You must not forget: it all started with a mouse...

I wanted this blog to be a resource guide for any future new college programmers and I haven’t been doing too well. This is the post where I try to explain a bunch of things to quench the nerves of new CPs.

For those of you from the North East who want their cars, I highly recommend taking the autotrain. It wasn’t the most comfortable sleep you’ll ever get, but I met a bunch of CPers on the train. We stayed up till midnight playing card games and then found empty seats by each other to sleep in. We all woke up, went to breakfast, and then waited for our cars together. I was the only one there by myself so of course everyone got their cars before me. LoL.
If you take the autotrain, it’s a really easy drive to Orlando. I believe it was a left out of the parking lot at the stop sign, then another left at one point. I took I-4 to Exit 68. From there I made a U-Turn in the Crossroads (you will be there A LOT) to get to the other side of 545 to get to the Holiday Inn Sunspree – where I stayed. I highly recommend staying there because you are across the street from Vista and right down the road from Chatham (ish…you’ll see when you get here…)

First day – The first day is really easy. You get to check-in (which I recommend getting in about two hours earlier). There was a DJ there playing music and asking trivia questions (FOR PRIZES! We got a purple Disney CP photo album!). You wait on line and then sign away your soul. Hahaha. We asked for two groups of roommates to stay together and they actually let us – you just need to let them know as soon as you get there. You then go, get your key, and take your picture for your Vista/Chatham/Patterson, etc. housing ID. You’ll get a bunch of papers and it will be overwhelming, but it’ll be amazing. – The rest of the day you get to move in. You’ll have a housing meeting at some point – and then everyone runs to Wal-Mart. WOO!
Second day – It’s the day you’ve all been waiting for! You get to find out your role! They split everyone according to your last name and then when you go to the table, they hype you up about what area you will be working in (Park and then what area of the park you will be in). You still don’t know your specific job.
You go through all the paper work and fingerprint stuff to get cleared to work (and you get the 6 free passes for friends/family) – and then you can sign up for classes. That’s it! We ran to the Outlets to get stuff for the Disney look. You have the rest of the day free, so use it wisely! At night we had the pool party. If it’s themed, dress up! You’ll get lots of prizes! We got t-shirts and the coveted Disney CP beach towels.
Third day – Traditioooooooooooon! Tradition! Hahaha. Yep. All rumors about Traditions being a four – or little more – hour class are true. It’s four hours of Disney trivia and workplace ethics. We had Jessica as our Traditions leader, and she rocked my socks. At Traditions you get your NAME TAG and your cast member ID – aka card that gets you in the parks for FREE! (P.S. To get there everyone gets on the A bus to Disney University. I also recommend getting there at least twenty minutes before your bus is scheduled to leave to get a spot on the first bus).
Usually everyone then rushes to a park. We came home after traditions to have dinner and then we ran to the Magic Kingdom. We had a BLAST! A bunch of other CPers were there, and we all screamed as we walked in. J It was wonderful. We stayed through Spectromagic and then headed out.
Fourth Day – The fourth day, today, is up in the air depending on what role you have. For merchandise, we have our merchentainment class today (or at least I do). I have my class as 1:30 PM at the Disney University (which is where Traditions was held – which is ALSO where one Company D store is!). After class I’m dressing up for the Disney Pirate and Princess Party! AHHHHHH! So excited!
So that’s my brief update on the first few days of the Disney College Program. If you have any questions, feel free to post them! J Talk to you soon!

The 80s threw up on us!

So I can't talk long. Still no internet, but we're back in McDonalds (or at least Chrissy and I are).

Today we found out our placement. I'm in HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS ("How do you feel about Lights, Camera, Action?!"). I'm switching between the Animation Courtyard and Sunset Blvd - aka where Tower of Terror is. HOW IRONIC! I'm not sure what I'm doing, so Im SO curious!

