Monday, April 30, 2007 

My Brush with Celebrity

Ok, you would think working at the happiest place on earth, I would see plenty of celebrities. . . NOPE. Not one so far.


But, yesterday, at KCI, while getting ready to back to Orlando, I did have a brush with "celebrity".


That's right. I went to the bathroom at the airport, and I peed right next to . . . Kansas City Mayor Elect Mark Funkhouser.


Go ahead. Ooo and ahhh all you want.

10:10 AM | |

Thursday, April 19, 2007 

Noemi comes through again

I was pretty depressed all week, because I knew that I couldn't afford to fly home this weekend to see the family. So, I was faced with sitting alone in Orlando. Playing in the parks just isn't as much fun when you are alone, believe me.

But then, our friend Noemi, got involved. She was able to find a way for me to use my Delta Sky miles to get home for the weekend. So, instead of staying alone, or spending over $600.00 for tickets, I'm on my way home for some unused Delta Skymiles and $25.00. And, it's $25.00 because Noemi personally drove to the airport to redeem a coupon she had for dollars off a Delta ticket.

If anyone knows how much Noemi has done for our family (you can read this for the whole story), you can understand why we call her our Guardian Angel.

I'm sure she'll be embarrassed by the attention, but she is truly a wonderful friend.

4:25 PM | |

Thursday, April 12, 2007 

Disney Geek Moments

Today, I've been working for Disney for one month. During that month, there have been many moments that tickled my inner Disney geek. Today was a big one.


I was on Main Street USA, in the Magic Kingdom office. I was waiting to do an interview in one of the conference rooms, and while in there, I noticed two doors across from the entrance. I thought I knew what I would find, and I was right. When I opened the doors, I was looking through the windows above Main Street. The windows have names on them that honor people who have contributed to Disney through the years, so they are a big piece of Disney magic for fans of the company. And now, I was behind the windows, looking out. It was very cool.


I also had the moment of walking in the tunnels.
Each time I'm down there, it's very cool to be in a place that I've dreamt about seeing. Several times, I've walked by groups of guests taking the "Behind the Scenes" tour, and I realize that I'm not alone in my love of this place. And, I didn't have to pay all that money to go on the tour.
Yes, my first month is done, and I've had a good time. It would be so much more perfect if my family was with me, but things are looking up there, so, more prayers/good thoughts would be appreciated.

5:50 PM | |

Monday, April 09, 2007 

Ok, Ok, Ok. An Update (as lame as it will be)

So, it's now almost a month since I started at Walt Disney World. What's new? What's happened lately? What have I learned? Here goes:
  • Flying between Orlando and Kansas City sucks, but it's worth it to see my family on weekends.
  • For some reason, Northwest Airlines considers me a Silver Elite member, allowing me upgrades to First Class. Not as cool as it sounds on a short domestic flight, but still alright.
  • I wish our house would sell. Someone out there, come buy our nice house.
  • Charlie changes a bit each week I'm away. He's becoming quite the little boy, and is talking more and more. I laughed so hard this past weekend playing with him.
  • Disney is a very interesting company.
  • My new boss couldn't be nicer.
  • I like everyone on my new team.
  • Living without cable tv isn't much fun, but paying $65.00 a month for digital cable for one tv (with no movie channels) isn't much fun either.
  • If I position my laptop perfectly, I can get a wi-fi signal from my condo. But, don't move, or it's lost.
  • Primetime TV starting at 8:00 p.m., and late night TV starting at 11:30 sucks.
  • My wife is a saint who is bearing a large part of this stress of this move.
  • Orlando has such a different vibe than Kansas City. It's almost the city with no identity. It's not a melting pot. It's a tossed salad.
  • Sitting in an office and hearing the fireworks in the Magic Kingdom was a very surreal experience.
  • I need to learn to speak Spanish.
  • I still smile a bit when I'm in a staff meeting, and we start talking about some of my favorite locations at WDW, only now I'm being paid to talk about them.
  • I miss my friends back home, and hate that I missed the improv festival.
  • This place (WDW) is frickin huge. It can take 15 - 20 minutes to drive from my office to the Magic Kingdom.
  • Microwave burritos + shredded cheese + taco sauce = my most common meal at the condo.

3:55 PM | |