This weekend has been pretty fun so far. It’s been a much needed break from the stress of the distribution at work and I am just relaxing around the house and enjoying the parks in my backyard. On that note, for those that know, I love the Deadliest Catch on Discovery. It probably is one of my favorite shows that I seem to watch every week and even when it is on reruns. One of my favorite boats to follow is the F/V Northwestern with Captain Sig Hansen. Well, this weekend at Epcot® I had the opportunity to meet Captain Sig and his Brothers, Deck Boss Edgar and Engineer Norman. The brothers were in the Norway Pavilion promoting their new line of Helly Hansen products.
Hanging with the Hansen Brothers at Epcot®
I think one of the funniest parts about meeting the guys was when Sig asked me where I was from and I told him that I was enjoying my day off and that I worked at Disney. He started teasing me about it and had some funny comments but I can’t repeat them on here.
Captain Sig Teasing me
Published on Saturday, July 05, 2008 .
Wow, it has been a long time since I posted something more than a promo. A lot has been going on the last few weeks. First off, I had a great birthday weekend last weekend at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa thanks for the prize that I won from Corporate Alliances at the Ticketing Family Picnic. The birthday festivities actually started on my birthday, June 25, at Epcot® for drinks and fireworks and then several of my friends (Sawyer and Matt) joined me for two nights at the Grand where we had an amazing dinner at Citricos and enjoyed our suite that overlooked the Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom. To top it off, I even ended up with a three day weekend so that just made it even better.
Birthday aside, work is steady again. We are in the middle of Cast Member Comp Ticket Distribution again and my schedule has changed to help out the team more with production. I am really excited actually about this distribution as it is the first where I really got a chance to help design the ticket and give my input. I’m excited with how they turned out. I will post images of them at a later date once they have mailed. I want to keep them a suprise to those Cast Members that read this. Hint though, think heritage.
As far as the Leadership Casting Call went, I did have my interview and have heard back. I was not selected this time however. Although I am slightly disappointed, ok, a lot disappointed, I was given some great feedback of what to work on for the next time and was encouraged to for sure come back at the next posting. As a side note, most people do not get it on their first try. I would say 9 out of 10 managers at Disney have gone out at least twice before getting in to the pool. I am working with an awesome mentor to develope a plan of action to take me to the next step.
Today is just my day to relax and do nothing. It’s been a crazy week at work and having to work late nights has just drained me. IKEA is have ing a sale this weekend so I think it’s time to head up there when Sawyer gets off of work. Anyways, that’s it for now folks.
Published on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 .
Ok, this is going to sound really strange but I feel that I have changed in a lot of ways towards what I listen to and watch on TV. I have gotten in to the habit now on the way to and from work of listening to NPR on WMFE. Be it Morning Edition or All Things Considered, feel myself listening to it more and more. Even when I am home, I have started to stream WMFE over iTunes and listen to shows like A Prairie Home Companion. It really does intrigue me how my driving habits have changed from listening to my iPod to listening to the world.
What I listen to in the car isn’t the only thing that I have noticed a change. When I am channel cruising at home, I find myself landing on PBS more and watching shows like Antique Roadshow and more recently, I have discovered BBC World News on BBC America. Where I would once come home to watching shows like The Simpsons or Family Guy, I now feel that being informed is what is more important. It has made me realize how much we miss when we watch the sitcoms and soaps. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy my Desperate Housewives but I have realized that I don’t have to watch those shows. There is so much else going on in the real world that is just as fascinating.
I guess some of these changes in routine come from getting older but I think some come from a desire to be informed and having meaningful conversations with my friends. I’ve even gotten in the habit of waking up and watching the news again while I get ready for the day, something I haven’t done since high school when I would go to work when Dad did. There is so much going on in the world that it amazes me more people don’t take the time to learn. I think my appreciation for knowledge and culture comes from my amazing family but also my great experience at a liberal arts college. So I ask, am I just getting boring?
