Um . . . You Bet.

I'm really loving this gig. There are so many things to be grateful for about this job.
1. All of my break rooms are air conditioned.
2. I get regular breaks.
3. I'm getting paid to have this much fun. Most Tech Internships are unpaid, or they are $100 a week.
4. I get Free Poweraid anytime I want it.
5. I'm getting paid to learn.
6. It's my job to make sure kids have fun.

I LOVE THIS GIG!

Yesterday I was assigned to Dream Along With Mickey. This is also known as the Castle Show. There are seven positions on this show. Two of the positions are follow spots. One of the follow spots called in yesterday, so at lunch my crew chief let me know that one of the spots had called out, and they needed me to run one of the spot cues.

This is all good and grand, but I'VE NEVER RAN A SPOT BEFORE!!! I simply told my crew chief, "You Bet!" About 20 minutes later the stage manager came up to me to let me know that I was for sure dong the cue. She asked me if I wanted to dry run the 5:15 show. I responded yes, maybe a little too energetically.

But, I did it. I did three great shows. I didn't miss a single cue. It Felt Great! One of the best nights I've had.

This week, I'm working on Parades, The Welcome Show, and Wishes. It's going to be a great week!

Yo Ho Yo Ho!

I've had a great week. I'm sorry it's been a while since my last post. This has been a busy week.
For the last three day's I've been working on Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial. I have really grown to love this show. There are two actors. One plays Jack Sparrow and one plays his first mate, Mack. The costume and make up dept have done an awesome job on this show. There are three different Jacks and three different Macks. The three Jacks look great. One, Steven (My favorite) looks just like J. Depp. Jack and Mack have a little scene, then they invite four kids up on stage to teach them how to Sword Fight. This show is so Fun. Then they invite ten more kids up on stage and they induct them into Jack's Crew. The Kids Love It! During yesterday's show, a kid looked Jacked right in the eye and said, "You Look Just Like Jack Sparrow!!!" Jack looked him in the eye and didn't miss a beat and said, "That's because I am Jack Sparrow!"

My job is to run the audio for this show. The entire show is ran from a tablet. It's pretty cool. We have a back up system that is a traditional sound cage, but I've not had to use that yet.

Working here at Disney has been a dream come true to me. I love to wake up every morning, and go to work. This is the best feeling in the world. I did have a little bit of home sickness this week. It kinda came out of no where. I was just driving home from work, and I really missed my friends and family.

My Mom and her friend Michelle just landed. They're going to be here for about a week. I'm really looking forward to spending some time with them and showing them around my new town.

Life Is So Good!

Show Support!

I have the coolest job in the world. But I have the hardest job to blog about in the world.

On my very first day as a Disney Cast Member, I signed a massive document on confidentiality. I had no idea how this would affect every day of my work life. We're hosting a VIP Special Event tomorrow. (You might hear about it on the news.) This has been taking up a lot of energy at the Entertainment Dept.

Yesterday, I spent the day with Stacey M. She is the in charge of Props for all of Magic Kingdom, and she's also a Manager. We spent the first 3 hours of the day getting ready for the event. After that, we spent 4 hours touring the back stage areas of MK and Studios. I had a blast yesterday.

Today I spent at Show Support. This crew is the center point for all tech equipment at MK. All 4 parks have their own Show Support. So, let's say that there is a need for a special event. Show support builds all the tech requirements that the "Designers" request. It's a lot of fun. I started this morning at 5:50. The day went really fast, and we had pick ups and drop offs at all 3 of the other parks. The crew is really nice and they are really helpful. I'm with them tomorrow as well.

Tonight, I went back to the park. I watched Dream Along With Mikey (DAWM). I love this show. All of the children's faces light up. They sing a long, dance along, and shout with Mikey. And, there are fireworks. I also saw Disney's Electric Parade for the first time. This Parade Is Awesome! That first Tinkerbell float comes around the corner, and you can't help but dance. It was so much fun. Then I watched The Magic The Memories and You, which is a Projection show. Then Wishes, which is the nightly firework show.

I have the best job in the World!

Next week is Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial and DAWM! AND!!! AND!!!! MY MOM WILL BE HERE ON TUESDAY!

Woot!

Another Training

I had another day of training today. We met at the S.E.T.S. center. This is a huge warehouse hidden from guests view. It has all kinds of equipment in it. Our trainer today was great. Her name is Barbara L, and she's been at Disney since 1990. She is the Entertainment Trainer.

There are 4 interns selected for our program. They are Jeremy, Shelby, Aaron, and me. We are from all over. We also have been working with Jared. He's a new Full Time Tech at Hollywood Studios.

