Sam and the mouse

Home stretch

2005-11-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

Only a few weeks left to go....sorry I have not kept up with this blog, but life here on the island was not anywhere what I thought it was gonna be, and I have yet to hear back from Disney regarding a published blog..not to worry once this is over with I can post what ever I decide.

See ya soon

sam

For now I call it "Home"

2005-08-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

The days have moved quickly, the hours can seem to move slowly when your working in a commercial kitchen under 100 degree heat generated from the grill; not to mention the heat and humidity index that the island temperature generates this time of year move around the kitchen I sweat, I stand outside I sweat.

This recording is pretty much about me; my time spent here on internship with Disney,all the adventures experiences,people I meet etc. However today something happened to turn my thoughts away from just me and all the cool things in my life. Today I came to the realization that this is home for many. The pictures posted of my residence show a facade, taken at angles and distance to hide the run-down neglect, the smells that I breath each and every day are often so pungent I walk quickly just to be able to get to a new location and away from what ever stench is filling the air. The facilities are abused and often on purpose, at first I thought it just the immaturity of the people that live here during the summer (college age kids of privlidge and means) showing a disregard for any property that was not their personal belonging. Now I suspect differently, much different then I did even yesterday.

This morning as I drove out of the parking, my eye caught a group of teenagers, and youngsters gathered no more like queued up single file shoulder to shoulder. Well scrubbed and drowsy looks in their eyes, holding/clutching note books and text book bags over shoulders.
"Oh these kids are waiting for the school bus"
I thought out loud.

School bus? Here on a resort island...picking up children in the parking lot of a beach head?
It hit me like a ton of bricks piling down shame and ignorance on my head; OH MY GOD THIS IS HOME to these children and their family's. This is where memories year round are created, this is where they come to at the end of each day; eating,playing,crying,wishing,laughing... all those things I grew up with at home in Montgomery County Maryland, with the 5 bedroom house and swimming pool. The cars parked in the private drive.

This place here on Hilton Head Island, located smack in the epicenter of wealth and capitalism, where just across the street decadence parks its yachts and moors its vessels. This run down, beat up, smelly drab painted complex of two bedroom units and efficiency kitchens stands shoulder to shoulder with such giant names of hospitality:
Hilton, Hyatt,Four Seasons,Hilton Head Palms (PGA gulf),The Garrison Plantation.

The list goes on, and on; I try to look at the world through eyes of reality not the eyes of naivete I guess this is one of those times where my vision was blurred. Until this writing I considered the "Hilton Head Resort" apt's just a beach flop.

I have started calling it "home"...for the next 5 months anyway.

Internship="Work"

2005-08-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

There is no narrative this time, (I have kept notes via tape recorder, however my technology here on the island has been shall we say less than "21st century".)Add to that I have had only one (1) day off since I arrived here two weeks ago, ergo there has been limited time to update the blog. so enjoy the pictures; each one has a story.

sam

The first week

2005-08-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

July 25, thru July 31.

First things first, its been pretty darned hot and humid here in Hilton Head. I am used to this kind of weather, however I would have thought that an island off the Atlantic shore line would at least offer up a constant breeze, or at least a daily ran storm to cool things down....heck no its just plain hot and sticky here. Check in at Disney was at 10:30 a.m.; of course one member of the team was lost and subsequently showed up late, but no worries we are all here and ready to go. Wait: there is a ton of paper work to fill out (volumes of it actually) and of course there was the gratuitous lecture of "do's" and "dont's", add to this the distribution of our costumes then we met with the management company to sign leases (accommodations are joke another entry later)on our apartments then finally we were free to go and move in.

We are a small group compared to the outgoing summer interns. Five of the sweetest young lady's, and myself; we come from all over the country from as far north as New England, and as far west as Oklahoma, the chemistry was good from the first meeting we laughed a lot to hide our nervousness. So much has gone on over a one period, and I have not been able to get online in order to update the blog, I did however take a lot of pictures so enjoy,the big building is where I live and yes it is right on the beach!...will resume again soon.

This is not Gilligans Island

2005-07-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

July 24

Bake me a coconut cream pie, and call me Thurston Howell 3rd; for sure I have landed on a paradise located off the shore of South Carolina. The drive down was great, weather sunshine, had the music going (even tuned into the Disney stream on satellite radio) not bad, for a "tween" music programming station. The further south I drove the more beautiful it all got, pity the south still holds such a lasting negative legacy. I personally found everyone I encountered along the way to be fantastic, including the Canadian(s) I had breakfast with this morning at a fast food carry-out.

