Saturday, January 30, 2010

Please read this.

So I was just reading Marina's blog, and she posted the best new thing last Tuesday. Just please read it and you'll understand exactly why I want to work at Disney.

http://marinawdwcp.blogspot.com/2010/01/cute-moments.html

Friday, January 29, 2010

An email I have been waiting for.

So, I finally got the 'thanks for interviewing' email. I heard that the system was really messed up lately, so that's probably why it took a whole week to get it. I am really happy! For the spring, it seems like a LOT of people got accepted about 8 days after their interview. That would be tomorrow (Saturday) for me, but maybe I'll hear something on Monday?

I won't get my hopes up, but that would be amazingggg!

Sorry I haven't written as much this week, but there is honestly nothing to talk about. If all of us get in and get to pick the June date, then I could be rooming with Abby, Lyanne, Sara, and Tracie! So we need one more person for a 3 bedroom in Chatham. If only Laura was wellness!

I'm not sure how each room with work out, but I guess we can decide that after the purple emails come?

Not much else happening. Uhmm, the chats have been awesome. I'm really lucky to have met all these awesome people before getting there. :)

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Disney Dining

So this will probably be an on going series into one of the things I know best about Disney -- their restaurants. In this first post I will feature one of my favorite meals at Coral Reef.

This last September my family and I went to WDW for 10 days, and we made ADRs (advanced dining reservations) at a couple new places. Coral Reef being one of them. You have to understand that CR gets a lot of mixed reviews, and is in my opinion, very underrated. The interior is just spectacular, basically you're dining in front of this massive ceiling to floor aquarium.




I really cannot describe it in words or pictures, you MUST see it for yourself.

They brought out some bread, and seriously, Disney has the BEST butter I have ever tasted.




We started off with an appetizer, and I got the mixed greens salad. It had apples, tomatoes, mixed greens, and a flavorful creamy blue cheese dressing. I am not a fan of blue cheese or it's dressing, so this was definitely a risk. You can also get key lime viniagrette on it, and I'm sure that would be delicious. The salad was magnificent, and a great starter.




During this trip I got pretty sick with some kind of cold that made my throat really hurt. I had planned on ordering the blackened catfish, but I thought the spiciness might be too rough for my throat. So I settled on the grilled mahi mahi. It's served cashew jasmine rice and topped with a pineapple chutney. Mahi Mahi is a very firm fish that's great for people who don't really like seafood, since it's not 'fishy' at all.




The real star of the meal though, in my opinion, was what my mom ordered. She wanted the blackened catfish, but since she's not a catfish fan, she subbed tilapia for it.It comes with pepperjack cheese grits. This was the first time I had ever tasted grits, and they're actually very yummy. This whole combo was absolutely wonderful, and I crave it all the time.




Dessert can only be described by 'ahhhh-mazing'. Maple creme brulee -- that's all there is to say.




I will definitely be wanting to return to Coral Reef on the college program, and I hope I just helped some of you decide to join me! Lol.

I may do some more of these when I'm bored of some of my favorite restaurants and snacks. Should I or shouldn't I? What do you guys think?

Saturday, January 23, 2010

I'm so glad my interview is over...

I was really really lucky to be able to get a Friday interview (that didn't get postponed), so thank you Disney! I'm just glad it's all over. In 3 days. I've been waiting for this for years, and now it all happened in 3 days. Wow.

Well, all that I can control has happened. Now it's up to them to decide if I'm a good fit for Disney, and if so, what role I should get.

Let me say this again, this whole thing is so surreal! It happened so fast for me. But now I'm glad I can be there to help all of my fellow fall-APPLICANTS (thank you for that one Abby's vlog). I just hope that my blog can be a comfort. People should see how nervous and worried I was before, but my interview went great. So for ME to say that the interview is nothing to worry about...that's saying something right? Hopefully!

So don't worry! Just be prepared for any and all questions she may ask. Smile. Laugh. Make it fun!

Fun fact: I started full on staring at my phone at 2:25, and I did it for a good 10 minutes until she called. I want this so bad! :)

Now all I have to do is to start waiting...again. I waited seriously for this since last April, so 3-4 weeks is nothin'. Except that now I'm actually waiting to see if I was accepted or rejected...which is worse.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Just got off the phone!

Hey guys, I just got off the phone from my interview. I think it went great!

My interviewer, Linda, called at about 2:35. She said she was sorry she was a little late, but the day had been really nuts.

