Thursday, April 15, 2010
The actual non-register day! (with a dustpan and broom)
Non-5:30am day today. Got on register for an hour. Told by Gary to take dust pan and broom around store. Did that for a while (not sure if I was supposed to). On break, found I had an Anniversary voicemail from Ralph. Aww ^-^ ERs offered today. Didn't take it, probably should have. While on bathroom break, heard Disney's name mentioned in the news. Something about a guy, a stroke, and the Tower of Terror. Talked to Manager Dev on the way out about going part/full time. Said I needed to go to Casting. Probably hiring for Attractions now. Realized on way home, if that's true, and I would've just put "Attractions" down on my extension application, I wouldn't necessarily be in this mess. Saw a rainbow. Florida rain = sunny in one half of the sky, heavy rains coming from the other half.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
5:30am Days - One Month Left To Go
Beginning of a crazy six-day week. Today 5:30am - 4:00pm. Tomorrow 11:00am - 6:00pm on register. Another 5:30am - 4:00pm after that. Then normal day of 5:30am - 2:00pm. Then I'm deployed to World of Disney. Sunday register. Monday stock from 3:30pm - midnight. Shifts are all until late at night. It's going to be fun.
Woke up today not feeling all that great. Managed to get to work and was put in Bubble. Found out General Manager of something from California was doing a walk of store from 3-5pm. Met woman looking for black visor. Didn't have one out on display, offered to check stockroom really quick. "Really, really quick" she said. Had to meet someone, didn't tell them she was stopping. Raced downstairs, skimmed hats, took stairs two at a time to get up, opened door to find Cast Member standing where woman was now rolling away (wheelchair? ECV?). Other Cast Member told me the woman had said I was taking too long.
...
Coolest thing happened while I was working on shoes. Family came in, looking at shoes and chatting. Thought it would be polite to acknowledge them. One of the young adult daughters was wearing wedding headband ears. Said they looked nice. Dad told me I looked like one of the people he went on the Keys To The Kingdom tour with yesterday. He looked familiar. Asked him what time his tour was at. 9:00am he responded. "Wait..." I said, "Alabama? With the Wrigley Field shirt?" It was him! He was surprised to see me, especially to find out I was a Cast Member. "Ta Da" I said weakly, commenting it would've been nice to have transformed into something a little better looking (Mouse Gear costume's kind of cool). Said it was nice to meet him again.
Also met up with Holly from Sunset later in the day. Was there with her former roommate, who had extended and works in Dinoland now. Holly's living at home with her parents. Doesn't know what to do with her life. Is thinking about going to grad school as a result.
Not the most productive day in Bubble. Finished and walked back to Cast Services. Quick costume stop and clothing change, and I was on my way to get gas. Then it was over to Walmart to get a new pair of work shoes. After much back-and-forth, chose same brand and style ("Captain") as before, just larger. Then back to apartment to try to make Pasta Primavera. Lots of work, hard to keep track of the two different items. Managed it anyway. Food was delicious, although not feeling well now. Possibly just because not having felt well this morning?
Had chat on phone with Mom (Dad in background) about next steps. Really feeling uncertain. Waiting on Professional Internship, but no idea whether or not I'll get it. Had sent e-mail yesterday, asking why I had been denied. Generic e-mail response: too many requests, not enough roles. I understand why my parents say there's more opportunity here, but I don't feel ready to get involved in getting an apartment, at least, not in Florida, not for a minimum wage job, and not without a focused future.
Not happy with the way I act sometimes, especially when my family's trying to help me.
I know I should have looked at jobs, or read "Parachute" book. But sometimes, you just gotta watch Ed, Edd, n' Eddy.
Just watched South Park's 200th episode. Dramatic and funny, nicely done. Definitely time for bed now. Lots to focus on, lots to think about.
Happy One-Month-Left. One month from now, I'll officially no longer be a CP. Whether I'm here at that point, working, driving, or at Acen, I don't know. I wonder where I'll be. But, I've got to say, I can't believe there's just one month left. Crazy to think about, especially when I think about the journey I've taken since that March day (March 17th maybe? 12th?) last year, when I decided to go for the Disney College Program. And now, here I am, trying to get a hold on my future.
Amazing.
Woke up today not feeling all that great. Managed to get to work and was put in Bubble. Found out General Manager of something from California was doing a walk of store from 3-5pm. Met woman looking for black visor. Didn't have one out on display, offered to check stockroom really quick. "Really, really quick" she said. Had to meet someone, didn't tell them she was stopping. Raced downstairs, skimmed hats, took stairs two at a time to get up, opened door to find Cast Member standing where woman was now rolling away (wheelchair? ECV?). Other Cast Member told me the woman had said I was taking too long.
...
Coolest thing happened while I was working on shoes. Family came in, looking at shoes and chatting. Thought it would be polite to acknowledge them. One of the young adult daughters was wearing wedding headband ears. Said they looked nice. Dad told me I looked like one of the people he went on the Keys To The Kingdom tour with yesterday. He looked familiar. Asked him what time his tour was at. 9:00am he responded. "Wait..." I said, "Alabama? With the Wrigley Field shirt?" It was him! He was surprised to see me, especially to find out I was a Cast Member. "Ta Da" I said weakly, commenting it would've been nice to have transformed into something a little better looking (Mouse Gear costume's kind of cool). Said it was nice to meet him again.
