So basically I've been thinking a lot about what to say when I'm finally at an interview somewhere and someone asks me, "What did the college program do for you? What did you learn? How did it affect you?"
In all honesty, I don't know what I'd say. Mentally, I don't know that I've "learned" anything, but I KNOW I'm not the same person I was when I left.. I guess I've learned a few things, when I think about it:
+Patience and focus! There are so many people always demanding multiple things from you all simultaneously, Disney's helped me to better focus one one thing at a time while remaining efficient and not losing sight of the bigger picture (IE in a long line, give attention to EACH guest and treat them as an individual while still being brief)
+It's made me more extroverted. Well, I don't know, really. I have different personalities at work and at play, but I feel like the two are starting to blend together more. There are so many people from different places and backgrounds that it's hard NOT to start a conversation (in fact, it's almost required by your management - at least in merchandise) even over the most trivial things ("oh, I love your purse/shirt/hair" can turn into the most interesting conversation.)
+I'm more pro-active and independent. At home I'd always depend on my mom for stuff - if I had to make a phone call to some company or another, I'd wait and see if my mom would do it first (terrible, aren't I?). Now when there's a problem I just do whatever I can to fix it right in the moment. Especially being deployed, they don't tell you ANYTHING about your new location, so you have to be really pro-active in finding everything out yourself. (I'm on my second deployment - West Side in Downtown Disney. My management hates me hahaha.)
+I'm not as afraid of confrontation. Not in the sense that I'm more apt to start arguments or something, but in the sense that when someone is upset and yelling and swearing and insulting, I don't take it personally. I let it roll off my shoulders, realize that they're just upset and don't know who can help them, point them in the right direction, and if they are still hanging around swearing and insulting me, I just get my manager. The best thing to do is just to LISTEN, look them in the eyes, offer possible solutions or alternatives, and send them on their way.
+I've learned to improv better. Not that this will really help me anywhere else haha. But for those of you who don't know, WDW is run on faith, trust.. and lies. To preserve character integrity, you basically have to think in your head that (character) is REAL. They are your best friend, you hang out with them every Saturday for (event) night, they've let you borrow their sugar, etc etc. When guests ask me questions like "Where did you get the Mickey glove?" or, like last night, "Why does Mickey have a tail in the older cartoons but in the figurines, etc, he doesn't have a tail?" I'm able to quickly respond that "Sometimes he wears different kinds of pants and they don't have a tail hole in them. It's kind of uncomfortable for him, but he wears them anyway because he forgets to do laundry and has no other choice." ;)
In a way, I'm better able to see how dreams come true and how magic happens. That's kind of lame, but really. WDW means so much to so many people; a lot of the time WDW isn't just a place, it's a representation of all the good that's left in the world. A lot of guests ask me what goes on after the park closes and I just have to say that everyone goes to sleep except for the cleaning fairies, who clean all night until the park opens again.. but there is SO much sheer EFFORT in everything, it's really amazing that there would still be that much dedication to one dream, even after the man who dreamt it passed on. It's lame to say, but for you future CPers.. you'll know what I mean. :)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Switching Apartments (Apartment Relocation)
I can't think of the official term they use for it right now, but basically if you realize that you can't live with the people you've been placed with, then you can pay a fee of $50 to be moved to another apartment that had someone either self-terminate or get terminated for various reasons. (If you make this decision before two months, I believe it is, then you don't have to pay the fee).
Let me just tell you, you probably won't WANT to move, because if the living situation is bad enough to make you want to move, then why would you pay $50 to live with the same kind of people, but in a different place? But don't think that, because not everyone's the same. Not everyone wants to party every night, and not everyone wants to stay inside and read. You just have to decide if moving is worth the risk. With me, I lived with 7 other girls (at the time of move-in it was an option between one room and four rooms) and.. well, it just didn't work out. I tried, but I wouldn't be able to deal with it until August. So I paid the fee and moved (Housing gives you options of what's open currently, ie: one bedroom, two bedroom, but doesn't tell you where the apartment is, so you won't get to meet your future roommates before paying the fee, unfortunately).
I moved within three hours. I was sleeping when they called and told me I had to be out by 3 (yeah, it was noon.. you'll get used to sleeping at random hours) so I literally threw all of my stuff into boxes and bags, put them in my truck, and went to an ATM to get cash. It was hectic, but so worth it!
It's awkward moving out when your ex-roommates are there, but don't let that stop you. It's better when you meet your new roommates and find that they are NORMAL. I (hopefully) lucked out with my new roommates; in any case, not many people could be as bad as my former roommates.. so in the end it's really up to you if you decide you want to move, but do what you NEED to do. If something or someone is interfering with your sleep, your health, or your sense of safety, then do something about it. And don't feel like all people at the CP are the same, because they're not.
And one more thing: they're your roommates. They don't have to be your friends, so don't freak out if you don't become instant BFFs.
Let me just tell you, you probably won't WANT to move, because if the living situation is bad enough to make you want to move, then why would you pay $50 to live with the same kind of people, but in a different place? But don't think that, because not everyone's the same. Not everyone wants to party every night, and not everyone wants to stay inside and read. You just have to decide if moving is worth the risk. With me, I lived with 7 other girls (at the time of move-in it was an option between one room and four rooms) and.. well, it just didn't work out. I tried, but I wouldn't be able to deal with it until August. So I paid the fee and moved (Housing gives you options of what's open currently, ie: one bedroom, two bedroom, but doesn't tell you where the apartment is, so you won't get to meet your future roommates before paying the fee, unfortunately).
I moved within three hours. I was sleeping when they called and told me I had to be out by 3 (yeah, it was noon.. you'll get used to sleeping at random hours) so I literally threw all of my stuff into boxes and bags, put them in my truck, and went to an ATM to get cash. It was hectic, but so worth it!
It's awkward moving out when your ex-roommates are there, but don't let that stop you. It's better when you meet your new roommates and find that they are NORMAL. I (hopefully) lucked out with my new roommates; in any case, not many people could be as bad as my former roommates.. so in the end it's really up to you if you decide you want to move, but do what you NEED to do. If something or someone is interfering with your sleep, your health, or your sense of safety, then do something about it. And don't feel like all people at the CP are the same, because they're not.
And one more thing: they're your roommates. They don't have to be your friends, so don't freak out if you don't become instant BFFs.
Deployment
So basically I suck at posting, haha. I've had a LOT go on in the past few weeks, so I'm just going to do a different post for each one so maybe later on, they'll be easier to find.
DEPLOYMENT
Basically almost every CPer will get deployed at least once within the span of their program. Deployment just means that you're being forced to work in a different location than you usually do, but within the same training field. Last week, I got deployed to Adventureland merchandise from Main Entrance Strollers (which is, technically, merchandise) for a week. I'm not gonna lie, it was weird.. you'd think that someone who thought she hated strollers would love to be deployed, but it was awkward. The people in Adventureland were very, very nice (with the exception of the token spiteful coordinator and/or manager), but it's more of a feeling that you're in another dimension or something. As in, your own location (which, for me, is Strollers) is like your family: you may hate things they do, you may get tired of them, and you may want to run away from them altogether.. but at the end of the day, it's still your family. Being deployed is like being forced to stay with someone else's family for a week: they have different ways of doing things, different mind-sets, and though they may be nice, it's just not the same. So yeah, while it was nice to have a different theme for the week, it was still weird. Plus, I didn't even get to work at the Pirates shop! Sad face. But anyway, at the end of the day it's what you make it, and I ended up meeting a lot of cool people that I never would have met otherwise :)
DEPLOYMENT
Basically almost every CPer will get deployed at least once within the span of their program. Deployment just means that you're being forced to work in a different location than you usually do, but within the same training field. Last week, I got deployed to Adventureland merchandise from Main Entrance Strollers (which is, technically, merchandise) for a week. I'm not gonna lie, it was weird.. you'd think that someone who thought she hated strollers would love to be deployed, but it was awkward. The people in Adventureland were very, very nice (with the exception of the token spiteful coordinator and/or manager), but it's more of a feeling that you're in another dimension or something. As in, your own location (which, for me, is Strollers) is like your family: you may hate things they do, you may get tired of them, and you may want to run away from them altogether.. but at the end of the day, it's still your family. Being deployed is like being forced to stay with someone else's family for a week: they have different ways of doing things, different mind-sets, and though they may be nice, it's just not the same. So yeah, while it was nice to have a different theme for the week, it was still weird. Plus, I didn't even get to work at the Pirates shop! Sad face. But anyway, at the end of the day it's what you make it, and I ended up meeting a lot of cool people that I never would have met otherwise :)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
It's 5am.
