Happy Halloween :)

When I was driving to the farm this day, I realized something.  IT WAS HALLOWEEN.  I had been caught up with other things that I completely forgot it was my favorite holiday of the year!  So in the middle of my drive, I tuned into "Spooky Jookie" by Man Man.  Good choice.  And just as I parked my car, I noticed a familiar face to my right.  It was an old friend, Kevin, from last year's season!  He had come to fill in for the night, but boy, it was a blast from the past, and reminded me of last season in comparison to this season (more on that later).

The conditions were still conditions.  Saturated yet freezing.

I'm not entirely sure who would come to a haunted attraction on Halloween night.  I was hoping the answer would be something along the lines of not many at all.  It's a Monday night.  And it's Halloween!  You think people would come to Bates during the weeks before to find excitement and exhilaration with the anticipation of the night of the 31st.  Not to actually celebrate the joyous holiday with us.  People should have their own events at their own locations.  I was a little confused as to why some of our customers were there.  Oh well, it's a business and they are just giving us money.  I just have been exhausted and wanted to go home.  Yet, it was the last night, so that forced me to attempt to freaking enjoy the damned evening in those damned woods.

But at 8 o'clock, I officially declared my resignation from the season.  At least, in my head.  The motivation from it being the last night washed completely away, and every following wagon had a little more nonsensical blabber spewed at their faces.  And to top it off, the wagons were still rolling through well beyond the end of sell time.  My material was used and abused, just like my body and the being trapped inside it.  I had lost my humanity and become a machine for the past couple weeks, but I wanted my being back.  Maybe I'll find it in November.

The last wagon came through, slowly, but surely.  And all of us became revitalized with an energy I had not seen in weeks.  It was the last wagon of the season.  YEEHAW!  And when it came, we did what we could and returned to our scene to wait for that bless-ed pickup wagon.  We were officially done.  Not in our heads, but out in the world again!

Oh!  Exciting news!  I heard word that one of my coworkers was planning a very special moment involving another coworker out in front of the Motel at the end of the night.  They both worked on the hayride that night, so I saw them together after hearing secrets and I don't know if I ever felt so happy.  Being done with the season, hearing some adorable event was about to take place, and looking forward to the rest of the night.  I was not there for the actual event, but apparently he took her out to the Motel, asked one of the most potent questions a human can ask another human, and she accepted.  Although I had not the pleasure of getting to know these two as well as some of my other coworkers, I do know that these two are just flat-out great people and deserve all the best.  I hope someday I can be as "romantic" as Garrett was to Laura on this lovely All Hallow's Eve!

I went to the bar, as it was the final night.  For chicken fingers, mind you. Nothing illegal, I swear!  And to celebrate the night with some very special people.  We got to our table.  And after about 20 minutes, my scene-mate from last year, Chuck, comes up to me and asks me, "Hey, did you see Cole Hamels?"  And I responded with a resounding, "What are you talking about?"  And then he informed me, "He's right behind you!"  So I turned around and sure enough, Cole Hamels was sitting right there on the end of the table, right next to mine.  Chuck didn't want to bother him, but I assured Chuck that he should definitely do it because Chuck is the coolest person I know and if anyone deserves to converse with him, it's definitely Chuck!  So Chuck did.  And he talked to Cole for probably 15 minutes.  Turns out Cole Hamels is a super duper nice guy and very gracious towards phans!

But once the word got around, it got a little too crazy and he eventually left.  No matter, I get to say I spent my Halloween a few feet away from a Phillies ace!  And I'm kinda glad it toned down a little bit because I got to spend some quality time with my coworkers, especially this adorable girl named Summer, whom I'm glad to have met this season.  There are so many great people you meet over the course of this month, but some of those people turn out to be some really special people!

I think it's safe to say that this Halloween ended up being a very nice holiday, indeed.

(End of 23rd evening).

SUN?DAY.

For the first time in Bates history, the attraction was closed due to snow (on Saturday).  Snow.  I believe if this evening were not the 2nd to last night and if it was not a weekend night, the farm would be closed.  Because let's just say, the farm was not in the best condition.