Published on Sunday, January 13, 2008 .
So a lot of you might be wondering why I have been AWOL for a good month or so with a few random updates here and there. It’s been over the past several months that I have come to learn a lot about myself. Who I am and what I strive for in my career and what will shape me to what I want to do with the Company. When I accepted my current role with Ticketing, it looked at the time as what I saw as following a passion I developed for tickets. It’s over the past few months that I have come to realize how much of a Guest Service person I am. I no longer have any contact with Guests and find myself finding excuses to get back in the park just to have that “one little spark” with our Guests.
Over the various jobs that I have held since high school, Guest Service and customer interaction have always been an integral part of my job. Be it as a lifeguard or swim instructor, member services or Guest Relations, Guest Service has always been there. It’s taken a lot of thinking and bouncing ideas of my mentors but I have come to a decision that I know will be the right one for me.
This morning, I reapplied to go back to the Dream Squad on another temporary assignment. This is just the start of another casting call process similar to the last time I applied and Guest Relations. I feel that taking a step backwards to a role such as Dream Squad will help me get the balance of Pixie Dust and Guest Service back that I have missed so much working in an office. Our Guests are the main reason that I work for The Walt Disney Company. To see the pure happiness in their eyes when you do something as simple as smile and wave or just saying a quick hello. That is why I work where I do. I miss creating that extra special magic for so many wonderful people and I hope that this step backwards will be the beginning to a great journey forwards.
Just as Walt Disney said himself, “we keep moving forward”. My experience at Ticketing has been one with a lot of learning. Learning that I know will help me down the road when I do decide to apply for Leadership Casting Call. I am glad to have had the experience but I also know when I need to make a decision that is best for myself. I will keep everyone posted over the next couple weeks on my decision to move back to the parks. Feel free to shoot me a line or leave a comments. Thanks everyone for your support!
Published on Saturday, December 22, 2007 .
Happy Holidays Everyone! It’s that time of year again where everyone is busy sending out holiday updates and newsletters. This year, I am doing the same as in the past but, my newsletter is new attached as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. This can be viewed using Adobe Reader on both Mac and PC or Preview on Mac OS X. If you have issues viewing the attached newsletter, please let me know.
As always, Webby Aquatics will provide you with the most up-to-date information on what is going on in my life.
HolidayNewsletterWeb.pdf
Published on Saturday, September 29, 2007 .
Wow, it really has been over a month since I last updated my blog. There really has been a lot going on though that can explain my absence. As I posted in August, I have started a new role here at the Walt Disney World Resort in Walt Disney World Ticketing. After a month, I can tell you I have not been happier. I love my new role and the new opportunities that it creates. In just the short month, I have been able to do things and meet people that would never have been possible before when I was working in the Magic Kingdom.
I have also been very busy finalizing and starting the production of the Disney’s Family Holiday Celebration tickets for all Florida Site Cast Members so that has taken a bulk of my days at work plus, speaking of holiday time, I have also started going to Candlelight Cast Choir Rehearsals again. Who knew that Christmas came in September! Things are only going to get busy at work though as we go in to the next month. Notice above I said Florida Site Cast Members? Well, part of my role at Walt Disney World Ticketing is that I am responsible for the production of all Cast Member Ticket Media for the entire Walt Disney Company. We are getting ready for two large distributions that involve complimentary tickets and Main Entrance Passes for all 120,000 of my Cast Members. Can we say overtime? Busyness aside, I love the new role and couldn’t be happier.
On another note, I have also learned this week about the importance of going to the doctor when you are sick. A friend of mine hates going to the doctor and put off going till he finally went after being sick for close to 6 weeks and is now sitting in a hospital bed recovering from a severe case of pneumonia. He’s going to be alright but the recovery will take a while.
That’s my last month in a nutshell. Really not much else going on in my life like it was a few years ago when I started Webby Aquatics as a blog. I hope to start getting back in to blogging more now that I have stable hours and time.
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