Also met up with Holly from Sunset later in the day. Was there with her former roommate, who had extended and works in Dinoland now. Holly's living at home with her parents. Doesn't know what to do with her life. Is thinking about going to grad school as a result.
Not the most productive day in Bubble. Finished and walked back to Cast Services. Quick costume stop and clothing change, and I was on my way to get gas. Then it was over to Walmart to get a new pair of work shoes. After much back-and-forth, chose same brand and style ("Captain") as before, just larger. Then back to apartment to try to make Pasta Primavera. Lots of work, hard to keep track of the two different items. Managed it anyway. Food was delicious, although not feeling well now. Possibly just because not having felt well this morning?
Had chat on phone with Mom (Dad in background) about next steps. Really feeling uncertain. Waiting on Professional Internship, but no idea whether or not I'll get it. Had sent e-mail yesterday, asking why I had been denied. Generic e-mail response: too many requests, not enough roles. I understand why my parents say there's more opportunity here, but I don't feel ready to get involved in getting an apartment, at least, not in Florida, not for a minimum wage job, and not without a focused future.
Not happy with the way I act sometimes, especially when my family's trying to help me.
I know I should have looked at jobs, or read "Parachute" book. But sometimes, you just gotta watch Ed, Edd, n' Eddy.
Just watched South Park's 200th episode. Dramatic and funny, nicely done. Definitely time for bed now. Lots to focus on, lots to think about.
Happy One-Month-Left. One month from now, I'll officially no longer be a CP. Whether I'm here at that point, working, driving, or at Acen, I don't know. I wonder where I'll be. But, I've got to say, I can't believe there's just one month left. Crazy to think about, especially when I think about the journey I've taken since that March day (March 17th maybe? 12th?) last year, when I decided to go for the Disney College Program. And now, here I am, trying to get a hold on my future.
Amazing.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Keys To The Kingdom
Went on "Keys To The Kingdom" tour today. Had previously gone on this, but shorter version offered by Disney University for Cast Members. Accidentally woke up Soyoung with my alarm. Quick breakfast, got ready, on my way. Tour was for 9:00am, with my having to be there 15 minutes early to check in. Thought I had plenty of time. Arrived about 8:15am, parked in Minnie, and walked to TTC. Got in line for monorail. Monorail Gold (yay!) was sitting in station, but wasn't going. Doors were opening, and Monorail was "snorting" like the trains at Big Thunder, but nothing happening. PA announcement - going through safety checks. Took a little while. Clock kept ticking. Gold eventually ready. People went in, I moved up. Saw Transportation Cast Member's name tag said he was from Chicago. Said he was from the North West side. I said where I was from. Said he knew where it was.
"60187, right?"
"Right!"
Kids excited, waiting for next monorail. Monorail Red pulled into station. Doors opened...gates did not. Another Transportation Cast Member began going through the cabins, opening the hatches for the phones and picking them up to make sure they were working. Doors made "bing-bong" noises you hear on subways and the L. Red started snorting too. Were they doing safety checks? WERE THEY DOING SAFETY CHECKS?!?! Yes. PA Announcement told me twice. Finally, at 8:53am, we were ready to go. Missed check-in time; thought I could still make tour. Got through ride, moving to entrance, bag check (security didn't know where to enter for tours, but by then, people were going inside), and tickets. Entered park 9:01am. Found check-in at City Hall. Asked if I was Cast Member on tour. Said yes, was directed to sign in paper. Thought it was odd. Saw "DU" for Disney University at time. Told them I was on actual, actual tour. Got to pick up name tag, ordered "Anchors Away" tuna sandwich and Coke from Columbia Harbour House. Offered free water and coffee. Sweet! Directed outside. Tour Guide - Gregg from upstate New York. Handed headset, tuned to Channel 2. Had a bit of trouble getting earpiece on my ear. Finally managed it. Waited a little bit more for other Guests, then set off. Walked up Main Street, down side (Center?) street as trolley show was coming. Introductions - name, where from, role you'd want at Disney. Older couple next to me said they were from Homer Glen. Said Carol Stream (hoped they'd recognize it) and said I wanted to be in Holiday Services. Gregg surprised, said it was very specific. Explained Holiday Services to rest of group. Some wanted to be in Guest Relations, one head of horticulture, one wanted to be Mickey, one wanted to meet the owner of the place. Window gazed. Went up to Hub. Headed to Adventureland. At Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, Gregg mentioned renaming of Disneyland's to Tarzan. Said he had a brother in the animation department. When trying to figure out what Tarzan should look like, decided to try and figure out what he looked like as a baby. Had a young niece at the time (maybe animator's daughter and Gregg's niece?). Used her as reference. True story. Way cool!! Went to Jungle Cruise. Gregg got us our own boat. Had a skipper drive while he told us