No Time!

I really have so little time to do anything. I work at least 40 hours a week, and even worked 52 last week. However, that was some sick overtime and resulted in a $300 paycheck, even after they take out $92 for my rent. Big score there. I picked up a shift to get to that much overtime, but I don't think that's gonna be happening again anytime soon. I always have 2 days off, but now I have 2 classes on one of those days off, back-to-back, from 1-5:30, and I REALLY don't want to work on my other full day off. It's mostly for my sanity and I want to continue enjoying my job. I have a fellow CP working 17 days in a row. What a fool.

My classes seem like they're going to be a lot of fun, though. They're not really classes, more like seminars/lectures. The first is Exploring Marketing at Disney. It's 8 weeks long and each week focuses on different aspects of Disney marketing while bringing in higher ups from within the company to speak. The other class is a bit more personal, for me at least: Exploring Disney Heritage. For 8 weeks, we will basically review everything that one could possible want to know about the history of the company, beginning with Walt and Roy to where the company stands in the present. One of the weeks we get to do a scavenger hunt at Hollywood Studios! I'm really pumped about that. I have the same facilitator for both classes and has been with the company for 17 years, working all types of jobs and is the recipient of the Partners in Excellence award, a very prestigious award, the highest award a Disney cast member can receive. Just another contact in my ever-growing list.

Speaking of contacts, I have another meet and greet setup with a representative from Magic Music Days, more specifically, Performing Arts and Education Programs. However, the meeting is taking place in Celebration, about a 15 minutes drive. I have absolutely no idea how I'm gonna get there, but I have a few ideas. I really don't want to cancel. On another note, I've been searching cars here and there, starting as just a small fantasy, but it's becoming more of a need everyday.

A quick thought I had the other day: I feel like people listen to music in 2 different ways, at least initially. An individual listens first either for the words or the music. Both have the ability to evoke a flurry of emotions. I've always found myself to be a music person, or how the music makes me feel on a purely 'noise' level. I've been trying to add to that by really listening to those words, looking them up and deciphering meanings if needed (the internet is awesome). Some of the time, it completely transforms the song for me. Just a thought. Miss everyone. My parents will be here in 6 days! And I saw giraffes running! Amazing.

Boy I Need a Car

I'll tell you what...yes, I need a car. I thought I wasn't going to really have a problem getting around while I'm down here, but boy, not having a car reeeeally blows. As you know, we have a bus system, but then you end up spending most of your day commuting. For instance, I went to the Polynesian with a friend the other day because they show movies outside at the different resorts. I saw Bolt at Fort Wilderness and it was really fun. It's like a 20 ft. screen and they have a small fire going to toast marshmallows...fo free! Well, the supplies aren't, but at least the fire be there. Anyway, the times for the movie on the website were different then when we got to the resort. We thought it started at 9 but it was actually 8. This turned out to not really be a problem, mostly because they were showing 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua'. No thanks. Neither of us were very upset about missing it.

Up to this point, I've been getting around without a car. I go grocery shopping less frequently and I don't mind. I also haven't had to take the bus to work more than a handful of times. The worst part is that you're just so restricted to what the person with the car wants to do. But if I'm going to stay here, I gots to get me a car, no question. Weird thing is, a couple weeks ago, I went apartment hunting. Seriously, what the eff. I've found a couple prospects for roommates, so I'm not worried about that. And the cost of living down here isn't terrible, despite the affluence that is Orlando. Of the couple places we looked, it was between $400-450 for everything. I'll pick up shifts from time to time and HATE it. However, I gotta be a semi-responsible adult and start saving.

In reality, the only thing I really want to spend money on is good food. The older I get, the more I appreciate good food. And down here, there are a ton of good places to eat. We get a 20% discount on table service anywhere on the property.

I'm just gonna post this since it's been sitting here for 2 days now. Things are CRAZY busy.

Thinking About the Future

It's been a couple days, hasn't it? Work is just a killer, and then on your days off, you really just want to sit around and relax or enjoy the parks, since they are still fun and new.

The Food and Wine festival has started at Epcot, which means parents will be here soon! And by parents, I mean my parents, specifically. I've only been once since it started, and boy is it awesome. It runs for about a month at Epcot. There are many booths, each one dedicated to a different country, and many more than there are countries permanently at Epcot. I believe there are 26 booths total, with New Zealand, Poland, Chile, Argentina, and many, many more. They serve small-ish portions; about 3 would equal a meal. Unfortunately, just like anything at Disney,
the costs add up pretty quick. But man is it worth it. Everything I saw, I wanted, regardless of if I even knew what it was.

I know I haven't been here long, but it's definitely time to start networking. It's not terribly hard to do around here, you just gotta be friendly-like. We have some pretty friendly managers who can help hook you up with many helpful people, just so you can get your name out there and your resume distributed. My DAK pak leader, Rob, is really awesome and I met with him the other day to critique my resume. He didn't have much to say in terms of changes, sans a few notes on tense, so that was pretty exciting. Overhauling my resume is really the last thing I want to do. I also met with a college buddy of my dad's for lunch on Tuesday. Bruce works at the Disney Institute, which sounds like a really cool place. Apparently, Disney's way of running things is highly touted by companies all around the world, so much in fact that they pay good money to have people like Bruce teach them our corporate culture as well as strategies on efficiency and creativity. They also bring these individuals into the park to get some hands on. Bruce is a great guy and also gave me some names of people to contact. One individual even works in the Magic Music Days Division! How awesome would that be?


Anyway, I have to get a run in before 'The Office' starts. I feel really good about my safaris now. I hope some friends ride soon!










[Gaston bro-in out]