Once over the state line I had to use the facilities, I was impressed to discover that the state commerce dept., and tourism of South Carolina has visitor centers every 20-45 miles along 95. I was able to get information,directions,maps,and a smile that would have melted frozen hydrogen; not once but several times at three different visitor centers. So your asking:

"why the need to stop at 3 centers"?

Answer is simple just look at the picture of Lowcountry&Resourt Island visitor center posted. Yeah that's South Carolina in all its "anti-bellum" glory.

Been up since 03:00 a.m. I am tired and hungry, plus I need a shower.

tomorrow I meet the Mouse!

Hit the road Jack

2005-07-23T23:55:00.000-07:00

July 24,

2:56 a.m. last minute details and then I hit the road for a 9 hour drive down route 95. Said all my good-byes with one exception...Brent. In over 13 years we have only been separated from each other by a few days at a time, this will be the longest ever not to see each other first thing in the morning. Intellectually I know 6 months is not a very long time, but when your accustomed to coffee, and sharing time with someone you get rather used to a routine and it will be strange for a while. We hung out together a lot this week, nothing special (we are broke new house and all)and it was really cool just watching television and enjoying each others company. I tried to make joke of leaving and all, but it only pissed him off so change of subject was a pretty easy thing to do.

My sisters came over Sunday to wish me well, the neighbors have done so also. I am getting e-mail from the other interns all seem like really nice people and we all share the nervous thing regarding meeting and all. This one is a short entry I need to be on the road no later than 04:00.

HERE WE GO FOLKS...Next stop Hilton Head Island South Carolina.

Packing

2005-07-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

July 22,

48 hours till departure, a good time to start actually packing. The only problem here at the moment is where to begin? Half of what I will need to take with me wont fit in the back seat of my truck, and the last thing I want to do is pack the truck bed with a lot of stuff and end up looking like " The Beverly Hill Billys" in any case I know this is going to be a two day effort so please understand if this entry is two days long.

July 23,

Still packing,I hope this apartment at Hilton Head is a large one.

Paper work day

2005-07-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

July 21

Ugh! the day was spent in paper work hell, and I have not even left my home state yet. Documents that I really need to have with me had to be copied, then there was the amount of documentation I had to have drawn up and certified that will be left behind. I spent over 20+ years in IT trying to get the world paperless, I have failed.

Tommorrow is the last of the business week stuff left to do, dry cleaning, banking,etc. after that I will actually open my lugage and start packing. My sister gave me a great gift today a digital camera (man have I been wanting/needing one of those for a while)my gift to her will be something very special in return.

Man am I gonna miss her!

Preparation

2005-07-20T05:51:00.000-07:00

July 20,

Well the pile of laundry is now down to a small "gee should I really even take that with me"? load. Went out last night to say "see ya" to some good friends and in the process allow them to ply me with spirits (my water consumption has nothing to fear when I get to H.H.) the weather here has been H.H.H. (Hazy,Hot,and Humid) for the past 2-3 weeks 72oz of water a day has kept me from drying up like a raisin for sure. I have pulled out the check list of "things to take" for the next six months, and finished shopping (if one can ever "Finish" shopping) for those things I didn't have. It should prove rather interesting to be living dorm, style for a while. I keep wondering what/who my roommate is and will he like me, or will I be seen as the "old man" he shares an apt, with.

The first step in preparation of course was a mini-make-over, for those of you who have not seen me in a while or ever at all, I stopped cutting my hair about 3 years ago, as a show of political rebellion over the 2000 election. Alas corporate America frowns on such displays and the rules at Disney are very clear regarding a cast members appearance; so I figure its just hair, it will hopefully grow back. After Mark (my barber) sheered my curls; I actually had forgotten how good it feels to have less hair this time of year in Washington D.C. Not to mention the amount of money I am saving on hair care products...conditioner alone was setting me back $35.00 dollars a month, add to that the amount of money (information withheld) I was spending having it braided,twisted, or what ever style caught my fancy is more money saved for home, and the adventure @ Disney. I will however have to get new head shots for my portfolio,and I might mention that less hair on my head always makes me look 10 years younger than I really am (was carded in the local 7/11 the day I cut my hair).

Will have my teeth bleached when I get to H.H. no need for botox,or anything radical just yet, but I do wonder if anyone is really going to take me seriously as a professional of over 30yrs...or just think I am just another kid making his way threw college?