I was scheduled to work yesterday from 8am-2pm (8:00-14:00.. get used to military time haha) but we were short staffed so I extended until 5 (17:00 ;) ).. all on four hours of sleep. When I got back, around 6:30 I decided to take a nap.. and I woke up at exactly 2:22 to the sound of my roommates. Awesome.
Here are some really great guest moments I'd like to share. You will deal with these kinds of people all the time.. and you will either want to kick yourself in the face, or laugh. Or both.
(The stroller rental area is directly underneath the train station on Main Street, so guests often ask how to get to the train station when they have a wheelchair or stroller)
Guest: Ma'am, excuse me, but where is the elevator? **
Me: We don't have any elevators, unfortunately, but we do have a ramp. If you go back out and go all the way left, you'll see it.
Guest: But my mother has arthritis and can't walk up ramps.. so where is the elevator?
Me: Ma'am.. we don't have an elevator, we just have a ramp.
Guest: But my mother can't walk UP THE RAMP. How am I supposed to get her up there?!
Me: Well I can get a manager for you and see if we can arrange a wheelchair for you somehow.
Guest: NO, I just want the elevator! This is ridiculous! You should do something about this. You're going to have a lot of people complaining.
**(We don't have an elevator because it doesn't fit the show, and it would also likely be a fire hazard, with a bunch of people with strollers and wheelchairs clamoring to get on an elevator in a really cramped space.)
The entire time I was just thinking.. 'really? If your mother can hardly walk, WHY did you bring her to a theme park? I mean, I'm just asking.. did you really think this through? And of course I'll change it; I'll just build an elevator right here, because let's not forget that I built Magic Kingdom with my bare hands.' It's REALLY hard to bite your tongue sometimes. Or, if you're me, it's REALLY hard to not roll your eyes. Which reminds me..
(It was raining during this day, and the strollers only have a sun shade.)
Guest: Excuse me, you don't have any covers for the strollers for when it rains?
Me: Unfortunately, no, but you can use a poncho and it should work just fine.
Guest: Okay, where do I get a poncho?
Me: Well if you don't already have one, you can buy one at the registers just over there for $7.50
Guest: No. This is inadequate. I can't believe you're making me buy something to cover a stroller that is completely inadequate. Even if it were sunny out, this is not enough cover to protect the children. I am really disappointed, I want my money back. (He kept repeating this over and over and over..)
Me: I can get a manager for you or if you'd like you can go to City Hall. Guest Services is in there and they can most likely help you out.
Guest: No, I went there.
Me: Okay, do you want me to get a manager?
Guest: No, I want YOU to do this.
Me: I can't do anything.
Guest: You know who else said, "I can't?" The Nazi soldiers. "Oh, we're just doing our jobs."
Me: Sir, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING. But I'll go get my manager.
Guest: Fine.
(He ran off to the register and by the time my manager came out he was gone. I told my managers what he had said and they were pissed, but I couldn't stop laughing, because REALLY? I'm so obviously committing genocide by not building indestructible stroller fortresses. Homeboy, you knew what you rented when you paid for it, so just get over the fact that it rained and you're to cheap to buy a poncho. Oh, and my one really nice manager made a good point: "You know who else was just doing their job? The American soldiers, who defeated the Nazis.")
So pretty much people will do anything to get something. They know the Disney guest service standard and will definitely try to abuse it, but there's really only so much you can do.
And sorry for the random posting, it's just 5am, I haven't made a post in a while, and I have nothing new to say, really.
Here are some really great guest moments I'd like to share. You will deal with these kinds of people all the time.. and you will either want to kick yourself in the face, or laugh. Or both.
(The stroller rental area is directly underneath the train station on Main Street, so guests often ask how to get to the train station when they have a wheelchair or stroller)
Guest: Ma'am, excuse me, but where is the elevator? **
Me: We don't have any elevators, unfortunately, but we do have a ramp. If you go back out and go all the way left, you'll see it.
Guest: But my mother has arthritis and can't walk up ramps.. so where is the elevator?
Me: Ma'am.. we don't have an elevator, we just have a ramp.
Guest: But my mother can't walk UP THE RAMP. How am I supposed to get her up there?!
Me: Well I can get a manager for you and see if we can arrange a wheelchair for you somehow.
Guest: NO, I just want the elevator! This is ridiculous! You should do something about this. You're going to have a lot of people complaining.
**(We don't have an elevator because it doesn't fit the show, and it would also likely be a fire hazard, with a bunch of people with strollers and wheelchairs clamoring to get on an elevator in a really cramped space.)
The entire time I was just thinking.. 'really? If your mother can hardly walk, WHY did you bring her to a theme park? I mean, I'm just asking.. did you really think this through? And of course I'll change it; I'll just build an elevator right here, because let's not forget that I built Magic Kingdom with my bare hands.' It's REALLY hard to bite your tongue sometimes. Or, if you're me, it's REALLY hard to not roll your eyes. Which reminds me..
(It was raining during this day, and the strollers only have a sun shade.)
Guest: Excuse me, you don't have any covers for the strollers for when it rains?
Me: Unfortunately, no, but you can use a poncho and it should work just fine.
Guest: Okay, where do I get a poncho?
Me: Well if you don't already have one, you can buy one at the registers just over there for $7.50
Guest: No. This is inadequate. I can't believe you're making me buy something to cover a stroller that is completely inadequate. Even if it were sunny out, this is not enough cover to protect the children. I am really disappointed, I want my money back. (He kept repeating this over and over and over..)
Me: I can get a manager for you or if you'd like you can go to City Hall. Guest Services is in there and they can most likely help you out.
Guest: No, I went there.
Me: Okay, do you want me to get a manager?
Guest: No, I want YOU to do this.
Me: I can't do anything.
Guest: You know who else said, "I can't?" The Nazi soldiers. "Oh, we're just doing our jobs."
Me: Sir, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING. But I'll go get my manager.
Guest: Fine.
(He ran off to the register and by the time my manager came out he was gone. I told my managers what he had said and they were pissed, but I couldn't stop laughing, because REALLY? I'm so obviously committing genocide by not building indestructible stroller fortresses. Homeboy, you knew what you rented when you paid for it, so just get over the fact that it rained and you're to cheap to buy a poncho. Oh, and my one really nice manager made a good point: "You know who else was just doing their job? The American soldiers, who defeated the Nazis.")
So pretty much people will do anything to get something. They know the Disney guest service standard and will definitely try to abuse it, but there's really only so much you can do.
And sorry for the random posting, it's just 5am, I haven't made a post in a while, and I have nothing new to say, really.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
I am SO tired.
Today was honestly the first nice, warm(-ish), sunny day since I've gotten down here. It's been freakishly cold so it was nice for a change - unfortunately, everyone else thought so too, and so it was super busy today. I worked in the Newsstand for the first part of the day, and it actually wasn't busy at all at first (at about 10am) and I was there with a full-timer, David (one of the only nice full-timers :) AND he's from England. He's super cool.) so even when there were a few extra guests, it was no problem taking care of them. It was when his position got dropped that I was in trouble: I was the only one in the Newsstand and suddenly it was PACKED - as in, people had trouble even moving. It was REALLY stressful but as long as you take your time, you'll be fine. I just took my time with each guest and tried not to look at the line behind them.
After about an hour of that, I got bumped to the Wheelchair register, where people rent.. well, wheelchairs, but also ECVs (Electric Convenience Vehicles). I was, once again, the ONLY cast member working at the register and there was a HUGE line. Eventually someone came over to help me out a bit and the line died down but it was really intimidating at first. It's also scary because we can only have so many ECVs inside the park as a safety precaution (by the government, so I mean we can't really do anything about it) and so we run out of them pretty quickly, and people have to be put on the waiting list, which they tend to dislike. A lot. A LOT. But today wasn't so bad on that front.
After my break at about 1pm, I got assigned to be a runner - a runner's job is to deliver new/charged ECVs to guests who have had ECV breakdowns. I was REALLY intimidated by this, mostly because I've heard bad stories of people being really angry (it takes some time for us to get from the Main Entrance to, for instance, Toontown.) There are ways to get to different lands via backstage, but it's really confusing because there are just SO many possibilities that it's easy to get lost.. but the only other option is going through Main Street and it was just TOO crowded today. Sooo, I had my first run and it was in Tomorrowland! Luckily I knew how to get to Tomorrowland backstage so it really wasn't bad. The best part about being a runner is getting to drive the ECV to the guest :) The downside is that you likely have to push the other ECV back to the front, but whatev. I pushed the ECV halfway to the guest anyway because they are just sooo s l o w. So anyway, I couldn't find the guest at first (they said they were in the arcade at Space Mountain) but eventually I found them, and they were so sweet! It was an elderly couple, and they turned out to be from Duluth (an area near where I'm from) and so we had a nice little chat.. I was really lucky to get them as my first running experience. Total, it probably took me about 25 minutes to do.