The employee parking lot was almost completely saturated and mucky, making it difficult to enter and leave at the end of the night.  The outside attractions were all seemingly a mess.  But I give the grounds crews credit, because they took care of what they could take care of and it seemed half A-O-KAY.  Probably A-O then.  But that still didn't stop from making our jobs a tad bit more difficult for the night.  And I forgot to mention the cold!  Boy howdy was it cold... I would definitely say it was the coldest it has ever been this season.  Maybe in the 30s.  And that makes for a hard times moving limbs and vibrating the vocal cords. 
Yet surprisingly, the frights were nice.  Due to the conditions, we were told to be careful and cautious with the customers and ourselves.  So when I would jump down at the wagon, I would just walk (as creepily as I could, of course) along side it, hoping to find some frightened individual.  I would also use the wagon a lot more tonight.  Grabbing the side and heaving myself up on it to amplify my voice over the wagon.  It was a subdued and easy-going night.  Even some odd characters on the wagons themselves!  There was a knight with epaules and red cape (must have been the medieval scene), there were a pletheroa of ugly face folk (some of which I weren't sure if they were actually wearing masks...), and even Thing 1 and Thing 2 complete with blue hair!  These characters gave me some good spirits for the rest of the night.

But then...
Right around 9:30PM (when ticket sales are supposed to close and we should be getting the heck out of there) is right when things started to oddly pick up.  The wagons coming were slow yet constant and still full of folks.  Well... I'll tell ya!  I never hated some strangers so much in my life!  Making me stay outside in these blistering temperatures.  Forcing me to entertain youse when all I want to do is steal the warmth right from your throats.  Are you really at a haunted hayride when it is 30 degrees out?!  And there's no source of warmth around?!  On a Sunday night?!  The night before Halloween?!  IT'S MISCHIEF NIGHT!  Go TP your neighbor's house or something!

Luckily, we weren't there for too much longer.  And I bring my sleeping bag on these brisk nights.  So I certainly had that on the pickup wagon.  And a snuggle buddy! ;)

(End of 22nd evening).

TGITLF.

Thank goodness it's the last Friday...

It was another early starting night.  I rushed out to my scene without even my overalls over my shoulders.  Yet I still had plenty of time at my scene.  Preemptive maneuvers for an anticipated busy night were to be unjustified by the night's activity.  Oh well!

It was the coldest evening we've had all season, I believe.  I certainly felt it too.  Whenever it's cold on the hayride, we, actors, tend to move around a bit more; to stay warm and to keep our mind off the temperatures.  This can be a good thing, yet the more you move around, the more you sweat.  And when it's cold outside, and there are no wagons around, this makes it all the much colder.  We have an option to either go crazy for the wagons when they come through to stay warm while risking getting colder on breaks or just get used to the cold and suffer through it.  So, pretty much, being out in the woods these nights is a lose/lose situation...

My friend came through tonight, though!  And I do believe I got him!  So that kept me alive for a little longer than I thought I would be tonight.  I also jumped up a lot on the wagon to talk to the entire peoples on the wagon.  It makes for a much more explosive performance.  Sometimes, I feel like I am starring in a miniature theater performance...

Yet, that machine mentality came into my head.  I can only change up my scene or my lines so much before it starts to get repetitive.  But when you find something that works well, and the higher-ups like it, it's hard to ever deter from that.  And I like to try to give every wagon the similar experience.  Obviously, if I find it's a wagon full of little monsters or douches, then that will change my mood, but for the most part, every wagon gets the same exact lines, same actions, and same scene.  That can really mess with your sanity.  Saying the same thing.  For 5 to 7 hours.  In the same spot.  Especially when they are lines about cannibalism or kidnapping people.

I'm not sure if it was a change of scenery this year or the vacancy of Phillies post-season baseball increasing patronage, but this season has tuckered me out much more than last season.  We still have two days left to go, yet I am already done.  I've been done since those busy nights, weeks ago.

It's time for me to get back to life of the living, rather than the life of the living dead!

(End of 21st evening).

We have work today?

