So guess who forgot she had a blog?

*sigh*

I meant to update. I really did. But Disney World is so crazy...and I was so tired...that...well, things didn't go quite as well as I had planned when it came from the blog-writing-front.

So yeah.

Now I'm going to work harder on blogging. Because I like blogging. And I really ought to keep up with it.

I'm going to do a big revamp of the blog layout too. It's time for a change.

In the meantime, here's what I've been up too:

-I got seasonal status at Disney World!

-Patrick came with the rest of my family to pick me up from Orlando, and I had a deliriously happy time dragging him around the parks.

-On a side note, P has a job! He's working at Target full time in the electronics department. He lurves it, and he gets good hours. So yay!

-We drove home last Sunday. Thirteen hours. In the minivan. Whole family. Yeah. It was great.

-I arrived home...to discover a car! I am now the proud and pleased owner of a 2006 PT Cruiser. The color is called "cool vanilla." I named it the Mach 5, even though El Padre calls it the Mach 2 1/2.

-I've lost around twelve pounds. Well, somewhere between ten and fifteen. I feel like I look a lot thinner.

-I'm all set for my very last semester of school. I'm really excited about graduating. Like seriously. Ready to get out of here.

-I started rehearsal for Beau Jest. It's marvelous. Simply marvelous. I'm having a ball already!

So yeah. Hopefully this semester will go well.

Lucky, lucky girl!

I got to witness the absolute cutest proposal ever. Seriously, it was adorable.

A guy made arrangements for himself, his girlfriend, and two friends to get VIP seats for Beauty and the Beast. (At least, that's all she knew.) They watched the show from the VIP row, and then at the end the cast member at special right (I think it was Christine) strolled up and said, "Oh, by the way, you have an on stage meet 'n' greet with the whole cast." That's rare; meet 'n' greets are usually only with Belle and the Prince (sometimes Gaston) and on the special left side.

Needless to say, the girl was ecstatic. She ran up on the stage and started taking pictures. But when she turned around to say something to her boyfriend he was down on one knee. She was so shocked she literally dropped her camera.

One of the friends they had brought with them took pictures, and the other friend pulled a guitar out of nowhere (we still don't know how he got it into the theater!) and played while the proposer sang. And finally she had a chance to get a word in edgewise and she said yes. (We were all a little concerned for a while...it wouldn't have ended well if she said no!). And the second the newly engaged couple kissed the sound techs turned on the Celine Dion version of "Tale as Old as Time." It was an absolute perfect proposal.

It kind of made me a little nostalgic for when P proposed. After all, it was a really long time ago...as in two and a half years ago. I told him about the proposal last night and how I feel like I lost that newly-engaged bloom and sighed "Maybe you should just propose again."

He just said "Um...I don't know how I would do that." And I could tell he was making his Awkward!Patrick face. Which is a fabulously hilarious face, if you ever get to see it. Maybe I'll say something awkward to him and take a picture.

Oh, well. His proposal was really sweet, and I'm glad the Beauty and the Beast girl accepted. Not everyone accepted Disney proposals, however magical they may be. My friend Susie was "friends" with Pooh Bear, and a guy at Wilderness Lodge wanted Pooh there when he proposed to his girlfriend because that was her favorite character. Well, Pooh was there, the cast members were assembled, there was a cake and balloons, the guy was on one knee with the ring...and the girl stormed in. Apparently she was pissed off at something, and the guy didn't even notice. He just blissfully offered his proposal.

He was the only one who was shocked when the girl screamed, "No! I hate you! I don't want to marry you! I want to go home!". Then she stormed away.

Needless to say, the guy burst into tears. And Pooh didn't know what to do, so he awkwardly patted the guy on the head and booked it out of there.

I told my coordinator that story, and Max spent the rest of the day running up, patting me awkwardly on the shoulder, and running away. I think he thought it was a hysterical story.

True Life: I'm a Disney World Cast Member

So I'm standing in front of the big blue sorcerer's hat (stupid monstrosity). The third High School Musical show is coming out in about ten minutes. I'm working the wheelchair position, so I'm standing by my silver cones, chatting with guests and answering questions.

Up walks an older couple with a map in hand. This is not an uncommon sight. I stroll up to them, flash my "I'm a Disney Princess" smile, and inquire, "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

The gentleman looks at the big blue hat in confusion. Then he looks at his map. Then he looks at me. Then he says...