But yeaaah, I'm really tired so I think I'm just gonna go now. My internet is being ultra weird so I don't know when I'll get to post next, sorry :( I hope you guys have a great weekend!
After about an hour of that, I got bumped to the Wheelchair register, where people rent.. well, wheelchairs, but also ECVs (Electric Convenience Vehicles). I was, once again, the ONLY cast member working at the register and there was a HUGE line. Eventually someone came over to help me out a bit and the line died down but it was really intimidating at first. It's also scary because we can only have so many ECVs inside the park as a safety precaution (by the government, so I mean we can't really do anything about it) and so we run out of them pretty quickly, and people have to be put on the waiting list, which they tend to dislike. A lot. A LOT. But today wasn't so bad on that front.
After my break at about 1pm, I got assigned to be a runner - a runner's job is to deliver new/charged ECVs to guests who have had ECV breakdowns. I was REALLY intimidated by this, mostly because I've heard bad stories of people being really angry (it takes some time for us to get from the Main Entrance to, for instance, Toontown.) There are ways to get to different lands via backstage, but it's really confusing because there are just SO many possibilities that it's easy to get lost.. but the only other option is going through Main Street and it was just TOO crowded today. Sooo, I had my first run and it was in Tomorrowland! Luckily I knew how to get to Tomorrowland backstage so it really wasn't bad. The best part about being a runner is getting to drive the ECV to the guest :) The downside is that you likely have to push the other ECV back to the front, but whatev. I pushed the ECV halfway to the guest anyway because they are just sooo s l o w. So anyway, I couldn't find the guest at first (they said they were in the arcade at Space Mountain) but eventually I found them, and they were so sweet! It was an elderly couple, and they turned out to be from Duluth (an area near where I'm from) and so we had a nice little chat.. I was really lucky to get them as my first running experience. Total, it probably took me about 25 minutes to do.
But yeaaah, I'm really tired so I think I'm just gonna go now. My internet is being ultra weird so I don't know when I'll get to post next, sorry :( I hope you guys have a great weekend!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Apparently I'm a zombie.
I have come back from the dead! Zahhh (that's the noise zombies make.. duh.)
It's been like three weeks since my last post; that is not okay. I don't even really know what to update you guys on, to be honest. I work in the main entrance of Magic Kingdom, so I work at the Locker Shop, Newsstand (which is one word for some reason..), and Stroller/wheelchair/ECV rental. Officially, my position is "Merch - Main Street Strollers" but honestly it's so much more than that.
One thing I'm going to say to all you incoming fall CPers: this is WORK - you might hate it. The payoff is that you get to be surrounded by Disney and all of that, but never let go of the fact that it's exhausting to constantly be upbeat; to smile and apologize to someone who is yelling at you for something that's not your fault; to be on time (read: early) EVERY DAY. It's tiring to do your job well, but it's worth it in the end. I know all of you guys know the upsides to the job, but I just don't want all of you to be disappointed when you get to the reality of it. It's still fun, because the childrens' smiles are worth everything, and your coworkers will make things better too, but at the end of the day it's still WORK.
I have so many stories to tell that I don't know where to begin.. one of my duties is "tunnel" which is basically standing at the front of the tunnel (before you leave Main Street) and directing people who rented strollers to the place where they can drop them off before exiting the park.. lately it's sucked because I'm sick and it's two degrees outside (and the night before last they had me out there from 6pm-8pm) but otherwise it rocks, mostly because the other day when I was offering to give this one toddler a "four-five" (we wear Mickey gloves :) ), he came up to me, stretched out his arms, and gave me a hug. Another time I was saying goodbye to a family and this little girl of about 6 came up to me, looked at me, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and left with her mom. SO PRECIOUS. And again, when I was doing Podium (greeting guests into the park inside the tunnel) one day while wearing the Mickey glove and apron (we put the celebration buttons on them), this girl came up to me and gave me the biggest hug ever; I asked her what she was celebrating and it turned out to be her birthday. Things like this seriously keep me smiling for days after they happen. THOSE are the moments that make everything else worth it. That and the fact that every night when I collect strollers from the hub (the circle area around the Partners statue - each land puts the strollers people have left throughout the day into the hub for us to collect at night) I skip down the entire length of Main Street. Seriously. It's so tiring, but SO AMAZING.. Main Street music is so skippable (you know what I'm saying..). And Main Street is SO GORGEOUS after dark, especially when there are only like 10 people on it. Sometimes it's hard to believe any of it's real haha.
I'd say more but unfortunately I have to go; I'm going to Ghirardelli in Downtown with one of my roommates (Amy :) ) for our new tradition: ICE CREAM! Ahh. SO GOOD. Seriously.
I'll be posting soon! I promise! Sorry I went so long without letting you guys know what was going on! If you have any questions about anything just lemme know :)
It's been like three weeks since my last post; that is not okay. I don't even really know what to update you guys on, to be honest. I work in the main entrance of Magic Kingdom, so I work at the Locker Shop, Newsstand (which is one word for some reason..), and Stroller/wheelchair/ECV rental. Officially, my position is "Merch - Main Street Strollers" but honestly it's so much more than that.
One thing I'm going to say to all you incoming fall CPers: this is WORK - you might hate it. The payoff is that you get to be surrounded by Disney and all of that, but never let go of the fact that it's exhausting to constantly be upbeat; to smile and apologize to someone who is yelling at you for something that's not your fault; to be on time (read: early) EVERY DAY. It's tiring to do your job well, but it's worth it in the end. I know all of you guys know the upsides to the job, but I just don't want all of you to be disappointed when you get to the reality of it. It's still fun, because the childrens' smiles are worth everything, and your coworkers will make things better too, but at the end of the day it's still WORK.
I have so many stories to tell that I don't know where to begin.. one of my duties is "tunnel" which is basically standing at the front of the tunnel (before you leave Main Street) and directing people who rented strollers to the place where they can drop them off before exiting the park.. lately it's sucked because I'm sick and it's two degrees outside (and the night before last they had me out there from 6pm-8pm) but otherwise it rocks, mostly because the other day when I was offering to give this one toddler a "four-five" (we wear Mickey gloves :) ), he came up to me, stretched out his arms, and gave me a hug. Another time I was saying goodbye to a family and this little girl of about 6 came up to me, looked at me, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and left with her mom. SO PRECIOUS. And again, when I was doing Podium (greeting guests into the park inside the tunnel) one day while wearing the Mickey glove and apron (we put the celebration buttons on them), this girl came up to me and gave me the biggest hug ever; I asked her what she was celebrating and it turned out to be her birthday. Things like this seriously keep me smiling for days after they happen. THOSE are the moments that make everything else worth it. That and the fact that every night when I collect strollers from the hub (the circle area around the Partners statue - each land puts the strollers people have left throughout the day into the hub for us to collect at night) I skip down the entire length of Main Street. Seriously. It's so tiring, but SO AMAZING.. Main Street music is so skippable (you know what I'm saying..). And Main Street is SO GORGEOUS after dark, especially when there are only like 10 people on it. Sometimes it's hard to believe any of it's real haha.
I'd say more but unfortunately I have to go; I'm going to Ghirardelli in Downtown with one of my roommates (Amy :) ) for our new tradition: ICE CREAM! Ahh. SO GOOD. Seriously.
I'll be posting soon! I promise! Sorry I went so long without letting you guys know what was going on! If you have any questions about anything just lemme know :)
Friday, February 12, 2010
Round the world tonight, a symphony in spectromagic!
I've had a ridiculous couple of days of training concerning the bus system so I'm driving to work today. My shift is 5:30pm to 12:45am, which really isn't bad considering it's President's Day & Valentine's Day weekend.. it was nice to get to sleep in instead of waking up before the crack of freaking dawn every day. I'm not really a morning person haha. Oh, and I finally earned my ears, so today is my first day of work without a trainer.. kind of nervous about that, but it's freezing and raining today so hopefully it shouldn't be TOO overwhelming. I'll let you guys know :)
Katie and I went to MK on Monday, which was nice/weird. Nice because I hadn't seen her face in a while, but weird because usually our conversations go as follows:
"Wanna hang out?"