We then went to the outlets and Wal-Mart (we live at Wal-Mart). We went to Mickey's Retreat and went in the pool for a bit. I fell asleep for about an hour and then we dunked back in again before going home to get ready for Tink's Punk Rock 80s Dance Pool Party.

My WHOLE apartment got dressed up in 80s clothes for the party.We got so much free stuff for being dressed up - aka a Disney College Porgram towel and a t-shirt.

We are so upset because Eriko will be leaving tomorrow morning. She didn't get her working papers in time. She is such a sweetheart and we will really miss her.

OK. GtG. TTYS!

No internet. :( It's London all over again

Hey guys!

So unfortunately the internet is not working in our apartment, so we're here at McDonalds using the WiFi. :) Yay

Check in went well. We got there at 7 AM for 9 AM check in - and people were there already! They started sending in groups of 5 at about 8ish and then we finally got in. We went through, got our apartment assignment and keys (a 4 bedroom apartment at Chatham - apartment 19101), got our pictures taken for our Chatham IDs, got our parking stickers, got our fingerprints taken for background check, and then went to hear about classes and future programs.

We went back to our rooms, unpacked for a bit, and then Chrissy's mom drove us to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. We then had our (boring...shhhh!) housing meeting for about 2 hours - then went to Target to buy food and anything else we needed.

We have 8 girls in the apartment - and all are FABULOUS. Michele and Stacey live in room 3, Eriko (who is from Japan!) and Becky live in room 4, Molly and Chrissy live in room 2, and Becky and I live in room 1. We have a wipe board in the common room and star post-it notes (ala 318 Albright) in the common room for quotes.

Chrissy's mom made dinner for us and then we went on a 30 min tour of Chatham. We talked to a bunch of guys, found the pool, learned the pool rules (and hours), and then attempted to get on to the internet at the Clubhouse...which had actually closed at 5. Damn.

We've been dying to get on Facebook, so here we are at McDonalds. Good times.

The girls all seem so sweet and we all seem to click. I'm so so so so happy. Chrissy, Molly, Becky, and I all share the "Under the Sea" bathroom. Good times. And hidden Mickeys keep popping up on all the mirrors...in fact, it seems Mickey wrote "Mickey was here" with a hidden Mickey on our wipe board in the common room...did we miss him? ;)

I think we're taking it easy tonight since we have our "role" meeting tomorrow at 8:30 AM. What does that mean? WE FIND OUT WHERE WE WORK!!!!!!!!!! I am SO impatient and can't wait to find out where we are being placed!!!!!!!!!!

That's about it for now. I'm dead tired but so happy with everything. I love Disney. :-D

P.S. We might watch Enchanted tonight! I miss you, Noteworthy! Let's sing for Patrick and Amy again!

The AutoTrain Diaries: What state are we in now?

P.S. Note to yesterday’s entry on the hotel: our 8 AM wake up call came at about 8:11 AM. That was kind of the real reason they lost. LoL.

