My Summer Bucket List

Okay so I got this idea from Kelsey. Basically, I have a very short time here in Southern California unless a) they extend my college program until January or b) I somehow manage to get a job and an amazingly cheap apartment and like 10 roommates in the next month and a half. So I need to make the most of this summer while I'm here. Anyway, I read her blog just now and thought, "What an awesome idea... I should do this too." So here it goes. My summer bucket list:

1. Go to Hollywood and see Up at the El Capitan. While I'm there, I might as well check out Grauman's Chinese Theatre and a few of the other sights.
2. Get a tour of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
3. Get a tour of Pixar.
4. Meet John Lasseter.
5. Go to the US premiere of Ponyo (and seeing as how John Lasseter might just be there it would be an excellent way of taking care of #4... plus I've been wanting to watch Ponyo for ages).
6. Finish my website (which would require me to finish my portfolio and demo reel too).
7. Network my butt off here at Disneyland and in Hollywood/Burbank/LA. So if I have to leave I will have some sort of network in place for when I want to come back.
8. Enter the Disney/ABC Television Group Writing Fellowship competition (which would mean finishing the Ugly Betty spec script this Thursday and sending it in).
9. Enter the Fox/Aniboom Holiday Animation Challenge (meaning I'd have to actually finish the animated short I'm working on).
10. Get a tour of Warner Bros.
11. See Wicked in San Diego.
12. Finish design/develop on all the websites I've been promising my friends (and the ones I've been promising myself I'd finish).
13. Finish all the fan arts I've been promising my friends.
14. Get back on my diet, get down to the fitness room (at least three times a week) and lose another 20 pounds.
15. Experience every attraction at Disneyland and California Adventure. And takes lots and lots of pictures.
16. Go to Knott's Berry Farm and meet Snoopy (and take pictures, of course).
17. Go to Universal Studios Hollywood (and take pictures).
18. Look into animation and art classes in the area (just in case I stay). And actually read some of the animation books I spent so much money on... and maybe do some of the exercises described in those books. Maybe I can even use that animator's disc I bought (the desk I had to leave at home... my little Beetle could only carry so much stuff across country).
19. Apply for a ton of jobs and get some interviews
20. Write lots of spec scripts.
21. Add more life studies and portraits and caricatures to my portfolio (in short, draw more).
22. Have fun.

Okay... so I think that's it for now. I might add some later. I mean, it's a pretty ambitious list as it is... but I think I can do it. Got on an interest list today for people who are leaving in August but who would like to stay on till January if possible. We'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I need to get my butt in gear and start looking for jobs and seeing how much apartments around here cost.

California or Bust!

So it's official... I'M GOING TO CALIFORNIA! I got the phone call this morning. I was accepted for the Disneyland College Program Summer Alumni Program. I am beyond excited.

I'm going to be a vacation planner/ticket seller (I think I might actually miss merchandise). The program lasts May 21 or 28 till August 16.

Right now I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to drive out or fly. Mom thinks I should fly. But I'd like to have a car out there. The only thing is... I'm kinda scared to drive 3 or 4 days cross country by myself.

Anyway, I have like exactly three weeks left here. I went on a small shopping spree at Cast Connection today to buy some stuff I've been wanting. I still need a few more things that say Hollywood Studios (like the clapboard, the magnet, a frame, etc). I got a Director Mickey statue/Mouscar today. I need to get a plaque and get it engraved... College Program Disney's Hollywood Studios 2008-2009 or something like that.

Graduation is coming up in a week and a half. I hope I win a caricature this time...

Oh and I have 6.5 pounds to lose before I reach my May 15th goal. So yay there.

I'm going to pick my website project back up. Now that I'm going to California I need to get serious about getting my work seen. So look forward to that.

Oh and I'm going to go on a picture taking/character hunting spree... I have autograph books to fill up and now more photo albums and scrapbooks. I'm going to finish my to do list (still have several attractions at MK I haven't experienced). I am going to try to go to Typhoon Lagoon. I think they said its free for cast until the 30th or something. I'm also going to try to go to Universal next weekend with some friends from work. Might even try to squeeze in miniature golf at Fantasia Gardens or Winter Summerland. Why did I wait till the last minute to do all of this?! Oh and I signed up for like three DU classes... LOL.

So yeah. Busy, busy. Hoping to visit home (Ohio) for a few days between programs. Got to get the process started for me going back to school part time in the fall. I'm hoping to be a campus rep. My application didn't get sent in. Stupid people at Chatham front desk... They put in the wrong fax number. So I resent it... but they've already scheduled all the interviews for this round so I have to wait until July before I hear anything. :(

But that's okay. I'm still on cloud 9. I've been wanting to go to California for so long. I want to see everything!

Life's a Climb

And I'm liking the view more and more each day.

So still haven't heard from Disneyland yet... I have like 3 weeks and 2 days left here. Freaking out just a little about it too. I need to be taking a lot more pictures... And there are still a few attractions that I haven't crossed off my list. Plus, I am determined to go to Universal at least once before I leave. Oh and I have a ton of drawings to get done for people at work before I leave too.

I am close to my May 15th goal weight. Within a few pounds, actually. I tried on some old blazers of mine yesterday. They actually never fit me. I can button them now. Still a little too tight to wear buttoned... well, I've always liked my clothes loose... but with another ten pounds or so I might be able to. The black velour jacket is actually too big on me now. I was thinking about wearing it to the Spring Formal (Hollywood theme). I might have to rethink that now. Mainly excited that the leather jacket fits me. Didn't fit me when I bought it. I've had it for almost two years. I was determined to fit into it one day. Now I can. Loving my new clothes that mom bought me. I got a shirt that says California on it. Hoping I can wear it when I go there...

Saw Hannah Montana the other day with Russ (basically one of the only people who would watch it with me). I actually really liked it (though I kinda knew I would). The ending was a bit cheesy... but then, most of the episodes of the show end like that. I loved most of the songs. I might just have to get the soundtrack. I'm at least going to get the Butterfly song. Any song with fly or wings in the title is an instant favorite of mine. That's why I started liking Hilary Duff's music. Her song Fly made me cry.

Oh and hoping to see 17 again soon. I would have already but I promised some people at work that I'd watch it with them.

Really excited about the 5th and 6th. Graduation and then my favorite cousin, Danielle, is coming to visit me. At least I'll use up one more of my main entrance passes before the end of my program... I'm going to have so many left. My stupid sister never brought my niece and nephew down. I guess I'm going to have to bring em down myself if I get the campus rep thing... which reminds me. I should call them and make sure they got my application. It's been a while and I haven't heard from them.

Just a quick blog before work. Basically I went clothes shopping today. All of my old clothes were falling off of me. I bought six new pairs of shorts (3 sizes smaller!) and 5 shirts... It was the most fun I had clothes shopping in years!

Also I had my phone interview with the CP Alumni Summer Program in Disneyland. The lady said she thought I'd be great for the program and that she was definitely recommending me. I'll know in a few days if I'm actually accepted. I'll keep you all posted!

Wooooohooooo!

California

So I might be going to California. I got an email a couple of days ago from recruiting asking me if I wanted to extend my program at Disneyland. At first I didn't think I was eligible (because I'm not eligible to extend my program here at Disney World and I'm not eligible to apply for professional internships here either). I replied to the email anyway. And I got a response back today. Apparently I am eligible. I just need to fill out the application and fax it off by Friday. So I'm going to have one of my managers fill out what they have to fill out and fax it off after work tomorrow. My program here ends May 15th. The Disneyland program lasts May (21st) to August. School would start in September... It just fits so perfectly.

