Cease and Desist All Complacency

Whoa. It's my first post of 2011! I was just sitting here thinking... around this time, four years ago, I started my life at Disney. Where am I today? Still in the exact same place doing pretty much the exact same thing. Kinda sad. Don't get me wrong. I still looove the job, I looove the people, and sometimes the guests aren't too bad either. I just never would've thought when I started my College Program four years ago that I would still be here to this very day. Makes ya think... what if I'd done things differently? I try not to dwell on it. I agree with most of my life decisions thus far. But, ya know, what if? What if I hadn't come down here on my program at all? Would I have finished school? One of the reasons I moved down here was because I realized school just wasn't for me at the time. Nah, I would've at least worked my program here. I simply cannot imagine what 2007 would've been like without Disney in my life. 2008 is where it all changes.

You see, after my program ended that January, I went back home because I was gonna go back and finish school. What did I accomplish that spring? My most successful endeavor was a lil bit of choreography I put together for The Studio, my former ballet studio. If that makes it sound like it was MY ballet studio, well, that's because IT WAS! Mwah ha ha! Naw, but I did choreograph a piece, and it was selected to be performed at the Southeastern Regional Ballet Association (SERBA) that year. Good times! Other than that, I spent spring of 2008 either sitting around watching movies or vacationing with the family. After 2 or 3 Disney vacations, I decided yet again to ditch school and move back down to Orlando. I did in June of 2008, and I've been living down here ever since.

Here's another "what if." What if I hadn't moved back down here? The plan was to continue my studies at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). I had already toured the area (LOOOVE Savannah), booked a room, and was trying to figure out how on earth to pay for the next 3-4 years of my life when I came to the decision that it just wasn't worth it. There was no way I could afford school, and I actually missed Disney too much, so what did I do? I did what I always do. I took the easy way out. And look where it's gotten me. Again, I'm not saying I regret my decision. What else was I supposed to do? What I regret is how long I've been so complacent going through the motions for the past... 2 1/2 years (It'll be 3 in June) of my life. That's what I plan to change in 2011.

I won't go into detail because that another blog entirely. Here's a list of things I plan to do this year:
1) Go to church. I have become so used to NOT going over the past few years that come Sunday morning, I just sleep in. This is NOT okay. I gotta stop making stupid excuses, wake myself up, and GO! Services start at 10. That isn't early. At all!
2) Go back to school. Even if it's a class a semester at a local community college, at least it would be something. I have to finish college at some point in my life. I turn 25 this year. I still have at least 3 years of college left. Mom was right. Young Ann and I WILL graduate college around the same time. Especially at this rate. (For those of you who do not know, Young Ann is almost 9 years younger than I am. If we graduate college at the same time, it would be epic but mostly pathetic.)
3) Be more active. Disney has once again decided that instead of giving me a full-time job, something I've been trying to get for 3 years now, they would rather say that I am "over-utilized." Guess what happens to "over-utilized" cast members. They become "capped." Capped is this nasty, evil limbo given to only the best part-time and seasonal cast members, and they are only allowed to work up to 24.9 hours a week. 24.9. How am I supposed to live off that? I mean, I do have my seasonal job at Universal, and I am trying to get yet another job, but still, this is simply and utterly ridiculous, and it's one of the reasons I'm debating how long I want to waste my life working at Disney. Seriously, that is how angry this whole "capped" thing makes me. Moving on...
... Oh, wait, be more active. Since I do have so much time for myself, I need to find some way to stay in shape. Perhaps I'll join a gym. I've always enjoyed taking aerobics classes. It's a fun way to work up a sweat and build stamina. I used to have grrrreat stamina back in middle school through 10th grade. Since 11th grade... not so much.
4) Get back into dance. This does tie-in to the whole "be more active" thing. One thing I want to do at some point in my whole Disney career is get into Staging with Entertainment. It's been a few years since I've even taken any form of dance, yet alone a simple ballet class. Part of me feels like I've lost the touch I used to have. In order to get into Staging one day, I feel I need juuuust a littttttle more experience. I mean, why on earth would Staging hire me over 7-ish years of dance, one (pretty awesome) 5-minute bit of choreography, and these past 4 years at Disney? Hey, maybe they will. Who knows?