So here I am, on the autotrain. It’s 4:10 PM according to Windows time. We were supposed to leave at 4, but we left a bit earlier. We really started to pick up speed at 4. To be completely honest, it seems like there is no one on this train. But then again it’s Memorial Day weekend. That’s probably why.
I’m excited for dinner at 5 because it’ll give me something to do! They’re showing Enchanted at various times, but I hope I’ll just be able to sleep for most of the duration of the ride. If so, I hope I’m not snoring on the train. My allergies were bad the last few days so I was so congested! – but I can actually breathe today. That’s a HUGE plus.
I’m still bitter about my Star Wars game not working. Seriously. 17 straight hours of Knights of the Old Republic. It’s every Star Wars gamer’s dream (or at least it would be my dream as a Star Wars gamer)! I usually spend days playing the game, and here I could have just played it straight through. So disappointed. Oh well.
Oh, look. We just passed the FBI training facility – aka we’re now in Quantico, Virginia. Yeah. They gave us a little book thingy of noteworthy places we’d be passing.
And as soon as I started my rant about the Star Wars game – it unofficially started to work. Weird. I’m gonna go figure this out. TTYS!
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P.S. We just found out there are 177 passengers in 62 cars (that’s it?!).
4:30 PM– we just passed Fredericksburg, VA. Ugh. SO close to having the game work. The start up page came up, and then my computer froze since the game stopped working. That sucked. I was really looking forward to training as a Jedi Knight for 17 hours (but I’ve played the game already. Don’t worry). Still waiting for the last game of the trilogy to come out – even though that won’t be for a while.
I’ve already taken a mini-nap after we boarded the train. I was reading the Life After School. Explained. book we received at Champagne Brunch. It was … interesting … No, it really was. I’m just not into reading right now. I’m thinking of what color lightsaber I would have made as part of my training and what crystals I would have installed in it… No. I’m not bitter at all.
Speaking of Star Wars – Star Wars Weekends (SWW) begin in, what, a week?! Yeah. Can I tell you how excited Becky and I are? I don’t think you can fathom my excitement. This has been my dream for years to go to this. When I was at Disney World during Spring Break, I frantically looked around for the Jedi Knight Mickey doll I stupidly forgot to purchase while in Hollywood studios. When I asked about it at the toy store in Downtown Disney, they asked if I was going to SWW. At the time I sighed and said “No”, but who knew I’d actually be coming back? I didn’t.
So, yes, I will be there. Who knows if I’ll be in costume. BUT, I do have my lightsaber made out of a kitchen pipe (Haha. Remember that trip to Loews, Lauren?). Yeah. I’m all Martha Stewart like that. The lightsaber, at least, will be with me. Maybe I can buy a Jedi robe somewhere!!!!!
OK. All childishness aside – I can’t believe I’m here right now. I’m getting ready for dinner so maybe I can just sleep the rest of the way…yeah right. Haha.
I’m waiting for Nicole to call in regards to tomorrow. Hopefully we get into Florida early. I wish I could get to my room because I’m really going to need to freshen up! Yay for 17 hour train rides. WOO!
I’m gonna text message Becca about leaving for FL. I’ll TTYL!
P.S. These chairs are really comfy…then again, I say that now…
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So I’m here on the train. It’s 7:30. While at dinner I sat with two people from FL (they were here for ROLLING THUNDER. The guy was originally from Essex County, NJ). The other woman, originally from El Salvador, was on the train to deliver her car to her daughter who lived in Miami.
While we were eating and talking, I overheard four people (two mothers and two daughters) talking about the Disney College Program. When everyone at my table left dinner, I approached and asked them about it. The two girls and I went to the entertainment car where they were showing Enchanted – and now they’re showing National Treasure. We met up with another guy who is doing the program, and there is another girl who is doing it. They’ll return to us after their 7 PM dinner.
I’m here typing as we’re all talking/watching the movie. I have my folder on the table in order to try to and see if anyone else recognizes the exalted purple folder. :-D We’re still not sure what state we’re in. Good times. But there are lots of trees and a carnival or two. It’s still sunny. J
Becca just text messaged me. She’s excited and can’t wait to hear everything.
We were talking about how many people were kicked out of Traditions the other day (when the May 19th kids moved in) due to kids not having the “Disney Look”. Yeah. They are strict. I need to take off my nail polish and look nice that day.
So far I am the only one here who is over 21. The other girl might be 22, too. We’ll find out when she’s done with dinner. The others are from all over – from Massachusetts to Connecticut, it’s pretty awesome.
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So, Stephanie is 21. She is also from New Jersey and went to Albright College. Awesomeness. It really is a small world after all!
Justin, Stephanie, and I stayed up until midnight. We watched Enchanted, National Treasure, and National Treasure again. Yeah. The movie got old after a while to the point where I could recite lines and act out scenes. Bad. We also played every card game imaginable – including Go Fish. Yeah. We got that desperate.
It’s almost 9 AM and we’re in FL. We should be arriving in about 10-12 min they just said. YAY!
Are we there yet?!
So we went to bed in the car nearest the entertainment car around midnight. I slept until 5:06ish. Yeah. Amazing. Around 6 I woke up to use the bathroom and attempt to freshen up. The three of us grabbed breakfast with a girl originally from FL who had just moved to VA. She’s going to visit family.
We went back to the entertainment car to play cards. We played another game of War, moved on to Texas Hold ‘Em, five card Poker, and then BS. I lost most, if not all, the rounds.
We got bored after a while, and now I’m on the same car as Stephanie and Justin. I have no clue what the conductor just said…oops…
So, the three of us kind of became legends last night. Everyone thought we stayed up all night in the entertainment car. We should have just told people that we did. That would have been awesome!
Damn. We’ll start de-train-ing in about twenty minutes. Argh. I’m so done sitting on this train.
Ooooooooh. The current outside temperature is 78 degrees. Thank God for semi-nice weather. It’s sort of…gray…outside. Blah.
What state are we in now?
So close, yet so far. Twenty minutes will be a great test of my patience! LoL. I’m just so excited and can’t wait to get to Disney – and find out where I’m working tomorrow! Check-in starts at 9, so I wonder what time Becky and I will get there.
Well, GtG. TTYS!