"Sure"
"My house or the mall?"
and now it's more like:
"Wanna hang out?"
"Sure"
"Disney World?"
Just surreal is all, haha.
Anyway I have to get ready for work.. woot. Hopefully my posts won't be this bad in the future haha. Have a magical day! ;)
Katie and I at Magic Kingdom :) (And me being a bad CP by wearing my Cast Member ID. Oops.)
Katie and I went to MK on Monday, which was nice/weird. Nice because I hadn't seen her face in a while, but weird because usually our conversations go as follows:
"Wanna hang out?"
"Sure"
"My house or the mall?"
and now it's more like:
"Wanna hang out?"
"Sure"
"Disney World?"
Just surreal is all, haha.
Anyway I have to get ready for work.. woot. Hopefully my posts won't be this bad in the future haha. Have a magical day! ;)
Katie and I at Magic Kingdom :) (And me being a bad CP by wearing my Cast Member ID. Oops.)
Monday, February 8, 2010
Park Orientation, Merchantainment, Training, etc.
SO, basically I suck. It is incredibly hard to sit here and type out everything that's been happening; I can't even REMEMBER half of it, so unfortunately most of it isn't going to be very detailed.. especially because I don't want to reveal too much and get terminated or something (seriously, I am so paranoid about getting terminated for something so trivial to me.)
PARK ORIENTATION
Park orientation was really fun for me, since I work at Magic Kingdom. Not saying the other parks aren't awesome, but everyone knows MK is definitely the most "Disney." We had to wear business attire, but the entire orientation was only like four hours so it was fine. We started on Main Street (where I'll be working at the main entrance), and worked our way over to Tomorrowland and rode the Buzz Lightyear ride; after that we went over to Liberty Square and were told of a legend/myth about the area and why they built the Haunted Mansion to commemorate it (the story turned out to be completely false, but it was to encourage us to make up stories to keep the Disney magic alive) so we also got to ride the Haunted Mansion. Which is awesome. I got paid to ride rides. At Disney World. Yeah, it's that amazing to me.
TRAINING DAY ONE
Not much to say here except that we basically walked back and forth 'on stage,' 'off stage,' and 'backstage' (you will get used to this terminology very quickly) to get better acquainted with our area. We got registered for the Hub and finished a lot of online safety/disability service courses. We got our costumes this day simply because for us, our training was before our park orientation (and I could be wrong, but I think most people get their costumes on orientation day.. don't quote me on that, though.)
MERCHANTAINMENT
This class was incredibly boring/weird. The first hour is just finishing up online safety courses, etc, and after that we got an hour and a half break, so two other girls and I went to Magic Kingdom, watched Philharmagic, ate a quick lunch, and went back for the actual Merchantainment course. Here you learn about money, counting the "Disney Way," about various situations that may occur while working at the POS/register/cash wrap (items not being found in the system, how to change the price of something to a "special price"/sale price, how to ring up a fellow cast member (as long as they're not your friend!) etc.. I wore heels this day because I thought most of it would be elab stuff but I actually had to stand for a significant amount of time while we practices with POSs and role played various situations between customers and cast members. It was weird. But at the end you get a sweet Merchantainment pin that you can only get by finished the course, so that's pretty sweet.
___________________________________________
Other than all of that stuff, I've been having an amazing time. All of my roommates are really awesome, I'm really lucky. Yesterday Amy and Elizabeth and I went to Animal Kingdom and walked around, rode Expedition Everest (our first time! I sat next to this 9-ish year-old boy who was so not phased in the least by the ride so I felt like a wimp because I (may have) screamed a few times during the ride.) It was mostly awesome for me because the last time I went was in 2000 or 2001, and so it wasn't build when I went last, but since then I've watched Travel Channel episode concerning the making of Everest and it just makes you appreciate it so much more, it's so cool to finally see it in person and actually experience it. Also while in DAK I ran in and visited Katie at Chester & Hester's :)
After DAK closed we went over to Epcot's world showcase, had nachos and churros, got our name written in Arabic for free by our new friend Mehdi (my name is كرستين.. woot!) in Morocco, and made friends with Abou and Marion in France (Marion noticed our Arabic names while we were buying stuff and asked us where we got them so she could get one later, so instead we just surprised her and went back to Mehdi and get her name in Arabic too. Hopefully it made her night a little better :) ) We also made friends with Jonathan (sp possibly, hah) who is also from France. Apparently every Sunday they all get together at the House of Blues so we're gonna crash those parties haha.
In about 20 minutes I'm going to head out to Magic Kingdom with Katie, even though I need to laundry.
It's seriously ridiculous how it's like, "Hm.. laundry, or Disney World?" All you fall CPs are going to LOVE it.
_____________
The roomies and I at the House of Blues our first night! Left to right is Ren, Me, Kate, Nicole, Elizabeth, Lene, Brittany, and Amy.
Kate, Lene, Myself, and Brittany getting ready to go to Traditions. The clothing people wore varied from very very professional (ie, business suit) to somewhat casual (nice slacks and a more sophisticated looking blouse).
Elizabeth, Amy and I at DAK yesterday. Thanks photopass! :)
Me and the boss! :)
PARK ORIENTATION
Park orientation was really fun for me, since I work at Magic Kingdom. Not saying the other parks aren't awesome, but everyone knows MK is definitely the most "Disney." We had to wear business attire, but the entire orientation was only like four hours so it was fine. We started on Main Street (where I'll be working at the main entrance), and worked our way over to Tomorrowland and rode the Buzz Lightyear ride; after that we went over to Liberty Square and were told of a legend/myth about the area and why they built the Haunted Mansion to commemorate it (the story turned out to be completely false, but it was to encourage us to make up stories to keep the Disney magic alive) so we also got to ride the Haunted Mansion. Which is awesome. I got paid to ride rides. At Disney World. Yeah, it's that amazing to me.
TRAINING DAY ONE
Not much to say here except that we basically walked back and forth 'on stage,' 'off stage,' and 'backstage' (you will get used to this terminology very quickly) to get better acquainted with our area. We got registered for the Hub and finished a lot of online safety/disability service courses. We got our costumes this day simply because for us, our training was before our park orientation (and I could be wrong, but I think most people get their costumes on orientation day.. don't quote me on that, though.)
MERCHANTAINMENT
This class was incredibly boring/weird. The first hour is just finishing up online safety courses, etc, and after that we got an hour and a half break, so two other girls and I went to Magic Kingdom, watched Philharmagic, ate a quick lunch, and went back for the actual Merchantainment course. Here you learn about money, counting the "Disney Way," about various situations that may occur while working at the POS/register/cash wrap (items not being found in the system, how to change the price of something to a "special price"/sale price, how to ring up a fellow cast member (as long as they're not your friend!) etc.. I wore heels this day because I thought most of it would be elab stuff but I actually had to stand for a significant amount of time while we practices with POSs and role played various situations between customers and cast members. It was weird. But at the end you get a sweet Merchantainment pin that you can only get by finished the course, so that's pretty sweet.
___________________________________________
Other than all of that stuff, I've been having an amazing time. All of my roommates are really awesome, I'm really lucky. Yesterday Amy and Elizabeth and I went to Animal Kingdom and walked around, rode Expedition Everest (our first time! I sat next to this 9-ish year-old boy who was so not phased in the least by the ride so I felt like a wimp because I (may have) screamed a few times during the ride.) It was mostly awesome for me because the last time I went was in 2000 or 2001, and so it wasn't build when I went last, but since then I've watched Travel Channel episode concerning the making of Everest and it just makes you appreciate it so much more, it's so cool to finally see it in person and actually experience it. Also while in DAK I ran in and visited Katie at Chester & Hester's :)
After DAK closed we went over to Epcot's world showcase, had nachos and churros, got our name written in Arabic for free by our new friend Mehdi (my name is كرستين.. woot!) in Morocco, and made friends with Abou and Marion in France (Marion noticed our Arabic names while we were buying stuff and asked us where we got them so she could get one later, so instead we just surprised her and went back to Mehdi and get her name in Arabic too. Hopefully it made her night a little better :) ) We also made friends with Jonathan (sp possibly, hah) who is also from France. Apparently every Sunday they all get together at the House of Blues so we're gonna crash those parties haha.
In about 20 minutes I'm going to head out to Magic Kingdom with Katie, even though I need to laundry.
It's seriously ridiculous how it's like, "Hm.. laundry, or Disney World?" All you fall CPs are going to LOVE it.