- We basically reviewed my application. She made sure everything was correct on it.
- She asked if I was okay making about $7.25 an hour.
- Then she reviewed the Disney Look and asked me if I had any tattoos, a natural hair color, or extra piercings.
- Then the infamous "why do you want to work for Disney?"
- Part of my answer talked about being able to learn from such a well respected company, so she asked me what I thought I would learn.
- Then she asked if I had ever lived away from home.
- What would you do if a roommate was messy, but you were really clean?
- She told me they have 5 or 7 month programs, and which one would I prefer?
- Then she asked me about past experience, and what my duties were at those jobs.
- She asked me which past job I liked better. I wasn't expecting that so my answer was a little wordy.
- Then we reviewed my role checklist, and she asked me what 4-5 roles I was most excited about and/or qualified for. (All that worrying over picking #3 for nothing!) Also, as she said 'FSFB' she asked if I was willing to do QFSB or just stick with full service.
- She asked me how I was experience for hospitality.
- Then she asked me what I thought some of the duties of hospitality were. I flubbed this a little.
- She also asked me if I preferred working in a park or resort, and what my favourite park and resort is.
- She told me that a lot of the roles require cash handling, and what experience did I have with that.
- Then she asked me if I were working a role like main entrance ops or hospitality, what would I do to make each guest feel special.

Then she mentioned about how selective hospitality and concierge were, but I have a good chance just the same. Linda said that the computers had been messing up all day, and she was really short staffed so unfortunately she would have to end the interview earlier than usual. She said quite a few times actually that I had a really really good chance of getting in, especially since I checked so many roles off. I will hear back in 3 to 4 weeks!

I think it went pretty well. I wish I had gotten to talk to her longer (the interview only last 15-20 minutes) because I wanted to stress about how much I love people, guest service, and public speaking. I'll probably dissect it into a million peices now and go crazy, but right now I think it went good.

And now the waiting starts again!

ETA: I wanted to say it here first. My family has worked it out, so they will be able to visit me. Which officially means I am doing fall advantage! Which is what I told Linda. I hope you're happy Abby. ;)

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Worry and nerves.

Wow! I still can't believe it. I've watched so many other groups (fall '09, spring '10, etc) go through this process, so you think I'd be a pro at it. But it's weird now that it's actually ME! 'Surreal' doesn't even begin to describe it.

So I woke up this morning around 7, and that gave me just enough time to eat some cereal and check facebook before I called at exactly 7:30 my time. It sounded like maybe she had just sat down or something, because she had to take a minute for her computer to turn on. Anyway, we reviewed all my info, and when I told her my middle name was 'M', she said "like Mickey Mouse". Adorable! I didn't even think of it that way. But at the time I called Friday was wide open, so I must've been one of the first to call! How awesome. Anyway, I scheduled it for 2:30 CT.

I AM SO NERVOUS. It's so quick, which I thought would be a good thing, but now I'm wondering if I should've had more time to prepare. I feel prepared for all the potential questions I've seen, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to put recreation or concierge as my #3 pick & I haven't heard any interview questions for them.

Right now my mom is drilling me on random questions she has come up with, and man are they tough! She should definitely be in Disney's HR department!

I've come up with a prep-type list:

1. Review your notes. I have a couple word documents full of potential questions and my notes, and I'm practicing answering each question aloud.

2. Don't eat anything right beforehand. When I get nervous my stomach starts to hurt and do all kinds of flip flops. If I haven't eaten right before, there's less of a chance of it happening.

3. Wear comfy clothes, but sit at a table or desk of some sort. If you're sitting in an actual chair with a flat surface in front of you, it will seem more like an interview. Therefore, you'll sit up straighter and act more professional. But wear sweats or PJs so you'll make it more of a conversation and comfortable. If that makes any sense.

4. Have your notes, e-presentation code, application, and role checklist in front of you.

5. Have some water nearby. My mouth sometimes dries up or my throat gets all scratchy when I'm nervous.

That's all I've got so far. Remember, this list is for ME. These are my suggestions for myself, but I thought they may help someone out there.

GOOD LUCK! Especially to Molly F. and those other kids who have interviews before me. Come into the chat, so we can worry together! :)

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

So this is what it feels like when your dream starts to come true...

APPLICATIONS ARE UP! It's actually happening. I applied for real this time. I am so HAPPY!

I don't even know where to begin, I have to try and organize my thoughts.

Okay, first of all, it's been a wonderful day. I woke up and it was 70 degrees (much better than the 20 degree days we've been having) and beautiful outside. Pretty much the first thing I did after getting cereal was to check the CP website. No go. People had already been on since like 5 am and constantly refreshing the page.

I went to classes and kept my laptop on and the CP website in a tab & I refreshed a ton. I even daytime chatted (it was so odd!) with a few people in my psychology class. I was so antsy!

I got home and read that Kristin had gotten information from her recruiter that 'recruiting' wouldn't start until Feb. 8th, so my hopes were pretty much gone. I turned off my laptop and went off to do something else.