It's 8:30 AM, and I'm here at the Hotel Palomar ~> http://www.hotelpalomar-arlington.com/

OK. Don't get me wrong. The hotel is GORGEOUS. Modern art everywhere. Animal print pillows, etc. (which Lauren and Rosette would DEFINITELY appreciate) and dogs walking around (since it's a pet-friendly hotel). But just the little things started getting on our nerves...

Ok. We are not big complainers. Or at least I hope we're not. But when the only restaurant in the building - which just opened 6 months ago - is closed for Memorial Day weekend and the following week - wouldn't you alert your guests? And the room temperature kind of sucked. It's fun kicking off the blankets constantly at night, but after a while, it gets old - especially when you should be sleeping.

But we did find that great restaurant last night, which was good. And it's still funny to see dogs walking around - although we're trying to figure out what our dog, Lacey, would have been like here. She probably would have been trying to drink the Chardonnay as she climbed on the table from her chair... Yeah. My dog sits in chairs...

So we're all getting ready. We'll go downstairs for the breakfast, get our cars, and then head out for Lorton for the autotrain! I don't think I'll get service down there, so I'll post as soon as I can! :-D

Arlington, VA

So we're here in Arlington, VA. We got in around 3 PM (thank God!), and checked in to our hotel - the Palomar. It's really nice, but the restaurant is closed - which sucked. There were complimentary glasses of wine though. Yay!

P.S. The hotel we're staying at is a dog hotel. During the wine testing we saw three dogs - and saw three more later on. Lacey would probably love it here, but she'd destroy everything. LoL.

We got back to the room, napped - although I went on the computer to look up restaurants. I ended up talking to Nicole from PA and Kennedy on the Facebook chat program. Nicole and I are going to meet up on Tue for lunch at the hotel so we can meet each other, along with other CPers, before we move into our apartments on Wed.

We ate at an amazing restaurant in Arlington called VILLAGE BISTRO (http://villagebistro.com/). The mussels marineres (or whatever it's called) was INCREDIBLE. I had the Sea Scallops for dinner and creme brulee for dessert.

Now we're back in the room - absolutely wiped out. Believe it or not we're gonna go to bed now. Hahaha. We're getting up early for the continental breakfast, and then it's off to the autotrain for me. Yay! Good times.

Unfortunately my Star Wars game isn't working so I don't know what I'll do on the train. :/ I still have Spook....

OK. I'm gonna get going. I'll check in soon!

"Did you see the big silver statue of Jesus?"