I got a lot of information on our program today. We will work in each of the four parks over the next four months. I got my first assignment. I'm the Tech on Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial. I don't know a lot about this experience. Jack and a friend put the kids in a semi circle and train them on the ways to be a good pirate. It should be a lot of fun.

I really appreciated the training today. We spent 3 hours on some computers doing safety training. (I got to wear a harness today) After that, we spent 4 hours going from park to park and learning where to go back stage. Where the Tech Offices and Show Support Warehouses are.

I had a great day. I really feel like I'm getting paid to do a whole lot of training for the next four months. Life is good.

Traditions!

Today was my first paid day at work. I was given instructions to be at Disney University at 1:45. I had been given some advice and guidance as to what to expect. Disney University is a really big building. There is a credit union, security center, cafeteria, and a lot of office space. On the second floor are several classrooms. This is where my traditions class was held.

I had two instructors. The first guys name was Brett. He was the main instructor, and he led my tour in the Magic Kingdom. The other guy really didn't make much of an impression on me. He was kinda annoying. Like seminary teacher annoying. He made such a little impression on me that I can't even remember the guys name.

Disney is a pretty interesting organization. Obviously their first priority is to protect and grow the investments of their stockholders. I thought they did a good job at making that point clear. They spent most of the time explaining how they do this. We do this by creating happiness. It's a simple phrase, but I really agree with it. Our job is to create experiences for our guests. They could be guests at the resorts, guests on the cruise lines, guest at the movies, and guests in their living rooms/homes enjoying our entertainment. And really, who doesn't want to be entertained?

When I worked at Walmart, the company management worked very hard to hide the fact that they make $300 Billion in sales every year. They minimize the experience of their customers. I really liked the approach that Disney takes with their employees on their first day.

I still don't know which park(s) I'll be working in, what I'll be doing, or any kind of schedule. I hope to get more information tomorrow.

And, Florida water is gross. Just wetting your toothbrush to brush your teeth you can taste it. It's really unpleasant.

Welcome To Disney!

I had the day off, so I decided to explore the parks today. I spent 4 hours in Animal Kingdom, 2 hours in Epcot, and 5 Hours in Magic Kingdom.

I have so much on my mind tonight. I've never been to any of the Florida Parks before. First off, I loved Animal Kingdom. I saw Festival of the Lion King & Nemo today. About 3 minutes into Lion King, I felt like I was in way over my head. I've got a lot to learn, and I hope I have some fun doing it.

Epcot Is Amazing! First off, the world showcase is a great idea. I ate fish and chips from UK for lunch. I got in line to eat a Neapolitan in France for Lisa Elzey, but the line was way too long. Even I don't have 40 minutes to wait for a Bonn Bonn.

Magic Kingdom is a bit overwhelming to me. There are so many people there, and so many things to do. I think Magic Kingdom is something to do with friends.

I have my "Disney Traditions" tomorrow. This is technically my first day. I've got those first day jitters all over again. The level of work is going defiantly a step up from what I'm used to. I guess that's the point of an internship. To learn new things. To stretch yourself further, and do work your tail off. I've always thought I was a hard worker, but this is going to need some effort to back that thought up. My big challenge is going to not let my mind settle on thinking about what's next. I need to just focus really hard on doing my best in this internship. Dave Tinney always said that your current job is your interview for your next one.

I hope I have a good interview.

New House.

After a very disappointing apartment search yesterday, I struck Gold today. I've moved into an amazing row house in Kissimmee. It's 7 miles from Disney, which means I will be at work in about 15 minutes. My roommate's name is Brian. He's from Vancouver, Washington. He works in Costuming at Animal Kingdom. He's a pretty cool guy. I'm really lucky & happy that I got a roommate with a similar back ground as myself. He has an MFA in Costume Design. He's answered a lot of the questions that I've had about the kind of work I'll be doing. He keeps telling me not to worry about getting 40 hours a week. "They're going to work your tail off," he keeps saying. I think he is meaning this as a warning, but it just gets me more and more excited. I love working hard. I've not worked for 11 days now, and I'm about to go POSTAL!

My new house is Awesome. It's in a "Resort Style" whatever that means. Well, I guess it means that my house has a club house with a pool, hot tub, movie theater, kitchen, pool table, BBQ area, play ground, and lake/pond with a fountain in the middle. It also is gated and has a track around the perimeter of the property.

I have my own room which was the main reason I decided not to live on Disney Property. My room is fairly large. It's probably 10' x 15'. I fit nicely in it. It came furnished. So far, Brian is my only roommate, but they are going to rent out the third bedroom soon. There is a 4th bedroom which is designated as "Guest Room". So, come on out. Morgan as reserved it Mar 5-10th. Any other takers?

