My Daily Routine

My day ended up being pretty good today. I never really talk about work; I guess because it isn’t very exciting; for the most part. I no longer work at Disney’s Hollywood Studios where I worked at eight different attractions. It was never really boring, but it was frustrating being moved around all the time.

Now, I spend all of my time, for the most part at the International Gateway, greeting guests, scanning tickets and providing support for the rest of the cast members I work with.  The people I work with are pretty awesome people. I like them all. I work with a number of individuals who work well together, though we all have our little idiosyncrasies.

My typical day starts around seven a.m. I get up, usually to an excited Chico(my Chihuahua), I clean up, shave, brush the pearlies, make lunch, have breakfast, put on my costume jump on Marisol(my Ninja) or Gertie(Roy’s V-Star) and make the fifteen minute drive to EPCOT.

When I arrive at Cast Services, I go to my locker, switch jackets and make my way to the bus stop outside of the CS building, where I await the arrival of the Cast West bus.
While I wait, I take the time to change out of my jeans, pack them into my bag, update my twitter and facebook on my phone and board the bus when it arrives.
The bus ride usually takes about ten minutes where I get off at the International Gateway. Usually, I am the only one who gets off there. Everyone else(usually ICP’s) get off at the other stops which are the Japan, Morocco, German, Italian and French Pavilions.
The bus is a plethora of languages and cultures and I often enjoy listening to the conversations that occur.

When I arrive at my destination, I get to my mini-locker and change shoes, get my water bottle and pouch, where I keep a towel, mints, hand sanitizer, stickers, pens, a marker and my tell-a-cast. These are all of the things that I may need at any moment. Of all these things, the tell-a-cast is the most useful. A tell-a-cast is like a super times guide that gives us all of the information that is needed to help the guests plan out their day.

I clock in at our breakroom on a computer that runs what we call CDS. CDS stands for Cast Deployment System. CDS tells us where we are supposed to be, sends us on break, lunch and when it’s time to bump out and clock out.

I get two fifteen minute breaks on short days and they add a forty-five minute break on my long days. I have lunch on my first fifteen minute break and go back to work.
Though I hate the long days, the forty-five minute break is a good rest period. This period gives me time to watch a video on the ARCHOS or the ipod. Sometimes, I carry my ipad with me to do some writing or reading. All in all, my day is a bit diversified.






I don’t really talk with many of the people I work with. I am quite fond of a couple, especially Vera and Marianne. All of the regulars there are pretty awesome. The cast members, who work at the Main Entrance in the front, call the International Gateway area, The Island of The Misfits. I think that is incredibly mean. Everyone I work with is fun.

We enjoy our conversations and the time we spend with each other. We work well together, watch over each other, cover when one-another needs a water of bathroom break. It’s a positive environment to work in.  The day usually goes quickly, as we get the guests through the turnstiles. We help them solve ticket problems, answer the questions they have about the park and resorts in the area. We explain the FASTPASS system, help them plan out their day, figure out which shows to see, what attractions to ride and what eateries to visit.

Most of the guests are really wonderful people. They are one of the main reasons I work at DISNEY. I love meeting people from around the world and I am really thrilled when I meet people from my home state of California. Occasionally, I actually meet people from the San Fernando Valley, where I grew up. It is always fun to reminisce about home, the sights, and the restaurants and hang outs back home.

There are those guests that are not that friendly. Having been a guest there in 2004, the one week in August that there was no hurricane, I know how frustrating it can be waiting in lines, to get into the park when your ticket doesn’t work. There are lines for the attractions, eateries and even lines to go to the bathroom. Visiting Walt Disney World isn’t cheap. It can be affordable if you plan for it. For two of us, my god-daughter, Ashley and I, for seven days with airfare it was nearly four-thousand dollars. This did not include any meal plan. We actually spent additional money for our meals. Eating at Disney is not inexpensive. I would say about five hundred dollars went on meals. So, I understand how expensive it is to visit; a family of four most likely spends a lot more for a week. The typical cost of a week at Disney World is anywhere from five to fifteen thousand dollars per week! Not everyone has a great time at Walt Disney World.
Some guests, curse at us, and swear never to return to our happy little realm.
Then of course, there are the others; the guests that love our park, don’t want to leave and can’t wait to come back. I have had many guests like that, guests that have come to find me every time they visit. This is a topic for another posting though.

When I get out early, I make it a point to walk through the park on the way home, instead of riding the Cast East bus back to Cast Services. When I walk out of the park, I usually exit out through The Mexico Pavilion, go into the CS building, head to my locker, switch jackets again, jump on the bike and make the fifteen minute ride home.