So yeah, those are the main issues I want to deal with in 2011. First off though, I get to move. Yep, this whole month I've been saving whatever money I possibly could (grrr, Disney, grrrrrrr) in order to afford to move back in with one of my bestest friends I have here in Orlando. Sir Linus the chihua. Oh, and maybe Andie too. The search has been kinda stressful, but we have finally found a place! Yay! (Mom, I'll message you on Facebook with more info.) We'll be moving in at the end of the month.

Oh! And I do get to learn a new role here on property. Starting next Wednesday, I get to Move It, Shake It, and Celebrate It at Magic Kingdom with a silly ol' friend, Papa Bear! At first, I was not excited because, to be honest, I really don't like working at MK. (What? I don't. Sue me.) Overall, though, I'm excited to learn something different. Yay, variety! Now, if only Casting will train me in more over at Studios (grr, Disney, grrrrrrr).

Alright, I believe that is more than enough for now. I've been meaning to update this thing for a while now. Hopefully I'll remember to add another post before this month is over. Until then, tell momma I said "How y'all deeerin'," and every state north of Florida, try not to freeze, mmm'kay?

Them Lights Just Wanna Dance

Whoa. I cannot believe it is already Christmas Day. Where has the year gone? That is the question I ask myself every year. That and "What am I doing with my life?" Yep, stupid Disney. Sometimes I feel I'm wasting my life away working here. Don't get me wrong. I looove the job, but there are times when I'm just over it. The problem is, I'm way too complacent to do anything about it. Then again, I do turn 25 next year. It's probably about time I did something with my life. Just gotta figure out exactly what that something is... But that's another post for another time. Right now, I want to share my love for an awesome spectacle Disney guests get to see every year, and that spectacle is... the Osborne Lights!!!

I first moved down to Orlando in 2007 for my College Program here at Disney. Unfortunately, I was unable to view the awesomeness that is the Lights (yes, from here on out I refer to them as the Lights). Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Time Parade owned my life that year, which is okay because it was fun, but still... I had no life. This turned out to be in a blessing in disguise, however, because my first visit to the Lights in 2008 was an experience I will never ever forget. Great times, great friends, great music... it was magnificent.

the '08 crew

I remember when I first turned that corner onto the Streets of America. That feeling of breathlessness and awe. I couldn't move a muscle for at least five minutes. Nothing is better than having everybody staring at me. I'm such an attention hog. Nah... but it did take a few moments to come back to reality. It's hard to believe that allll these lights used to be all over a family's house. That's crazy. Good for the Osbornes, and good for them for making a deal with Disney and letting them use their lights for the entire world, but mostly me, to enjoy! So thoughtful.

So what makes the Lights the best thing in the world? Who knows, really. I'm a huge fan of Christmas. I love the season, even though it's difficult to celebrate it separately since Disney starts the season before Halloween. I guess that's how it is anywhere though. I mean, ever since I remember even the stores used to put up Christmas decorations around Easter. This is an exaggeration, of course, but I can't be too far off.

Everything about the Christmas season is fantastic. The music is definitely a big plus. I try so hard not to listen to the music until after Thanksgiving, but sometimes I can't help myself. Fortunately for me, guess what just so happens to be a big part of the Lights? Christmas music! What's my personal favorite? Barbara Streisand's "Jingle Bells" is the bomb diggity. Yo.

Barbara must be playing!!!

As the holiday tunes play, the lights dance along with them, and it's pretty gosh dern cool. It's amazing to watch as they flash and twinkle on and off, and there are so many that there's something new to watch every visit! I would love to go right now, but I kinda have this dinner thing with some aquaintances, i.e. shindig with the best friends ever! Oh, and to enter the park on Christmas Day would make me clinically insane. Not that anyone who did is...