Then at around 4 I decided to check it at least once more, and it was still a no go. So I popped into FB and there was so many exclamation marks and capital letters everywhere. Needless to say I was confused. So I checked it again, and after some searching I found it! I hadn't envisioned it happening this way at all, lol. I wanted to hurry up and watch the e-presentation just in case Disney changed their mind and pulled it off! Lol.

I basically fast forwarded through most of it while I chatted with others who were doing the same. The FB page had SO MANY new wall posts from people I've never really talked to or seen before, it was strange! Sometimes I forget that there will be lots of new people join. I got used to our little bubble, haha. But I welcome everyone!

I applied and everything went fine. This is seriously the easiest job application ever people. No references, no phone numbers or email addresses for past employers, it was so easy. The web interview was equally as easy. I honestly don't understand how anyone could fail it, but I know some people have. I feel so so sorry for them! I guess I'm just lucky. Just follow the tips that everyone gives you (be consistent, answer strongly, be yourself) and your good as gold.

It funny how scarily true most of it was for me. I'm positive, a leader, I take the initiative, I keep cool when other people are angry, and I love guest service. I didn't have to 'stretch the truth' once!

The phone interview thing was closed by the time I called (WHY DO YOU DO THAT TO ME, DISNEY!?), but I'll be calling bright and early tomorrow morning. I actually hope they'll have an interview available for tomorrow afternoon. I'd rather do it as soon as possible so I don't have time to worry about it. Which I do a lot. Worry, that is.

So it's here. My dreams are finally in my reach. This is happening. Someone pinch me, please.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Quick post.

Hey guys! I've had a great weekend, and right now I'm trying to finish up a paper in english, so this is going to be a short one.

First of all, I hope check in went well for all of you guys today! I can't wait to hear about it on Katie's blog. :)

Also, a spring-er said that Disney told them the CP website was down for updating. Updating. THIS MAY BE A GOOD SIGN! I hope sooooo, oh I hope so. Please please please let it be! Even if it's just the presentation schedule, or the e-presentation they put up and not the apps, at least we will be moving forward.

And, I want to EAT at Disney. I absolutely cannot wait to try all the restaurants and amazing looking food that I haven't tried yet, and indulge in the favourites I already have. This spawned from looking at food porn on the DIS, and if you know what that is then you are an incredibly awesome person. :) I will talk more on all of this later, but I just wanted to mention it. I think I'll do a whole 'informative' post on Disney dining; I'm pretty much an expert.

Okay, I have to keep writing because this essay is due on Wednesday and I just started. Good thing it's only 500 words. :) Keep your fingers and toes crossed for SOMETHING coming out tomorrow or Wednesday!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Happy weekend!

I have a pretty busy weekend planned, but I wanted to do a short post of some things before I forgot. This is kind of a combination of twists on ideas I've heard. Basically it's having to do with the first couple days at Disney, so it's a bit too soon, but I absolutely wanted to write it down somewhere so I didn't forget it. And I thought you guys might find it interesting, so what better place to write it down than here?

First, it's something I have completely blanked on and not thought about at all. Which is weird, because I've thought about every little process and every little thing that will possibly happen to me before I get to Orlando and when I'm there. Anyway, there was a thread on the DIS about check-in, and someone casually mentioned to make sure you eat before you go to check-in. WHAT!? I'm supposed to do something besides jumping out of bed, dancing around the room, and getting a taxi to Vista!? I had completely overlooked this...

...but it makes sense. You will likely be spending most of the day at check-in, casting, and housing meetings with little time in between to even breathe, let alone eat! So it may be who knows when before you get a chance to actually go find something to eat. So, now I'm penciling it into my plans to eat a nice breakfast before I leave for Vista. I plan on staying at Pop Century, so it's a good thing resort food courts open early. Unless someone else has any better plans? I know some people in the spring group were planning to meet up with their roommates to eat breakfast before check-in, and that sounds like a nice idea.

I just wanted to put this in writing somewhere so I won't forget it!

The next one spawned from reading Ashlie's blog. She posted a grocery list (I'm not sure if it was stuff to buy before she left, or stuff to buy when she got there). But anyway, it sounded like a fantastic idea! I'm sure in the hussle and bussle of the first couple days my brain will be fried. So when the bus (or a fantastic friend with a car) takes me to Walmart or Publix I probably wouldn't know where to start. There are so many little things we overlook (salt, pepper, other spices, condiments, etc) that I probably wouldn't remember to buy the first time I was at the store. And since I don't have a car, I don't want to keep bussing it back and forth to pick stuff up.