secrets about Jungle Cruise. Hidden Mickey, sensors, guy at bottom of rhino pole has same face as watchman in Haunted Mansion. Very cool experience. Bathroom break at Pirate and Parrot, which appeared to be open, damn! Talked to girl named Katharine. Also named after Katharine Hepburn. Middle name Joy. Sometimes called Katie Joy, since people didn't really like Katharine Joy. Sister's middle name is Elizabeth. Went on Pirates. Got to sit with Gregg. Had mentioned before he started as CP at front gate. Wanted to ask him more, but he answered other Guest questions. Fun ride, no splash this time. Wandered to Frontierland. Time to go backstage. Went past Woody and Jessie (apparently one couple really liked this characters - husband pointing out Woody to wife, saying she got a rumbly in her tumbly seeing him) and to parade step off. Gregg said past yellow line, out of site of Guests. No clothes off until beyond fence/gate. Paused before heading back there. Reminder - no pictures. Continued on. "Pretty glamorous, huh?" Headed to float storage. Cast Member working back there flipped on the lights to the fish. Made it seem as if she was just doing her job, but I wonder if she did it for us. Some of us said thank you anyway. Turned to see Woody and Jessie without their heads going to swap out point. Laughter and giggly goodness from group. Got to see water pumps for Splash. That's a lot of water! And a lot of power! Shoe floating in water. Said they'd found a prosthetic leg? Talked about trash too. Only park to have the A.V.A.C. (spelling?) system. Too expensive. Back out onstage. Told once we cross the yellow line, we'll forget all we've seen. Through Frontierland. Paused by Christmas shop. Bunch of little kids wandered by shouting "Tinker Bell! Tinker Bell!" Informed part of a family tour. Had a cloth scroll with clues and everything, ooh. Moved to carriage house by Haunted Mansion (which we were told we'd be going on after lunch). After a few minutes, Gregg went to Columbia Harbour House to check what's up. Enjoyed weather in meantime. Greeted by lunch coordinator. Escorted inside, up stairs, into VIP room. Meals set out for us. Find place card. Found mine and sat down. Got a bag of chips in addition to meal and drink, sweet! Another tour guide came in. Said she was there so Gregg could rest his voice. Guy sat down across from me. Wearing Wrigley Field t-shirt. Asked him if he was from Chicago. Alabama, but had visited Chicago. Chatted a bit about it. Guy found our key pin was on the inside of the name card. Cool ^-^ Gregg asked if he could join us. Ate salad that had been sitting next to me. Thought placard had another name on it. Maybe Guest didn't show? Alabama asked Gregg if he'd ever been Mickey. Then asked who his brother's favorite animator was. Probably Ward Kimball? Had a light discussion about Ward's stuff being sold on eBay. Felt bad for Gregg, being asked all about his brother (though I was curious too). Asked Alabama about driving or flying, and tried asking Gregg more about his job, whether easy to move around in Company. Said used to be, in 2007, but now, not hiring so much because of economy and people not coming. Asked also if true Tour Guides had to be in Guest Relations for a certain period of time and had audition. Said it was. Asked if I was going to go out for Guest Relations. Said no. Maybe wouldn't have the patience to deal with people. Something like that. Probably not the best thing to say x.x Gregg said Guest Relations means having to take the good with the bad, handling complaints, which they actually get. Told him I knew, trust me. Left to go to bathroom. Met up with Katharine and sister. Was asked if I was staying on property. Trying to hide Cast Member roots (surprisingly difficult on a DISNEY TOUR). Said family was out in park, I was taking tour. Staying at Pop Century. Woman behind them said her too. 80s building for them. I saw I was in 70s. Asked Katharine. Turns out, woman was her Mom. Bathroom busy because downstairs one was closed. Adding in changing station. Made joke about standing in line being what you're supposed to do at Disney. Waiting for great bathroom ride. Came back, took another bite of sandwich, another sip of Coke, saved chips in purse, tossed everything else but water from the morning.
Gotta get to bed. Another 5:30am day tomorrow. But notes for next update:
"Keys" to the kingdom
Haunted Mansion
Servants quarters
Finally spotting Hidden Mickey
Paul Frees - I'm just a fan
Alas - no tour
Liberty Square "brown river"
Pause
Imagineering - English Literature
Washington Irving - Headless Horseman/Rip Van Winkle
Hub
Flower vacuum
Hidden Mickey ring
Bathroom break again
Same backstage entry from DU - Keys To The Kingdom
Goofy!
Bricks painted on wall - firehouse
Jungle Cruise boats
Down into the tunnels
(Woman worried about clausterphobia in tunnel)
Guest reaction - smiles and big eyes
Vice President Phil (and earlier)
Band members
Alice
Kingdom Kutters?
Video
No wall display?
Back up "my" staircase
Tinker Bell landing
Back onto Center (?) street - where's the yellow line?
Roy and Minnie
End of tour - hand the stuff in
Linger, just taking it easy
Haunted Mansion favorite ride? - Book, theming
Jungle Cruise movie?
Called Mom
Oops, name tag
Carousel
Big Thunder
Come back to make phone call
Soyoung left!
E-mail
Nibbles and food planning
Vista, Walmart, food making
Call again
What's my next steps?
"60187, right?"
"Right!"
