DCP - 77 Days

I almost forgot to post today... I have been cooking White Chicken Chili since yesterday. Finally got it finished and put in the fridge. Good chili needs to cook a long while :)

And, on an especially positive note, I cut fresh jalapenos and DIDN'T GET CAPSAICIN IN MY EYES!!! That is officially a first!

So here's day 4 of the challenge: Your Favorite Prince

Hercules???

Nope. Not a prince :(

So we'll go with Aladdin!

(Tee hee) If it can't be Herc, Aladdin is a pretty cool guy. I like his songs!

And since this post is so long already, let me tell you my LEAST favorite Disney "Prince"

Why? Because of THIS GUY

Donny Osmond. Now, did I love Donny in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT! Why don't I like him as General Shang...? I don't know, it just creeps me out.

DCP - 78 Days (And free pancakes!)

That's right, free pancakes at Ihop until 10 PM. Guess where I'm going for dinner? lol. Will I spend extra money there despite my promises to myself not to? More than likely. At least a glass of milk, right?

And now for the Disney Challenge, day 3

Your Favorite Heroine: Belle

She's a heroine, right? And I can't resist a heroine who SINGS! I love singing.

And may I just say that when I saw Beauty and the Beast 3d I was the ONLY person in the theatre and I definitely sang every song... and a manager came in twice... I think she was afraid I was upsetting the other patrons... but there weren't any :)

DCP - 79 Days

Day two of the Disney Challenge, it isn't really making the time go by any faster...

Your favorite Disney Princess: Jasmine!

Now let me be clear about this, Jasmine being my favorite princess has very little to do with her Jasmine-ness. In fact, the reason I like Jasmine is due to another character entirely...

Rajah! I had a stuffed rajah (so did my cousin) and we used to dress them up, etc. In the spirit of being an OCD child, I of course always wanted to dress up like Jasmine because then I would match my lovely tiger. So there you have it.

DCP - 80 days and the start of the 30 day Disney challenge

To my fellow May 16th CPers, CAN YOU STAND IT!?!?!? I just got back from a trip to Disney and I'm still jazzed about going back! There are a lot of things I need to do between now and when I check in at Vista Way, but I decided to start the 30 day Disney photo challenge to help pass the time.

So, here it goes: Day 1 - Your Favorite Disney Character

WINNIE THE POOH!

I thought long and hard about this, and when I really got down to it, Winnie the Pooh is clearly my favorite. I have no idea why he is, I just know that he is. So cute, so cuddly, and I love it! I don't care if everyone in my family says I have pooh on my shirt -_-'

ON ANOTHER NOTE: I have my roommates for DCP! We met on the May 16th facebook page and I have a feeling we're going to be great friends :) I can't wait to meet the girls in person!

State Fair part 2

After Cracker Country, it was going on 3 PM and I was SUPER hungry. My new mission was to find lunch/dinner ASAP!

I found something that I had never seen before and it sounded super yummy, so I gave it a shot:

Cavatapi pasta with a meatball served in a GARLIC BREAD BOWL! Just as tasty as it sounds, people. I was afraid the garlic bread taste would only be on the outside, but it turns out that they brushed the inside of the bowl with garlic spread and quickly toasted it to order. I was very confused by the guy selling the pasta because A) There was a midway guy shouting behind me and I couldn't hear him very well and B) He was trying to be funny and told me that you could only buy the pasta in a bread bowl if you ordered 2 of them. I was like "I don't want two of them" and I was really sad because I thought I would have to find something else to eat, lol.

I sat down to eat my pasta and watched part of the Lumberjack Show. It was like a competition between lumberjacks with lots of corny jokes, lol. I finished my pasta and I was STUFFED so I decided more walking was in order. I wandered around the "mall" area for awhile where there was more food along with booths selling airbrushed tees, old time photos, etc. Lots of cheap junk... and a cooking demonstration, lol. There were three different cooking demonstrations that I saw at the fair. Apparently one of the sponsors is a cookware company.