It will take about two weeks to find out if I got it. And I'll have an interview before that... Plus I'm still waiting to hear if I got the campus rep position. I'm already thinking of things I can do to recruit people... I will have the coolest table in the student center.

Anyway, I would love to stay with the Disney company as long as I can... indefinitely if possible. The Disneyland Summer Alumni Program is particularly appealing because it offers housing. I've been wanting to move out there for years now. But without savings or a safety net or a friend's couch... Well I'm a little worried to say the least. This is a great way to get my feet wet out west, network and get my demo reel/portfolio seen by some people in the animation/tv/film industry. Plus... it's Disneyland. The original. Who wouldn't want to work there for the summer? It'll be awesome. But that's if I get accepted. I guess we'll see in two weeks or so.

On a slightly related note... there is still so much I want to do here at Walt Disney World and in Orlando before I leave (for California or Ohio). I am determined to go to the Kennedy Space Center... and maybe SeaWorld. And I'm trying to organize a trip to Universal. I didn't have a pleasant experience at City Walk the one time I went there. So I'm not expecting much in terms of customer service or anything like that. But I would like to see Scooby... and ride a few roller coasters. Just to say I did. Too bad they haven't finished the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Actually, it's too bad Disney didn't get it. It would have been so much cooler. But I will have to come back when that's done.

Anyway... I need to get ready for bed. I have a 7 am shift tomorrow... Just wanted to let everyone know what was going on. I'll try to keep y'all updated as much as possible. But I am working 55+ hours this week and next. And Jenny said something about visiting next week. So I might not be online much...

Stuff

So I haven't posted in a while. Mostly I've been working a lot. Spring breaks have come and we are all getting scheduled 49 plus hours. But it's cool. I can use the extra money.

Lots of things are going on at Disney. Apparently the contract with GM for Test Track at Epcot is up and Disney doesn't know if GM is going to renew... they're one of the car companies in financial trouble right now. Space Mountain is closing soon for a refurb... It's going to be a two seater I think. Aerosmith is supposed to renew their contract with Disney for the Rockin' Rollercoaster. That is, unless the rumors are true and Disney plans on going with a Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers theme... The Backlot Tour has opened back up. I haven't had the chance to ride it again... but I plan on doing it before I leave in May.

I also plan on taking a trip to Universal and Kennedy Space Center before I leave. I would like to do Sea World too... there's just so much to do. And very little money to do it with.

I'm starting to freak out a little bit. I've been here almost 11 months. I can't imagine life without Disney now. I have applied to the campus rep program (because I'm returning to school part-time). I've also applied to the Disneyland program (though I'm not sure that I'm eligible). And I'm looking for more internships/entry level jobs. I'm probably just going to move back to Ohio for a while, though. I will be happy to see friends and family. But I really need to get out west as soon as possible.

Diet is still going well. I've put off the website and all other art/animation/design projects for the time being. I've decided to make the most of my time left here... get as many pictures and autographs and memories as I can in the next month and a week...

Not much else to report. I did get to go to a Conversations with DDG artists and graphic designers... that was cool. Very informative. It was a little awkward, though. It was just a few days after they lost a third of their staff. Odd time to network. So even Disney is affected by the recession...

On a related note, I've been trying to keep up with Obama... His recent trip outside of the US seems to have gone well. I did see a conservative talk show where they tried to say he was un-American and didn't like him telling the rest of the world that we're all arrogant or something stupid like that. I personally am very happy that the other countries of the world don't hate us as much as they used to.

Okay. So I guess that's it. Today is my only day off. I am finishing up laundry... need to go grocery shopping... and then watch American Idol.

I don't wanna be a chicken

I don't wanna be a duck... So I'll just flap my wings and shake my butt... for three hours. LOL.

Yeah. I did the chicken dance for almost three hours tonight. This was right after an 8 hour shift. And eleven or twelve hours in the park yesterday with Kelsey and Kinsey. And now I'm exhausted.

But I got a free t-shirt. And I made Nate, Sandra, and Jazzy do the chicken dance too. That made it all worth it.

In case you're wondering what this is all about... I volunteered to help out with Goofy's Mystery Tour. It's a cast event where they tether four people together and have them wondering around in the park one night trying to solve riddles and find clues. And Goofy was there, of course. It was kind of fun.

The HTM people were there. I made them chicken dance too.

So... I was going to do this whole separate blog about Kelsey and Kinsey's visit... with photos and video... but I'm too tired. Maybe tomorrow night.

Oh and I got a nasty phone call from some student loan people. I realize now that there was one loan I forgot about. I'm afraid to call them.... they're going to tell me I owe three or four months worth of payments and I'm already having trouble paying the one... maybe they'll let me defer.

God I wish I had money... Or an extra kidney. Maybe I should just go back to school... I could go to grad school... Defer until the economy picks back up... But I really don't want to. Why can't I just find a job that pays well enough to make my student loan payments (oh and rent and food and other things I require to live... that would be nice to have too).

I don't like being an adult. It's no fun. Unless you're chicken dancing for free t shirts. That was kind of fun. And going to the parks yesterday with Kelsey and Kinsey. That was fun too. I need to go to bed now and stop rambling.

So apparently I'm starving myself

Or that's what Tindy thinks. LOL. Yeah. And just when I was wondering if anyone had noticed that I'd lost weight... Tindy (another CP at work) comes to me today at Keystone and asks me if I was starving myself. I assured her that I wasn't... but she's still concerned that I'm losing too much weight too fast. She said that she's noticed a dramatic change in my weight recently. I told her that I had just checked out a smaller costume. I had been wearing pants and shirts that were too big on me. I got smaller sizes and now people are noticing... And everybody has their own advice and warnings... The thing most people are concerned about is that I'm not exercising enough and that my skin will be all loose. I assured them that I am doing some exercise. But like I've said before, I need to step it up in that regard. I certainly don't want to lose all this weight just to end up flabby.

I do have a new exercise plan worked out. I've been listening to podcasts and looking in books and watching things on youtube to try to figure out what to do. I just need to buy some small weights and maybe an exercise ball. I also want to get a DDR mat and game. I still have 25 pounds and at least one pants size to lose before my May 15th deadline. After that... who knows? Maybe I'll aim for my ideal weight.

In other news... I saw Michelle Wride today. It was so cool and unexpected. I can't wait to see Kelsey this week. Everyone at work knows. I've been talking about it all week. I was asking all of them to take my shift so I could hang out with her. Roop asked if the Kelsey in my note (on the shift giveaway board) was the same Kelsey Floss that he knew.

Oh and my website should be up tomorrow. Unless I end up spending the whole day hanging out with Michelle.

Crazy Awesome

So about two years ago my friends and I made a parody of Kelly Likes Shoes video. I don't know how many of you have seen the original video... "Oh my God, Shoes." Or how many of you know Liam Sullivan (the guy who made the video and appears as Kelly in it). He ended up having a show on VH1 (I hate my thirties) and is buddy buddy with Margaret Cho (who I practically worship). Anyway, it was wildly popular back then (and still is, really) and at any rate, my friends and I were sort of obsessed with it. So we did our own version... only our was called Billy likes Booze. Well, the guy with the footage only just recently finished editing it and posted it on youtube. So I've been showing everybody at work... and now they've seen me dance around in a full body purple spandex leotard. LOL. That's when I get a phone call (actually 5 calls) from my friend Sean today telling me that Liam Sullivan saw our video, commented on it and favorited. He's also now subscribing to Sean's channel.