Kids excited, waiting for next monorail. Monorail Red pulled into station. Doors opened...gates did not. Another Transportation Cast Member began going through the cabins, opening the hatches for the phones and picking them up to make sure they were working. Doors made "bing-bong" noises you hear on subways and the L. Red started snorting too. Were they doing safety checks? WERE THEY DOING SAFETY CHECKS?!?! Yes. PA Announcement told me twice. Finally, at 8:53am, we were ready to go. Missed check-in time; thought I could still make tour. Got through ride, moving to entrance, bag check (security didn't know where to enter for tours, but by then, people were going inside), and tickets. Entered park 9:01am. Found check-in at City Hall. Asked if I was Cast Member on tour. Said yes, was directed to sign in paper. Thought it was odd. Saw "DU" for Disney University at time. Told them I was on actual, actual tour. Got to pick up name tag, ordered "Anchors Away" tuna sandwich and Coke from Columbia Harbour House. Offered free water and coffee. Sweet! Directed outside. Tour Guide - Gregg from upstate New York. Handed headset, tuned to Channel 2. Had a bit of trouble getting earpiece on my ear. Finally managed it. Waited a little bit more for other Guests, then set off. Walked up Main Street, down side (Center?) street as trolley show was coming. Introductions - name, where from, role you'd want at Disney. Older couple next to me said they were from Homer Glen. Said Carol Stream (hoped they'd recognize it) and said I wanted to be in Holiday Services. Gregg surprised, said it was very specific. Explained Holiday Services to rest of group. Some wanted to be in Guest Relations, one head of horticulture, one wanted to be Mickey, one wanted to meet the owner of the place. Window gazed. Went up to Hub. Headed to Adventureland. At Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, Gregg mentioned renaming of Disneyland's to Tarzan. Said he had a brother in the animation department. When trying to figure out what Tarzan should look like, decided to try and figure out what he looked like as a baby. Had a young niece at the time (maybe animator's daughter and Gregg's niece?). Used her as reference. True story. Way cool!! Went to Jungle Cruise. Gregg got us our own boat. Had a skipper drive while he told us secrets about Jungle Cruise. Hidden Mickey, sensors, guy at bottom of rhino pole has same face as watchman in Haunted Mansion. Very cool experience. Bathroom break at Pirate and Parrot, which appeared to be open, damn! Talked to girl named Katharine. Also named after Katharine Hepburn. Middle name Joy. Sometimes called Katie Joy, since people didn't really like Katharine Joy. Sister's middle name is Elizabeth. Went on Pirates. Got to sit with Gregg. Had mentioned before he started as CP at front gate. Wanted to ask him more, but he answered other Guest questions. Fun ride, no splash this time. Wandered to Frontierland. Time to go backstage. Went past Woody and Jessie (apparently one couple really liked this characters - husband pointing out Woody to wife, saying she got a rumbly in her tumbly seeing him) and to parade step off. Gregg said past yellow line, out of site of Guests. No clothes off until beyond fence/gate. Paused before heading back there. Reminder - no pictures. Continued on. "Pretty glamorous, huh?" Headed to float storage. Cast Member working back there flipped on the lights to the fish. Made it seem as if she was just doing her job, but I wonder if she did it for us. Some of us said thank you anyway. Turned to see Woody and Jessie without their heads going to swap out point. Laughter and giggly goodness from group. Got to see water pumps for Splash. That's a lot of water! And a lot of power! Shoe floating in water. Said they'd found a prosthetic leg? Talked about trash too. Only park to have the A.V.A.C. (spelling?) system. Too expensive. Back out onstage. Told once we cross the yellow line, we'll forget all we've seen. Through Frontierland. Paused by Christmas shop. Bunch of little kids wandered by shouting "Tinker Bell! Tinker Bell!" Informed part of a family tour. Had a cloth scroll with clues and everything, ooh. Moved to carriage house by Haunted Mansion (which we were told we'd be going on after lunch). After a few minutes, Gregg went to Columbia Harbour House to check what's up. Enjoyed weather in meantime. Greeted by lunch coordinator. Escorted inside, up stairs, into VIP room. Meals set out for us. Find place card. Found mine and sat down. Got a bag of chips in addition to meal and drink, sweet! Another tour guide came in. Said she was there so Gregg could rest his voice. Guy sat down across from me. Wearing Wrigley Field t-shirt. Asked him if he was from Chicago. Alabama, but had visited Chicago. Chatted a bit about it. Guy found our key pin was on the inside of the name card. Cool ^-^ Gregg asked if he could join us. Ate salad that had been sitting next to me. Thought placard had another name on it. Maybe Guest didn't show? Alabama asked Gregg if he'd ever been Mickey. Then asked who his brother's favorite animator was. Probably Ward Kimball? Had a light discussion about Ward's stuff being sold on eBay. Felt bad for Gregg, being asked all about his brother (though I was curious too). Asked Alabama about driving or flying, and tried asking Gregg more about his job, whether easy to move around in Company. Said used to be, in 2007, but now, not hiring so much because of economy and people not coming. Asked also if true Tour Guides had to be in Guest Relations for a certain period of time and had audition. Said it was. Asked if I was going to go out for Guest Relations. Said no. Maybe wouldn't have the patience to deal with people. Something like that. Probably not the best thing to say x.x Gregg said Guest Relations means having to take the good with the bad, handling complaints, which they actually get. Told him I knew, trust me. Left to go to bathroom. Met up with Katharine and sister. Was asked if I was staying on property. Trying to hide Cast Member roots (surprisingly difficult on a DISNEY TOUR). Said family was out in park, I was taking tour. Staying at Pop Century. Woman behind them said her too. 80s building for them. I saw I was in 70s. Asked Katharine. Turns out, woman was her Mom. Bathroom busy because downstairs one was closed. Adding in changing station. Made joke about standing in line being what you're supposed to do at Disney. Waiting for great bathroom ride. Came back, took another bite of sandwich, another sip of Coke, saved chips in purse, tossed everything else but water from the morning.