"Where's the Epcot gate?"

It is only then that I realize that the map he holds, unfurled, has EPCOT written in big letters across the top, and only then that I realize that his wife is looking around for the big white golf ball.

Maintaining my princessy smile with the greatest of struggles, I gravely inform the gentleman that he is in the wrong park. He's in Disney's Hollywood Studios. I explain to the bewildered couple that they need to go to a different location.

I thought that was all.

As they turn to leave, the gentleman asks, "But before we go, where's the restaurant with food from around the world?"

Beaming to the point that my smile's width could rival Demi Lovato's, I inform him that, "No, sir...that's in Epcot."

Once they were safely out of earshot I howled. Because really, that was fricking hilarious.

What I did over summer vacation...er, the past couple of weeks (plus Musical Monday #15!)

So...things have been crazy. Incredibly crazy. Now I'll catch up!

I had one week after school ended to get ready for Disney. My little sister graduated on the 16th (of May) and we left early early early the next day for Orlando. And it was a long drive, to say the least. We stopped that night at a hotel in Gainesville, then drove the rest of the way the next morning.

The first day of orientation for the Disney College Program is a maze. Seriously. You start at a certain point and then weave your way through all these different stations to get your housing ID, fill out paperwork, etc. The part that made me the most nervous was picking the apartment. They ask what size apartment you want, and then randomly assign you one. I knew this part was coming, and it made me anxious. I even briefly considered asking for a wellness apartment (one where alcohol wasn't allowed) just to lessen my chances of rooming with partiers, but all I came out was a timid "could I get a three-bedroom?".

I ended up in building #1, on the third floor. I moved in as quickly as possible, hoping to be unobtrusive. But it turned out it was all okay. My roommate, Michelle, and I are incredibly compatible as roommates. No problems whatsoever. I also found out that none of the girls in my apartment are partiers, so yay! They're all like me: they enjoy the occasional beverage, but they neither get drunk on a regular basis nor plan to host parties in our apartment. Thank goodness.

The apartment goes like this:

Michelle is from Wisconsin and works at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom.

Kim is from New York and works at the American Adventure quick service food location at Epcot.

Carissa is from New York and works merchandice down Sunset Boulevard in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Shana is from South Carolina and works at the Great Movie Ride in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Sam is from South Carolina and works at Toy Story Midway Mania in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

And me? I'm getting to that. (Lawlz, making you wait.)

After the morning orientation and starting to unpack, it was time for afternoon orientation at Disney casting. That was a huge pain in the you-know-what. Seriously. Exhausting. That was also when I found out that while I was returning to Studios, I was not returning to the Great Movie Ride. I was placed in Sunset Attractions: Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Beauty and the Beast (the stage show), and Fantasmic!.

I didn't find out until the end of the week that I was placed at Beauty and the Beast (also known as Theater of the Stars, also known as ToTS) and Fantasmic!. And I didn't know until I was in training that working Fantasmic! also meant I was trained for the Pixar Block Party Bash parade and the High School Musical 3: School's Out! pep rally.

So yeah. Lots of training. I've got some interesting stories about that, but I don't want to get into it at the moment. It would take too long.

But now I'm fully trained at all four work locations, plus I'm in line for recertification training at the Great Movie Ride, so I can work there too...maybe even transfer there.

And now you're all caught up! Now you know what I'm up to, and where I'm working, and all that good stuff. I'll post some pictures...once I take them. I'm so bad about that.

And until I post again (which shall be soon, I promise!), here's my Musical Monday entry. What better music than the show that I work at?!


Yeah, guess who gets to see this three nights a week. ME!

Don't wear polyester in Orlando...

So...I'm eventually going to blog about the past week and a half. It'll take awhile.

In the meantime, enjoy the highlights and lowlights of my shift at ToTS today.

Lowlights:
-A woman getting angry that I put in her in the bleachers (as the theater was completely full) that she left (ducking under several ropes in the process) and sat in the handicapped section. Even though she was completely able-bodied. She told me she was mad because the row was empty and the handicapped people wouldn't need it.

Highlights:
-A family with "I'm celebrating" pins walked by. I asked what they were celebrating, and the mom happily said "Dad's not getting deployed!".

