046 - 6/5/10

I leave a week from tomorrow! I'm too busy with cleaning and packing to put pictures in this, or give you any updates. Sorry!


R



Roommates


So, on my CP I had 3 roommates, and we lived in a two bedroom, two bath. I rarely ever saw one of my roommates, and the other two drove me insane. I always seem to have issues with roommates, and that ultimately is what cut my first program short. If you have an issue with your roommate, try to work it out with them BEFORE you go to the housing supervisors. That’s like going to your boss if you had an issue with a co-worker and didn’t even tell the co-worker. If you think you’ve upset your roommate, ask them. Don’t just go complain about one roommate either. If one of them has a problem with you, I bet every single one of them does too. And if you get someone kicked out for something stupid, don’t expect anyone to like you anymore.


Can you tell I’m speaking from experience? My roommate knew I had an issue with her, as I had made it EXTREMELY clear. However, instead of trying to fix the issue, she just ran to housing. In the end, I was terminated from my program, and no one spoke to that roommate from then on. Just remember those kinds of things, especially if you’re living with more than one other person. If you don’t want to talk to that roommate directly, talk to another roommate. Just don’t ever go above them without trying other means. That’s messed up.


Relationships


Not only is it amazing to get to work for Disney, but you’re going to meet some amazing (and not so amazing) people on your program. Two of my best friends in the entire world (my California besties, as I like to call them) did the program with me. They actually worked ODV as well. As far as the not so amazing people, they’re pretty easy to ignore. At least, they were in California, and Florida is WAY bigger program size wise (try saying that three times fast). As for romantic relationships, I definitely wasn’t looking to find one during my program, but I happened to end up finding two. I dated a guy in the program for a few weeks, but things just didn’t work out. Then, I dated a guy that worked in ODV with me, and ended up having to leave. All I can tell you about that is to make sure your roommates are OK with the guys/girls you bring over. If they don’t, you’re going to be the least favorite roommate, and quickly. I was lucky enough that my roommates adored my first boyfriend, and then the second one lived nearby, so we never were at my apartment. Also, try not to date someone in your work location. That can get awkward. Or someone that works somewhere you like going, like a favorite attraction or restaurant. If you do, and things don’t work out (which they probably won’t), that place is going to be ruined for you.

045 - 6/3/10

I get on a jet plane (Jet Blue to be exact) in TEN DAYS! Well, closer to nine now. I'm getting so excited! I've started packing, and I feel like space bags are a joke. People keep saying amazing things about them, but they're not working very well for me. There must be some trick to them that I don't understand. Oh well though, I've still got a week to pack. Tomorrow, my best friend in the whole entire world is coming to get me from school, because she's awesome like that. I have a ride over to the west side this weekend, and then she bailed (good thing we were never really friends). So, now Hope is coming to get me, and then my mom is taking me back on Monday afternoon. I'm going to miss being a two hour drive away from home. Its far enough away, but not too far. Florida is too far, that's for sure. I plan on doing a lot of tanning while I'm home this weekend. I really need some color before I leave. I have gone tanning in like 3 weeks, I've been so busy with other things (Hope and Hunter).  Today I finally finished my web design project (on Hollywood Studios) and my religion paper (so so easy). So now, all I have to focus on is packing really. I mean, I have three finals next week, but they're all easy and/or allow notes. SO... on to today's letter!


Q


QSFB


On my program, about 90% of the CPs were either QSFB, ODV, Merchandising, or Attractions. Of that 90%, about 75% of those were QSFB or ODV. I dated a guy that worked QSFB at Village Haus, and I was friends with a few people that worked Main Street QSFB. Depending on where you're working, you could be at one location or a few. That's the same with almost any role though. Main Street QSFB consists of Coke Corner, Gibson Girls, and (I believe) the corn dog cart. That last one might be its own though. Oddly enough, one of my roommates work at the Hungry Bear, but she was trained at the Main Street Market too. The way Disney works definitely confuses me sometimes. Even if you're trained at one location, you could possibly be trained at another. My favorite QSFB location is definitely the corn dog cart on Main Street. I like the corn dogs at DCA too, but the one on Main Street just makes me smile.