Gotta get to bed. Another 5:30am day tomorrow. But notes for next update:
"Keys" to the kingdom
Haunted Mansion
Servants quarters
Finally spotting Hidden Mickey
Paul Frees - I'm just a fan
Alas - no tour
Liberty Square "brown river"
Pause
Imagineering - English Literature
Washington Irving - Headless Horseman/Rip Van Winkle
Hub
Flower vacuum
Hidden Mickey ring
Bathroom break again
Same backstage entry from DU - Keys To The Kingdom
Goofy!
Bricks painted on wall - firehouse
Jungle Cruise boats
Down into the tunnels
(Woman worried about clausterphobia in tunnel)
Guest reaction - smiles and big eyes
Vice President Phil (and earlier)
Band members
Alice
Kingdom Kutters?
Video
No wall display?
Back up "my" staircase
Tinker Bell landing
Back onto Center (?) street - where's the yellow line?
Roy and Minnie
End of tour - hand the stuff in
Linger, just taking it easy
Haunted Mansion favorite ride? - Book, theming
Jungle Cruise movie?
Called Mom
Oops, name tag
Carousel
Big Thunder
Come back to make phone call
Soyoung left!
Nibbles and food planning
Vista, Walmart, food making
Call again
What's my next steps?
Monday, April 12, 2010
College Program Extension
Thank you for submitting an extension request. At this time, we are unable to approve your request for a program extension.
There are a number of reasons why extension requests would be denied. The Cast member may not meet the eligibility requirements for extensions.
Cast Members can participate in consecutive programs as long as the overall term does not surpass one year in length. This process is open only to College and CareerStart Program Cast.
Culinary Cast Members should contact the College Recruiting Culinary Coordinator at 407-934-6656.
College Program Cast Members should contact International Recruiting at 407-934-7470.
Due to housing capacity, we've been unable to grant extension requests for certain Cast Members who met the basic requirements. In these situations, requests were denied based on the information below:
The Cast Member may have excessive points on his/her record card. This season, Cast Members were denied their request to extend if their record card included a high number of points and/or reprimands, regardless of whether they wanted to remain in their current location or transfer.
The Cast Member may have selected roles that have a limited number of positions available. Some lines of business have a greater labor need than others, so we made decisions based on what would ensure appropriate staffing across all lines of business.
If you have questions about why your extension request was declined, please contact the College & CareerStart Recruiting office at wdw.college.recruiting@disney.com
You may be eligible to continue in a seasonal (CT) capacity in your current work location.
Speak with your local management team for more information.
Disney College Recruiting
1-800-722-2930
Please close your browser window.
There are a number of reasons why extension requests would be denied. The Cast member may not meet the eligibility requirements for extensions.
Cast Members can participate in consecutive programs as long as the overall term does not surpass one year in length. This process is open only to College and CareerStart Program Cast.
Culinary Cast Members should contact the College Recruiting Culinary Coordinator at 407-934-6656.
College Program Cast Members should contact International Recruiting at 407-934-7470.
Due to housing capacity, we've been unable to grant extension requests for certain Cast Members who met the basic requirements. In these situations, requests were denied based on the information below:
The Cast Member may have excessive points on his/her record card. This season, Cast Members were denied their request to extend if their record card included a high number of points and/or reprimands, regardless of whether they wanted to remain in their current location or transfer.
The Cast Member may have selected roles that have a limited number of positions available. Some lines of business have a greater labor need than others, so we made decisions based on what would ensure appropriate staffing across all lines of business.
If you have questions about why your extension request was declined, please contact the College & CareerStart Recruiting office at wdw.college.recruiting@disney.com
You may be eligible to continue in a seasonal (CT) capacity in your current work location.
Speak with your local management team for more information.
Disney College Recruiting
1-800-722-2930
Please close your browser window.
Friday, April 9, 2010
5:30am Days - Is there a spider in my nuts?