It was our first Wednesday of the season... and also our last Wednesday of the season.  Due to the wet weather of the month, Bates has been closed the past two Wednesdays.  It felt odd to be there on this past evening.  Granted, the Wet Wednesdays were a nice break, but it certainly threw me off when I set foot on the farm.  Do I still get makeup or should I just sit there and look purdy?  Do I still act like a sick hick or should be a hospitable southern man?  Do I still speak in that twang or should I speak like an Australian?  Many confusing questions I had in my head, but turns out Wednesday is just like any other day.  Who knew?!

Also, tonight was the last night for our weekday saw-bed victim, Janet.  I will miss seeing her around the farm these next few days!  We had been singing wonderful Disney tunes in between wagons that sure got me through the past couple nights.

When you sacrifice your social life and your sanity for the sake of this job, the people you work with on these nights become your family.  They become the only people you truly converse with for the month because you're either sleeping or just too drained whenever you have contact with other human beings.  And what a family!  Any folk who work at a haunted attraction are a special breed, but I feel as if the ones at Bates are a very particular breed.  You could spend each evening talking to somebody new and still become fascinated or mesmerized by each one of their personalities and their lives.  And the whole experience of scaring folk every night for a month.  You learn things about people you would not normally learn about someone you just met a month ago.  You learn what makes them tick.  You learn what issues they have going on with them in their lives.  You learn about how they truly are.  The farm is an escape.  From your life at school.  From your work.  From your loved ones.  Even from any issues you have going on in your life.  For just one month, those issues get put on hold if you want them on hold.  Or the family takes care of them for you.  Either way, the farm is a nice getaway.

Anyways...

The night was yet another night at the sawmill for myself and Colin.  I believe I am pushing my feet a little too far.  My right foot is acting up and now I have a temporary zombie walk for a couple weeks to come.  This is all, of course, my fault because I don't pay heed to my body when I am in character.  The whole scare for my scene involves myself posing as a mannequin on a giant spool.  I jump, sometimes clicking my heels, laughing or barking like a dog, as my feet in my boots meet the dirt ground.  It has taken a toll most on my feet, my knees, and my back.  But no matter, I say, I'm young, I'll recover!  However, tonight, every jump was felt in the SOULS of my feet, as I would sometimes yelp at the patrons; not out for fright's sake, but for pain's sake.  Oh well!  November is for recovery.  It's still October!

Due to the closures of the Wet Wednesday, our family night and military appreciation night were rescheduled for this evening.  Tonight would call for a much more respectful and respectable crowd.  Tonight involved a lot of laughs.  Good-hearted laughs, if I may add.  I had a lot of enjoyment just conversing with the folk tonight.  In my hillbilly hootinany, of course!  There were a few scaredy cats on the back of the wagon tonight.  I'm not sure if I told you how Colin and I like to follow folks out of our scene, but we sure got some good screams and laughs tonight out of that.

Later in the evening, Colin's brothers came through.  We weren't entirely sure what wagon he'd be on, so we just had to keep an eye out.  We knew we couldn't really scare them on account of them being brothers and not a mother (moms are always easy to scare, yet I don't feel right scaring my mom...), so we tried for the whole let's-make-them-uncomfortable-and-create-a-show-out-of-it.  So a few wagons went by when I got word they were in the woods.  I jumped down and they were immediately there.  Perfect timing, maybe.  I grabbed on to the one.  And Colin snorted into the other's ears.  It's always rough scaring somebody you know.  If they have no idea where you are and what you do, it's easier, but if they do know that fact, then you have to get creative with the scares.  And the hayride is extremely difficult to get creative.

After that wagon went through, Colin and I both just wanted to be done, for it was past sell time.  And soon enough, we were.  The end to our first and last Wednesday of the season!

(End of 20th evening).

Terri-tiring.

It felt like any other Tuesday.  Slow, dull, and mediocre.  Nothing too exciting.  Nothing exciting ever happens on a Tuesday.  I mean, it's Tuesday.  Come on.  Yet it was the last Tuesday of the season!

It's bittersweet.  Bitter, for where else can you take all of the demons inside of you and use them for a job?!  Sweet, for it is an absolute drainer of your whole self and you cannot keep doing this for much longer.  I can remember the first night when Colin and I had NO IDEAR what to do for our scene and for some screams.  And the Weather Channel passing through.  Very awkward and very uncomfortable.  But this night, it was just another night at the job.  We had our frights down to a science.  And soon the experiment will be over!

