You know I don't like goodbyes. See you later!

This goodbye is proving to be much more difficult then any other before.

High school was easy.
Cineplex Odeon was (beyond) easy.
Even moving away from home was easier than this.

I never imagined I would be so sad leaving this job after only 3 months... Actually, I hate the job. It's the people that are making this so stinking difficult. I left last year, no problem. I haven't even seen anyone from Canada's Wonderland since my last day there. There have been a few facebook messages and some tweets exchanged, but nothing that gave me a desire to hang out again.

Today was my last day at Calypso and I just don't want to leave them yet. Sure, I was done with the patrons, the labor law confusions and the pure stupidness that happened on a day to day basis. But the friendships I've made with these people are shockingly strong. (It has only been 3 months!) They're honestly some of the nicest people I know. It was actually just a breath of fresh air to have met them.

They've been so fun and made being at work bearable. They also laugh at all my jokes, which makes me ridiculously happy. I love when people find me funny. I remember one day I was stuck at the bottom of Accelerators with Amy, and it was just pouring rain, like borderline torrential downpour. For some reason, I thought it would be brilliant to just start throwing tubes all over the place. Now, these aren't just some single or two man tubes. Oh no. These are four man tubes. They are some next level sized tubes. And I was just pitching them and screaming like a mad woman. Amy was bent over laughing so hard and I had tears in my eyes. These moments are what made my summer absolutely magical. Then throw in some cliff jumping, wings, Backstreet Boys, winks & blinks and movie nights.

It has been so great and I'm really sad to be packing up and leaving.

I'm not worried though. We all know that age old saying... Friends who save together, stay together.

My Favourite Painter

Last night when I got home from work, I laid in bed. Like I always do, and went on stumble upon. This is one of my favourite websites. Why? A) Because it's freaking hilarious and the source of MANY funny friday posts. B) Because I find beautiful photography that is so inspiring - I am a closet photography nerd. C) Because I am bored easily. 

I found this last night and I think I have watched it approximately 20 trillion times. Ball park.

Since I've moved to Ottawa, I have noticed the sky so much more. Maybe it's because it's not in the city and there's really nothing to look at on the ground. Maybe it's because I'm working at the top of towers where I can actually look as far as the eye can see. Usually, it'll be trees, trees and more trees and then this beautiful sky. It amazes me every day. I wish I had a camera everywhere I went because the sky is just so beautiful.

Without further adieu, the video that amazes me.

God must be a painter, because he uses so many colours. - Quoted from A Beautiful Mind.

I may be a little concussed...

I probably had one of the most exciting rescues ever today. (Personal best guys, don't judge me.) Now, you have to watch the video below to understand the story.

Yes, this is where I work. It is NOT as awesome as it looks... ANYWAYS. There I was, at the top of the slide, doing my usual thing.

Go. Go. Go. Go. NO! You wait. Okay... Go now. Go. Go. Fat person in the back. Take your sunglasses off... Go.

Then my coworker came over and said to me; "Julie, they're stuck." I look to the orange slide where she's pointing and I literally see nothing. This slide looks freakin' empty. I'm thinking she's probably on drugs, but I go and look anyways. Of course, three little kids are sitting in the tube after the first bump on the slide. (Refer back to video.) I radio my supervisor and ask what to do... Really, I knew what to do. I just really didn't want to have to do that...

I was instructed to...
1) Sit on my bum.
2) Slide down slowly to the stuck tube.
3) Push the tube down the slide.
4) Wait for slide to be clear before continuing down to the bottom of the slide.

Easy enough, right?

What ended up happening was that I sat on my butt (in a slide made for tubes... AH) and slid down to where the kids were stranded. As I slid down the first bump, I put my body in a star shape to try to stop myself from completely ramming into these kids. This proved to be an ineffective tactic when my body slid under the tube that had three little bodies inside. As I slid under the tube, I hit my head on the slide, immobilized the "stuck tube" and was now being suffocated/hurtled to my bumpy death. I immediately reached to the back of the tube and slid it back over my body so that I could breath. Then I saw that I was going down the slide with these kids whether I wanted to or not. So, I did what any trained professional would do, I held onto that tube for dear life.

Then I ran back up to the top of the ride where I was supposed to be working... 160 stairs. I was so out of breath and then when I finally got to the top my brain felt as though it would erupt like Mount Saint Helens. I was kind of freaking out because honestly, I could have been concussed and I would have just gone back to work without thinking twice. So, I may be a little concussed from my day's work. Hopefully I don't die in my sleep tonight, or fall into a coma.

Pray for me!

Saving the world, one migraine at a time.

Dear guests of any water park,

I understand that your intention today is to have fun. I have no problem with fun. Believe it or not, when I'm not yelling at you to back up, to wait for the green light, to stop running on the pool deck or to get behind the black line at the deep end, I'm usually having fun myself. So, please, do not think I'm just some douche bag lifeguard because, to be completely honest, I'm getting paid to tell you to follow the rules. That's it. I have no personal interest in making your life difficult. No twisted pleasure in making you stand in line for 2 hours to make you walk down because "you must be this tall/heavy to ride."

People must go through almost 2 years of training to become lifeguards. We are not morons, okay? We know the dangers. We know what a weak swimmers, fakers, distressed non-swimmers look like and most of all, we have human instinct to rely on when all of that knowledge goes down the pooper. So when your kid is in the deep end because you brought them there and they aren't going fast enough to get back to the shallow end, I am not jumping in. So stop yelling at me. Your kid is fine. They're just slow. Because they have the muscle mass of a pigeon.

I will not jump in for you if you fit the following criteria: calm, cool, collected and struggling a little bit. You are breathing. Your face is above water. You can touch the ground. WALK OUT OF THE POOL! This is so not a difficult concept. I don't even understand how you're so upset. If you are freaking out, and I see in your eyes that you feel as though you're going to die, I will not hesitate to jump in. But when you look at me and say, "Uh, lifeguard? Can you help me?" and you're in the middle of the pool, standing on your two feet... Forget it! Because guess what? You're completely fine. And once I get to you, you'll stand up and walk out.

To the lady who flipped me off a few days ago, giving people the finger will NOT make them want to help you. Just a pointer (ha, pun) for life in general.

I don't look like this... Ever. Especially not at work.

This is more what it's like...

To adults who cannot swim, why the heck are you in the deep end? You're an adult.

KNOW YOUR LIMITS.

There is no reason, under any circumstance that I should even HAVE a job as a lifeguard. If people just used their brains, you would never be in water beyond their own personal level of comfort. Therefore, no one would drown. 

Is it so much to ask that if you don't know how to swim to just stay in shallow water? If you feel a little smidge of intimidation, to turn back? To follow the rules? To get out of the slide when you get to the bottom? To swim, not doggy paddle or lay face down in the water for a minute?

Most days, I have to jump in for the children of irresponsible parents. This actually does not bother me. Little kids don't know any better. Parents who are laying on the beach while their 5 year olds are swimming around the deep end in their lifejacket... I dislike them. So strongly. 

Sigh, but really it's just another day at the office.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Except for that girl who flipped me off, she's a douche bag.