Title comes from something my Dad asked my Mom tonight. He's referring to a can of nuts (I hope). Mary Carmen was MOD this morning. First time. Brought in bagels from Panera for us. Cinnamon-Crunch is delicious! Talked a bit about where we're from, how long we've been with Disney. Then, off to work. Assigned to Bubble. No assistance from an accessories person. Tried to do what I could. Shoes just always a pain in the butt e.e Looked like rain for this morning (it did last night maybe?) but cleared up and got sunny, yay! Was still told to go get ponchos. Also had to check sizes on all Hoodies In A Bag. Pain in the butt, but gave me a little project to do. Really hungry all day for some reason. Finished work with a race to get last pair of large black Crocs onto shelf (didn't have any in cart). Weather really nice this afternoon. Got back to apartment and nibbled on S'mores Goldfish while reading Haunted Mansion book on the couch. Eventually moved outside onto balcony. Brought chair out to sit and read. Was a little bit in sunbeam. Watched it slowly move away as sun set. Finished Haunted Mansion book. 2/3s was good, last part about movie was blah. Got a txt from Misako. She's arrived in Chicago. Good to hear, glad to know she got there ok. Anthony called to say hi. Was on phone with Mom at the time. Called back afterwards. Told me it was 80 degrees one day, and then snowing the next. Also said worked 9 (9 1/2?) hours on Easter, got holiday pay for all of it. Big news - Charlene called him to say she's gotten a full time job with Disney. Will be working Spaceship Earth, woo! Must get over to Sunset to congratulate her. Things still up in the air for me. Need to get it sorted out. Need to make a list. Need to get to bed first. Excited about Baby-Sitters Club post. Although, I think they added in extra characters near the end. Not so great, but those first books were awesome. Makes me want to pick them up again, especially originals with original references. But for now, sleep. Gotta keep one thing in mind though...
Today, April 5, 2010, is approximately FIVE WEEKS until my College Program ends.
Gotta get doing stuff...
Today, April 5, 2010, is approximately FIVE WEEKS until my College Program ends.
Gotta get doing stuff...
Say Hello to Your Friends -- The Baby-Sitters Club Books Are Back!
Apr 9th 2010 By Erin Scottberg
There's really only one thing that gets ladies of our generation more nostalgic than Jesse Spano's caffeine pill addiction: the Baby-Sitters Club.
Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey guided us through adolescence. They taught us that it's OK to have diabetes. Or a deadbeat dad who ran out on your family. Or a single father who's waaay overprotective. Or even to wear two different earrings at the same time.
We grew up with these ladies -- even though they stayed in the eighth grade -- and that's why we were super-excited that Scholastic is re-releasing the books (by Ann M. Martin), complete with a Claudia Kishi–approved cover makeover.
Oh, but there's more. Ann M. Martin wrote a prequel called "The Summer Before." And unlike "Dumb and Dumberer" or "Hannibal Rising," this is a prequel worthy of the dynasty.
Lemondrop sat down with Martin to talk about the series.
Lemondrop: What do you think it is about the Baby-Sitters Club that captured a generation?
Ann: The characters were very relatable. They were kids that you could easily know in your school, or in your neighborhood. They were everygirl.
We all liked to play the "Which Babysitter Are You?" game -- then and now. How do you think today's generation is going to relate to those girls?
They faced the same problems that a lot of kids face, and those kinds of things haven't changed between 1986 and today. Friendships, fitting in, boys, school, families ... The characters were all such close friends, even though they fought occasionally. I think having a close-knit group of friends like that was maybe something that readers aspired to.
You can't help but notice the lack of cell phones and Facebook in the books. How do you think new readers will react?
My nephew is 12, has a cell phone, computer ... all that. But his passion is baseball, and from that respect, he could be any 12-year-old boy in time. He can be a kid in 1940, it doesn't really matter. I think they'll be concentrating on other aspects of the book, like the babysitting or the things that, thank goodness, haven't changed, like friendship. Or even some of the scarier topics that kids experience, like the death of a grandparent, bullying or racism. It will be more about the issues than the fact that there's no mention of cell phones.
Is there anything you did change to modernize the story?
Yes, when we re-issued, we made very minor changes. We took out outdated references like VCRs and cassette players. We also updated some of the info about Stacey and her diabetes because so much new information is available [ed note: for the unfamiliar, Stacey has a severe case of diabetes that the books don't shy away from discussing.] For example, in terms of treatment, instead of saying specifically how she tests her insulin levels, we changed it from "fingerprick" to the more general "she took a reading." This way, it will still hold true 25 years from now, and we won't have to update again. But, no, we didn't make any changes like giving the characters cell phones.
Reading "The Summer Before," which instantly took me back to Stonybrook, Conn., I was surprised by the maturity of the sixth graders. They deal with some heavy stuff. I don't remember thinking, Wow, these girls are so mature! when I read the books as a kid, but rather, Wow, I know what she means. How are you able to put yourself in their mindset?
That's just the voice that seems to come most naturally to me whenever I sit down to create new characters or write a book. I have a lot of memories of myself when I was that age that I pull from. Kristy and Mary Anne are loosely based on me and my best friend Beth growing up. I pull things from my childhood -- if not actual events, then certain emotions, memories. I don't have any difficulty putting myself back in that same spot. And I did an awful lot of babysitting growing up.
Did you ever look back at your journals from that age?