But then.  It finally arrived.  The month's arduous work caught up with my essence and my being.  I had felt it all just dragging me down.  My scene mates were just having usual conversations about Disney movies and delectable food, but I could not partake because of the fatigue.  The fatigue of all the days before had finally gotten to me.  Every wagon was tougher to scare.  The only way to keep doing it was because I was used to it.  And for a Tuesday, it was tough.  There was a consistent activity of wagons coming on through.  But eventually, it ended.

ooo-wee.

(End of 19th evening).

Okay... Okay...

I showed up a wee early today to get latex on mah face!  Never had latex on before, so I figured what the HAY!  And I must say.  I do think Mike did a mighty fine job with the makeup tonight.

Another late start to an early night.  Super duper nice.  Especially after the long weekend and the strained beings of us all.  I was not entirely pumped up to scare tonight but then I recalled that all of my parents were coming!  I wasn't sure if my primary parents were coming, but I knew my other parents were...

So the first wagon rolled through.  Scared some folks.  Made others laugh.  Then, the next one came through.  Repeat.  Except Colin came over to me after this one had passed and said, "I think I scared your mom."  And by the time he informed, they had already passed on through.  Aw shucks!  This made me want to get my other parents in some way or form.  (My other parents = Colin's parents).  The next wagon came.  Repeat.  Colin came over to me and said, "My parents are on that wagon!"  So we chased them down and hopefully got MA-MUH.  And then the next one came through.  Repeat.  Colin comes over again and says, "Joe is on that one!"  So, we chase them down again!

By the time those three wagons came through, surges of energy had just coursed through my whole entire body that the rest of the night seemed to go so smoothly.  Even though my knee was a bum.  And my voice was lost.  I said to myself, "alright... okay... this isn't so bad anymore."  I even had a lot of energy to just start punching stuff!  I enclosed my hand in a fist and punched a mannequin right near my spot.  Except I forgot it was hard plastic.  But surprisingly, I didn't feel anything!  WOOHOO FOR CRAZIES.

So the night went on a little longer, but ended soon enough.  I got in a lot people's faces tonight on account of the whole not-having-a-voice-so-have-to-converse-face-to-face-with-the-folk thing.  Those three early wagons were pretty much the highlight of the night.  I feel absolutely drained.  Yet I've learned to deal with it and am just happy to be scaring peoples!

(End of 18th evening).

We have to do this again?!

I arrived at the farm at approximately 5:15 in the evenin'.  I was completely feeling last night, yet I was somehow rejuvinated.  Maybe it was just the camaraderie of everyone and our understanding of each other's well-being (or not-so-well-being).  Or maybe it is that farm's damn magical revival powers.  Who knows?  At least when I arrived I felt half somewhat okay decent, yup.

But then, we got to our scene.  It was already pretty nippy.  And my voice had not recovered whatsoever.  And then I realized we had to do what we did last night all over again.  And I just got so put off.  I realized the night was not going to be that enjoyable at all.  And I felt sorry for the customers because I just could not do my usual nonsense by putting on a decent show for them.

At first, it seemed like it was going to be a relatively simple night.  The wagons came through with breaks in between.  There was not a steady pace of the busy bodies yet.  We didn't start in the daylight.  It was already an hour later when we started the night before.  All is well, right?

Not right.

It started to pick up when we had nothing left in our essence.  Hillary had absolutely no voice to scream.  Colin had no energy to crawl around.  And I had no knee to skip nor any voice to be hyper hillbilly.  Just not good.

When the last wagons were coming through Hillary (the victim for the night and famous celebrity) and I both reached our own stages of delirium.  There was one time when we just both started laughing as a wagon was coming around the corner and we were getting ready.  Then we just started blabbering away.  I cannot even remember what we were saying, but it was definitely not English at some points.  I even had a customer ask me, "Man, what are you saying?"

I hope this week is super duper easy cos I'm spent, my dear!

(End of 17th evening).