-A darling little boy with dimples not only waved back at me (some kids are too shy) but when I blew him a kiss, he blew it right back!

-Chatting with a lovely older couple about their plans in the park, and helping them find other attractions.

-A little girl came up in a Cinderella gown and tiara. I said "Hello, Princess Cinderella" and curtsied, and she was so happy her cheeks went pink.

-A guy asked me about where he could see "Fanastasia." Seriously. Hilarious.

These be some crazy stats!

1200 applied for the summer alumni program.

There only 300 slots.

And I...am one of those 300.

I really do feel incredibly grateful. With the economy as bad as it is, I figure it would be really hard for me to get a job for the summer back here in Nashville. And while I had opportunities before to go back to Disney, this is the first year they've offered Attractions.

What made this summer different was that I felt that that's where I needed to be. I can't really describe it. I just got the email about the program, and got this pulse-pounding feeling that that was where I needed to be. Honestly, it's the same feeling I got the first time I applied.

Anyways...I needed to babble some...

(and there's going to be more Disney CP babbling, as I'm using this blog to make pages for a guide to the program. It's going to get better, I promise...)

Musical Monday #6!

It's taken me a little while to pick this song. I debated long and hard. And then...inspiration struck!

Actually, inspiration came in the form of a large white envelope from Disney. Guess who was accepted to the summer 2009 alumni program as an attractions cast member?!

ME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seeing as how I'm headed to Disney, I quickly realized what was in order for today's Musical Monday. THE THEME FROM FANTASMIC!



It's so epic. And it's the fireworks show from my park, the Disney-MGM Studios.

All right, the Disney-Hollywood Studios. *bleck*

But doesn't that music just fill you with Disney joy?

(Also, now you can expect a TON of blogging about what it's like to work for the mouse. Hopefully it'll be exciting!)

Six weeks!

Six weeks!

I'll have to wait a maximum of six weeks!

So...FEBRUARY 25th!! At the latest!!

I sincerely hope it's earlier than that.

I want me some Great Movie Ride.

Gah!

I hate waiting.

Especially when you don't know when the thing you're waiting for it going to arrive.

Gah.

I applied for the Disney Alumni summer program, and now I'm just waiting to hear from them. I think I'm doing another interview, in which I will loudly shout "Great Movie Ride! Great Movie Ride! I wanna go back to THE GREAT MOVIE RIDE!!" Although I did also mark down that I was willing to work Icon Attractions...

...which, incidentally, is where GMR is located.

I'm just trying to find out what the usual schedule is...like when they typically start calling people. There's still about five months until I would leave for the internship, so I'm guessing they'll contact me for a phone interview by the end of March at the latest.

Gah. That's a long ways away.

Enchanted Attic is going decently well. I'm just frustrated with the amount of blocking I have to do. Miss Divalicious is terribly unhappy that I'm not giving her more Star Stage Time. But hey, she's an extra. She'll deal.

We had a pretty rough production meeting last night. I was fine- I've worked with the technical director before, and have a decently clear picture of what he expects. He wants me to communicate better about what we want? Sure. I can handle that. But, as all involved expected, the backstage crew got raked across the coals. Honestly, though, Jessica has impressed me. She's shown a lot of initiative, and it's fair to say that she's on my good side...she was definitely off it during the run of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. And once Caleb turns in his application, he'll be an ASM too. It'll be fabulous. I just hope that Nick can call the show. I think that'll help the performances run smoothly.

Gah. Still waiting on Disney.

It's all I can think about.

Crap.

No witty title this morning. It's too early.

I'm in such a Disney mood. Partially because of Musical Monday, and partially because I'm thinking of going back to Disney for the summer. However...I would be gone from May 18 to August 14, which is way too long. I have wedding planning to do, and if I'm in a show this summer, there's no way I could do it. Because, you know, I'd be in Orlando instead of Nashville.

Speaking of wedding planning, I feel validated about mine. The girl I'm directing Enchanted Attic with is a very no-nonsense, I-call-'em-as-I-see-'em kind of girl. And she was asking me about my wedding ideas, and so I confessed my Alice in Wonderland details: teapots and teacups, the flower girl dressed as Alice, the white roses painted red. And she thought it sounded adorable. So yay! I'm not completely retarded!