So yeah. Freaking AWESOME! I've been excited all day.

Oh and just in case you guys want to check the video out... Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiemOYZq2Kw

Enjoy! And comment! Tell you friends!

I'm so excited... and I just can't hide it

So not only have I lost almost 60 pounds now... I tried on a pair of shorts today that I haven't been able to wear in like 2 or 3 years and not only did they fit... they're actually a little loose on me! I almost cried. Regardless, I haven't stopped smiling.

Oh and by the way... they look good.

I'm so glad I brought them with me. I almost didn't. I only did because I don't own a lot of shorts and I thought it wouldn't hurt to bring them with. And I hoped I'd lose weight... I didn't realize how much weight I had gained since wearing them last. So when I got down here and found out I couldn't wear them I was a little upset. So I put them back in my suitcase and didn't think about them again until last night. This morning I decided (after weighing myself on the Wii fit and finding out I'd lost another 3.3 pounds) that I'd try them on again. And it was glorious.

Another ten pounds or so and I might have to wear a belt with them. Everything else I own is falling off of me. I don't remember if I have any smaller clothes at home... I got rid of most of the clothes I couldn't wear last year when I had given up on losing weight (right around the time I was at my highest weight). Well, it's not like I won't enjoy shopping for new clothes. With all the outlets down here I could get some really nice threads before I leave Orlando... The only thing is... if I continue to lose weight at this rate, all my Disney shirts will be too big on me. I'll have to buy more of those before I leave too. What a tragedy! LOL.

Oh... and did I mention I can't stop smiling?

Interesting Disney fact

So I found out today that no one over the age of like 10 (or maybe it's 12) is allowed to come into a Disney park dressed as a Disney character.

No, I'm not kidding. As funny as that sounds...

We had the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon today and some of the contestants/participants dressed as their favorite princess for the run... A few of them tried to get into the Park afterward in their Princess dresses and were told that they'd have to change their clothes first.

Apparently they're worried that kids might get confused if a random guest is dressed up as a Disney Princess and it would be a problem if they think that this random guest is actually Jasmine or Cinderella. They've also had a problem with people coming into the park dressed as a character attempting to sign autographs. I heard about a would-be/wanna-be Snow White who was thrown out of the Magic Kingdom for doing just that.

So apparently you were lucky that it was Halloween, Kelsey. If you had tried to dress up like Hannah Montana any other time you might have been thrown out of the park or been asked to remove your wig (by the way I am so excited about the move in April).

Crazy the things you learn about Disney after you've worked here for like 9 or 10 months.

What I'm Celebrating

So I've reached one of my goal weights... That is, I've lost 50 pounds (30 since starting the new diet and 20 before). I'm hoping to lose another 30 by the end of May (my second goal weight). I'm stepping up the exercise. I'm hoping to work in more strength training... especially push ups and more yoga. I would also like to get a DDR game and mat. If I reach my second goal by May (or June), I'm going to go ahead and set a third and final goal of 175 - 180. That's about what I should weigh for my height and build.

In other news... I drew a picture of Goofy for someone at work today (it was Ed's birthday). Within 30 minutes I had 5 or 6 other requests. I drew one of them on my last break so I wouldn't get overwhelmed. LOL. Anyway, I've decided to do more gift art. It keeps me drawing and it's a good way to let everyone I know and work with see what I can do/what I'm all about. I mean, who knows who they know? There are sillier ways to network. LOL. I thought about giving away drawings of Mickeys to guests but I heard another cast member tried to do that and they made her stop. I do still draw at Movieland, though. There's really nothing else to do. But I give those to other cast members. I also plan on drawing some characters for the bulletin boards... now that I'm on the communication team. Poor Toni Ann has such bad pixelated pictures... And it would be a nice thing to leave with the area... I mean, I bitch about Mickey's a lot. But I'm really going to miss it when I leave.

Sandra wants to pay me to draw a Cinderella for her... she's very specific about what she wants, though. It's not a simple sketch (like the others). I don't know that I'll actually charge her, though. I'd be afraid I'd get in trouble for copyright things... Disney really cracks down on that... they don't like people making money from their characters. I'm used to drawing anime... the copyright laws are so different in Japan. Everyone does anime fanart and sells it.

At any rate, I have a lot of drawings to do now. It's amazing how happy it makes people. Being able to draw, I don't get as excited when I see other people draw Disney characters. I suppose I do get excited to see hand painted cels and official art and things like that... I mean, I would love to own an original Amano or see something Miyazaki drew himself. And I could spend hours in art museums. I haven't been to one in ages. I want to go to New York so badly. I'd like to take a week just to visit the museums and see a few shows on Broadway. The statue of liberty and Times Square would be cool... Maybe the Empire State Building too. But what I really want to see is the MoMA... I should just go this summer. Or apply to more jobs/internships in New York. LOL.

Well that's it for now. I'm hoping to have my website up soon. I'll post a link when I do.

New stuff

So I finally got some business cards. I only got 40 printed up. I'm not 100% sold on the design... but I do like it. But mostly, I don't know what my address is going to be in 2 months and I didn't want to have a bunch of cards I couldn't use.

At any rate, I do have business cards now. And finally bought a domain name and paid for a host... so my website will be up soon. I'm going to be putting a few pages up tonight and tomorrow but it won't be finished until next week. I'm also trying to finish my motion graphics reel, update my resume and graphic design portfolio and finish a short flash animation. All by the end of next week (yeah... I need to stop procrastinating). Needless to say, I'm going to be busy. But when it's all said and done, I'm going to be in a much better position to apply for jobs. I'm going to apply for the professional internships here at Disney again. And then I'm going to apply for everything on jobs/DisneyCareers.com that I can find. And then I'm going to apply for everything else in the world of animation and television that I can find (NBC, Turner, CBS/Viacom, etc). I already have several in mind. I hope I can stay with the Disney company or ABC... but right now I just need a job. Preferably one that uses the skills I went 60,000 dollars in debt to learn at school. After that, I'm going to focus on networking again down here but also more importantly, my 2D animation studies and reel. The ultimate goal is the Talent Development program for recent grads at Walt Disney Animation Studios. I'm going to give it a shot, anyway. I don't know that I'm ready for it but I guess I'll never know unless I try.

So... Busy, busy, busy.

Oh and I am going to design a header for this blog and redesign my myspace profile... among other projects. And I have a ton of gift art to draw. I have to draw Goofy today.

I wish I hadn't given up caffeine...

Another long blog and more rambling

So not much in the way of news to report. I'm just working and going to class and trying to network and such... I did find out that they posted professional internships... There are none for arts/graphics and only two for communication (which I may apply to). I kind of expected that. What with the economy being the way it is. It's still pretty disappointing, though.

I've started submitting on deviantart again... I'm potterfan80 on DA (if anybody's interested). It has a lot of old art on there... I plan on getting rid of most of it. I also plan on submitting new art. I want to get back into fine art and figure studies and more conceptual pieces... Not that drawing Mickey isn't fun... But I still haven't given up on my dream of one day displaying my work in a gallery... I wish I had taken pictures of my last art project. It was pretty awesome, actually. Jai, the gay Barbie (he was meant to be an accessory for Barbie). I made posters and a product box and decorated a little Barbie Volkswagen Beetle with gay bumper stickers... I even sewed little clothes for him (including sandals) and gave him (it was originally a Ken doll) a trendy haircut. It was all about the portrayal of gay men in the media and how they end of being these cute, funny eunuchs (Ken has no genitalia... it worked out perfectly) who talk about nothing but fashion and shopping... It took such a long time and a freaking lot of money. I have like almost no sewing experience... but that leopard print button up shirt looked awesome. And now it's just sitting in a storage building in Ohio.