As I was wandering, I found the ultimate state fair entertainment... HOLLYWOOD PIG RACERS!!!! Their last show was in 10 minutes and I knew I had to take a seat. I found a spot up front where I could get some photos of the pigs in action. According to a newspaper article I read about the fair, pig races were often standing room only. Good thing I got a spot to sit down, lol. It was a fun time. The show was only 15 minutes long and, again, was very corny. The crowd was cheering for the pigs while they ran around the ring, super cute. Here is a picture. There is a video on my facebook page.

Tee hee! At the end of the show, the host told everyone about the free petting zoo next door. I went there next. Inside, you could pay $1 for some animal food. I didn't feed any animals, but I enjoyed watching the giraffe taking carrots from peoples' hands.

It was near 5 PM and I had about an hour left at the fair. There was a circus show at 5:30, but I wasn't interested. Instead, I went to the livestock barns. On the way, I spotted some... interesting food options.


The burger booth had lots of other, equally appalling options. I also saw deep fried bubblegum, deep fried kool-aid, and lots of other foods you would only find at a fair.


I'll save my deep fried treat for later...







The livestock barns had some cool exhibits. They were hatching chickens in one and there were some newborn chicks trying to waddle around -precious-. The best exhibit was the FFA all the way at the back of the fair. They had an "orchard" where you could pick an orange and squeeze it yourself for some fresh orange juice. I also tried a kumquat (delicious) and played Cattle Trivia (I lost, but the girl running it said I could try again if I wanted to win a hamburger shaped yoyo. (Thanks, but no thanks). You could also "milk a cow" (a statuette that squirted water when you touched the udder, tee hee) and make your own butter. Apparently it just takes heavy whipping cream and a lot of shaking. I opted to not deal with the butter because I wanted to take pictures and needed my hands free.

Then it was time for my ultimate fair food experience. I had read about this treat online and knew I wanted one for dessert. My pasta had settled and I was ready to conquer...

THE CANDY COMBOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

1 deep fried Milky Way bar, 2 deep fried oreos, and 1 deep fried reese's peanut butter cup. So many calories, but it was a one time thing and I couldn't resist.

Top left: Milky Way, Top right: Oreo, Bottom center: Reeses

It was DELICIOUS! And also made me feel like I was going to be sick... BUT DELICIOUS! I sat to eat my dessert and the lumberjack show was on again. Still funny the second time, lol.

That was it! One quick stop at the tea co. for my take home refill and I was off towards home. I got back at 10 til 9. Pretty good timing if I do say so myself.

SURPRISE! Day off and the STATE FAIR!

Happy Valentines day :)

I found out that I got the day off, so I decided to go to the state fair! Were there other, more productive things I could have done? Absolutely. Still, I have never been to a state fair and I really wanted to go!

The fair was in Tampa, so about 2:30 hours from my apartment. I equated it to driving to Columbus from my house. No big deal! I decided to leave around 10 AM and knew I wanted to be home by 9 PM. That meant that by the time I ran some errands on my way to the fair, I had a total of 5 hours to poke around.

Let me start by saying WOW! I was not anticipating the size of the fair! There were tons of expo halls, an entire turn of the century village, and two midways! Not to mention the barns for all of the fair animals. I have some photos to chronicle my journey:

I entered through Gate 1, how exciting, lol. My first stop was the main Expo hall where they basically had a business expo running. Samples of lotions, video demonstrations, etc. It was nice to wander around here for a bit, but I wanted to get outside to the real "fair" stuff so I didn't spend too long inside.

Because I got to the fair at 1PM, I was pretty hungry, but I wanted to make sure I picked the right food, so I wandered a lot before eventually buying something to eat. I started on the main midway. It was crazy! Lots of rides (I didn't feel the need to ride anything) and even more people yelling from their game booths. Some guy was yelling about my "Cheer" shirt (it was a choir shirt, lol) and wanted me to come win a prize. I just pulled out my map and kept walking. I didn't find anything I wanted to eat on the midway, so I moved on.

