My Top 15 Movies of 2011

For the first time in a long time, I had trouble compiling  my Top 15 list this year. There were so many good to great movies, that there are quite a few that fell by the wayside that I wish I could have made the list. I really was surprised by just how much I enjoyed, some I thought wouldn't be nearly as good as they were, and others that met my expectations of being great. This year my list ranges from quite a few indie gems to a few bigger blockbusters from throughout the year. I think we've finally seen the end of much of the material that was from the 2008 writer's strike, because the movies this year were just much stronger and better written than many from the past two years. This year, we see some of the usual suspects on the list, like Marvel Studios, and Martin Scorsese have made the list, with some twists along the way. Some, like the return to form of Woody Allen, an indie noir film starring Ryan Gosling as the world's quietest anti-hero, and an unexpected directional turn from Kevin Smith. This year was a lot of fun for me, and I can't wait to see what you guys think and look forward to hearing you're favorites of the year.

Becoming Part of the Magic: My Time in Traditions

I've known I was going to work for Disney since I was six. I was too scared to go on The Great Movie Ride at WDW, and the cast member out front got down on his knee to talk to me. He assured me that I would be ok and that I'd love the ride. That's always stayed with me, and from that moment on, I knew I'd work for the company. So it's hard to describe how I felt going into Traditions.I was full of excitement and curiosity and knew once I walked through those doors, I was coming out as a Disney Cast Member. Someone built on using Disney's magic to create happiness for all those who walk through the front gates of the Disney parks. That's a tall, but amazing order to have to uphold. And I was absolutely up to the challenge. I got dressed into my new Disney look and walked out the door, knowing I was about to walk into the place that would be the beginning of my future.

Driving up to TDA was really cool, I didn't have to park in the visitor parking lot again, I got to park in cast member parking, and that's when it hit me. I really was working for the world's biggest, and greatest company now. I stood outside TDA with all the new hires, waiting to walk in, and I could feel the tension in the air because so many of the people that were there were nervous. But I knew there was no reason to be. I was excited to be there. They handed us our paper IDs for the day, as well as a name tag for the day to stick on our shirts and they walked us into the auditorium. We all sat there while a few CM's, who would be our teachers for the day, came out and welcomed us to Traditions and gave us a small overview of what we would be doing throughout the day. We got to get up and talk to the people around us, get to know each other a bit, and see who would be working where. That's when they played a video welcoming us to the company, which featured Walt Disney, the man himself, welcoming you to the company. I seriously began getting chills. Walt Disney, even in old video footage, was personally welcoming me into his company so I could be a part of what he created. I definitely had a bit of a fanboy moment.

Then they split us up into a few groups and we were sent upstairs to the Disney University. I loved this part of Traditions, because we got to look at the past, present, and future of the company. Being someone who knows a about the company, it was fun to see the facts and information I knew come to use while learning new things. My teachers were amazing, making things much more entertaining and fun, and it never felt tedious or dull. One of the guys, his name was Anthony, works over in DCA at Tower of Terror, and is seriously one of the funniest guys I ever met. Every time he spoke or was in the room, I was laughing. I swear, the guy could be a stand up comedian or character actor. He's that good. Then they announced we'd be walking through Disneyland, as well as getting a look at the backstage area of the park. Getting to walk behind the scenes of a park I know like the back of my hand and being able to discover what the backstage looked like was a lot of fun. I loved wandering around back behind the park. Seriously, what other class do you get to go to where you walk around Disneyland? It was amazing. We finally got back to TDA and had lunch at the Eat Ticket, which was great! The food was amazing, and not terribly expensive, which was even better. They may have had the best Paninis I've ever had. 

We went back to the classroom area to finish up our classes, but was admittedly hard to sit through because of my food coma. But eventually the class began winding down, and we ended up heading back to the auditorium. We went down and they started telling us about how if we were here, then there is something special and unique about us, and that we it was time for us to get ready to go. We were going to celebrate together becoming CM's, and they had one last video to show us. It was a goodbye video from people from Disney around the world, and welcoming us to the company. Then Walt came back on the screen, and it felt like he was directly talking to me again. I have to admit, I felt like I was beginning to tear up a bit. That's when they said, "Never forget, it all started with a mouse." And the door opened and Mickey stepped out to congratulate all of us! It was a bit hard to hold back tears of joy, and that's when they handed it to us:  our name tag. I couldn't believe it, I had it. And with Mickey at the door to say goodbye to us and welcome us, I hugged him and walked out to my car and sat, holding my name tag, tearing up. I couldn't believe it. And I still can't. I'm a Disney Cast Member. I'm here to make happiness with magic now. Easily one of the greatest jobs in the world. I work for Disney. I'm so happy. :)

Let's Get Started...How this all Began

The amazing thing for me right now is how this all came about. It started with a move, an incredibly evil retail chain, and applying on a whim to the Happiest Place on Earth. I moved from the Sacramento area in Northern California just a little over three months ago, coming down to Orange County to start a new chapter in my life. Little did I know just how many new things this chapter would bring me. I worked for a retail chain that shall remain unnamed, but is known for selling consumer electronics and has a bright yellow tag. When I decided to move, I didn't want to come down without a job so I decided to transfer my job to a new store down here. Which may be the best mistake I ever made.

The new store was a nightmare from the start. They bungled my transfer and I was unemployed for almost a month. Once I started, I could tell the management didn't like me much, and within weeks rumors were circulating about me behind my back, by the managers and a few coworkers, and they'd  change my schedule without telling me, and changed my interview for a full time position to a time I couldn't do it. But that wasn't the breaking point. The breaking point came when I took time off while my mom came down to visit and they called me and forced me to come into a meeting after I wasn't scheduled, and I'd had the time off a month in advance. This new store was just a terrible place for me to be, and I could tell they didn't want me there. So in desperate turn, I decided to reapply to Disneyland, but had no hopes of getting the job. But within hours of doing my online application and interview, I had an in person interview within days. I walked into Best Buy for my last time the next morning for the meeting and quit on the spot and walked out, just after three years of working there, without looking back.

I had two great days of rest, and then went into Team Disney Anaheim ready to knock their socks off and get the job. I went through the interview process, and within an hour, I was offered a job in California Adventure. I was unemployed for three days, only to get hired by the company I'd always dreamed of working for. They liked me enough to hire me to help make magic for those visiting the resorts, and I couldn't be more excited. I just filled out all the paperwork and went through the onboarding yesterday, which means as of November 2, 2011, I'm now officially a Disneyland employee and work for the greatest, and easily most successful company in the world. It's surreal. I'm blown away by how lucky I am, and I'm just so thankful that the company wanted me and that the job turn around was so quick. From here on out, I'll be bringing stories, musings, and other random thoughts to this blog through my adventure that is life and Disney. Remain seated please. :)