It's My Saturday!

Yes, it's Monday, but it's my Saturday. If you're not here yet, your days off won't always be on Saturday & Sunday, so it's not uncommon to hear people say that it's their Friday, even though it's Tuesday or something. I was off today & will be again tomorrow. I then work 9 days straight. 2 of those days are at Epcot character room, I wasn't happy when I saw Epcot on my schedule, but I'll take it if it's all they have for me.

I've been here for a week & it's been rather eventful. I posted last week, so I'll just update on what's happened since then. My roommate Dana is still wondeful, but our 2 apartment-mates aren't so great. They're loud, don't care if you're sleeping, & just plain rude. I had brought a TV with me & put it in the living room. After coming home from work everyday to find one of them & at least 3 of their friends watching my DVDs on it, I decided to move it into my room. My parents also bought me a wireless router. After setting it up, I gave Dana the password, but didn't give it to either of them since they have a desktop computer. Yesterday, I took out the garbage, but they had decided to take all of their cleaning things out of the kitchen, since they felt we were separating everything in the apartment anyways. That's fine, except I bought the garbage bags & dishwasher detergent that they had taken. They also left a note on the dry erase board bascally saying that we should just keep everything separate. Also, Dana worked this morning, but around 10, while I was still sleeping, I heard my bedroom door open & then close rather quickly. I'm just guessing that it was one of them trying to come in my room for something since my roommate was at work.

Anyways, Dana & I want to move to a one bedroom as soon as we can. We both turn 21 by November, so with a one bedroom, we can have alcohol in the apartment after we're both 21. It will just prevent so many problems since it would just be us.

I've been trained on both the morning & night runs at character room. Last night was my first night doing the runs by myself. I think I did pretty well, since I didn't forget anything. The runs consist of me going to Muppets, Monsters Inc, & Toy Story. They're not really hard, you just don't have alot of time to do them in since you have to be back to finish the laundry before leaving.

Since today was my day off, I went to property control & cast connection. I got a nice jacket at property control. I haven't figured out what's wrong with it, but it was raining & I didn't have an umbrella or anything & it was cheap. It then went over to cast connection where I got a backpack & tshirt. I also got some apples since they were 25 cents each. They have a bunch of food stuff there now. I think if I need to get fruit or bread or something, I going there instead of walmart since it's way cheaper there than walmart.

I think that's about it for now. I'll try to update with how work & the rest of my training is going, but I can't guarantee that I will before my next days off, which is next Friday & Saturday.

All Checked In!!!

I got to Orlando Saturday night. After the gps decided to send us to the cast parking lot at Magic Kingdom, we got to the hotel. I got us checked in & took off for Magic Kingdom to see the Nightastic fireworks right away.
Sunday I was on my own. My parents went to Tampa for the day, & I went to Hollywood Studios. I watched alot of the shows & picked up my costume since I knew I was gonna start work right away. As I was walking out of on of the stores, I looked up & saw my friend Cole walking past, so I had lunch with him during his break. I went to the meet & greet dinner that night. It was fun & quite a few people showed up.
I checked in on Monday. The day was rather uneventful. I got to Vista about 6:55 & they let us in around 7:45. I had an apartment & was on the bus to casting by 8:30. I got a 2 bedroom at Chatham. My roommate Dana is wonderful. We didn't know the other two girls before hand at all. So far, they seem nice. I haven't talked to them a whole lot yet. Dana didn't get to the apartment until late afternoon. She unpacked enough to find clothes to change into & we went to dinner & then to walmart. I wanted to get home early since I had to work the next morning.
Tuesday was my first day of work. I was working at the character room (The Show Must Go On/ TSMGO) at Hollywood Studios. The day was pretty easy. It was my "off line" training day, so I didn't have a track to learn, just get familiar with the area. My trainer loved that I had worked at Epcot character room, so the day was really easy for her. After work, I went  home & took a nap, before meeting my parents for Fantasmic.
I tried to sleep in this morning, but they were doing some work in the laundry room in the next building, so I didn't get to sleep too late. My parents picked up a wireless router for me, which I tried setting up earlier & finally got to work. I went to access control & turned in my seasonal ID for a CP one. My parents & I then went to Magic Kingdom, where I got my mom to go on Space Mountain for the first time since 1978!
That's pretty much all that's gone on here. I work 6am-2pm tomorrow, so I'm heading to bed in a little while. I have the On With the Show class on Friday morning, which is just the park orientation for Hollywood Studios. I'm meeting up with a friend from my last program after that. I think we're spending the afternoon at Epcot & then the evening at Magic Kingdom. I just know that we're having dinner at Kona at the Polynesian.