SO, I need to make a small list of things I KNOW I need. Of course I'll want to spend some time browsing the store to see what looks good, but there are a few staples of my diet. Sometime between now and the time I leave, I need to make this list. Besides, I'm a very organized person, and lists make me feel happy and comfortable. I also want to make some kind of plan once I'm there and settled about how often I'll need to go to grocery shopping.

I really can't wait to get accepted. I want to find a roommate and plan all of this stuff with her! Hopefully it will be someone as slightly neurotic as me. :) Also, once I get accepted it won't be as weird that I'm talking about every single thing in great detail, lol.

I also want to make a promise to you, my 23 dedicated (lol) readers -- I promise to at least post the beginning of my time in Florida in as much detail as I can. I know I love reading very detailed posts about the check-in, traditions, and training processes. Kind of how everyone is getting settled in. I also promise to post whenever something GOOD happens, and not just when bad things happen.

Of course, my plan is to update this blog as much as I can, but if that's not possible, I at least promise to do the above. I hope this blog can be helpful to all those hoping to apply for spring 2011 and on, plus be interesting to my fellow fall 2010-ers.

Well, I've got to go for now! But maybe I'll be able to peek into the chat tonight for a while. :)

Thursday, January 14, 2010

I am officially over my moment of doubt.

First, in non-Disney news. How unfair is it when a girl from Belgium and a chick born in Paris take french 1? They speak perfect french. They're just taking the class for an easy A. Both of them are so sweet and I love them, but they're makin' me look bad! Also, french speakers make this weird hacking noise when they pronounce their Rs, and my professor actually told us to practice hacking and coughing, and eventually pronouncing them like that would seem more normal. I doubt it. She also made us sing a song together today, and now I have it stuck in my head. Am I really in college, or is it just kindergarten in disguise?

Also, many of you know that during our 2 hours together we change classrooms, purely so we can be in a computer lab for half of it. I discovered that the computer lab she put us in is in the oldest building on campus, and the computers are giant white boxes from 1997. So, we all have to walk completely across campus just to have the priveledge of using WINDOWS 95. I am not joking.

Who's excited for the 3 day weekend!? Thank you Martin Luther King Jr! (For so many things, but mostly for being so amazing that they made a holiday after you, lol) ;)

Now, for the good stuff. Who thinks it's possible that applications may come out tomorrow? My insane, Disney obsessed mind has made it plausible to me. Apparently, last year they came out on a Friday. And someone talked to a Disney rep who said the apps would be out mid-January. So...Friday, January 15th!? Maybe!? Probably not? Just to be safe, I will be constantly refreshing the CP website tomorrow. You should too.

Abby posted this awesome link on the FB group. It's where this girl who was 'friends with' Alice tells a bunch of stories and basically explains what it was like and answers questions. Some of the stories on there made my heart absolutely melt and my eyes fill with tears. Read it, and you'll know exactly why I want to work for Disney.

OH, and to continue my Disneymoviewatchingextravaganza, I will be viewing The Aristrocats tonight. :)

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I have so many decisions to make.

*Revised this post so it has more coherency and sounds less like a sad 13 year old wrote it*

So, I have found out that my parents may not be able to visit me on the program. This has spawned me questioning and doubting what little I was sure of about the program. You may not understand where I'm coming from, but I'm really close to my mom especially.

Since last night I've had time to think about it, and I'm feeling much less frazzled. I'm definitely still doing the program, duh. I don't know why I ever said I might not. I'm still debating between fall and fall advantage though. Would it be selfish to still want FA? For me, this is a once in a lifetime thing. I'm not going to extend, I'm not going to do the program again. Mainly because I know it doesn't really tie into the career I want right away. So being away from home and not seeing my family and friends for 7 months will be tough on them and me, but...it's not like it's going to be happening very often. You know what I mean?

Like when I grow up and move out I won't be far from home. You get it? There's no other reasons in my future to go 7 months without seeing my family.

And it's not like I'll be alone, or even alone in being homesick. Everyone will get homesick every once in a while.

On John Henselmeier's vlog, he mentioned that when you get homesick, you just need to surround yourself with your d-fam. Well, I think I'm already meeting people who are going to make a great future d-fam!

So, thanks everyone for commenting! (Lol Abby, I love your honesty.) Is the fact that I'll go insane waiting for August a good reason to do fall advantage? ;)

Bye!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Bonjour.

Helllllo. It's officially killing me to see everyone already training, checking in, or getting ready to leave! I want to be youuu!

In other news, my first french class was today. It was really fun! You honestly don't know what it sounds like when a person from Lyon speaks english (like their accent) until you've heard it! It is the funniest thing, lol. The class is kind of an interesting mix. We have one chick from Belgium, one from France, one from England, and one was Russia. I know two of them are taking the class for an easy A. But anyway, everyone seems really fun and talkative, and there's a John Henselmeier look alike.