My mother kept diaries for herself, me and my younger sister. I can remember these vividly -- she'd lie on her bed and write in all three of the diaries every night. They were those five-year diaries, so there wasn't much room, just four or five lines per day. She did it for the first 15 years of my life. The first diary is blank from January 1 through August 11, 1955; it starts on August 12 -- my birthday. My sister is doing the same thing for her son. Sometimes, I'll flip through and see what I was doing on a particular day in 1954.
When I was young, I couldn't wait to start babysitting and earning my own money. Thinking back, a lot of my eagerness was fueled by the BSC. But a WSJ article about the new books brought up how fewer teenagers are babysitting these days -- not only because parents don't trust their children with a teen, but because as colleges get more competitive, teens are spending more time at school and with extracurriculars and less time working. How has babysitting changed since the days of the BSC?
Well, there aren't as many 11-year-olds babysitting now. I based the books on my own childhood. I started working as a mother's helper when I was 10. Yes, that was the '60s. Things have changed. For adult readers who are thinking, I would never let a 13-year-old babysit for my kids, there has to be a little bit of willing suspension of disbelief.
Your books spawned countless home-grown babysitters clubs across the country. How would a club of today be organized? Would it be all online?
I think one of the most appealing aspects of the club was the way that it was organized. It was a change for all the girls to get together and spend time as friends, be independent and run a business. You could do it as a Web site, but you'd lose the personal aspect, the interactive aspect.
How do you think the BSC books will compare to the "Twilight"s and "Harry Potter"s of today's generation?
It's a different kind of writing. There's room for both kinds. When I was a kid I was a really eclectic reader. I read fantasy, Mary Poppins, Doctor Dolittle and realistic fiction, and I'm hoping that kids today are readers who will be just as eclectic. They'll get something out of these books that they don't get from fantasy, and they'll find things in these books to relate to and aspire to.
What's your favorite reader story?
It's great today to hear from adult fans who read the books and then grown up to become writers, editors, teachers, librarians. The other thing that has been incredibly meaningful is the number of kids who contacted me through Make-a-Wish and the Starlight Children's Foundation to meet me. I've gotten to meet quite a few incredible kids, many of whom I'm still in touch with today. And I really want to say thank you to everybody -- and to the adult readers fondly remembering the books who are eager to introduce their own kids.
Finally, one of our favorite questions here at Lemondrop: If you were a Golden Girl, who would you be?
I'd be Rose, Betty White. She cracks me up. I do particularly like that show, so it's hard to choose a single one, but her story line used to make me laugh very loud. And she's involved with animal rescue, something that's very near and dear to my heart.
And, of course, we had to give readers a chance to ask Ann some questions.
@thisisthebang: Do you think the trend for overseas adoption started with Watson, putting ideas into Angelina Jolie's head?
(laughs) I don't think so. I have absolutely no idea, but that would be awesome.
@LoriFradkin: Where would Claudia shop today?
Probably smaller boutiques where she could find unusual things she couldn't find at stores. She'd want to look for vintage, or things that you couldn't find anywhere else.
@damiella: Which of the Baby-Sitters Club characters are you most like?
Mary Anne -- she's the shy one. But my favorite babysitter is Kristy. I'd love to be that outgoing and open and loud-mouthed. She's my alter-ego.
While researching this article, we learned something: Zach Braff was in an episode of the 1990 BSC TV show. True story.
There's really only one thing that gets ladies of our generation more nostalgic than Jesse Spano's caffeine pill addiction: the Baby-Sitters Club.
Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey guided us through adolescence. They taught us that it's OK to have diabetes. Or a deadbeat dad who ran out on your family. Or a single father who's waaay overprotective. Or even to wear two different earrings at the same time.
We grew up with these ladies -- even though they stayed in the eighth grade -- and that's why we were super-excited that Scholastic is re-releasing the books (by Ann M. Martin), complete with a Claudia Kishi–approved cover makeover.
Oh, but there's more. Ann M. Martin wrote a prequel called "The Summer Before." And unlike "Dumb and Dumberer" or "Hannibal Rising," this is a prequel worthy of the dynasty.
Lemondrop sat down with Martin to talk about the series.
Lemondrop: What do you think it is about the Baby-Sitters Club that captured a generation?
Ann: The characters were very relatable. They were kids that you could easily know in your school, or in your neighborhood. They were everygirl.
We all liked to play the "Which Babysitter Are You?" game -- then and now. How do you think today's generation is going to relate to those girls?
They faced the same problems that a lot of kids face, and those kinds of things haven't changed between 1986 and today. Friendships, fitting in, boys, school, families ... The characters were all such close friends, even though they fought occasionally. I think having a close-knit group of friends like that was maybe something that readers aspired to.
You can't help but notice the lack of cell phones and Facebook in the books. How do you think new readers will react?
My nephew is 12, has a cell phone, computer ... all that. But his passion is baseball, and from that respect, he could be any 12-year-old boy in time. He can be a kid in 1940, it doesn't really matter. I think they'll be concentrating on other aspects of the book, like the babysitting or the things that, thank goodness, haven't changed, like friendship. Or even some of the scarier topics that kids experience, like the death of a grandparent, bullying or racism. It will be more about the issues than the fact that there's no mention of cell phones.
Is there anything you did change to modernize the story?
