Day 1283: Disney Cave

Since I spend most of my days writing this summer, I tend to migrate around my apartment. I try to leave the bedroom for sleeping, but that doesn't mean I'm without options. Actually, I have four great spots to do my work right in my apartment, and each has it's own bit of Disney associated with it! 

First, there's my desk, which you've already been introduced to and is pretty self explanatory. I love to sit here when I really need to get things done, but otherwise I'll usually be somewhere else. Most of the time I end up sitting on our couch, which is really pretty comfortable. Plus, the coffee table right in front of it gives me plenty of space to spread out if I need to! 

Then there's the other, less common options of the kitchen counter and balcony. The counter is a part of the kitchen, and honestly is usually piled with dishes, especially if I've been baking. It is where I sat for pretty much the entire first two weeks of living here though. The balcony reminds me a bit of Old Key West, and as I continue to watch the various old videos, I've come to find that I apparently really liked the idea of sitting and eating outside as a kid. That balcony seemed awesome to a young Lizzie. 

Outside of the apartment, I'll head to the library on our campus a lot, which is where I sit to upload videos. There's also a local coffee shop called Luna that I frequent these days, and because it's only a couple blocks from my apartment, it's not hard to walk there. And then, as always, there's the music lobby, which I haven't been to much this summer. That'll have to change! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1228: Working Travels

When I'm traveling, blogging ins't always the easiest thing to do. Sometimes I'll be at conventions, and when I go to Florida I don't even take my laptop along anymore. I never get around to using it anyway, and that means it just takes up unnecessary space in my luggage. So if I want to blog on the go, in that case, I have to use my iPad instead, which definitely ins't the most efficient way of writing. 

However, while on vacation or traveling anywhere, I'm always at work for Everyday Disney, gathering topics, seeing movies, filming vlogs, writing and filming video scripts, seeing new things, completing challenges, and taking just about every picture under the sun. In fact, the way I travel now is pretty drastically different from how I've traveled the rest of my life. Now it's definitely more about what I can do for Everyday Disney or my YouTube channel than just experiencing things, mostly because I've learned over time that sharing the adventures is way more fun than keeping them to myself! 

And actually, sometimes, traveling makes work much more difficult. Since I only have a select amount of time in the Disney Parks, I have a lot to get done in a short amount of time. That's pretty different in comparison to the amount of time I can take to do things when I'm just sitting at home. Plus, when I return I always have to make up for lost time and add blog posts that go along with my latest trip, and then there's vlogs to edit, and the list goes on and on. 

So while there may not be blog posts while I'm away, just remember that I'm always off working on something. I'm just lucky because what I'm working on just also happens to be what I love to do. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1102: Work Stops for No One

I sort of feel like I've been working forever.

First, I had the end of last semester, then it was Christmas, then catching up Everyday Disney before the end of the year, then the band trip video, and now I'm about to leave for Florida with a whole new set of challenges to face when I return. This is, I suppose, a part of life, but it certainly hasn't help my brain process the fact that I'm heading to Florida in just a few days. While packing and such, I kept wondering what in the world I was doing, because I certainly didn't feel like I should be packing for Walt Disney World.

It's actually sort of a weird feeling for me. Part of my mind chimes in every so often with a "you're going to be at Disney in three days" and then another part seems to just laugh at that prospect, because with everything else going on there's no way I could be going to Disney. But when I do remind myself I get excited, and then promptly forget about the trip before going back to whatever work I have to be focused on. Usually I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement about going on a trip.

Then again, the fact that I don't even know what day of the week it is half the time probably has something to do with my confusion about leaving for Florida. In fact, I haven't been able to figure out what day it is for about a month...actually since Once Upon A Time ended for the midseason. That's when I really lost track of what's going on. Luckily, my work has kept me from getting bored over J-Term like I usually do. My freshman year I ended up watching almost the entirety of How I Met Your Mother, and last J-Term...I went to Florida? Gosh, I don't even remember what else I did!

Regardless, there's something to be said about working like this. It's exhausting, first and foremost. You get to a point where you never want to look at your computer again, even if it's just to watch Netflix. People text or message you about meeting up for something and you carefully pick through your planned out day to make sure you can allow yourself an hour or two for lunch and some shopping. But I think more than anything, work like I've dealt with this J-Term almost makes the actual semester seem easy...although I do enjoy having the whole of the coffee shop area in our library for myself.

The great part though? Everyday Disney will be caught up before I go to Florida, the band trip video will be done, I'll film a bunch of new YouTube videos while at Disney, and things will get a little bit easier...I hope.

Have a magical day!

Day 346: Coming Home

Now, this blog post is not to be confused with the final episode in this half of the third season of Once, which is Going Home. Why? Because the last I checked Hook wasn't standing on my doorstep (although that'd be wonderful). No, you see, I'm finally home from college. And it's a bit weird to be writing this legit almost a week after I originally came home, but still. It needs to be blogged about.

It turns out, moving in and out of a dorm room is kind of interesting. In fact, it kind of reminds me of packing for a vacation, only this time you really ARE taking everything. I mean, when I pack for Florida, I have a system. I use the same system every time I pack and it always works out great for me because I have everything I need and it all just works out great. But I also always use the same suitcase, and that is a suitcase that I didn't have at college. Instead I had a whole bunch of boxes, and I had to somehow get all my stuff from college back home. It was interesting.