Last Post Until DIsney!!!

This is going to be my last post before I leave for Disney. I'm leaving Friday morning, sometime between 2 & 5am. My parents are driving me down, so we're just gonna leave whenever my dad gets up & wants to leave. The plan is to get to at least Nashville the first day, but we're gonna try for Chattanooga or Atlanta, so the second day isn't that long. I should be getting to Disney sometime Saturday afternoon or early evening.

As I said in my last post, I'm almost all packed. There are a few things I can't pack until the last minute, but it shouldn't be a big deal to pack them. I'm glad everyone found my packing blog so helpful. Feel free to use the list to help yourself out.

I'm going to see Wicked on Wednesday night & I can't wait! I have wanted to see it for over a year since one of my friends always played the music, which got me hooked on it.

My parents are going to go to Tampa on Sunday to visit some family, but said I can stay back at Disney so I can go to the meet & greet dinner at Pop Century that night. I'm looking for people to spend the day with, so if you're gonna be there that day & wanna hang out, let me know. Either comment on here or send me a message on Facebook.

I have found out where exactly I'm going to be working. I knew I was going to be at Hollywood Studios, but wasn't sure where exactly, since there are like 12 places for costuming there. My schedule was finally posted on the Hub yesterday. I'm going to be working at TSMGO, or The Show Must Go On, which is the character room there. I am working there 3 days the week I check in, including two 6am shifts, one of which is the day after I check in. I'm guessing I'll have a few days of training there & then be trained somewhere else, since CPs at Studios are rarely trained in only one location.

Since I have an early shift the day after I check in, I probably won't post another blog until after I get off work that day. Since my roommates won't have their IDs to get in the parks yet, we're probably just gonna hang out unless I decide to use my main gate to get them into the park.


I have property orientation at Studios the Friday of the week I check in. It's only a 4 hour shift, which is basically a walking tour of the park. I already know the park like the back of my hand, so it won't be that bad. After I'm done with that, I'm gonna try to meet up with one of my friends for lunch, so I'll be taking a change of clothes with me so I don't have to go back to the apartment, just to go back to one of the parks.

That's pretty much it for now. I can't wait till I'm there & get to know everyone.

Packing!

I am almost completely packed. Yay!

My parents & I are leaving next week Friday morning, probably between 4 & 5. I went online tonight & found a bunch of coupons for really cheap hotels. They’re not the trashy hotels that you think of when you hear cheap hotels. They’re for like Days Inn, Best Western, Red Roof Inn. I’m not sure how far we’re going to get, so I printed them out for pretty much the entire way between Nashville & Macon, Georgia.

Anyways, the main point of this post is what I am bringing with me to Disney. I have made a list & taken pictures as I was packing. There are still some things I need to pack, but won’t be able to do that until sometime next Thursday.

The items marked with * are things I either bought after I got there last time or had my parents ship to me after I checked in. The items marked with ** are things that I did not have during my last program. A lot of those items are things I bought for at school last fall & decided it would be good to have at Disney. I’m also going to post a list of things that I’m going to be buying once I get there since it’s easier to get there.

I hope this helps you if you’re not sure what to bring with you.

Clothes
7 shorts
1 winter coat** (not really heavy, but warmer than a sweatshirt)
5 Hoodies/zip ups
3 polo shirts
2 pairs of dress pants
6 pairs of jeans/khakis
2 cardigans
2 sweaters
4 dress shirts
3 dresses**
5 PJ bottoms
17 tank tops/ camis (I wear them under my work shirts)
21 t-shirts
1 skirt
8 non-t-shirt, but not really dressy shirts
2 swimsuits
14 pairs black socks
14 pairs white socks
14 pair underwear
10 bras
2 pair pantyhose
2 pairs black sneakers
2 pairs dress shoes
1 pair white sneakers
3 pair flats
1 pair converse
1 pair slippers