I like the idea of my art critiquing the media - the same profession I want to work in. But you gotta do what you know...

One of my next projects is a little something involving Hannah Montana. I won't say more than that... but she's been an interest of mine for a while now. I even wrote a paper on her for my children's media class. She's such a phenomenon... And that Annie Lebowitz photo... that was so deliberate. She knows what she's doing. And she's damn good at it. People keep comparing her to Britney and Lindsay and some of the other Disney darlings (turned harlot). But I think she's a lot craftier than them. I'm really interested to see how her career plays out.

In other news... still on my diet. I'm going to reach my goal weight by May or June. If I do, I might just set a new goal weight... The best part is having to check out smaller sizes at costuming. I don't really have the money to buy new clothes (and want to wait until I'm closer to my goal weight in any case). But it's really satisfying to be able to go in and turn in pants that are starting to fall off of me for a smaller size. I can still remember trying on pants this past summer during training and finding out that my Disney size was two sizes bigger than I thought I was (turns out it was just one size bigger and I was deluding myself). But now I'm working my way down to what I weighed in high school and pretty soon I'll be down to what I weighed my freshman year in college (the last time I was trying to loose weight). My own clothes are starting not to fit me. I am having to check out belts at costuming now (mine are too big and I can't afford a new one). So now I'm wearing my Disney belt on my days off too.

Oh... and while I'm on the subject... I saw a video last night that one of my friends posted on youtube. It was something we filmed back in 2007... that he just now decided to finish editing. At any rate, it was shot just before I reached my highest weight... Looking at that and then looking at me now... I can definitely see a difference. At the same time, though... It really inspired me to keep going. I'm tired of being the big flat blob in all of my friends' photos. And I'd like to be able to feel comfortable in front of a camera. I want the me that people see to be the best possible version of me that I can be. And it really just comes down to caring enough about myself that I put the effort in to make the change.

My overall health has improved. And it's only going to get better. And it's not like I'm starving myself or anything. I eat more than I did before... And much better than I did before. It may take a little longer to shop and to cook and all that. But I'm worth that extra effort... that extra time.

Two little more tidbits... I have decided to enter the Night of Stars competition. I'm entering a flash animation. It's going to be about CP life. And I'm going to apply for professional internships... The deadlines are March 12 and 13 (respectively). So I have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks. I also am getting my business cards printed on Monday... and I'm going to have my website up by the 13th. I'm setting a lot of goals for myself and deadlines (which is even more important than actually setting the goals... the way to begin is to start doing and stop talking after all). A goal is a dream on a deadline (my marketing teacher told me that). And in this economy I can't afford not to do everything I can to set myself apart from everybody else.

random thoughts

So HSM 3 has been out on DVD for 3 days now. And I haven't been able to watch it! What's up with this! I hate being poor! And all of my HSM buddies have left Florida so I can't watch it with them or borrow theirs!

Incidentally... I really like that song "It's the time of your life" that they play on the Disney commercials now. They were playing it over the PA when after the park closed tonight. Over and over. It was a bit weird (I think they were testing things). But I never get tired of that song. I absolutely love it.

I guess that's it.

Hmmm

So I'm thinking about creating a couple more blog sites... I realize that I'm trying to fit a lot of info into each blog entry... and one topic isn't necessarily related to another... I'm going to give it some thought... If I did, this would become my Disney blog. I'd probably have a diet blog, another about my job hunt/business ventures, and another, more personal, blog. But we'll see.

OMG

So I'm watching one of my new favorite shows, Ace of Cakes, and I find out that they made a Hogwarts cake for the premiere of Order of the Phoenix. And then I proceeded to scream and flail and jump up and down in my chair. And now I'm watching them make the castle. And I couldn't be happier.

God. I am a dork.

Updatedness

Well Valentine's Day has come and gone (or as I like to call it: Singles Awareness Day). Fortunately, my best friend, Tracy, and her 1 year old daughter, Brooke, came down to visit me. So I couldn't get too depressed. We spent two days in the parks. The first day, Friday (the 13th), we spent most of the day at Animal Kingdom. It was such a blast. We got to do the safari, the Pangani forest trail, Rafiki's Planet Watch (the donkeys are soooo cute), Nemo, It's Tough to be a Bug, the Jammin Jungle Parade, and Festival of the Lion King. We went to the Studios after that to try to get into the early showing of Fantasmic but left when we found out that it was standing room only an hour till showtime (that's what happens when you only have Fantasmic 2 days a week I'm afraid). We did go to Voyage of the Little Mermaid before we left, though. On the 14th, we went back to the Studios for a character breakfast at Hollywood and Vine. We got to see Leo and June from Little Einsteins, and Goliath and Jo Jo. It was so cute. Then we did Playhouse Disney Live on Stage (I can finally say I have done that now!) and Muppet 3D Vision. Then we spent the rest of the day at Magic Kingdom.

We didn't get to do much. Brooke wasn't feeling well so we had to cut the day short. We did, however, get to do Small World and Pirates of the Carribean. Tracy and I did Space Mountain and Philharmagic on our own (while Tracy's mother fussed over Brooke - mostly unnecessarily).

I got a ton of pictures of the Jammin Jungle parade. And a ton of Brooke looking cute. We didn't actually get to watch the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade or the street parties. It was really crowded too. We had to wait 30 minutes in line for Small World. And 40 for Pirates. And it was pretty hot. It was like summer all over again. Who knew that so many people celebrated Valentine's Day at Disney? Anyway, I'll have to go back on my own to get pictures. But then, I have my own digital camera now and 3 months left so that won't be a problem.

I had to work during the American Idol press event. I didn't even get a glimpse of David Cook or Jordin Sparks. They had me in Mickey's all day and forbade us to look out the doors and windows. It was so stupid. It wasn't like I wanted to watch the whole parade and not do any work. But I have seen a few pictures. That's almost like seeing it for real. And I heard some of it. Oh and I don't know if I mentioned that they finished working on the Sorcerer Hat. We got the Hub carts back. I actually got to work on them a few days before the press event. I got to see HSM3... finally. I even got to see a custodial guy draw Mickey and Donald on the courtyard with water. The stars and moon are still yellow, though. Well, they are almost gold. But they don't sparkle like they used to. I thought they were going to replace the lights... At least it's all one color blue now. I'm a little underwhelmed, though. All that time they spent working on it and it doesn't look that much better than it did before.

Anyway... I think I'm going to go to Cast Services tomorrow and ask them about the process of becoming a Disney show artist. I doubt it will actually happen for me (the economy being what it is). But I figured I'd give it a shot. I just read that 3000 Disney execs worldwide took the buyout. And they plan on laying off another 1000 people. Most of them in Florida. What a great time to be trying to get a job! Figures. I have THE worst timing... That reminds me... I saw a political cartoon (on the bulletin board by the breakroom) with Snow White and the 4 dwarves. Apparently, she had to lay off Sneezy, Sleepy and Happy. So it's a good thing you got to see her with all 7 at the Halloween party, Kelsey.