I'm getting way off track. Where was I? What is the color of those red firetrucks? Oh, right, the Lights. There's sooo much you can do when you visit! You can trek across the street (with one "t") of New York, of course, but there's the substreet that takes you to San Fran, and it's equally as cool. I like to dance along with the lights. I'm a dancer. (You looked like you wanted to know.) If it was ever actually cold in Florida, I'm sure it would be fun to sip on some hot chocolate while gazing in admiration...

gazing without the cocoa

If you're a fan of Photopass, there are two or three fun spots for pictures: in front of the giant Christmas tree, down San Fran, and right after you turn the corner onto the Streets of America.

the fam in '09

Of course, there's always time to act silly too. Bring your own camera, and make your own memories! I have countless pictures of my various trips to the Lights, wayyy too many to post on here. As I said before, dancing with the music is fuuun! Or in this young man's case...

...don't dance. Then your friends will try to pull you out on the street, and when they do, let go, and see the hilarity that ensues. Let me tell you, that girl takes an elbow to the face like a champ!

Anyway, I think I've gone on long enough. Osborne Spectacle of Dance Lights. Go now. I don't care if you're on some crazy family trip to visit the Aborigines in Australia. End that foolishness right now, buy a plane ticket (for 3), fly to Orlando, and witness the Lights before they go away in a couple of weeks or so. You won't regret it! Have I sold the Lights enough? No? Well... I have one picture left...

I mean, if that doesn't make you wanna go, I don't know what else will. Deuces.

Don't Screw the Turkey

Living in Orlando, working at Disney World, there's a holiday that we always seem to skip. Disney likes to "Screw the Turkey." That's right, folks. This week's post is about Thanksgiving.

I know I'm a few days late. Don't judge. I worked nonstop last week. I didn't get online at all, unless you count how many times I checked Facebook on my phone, in which case, I was online a lot. So sue me.

Anyway, Thanksgiving was always a huge deal in the Moore household. The entire family gathered together every year. The immediate family, my mom's parents (Mr. Diddy and Miss Momma), Uncle John and our cousin, Lauren, and sometimes my dad's parents (Granddaddy and Nonny) filled the main level at our house. While the adults prepared the glorious food, we kids usually sneaked downstairs to play some Nintendo 64. (Diddy Kong Racing is the best game ever. Sorry, Mario Kart.) We never helped prepare the meal because it was our job to clean up. So we figured we might as well have fun while we could.

Doesn't that look exhilarating? All while countless hours of listening to certain siblings of the female gender bicker about when the food would be ready because they were about to eat their insides. Must be why that turkey deciding to rape my face.

The adults would always sit around the dining room table while the kids were banished to the table in the sunroom. We didn't mind though, as this was an excellent way to sneak that nasty spinach into our napkins and avoid tasting such awfulness. (I like spinach now, btw. Mom and Dad, you win.) Once the adults discovered what we were up to, however, we devised new ways to hide our spinach. Or we'd eat it. I don't remember who was the first to discover this, but spinach in between two pieces of a roll tastes mighty good!

The last few hours consisted of the family sitting around the main level, catching up on the latest gossip, i.e. what job is Dad working anyway, and do you still drive all that way just to attend an awesome ballet studio? Ya know, important information like that. Sometimes we kids were able to sneak away yet again. Other times we weren't so lucky. "Where are you kids going?" we'd get asked. "We're about to take the family picture!" 3 hours later...

It has definitely been a while since I have enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal with the Moore clan. I haven't joined them for such festivities since 2006. Do I miss it? Of course! I'm sure now, though, we'd all sit together around the same dining room table. We couldn't banish Ann to sit all by her lonesome, her now being the only non-adult. Or could we? :)

While it certainly hasn't been the same celebrating Thanksgiving down here in Orlando, we try our best not to let Disney's turkey screwing get the best of us.