...YES! You heard my right. He's pretty awesome.

Anyway, I can now participate in the following conversation in french!

Salut!
Bonjour!
Comment tu t'appelles?
Je m'appelle Jennifer, et toi?
Je m'appelle Jane Doe. Comment ca va?
Ca va tres bien! Ca va?
Ca va comme ci, comme ca. Enchante! 
Enchante! Je viens de Fort Smith, AR, et toi?
Je viens de Orlando, FL.
Au revoir Jennifer!
A bientot!

So, at Disney I could hypothetically ask a french speaker what their name is, how they are, and where they are from...but that's not really going to get me anywhere! Lol.

I'm wondering when exactly the apps will go out? Like at midnight the day of, or some random time? It would really calm my nerves if I knew the time at least.

At times, I'm rethinking doing fall advantage. I don't know. I mean, I'm so absolutely close to my parents and I've never really been away from home for a long period of time. And it's going to be rough on my mom especially. I know it's dorky, but we're so close. I call her every time something fun, interesting, or important happens during the day. So I'll still be able to do that, but I won't get to see her that much. But she's thinking of visiting in July maybe.

We have a big family trip planned in September, with my aunt, uncle, cousins, etc. So even if I don't get in, I know we're doing that. So I'll get to see them for 10 days - 2 weeks then. I'm going to hopefully ask off for as much of that as possible. Then I think my mom is wanting to bring my dad to see the holidays at Disney, so maybe around November?

It's not like I'll never see them, but it will be tough. And my pets! I have 2 cats and 2 dogs that I absolutely adore. I won't see them at all. FOR SEVEN WHOLE MONTHS. What if they don't remember me when I get back? :(

It's a bad time to start getting all indecisive, especially with apps right around the corner. I need to stop holding things off and actually firmly DECIDE.

American Idol comes on tonight! It's one of the only shows my mom actually watches, so we make sure to watch it as a family. I'm still kind of sad about Danny Gokey's loss last year, but uhm, go Kris Allen! From Arkansas! Haha.

OH, before I go I wanted to tell you the funniest dream I had. My alarm (phone) is set to that song remix by...someone that starts with the infamous 'All who come to this happy place, welcome'. Well, after I shut it off (at 6 freaking AM) I fell back asleep and had a strangeee dream. I was there, on the opening day of Disneyland. I was standing behind Walt (as a castmember) and I watched him talk about how much DLR meant to him. Then I kind of whooshed by, and I was in the middle of the day running around frazzled trying to get everything fixed. I guess I was a manager of some sort? Anyway, the plumbing was broken (which is true of the opening day at DLR, I believe) and all the castmembers were going crazy because of the busy crowds.

Then I woke up just as I had discovered the plumbing problem, haha. So, that was a weird start to my morning.

Have a good night everyone. :)

Monday, January 11, 2010

First day of classes.

Hey kids, today was my first day of classes. I know it's not Disney related, and I'll try not to talk about it too much in my blog, but I just thought it might interest you guys, and help you learn a little more about me.

My intro to philosophy class opened up last night (it's online) so I kind of skimmed the site. There are NO TESTS, NO PAPERS, and NO BIG PROJECTS! We have a quiz each week -- only 10 questions and he urges us to use our notes. The quizzes are basically over his powerpoints, online lectures, and excerpts from different books he wants us to read. One book I bought for the class is called 'The Philosophy Gym'. It's 25 short adventures in thinking. Basically, each chapter is dedicated to a big, perplexing question like 'why are we here?', 'do other people have minds?', 'do aliens exist?', etc. This is soooo up my alley.

The only other things we have to do is answer two essay questions (about 500 word minimum, so no biggie), write on the message board (he posts a topic each week, and we basically have to share our opinion and talk with our classmates), and a creative project for the final (basically, he wants us to make something creative like a painting, blog, video, informal essay, etc about one of the philisophical topics we discussed.) And I love philosophy. I mean, I've been having philisophical debates with my mom for years, lol.

Uhm, I had my comp. II class today. It's the same professor from my comp. I, so I know how she works. And she really likes how I write (she's the one begging me to change my major to english). We have three big essays, but one is primarily photographic, and the other is a group one with a presentation. I have a love/hate relationship with group work. I love how it gets more ideas flowing, because sometimes I have serious writer's block. But I hate how I always end up doing most of the work. I'm a perfectionist and a control freak, and this doesn't bode well with group stuff. Usually, other people want to slack off til the last second, but I just can't do that. I have to revisereviserevise and make it perfect. BUT, she said she would make sure the groups were balanced.