In other news... diet is still going well. It might be hard to believe but I'm going to have to check out another belt soon. I'm on the last notch of the one I have now. I think I can reach my goal weight by May. I just need to step up the exercise before I start to plateau. But I'm already down to what I was in high school. Or close to it. I'm even seeing a difference in how my watch fits. The only thing I'm worried about is losing my butt. It might just be because my pants are too big now... but you can't really tell I even have one. I'm going to have to find some good glute exercises. LOL.

I'm getting along a little better with the new CPs. Mostly, though, I just talk to Emily, Jazzy and Nate.

I saw Milk since my last post. Awesome movie. I cried a bunch of times. The only thing I was upset about was that Lucas Grabreel didnt have more lines. He was constantly in the background... but I think he had a total of 2 or 3 lines in the entire movie. Certainly not enough to offend Disney so much that they wouldn't let AMC show it at Pleasure Island until it was nominated for 8 academy awards.

I also saw He's Just Not that Into You. It's my new favorite romantic comedy. I just wish I had seen it ages ago. Of course, that probably wouldn't have stopped me from wasting 2 - 3 years of my life on a hopeless case. I would have done it anyway.

In addition to a digital camera, I also bought three animation books. Illusion of Life, Animator's Survival Kit and Preston Blair's Cartoon Animation (3 of the must haves for any animator). At least now I don't have to keep checking them out of the Disney Learning Center.... LOL. Seriously, though, I'm going to start getting serious about my show/demo reel. I'm even thinking about entering a few contests for animated shorts. I have to pay my student loans off somehow...

I've just about settled on a design for my business cards. I'm going with three different ones actually. But I'm only going to get the first design printed up next week. It will be one sided with just my name and contact info (and logo). The second design I'm going to print up shortly thereafter. It's going to be two sided with my company name. It's intended for potential clients (for my web business) whereas the first is for networking and job hunting. The third is going to be a rip card... I'm going to hold off on that until my business gets going (if it does). In any case, I've also decided on a tag line. I've been wrestling with this one for a while... and I went thru so many versions it's ridiculous. This one came to me about a week ago when I was reading an animation book. It's so perfect... I can't believe I didn't think of it before. I really like it. I hope it's not taken.

Well, I guess that's about it. I'm really just rambling at this point... killing time while I'm waiting for the UPS guy to deliver my book for class. I haven't even taken a shower today for fear that he'll come when I'm in the shower and I won't hear him at the door. He came Friday but didn't leave the package. Why in the hell do I have to sign for a 40 dollar book when Fed Ex left a 1000 dollar software package on my doorstep last year with no signature? I really don't understand.... But I have to have this book. I'm already 2 chapters behind.

So apparently I was wrong

I met with the guy from Magic of Animation. Not only did he tell me that there was no chance I'd get cross trained or transferred there, he completely deflated me. Honestly, he wouldn't have talked to a guest the way he talked to me. And it only got worse when I told him I was a CP. I swear... the full timers treat us all like crap. I am so sick of it. Later that very same day I had to sit through a communication meeting and listen to Joyce and Ed call me and the other CPs "college kids" over and over (like we weren't there). Why in the world did I extend? As if I didn't get enough abuse the first time? I mean, really... what am I thinking? I might have put up with this treatment when I was 19. But I'm 28. I am not a child. I do live in the real world and have real world responsibilities. And it's not like I'm walking around with rose colored glasses on or with some delusions of granduer. And that guy at the Magic of Animation... he acted like I was coming in there with some sort of expectation or sense of entitlement. Even if I was, who said it was his job to crush my hopes and dreams? I simply went in there to ask him if cross training was possible and under what circumstances could we orchestrate a transfer (at a later date). He told me I didn't follow "protocol." He even implied that I was going behind my managers' backs. I told him that my manager, Karen, was the one who sent me over here in the first place. Then he harped on the whole CP thing. I signed a contract and I'm obligated to stay in the role they put me in. I told him I heard about 2 CPs who transferred into the Magic of Animaiton last term. He said that was "unprecedented" and "caused more problems than it solved." Apparently, one of them quit and went home like two days after he finished training. So, he's judging all CPs by the actions of that one moron. And then he went on and on about how they have too many artists as it is and two people waiting to be training who are already in the right location/role. And then he goes on to tell me that the economy is slow right now (like I hadn't noticed) and that no one is coming to the parks (I guess I'm blind). I mean, I know that there are hiring freezes and they've asked 300 executives to leave and this is absolutely the worst time for a recent graduate to be trying to find a job (of course, try telling that to the student loan people...). And it wasn't like I was really expecting something to happen. I was hoping, of course. But the way he talked to me... it was like he was scolding me. I AM SO TIRED OF BEING TREATED LIKE A CHILD!

UGH!

So yeah... that's not going to happen. Apparently. I guess it's a good thing, though. If that's the way he treats his cast members... well, I wouldn't want to work there anyway.

He did say that my "level of expertise is far above" what the job requires (it is the lowest rung on the Disney artist ladder, after all). But that means that I do have a good portfolio and strong drawing skills. I don't know what good that does me in this economy... but it was nice to hear all the same.

So now I'm just going to concentrate on meeting people in other areas of Disney and filling out applications for apprenticeships in animation and more internships and entry level jobs in TV. Maybe there'll be one media outlet that isn't totally doing away with their internship program that will give me a chance and a reason not to go home with my tail between my legs.

That's my biggest fear... going home. There's no jobs back home. What in the world would I be doing? I'd be sitting at home... while new and better versions of the computer programs I know come out and I get further and further behind. I'd be scraping for change... trying to pay on student loans and looking for jobs that don't exist. No... I'll tell you exactly what I'd be doing: babysitting my sister's kids and sitting at my mom's house watching my near-invalid grandmother and going quietly insane. And let's not forget who'd be just 15 minutes away... the person I left Ohio for... the person I drove 900 miles away from. Forget the family drama (and there's plenty of it)... after 8 months I still can't bear to be anywhere near him. It would be torture.

So yeah... I'm more determined than ever to find a job. Hopefully in California.

In other news... diet is still going well. I've decided to start eating fruit again. I really missed my apples. I'm going to bring one for lunch today. That's about the only change I've made so far...

We're supposed to have the Hub Carts back today. I guess I'll see when I go into work. I hope that means that they're done with the Sorcerer's Hat. Of course, there's talks of moving it later... or just removing it.

David Cook is supposed to come soon for a big press event and a motorcade parade. That willl be fun. They originally wanted it to be a blue carpet event (they were going to paint the street blue). But I think they had problems with the paint not coming up as easily as they'd hope so they've probably scraped that idea.

I don't know when the HSM show is coming back to the hat. I hope it comes back soon. Of course, I'm on main entrance for the next two days so it's not like I'm going to see it if it does... I hate main entrance. And it's been like 30-40 degrees out. At least they only had the cart open for five hours yesterday. Of course Movieland stayed open the entire time. Apparently, it's not considered an outdoor location. It has a roof. Woohoo! Like that protects us from the cold wind... It might be okay if they gave us a heater. I actually had to go get hand warmers from the office. And they kept sending people out there without coats to give breaks.

Anyway... I still haven't seen the new Magic Kingdom parade. It was raining the day Jenny and I went. We did meet Tinkerbell (she was adorable) and some other fairies and princesses. That was fun. And I got to cross more attractions off my list. Jenny got herself some pins and a bag of taffy for her mom. So she was happy.

We actually got to see a little parade on Main Street with one of the guys from the Steelers (couldn't tell you who... I didn't even look at him). They had Chip and Dale dressed up as referees and Mickey in a football uniform. Minnie was there too, as a cheerleader. It was so cute.