_____________
The roomies and I at the House of Blues our first night! Left to right is Ren, Me, Kate, Nicole, Elizabeth, Lene, Brittany, and Amy.
Kate, Lene, Myself, and Brittany getting ready to go to Traditions. The clothing people wore varied from very very professional (ie, business suit) to somewhat casual (nice slacks and a more sophisticated looking blouse). 
Elizabeth, Amy and I at DAK yesterday. Thanks photopass! :)
Me and the boss! :)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
I've been slacking big time, I know..
But I am so EXHAUSTED. I have tomorrow and the next day off so hopefully I'll get some much-needed rest and I'll be able to fill you guys in on all the lovely details concerning park orientation, my first day of training, and merchantainment. Sorry for slacking though, I just wanted to let y'all know that a post IS coming, I just don't have the energy to focus too long because I am mentally and physically DRAINED.
Congrats to all of you who have gotten accepted for the fall!! I am so happy for you all, you guys deserve it!!
Congrats to all of you who have gotten accepted for the fall!! I am so happy for you all, you guys deserve it!!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Check-In
Warning: I'm REALLY tired so my English is horrendous. I say "after that" and "next" to the point that it's almost unbearable, so I apologize! I'm just exhaused.
Sooooo I finally checked in today! I left Port Orange at about 5:30am in case of traffic, and I got there at about 7am. I just mainly talked to one guy in line (Maaattyy!) until my roommate Ren met up with me. We went through a line where they gave us a little nametag - this line led to a tented type area where there was a DJ who played Disney music and asked Disney trivia (I got one right and got a little post-it notepad that said "Disney College Program" on it as well as a Disney World pen.) After that they led us to fill out some papers (I honestly don't remember what exactly we were filling out right here, you fill out SO MANY papers on check-in day you won't remember what's what.) Anyway, after we filled out just a few sheets, we were led out of the tented area and into a small building where you finally get to request what apartment/amount of rooms you want - this is also where it matters who you're standing next to, as they'll likely be your future roommate. Today they were only taking Chatham and Vista so we picked Chatham, but it was between a one bedroom and a four bedroom.. so we got the latter. It sounded crazy but honestly all the girls are AWESOME, so we really lucked out.
Anyway, directly after housing assignments, we took a photo ID that will be used every time we enter Chatham or the bus system, etc.. directly after THAT, if you drove your car and have your insurance (with YOUR name on it), registration, and driver's license, then you go and get your parking decal. After this you get a little break to find your apartment, pick out a room, and maybe move in a few things (we had about an hour).
After all that you'll meet up for the bus to Casting, where you'll finally find out EXACTLY where you'll be working (I, no kidding, got Strollers at Magic Kingdom. Awesome.) After finding that out, you'll go to a little table with five or so other people and will be informed of the Disney Look - you'll also be checked to make sure you fit the Look before Traditions, so if you're a little iffy on something that might not fit the look, they'll tell you here. After that, if you didn't fill out your on-boarding paperwork (I didn't) then you'll fill it out in the next room - not really a hassle, just kind of annoying because it's a LOT of signing and reading and just takes a little while. When you finally make sure you filled out all your on-boarding paperwork correctly, you'll move forward and get your Visa, which your paycheck will automatically go onto. Here you can also ask any questions about how to receive payments (direct deposit, etc). Next you'll be directed to the next room where there will be a whole cast of, well, cast members who you'll talk to if you want to take a Disney course - if not, keep moving. At this point it gets a little foggy, to be honest, because so much happened, but basically you'll get a background check and find out when Traditions is for you and all the information you need to know. TRUST me, you will NOT be lost - they tell you absolutely everything, and if they don't, they're more than willing to answer ANY of your questions.
After I checked in and everything I went to lunch at Panera with Katie, which was a nice break from everything. After the two hour housing meeting, my seven other awesome roommates and I went to the House of Blues for dinner.
I'm still not done unpacking.. but luckily I have tomorrow off to finish. Yay. I'll talk to y'all later.
Sooooo I finally checked in today! I left Port Orange at about 5:30am in case of traffic, and I got there at about 7am. I just mainly talked to one guy in line (Maaattyy!) until my roommate Ren met up with me. We went through a line where they gave us a little nametag - this line led to a tented type area where there was a DJ who played Disney music and asked Disney trivia (I got one right and got a little post-it notepad that said "Disney College Program" on it as well as a Disney World pen.) After that they led us to fill out some papers (I honestly don't remember what exactly we were filling out right here, you fill out SO MANY papers on check-in day you won't remember what's what.) Anyway, after we filled out just a few sheets, we were led out of the tented area and into a small building where you finally get to request what apartment/amount of rooms you want - this is also where it matters who you're standing next to, as they'll likely be your future roommate. Today they were only taking Chatham and Vista so we picked Chatham, but it was between a one bedroom and a four bedroom.. so we got the latter. It sounded crazy but honestly all the girls are AWESOME, so we really lucked out.
Anyway, directly after housing assignments, we took a photo ID that will be used every time we enter Chatham or the bus system, etc.. directly after THAT, if you drove your car and have your insurance (with YOUR name on it), registration, and driver's license, then you go and get your parking decal. After this you get a little break to find your apartment, pick out a room, and maybe move in a few things (we had about an hour).
After all that you'll meet up for the bus to Casting, where you'll finally find out EXACTLY where you'll be working (I, no kidding, got Strollers at Magic Kingdom. Awesome.) After finding that out, you'll go to a little table with five or so other people and will be informed of the Disney Look - you'll also be checked to make sure you fit the Look before Traditions, so if you're a little iffy on something that might not fit the look, they'll tell you here. After that, if you didn't fill out your on-boarding paperwork (I didn't) then you'll fill it out in the next room - not really a hassle, just kind of annoying because it's a LOT of signing and reading and just takes a little while. When you finally make sure you filled out all your on-boarding paperwork correctly, you'll move forward and get your Visa, which your paycheck will automatically go onto. Here you can also ask any questions about how to receive payments (direct deposit, etc). Next you'll be directed to the next room where there will be a whole cast of, well, cast members who you'll talk to if you want to take a Disney course - if not, keep moving. At this point it gets a little foggy, to be honest, because so much happened, but basically you'll get a background check and find out when Traditions is for you and all the information you need to know. TRUST me, you will NOT be lost - they tell you absolutely everything, and if they don't, they're more than willing to answer ANY of your questions.
After I checked in and everything I went to lunch at Panera with Katie, which was a nice break from everything. After the two hour housing meeting, my seven other awesome roommates and I went to the House of Blues for dinner.
I'm still not done unpacking.. but luckily I have tomorrow off to finish. Yay. I'll talk to y'all later.
Friday, January 29, 2010
I'm in Port Orange for now :)
Hiii friends! So I left yesterday morning. I bawled to my mom the night before that I would miss her too much, and that I really did NOT want to do the CP anymore. Of course, I'd do it whether I wanted to or not because at this point it's just something that I have to do, but at that point in time it was one of the last things I wanted. Anyway, after she left the next morning, I surprisingly didn't cry (I did that night, though). I did bawl before I left, though.. I kissed my cats good by so many times I'm pretty sure I stocked them up for the whole six months.
But I left my little town near Atlanta at about 8am and got to Orlando at about 4.30pm - it was a freaking long time to drive by myself, to just be stuck inside my own crazy head for 8 hours with unchanging scenery. Anyway, once I got to Orlando I went to PF Chang's with Katie and we walked around the mall, which was awesome because: a) the mall is totally beast and puts all other malls to shame; b) I love lettuce wraps and hot & sour soup; and c) I missed Katie (I saved the best for last <3 bahahah.) Anyway, from there I went to the Daytona area to where my aunt and uncle live. Today we just hung out and watched Inside Man (which is a really good movie.. and I somehow had already seen it, though I don't know where that happened) and I met my aunt's parents and we all had dinner, and it was nice and relaxing. Tomorrow my aunt's dad is going to take me for a "tour" of Daytona, haha. It will be fun :)
Anyway, I hope all of you are doing well!! And to those of you hoping for Fall '10, good luck!! You can do it! :)
Pretty much my whole drive was this. Yeah, it was pretty awesome. Or not. At least it was sunny!