1 pair rain boots**

Bedroom Stuff
1 comforter
1 mattress pad**
1 mattress cover*
1 set sheets
2 blankets
2 pillows*
1 alarm clock
Bed risers**

Bathroom Stuff
3 bath towels
3 hand towels
3 washcloths
1 beach towel
Pads/tampons*
Shampoo/ conditioner*
Body wash*
Deodorant*
Hair Spray*
Hair Dryer*
Hair Straightener
Make Up
Nail polish remover*
Hand soap*
Contact Stuff
Razors*
Sunscreen/ aloe*
Hair dye*
Medicine/ first aid stuff*
Shower curtain** (my roommate & I last time didn’t care about the shower curtain)

Laundry Stuff
Small mesh laundry bag**
2 boxes fabric softener sheets*
2 boxes Shout color catcher sheets*
3 packs Purex 3 in 1 laundry sheets*
Pop up laundry basket*
Hangers*

Kitchen Stuff
1 nalgene water bottle
9 reusable grocery bags*
1 George Foreman grill**
Tupperware stuff*
1 cupcake tray*
Ice packs
1 Nonstick frying pan**

Cleaning Stuff
Swiffer set*
Small vacuum**

Fun Stuff
Disney Parks Monopoly*
Disney Scene It**
Batteries
TV**
DVD player**
Power strip*
Christmas decorations*
Picture frames
3 books
Blank CDs
Dry erase board (with markers)
Bulletin board
Magnets (for fridge & dry erase board)
DVDs

Technical Stuff
Computer
CD drive for computer
Printer**
Printer paper**
Cable cord**
Ethernet cord
Small tool set**
3M command strips & hooks
Masking tape*
Flashlight
Sewing kit

School Stuff
Pens, pencils*
Markers*
Note cards**
Textbooks for online classes**
Notebooks**
USB drive
Backpack
Lunchbox (for work)

Buy There
Garbage bags
Baggies
Saran wrap
Foil
Dishwasher detergent
Dish soap
Sponges
Dish towels
Dish rack
Hot pads
Toilet paper
Paper towels/ napkins
Paper plates
Bleach/cleaning spray
Clorox wipes
Toilet brush

Clothes

Shoes

Bedding, Towels, Etc.

Random stuff 1

Random Stuff 2

So Little Time, So Much to Do...

As I am sitting here typing this, I am thinking of everything I have to do before I leave.

I have to go to the bank on Monday to cash in some of my savings bonds so I can make my first tuition payment. My aunt said she can lend me the money, but not until Friday or Saturday & it's due on Monday. By cashing in my bonds, I can mail the check instead of going in & standing in line all day Monday to pay it. I was going to cash them in before I left anyways. I'm going to use the money from the bonds to pay my tuition & the money from my aunt for my living money for the first few weeks I'm in Florida. No matter which way I do it, I'm gonna end up owing my aunt some money.

I have to finish putting everything back in my room. I moved some stuff around last week & still haven't put everything back.

I have to finish packing. I'm mostly packed already, but there are some things that I have to wait to pack.

I'm going to see Wicked two nights before I leave. I'm seeing it on the 4th & I leave in the morning on the 6th. I have wanted to see it for probably a year & a half, it's finally in Milwaukee at the same time I am, so I can see it. My best friend from my last program would always play Wicked in the car, so I already know all of the songs, even though I've never seen it.

My cousins from Oklahoma are coming on Aug. 5th. They will probably get here around dinner time, so that means my last meal at home will most likely be a big family deal. Before my last program, my mom & I made our dairy free pizza & watched Gilmore Girls on my last night at home before my cousin called & asked if I wanted to go get some custard, so it's gonna be quite a bit different this time.

I printed off & filled out all of my on-boarding paperwork this afternoon. I put it the envelope with my purple folder in it. I also found where the Dollar Stores & Aldi's closest to the apartments are. There's so much stuff from the Dollar Store that I still need to get, but it's random stuff, like hot pads, that one of my roommates might have brought, so I'm not gonna buy until I get there. If you don't know what Aldi's is, it's a discount grocery store. None of the stuff is name brand & it's all pretty cheap. There weren't any in Orlando during my last program, but now there are a few, but they're not really close enough to the apartments to get to without a car. I also printed off some of my comp tickets for my parents to use. If you are seasonal, part time, or full time, you can get 2 comp tickets up to twice a year. Since I worked as seasonal after my last program ended for a few days, I got 2 of them last summer. I also got 2 this summer since I worked in January. Since I don't know what my work schedule is yet, my parents are going to use those in case I'm working in the morning & they want to go to the parks.