It’s 1:04 PM. I’m driving with my dad in Maryland…? We’re listening to Barry Manilow. Good stuff!
It’s weird. To me, this just feels like I’m going to another semester of college – but in FL. We stopped off at a rest stop in Delaware. Yay for Roy Rogers and Arthur Treachers!
I’m excited for Virginia. It’ll be nice to have a mini-vacation with my family. LoL. We’re going to try to find a good restaurant for tonight. I remember going to Phillips with Lauren when we would have all the trips in high school to Washington, D.C. That was the best - with the all you can eat crabs and the hush puppies. Love.
I spoke to Becky yesterday. We’re meeting up on Tuesday. I’m gonna text message her when I get in to Florida.
I think I’m meeting Nicole, who is from PA, for lunch. That would be great. Hopefully we can check in to our hotel a little earlier than 4 PM since we’ll be getting in so early.
Later on I’ll meet Becky and her family for dinner. We might possibly meet up with the other CPers at the hotel for hot chocolate and dessert. If not, we’ll all probably be up early and eating breakfast together. I want to try and get to check in as soon as possible so we can get a good room. I’m thinking if I don’t sleep on the autotrain, I’ll be tired when I get to the hotel. I’ll take a small nap, meet people, and then go to bed early on Tuesday to get up early Wednesday morning.
Actually, scratch that. Then I won’t be alert to get to Orlando…
But I think I’ll be up early enough on Tuesday to want to go to bed early that night. 10 PM is the officially sleep time on the autotrain, and the wake up call for breakfast is 7 AM. Yeah. Exactly. I’m fine.
OK. I’m gonna go and play a bit STAR WARS KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC II. It’s an okay game, but it encages you more than the first game (which had the best story line of life).
P.S. If you need reading material, I highly recommend Mary Roach’s SPOOK. Jim would praise her for her performative writing style!

I've discovered I like writing during times of being in a liminal space...

So here I am, eating my Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowl and basking in the liminal space between being a student and being a graduate - all while being blinded by the light of the sun streaming in the windows of my room at 318 Albright. Life is good.

I can't believe it's been four years before I stepped foot on this campus. I was dead set against NOT applying since Matt and Trish had already done so. I didn't want to seem like a copy cat.

I don't know where I would be right now if I hadn't applied. The friends I've met and the leadership roles this college has allowed me to hold are what have shaped me to who I am - and are the reasons why I'm doing the Disney College Program.

I wish I could list every single person I need to thank, but unfortunately this post would then be miles long. Thank you to all my friends, the upperclassmen throughout the years that have set the bar extremely high, all my professors from the Media & Communication and Theatre departments (and Dance department!), the administration, all the staff members that have helped with Arts Week, and my second family over at Civic (who kept me sane at the best of times). Without all of you - and you all know who you are - I wouldn't be here. So thanks, thanks, and evermore thanks.

I'm going to be a wreck today during this ceremony. LoL. Is my make up waterproof?

I'll probably post tonight on my feelings of being a graduate. :-D

Have a good day and enjoy the wonderful weather. THANK GOD!!!!!!!!

-= does anti-rain dance just in case... =-

P.S. I've also discovered how much of a Media & Communication and Performance Studies eye I have developed over the last four years. I'm so excited about debunking Disney (ala BEHIND THE MOUSE) - and let me tell you, so is Jim Peck. Oh man, am I going to have a blast with all of this.... Yeah. This is what college will do to you!

"Happy California. Or Florida. Or whatever Disney park you're going to!"

Sorry, the above quote was priceless. It's a string of quotes from Jason which totally made my night last night.

So, last night I went to watch the Titanic rehearsal - and aka get to see Civic one last time before I left Allentown. So weird. The Civic community became sort of like a secret family to me. Hardly anyone from school knows the people at Civic (unless you did a show with them), and it was so amazing to see so many wonderful and talented people in the show. The show looks amazing and I guarantee there will not be a dry eye in the house when the show goes up. A+ once again Mr.Sanders.

Senior week as been weird thus far. I went to FINDING NEMO auditions in the city yesterday. What an experience - but at the same time, what AMAZING people! I was definitely one of the youngest auditioners there, which was kind of cool. And the staff gave me wonderful feedback. Cool.

