How Did I Get Here, Again?

If anyone ever tells that no good comes from spite, tell them they're completely wrong. Frankly, there's no way I'd be in California if it hadn't been for a pretty healthy dose of spite combined with a strong serving of intended sarcasm. Well, when all you're really versed in is sarcasm and pessimism like myself, you've gotta find something positive to do with all the lemonade you turn into lemons, heh.

I was thinking about what I was going to write today, and I realized something really important...since I didn't start this blog until a month into the program, all that critical information about how/why I got here is, well, absent. And maybe people who want to know about the College Program will stumble onto this and wonder, "Hmm, did he just apparate into Anaheim?" (Sorry for the Harry Potter reference) So, here we are: My Disney Origin Story.


Source: Natalie Dee January Archives
Google image search "lemon" sometime. MOST DELICIOUS SEARCH EVER.

I was definitely the resident cynic in my friend group back in Charleston. And my friend group back in Rockford. And I'm still the resident cynic in my group here in Anaheim. Sometimes you've just gotta do what you're good at, I suppose. So when a few of my friends in Charleston took off to Florida for the Disney College Program there, I did quite a bit of talking. My mind dwelled on thoughts of brainwashing, of Mickey Mouse ears surgically fused to the skull and episodes of Hannah Montana looping with Jonas Brothers music over the top. They left for a semester, and when they came back to school, most of them had nothing but good things to say about their programs. Still, given my relative dislike of children, happiness, and all those other things Disney is about, I held some pretty strong reservations.


Source: The Daily Green
Yeah, 'bout that...

So, one day last semester I got a Facebook invite from my friend Stephanie (I miss you, Shrink!) to a program overview that was being hosted in the University Union. Much scoffing ensued. I talked to both her and my friend Teal (no more dinners... ::sniffle:: ) about their programs, and they loved them. So, what did I decide to do? Show up to the session purely to antagonize them. I wasn't going to be an ass and ask outrageous questions or anything like that, but I just wanted to surprise them. Besides, I had a grad seminar that day that I wasn't a big fan of, so missing a bit of it didn't really hurt me too much.


Source: MTV Buzzworthy
Kinda like this guy, but more productive.

So, I show up at the info session and start chowing down on free pizza, much to the surprise of my friends. But, inevitably, the joke was on me...turns out the presentation was actually pretty awesome. Anne Thiese, recruiter for the Midwest region, put on a pretty good presentation. And I was a little bowled-over by the number of companies that Disney owns in the entertainment industry...ABC, ESPN, all sorts of things. Honestly, I ended up realizing that there were tons of opportunities that I could scrounge up after working for them. (Or so I hope...)

There are two different programs for the Disney College Program. One operates out of Walt Disney World in Florida, and they hire on around 5,000 people a season for their program because their resort is HUGE. I've never been there, but that's just what I've heard. Disneyland in California, on the other hand, only takes on around 300 people. Drastically different odds...but I applied for the California program anyway. I figured that all the opportunities for writing movies, TV shows, and the like were out in Cali (or, at least, not in Florida), so it seemed like a good call. Besides, I figured that if I got into a smaller program, it'd be easier to make connections and do networking.

Time will tell if my theories were correct...see you all on Wednesday, everyone!

HOLY UNEXPECTEDLY SUDDEN ENDING, BATMAN!


Source: Easy Recipes Online
Spiteful Lemonade, coming to a store near you. I could brand it, for sure...