I ended up in the craft hall next. There were lots of different vendors, many of them selling things I've seen at Yankee Peddler, Shaker Woods, etc. Then I found my favorite booth ever... LOG CABIN TEA CO.!!!!! They were at Shaker Woods and I bought some really yummy tea from them. Turns out they were selling cups of iced tea that you could get refills on ALL DAY! I bought a 16oz. cup for $2 and for the rest of the day I could refill it for $1 each time. I ended up refilling it twice. One of the refills is in my fridge waiting for lunch tomorrow -yum-.

Then I wandered through the hall where they had the ribbon winners for different arts, crafts, plants, fish, wine, etc. There was a sand sculpture at the entrance.

Here are some of my favorite exhibits from inside:

Cool, huh?




Then I went to Cracker Country, the living history museum of Florida in the 1900s. It was similar to Hale Farm/Yankee Peddler. There were hands on exhibits, walk through areas, and some items for sale. I got to make a postcard on a printing press FOR FREE!!!

This post is getting long, so I will continue in a second post in a moment...

Late Night Ponderings...

There is a crazy storm outside right now. Hopefully my frog chair on the deck will be safe!!! Okay, it's not THAT crazy, but you get what I'm saying.

Today was an interesting day indeed. We had previews for the showcase performance for the high school as well as a group of disabled adults from the community. The elementary students also came to the second preview to rehearse their part in the show (which I will be running!). Let's just say it was... deplorable. The kids did their part as wonderfully as they could, but for the high school students I think today was a major wake up call. I'm not sure they all realized how much work needed to be put in outside of class. Needless to say they are all showing up hours early tomorrow to practice on their own before final dress in the afternoon and the first performance in the evening.

I stopped at Winn-Dixie on the way home under the impression that they had a special for $5 off of $50 gift cards to Disney. They did not, but I still bought the gift card (I'm going to Disney in a week, I'll spend it! lol). I found out that Winn-Dixie runs a fuelperks program, same company that works with Giant Eagle and some Kroger stores. I got 10 cents off for purchasing the gift cards, so it was not a complete loss there. Now to find a Winn-Dixie gas station...

While shopping, I realized I had made a horrible mistake... I had not had a chance to eat lunch and it was 3 PM... and I was in the grocery store. This led to a few impulse purchases. I bought a donut for the car ride home because I thought I was going to die from hunger, debated also buying muffins and danishes, but I resisted knowing that it was my tummy talking. Then I was walking by the salad toppings section (croutons, dressings, etc.) and decided I needed more pre-cooked bacon pieces. Relatively inexpensive (happened to be on sale!) and great for a quick topper. I like mixing them in with black beans and rice, yum!

Also in that section, I discovered perhaps the greatest snack/topping ever in the history of the universe. You have heard of onion straws? Well, Winn-Dixie carries JALAPENO STRAWS!!!! They are killer. I can only eat two or three pieces at a time (they are more like a jalapeno round than a straw, IMO) or I will burst into flames. I imagine they will go nicely with my black beans, bacon, and rice combo...

On another note, I finished "Game of Thrones" last night, the first book in George R.R. Martin's series. AMAZING! It is very similar to "Lord of the Rings" in the fact that it is a totally immersive fantasy experience. Where I might recommend LotR to young teens who are avid readers, GoT is definitely for an adult audience. It runs fairly parallel to the HBO series (which I watched piecemeal as I read the book) and I would also recommend the series. It really feels like a movie but then you realize it is single episodes. VERY EXCITING! I may start reading "Clash of Kings" tonight, but I'm not sure. I took a long-ish nap in the late afternoon and I'm not quite ready to wind down, hence the blog post.