Yes, when we re-issued, we made very minor changes. We took out outdated references like VCRs and cassette players. We also updated some of the info about Stacey and her diabetes because so much new information is available [ed note: for the unfamiliar, Stacey has a severe case of diabetes that the books don't shy away from discussing.] For example, in terms of treatment, instead of saying specifically how she tests her insulin levels, we changed it from "fingerprick" to the more general "she took a reading." This way, it will still hold true 25 years from now, and we won't have to update again. But, no, we didn't make any changes like giving the characters cell phones.
Reading "The Summer Before," which instantly took me back to Stonybrook, Conn., I was surprised by the maturity of the sixth graders. They deal with some heavy stuff. I don't remember thinking, Wow, these girls are so mature! when I read the books as a kid, but rather, Wow, I know what she means. How are you able to put yourself in their mindset?
That's just the voice that seems to come most naturally to me whenever I sit down to create new characters or write a book. I have a lot of memories of myself when I was that age that I pull from. Kristy and Mary Anne are loosely based on me and my best friend Beth growing up. I pull things from my childhood -- if not actual events, then certain emotions, memories. I don't have any difficulty putting myself back in that same spot. And I did an awful lot of babysitting growing up.
Did you ever look back at your journals from that age?
My mother kept diaries for herself, me and my younger sister. I can remember these vividly -- she'd lie on her bed and write in all three of the diaries every night. They were those five-year diaries, so there wasn't much room, just four or five lines per day. She did it for the first 15 years of my life. The first diary is blank from January 1 through August 11, 1955; it starts on August 12 -- my birthday. My sister is doing the same thing for her son. Sometimes, I'll flip through and see what I was doing on a particular day in 1954.
When I was young, I couldn't wait to start babysitting and earning my own money. Thinking back, a lot of my eagerness was fueled by the BSC. But a WSJ article about the new books brought up how fewer teenagers are babysitting these days -- not only because parents don't trust their children with a teen, but because as colleges get more competitive, teens are spending more time at school and with extracurriculars and less time working. How has babysitting changed since the days of the BSC?
Well, there aren't as many 11-year-olds babysitting now. I based the books on my own childhood. I started working as a mother's helper when I was 10. Yes, that was the '60s. Things have changed. For adult readers who are thinking, I would never let a 13-year-old babysit for my kids, there has to be a little bit of willing suspension of disbelief.
Your books spawned countless home-grown babysitters clubs across the country. How would a club of today be organized? Would it be all online?
I think one of the most appealing aspects of the club was the way that it was organized. It was a change for all the girls to get together and spend time as friends, be independent and run a business. You could do it as a Web site, but you'd lose the personal aspect, the interactive aspect.
How do you think the BSC books will compare to the "Twilight"s and "Harry Potter"s of today's generation?
It's a different kind of writing. There's room for both kinds. When I was a kid I was a really eclectic reader. I read fantasy, Mary Poppins, Doctor Dolittle and realistic fiction, and I'm hoping that kids today are readers who will be just as eclectic. They'll get something out of these books that they don't get from fantasy, and they'll find things in these books to relate to and aspire to.
What's your favorite reader story?
It's great today to hear from adult fans who read the books and then grown up to become writers, editors, teachers, librarians. The other thing that has been incredibly meaningful is the number of kids who contacted me through Make-a-Wish and the Starlight Children's Foundation to meet me. I've gotten to meet quite a few incredible kids, many of whom I'm still in touch with today. And I really want to say thank you to everybody -- and to the adult readers fondly remembering the books who are eager to introduce their own kids.
Finally, one of our favorite questions here at Lemondrop: If you were a Golden Girl, who would you be?
I'd be Rose, Betty White. She cracks me up. I do particularly like that show, so it's hard to choose a single one, but her story line used to make me laugh very loud. And she's involved with animal rescue, something that's very near and dear to my heart.
And, of course, we had to give readers a chance to ask Ann some questions.
@thisisthebang: Do you think the trend for overseas adoption started with Watson, putting ideas into Angelina Jolie's head?
(laughs) I don't think so. I have absolutely no idea, but that would be awesome.
@LoriFradkin: Where would Claudia shop today?
Probably smaller boutiques where she could find unusual things she couldn't find at stores. She'd want to look for vintage, or things that you couldn't find anywhere else.
@damiella: Which of the Baby-Sitters Club characters are you most like?
Mary Anne -- she's the shy one. But my favorite babysitter is Kristy. I'd love to be that outgoing and open and loud-mouthed. She's my alter-ego.
While researching this article, we learned something: Zach Braff was in an episode of the 1990 BSC TV show. True story.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Merchantaining
Gotta keep this short. Got a 5:30am day tomorrow. Today was a non-5:30am day, amazing! Thought I'd be on register. Got to trade with Karen to be a Merchantainer. Met a young, eleven-year-old, aspiring actor named Sebastian. Met a 3D animator wearing an Imagination shirt. Remembered all the old rides and how things used to be. His daughter was one inch too short to ride on Soarin', so they'd be back next year. Got to sing the Mouse Gear birthday song. Merchantaining was interesting. Weird to leave when it was dark(er). Plesant evening weather though ^-^
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