But I left my little town near Atlanta at about 8am and got to Orlando at about 4.30pm - it was a freaking long time to drive by myself, to just be stuck inside my own crazy head for 8 hours with unchanging scenery. Anyway, once I got to Orlando I went to PF Chang's with Katie and we walked around the mall, which was awesome because: a) the mall is totally beast and puts all other malls to shame; b) I love lettuce wraps and hot & sour soup; and c) I missed Katie (I saved the best for last <3 bahahah.) Anyway, from there I went to the Daytona area to where my aunt and uncle live. Today we just hung out and watched Inside Man (which is a really good movie.. and I somehow had already seen it, though I don't know where that happened) and I met my aunt's parents and we all had dinner, and it was nice and relaxing. Tomorrow my aunt's dad is going to take me for a "tour" of Daytona, haha. It will be fun :)
Anyway, I hope all of you are doing well!! And to those of you hoping for Fall '10, good luck!! You can do it! :)
Pretty much my whole drive was this. Yeah, it was pretty awesome. Or not. At least it was sunny!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
I leave tomorrow..
I have a feeling that is comparable to the feeling one gets before sky diving. I am so nervous. I'm really scared. And I'm really sad. At the same time, I know it will be worth it in the end.
I hope.
I hope.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
I had a dream Rupert Grint and I were friends. Can that be real life?
So it appears that I'm leaving on Thursday. AKA the day after tomorrow. WEIRD. Where did the time go?? Basically it's raining on Friday and my mom doesn't want me to drive down there in the rain, nor does she want me driving on a Saturday, so I'm going down Thursday; I'll be driving straight down to Orlando to have lunch with Katie at PF Changs (which will be awesome as I miss Katie loads AND I've been wanting Chinese..) and afterwards I'll drive from Orlando to the Daytona area for the rest of the weekend, where I have awesome family that I haven't seen in.. well, possibly EVER, so that will be cool.
The sad thing is that I'm REALLY going to miss my mom. A LOT. I didn't realize I'd be leaving so soon! I mean yes, you know in your head you're leaving but when the time actually comes, you're not ready. Though to be honest I don't think I'd ever really be ready so I guess it doesn't matter, but still. Oh well, I'm coming back, it's not like I'll be gone forever, so it's all okay! I just have to look at it like an adventure :) I'm determined to do an amazing job at whatever I get (even if it's strollers, which is probably will be haha) and I WILL remain positive no matter WHAT. That is my challenge to myself, and I refuse to lose to myself, because that would just be sad. (.. "I had to do it. I dared myself.")
So tonight was my last trip to the mall :( Kinda sad haha. It's totally lame but I practically live at the mall (Katie and I used to go there almost every day and just hang out) so it's almost like my second home hahah. Gosh I'm a loser.. but yeah. Anyway, I had to go to the mall because I had a reservation at the Genius Bar in the Apple store. I don't know if I ever mentioned it here but basically in July or so I had to ..redo my computer (my brain just died) due to internet connection problems - I lost my music, photos, everything. So that was all fine and good because it fixed the problem, until I realized that I didn't have the application disk (iLife) and it's just been kind of a pain in the rump (that was for Katie) without it. I dealt without it because I figured the disk would show up eventually but since I'm leaving for 7 months I decided to see if they could either hook me up with another disk or use their own disk to fix my problem. Turns out they did the latter, which was totally awesome for me because they were saying that I might just have to call Applecare and order it from them (UGH, just a pain.. yes, I complain a lot haha). ANYWAY that was my ordeal. It's been fixed. Thank you, Apple.
So.. yeah. Weird. I guess I'll be updating more but for now I've got nothing to say but that. Oh, and I haven't started packing. Oops. Hahah. My mom's taking off work tomorrow so I'm sure she'll make sure I get it all done. Woot woot. At least Thursday I get to finally find out what's on the mystery CDs, Katie! Hahah.
'Til then! & I hope you guys have been well! :)
The sad thing is that I'm REALLY going to miss my mom. A LOT. I didn't realize I'd be leaving so soon! I mean yes, you know in your head you're leaving but when the time actually comes, you're not ready. Though to be honest I don't think I'd ever really be ready so I guess it doesn't matter, but still. Oh well, I'm coming back, it's not like I'll be gone forever, so it's all okay! I just have to look at it like an adventure :) I'm determined to do an amazing job at whatever I get (even if it's strollers, which is probably will be haha) and I WILL remain positive no matter WHAT. That is my challenge to myself, and I refuse to lose to myself, because that would just be sad. (.. "I had to do it. I dared myself.")
So tonight was my last trip to the mall :( Kinda sad haha. It's totally lame but I practically live at the mall (Katie and I used to go there almost every day and just hang out) so it's almost like my second home hahah. Gosh I'm a loser.. but yeah. Anyway, I had to go to the mall because I had a reservation at the Genius Bar in the Apple store. I don't know if I ever mentioned it here but basically in July or so I had to ..redo my computer (my brain just died) due to internet connection problems - I lost my music, photos, everything. So that was all fine and good because it fixed the problem, until I realized that I didn't have the application disk (iLife) and it's just been kind of a pain in the rump (that was for Katie) without it. I dealt without it because I figured the disk would show up eventually but since I'm leaving for 7 months I decided to see if they could either hook me up with another disk or use their own disk to fix my problem. Turns out they did the latter, which was totally awesome for me because they were saying that I might just have to call Applecare and order it from them (UGH, just a pain.. yes, I complain a lot haha). ANYWAY that was my ordeal. It's been fixed. Thank you, Apple.
So.. yeah. Weird. I guess I'll be updating more but for now I've got nothing to say but that. Oh, and I haven't started packing. Oops. Hahah. My mom's taking off work tomorrow so I'm sure she'll make sure I get it all done. Woot woot. At least Thursday I get to finally find out what's on the mystery CDs, Katie! Hahah.
'Til then! & I hope you guys have been well! :)
Sunday, January 24, 2010
8 days - a week (in Beatles' land!) @Katie :)
Hello friends! I hope you've all been well :) We've had some weird weather down here in Georgia; it was spring-like for a few days before it got back to being cold and rainy (aka what I assume London weather to be like.) I hear there's crazy weather all over the place, which is just nuts.
I went for lunch yesterday with my mom at La Madeline, which was nice, as it's one of my favorite places that I never get to go to due to distance (and my mom HATES being on the freeway; it makes her too nervous, which in turn makes ME nervous.. and yeah. But she sucked it up for me this time around :) ). So that was nice.. I also had "spicy" black bean soup (yeah, not spicy.. at all) later on in the day which for some reason was really good; I forgot how much I love it, I guess. And today my mom and I went for breakfast at Einstein's.. mm. I love me some bagels. Legit.
I'm contemplating buying a new camera for this CP, just because my old one has a difficult time taking clear pictures (even in the "nonshaky" mode, or whatever it is.. yeah you guys know what I'm talking about haha.) BUT I don't know, because I don't know if I'll have enough money for it, so I might wait. We'll see, I suppose! I plan on taking pictures of my hometown before I leave because I'm lame, so maybe I'll show you guys that, as well as pictures once I leave. Because I know you all care ;) Bwahaha.
So anyway I have been going CRAZY waiting here; everyone I know who is doing the CP has, for the most part, already gone down, and they post the most fun pictures so it's really hard for me to not get excited.. Only, what? Eight more days? Yeah.. eight more days.. ahh!! EIGHT DAYS!
I went for lunch yesterday with my mom at La Madeline, which was nice, as it's one of my favorite places that I never get to go to due to distance (and my mom HATES being on the freeway; it makes her too nervous, which in turn makes ME nervous.. and yeah. But she sucked it up for me this time around :) ). So that was nice.. I also had "spicy" black bean soup (yeah, not spicy.. at all) later on in the day which for some reason was really good; I forgot how much I love it, I guess. And today my mom and I went for breakfast at Einstein's.. mm. I love me some bagels. Legit.
I'm contemplating buying a new camera for this CP, just because my old one has a difficult time taking clear pictures (even in the "nonshaky" mode, or whatever it is.. yeah you guys know what I'm talking about haha.) BUT I don't know, because I don't know if I'll have enough money for it, so I might wait. We'll see, I suppose! I plan on taking pictures of my hometown before I leave because I'm lame, so maybe I'll show you guys that, as well as pictures once I leave. Because I know you all care ;) Bwahaha.
So anyway I have been going CRAZY waiting here; everyone I know who is doing the CP has, for the most part, already gone down, and they post the most fun pictures so it's really hard for me to not get excited.. Only, what? Eight more days? Yeah.. eight more days.. ahh!! EIGHT DAYS!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
"Hey little mama, ooh, you're a stunner; hot little figure, yes you a winner.." - David Archuleta
Sooo I've still been up to nothing. I woke up this morning feeling not-so-hot. Well, actually, I was really hot.. I think I just have allergies but I was bustin' a serious sweat last night. Anyhoo..