I also made limeade today. I love Florida citrus!

Does anyone else think I should write a James Joyce style novel? Stream of consciousness? I think people's heads would explode from how quickly I jump from one thought to the next. I had to explain to my supervisor's wife today (the choreographer for the showcase) that I will often start talking about a subject that we stopped talking about five minutes ago because I thought of something else to add. I will give no indication that this is what I am talking about and instead just ramble for a bit while everyone around me tries to backtrack to what was said before. Fun times.

DCP - ACCEPTED!

I just got my purple email! WOO HOO! Acceptances started going out this morning (as noted in a previous post) so I was getting really anxious. Just as I was about to turn off my computer to go fix some dinner... EMAIL!

I have been accepted for Fall Advantage 2012 in Attractions! This means I am one step closer to turning my passion for corny jokes into a minimum wage job at the Jungle Cruise. We shall see.

I will still be attending the character auditions in March even though I don't think I am the correct height. I guess I will find out when I get there. Regardless it will be a good experience and ultimately put my face out there for other entertainment auditions that will follow.

Now I have to get ready for taking over the theatre class next week... I have been getting ready, but I mean really ready. Print the handouts, practice the lectures, etc., etc., etc.! I can only hope that the HS students find the lesson as fascinating as it is in my head. Theatre and facebook? What could go wrong!

The Waiting Game

Acceptances started going out this morning for the Disney College Program. I am only on day 6 of my wait, so I don't expect to hear back until at least the end of the week. I am anxious. I just want to know, but then again, so does everyone.

Instead of waiting idly, I decided to make another post with some observations I've made here in Florida.

1) This is the cleanest state I have ever visited. There are ALWAYS crews out cleaning trash off the road, pruning palm trees, cutting the grass, etc. It makes for a pleasant commute :)

2) I love faculty development day. We get free lunch which is super nice. Today was Buca di Beppo, and they had the ravioli -yum-.

3) A "Polo" is not the same thing as a "golf shirt." I had a student today correct me when I said that apparently today was Red Polo Day since so many people were wearing red polos. He looked at me strangely, pointed to where the Ralph Lauren logo would have been on his shirt, and said "Um... this isn't a polo." He wasn't rude about it at all, I just found it funny that in his mind the two things were vastly different.

4) You cannot renew movies at the library, and asking to "check them back out" is met with a less than enthusiastic response. Is someone waiting for the DVD? Is there a hold on this particular movie? Then why can't I renew it? I didn't get to watch "Marie Antoinette" or "Finding Neverland" so I'll have to check them out again on my next trip to the Library.

5) 7 PM really means sometime around 7:15...7:30? They offer free yoga at my apartment complex. I have gone two weeks in a row 10 minutes early and waited until 10 minutes after the class was supposed to start. No instructor. I complained at the desk after last week's missed yoga session and the man at the front desk seemed confused. Apparently the yoga instructor was there, she was just around 30 minutes late. That's usually the case. You get what you pay for, lol. This week I will make sure to stay around a little longer.

So that is what's going on in my life. I am enjoying Florida, but I miss being home. I especially miss being at college for my last semester. I feel like I'm missing out on so much. In reality, college has to end sometime, I just left to student teach before everyone else leaves at graduation.

At Home Adventures!

Have you ever heard of Pinterest.com? It is a really cool site. People find links to things like recipes, crafts, fashion, etc. and post them to this website under various categories. You can then log on, pick out "pins" you like and organize them on your own virtual "pin boards." I have found tons of great recipes on this site!

So now on to my adventures: The first "pin" I decided to use today is called WATER MARBLING. It is a nail polish technique that swirls together multiple colors of nail polish. It looks awesome! You basically put scotch tape around your fingernail, drip some nail polish into a dixie cup of water, "marble" with a toothpick, and dunk in your nail! I used this video tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO3NO29L50U

I also made a "pinterest" recipe today. Fried ravioli! You just cook frozen ravioli in water, dry it a little, dredge it in buttermilk, cover with breadcrumbs, and fry in canola oil. Scrumptious! They are more of a side dish or an appetizer than an entree. I want to get some chicken breast to grill/bake to go with them!