Also, all the comp. II classes are required to teach this book True Grit. It's pretty much the only thing my city's name is ever mentioned in. It was written in '68, and they made a John Wayne movie about it in '69. But now THE Coen Brothers and Paramount Pictures are out to make it a major motion picture (rumored to include Matt Damon) and so my university is alllll proud. Lol. It's apparently based in my town and area, and right now they're actually recruiting extra and auditioning parts for the main lead (they want an unknown actress to play Maddie). Anyway, that's exciting.

Then I'm taking developmental psychology at noon. Again, I know the professor well, and it seems her class is going to be pretty much the same as I remember it. Tests only over one chapter at a time (which I adore), lots of easy homework stuff to boost your grade, no big papers, she doesn't take attendance, she's funny and laid-back. Pretty much everyone loves her. She's the one I was trying to get an internship with.

My french I class isn't until tomorrow (it's a tuesday/thursday class), but I don't expect anything huge from that. Maybe a project? Probably no big papers. My friends say great things about the professor, so I'm not entirely worried about it.

I am sooooo thrilled with my classes. I was so afraid I'd be bogged down this semester with papers, projects, big tests, AND college program stress that I'd go absolutely insane. But this doesn't seem like the case.

Haha, I already have homework in comp. II, but it's no big deal. I have to write a one page paper about my name. What is it's origins, are you named after someone, do you like it, any funny nicknames, etc? It's actually for her, so she'll remember our names better. I love this professor. She's very outside the box. I mean, in comp. I we focused more on studying pop culture than we did on writing!

So Au Revoir guys! I'll try to make the next post more Disney-centric, and less Jennifer-centric. Haha.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

I can't help myself...

...from writing in this blog! It's a way to get all the stuff in my head about Disney OUT. I know this really isn't about the college program, but it's about my journey. After all, isn't that what my blog is about?

To start it off, I'd like to tell you about a little tradition I have. Before any time my family takes a vacation to The World, me and my dad have a Disney movie marathon. We basically watch every Disney movie we have. This takes weeks and weeks, but it's a great way to control and build up your excitement at the same time! Anyway, it's incredibly fun.

So, as you could tell by my last couple posts, I have been in a ridiculous Disney mood lately. And that always means I'll be watching Disney movies. Anyway, I kind of decided that I'd start my own little Disney movie marathon before I leave on the biggest of all of my trips to WDW. Even if I don't get in, this will be a great way to pass the time.

(Sorry, this is a multi-component story) After making this conclusion, I turned on my laptop to check my email/facebook/etc, and I stumbled on Emily's blog. She had this great little checklist of 100+ Disney movies on it. It's one of those where you make an X if you've watched it, but it's even more awesome than that. Just watch and see!

[ X ] Seen it \ [ _ ] Haven't finished.

TOP 3, 5, or 10 FAVORITES \ OWN IT \ NOT A FAN

ANIMATED CLASSICS, SEQUELS, & SPIN-OFFS

[ X ] Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
[ X ] Pinocchio (1940)
[ X ] Fantasia (1940)
[ X ] Dumbo (1941)
[ X ] Bambi (1942)
[ X ] Bambi II (2006)
[ X ] Cinderella (1950)
[ X ] Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002)*
[ X ] Cinderella III: a Twist in Time (2007)*
[ X ] Alice in Wonderland (1951)
[ X ] Peter Pan (1953)
[ X ] Return to Never Land (2002)
[_] Tinker Bell (2008)*
[] Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (2009)*
[] Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010)*
[] Tinker Bell: A Winter Story (2011)*
[ X ] Lady & the Tramp (1955)
[ X ] Lady & the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001)*
[ X ] Sleeping Beauty (1959)
[ X ] 101 Dalmations (1961)
[ ] 101 Dalmations II: Patch's London Adventure (2003)*
[ X ] the Sword in the Stone (1961)
[ X ] the Jungle Book (1967)
[] the Jungle Book 2 (2003)
[ X ] the Aristocats (1970)
[ X ] Robin Hood (1973)
[ X ] the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
[] Pooh's Grand Adventure: the Search for Christopher Robin (1997)*
[] Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving (1999)*
[ X ] the Tigger Movie (2000)
[] Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002)*
[ X ] Piglet's Big Movie (2003)
[] Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004)*
[] Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005)
[] Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005)*
[ X ] the Rescuers (1977)
[ X ] the Rescuers Down Under (1990)
[ X ] the Fox & the Hound (1981)
[] the Fox & the Hound 2 (2006)*
[_] the Black Cauldron (1985)
[ X ] the Great Mouse Detective (1986)
[ X ] Oliver & Company (1988)
[ X ] the Little Mermaid (1989)
[ X ] the Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)*
[] the Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008)
[ X ] Beauty & the Beast (1991)
[] Belle's Magical World (1998)*
[ X ] Aladdin (1992)
[ X ] the Return of Jafar (1994)*
[ X ] Aladdin & the King of Theives (1996)*
[ X ] the Lion King (1994)
[ X ] the Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998)*
[ X ] the Lion King 1 1/2 (2004)
[ X ] Pocahontas (1995)
[] Pochahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998)*
[ X ] the Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
[] the Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002)*
[ X ] Hercules (1997)
[ X ] Mulan (1998)
[ X ] Mulan II (2005)*
[ X ] Tarzan (1999)
[] Tarzan & Jane (2002)*
[] Tarzan II (2005)
[ X ] Fantasia 2000 (2000)
[ X ] Dinosaur (2000)
[ X ] the Emperor's New Groove (2000)
[] Kronk's New Groove*
[ X ] Atlantis: the Lost Empire (2001)
[] Atlantis: Milo's Return (2003)*
[ X ] Lilo & Sitch (2002)
[_] Stitch! The Movie (2003)*
[ X ] Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch has a Glitch (2005)*
[_] Leroy & Stitch (2006)
[] Treasure Planet (2002)
[_] Brother Bear (2003)
[] Brother Bear 2 (2006)*
[ X ] Home on the Range (2004)
[ X ] Chicken Little (2005)
[ X ] Meet the Robinsons (2007)
[] Bolt (2008)
[] the Princess & the Frog (2009)
[] Rapunzel (2010)
[] King of the Elves (2012)