I still don't have a camera so I'll have to rely on Jenny posting the pictures when she gets back to Michigan. I'm sure they'll be on facebook eventually, though.

I'm really looking forward to my friend Tracy visiting me next week. She's going to be here two days not instead of one!

Well, I better get ready for work. More later...

Rocking on

I'm going to meet with the guy from Magic of Animation on Tuesday! I'm so excited!

I'm spending all day Monday with Jenny... we're going to meet Tinkerbell.

Oh and my friend Tracy and her daughter, Brooke, are coming down February 14th to spend the day with me.

I've decided that February is going to rock!

Yep

So one of the good things that's come out of me being on this new diet is that I'm eating a lot more vegetables now. I actually really love vegetables. I was raised on a farm. One of my favorite things in the world is fresh green beans with home grown tomatoes. But for the past few years I haven't really eaten that many vegetables... unless I got the chicken and broccoli at the Chinese take out.

I am so done with fast food. I don't miss it at all.

I eat so many vegetables now. I was actually upset yesterday because Walmart had run out of squash and zucchini. I was looking forward to eating them all day... and now I'm looking up recipes for eggplant and spaghetti squash.

I'm cooking everday. I really missed cooking. I used to have large dinner parties every week. I'm actually a good cook. Of course, I'm having to get more creative now that my diet is so restricted... but that's cool. I like a challenge. I might try stuffed peppers too.

I checked out smaller pants yesterday. And I got a smaller belt. I'm looking forward to when I can check out even smaller pants. Hopefully by the end of February.

In other news... My friend Jenny is in Orlando. We're supposed to hang out on Monday. I want to meet Tinkerbell so I'm making her go with me. And my friend, Tracy, is visiting me from back home in about two weeks. It'll be the first time I've seen her since June. I'm going to take her and her year-old daughter, Brooke, to Disney. I'm so excited! But I'm trying to figure out just what kinds of attractions/shows would be appropriate.

I am going to try to see Wicked. It's coming to Jacksonville soon. I've been listening to the soundtrack on a loop for weeks. Anyway, Nate wants to go. I might even get Greg to come with too. That would fun.

I talked to Greg today on the phone. The ImagiNations thing fell thru but we had a long conversation about the future. We're both applying to lots of internships including the Page program with NBC and other recent grad type things at other TV places. I'd like to work for ABC if I end up working in TV but right now I'll take what I can get. I'm so scared about the economy and not being able to find a job. He's thinking about grad school. I've been thinking about going back to school to wait out the crisis (even going so far as to tour a few schools and request a lot of catalogs). I just can't go further into debt right now.

Where's the rich relative I didn't know that I had who dies and leaves me a million dollars in his will? Perhaps I should play the lottery. I just don't see me being able to pay on all of these student loans when my deferments are up...

Okay... now the Disney news. I have so much to do this month. I have a list of like ten people that I want to get meet and greets with. And I just signed up for two College Program classes. One of them starts Tuesday.

The Sorcerer Hat at the Studios still isn't finished. I'm hoping they have it done soon. There's supposed to be a big premiere thing for the American Idol Experience. Apparently David Cook is supposed to be coming back to shoot a video for Good Morning America. Maybe I'll get to see him this time. I'm still mad that I missed him by like 5 minutes the last time. At the very least, I'd like to go to the parade he's supposed to be in.

They had a full parade today. Apparently all the rain we had the other day made the paint fumes bearable. But the HSM kids are still on the Streets of America... I might just have to go see them if they don't come back to Hollywood Boulevard soon. I've been listening to the HSM 3 soundtrack every morning to hold myself over.

It makes me sad that the new CPs aren't HSM lovers. I made a joke about HSM the other day and none of them got it. Also, they don't treat me like one of them. The full timers still treat me like a "college kid" but the CPs mostly ignore me or look at me weird. It's sad. I was so used to having other CPs to bond with when the full timers treated us like crap. I even offered one of them a ride home earlier (she lived in Chatham too and had missed the bus) but she refused. She ended up getting a ride with someone else who had to go out of their way to drop her off at Chatham. So I've decided I'm not going to offer any of them rides anymore. Let them wait for the bus and sit at Pop Century for 20 minutes. No worries here.

Oh and I finally got some recognition for my plush wall skills. I didn't get an assignment tonight and the person assigned to plush didn't finish it so I went over to finish it and made it look all pretty. The managers were pleased and said they'd put me on plush more often. Karen said it looked as good as the plush walls at Magic Kingdom.

Oh and I haven't heard from Magic of Animation yet. Karen (the new manager) suggested that I email them again. So I'm going to do that tomorrow.

So

I spent the day with JC at Epcot and MK. We started out early this morning... We originally planned on going to Epcot and checking out the new Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure and then I was going to come back home and work on my logo. But we got to talking about all the attractions we still hadn't done yet... First we did Impressions de France (because we had a mission in France and figured we'd cross that off the list while we were there). Then we saw the Voices of Liberty and the American Adventure (JC fell asleep, of course). We then ran into Dopey and got a quick picture. Then we saw Mulan and Mushu... And since we were in the area, we did Reflections of China. We kept doing just one more thing until we ended up doing the Three Caballeros thing at Mexico, Turtle Talk with Crush, the Circle of Life, Living with the Land, the Omnibus at MK, the Carousel of Progress, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and we even got to see Mickey and Minnie.

He then took me thru the tunnels under the Magic Kingdom (I had never been there). Oddly, we had to climb to the top of a house before going down several flights of stairs. And then he made me read the maps and figure out where we were going so I'd be able to find my way around if I ever came back by myself. It was kind of cool. But not as cool as I thought it would be. It kinda smelled in places...

We ended up visiting Discovery Diner (at Epcot) and Mousecateria too (because I had never been to either one). That means Animal Kingdom is the only park where I haven't been backstage or in the cast cafeteria.

And now my list of to dos is down to: The Hall of Presidents (which is closed), Enchanted Tiki Room, Swiss Family Robinson, O Canada, Playhouse Disney Live On Stage, Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Honey I Shrunk (or is it Blew Up?) the Audience. There might be a few other little ones.. Astral Obiter and that Goofy rollercoaster in Toon Town Fair. And then there's a ton of characters I still need to get. I'm hoping to go with Jenny to meet Tinkerbell next week. Oh and I haven't done everything there is to do in Innoventions and I still need to go to the mini golf courses and Typhoon Lagoon (if it opens back up). Not bad. I mean, I'm probably forgetting a few things but that's totally doable. I'm actually hoping to go to Universal soon. I have some friends that are going Saturday I think. I might ask mom for the money to join them. Course, I'd have to find someone to take my shift too. We'll see.

So anyway... I'm a little tired now. I did a lot of walking today and spent entirely too much time on monorails. I'm ready for some dinner... and then some mindless TV watching.

new manager

So I actually got to talk to one of our new managers today. Apparently she has a degree in art and is interested in product design. I told her about my attempts to get an internship with DDG and meeting with people there. Then I mentioned that I'd like to cross train at the Magic of Animation. Then she says that she did that like a year ago and that she still knew the people to talk to about it. So she's going to email them and see if she can't get me a meet and greet. I'm so excited... but also a little worried. I know that they have done this in the past but they're cutting hours and talking about laying people off and going into hiring freezes. They did away with some of their professional internship positions. And I hear they accepted fewer College Program kids this term too. Stupid economic crisis!