But along with getting stuff home, it then occurred to me that all my stuff that was at college needs a place to go here at home. I mean, for the most part I don't have a TON of stuff here at home, mostly just like my collections of Disney stuff and the random crap that was still here from before I moved to college. In my dorm room, we generally keep things pretty clean, and it always bothers me when things are messy. Well, my bedroom here at home is a mess, and it's bothering me.

So now, once I finish updating this blog, I'm going to go continue to clean things out and put everything back in it's place. How exactly does this all relate to Disney? Well, honestly there's only one way to clean a room. I think this should get the point across: (also excuse the bad quality video...I just listen to the music anyways haha).

I mean, if you have to do a bunch of working, especially cleaning, you might as well sing a happy working song while you do it. I have no clue what working song I'll be singing today, or any other time I'm working over this wonderful month break from college, but you can bet that I'll be thinking about it all the time. I could listen to this song, or to Frozen, or to Charley's Girl for the 80 millionth time or some other song that I obsess over. Who knows. 

I also think more Storybrooke Hot Cocoa is in order. 

Here's today's Disney History: 2000: The Disneyland Pacific Hotel re-opens as Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. The 502-room hotel has been brightly painted and decorated to reflect the new beachfront theme, and offers hotel guests a private entrance into Paradise Pier and the rest of the new Disney's California Adventure Theme Park.

Have a magical day!

Day 280: Quit Talking & Begin Doing

College is interesting. Now, I mean that in the best possible way. I love college, but I miss High School too. I guess the biggest adjustment you have to make when coming to college OTHER than the fact that oh yeah, you now live at your school, is time management.

Now, here at SNC we have this program called First Year Experience, which I talked a little bit about like a month and a half ago when I first got here. We talk a lot about stuff like time management, we really do, but as much as one talks about it, I find that everyone just has their own way of doing it, and you can only figure it out for yourself. Still, it's always a great idea to be open to new ideas and opinions on how you could manage your time but you get the idea.

Personally I make it a habit to use lots and lots and lots of post-it notes. In fact, right now they're covering my desk (ok, the wall next to my desk, bits of the shelf on my desk, my printer and the fridge and microwave next to my desk). I have five colors and I use them all to make little to-do lists. That way I can figure out exactly what it is that I need to be doing and when it all needs to be done. If I finish the to-do list then I move onto the next one and so on and so forth until everything gets done. Generally that doesn't happen though, but I just get done as much as possible.

But that's not all I do. When I'm actually working I spend like 45 minutes to an hour working and then take a break. When I'm really busy, like I am right now, I use that break to do something that's still productive but less stressful than working on homework. I bet you can guess what it is that I'm doing in my breaks (hint hint, you're reading it). It works pretty well because that way when I'm not getting work done I'm still getting work done. If that makes any sense.

Above all else though there is a quote that continues to keep me going when I really need to focus. I can sit and write to-do lists all day, and I can talk on my blog or my journal forever about all the work I have to do, but Walt Disney once said "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing," and he couldn't be more right. I keep that written on a post-it note on my desk too, so every time I read my to-do list I remember to just stop thinking and talking about it and just get around to actually doing the work.

Turns out, that does make things a lot easier. I guess the lesson here has two parts. First, just quit your talking and start working. You'll accomplish things a lot faster if you put them into action instead of just talking about them. And second, always listen to Walt Disney.

Here's today's Disney History: 1998: Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, housed in the space formerly occupied by Take Flight, opens at Walt Disney World. Presented by Mattel, the first interactive dark ride at the Magic Kingdom will have an official opening November 3.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog entry was written on October 10 because I was sick).

Day 255: BREAK TIME!

Homework. It seems to be the end of all of us. For me, it's the end of, mostly, any social life I would attempt to have here at college. For others it's just the end of their lives, period. It makes total sense if you think about it though, I mean, one goes to class and then spends the rest of their life reading or studying for that class...and then there's like at least four other classes.

I mean, I guess right now I have some part of a social life, but that "Social life" is mostly sitting in my best friend's dorm room fangirling over things on Once Upon a Time. Not that I'm complaining. I don't mind sitting and spending my time watching Once, not at all, but it's just kind of weird. 

Basically my day goes like this: I get up and go to class, and then normally another class right away, and sometimes one more class, before going to lunch with my best friend and her roommate. Then I often times have another class, or if I don't I'll try to do homework until my brain hits stop. Then I either watch TV or work on something that's a bit more busywork and not reading or homework. Then I go to Wind Ensemble, which I'll talk more about come the end of next week. I follow Wind Ensemble with dinner, and then often times I go to watch Once. Then I either go to the library or my dorm room and do my homework until bed. Oh, and I write a blog post in there at some point. 

But there comes a time every once and a while where I don't have to focus on homework or class, and do you know what time that is? 

BREAK TIME! 

Earlier I was texting one of my friends and I said that and I immediately thought of something Disney when I told her it was break time. And do you know what that thing I thought of was? 

The Jamitors! 

If you have never seen them, you need to, because the Jamitors are seriously awesome. It's a group of three people that perform at Epcot every so often in the morning using their trashcans. Basically, they're janitors that play awesome music...even if they don't necessarily clean any bathrooms. The idea is that they play the music during their break time, and you can see a little bit of them in the video below, just start it at about 5 minutes! 

Here's today's Frumpstagram post, which was much easier to do than those for the last couple of days. I mean, who doesn't have a picture of one of those amazing Disney Desserts? I finally decided on this one, because of course, Mickey shaped desserts are always better than anything else. 

And here's today's Disney History: 1957: Film Score composer and music producer Hans Zimmer is born in Frankfurt, Germany. He has composed music for over 100 films including The Lion King and Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Have a magical day!