Yesterday I had my "goodbye" meeting with Sarah and Jennifer, AKA the only two people I've made friends with in college. It was really nice, I love them and I'm going to miss them a whole heck of a lot! One thing though, talking to Sarah about classes did make me a little excited to go back to school.. though at the same time I don't think I should be in that college, to be honest. I don't know. I don't know where I'm supposed to be, or what I'm supposed to do. I think I'll just become a dental hygienist to get it over with. I don't know..
But anyway, today my mom and I went to the mall and Target.. again. Bleh. As far as I'm concerned, if I never go into Target again, I'll be okay; I feel like I've memorized every item that Target has in stock right now. BUT while we were in Old Navy, I spotted a bouncy ball dispenser and so I bought a bouncy ball.. as did my mother. We went through the mall and parking lot bouncing them, because we're secretly five years old. And cool.
I've also been playing Sims 3 because I'm a loser with no friends. (No, but really.) It wasn't even after five minutes of playing before my Sim set the oven on fire. I gots skillz.
I'm getting so antsy to go down!! I WANT TO GO DOWN! AH. Also I'm really in the mood to watch Fawlty Towers.
**Also, I don't know how many of you know this, but if your nose is stuffed, do a few push-ups, and it will clear up for a little while.. like maaagic.
Yesterday I had my "goodbye" meeting with Sarah and Jennifer, AKA the only two people I've made friends with in college. It was really nice, I love them and I'm going to miss them a whole heck of a lot! One thing though, talking to Sarah about classes did make me a little excited to go back to school.. though at the same time I don't think I should be in that college, to be honest. I don't know. I don't know where I'm supposed to be, or what I'm supposed to do. I think I'll just become a dental hygienist to get it over with. I don't know..
But anyway, today my mom and I went to the mall and Target.. again. Bleh. As far as I'm concerned, if I never go into Target again, I'll be okay; I feel like I've memorized every item that Target has in stock right now. BUT while we were in Old Navy, I spotted a bouncy ball dispenser and so I bought a bouncy ball.. as did my mother. We went through the mall and parking lot bouncing them, because we're secretly five years old. And cool.
I've also been playing Sims 3 because I'm a loser with no friends. (No, but really.) It wasn't even after five minutes of playing before my Sim set the oven on fire. I gots skillz.
I'm getting so antsy to go down!! I WANT TO GO DOWN! AH. Also I'm really in the mood to watch Fawlty Towers.
**Also, I don't know how many of you know this, but if your nose is stuffed, do a few push-ups, and it will clear up for a little while.. like maaagic.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
TWO WEEKS!
If you're wondering why I'm not posting, it's because I have literally nothing of interest to say.. I'll definitely post much more frequently once I'm in Orlando, so don't worry :) (Or do.. it depends on how you look at it, really, haha.)
So Katie left for WDW today! I hope you liked my ghetto driving CDs, Katie haha. No but really, that's so exciting.. and that means I have exactly two weeks 'til my Disney adventure begins! I think I'm ready. I'm kind of sad about leaving, but really you can only look forward :) So YAY! T-minus two weeks, and I'll make posts that people actually want to read! Bahaha.
In random news, I went to Longhorn with my mom for lunch yesterday, which was nice; I'm trying to get as much 'bonding' time as I can before I leave. We also watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (I saw it in theatres with Katie but my mom never saw it) and I forgot how much I love Harry Potter. I can't wait until the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens at Universal!! I'm sorry Disney World, but I'm totes cheating on you for Harry; it's not my fault you didn't hop on the Harry Potter train.. er, the Hogwarts Express. Yeah, you see what I did there? Haha.
No but really, I am determined to get off work for the opening. And watching the Half Blood Prince has really made me want to reread the 7th book, which my cat has recently thrown up all over (it's just paperback).. so thanks, George (Weasley). (<-Why I have no friends in real life.. or even on the internet.) (OH MY GOSH he's even a ginger cat - coincidence? ...Well, yes, actually.)
Gosh, well this was a giant nerdfest. I just wanted to let you guys know I'm alive :)
<3 always, Christine and George Weasley cat. 
So Katie left for WDW today! I hope you liked my ghetto driving CDs, Katie haha. No but really, that's so exciting.. and that means I have exactly two weeks 'til my Disney adventure begins! I think I'm ready. I'm kind of sad about leaving, but really you can only look forward :) So YAY! T-minus two weeks, and I'll make posts that people actually want to read! Bahaha.
In random news, I went to Longhorn with my mom for lunch yesterday, which was nice; I'm trying to get as much 'bonding' time as I can before I leave. We also watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (I saw it in theatres with Katie but my mom never saw it) and I forgot how much I love Harry Potter. I can't wait until the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens at Universal!! I'm sorry Disney World, but I'm totes cheating on you for Harry; it's not my fault you didn't hop on the Harry Potter train.. er, the Hogwarts Express. Yeah, you see what I did there? Haha.
No but really, I am determined to get off work for the opening. And watching the Half Blood Prince has really made me want to reread the 7th book, which my cat has recently thrown up all over (it's just paperback).. so thanks, George (Weasley). (<-Why I have no friends in real life.. or even on the internet.) (OH MY GOSH he's even a ginger cat - coincidence? ...Well, yes, actually.)
Gosh, well this was a giant nerdfest. I just wanted to let you guys know I'm alive :)
Sunday, January 10, 2010
La. Tee da. Tee da.
If I never shop again, I don't think I'd mind (that's a lie.) I have been shopping so much this weekend, it's ridiculous. I got a professional skirt because I figured that I'd need two (..-ish) 'professional' outfits. I also got a bunch of stuff I don't remember buying.. like toilet paper.. and Dawn.. and a new swimsuit.. stuff like that. I don't know. I don't remember. My brain has kind of quit haha. Shopping, though, is pretty nice, I just feel bad because my mom has to spend all this money on me and though she's more than willing (I wouldn't have gotten half the things I got if it weren't for her insistence) I still feel bad for taking her money.. hopefully I can send up some or something if I get extra hours (my "child support" for George hahaha).
Anyway.. I thought I had more to say but I guess I don't, really. As everyone else updates their blogs with information about check-in, etc, I'm getting REALLY excited. I cannot WAIT to find out my location. And even better, my mom MIGHT be able to drive down with me :) EXCITED! I hope that works out.
Also, George came over and slept on my lap earlier. I'm going to miss this.
(You can click it to view the full size, but it is HUGE.)
In other news.. you're awesome.
Anyway.. I thought I had more to say but I guess I don't, really. As everyone else updates their blogs with information about check-in, etc, I'm getting REALLY excited. I cannot WAIT to find out my location. And even better, my mom MIGHT be able to drive down with me :) EXCITED! I hope that works out.
Also, George came over and slept on my lap earlier. I'm going to miss this.
(You can click it to view the full size, but it is HUGE.)
In other news.. you're awesome.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
I wish those days could come back once more.
So apparently I'm not done CP shopping.. STILL. Hah. I have yet to get bed risers, and some other stuff that I can't remember at the moment. Bleh. It's kind of exciting though.
My mom and I walked to the mall yesterday because we're insane (we live across the street from it, so it's not like we walked terribly far or something). It was really nice, it reminded me of when she and I would walk to the grocery store back in Utah when it snowed and we didn't have a car.. and I was like five. And I wore a dress with tights, thinking the tights would keep me warm. Yeah. I was a special child, hahah. Anyway, it was nice.. good bonding time. :) I got a few clothes for the CP, woot. I also got the finalities of my business uniform, HORRAY! Oh, and the 7th Harry Potter because Waldenbooks at the Mall of Georgia is having a store closing and literally everything is 50%-70% off.. and let's get real, Harry Potter is srs bzness.
Anyway, I feel like that entire post was pretty much useless but I'm just making sure I post frequently enough so I get into the habit :) The CP feels SO CLOSE. I'm actually getting really excited - all those fears and doubts I had at the end of December seem to be slowly melting away, which is awesome. I also worked it out so I can stay with some family I have down there a day or two before check-in, so it will be cool to hang out with them.
I hope those of you in Orlando already are enjoying yourselves, and I can't wait to meet you there! (cue song)
<3
My mom and I walked to the mall yesterday because we're insane (we live across the street from it, so it's not like we walked terribly far or something). It was really nice, it reminded me of when she and I would walk to the grocery store back in Utah when it snowed and we didn't have a car.. and I was like five. And I wore a dress with tights, thinking the tights would keep me warm. Yeah. I was a special child, hahah. Anyway, it was nice.. good bonding time. :) I got a few clothes for the CP, woot. I also got the finalities of my business uniform, HORRAY! Oh, and the 7th Harry Potter because Waldenbooks at the Mall of Georgia is having a store closing and literally everything is 50%-70% off.. and let's get real, Harry Potter is srs bzness.