Well, all I can do is try. So that's what I'm going to do. I have a lot of other projects underway as well. My first big one is a logo design and print collateral for my web design business. I hope to have those ready soon. I'll post them soon for everyone to see. I'm also entering the ImagiNations competition. That's going to take up most of my free time in February. Well that and my website.

At any rate... diet is still going well. I think I'm going to have to check out a new belt soon. I need a new notch or two. I've been putting off trying on the smaller size pants at work. Disney sizes are so stupid. You have to get what you think will be two sizes to big anyway. I wonder what Disney size I'll be when I lose the 50 pounds I want to lose? Speaking of Disney sizes... I wonder what my Disney height is? I don't even know my real height is... Somewhere between 5'9" and 5'11" (I think). Didn't quite make it to the six foot mark...

By the way... who is Tom Skerritt? And why is Tim and Eric making a jingle for him? More to the point... why am I watching Tim and Eric? It hurts my head.

mom's visit

I found out last night that I've lost 10.8 pounds (well, that's what the Wii fit said). Most of it is probably water weight... But it made me feel good nevertheless. With the wieght I've lost over the past two months, I'm over 30 pounds lighter than I was at the beginning of the summer when I started the college program. Actually, I haven't weighed this little in about 2 years.

The visit with mom was so much fun. Exactly what I needed. We did 4 parks in 2 days... and I got my van fixed. It was cool seeing my mom get excited about the Festival of the Lion King, It's Tough to be a Bug and Illuminations (she saw them last time she was down and asked if we could do those again). But we also got to see my roommate JC sing at the new American Idol Experience. Then we rode the Spaceship Earth, Great Movie Ride, Jungle Cruise, Small World, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and a few others. We also got to see Wishes. It was really cold but otherwise a perfect night.

Also... I'm excited to move to Phase 2 of my diet soon. I miss fruit.

Oh and I got a Bolt plush... finally.

Random

So I've been listening to the Wicked soundtrack on a loop for 3 days now. I absolutely HAVE TO see this musical. It's playing in Florida this spring in two different cities (both about 3 hours away). I want to see it soooo bad.

My favorite song is Defying Gravity. If you know me you know that's not surprising. Most of my favorite songs have fly in the title or talk about flying. It's the reason why I started liking Hilary Duff.

Ahem... Anyway, getting back to Wicked. It's kind of weird. I'm really obsessed with this... this musical I've never actually seen (though I have read the book it was based on... completely different stories, though... or so I'm told). I thought about doing a Wicked Witch of the West Christmas tree this past Christmas... that and I have this flash animation/parody planned that will actually be sort of fabulous if I ever get it finished. I won't give too much away... I want you to be surprised.

In any case, we have a signed picture of Kristin Chenoweth at Sid's (one of the stores I work in) that I want soooo bad. And I don't usually get into the autographed pictures and stuff (the one exception was the Harry Potter picture signed by Daniel, Rupert and Emma). Anyway, it's her dressed as Glinda. Of course, an Idina Menzel (as Elphaba) would be awesome too... But you can't have everything I suppose. We do have a playbill signed by the current cast of Wicked... which I'd be more excited about had it been signed by the original cast... but I'm a dork about it nonetheless. I talked to this one guest about it for like 20 minutes.

In other news... they're finally painting the Sorcerer's Hat at Hollywood Studios. It used to be like 12 shades of blue. They've got it down to one or two now. The only thing is they've painted the stars and crescent moon yellow. I'm hoping that it's just a primer or something... I mean, they just HAVE to be silver. They just HAVE to be. I guess I'd be less upset about this had I gotten my picture in front of the hat already... but I haven't. Right now they have scaffolding up too. I don't know how long it's going to stay there.

The American Idol Experience is open now. Well, not "officially" open (meaning you can compete and "win" but you don't really win anything... you just get confetti). Anyway, I plan on going either tomorrow or Tuesday with my mom. She's a fan of the show so I think she'll enjoy watching it. Did I mention she's coming to visit tomorrow? Anyway, we're going to go to Magic Kingdom too.

Work has been pretty boring lately. I've been put outside at Main Entrance/Movieland for about a week now. We got some new CPs in but I haven't really had a chance to talk to them. I'm excited, though because they had to change homeroom leaders and I got Toni Ann. I'm also supposed to be on the communications team now.

Diet is still going well.

John Barrowman is hosting a show on HGTV. It makes me happy. But I miss Torchwood and Doctor Who even more now... I wish I could afford to buy a season or two.

Oh and I love string cheese.

New Diet

So I thought I'd blog a little about this diet I'm starting. Well, started. I've been on it for about a week now. I guess there's not that much to report yet. Just that I finally ACTUALLY started a diet. Anyway, I decided to go on the South Beach Diet. I heard about it a few years ago (my ex went on it briefly). And I figured since I'm in Florida... where it all started... I'd give it a whirl.

So far Ive been on it 5 days. I've completely stopped drinking soda or any sugared beverage (that includes juice). I've decided to go caffeine free as well (though that isn't technically a requirement). I don't drink coffee, so that wasn't really an issue. And there are plenty of decaf herbal teas out there. And I can always use splenda. As far as soda goes... I just have to stay away from it. I can't drink diet (nutra sweet gives me headaches and there are precious few brands who use splenda). Of course, I've tried (time and time again) limiting my intake of regular soda... but I either just end up replacing it with sweet tea or not limiting myself at all because I tell myself I need the caffeine. And it's not like I need soda. I went almost three years without a single drop of soda before. And I'm so tired of caffeine headaches. More importantly, I know it's one of the major causes of my weight gain. Mostly... I just hate the idea of being addicted to something.

I do drink flavored water. It's sweetened with Splenda. One of the many substitutes I've made... You see, I've heard it's easier to break bad habits if you replace them with new ones. It's not the only substitute I've made, though. I've started using cucumber slices as crackers and leaves of lettuce instead of bread, etc.

I've also started drinking milk again. I'd stopped drinking milk for a long while because buying the lactose free or soy milk was costing me a lot of money. I just wasn't drinking it fast enough (the carton goes bad 7 days after you open it) so I always ended up throwing the majority of it away. But I'm actually making time for breakfast now and drinking a glass everyday so I don't have to feel guilty about buying milk anymore. Anyway, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And milk is supposed to help you on your diet.

I've also given up bread, potatoes, pasta and fruit (at least for the first "strict phase"). I don't miss bread per se (though I did have this weird donut dream the other night). It's potatoes and pasta I really miss. It's just that for so long my meals have consisted of either a quick sandwich (usually with fries or chips) or baked potatoes and macaroni (comfort foods). I guess I've been cooking and eating this way for so long that I don't really know how to cook or eat any other way. I mean, I love my starches. Usually, when I fix dinner, I have at least one if not two starches. I've been known to fix potatoes and spaghetti before. Mostly, though I ate a lot of fast food because I was busy with school and work. More recently, I had fallen into the habit of eating lots of sandwiches with chips. Bread, chips and ramen are cheap. When you budget 25-30 dollars for food a week your options get pretty limited.

Since starting the new diet, I've had to get a lot more creative. That and I've had to spend more money on food. But that's okay. I'm doing some freelance and earning a little more money.

The only problem I'm really having is that I haven't had a lot of time to plan my meals. I need some of that creativity. There's recipes in the book... but I haven't had the time to really test them. And I have no idea what they're supposed to look or taste like (anybody heard of a frittata?). Basically, I've made a lot of salads. That's getting old real fast. It's not that I don't like lettuce. I love lettuce. When I was a vegetarian, I use to make lettuce sandwiches. I don't know. I mean, it's not like I can't cook. I'm a great cook. I just can't make any of the things I used to cook.