044 - 6/2/10

Have you ever noticed that when you're a little bit stressed, it seems like you're suddenly extremely stressed? Yeah, well that's my life right now. Between school and moving and packing I'm just exhausted from how stressed out I am. As we speak, I have a horribly horrible migrane. I attempted to pack a little today, and ended up filling my suitcase with about six pairs of jeans. Do I need six pairs of jeans? I doubt it. However, I just downsized from about 20 pairs to six, so that's getting somewhere at least, right? I'm currently super tired, so I'm just going to quickly post today's letter.

P


Pink's Hot Dogs


One day, a FT asked me if I had ever been to Pink’s. Of course, I had no idea what he was talking about, and still probably wouldn’t know if he had never filled me in. He suggested we take a late night drive down to Hollywood (about an hour away) so I could experience Pink’s. We ended up getting there at about 1AM (they always close at 1 or 2), and the line was about a half hour long! During the day, the line can completely wrap around the building, it’s intense. The hot dogs are SO good, and they aren’t really expensive either. They have a valet guy that will park your car for you, and he is so nice. If you want the ultimate hot dog experience, I would highly recommend going to Pink’s! Whatever you do though, go to the original in Hollywood, not one of those new locations like Knott’s or LAX or Planet Hollywood.



Parking


If you live in CP housing and plan on bringing a car, you're more than likely going to have to park it down the block and around the corner. There is parking under the complex, but it seems to be reserved for the actually permanent residents of the complex. If you work late at night and plan on driving, please find someone to go home with you. The walk from the parking structure to the apartments is scary. I always made sure I had at least one person with me at night. Honestly, that area is sketchy. Katie and I had a terrifying encounter with some overly friendly guys at the Von's one night, so trust me. I'm not saying to stay in and never leave, just be aware of your surroundings. Parking at the parks is free, as long as you have your CM ID. You can park at Mickey and Friends or Lion King, but using your ID won't work at DTD. I'd suggest Mickey and Friends because its the easiest to get in and out of from the apartments. Plus, Lion King tends to be closed. If you're running to DTD for dinner or a movie though, just park in their lot. It makes life easier.

043 - 6/1/10

It's finally June! Oh my gosh how time is flying! Now, if only it could be June 14 already! Today is going to be relatively short, considering I'm super tired. I stayed up way too late last night watching this amazing show I was just recently turned onto: Firefly. Yeah, it was on in like 2000, but its a good show! O is all about what I did at Disneyland!


O


ODV(!)


When I worked at Disneyland, my role was Outdoor Vending. Well, at DLR its Outdoor Vending at least. At DCA, they call themselves Outdoor Ventures, but it’s all the same really. From what I hear, ODV is now part of QSFB, as opposed to being its own department. I may be wrong though, as I heard this through the grapevine. Basically, I sold churros, popcorn, pretzels, ice cream, cotton candy, turkey legs, chimichangas, frozen lemonade, and beverages of all sorts. At nights, you could also work the glow cart, which is all the pretty light up stuff before the parades and fireworks. Oh, and we sold balloons too! In other words, Disneyland would be nothing without us. ODV is one of the only departments where you could be scheduled in Tomorrowland on Monday, Critter Country on Tuesday, and then Main Street on Wednesday. It was fun to always be in a different place, but also slightly frustrating. You’re only allowed to check out three costumes at a time, but you could be in four or five different lands over the course of a week. Plus, I don’t know how many times I would forget where I was when I was directing a guest to a specific attraction or the restrooms. I never got bored though, that’s for sure. Especially once I got trained at DCA, because then I could work anywhere. The one downside of DCA is that almost all the ODV carts had cash registers. At DLR, we did everything out of our five pocket apron and did the math in our heads. After doing that for a month and a half, using a register just slowed things down SO much. Two years ago, ODV was the largest department in all of Disneyland. That made it really easy to pick up shifts, and give them away too. Even though I wasn’t really looking forward to ODV, I ended up loving it and making a ton of friends! This picture is of the popcorn stand in front of the castle (clearly) and is actually the original popcorn stand from when the park opened. It’s one of my favorite ODV carts to work. That weird blob in the middle of the picture is where the drinks are usually displayed. This stand hadn't been set up yet.