Since I don't drive, I walked to Walgreens today. It's not quite a mile, so its not too far. I decided to wear my converse slip ons with out socks today. I managed to give myself blisters on the back of both heels. It hurt to walk home, but at least I now know that I have to wear socks with them if I'm gonna be doing any amount of walking. Anyways, the reason for me going to Walgreens was because they had printer paper on sale for $1.99. I was gonna need to get some anyway since I'm taking a printer with me cuz of my classes I'm taking.

Last thing, I swear. As I've been packing everything, I've laid it out on my bed & taken a picture of it. I then take another picture after I have everything packed. I'm going to put them all together in a packing blog. That will probably be up sometime by the end of the week.

I leave in 12 days, & 8 or 9 hours. I hate getting up early, so I'm probably not gonna sleep the night before & just sleep in the truck while my parents are driving.

17 Days till I leave!

I leave in 17 days & I'm gonna be busy.

First, I finished my online class this afternoon. I was taking Local & State Government. I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a B- for the class. I would have liked to have done better, but I got a 45% on one of the quizzes, which is what really killed my grade.

Second, my role has disappeared from the CP website. I was on the Hub the other day (since I'm seasonal, I still have access to it) cuz I was trying to figure something out with my record card. All I'm gonna say is that I think I know where I'm gonna be working. Before anyone who reads this starts to tell me that I shouldn't know is at the top of your record card, it says your work location & it does not say the same thing that it has said since August 2008.

I have been working on cleaning my room since January, when I moved out of the dorms at school. After my sister moved out of the dorms at her school 4 years ago, we decided that it would be a good idea to put up the loft bed that she had at school. She moved out about 3 years ago, but the loft stayed up. It was basically turned into shelving, as I started putting plastic bins & a bunch of random stuff on it. I have been going through the stuff in my closet & the stuff that was on top of the loft, so I would be able to take it down before I leave. I leave in 17 days & I'm finally going to be taking it down!

The rest of my family is going up north to go to the cabin for the weekend & I'm going to be staying home with the dogs. They don't play well with others, so we can't put them in the kennel. My parents are coming home on Sunday sometime, & my brother is going to be up there the rest of the week. I'm so glad that he'll be gone. The past few days he has been really annoying, constantly poking at me, just be a typical little brother. He was like that before I left for my last program too, but I was at camp up until a few days before I left & I got my wisdom teeth out a week before I left, so he wasn't as bad. He actually said last night that he's gotta be extra annoying now since he's only got another week & a half to do it.

That's pretty much it for right now. I'm already trying to figure out if I'll be blogging at all after I leave, but before I check in. I might have wi-fi at the hotel the night I leave, but I know for sure that I won't from Saturday morning until after I'm checked in.

So Close...

I really started packing this week. I had everything that I was taking just kind of thrown in a few boxes. I went through it all, organized it, & packed it into 2 boxes & 2 milk crates. I also packed my bedding & towels into space saver bags. I'm planning on doing a more formal packing blog once I'm mostly finished packing. I've even been planning ahead for it & took pictures of everything before & after I had it all packed & organized.

Some of the August 9th arrivals roles have disappeared from the CP website. That means they have been assigned a work location & can now be looked up in the Hub. I am neither for or against finding out your work location before arriving, but just remember that it could change before you arrive. Also, just because I have Hub access, that does not mean that I'm going to look you up. It might seem bitchy, but I didn't know anyone with Hub access before my first program to look me up. It's not like they're going to change your location before you get there because you don't like the idea of working somewhere. Please don't hate me for that, but that's my thoughts on it.

My roommate is flying down & is supposed to land at 10:30am on check in day, so I'm not going to meet her until after we're all moved in. I'm probably gonna go to check in with my friend that I want to share an apartment with & her roommate so we can all get the same apartment.

Anyways, I have 6 more chapters of government left, so I've been reading a chapter & taking the quiz for that chapter every day. I can't wait till I'm done with that class! The Full House at Disney World just came on, so I'm gonna watch that & attempt to do some homework.