Well, some of us try not to let Disney's habits rub off on us. So far here in Orlando, I've managed to spend each Thanksgiving with a different group of friends. On my program, it was with my roommates. I worked all day while the others cooked a wonderful dinner. In '08, I went to two different Thanksgiving dinners, both hosted by different people, even though the same friends attended both dinners. In '09, I grabbed a quick bite to eat (and maybe a little wine) in between work shifts. And this year I was able to eat a delicious meal cooked by the roomies and friends while I yet again worked all day. Sounds like good times to me!

Since this is a blog about Thanksgiving, I suppose I should mention all the things I am thankful for. Hmm... let's see. What am I thankful for?

1) My family and friends, with whom I've shared some wonderful holiday memories.

2) Sam Raimi and crew for making Spider-Man. My life wouldn't be the same without it.

3) MTV, for creating the wonderful "Daria." Even though it was on the air at the turn of the century, I am just now discovering this gem of a show.

4) Lisa and Chad, who despite having other things to do this evening, relented, and we all decorated the house for Christmas :D

5) My family, who is awesome enough to have this...

...in our household.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!

Screaming Complacency

I know, I know. It's been forever. You don't have to tell me more than once. Have I finished my EPIC post yet? No, I'm still stuck in limbo on that one. Since it has been so long, however, I decided I would grace everyone with a random update.



I LOVE Taco Bell. It is, hands down, my favorite fast food restaurant. Maybe if I had grown up on the West Coast, it would be Del Taco. Well, guess what. I'm a Southern boy from the small town of Newnan, Georgia, and while we did have a Del Taco til '94-ish, it closed, and all we were left with was the East Coast version, Taco Bell.



Even when I was a youngin', Mom would pick me up from school to take me to French class. Even though it was definitely out of the way, we always found time to drive to Taco Bell so I could devour at least five (yes, 5, I was a growing boy) soft tacos with no lettuce. YUM!!! That's still what I enjoy to this very day. Well, now I get the #8, three soft tacos with no lettuce. Every now and then, I'll splurge and get the #7, either a chicken or a steak quesadilla, but that meal still comes with one taco, and I get it. Soft. With no lettuce. Please and thank you.




There have been a few times, one standing out in particular, when something goes wrong. I don't know if it's the wiring at the drive thru, either Mom or myself not speaking clearly, or a break in communication, but sooometimes as I'm driving away, it's there. It's everywhere. LETTUCE! AHHH!!!

Ew.

I'm not a picky person. I'll eat lettuce, but when I see it in my taco, I can't help but cringe. I gotta pick it out. So nasty. Even I don't understand it. I'll eat lettuce with my tacos at any other Mexican restaurant, but there's something about finding lettuce in my Taco Bell tacos that just grosses me out.

There's the aforementioned particular experience that I have to delve upon, and yes, Dad, I just ended that sentence with a preposition. It was early in my Disney College Program in 2007. My training group became a really close group of friends. 11 of us were on the program, but one was a full-time cast member. Her name was Lizz James. She was, and is still, extremely awesome. And she had a car, which was really the main reason we loved her so much. (Just kidding, Lizz!) I really don't remember what adventures we had found ourselves on that evening. I'm sure we had been dealing with daring swordfights, magic spells, or even a prince in disguise. Who knows.

Anyway, it was late, we were hungry, and we wound up driving thru at the nearby Taco Bell. We placed our order, drove thru, and... to my ultimate horror... I discovered... not only was there lettuce in my tacos, but they were... HARD! I mean, really? How can you mess that up? Do "soft" and "hard" sound anything alike? NO! However, being the complacent individual that I am, I merely brushed the lettuce off and hate those stupid hard-shell tacos. It was just awful.