My biggest problem, though, is (and always has been) that I'm an emotional eater. I'll get upset and then go all day without eating. At the end of the day I'm sick from not eating and even more upset so I end up binging. I do it all the time. It's so frustrating.

I've had my best results (and been my leanest/healthiest) when I had 3 regularly schedules meals a day. It's a little hard when you work the hours I work... and CDS determines when you go on break and Disney decides you'll be closing shift one day and mid or open the next. So yeah... a little rocky. But I'm managing. And I'm eager to get to phase 2... I miss my apples. That's one of the few things I'm going to reintroduce into my diet in February.

I haven't really added exercise into my weight loss plan yet (like I planned on doing). My roommate has a Wii fit. I used it once. It told me my weight (I hadn't weighed myself since June). I was pleasantly surprised to find that I've actually lost 15 pounds since I came down here. Of course, that's from eating nothing but ramen and tuna and ham sandwiches for months (not exactly healthy but not Wendy's everyday either). Anyway, I do plan on exercising. It's just that I'm usually too tired after work to do anything and I've been sleeping way too late to do anything before. So I either need to change my sleeping schedule or make myself get on the damned thing at night whether my feet feel like it or not.

At any rate, I really need to get busy. I have to go grocery shopping and do laundry and write a bunch of articles (that freelance thing I'm doing). I just hate to get out in this weather. I know my friends up north probably think I'm crazy but I just don't want to deal with this 60 degree weather. LOL. You know you've spent too much time in Florida when... It's true what they say, though. Living down here just thins out your blood. I don't know what I'd do if I had to readjust to Ohio weather right now... 10 degrees, snow. No thank you.

Dilemma

So I went to the taping of the commercial for the new American Idol Experience attraction at Hollywood Studios last night. It was a lot of fun. I basically spent most of the night cheering and jumping and screaming and clapping. Well, that's not true. Most of the night was spent looking at hotties. When I wasn't doing that, I was watching the camera people and gaffers and grips... wishing more than anything that I could be on a production team again.

So now I'm trying to figure out where film or TV is going to fit into my career path.

Don't get me wrong. I love animation. And I know that if I'm serious about working in the animation industry I am going to have to focus all my energy on that.

But I love TV too. Most of my favorite memories of Athens are of Confused? (that kid's show I worked on) and Newswatch/WOUB.

Geez. Why can't I just have one interest?

You know that expression... life happens when you're making other plans? Well I had no idea 3 years ago when I started volunteering for all those parades and concerts and sports productions with the EM Department that I would actually grow to love video. I was just doing it to spend more time with my friends and to try something new. That and I thought video would make me more marketable.

Now I'm wondering if I should actually pursue a career in TV. I'm looking into a lot of internships right now. There's a lot of stuff out there for recent grads. Of course, I'm still looking into that summer thing with WDAS (Walt Disney Animation Studios) and the recent grad thing with Pixar among other things. I'm evening looking into Imagineering and DIMG (Disney Interactive Media Group... they do video games and internet stuff).

On a lighter note... my mom is coming to visit me soon. The last time she was down here at Disney World I took her to the Animal Kingdom and the Studios. We also went to Epcot/World Showcase briefly to watch Illuminations. She loved it. She didn't get a chance to go to MK, though. So I guess that's where we'll go. I only get her for like a day or two. We can do a lot of the things I haven't crossed off my list yet... Jungle Cruise, Enchanted Tiki Room, Carousel of Progress... and we'll have to do Philharmagic and Stitch's Great Escape (my favorite attractions at MK). And of course there's the parade and fireworks.

I really don't go to MK as much as I should. LOL. Free admission and I sit at home on my days off. I must be crazy.

At any rate, I'm looking forward to the Inaugaration on the 20th. I heard a little bit of Bush's farewell speech today on youtube. And something about an Iraqi reporter throwing their shoes at him at some press conference. Crazy. But hopefully, things will start getting better now. Maybe it won't be as crazy hard getting a job in the somewhat near future. Stupid economic crisis! I've even considered going back to school (to wait it out). But I just can't go further into debt when I don't know if I'm actually going to be able to get a job in this business. Ugh.

So anyway, I've ranted long enough. Time to get to work on demo reel stuff. More interesting and less whiney posts later... I promise.

My first journal

So I've been saying for months now that I was going to start one... But now I'm actually doing it. I'm starting a blog. So, yeah. Here it is. LOL. I promise all of my entries won't be this boring... And I do plan on updating it much more frequently than I have my livejournal, deadjournal or myspace in the past. It's just that I now live in a different part of the country than most of my friends (and in some cases, they live in entirely different countries). The point being that I don't get to see my friends or speak with them as often as I'd like. And there's only so much you can say in your facebook status or send in a text message. And I guess it's because I'm a digital native (though you wouldn't know it by the limited amount of technology that I actually use)... Anyway, I'm just not very good at keeping in touch via snailmail. I did send out some postcards last month. But that can be problematic because then I have to figure out if I send it to their home address or their school address. And like me, my friends addresses tend to change by the year (or even sometimes several times a year). So I'm finally "getting with it" and embracing this technology.

Okay... so now for my first journal.

As many of you know, I've spent the last several months in Orlando, Florida, on the Walt Disney World College Program. I came down to Orlando in June, immediatley following my graduation from Ohio University. I earned a BA in art and a BS in digital media (3D animation). So now I'm just trying to network and make the most of this experience while trying to save money and finish my portfolio/demo reel. The ultimate goal is to move to California and get an internship in animation or TV.

Okay so that's the necessary information. On a more personal note, I've decided to make some major changes in my life - most of which I will chronicle in the days and weeks to come. I've started a new diet. So far it's going well... I plan on writing much more about it later. But my goal is to lose about 50 pounds. I'll keep you informed on my progress.

I also plan on posting drawings, animations and other potential portfolio/demo reel additions soon. I'm applying for lots of jobs and internships and even entering a few competitions. Basically I'm getting serious about my future again... The seven month hiatus was fun... well, most of it.... and after 9 and a half years of college (I'll admit) a bit restful (and who gets to have a seven month working vacation in Disney World?). But it's time I refocus on my dream. So that's what I'm doing.

Geez. So this journal turned out to be a bit heavier than I originally planned. Don't worry, though, I still plan on having fun and posting lots of pretty pictures of Walt Disney World and all the goings on down here. We have the new American Idol Experience opening up soon. And a new parade at Magic Kingdom. I still haven't met Tinkerbell... And don't get me started on the list of attractions and shows I haven't done.

I'm still trying to decide if I want to take College Program classes this time around. I really enjoyed Exploring Marketing... But I also need to focus on getting my website up (a web designer without a website... beyond pathetic), getting business cards, finishing my resume and portfolio, and networking my butt off. Then there's also the ImagiNations competition... which by the way, if you are a junior or senior in college or a recent grad and you are an artist, creative writer, animator, architect or engineer, theater desgin or fashion/costume designer and would like to be on my team, let me know. I'm going to enter by Jan 30 and submit by Feb 28. I have a lot of ideas and if you're interested in being on my team, then please contact me in the next week or two and I'll share with you just what I'm planning on submitting.

Well, I guess that's it. Like I said, I'll be posting frequently. Watch for my drawings and animations and such... Oh and I'll post a link to my website when I'm finished with it.