Today is Senior Ball. I should be getting ready, but I felt like I needed to post. I haven't posted in a while. I've been packing, so more on that to come soon!

So, supposedly we don't know what's going on with Patterson Court. It might be offered to all the people staying from the Spring Session and the international students...? No one has a definite answer. Whatever. I'm guessing anywhere we end up will be wonderful (or at least I hope!).

OK. I'm gonna peace out to start getting ready for the senior ball. TTYS!

Last Day of School Work

So today is exactly what the title says - my final day of school work. I had a final this morning and another one in an hour. Technically I have an 8 page paper to write for Jim that's due tomorrow...argh...but I'm having such a hard time writing it. Why? SENIORITIS!

But that's ok. I'll get through it after the final, Katy's BRSRL dinner, the senior Cabaret, check outs, and the final rehearsal for my scene with Will tomorrow...

Good times....!

So tomorrow I will resume packing and you'll hear more of what I decide to bring to Disney....oh wait. Haven't gotten to that here yet, huh? Oh, it's coming. Don't worry.

So I'm off to get ready for everything. Talk to you later!

Has it really been four years?!

As much as I would LOVE to be done with all the work, I can't believe how fast the last four years have gone and how I'll miss the college experience.

I had the opportunity to look through all my college pictures tonight and I can not believe how much I have changed in the last four years and how many wonderful people I've met.

At the MTA Formal, I took a bunch of pictures with friends in poses that have become staples in the last four years (the four of us - as pictured above, my many poses with Will and Kennedy, an outrageous pose with Joel, poses with the sloots, poses with the various people I've lived with, etc.) I feel so blessed for everyone in my life.

We have the Senior Cabaret on (Tuesday?) night, and I'll probably be a mess then, even though I became less and less closely associated with the MTA - yay MDA and Civic! That's another thing I was blessed with - being able to work all over the place ~ including in Allentown.

Working with the Civic Theatre was probably the best thing that could have happened to me, and I will forever be grateful to Bill and everyone at 19th Street.

And now, I eagerly await the Disney CP. I can't wait to meet and network with all new people - people who I hope I can become really close with. After all, 7 months is a VERY long time!

That's about as insightful as I can be at this point. I'm going to go work on studying for my physics for life final...ugh...

RL Meeting tomorrow, Target Dance Reunion, more RL meetings, MDA Pizza party, ORS Banquet (Oh, man! I'm probably gonna be a mess at THAT!), and then more studying?

P.S. Poison Sky - best episode of Doctor Who to date. If you're never watched Doctor Who, it's the longest running Sci FI show for a reason - believe me. It's incredible!

Have a great night!

Days of "Lasts"

So, yeah. The last few days have been the "Last" days...

Last night was the last Noteworthy concert. Wrecks. I actually got through my song - except I was choked up after Mike spoke so I sang the same chorus twice because I forgot the words. Oops. Shhhh....By the time we got to Sprance's song, she was so choked up and couldn't finsh the song. Then, when we sang BRING HIM HOME, I completely lost it. Thank God Nick was there to hold on to me so I didn't completely fall apart. LoL. And then, after the concert, we all lost it. But it just shows what a close group we are and what wonderful friends we have.

Then, today was our last day of classes. I lost it during the final scene in directing - not because it was the last scene but because of the content. It hit home. Yay Kantor.

I'm going with Becca to the mall to look for professional outfits later. YAY! That will hopefully make my life a little happier.

Tomorrow is the last Performance Day. The seniors are doing their senior surprise dance - look for that on YouTube. We'll probably all break down after that.

Tomorrow night is our last MTA/MDA Formal and Midnight Breakfast. I'll once again do a dance on a table to make it all four years. WOO!

Graduation I'm going to be a mess. I know it. I guess I better buy all waterproof make up...

I'm doing laundry so I'm going to run and get my wash so a bunch of stuff can air dry.

Hope you guys aren't water works this week like I am ... :-D