Apparently it was quite the experience for Lizz James. The next day, she informed me that her meal had made her extremely ill. She hasn't eaten Taco Bell since. So sad :( She even wrote lyrics! And I happen to have them! Okay, so this song is set to the tune of Dashboard Confessional's "Screaming Infidelities." It's called "Screaming Complacency."

I'm cuddling close to blankets and sheets
I am alone in my defeat
I wish I could drive back thru

I'm missing my home, where they know the drill
Avoiding the things that make me ill
And this little girl is taking me home

Well as for now I'm gonna hear some Disney songs
And sit alone and wonder
Why this taco's hard
And as for me I wish that I was anywhere
But Taco Bell
Taking out

This lettuce it's everywhere
Screaming indecency and don't claim you couldn't hear
This lettuce it's everywhere
But I'm screaming complacency and I swear I don't care

It's epic. And extremely accurate. Lizz had only known me for a month, if that, when she wrote that. Kudos her!

Sooo yeah, that's it for now. And now you know, if you're ever making a Taco Bell run for me, just make absolute sure that those tacos are soft-shelled, and they do not contain any lettuce! Please and thank you!

No "Glee" for Me?

So I have this EPIC post in progress, and I've been stalling on an update because I'm currently suffering from writer's block. It's awful, and I haven't worked on it in five days. I'll get working on it again soon though! In the meantime, I watched a show last night that SUCKED, and it's time for me to voice my opinion. It pains me to say this, but Glee, you've disappointed me.

*Spoilers Ahead*

Glee was awesome when it first started last year. Every week I would sit down to watch it. If I was able to watch it the evening it aired, I was usually with a group of friends. If not, I caught it later on the DVR. I was hooked. This is saying a lot because I really don't watch TV shows, at least while they're on the air. The first thirteen episodes were fantastic, and I think this has to do with the fact that they were all written and filmed at the same time. The second half of the first season was also decent, but I began to get the feeling that some of the episodes were disjointed. They'd deal with issues in one episode, and the next episode it didn't even matter. Now, that's fine. Every show does that. Whatever. It happens. Then the second season started...

Now don't get me wrong. I do still love the show. It's just spectacular. But there's only been five episodes so far this season, and if someone doesn't work out these issues, the show may lose fans. Just sayin'.

For one thing, is it just me, or has Rachel become a caricature of herself? It's one thing to be overzealous, but it's another thing entirely to be some self-serving snot-faced snothead. Thankfully, in these past two episodes, this has been tuned down a little bit. Remember, though, in that first episode when she sent that new girl to a crack house just because she felt threatened of losing her star status? Not cool.

Also, what on earth is going on with Will Schuester? I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but Schue has turned into a selfish jerk. It's one thing to have a crush on someone you can't have, but twice now he has acted completely out of line in terrible attempts to impress Emma Pillsbury, the school counselor. The first time, in the "Britney" episode, was okay up until he decided to join the kids onstage. The second time, though, he straight up forced the Glee kids to perform Rocky Horror solely to impress Emma. That's something his ex-wife would've done. I'm sorry, but if Will doesn't learn his lesson, I hope Emma stays with John Stamos. The two of them are so happy together, and her condition is actually improving. I'm all for the writers making Rachel and Will more human, but if they continue this selfish behavior, the show's two main characters will be impossible to root for, and that's just... rude.

I've also noticed how uneven the show has become. It started the second half of last season, but it's gotten worse. This isn't a major complaint, but it needs to be said. I love the event episodes, and I gotta give the writers props for at least trying to continue the storyline, but it just seems to me that one week will be terrific with great lines and great character development. Then the event episodes are there solely to entertain, dropping everything that happened the previous week. I may be exaggerating a little bit, but I'm on a rant so forgive me.

Anyway I'm going to continue watching the show. Hopefully these issues will improve since this season is still fairly new. If not, I gotta say it's not going to keep my interest. There are lots of other shows that I could be watching. I choose to watch Glee because I relate to all the issues the writers continue to bring up. Anyway, that's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves. Bottom line is, shape up, Glee! I know you can!