* Straight to video release.

OTHER ANIMATED DISNEY FEATURES (TOON DISNEY STUDIOS)

[ ] DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990)
[ X ] A Goofy Movie (1995)
[ X ] An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000)
[ X ] Doug's 1st Movie (1999)
[ ] Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999)*
[ X ] Recess: School's Out (2001)
[ X ] Teacher's Pet (2004)
[] Mickey, Donald, Goofy: the Three Musketeers (2004)*
[] Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (2004)*
[ ] Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams (2007)*



PIXAR / DISNEY-PIXAR

[ X ] Toy Story (1995)
[ X ] Toy Story 2 (1999)
[] Toy Story 3 (2010)
[ X ] A Bug's Life (1998)
[ X ] Monster's Inc (2001)
[ X ] Finding Nemo (2003)
[ X ] the Incredibles (2004)
[ X ] Cars (2006)
[ X ] Ratatouille (2007)
[ X ] WALL-E (2008)
[ X ] UP (2009)

*Theatrical release through Disney in America

And that's just the animated stuff!

Anyway, I thought this would be a pretty good list to go by as I'm doin' my movie marathon. Thanks Emily!

- In real life, non Disney news (what, there is such a thing?) I bought my books yesterday and have been skimming through them. I think this will be an interesting semester! Which is a good thing, because I have been dreadingggg it. I figured the CP stuff would be much more exciting, but I think I'm going to love my classes!

Have a good weekend, kiddos. :)

Friday, January 8, 2010

This is a post of nothingness.

BUT I'M SO EXCITEDDDDD! It just hit me full on how over the top excited I am. It's the kind of excitement that is making me want to type everything in CAPITAL LETTERS AND INCLUDE A LOT OF EXCLAMATION MARKS!

No, nothing happened. Applications didn't come out or anything mind blowing like that. I just had a rush of happiness.

I was thinking last night as I was laying in bed about Splash Mountain. About being on that last big dip and seeing the breathtaking view of the castle ahead of you, and the Briar Patch below you. Of the sudden rush of adrenaline that pumps through your veins as you head down at a sharp angle. Of singing "How Do Ya Do" along with all the Brer animals. Of really rooting for Brer Rabbit to outsmart the bad guys, and laughing and feeling triumphant when he does.

Just, I want to be on that ride so badly. I'm actually watching a youtube video of it RIGHT NOW. 'Laughin' place, ha ha ha...' Oh my gosh I want to be surrounded by that magic.

I want to be on my other favourites too, like Haunted Mansion, Carousel of Progress, or the Great Movie Ride. I want to have that feeling I get only when I'm at Walt Disney World.

I swear to you on this blog right now, if I EVER get sick of the parks, please hit me over the head with a refrigerator. Better yet, make me leave. It wouldn't be worth it anymore if I stopped loving Disney.

Speaking of that, my love of Disney is through the rooooooooof right now. I have so much more to say, but I do have to stretch this blog out with nonsense before apps come out, so I will stop here.

This was basically just a quick post I want to do of some of the thoughts rambling through my head right now. ALSO, I found this amazing blog (that I'm sure Abby is in love with) called Fuck Yeah Face Characters. Find it, read it. It kept me occupied for an amount of time I'm embarassed to share with you, lol.