042 - 5/31/10





Happy Memorial Day to all! I hope you all took a little time out of your day to thank someone that has served our country. After all, they're the reason we don't have school today! Its quickly hitting me that I have a LOT to do in the next 13 days, and not enough time. I spent my weekend at my mom's house trying to clean, and now that I'm back at my house, I've got so much to sort through and pack! Currently, my room looks like this:


This week, my focus is on finishing up the quarter. I've got a 3 page paper to write for my religion class (shouldn't be too hard) and I have to finish up my web site for my web site construction class. It's all about Hollywood Studios, which is by far my favorite park. Now its time for today's letter!


N


Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria




NAPLES-DISNEYLAND-SEPTEMBER2007.jpg image by MousesausageSo, this restaurant is located in Downtown Disney, next to where the Mickey and Friends tram stops. Obviously, the place serves Italian food, and expensive Italian food at that. A few of us stumbled into Naples one night after we realized that everyone was eating at DTD at the same exact time as us. The food is WAY overpriced and really not all that great. Our waitress was completely oblivious to us and, needless to say, did not get a very good tip. We ordered the Pizza Salsicce, which is sausage, peppers, and onions. The pizza wasn't necessarily bad, it just was really dry. I've had real authentic Italian pizza before, and this wasn't it. If you really want to eat here, I'd just go to the counter service area outside, Napolini. Its still pricey, but not nearly as expensive as the restaurant itself. If you're looking for a delicious, relatively nice restaurant at DTD, I would highly suggest Tortilla Jo's. I went there for my ex's birthday with his family, and the place was so nice and nowhere near as pricey as Naples. I'm pretty sure I had Tacos Suaves when we went, but that almost two years ago.

041 - 5/30/10

Today was my going away party with my family and a few family friends. It was definitely good to see everyone. I got two $15 Disney gift cards, a neck pillow, and a book called Girl Power. I love getting presents! Our waiter asked me if it was my birthday. I told him no, but informed him that he could sing to me if he really wanted to. My family is thinking about coming to visit me for Christmas, which would be really cool if they did. I can't believe I only have two weeks until I leave! I have so much to do before then! I've been doing a lot of shopping lately, and I've gotten some really really cute stuff. Plus, I've been cleaning my room at my mom's house, and I found my favorite pair of sunglasses! I did the math today, and if I keep doing a letter a day, I'll finish the day before I leave! Talk about good timing right? I might have a few days of double posting (both ABCs and packing updates), but it depends on how busy I get. Anyways, today is the letter....


M



Malibu


I’m not really a fan of the beach or anything, but Malibu is definitely worth the time to check out. Not only is there an awesome Juicy Couture store (my absolute favorite) in Malibu, but its just all around a beautiful place. Have you ever wondered where Pepperdine University is? Well, if you’re in Malibu, I doubt you’ll miss it. Talk about a school with a view! The Pacific Coast Highway is really pretty too. It’s about an hour to an hour and a half from Anaheim, but the drive through the mountains is so so so pretty.


Magic Mountain


It’s a bit of a drive to Magic Mountain, but I personally think its worth it. I went to MM when I was in high school (I think), and I had a lot of fun. If you like coasters, you will love MM. Goliath is probably one of the most intimidating coasters I have ever been on in my life, but it was worth facing. I was in tears as we climbed the drop, but once it was over I realized how awesome it was. My favorite ride was by far Freefall. From what I hear though, the ride isn’t open anymore, which is heart breaking. I remember having a massive headache about halfway through the day, from going on so many thrill rides back to back. Looking back, I realize that was probably a sign that I should have called it quits. Of course, I didn’t though. MM is about an hour or so from Anaheim as well, but the drive isn’t nearly as pretty as the drive to Malibu.