My job isn’t hard, it isn’t life altering but, I still make a difference. I make a difference for the guests I greet with a smile everyday. I serenade the birthday girls and boys, men and women; I bow to and greet the little princesses that come to visit our realm. I congratulate the Anniversary Couples and those celebrating everything else that they can on their visit.

I want to make one note on this mini-topic; a couple of years ago, I was very happily working in my playground at Hollywood Studios. It is the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground where everything is HUGE! The size of everything in the playground gives one the impression that they are ant-sized. Anyway, I was at the photo-cell position where the guests enter/exit. On one particular afternoon, there was this adorable little six year old girl named Marissa. She took time to sit on the rock by the PC and just engaged me in conversation. She talked to me about living in Massachusetts and how she was really enjoying her trip to Disney World. This trip happened to be her second trip in two years. Her mother walked up and joined in on the conversation. Marissa introduced me to her mom and ran off to play. Marissa had been wearing one of the green Celebration buttons that we give to the guests for various celebrations. I asked her mom what Marissa was celebrating. Her mother, whose name I don’t recall right at this moment, proceeded to tell me that Marissa was celebrating being free of Leukemia. She continued to inform me that when Marissa had visited the previous year, she was on her Make-A-Wish trip, a trip for children who are not expected to survive whatever ailments that they are battling.
This wonderful, courageous little cherub faced death and stared it down. I was so moved by this child, this family; that I was compelled to summon another cast member to take over for me for a few moments, so that I could go back stage and cry my eyes out.
I know that I have made a positive difference in many lives, young and old; however this little angel, Marissa, made a phenomenal impact on my life that continues to shape my way of thinking and actions to this day.

Not every day is like this; in fact these types of days are few and far between, but they are great experiences that I am able live through and document, hopefully to read years down the line and remember what it is that I am currently doing. I don’t know that I’ll stay at Walt Disney World for years to come. I try to go day by day, until something else that garners my attention comes into focus. For now, I like seeing my friends at the International Gateway every day. They are a fun bunch; I for one am proud to be a member of the Island of The Misfits!

My thoughts on Sandy Hook's child exploitation..

My Thoughts on….

The Sandy Hook Children: I am a self proclaimed News Junkie. I own it; admit it and enjoy it. I have, like the rest of the nation no doubt; such a feeling of sorrow for all those that were lost and all those they left behind in that senseless shooting.
However, if appearances are worth anything; the survivors look great. They have been making the rounds on television as of late; the Super bowl, The Grammy's later this week and a few other events. I think it’s awesome that they are healing so well; I only hope that all of this attention they’re getting doesn't hurt them when every one is finished exploiting them. And yes, I wrote the word EXPLOITING.

Our inept leader in the White House has an agenda; and I for one, believe he is behind all of this Sandy Hook attention. I believe that these children will continue to fuel his plans for quite a while to come. I hope I’m wrong; but I am usually not.

When one stops to look at our world around us and particularly our nation; it would seem quite coincidental how all of these incidents are falling right into place and more than that, everything that is happening, seems to be supporting Obamas’ agenda. Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m full of dung; I don’t know. What I do know is that the children of Sandy Hook underwent a traumatic, life altering experience. Some of the notoriety that they are receiving is therapeutic; however some of it isn’t. When the controlling powers are finished with them, they’ll be thrown to the back burner and that’s when they’ll have to contend with all the loss and sadness that they have been avoiding. It sounds like a recipe for disaster if you ask me; not that anyone did.

Keep the people and children of Sandy Hook in your thoughts and prayers, America; I don’t think the political machine in the White House is.
TTFN

Immigration Reform, part 1

My thoughts on:

Immigration Reform. This is a topic that makes one experience a myriad of emotions. The comments that one makes on this topic can lead to one being branded a racist, bleeding heart liberal and everything in-between. This isn’t anything new; people have been coming across the border or over the oceans for many decades; even centuries. Our forebears weren’t all born here. We are not a nation of Sioux, Cherokee or Cree.
We are white, Mexican, Cuban, Russian, Swedish, British, Irish, Portuguese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai, Puerto Rican(yeah, I know..), Hindu, Canadian, Nigerian, Moroccan, French, Honduran, Costa Rican, Guatemalan, Dominican, Haitian, and every other type of race there is in the world. This is America. America is an idea; an idea that led to a reality. America started as a dream. America was that haven that so many hoped to find. America is a place that one is able to come to and live their lives their own way; lawfully, freely, religiously.

We learned that the Pilgrims, left England and the Netherlands to come to a place where they could live their lives the way that they wanted to. They wanted freedom to practice their religion away from the clutches of the government. Others came to America to etch out a life for themselves with no limits. People came to America to tame a wild land.
America was the new frontier. Everyone was coming here; we just didn’t know that until recently. If you stop and look at all of the cultures that came and explored; we could well belong to the rest of the world.