And what did I watch on TV while I did all of this? LAW AND ORDER: SVU MARATHON! I love SVU :). I will have to see what episode is on next (6 PM) because if it is really good, I may watch it instead of the superbowl, lol.

I want to get some more sewing done tonight as well. I got a great deal on elastic at Joann Fabrics on Friday.

BUDGET ALERT: Joann Fabrics is completely getting rid of their stock of by-the-yard elastic and velcro. I got elastic for 25 cents a yard. That is unheard of! Look at your local store for the clearance items. I went ahead and bought the rest of the spool (19 yards) and it cost me less than $5. The woman at the cutting counter even gave me one of the plastic trim holders to take the elastic home on. How kind.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of a budget, Winn-Dixie has the best deal running this week! I got 2 Red Baron pizzas, a box of mozzarella sticks, a box of Tyson Annytizers, a 2-liter of wild cherry Pepsi, and a package of li'l smokies for $12! Other than the Pepsi, it is all in the freezer and will keep until I need a quick meal and don't want to cook (The frozen pizza I mentioned in a post a few days ago was part of this stash, lol).

DCP - Phone Interview

Wow, that was not what I expected at all!

I got my call around 5 minutes after my scheduled time and the woman on the phone was incredibly sweet. She started with basic questions about my application, did I have a valid driver's license, which season was I applying for, etc. She said they do this with everyone to clear up any potential computer errors. Fair enough.

Then we moved on to the big question: Why the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World? I answered that I chose WDW over California because I had been to DL once when I was 2 months old and did not remember the park. Her response was "Really? You didn't remember it?" And we had a good laugh. I also mentioned that I am looking at working for the Disney company long term at the end of the program with their entertainment division. Finally, I said that I love transitions. An opportunity to go from college to the "real world" while I still had my feet in both places was a welcome thing.

She asked a lot about my previous work experience, how it related to a job at WDW. I talked about being on stage and how comfortable I was talking with large groups, memorizing, and improvising. I also said I had customer service experience because I worked with costumes, learning to make people comfortable and happy. Finally I talked about camp counselling and how much I enjoyed being around people just to talk to them and help them out.

What pace do I enjoy in a work environment? FAST!

Do I prefer individual work or group work? A little of both. I like to work on my own project but also be able to collaborate with someone else. It's less lonely. (laugh from the interviewer)

Do I mind being interrupted while I work? Nope, I am genuinely good at multi-tasking.

When was I time I felt like I had so many things to do that I wouldn't finish them? First of all, I am a "yes-man" and often take on too many things at once. That being said, I recalled a busy time in my life and shared my love of list-making! Visualize your tasks and prioritize! What has the most urgency and the closest deadline? Start that first. One foot in front of the other.

Then we got into the residency questions. This was pretty quick:

How do you deal with conflicts that arise when you are living with others? First of all, understand that everyone grew up differently. The most important thing is to communicate with one another. If you are bothered that someone doesn't rinse their dishes and just leaves them in the sink, say so. That person might realize that, while it was fine to do that at their house while growing up, it upsets their current roommates and needs to change. No problem! Never let something stew and boil until you are really angry and get into a shouting match.

Finally, specific role questions. This was the weird part. I got one question, that's it.

Why would you want to be a character attendant? I would enjoy facilitating one of the most memorable Disney experiences (meeting a character) and I would also be able to talk with people, which I love! What have you done today? What are you going to do? Let me help you find something!

Did I have any questions? Sure did! I asked my interviewer if she had done the DCP and she had. Said it was one of the most memorable experiences of her life. She went away to do some volunteer jobs then returned to the Disney Company. "It really is a life long thing, if that's what you want to make it." Just what I wanted to hear!

