I got a pair of Mickey Mouse Ears (complete with yellow tassle) upon completion of my summer of 1996 … this was the most surreal summer of my life, driving a boat around the EPCOT World Showcase Lagoon, with a sailor outfit on, spieling into a microphone about the pastry bakery in Norway and the yodeling Oktoberfesters in Germany. And no ... for the five hundredth and final time ... the boat was not on rails! Looking back, I truly wonder if I hallucinated that time of scorching in the Florida heat, surrounded by eleven faux countries that I’d never been to in real life, dealing with the frustrated, camcorder-toting guests whose languages I did not know, watching Cinderella’s castle get painted fuschia and frosted with whipped cream for its 25th anniversary, and drinking more after hours than ever before or since. I made great friends, and I had a blast playing in the parks on my days off and staying up all night with them while burning off the frustrations of the insane days. I include these Mickey Mouse Ears because they represent a time when I discovered that things are definitely not what they seem, especially at the “happiest place on earth,” and it was a major instance of childhood fantasy being obliterated by the sweaty stench of reality. I never thought I would recover from seeing Snow White smoking behind the fence or Winnie the Pooh walking around holding his head under his arm. portfolio back portfolio next © Copyright 2002 draw the girl