Anyway, I feel like that entire post was pretty much useless but I'm just making sure I post frequently enough so I get into the habit :) The CP feels SO CLOSE. I'm actually getting really excited - all those fears and doubts I had at the end of December seem to be slowly melting away, which is awesome. I also worked it out so I can stay with some family I have down there a day or two before check-in, so it will be cool to hang out with them.
I hope those of you in Orlando already are enjoying yourselves, and I can't wait to meet you there! (cue song)
<3
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Snow makes me incredibly happy.
So I did some CP shopping today - I got hygiene stuff that I'd need, and hangers, and other miscellaneous items. I also got rain boots, which I'm pretty excited about.. the sad thing is I probably won't use them until I come back from Orlando because they'd be too hot to wear and I could just wear flip-flops or sandals instead, but I'm sure I'll use them when schooltime rolls back around.. boo on long walking distances between buildings..
Nothing else is really new.. I guess I'll start picking out what clothes I want to take (I'll probably end up taking the majority of them..) I dunno, I know I wouldn't really wear many other clothes other than t-shirts, PJs, and my uniform, but still. It's nice to have options. And I'm generally a light packer so I'm not too worried about it.. I just have to get around to it haha. I'm getting so excited! Still kind of scared. But excited too.
Nothing to say other than that - oh, and that it snowed today. It probably won't stick though.. it makes me miss Utah (for those of you who don't know, which I assume will be pretty much all of you, I spent the majority of my childhood in Utah, near Salt Lake). In about two years my whole family is planning to spend Christmas together at my Aunt's house in Arizona, so I was thinking that's enough time to figure out a side trip to Utah somehow. I hope. I'd really love to visit my old hometown. And to go sledding again, even though it would be the most pathetic sledding ever because I'd probably be by myself hahah. Oh well. It'd be worth it. :)
Rant over! Haha sorry. I hope you guys have had a wonderful day, peace & loooots of love!
Nothing else is really new.. I guess I'll start picking out what clothes I want to take (I'll probably end up taking the majority of them..) I dunno, I know I wouldn't really wear many other clothes other than t-shirts, PJs, and my uniform, but still. It's nice to have options. And I'm generally a light packer so I'm not too worried about it.. I just have to get around to it haha. I'm getting so excited! Still kind of scared. But excited too.
Nothing to say other than that - oh, and that it snowed today. It probably won't stick though.. it makes me miss Utah (for those of you who don't know, which I assume will be pretty much all of you, I spent the majority of my childhood in Utah, near Salt Lake). In about two years my whole family is planning to spend Christmas together at my Aunt's house in Arizona, so I was thinking that's enough time to figure out a side trip to Utah somehow. I hope. I'd really love to visit my old hometown. And to go sledding again, even though it would be the most pathetic sledding ever because I'd probably be by myself hahah. Oh well. It'd be worth it. :)
Rant over! Haha sorry. I hope you guys have had a wonderful day, peace & loooots of love!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
And if our God is with us, then who can stand against?
Oh my gosh, I feel like I've lived months since my last blog post hahah. Sorry I wasn't able to update, I was at Passion 2010 in Atlanta this past four days and have been wiped out.. I mean aside from the fact that I didn't take my computer, because I knew I'd be wiped out haha. Anyway, Passion was AMAZING. GOD is AMAZING. If you want to check out a main session from Passion just click HERE - but just know that they're only up 24 hours after being posted so you'll have to check them out soon :) But trust me, they are worth it. And I'll copy Katie, too: click HERE to check out what God did through Passion's 22,000 college students. Amazing.
When I got back, George was scared of me.. probably because I was screaming at him how much I missed him and he hadn't seen me in four days.. but it makes me sad, because if that happens after four days, what will happen after six to seven months? :( Oh well. He's fine now and made biscuits a few minutes ago, and is now curled up underneath my covers.
I have nothing new to really post except for Passion stuff and I already did that, for the most part.. my CP starts in 30 days, according to my ticker - all of which will be cherished before I leave because as I was gone I realized all the comforts at home that I don't appreciate nearly as much as I should. I've got it good here, but I know I'll have other good things in Orlando too :)
I hope you guys have had a great weekend. And I hope it's warm where you are because it was straight up 15º the other evening. In Georgia. Madness. And to all my friends who have already gone down to Orlando and checked in, I wish you luck as you get your adventure going :) Peace & Love!
When I got back, George was scared of me.. probably because I was screaming at him how much I missed him and he hadn't seen me in four days.. but it makes me sad, because if that happens after four days, what will happen after six to seven months? :( Oh well. He's fine now and made biscuits a few minutes ago, and is now curled up underneath my covers.
I have nothing new to really post except for Passion stuff and I already did that, for the most part.. my CP starts in 30 days, according to my ticker - all of which will be cherished before I leave because as I was gone I realized all the comforts at home that I don't appreciate nearly as much as I should. I've got it good here, but I know I'll have other good things in Orlando too :)
I hope you guys have had a great weekend. And I hope it's warm where you are because it was straight up 15º the other evening. In Georgia. Madness. And to all my friends who have already gone down to Orlando and checked in, I wish you luck as you get your adventure going :) Peace & Love!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year (and decade)!
Hello friends! I finally got the background color to the right shade, though I had to do it via html (yeah it's easy but I'm also quite lazy..) so hopefully now it's not so.. you know, visually annoying.
ANYWAY. I had a really fun night bringing in the new year with Katie and Ivy: we got dressed up and played with Ivy's new Wii, drank sparkling beverages (non-alcoholic, don't worry :) ), watched the Disney Channel and then later watched the ball drop (in both the ATL and NYC. Snazzy.) Hopefully you guys had a fun (and safe!) new year's eve! I don't know about y'all but it doesn't even seem like 2009 happened; it feels like I just floated through the whole year as if it were a dream or something. Weird. And isn't it weird that it's the end of the decade? I was 10 years old when we entered y2k, that is NUTS. I basically went through my teens in the first decade of the millennium though (millennia? millennium? It's 5am, I can't think haha) though so that's pretty cool, I guess haha. Hopefully this new year/decade will bring even cooler things, though :)
Also in one day, Passion 2010 commences! I'm really excited, even moreso since I didn't know I'd be going until a day or so ago :) REALLY excited for that!
And in CP news, I have exactly one month until my CP begins. That is surreal. I'm kind of getting scared, backing out wouldn't really surprise me. But I know it will be worth it all in the end, so I'll stick to it :) And I'll get to see my online CP friends soon! Exciting!
Until then, sorry my posts are so boring! Only a few more weeks for the adventure to begin :)
PS: This is my cat George. He's my baby :) I figure it might be good to have an idea of what he looks like since I'll likely be whining about how much I miss him haha. That is, if you are able to stick with me for that long hahah.
ANYWAY. I had a really fun night bringing in the new year with Katie and Ivy: we got dressed up and played with Ivy's new Wii, drank sparkling beverages (non-alcoholic, don't worry :) ), watched the Disney Channel and then later watched the ball drop (in both the ATL and NYC. Snazzy.) Hopefully you guys had a fun (and safe!) new year's eve! I don't know about y'all but it doesn't even seem like 2009 happened; it feels like I just floated through the whole year as if it were a dream or something. Weird. And isn't it weird that it's the end of the decade? I was 10 years old when we entered y2k, that is NUTS. I basically went through my teens in the first decade of the millennium though (millennia? millennium? It's 5am, I can't think haha) though so that's pretty cool, I guess haha. Hopefully this new year/decade will bring even cooler things, though :)
Also in one day, Passion 2010 commences! I'm really excited, even moreso since I didn't know I'd be going until a day or so ago :) REALLY excited for that!
And in CP news, I have exactly one month until my CP begins. That is surreal. I'm kind of getting scared, backing out wouldn't really surprise me. But I know it will be worth it all in the end, so I'll stick to it :) And I'll get to see my online CP friends soon! Exciting!
Until then, sorry my posts are so boring! Only a few more weeks for the adventure to begin :)
PS: This is my cat George. He's my baby :) I figure it might be good to have an idea of what he looks like since I'll likely be whining about how much I miss him haha. That is, if you are able to stick with me for that long hahah.
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