California for one; my home state, was settled by the Spaniards and peoples from Mexico. Yes it was taken as spoils of war, but that that doesn’t make it right. If you ask me, you should give it back. California is the shining example of why we need immigration reform. We have approximately 8 million guest residents living in the continental United States. They are, without question a blessing and a burden to our economy and culture.

100 years ago, we could continue to say, send us your tired weary and huddled masses. Now the new saying is Welcome to America, now go home! Another friendly one is No Vacancy! You can’t blame most Americans for the feelings they have on this topic. I mentioned earlier that our illegal guests are both a blessing and a curse. They’re a blessing economically because they spend a lot of money in our society. They add billions of dollars to our economy. These people know how to spend money. Their philosophy regarding life is fairly simple: Live in the moment; because tomorrow may not come. If these individuals were suddenly gone tomorrow; we’d be unhappy campers. It’s been said before, but these people do all the jobs no one else wants. They are the dishwashers, the gardeners, house-keepers, day laborers and so on.

I remember a few years ago I watched a movie called A Day Without A Mexican. This movie went on the premise that all the illegal aliens were disappearing off the face of the earth. It was humorous, but it did make one think about the idea behind this movie. These people do give back to society and probably far more than they take from it.

Of course there are always two sides to any topic. The cons are evident in this matter. Some, and unfortunately, I don’t have the percentages, but I will estimate that it is near 40 percent of all immigrants get some sort of help; mostly medical. Being from Southern California and utilizing the health care system in California, one only needs to go to any county hospital emergency room to see how prevalent the illegal guests are. One could go into an E.R. and be there for hours. Our society makes it too easy to get services; at least for immigrants, legal or otherwise. W.I.C. programs, food stamps, welfare, medi-care and whatever else there is for the taking. These individual learn how to use the system. Unfortunately, they are a burden to the system.

Let’s take a look at my former home state of California. California is circling around the drain. They are forever a month away from going bankrupt. Several counties and cities in California have already filed for bankruptcy. Immigration laws don’t work. I don’t know if they ever have. Perhaps they never will. All one has to do is drive through some of the areas in Los Angeles to see how many guest residents there are. I have seen neighborhoods where garages are converted to living quarters and up to 20 people live in one property. There are neighborhoods where this occurs where maybe up to 200 people live in an area where fifty are meant to live.

Finding a parking spot for your vehicle is incredibly difficult sometimes as well. I lived in one of these neighborhoods where every house had a garage and every garage was converted. I remember on several occasions I’d return home from work in the evening and I couldn’t get into my own driveway because there were cars blocking it. I don’t know how many cars I had towed away, not to be mean, but because there was no way to find out whose car it was. There were that many vehicles.

All of these people worked; some out of their homes. The ones that left for work every day, were painters, drywallers, carpenters, all of whom, trained with other people and then decided to venture off on their own. Now bear in mind that all of these peoples worked under the table. They were all guest residents without legal status so they couldn’t work legally on the books. All of these individuals worked without paying taxes. TAX FREE! In case you didn’t notice, this is my only true issue with these people. I think that the govt. has it all wrong, I think that it is time to embrace these people, the new ideas that the GOP and Obama are touting seem to focus on these things. Let everybody who is currently here register for work visas and start to pay taxes. I think once that happens though, they will demand better pay and the individuals who are employing them illegally are going to stop utilizing these people, hence, they won’t be able to pay these taxes should this happen, I believe that work will become scarce and these individuals will be compelled to head home.

I think it’s important to know, that I’ve had a very hard time writing this post. I am torn when it comes to immigration. In some ways, I think those of us whom are so adamant about immigration reform are in a way exhibiting contradictory behavior. If you stop to think about it, 99 percent of the nation are descendants of immigrants. My great grandparents came from Italy, Asia, Europe and Mexico. If there were no immigration from them, I’d have never been born.

A while back, I toyed with the idea of doing a family tree. I soon tired of that. My family comes from all over the world. It was mind torturing. At some point I think that I will make the attempt to work on that. I am going to ask one of my cousins to help out with this because we have to get to talk with the family members that are in the more rural parts of the country and whom are getting older with every passing day.

I one time asked my father about our family roots and for some reason he became very nervous; it was as if he did not want me digging. I’m admittedly lazy, so I didn’t really do very much digging on the subject. I am starting to think more and more that anyone who is so gung ho about immigration reform, should do some exploring of their roots. As I like to state, the only true Americans are the Sioux, Cherokee and other nations of Native Americans. All the rest us are transplants.
Until next time!