And now I wait. Hopefully I will hear back sooner than later about whether or not I am accepted. Auditions in Orlando are in March. I'll be there!

DCP - Web Based Interview

I read enough about the WBI to be as scared as those of you reading this probably are (or were). Truth be told, it isn't that bad. Everyone talks a lot about "strategies" and I thought I would share mine. It's simple, it works for everyone, and involves no cheating of the system.

Here it is: Read the question and then TAKE THE TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT QUESTION REALLY SAYS! This is important. You will be asked the "same" question multiple times and Disney is looking for consistency. Here is an example (hypothetical):

Q: When a co-worker has a question, they often come to you for the answer. (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

What are you really being asked? Here it is in a nutshell.

Q: Do people think you're helpful?

See? If you think about the question in its simplest form, you will be more likely to spot when the same type of question comes up again. Here's another hypothetical question that essentially asks "Do people think you're helpful?"

Q: You like doing things for others (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

See how that works? I answered mostly "strongly", but there were some that I answered with neutral. Also, there is a multiple choice section at the beginning! Think again about boiling down these questions.

Also, take the WBI by yourself. IMO there is less pressure that way. Don't be afraid to read the question out loud, or answer it out loud, if that helps you. The questions are timed, but I almost forgot that by the time the interview was over. Just don't dawdle and you'll be alright. Also, there isn't an actual physical timer that tells you how much time is left. I was seriously concerned about trying to answer the questions with giant numbers ticking away in the corner. Thankfully, not the case.

Any questions feel free to leave a comment. I'll answer ASAP. I am also on the disboards if you would prefer to ask there. Que_Sarah_Sarah

Welcome to my blog!

Hello!

If you are reading this, you likely have one of two objectives:

1) I know you and you decided that you wanted to read about my life.

2) You saw that this blog has posts about the Disney College Program and decided that you had to know more!

Either way, I say good for you! Let us begin with a general update.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Sarah Hayes. I lived in Ohio, but have recently moved to Florida to do my student teaching. When I graduate in May, I will be licensed to teach drama/theatre for grades k-12. Pretty sweet. That being said, I would prefer to educate through the lens of a full time theatrical performer. My goal is to get a job with the Disney company in their entertainment department. I have my eyes set on the Disney Cruise Line. For now, I am auditioning, visiting casting, and applying for the Disney College Program while I am here in Florida!

My student teaching here has been quite interesting. The schedule is a bit strange because we have to stay for after school rehearsals so our class load is lighter. I participate in 2 classes each day; theatre and public speaking. The theatre class is working on their annual showcase called Showtime and that goes up in round about two weeks. After that, we have a quick "winter" break (lol, it's Florida, there is no winter.) and then I start teaching. We will also rehearse for the Spring musical Grease at that time. More about those items later.

I have several more recent endeavors, one of them being the application process for the Disney College Program. I had my Web Based Interview (I will discuss in depth in a following post) and passed that as a "strong candidate." Tomorrow at 1 PM is my phone interview. I am nervous, but no more than I think I should be. I feel prepared and just like my blog title says, whatever is, Sarah will be! I will carry on regardless of what happens with my interview tomorrow.

I am also working on getting some inventory for an Etsy store. I found a simple pattern for diaper covers and plan on making several of those to sell as my source of income while I student teach.

Currently I am baking a frozen pizza (I usually embark on cooking adventures, but I've had a migraine since late last night and I wasn't feeling up to putting effort into my dinner) and waiting for the start of my Thursday night television shows. 30 minutes until Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and PROJECT RUNWAY! Love that show. Anywho, I'll also be doing some minor costume work for Showtime this evening. We have dress rehearsal on Saturday so all of the costumes need to be wearable by then. Yikes!

If anyone is looking to hear about anything specific in my life, feel free to leave a comment. I will work to make sure that everyone finds something to read about.