I'm so distracted by this Disney thing. I'd really love to go down again...I miss my park! And it would be a great way to earn some more money before the wedding. But I need to plan the wedding! And I'll miss P to no end. I don't know. I'm just so torn.

Anyways...

When I'm in class, I am thinking two things: 1) "I need something else to do" and 2) "This is sooo boring." I mean, really...Fundamentals of Physics. Not that fun. So I work on other things...like my book. But since I didn't have my draft of Book #1 (Beatrice and the Cat) to edit, or my draft of Book #2 (Beatrice and the Greenfinch Carnival) to write, I worked on legwork- character descriptions, timeline, etc. One of the things I worked out is pairings.

Here's a bit of my dirty laundry: I'm a fanfiction author. And when I mean fanfiction, I mean hardcore-squealing-fangirl-I-really-need-to-stop-writing fanfiction. I've got 70-something stories on fanfiction.net. Granted, most of them are from my middle school and high school days, but I still pop out a good Avatar, Harry Potter, or Shaman King one-shot every now and again. So when I started writing my own book, I thought of it in terms of fanfiction. As in...

What kind of story elements made me want to write fanfiction? Was it dynamic, curiously fascinating characters? Was it an irrestible romance? Was it a mysterious event spoken of but never elaborated on? Was it an unusual event? Was it a desire to see these characters in the future?

The answer is...all of them. However, one of the biggest things that drew me to fanfiction was pairings. Shippings, if you will. Whether it was a die-hard canon pairing like Yoh Asakura and Anna Kyoyama, or a couple tantalizingly hinted upon but never solidified like Sokka and Toph Bei Fong, or a crack pairing that I made up for my own enjoyment like Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood, I wrote prolifically. So now that I'm writing my own book, I think in terms of pairings.

Will it be our heroine Beatrice Ainsley and Hero Greenaway, the bookish magic enthusiast?

Will it be Asher Kingsbury, the silly and fun-loving youngest triplet, and Rora Caldwell, the sweet but strong-willed blonde? Or will he choose Neddy Cooper, the talkative, lively, musically-impaired brunette?

Will it be Jack Hawkins, the more-than-a-little eccentric magician, and Fidelity Merrow, the demure young lady with a wild past?

Or maybe even Dr. Percy Darnley, the poker-faced chauvinist school headmaster...and...a mermaid?

(There's a running gag about Dr. Darnley being jilted by a mermaid.)

So yeah. I'm having a lot of fun writing these romances as ambiguously as possible. That way, if I finally publish this (eventual) twelve-book series, I can hopefully watch the fanfiction authors take off with all of these pairings.

Oh, and just so you know, I've already decided who gets together with whom. I'm so evil...

My first Musical Monday!

I agonized over what my first MM moment (ooh, my MMM) would be. It had to be something that meant something, that was funny but not too funny, something unusual and exciting.

I got nothin'.

But then...I finally did think of something.

And therefore, my first Musical Monday is...

"Hurray for Hollywood!"

Yeah, random, right? But there's a reason behind it.

At the time in 2006, I was working my first full-time job and living in a different state than my parents for the first time. I was only a sheltered, slightly spoiled eighteen-year-old who was stubborn as all-get-out but had never experience true independence. Even when I started college in the fall of '05, I was only thirty minutes from home. So when I went to Orlando as part of the Disney College Program, it was rather terrifying. I was thrilled to work for the Disney company, especially as a tour guide on the Great Movie Ride, but I was really nervous about living in an apartment on my own without my mommy and daddy and my happy private-Christian-school bubble. It was a genuine sink-or-swim situation.

And I definitely swam.

I worked hard. I had a good reputation amongst my coworkers. I handled my money well. I learned how to manage my own personality around other people (that's a long story...I'll explain it in some other post). I even got my first boyfriend (whom I am now marrying). And I loved every minute of it.

If you've never been on the Great Movie Ride, it's a 22-minute tram ride through great moments at the movies that have been brought to life in a combination of live action and animatronics. (How's that for a cast member spiel?) Guests enter and exit the vehicles on a loading dock that perpetually plays the same song, "Hurray for Hollywood," over and over again. And somehow I never got tired of it. That song still echoes in my brain...and my mp3 player.

I'm going to post this video for now, but when I eventually get a copy of my own show, I'll post it here!