We're supposed to get a pretty bad rain storm tomorrow afternoon. I'm pretty excited. When we would go out to my Grandparents in Ohio, I would love when it would rain. I'm hoping that it rains enough to wash my car.

I'm already getting excited for people to come out and visit!

Florida

I've neglected this blog for a few days.

First, I'm so glad to be in Florida, and not be driving for 8 hours every day. That got old!

I'm looking at two apartments tomorrow. One is in Windemere; the other is in Kissimmee. I hope that I like one of the two, and that I can move in tomorrow or Wednesday.

I am so ready to get to work. I've not been to work in ten days now, and it's killing me. I'm So Bored! I report to my job Thursday at Noon. That's a little more than two days. I can make it.

I decided to take a test drive of Disney today. I drove through the property twice. THIS PLACE IS MASSIVE! Everyone warned me how big it is, but it's really big. The fact that there are seven highways in the property should give you pretty good insight.

I spent two hours at Downtown Disney tonight. This place is pretty cool. How to describe it. It's really just an outdoor mall that is leased out from Disney. I would say 20% of the shops are Disney shops, and the other 80% are outside companies. Mostly restaurants. The energy/vibe of this place was just what I needed to get me ready to go to work. I walked through the shop of La Nouba. That's Cirque's resident show here in Orlando. I went through a huge Cirque phase a few years ago. This show looked pretty cool. BUT, the tickets are outrageously expensive. IE, I could fly to NYC for the same price as a ticket to that show.

I think I'm really going to like Orlando. So far the people are nice, there is lots to do, and the weather is great.

Must See of Downtown Disney: The Lego Sculptures!

Texas!

I've been in Texas for the last 30 hours or so, and I have to say I really like it. The people are really friends, the BBQ is amazing, and the scenery is great.

A few things I've seen in Texas that I've Loved:

1. Cowboy Stadium. This thing is Huge! HUGE!! I turned south on the highway coming down from Amarillo, and you look to your left, and you can see the roof of the stadium. You're probably a good 20 miles away, and you see it standing above the tree line. Once I saw it, I knew I had to drive over and see it in person. It's really a beautiful stadium. If I lived in the Dallas area, I think I would like that Six Flags, Cowboy Stadium, and the Rangers Ballpark are all close to each other. Funny thing: There is the nicest Wal-Mart I've ever seen across the street from Cowboy Stadium, and the place was packed. I got my Tire Pressure checked there.

2. The Pancho-Panda. It's a Mexican/Chinese Restaurant in Tyler, Tx. It made me laugh. Would be perfect if your kids were picky eaters.

3. Dalhart High School's Football Stadium in Dalhart, Tx. First thing to know is, Dalhart Texas has a population of 307. The football Stadium was roughly the same size of SUU's. Not not kidding. It was Huge!

4. The people here are really nice. No one being super grumpy in traffic on the free way. Everyone looks you in the eye. Everyone is just friendly.

5. The BBQ! I had dinner at a place called Rudy's. The BBQ was great and well priced! My dad's peach cobbler is better though.

Tomorrow, New Orleans!

Denver

I'm on my first stop on my trip to Orlando.

I'm staying at my Uncles' house tonight. It's been an interesting day. The drive from Utah to Denver was a really nice one. The wind in Wyoming was a little bad, but not too bad. There were two of three times that it looked like my bike might blow off the back of the car, but it didn't.

When I was just past Evanston, it really hit me that I don't know the next time I'll be in Utah. I love being from Utah. I take a lot of pride in my home state. I also get very defensive when people speak poorly about Utah. That said, it feels like the right time to take a new adventure.

Have we talked about how windy Wyoming is yet? Sheesh.

Tomorrow I drive through the tip of New Mexico, and stop in Amarillo, Tx. I've never been to New Mexico, and I've only been to the airport in Tx. Should be fun.

To stop at Cowboy Stadium? Or not to stop at Cowboy Stadium?

The Year of the Dragon!

2012.
I've been spending the night at my brother's house for the past 3 nights. I can't think of a better way to start 2012 than with my family.

I feel really good about 2012. This is going to be a great year.

Today I went with my Mother to visit my Grandma Bev and the Wimmers.
It was great to see my Grandma. She is such a great woman. I have so many great memories of her.

We also spent an hour at the Wimmers. I love that family.

Goals for 2012:
Have a successful internship at Disney World.
Get a summer job working theater.
Take a trip to New York City.
Cycle 100 Miles.

I feel good about 2012.