow, though, a lot of things haven't changed. They still sell Mickey-shaped macaroni and cheese. Everything still has a Disney character on it. I still think Plush Mountain is a fluffy nightmare.

Annnnnnd ... Mickey still works there. Not the rat. A guy who legally changed his name to "Mickey" because he's all in. He worked there way back when I did and he is amazing and fantastic and really super all in. That makes him incredibly difficult to forget. It's also hard to forget him because he might be part vampire - he looks the same. It was like a time warp seeing him standing behind a register, except his costume/uniform is less Burger King-ish than it was back in my day.

ANYWAY. Of course I walked up and said, "Hi," which was really just walking up to anyone and greeting them because there is no way the dude was going to remember me. I was one of 900 College Program students who rolled through that year, and there have been countless other cast members who have gone through that store in those 20+ years.

And yet.

HE REMEMBERED ME.

I am not part vampire, so I'm not sure how, but he instantly cocked his head to the side and, after a pause, greeted me by name. It was ... something. We chatted for a minute and all was well buuuuut ... now I have questions.

HOW EXACTLY DID HE REMEMBER ME? What did I do to stand out in his memory all these years later? I remember him because he was ALL IN, and when I say ALL IN, I mean he had a party at his house for the whole team and his house was floor to ceiling Mickey. He had a Mickey-shaped pool, you guys. A room was fully decorated in Aladdin. His couch had Mickey pillows. Cinderella was all over his kitchen. ALL IN.

I was never THAT all in. Very few people in this world are.

I really hope he remembered me for good reasons. I'm too afraid to just ask the question because what if he remembers me because of one of my super awkward moments in life? Goodness knows I have piles and piles of them.