Until next time!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

DLRCP and other related, but not, things.

So I just realized that I know pretty much everything there is to know about the Walt Disney World College Program. At least all the things I can learn about it from the outside. I'm getting bored. The spring people really haven't updated their vlogs with anything interesting yet about how check in went, and it just seems like everything it moving reallyyyy slow.

I decided to check out Disneyland's CP. I know really nothing about it, so it's like a little adventure. The first thing I saw is that their site says the fall apps will be out in FEBRUARY. So that really dashes any hope I had of them coming out on January 20th, especially after someone contacted Disney and they said Feb. as well. I'm trying to be realistic, because it would be really awful for me to get superrrr excited about Jan. 20th, and it come & go with no apps. SO, I am now set on Feb. Lost also premieres on Feb. 2, so I am thinking that may be a really really good day. I have a good feeling about it, but how many times have you heard that on one of these blogs?

Anyway, I've been to DLR, but I was merely a toddler. It's basically where my mom grew up, because she was born & raised not too far from Anaheim. I have always, always wanted to visit it. Walt walked there! He opened it, spoke about it, and saw it out all the way. That absolutely feels my heart with magic at the thought of walking into Disneyland. It's the original! I don't know when I'll be able to vacation there. Possibly after my CP? My mom can't wait to go back!

And that makes me think of other true Disney classics, like Cinderella. Now, as you can see by my blog title, I love Sleeping Beauty, but...Cinderella is the first Disney movie I remember. 'A Wish is a Dream your Heart Makes' is absolutely my favourite Disney song. Cinderella is so...undeniably Disney. (At least their version of it, yes I know Cindy's story was around long before then.)

Anywho, I thought I'd update you guys on what was going on with me, so there it is. Classes start back on Monday (booooo), so tomorrow I'm going to buy my textbooks. Nothing really to say, other than...

I'm going to watch Cinderella and eat some popcorn. You should do the same. See ya! :)

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

First vlog is up!



Anyway, like I said in the vlog, please comment and tell me what kind of impressions you got from my 10 random things, haha.

(By the way, GMR won in my blog poll with 52% of the vote! Vote on my new one, please. :))

Saturday, January 2, 2010

It's 2010 everyone!

I love that it is finally 2010. A couple days ago I felt like I was at the end of something -- 2009. It was a great year, but I hate that feeling. The feeling of something ending.

But the great thing about being in January is, it's the BEGINNING of something! Something new, exciting, and potentially life changing. Applications haven't gone out, I haven't interviewed, I haven't been accepted, but the potential is all there. It hasn't been scarred with stress, worry, or bad experiences yet. It's a baby.

Okay, I'm done with that. Now to the actual CP news.

We've kind of started dabbling in all the fun planning things. Kris made a mock up for a CP t-shirt, which I really think is the best one yet. It's simple, and has that 'less is more' attitude. Don't get me wrong, I think all the past ones are great, but our potential one is super. Go check them out on the facebook page if you haven't seen them yet. I believe he said he was going to call Disney on Monday (?) to ask them if it would be okay to use the font and some other stuff. We'll have to see what happens with that. And I believe Abby and a few others are going to design one too, and maybe we'll do like a vote?

Somebody also started a thread on the FB page about a pre check in dinner. People are just kind of putting their ideas out there, and we're talking it over. I've heard some former CPs suggest having the dinner at a resort foodcourt, like Pop Century, so I suggested that. I really think it would be fun there. We could just kind of take over one of the sections to mix and mingle. And people could eat if they wanted to, OR we could break off into little groups and go to DTD to eat? If we ate there though, it would be cheap and easy.

Plus, I'm thinking I'll probably stay at Pop Century (or some Disney resort) the night before check in anyways. That way I could use Magical Express and the Disney busses to get to DTD. (Because even if the dinner isn't there, I'm still planning to stroll around DTD anyway.) And I could split the room with my future roommate or something like that.

But really, we won't start planning/doing concrete things until the first people get accepted. Mannn, I hope I get accepted. It would be really awful to not get in after doing all these chats and getting to know everyone.

Speaking of chats, we did another tokbox video chat thing last night. It was fun, but a little hectic with 9 people and the delay. Everyone was talking over everyone else, lol. We'll probably do it more often now, because it seems like a lot of people made accounts. My internet spazzed out, but when I left there was still 5 or so people chatting.

Gosh, I talk a lot. I'm sorry. I had planned for this to be a short post because I didn't think I had much to say. OH, and I'm still planning on doing a vlog. I have a list of topics now, and I need to just narrow it down to a couple things.

So to my readers, I'm sorry if you didn't want to know everything in such specifics, haha. But I guess that's just how I am. Have a good weekend everybody. :)