To add insult to injury, I was shopping for pants and shorts last week at a dept, store here in D.C., and I actually upset the sales team (yeah more than one)when they were forced to search inventory for a size 29 inch waist, for a 45 year old man!

LOL....never too rich, never too thin.

Before and After

2005-07-19T06:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday July 19,

Lets back track here just a little bit for those of you that have not heard the story on how all this came to happen. I have just completed my first full year of school, at NVCC (Nova Community College) in Annandale VA. where I am studying Hospitality/Hotel/restaurant as a major. In Feb,'05 the spring semester my advisor announced that Disney would be on campus holding a recruiting seminar for interns. H.R. (my professor/advisor) has a way of looking at you as he lectures, and makes announcements with a certain: "This means YOU should attend" look in his eyes. Taking the hint I figured; heck I have nothing better going on my calendar that day so I threw on a shirt, and neck-tie; then grabbed a seat,to listen to what turned into an extremely interesting presentation.

The history of Disney is a cool read: corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/complete_history.html

It was this, and the dynamics of the organization that really captured me. I was in total awe during the short film clip presentation, followed up by a Q&A where the two representatives were able to answer just about every question put to them with-out hesitation. Then they introduced two people who had just completed their first internship @ Disney World Orlando,http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index
this young man, and young woman could not say enough about the experience and how enriching it all was, not to mention they had already made plans to go back for a second internship before completing their degree work.

So enough about them, back to me; I decide to hang around and speak to one of the recruiters mono e mono,if only to get my own personal take on what kind of smoke would be blown up my pant leg. Was I in for a surprise, after waiting 2 hours for my name to be called (second to the last on the list)I take a seat with the recruiter; not only is she professional,but so much for the "Disney happy smiley I had too much coffee today" persona. This young woman was all business 100%. There was no grilling or drilling, just straight forward questions with straight forward answers expected. This all lasted for just little over an hour,when in conclusion she mentioned the "advanced internship" program,but no follow up to what the "program" was. The last thing I recall her saying was:
"Thank you for taking the time to sit with me and talk, expect a telephone call within 2 weeks to arrange a more indebted telephone interview"
I shook her hand and went home to my family and job at U.S.Airways, and didn't really give it another thought.

Not another thought until, two weeks to the date the phone rang;I answered and was greeted by Jeff from Disney's Advanced Internship Program. That interview went well,and another was scheduled for two weeks later. Again the phone rings, its Debbie of Human Resources Disney Advanced Internship Program,and yes that interview went very well. Paper work was needed of course, I had to track down transcripts,and all manor of documentation regarding my self and my history from almost 15 years back and expedite it to the appropriate address'.

On April 15, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. I answered the phone call from Jeff, I will never forget his words:
"We interview hundreds of students, for advanced internship positions,these positions are limited to only a few...we would like to offer you a position here with us at Disney Advanced Internship program Hilton Head Island Resort starting July 25,2005"...."Hello Sam are you there?"

I remember telling myself to breath, and without hesitation excepted his proffer. I have not stopped smiling since.a

Week before thoughts

2005-07-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

Monday July 18th with most of my thoughts,and energy now being directed towards the next six months with Disney I am now taking those first steps before heading to South Carolina. Nervous, anxious, excited...just the tip of the ice berg of feelings right now. The one thing that keeps comming to mind is the idea that after all these many years, having suppressed a teenage fantasy of spending a summer working at the beach its finally a reality; and oh my god who would have imagined at age 45 years old that the beach would be Hilton Head Island?

I am creating this blog as a means of documenting this great expierence, but also to share with those I know, and love how my world is growing as each day unfolds.We threw a BBQ Sunday to bid fairwell/goodluck to Bubbles;I think she appreciated it, and for sure all her friends had a good time. Some of my friends made it, but I was not the honoree of the event although I am somewhat sad to not have the chance to say "see ya" to many people I will miss face to face, I know I am in thier thoughts and prayers. (This past weekend was a cluster mess with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project interupting intersate travel so who can blame anyone for not venturing out?)

So much to do, and such a short window of time to do it in.Right now I am looking at a ton of laundry, and empty suit cases waiting to be attended to, well I guess I should start practicing the one-day-at-a-time rule starting here, and now. This blog should get better with time, twenty plus years in information technology will see to that.

So hang on guys I am just getting started, please stay intouch.

sam