My CONFIDENTIAL CEREMONIES DOCUMENT, Part 2

Why yes, it's going to be titled in caps lock every time. Because a) it totally deserves to be, and b) that's actually how the document is titled on my computer.

I was going to post this next part ages ago, but as I was reading through it I realized that I had some Paralympics ceremony spoilers in there, so I had to wait. The Paralympics opening ceremony aired today and I'm now in the clear!

Entry 2

2/27/12 – Update time!

Since we last spoke, I picked up an extra shift and also helped out in the office. So, just to bring everyone (and myself) up to speed, I’ve now worked four validation shifts, one morning in the office, and have one shift remaining. Le sadface.

My third shift was pretty similar to the previous two, but busier. There were apparently a couple hundred more people coming through that day than there had been previously, so it was a pretty long shift. I was in booth 1 again, and the girl in booth 2 was Elle, who I bonded with during orientation! She had a Gryffindor scarf in her bag, so, ya know. This was her first shift, so it was cool to help her with first-day problems and watch her fangirl like I had been on Tuesday!

Seriously, I love that everyone is so excited. It makes me feel like my level of squee is normal!

We only stayed for a little bit of auditions after we finished. Elle had to leave to catch a train, and there were no other volunteers that stayed behind, so I didn’t want to be that one awkward person in the audience. I know, I know, I really could’ve stayed. But did I really need another day of getting “Love on Top” by Beyonce drilled into my brain?

My next shift was on Tuesday the 21^st, which was my 21^st birthday! I was so excited when Penny sent the email asking someone to pick it up – working at LOCOG was EXACTLY what I wanted to be doing on my birthday! When I told people there that it was my birthday, they all asked me what I was doing there. Um, the Olympics is the happiest place on earth. Didn’t you know? :P

That was a slightly different shift. We were into callbacks for the Olympics ceremonies, so everyone that was there had already been validated. All we had to do was scan their letter and bib, and then put in any information that was missing or incorrect, and sometimes retake a photo. That was it. And there were much less people, for obvious reasons, so it went REALLY quickly. Elle was there again, and we stuck around until the end of auditions.

It was different this time! Secret: there are going to be drummers in at least one of the ceremonies, so these auditions had people banging drumsticks on buckets. Some of them were obviously experienced and auditioned because of their drumming skills, but some had never touched a drum before in their lives. It was really cool, though a little less fun than the dancing, but there was the added benefit of not having a song stuck in my head when I left!

Oh wait, what other secret things have I know about that are going to be in the ceremonies? Rollerblading, rollerskating, skateboarding, ballet (pointe!), drums… and I think that’s it.

On Thursday, I was the volunteer casting department’s office monkey for a few hours. I did all the stereotypical “boring” work; photocopying, alphabetizing, filing, and Google mapping (though I’m not sure if that one’s all that stereotypical). I’m really glad I’m getting a taste of this now, because it’s really proving to me that if you love what you’re involved in, the boring jobs aren’t so boring. If I was photocopying for an organization I didn’t care about, I probably would’ve been bored out of my mind. But as long as something has the Olympic rings on it, I’m interested and happy. Not even kidding.

I was photocopying for a while; I had to make copies of the judging sheets for auditions for the Paralympic ceremonies. Funnily enough, the more boring jobs made me more privy to sensitive information than validating did. The judging sheets listed the roles they’re casting for, which included wheelchair dancers, ribbon dancers, something about Masque (I have absolutely no idea what that is), and something about the sea. Sea choreography, maybe? Not sure. Not much of it stuck with me, but I’ll be able to watch those ceremonies and recognize some stuff!

Then I got to file some paperwork. Woo! :P I was given some agreement forms that were signed by people that’ve been cast already, and sorted them into groups and filed them alphabetically. I also learned that whoever’s been doing this clearly doesn’t know their alphabet very well – I’m pretty sure Monica comes AFTER Matthew, but maybe that’s just me.

My final job was Google mapping routes from the studio to various schools in the area, but I’ve already talked about this part! Yay! Recapping is exhausting!

I only have one shift left, and I’m a little bit depressed. I really want to help out in the office more, but I actually have schoolwork to do now. I’m so tempted to say “forget it!” and volunteer, but there’s a responsible part of my brain that refuses to shut down and ignore things that will actually be graded.

To be continued!