The British are coming.....and Moving Around the Furniture!

GOOOOOD MORNING MAGIC KINGDOM!!!!!!

Ok, so it's 1:23pm and I am not in Florida, but I felt like yelling! I am sitting in my financial planning class and learning how to calculate all sorts of fun things i will never use again. But the main purpose of this short blog is to inform the world of my Travel and Tourism professors amazing knowledge. So we are sitting in class learning about.....well I don't know what we were learning about because I forgot already. Anyway, she was talking about Niagara Falls....which for the record is located in Canada...and our professor informs the class that it is located in.....wait for it.....wait for it......bam! BRAZIL!!!! Excuse me, but when did one of the worlds natural wonders moved eight thousand miles to the south? I'm just a little confused and need some clarification on this process. How would one go about moving a waterfall? I mean, that is a hell of a lot of water to reroute to South America...how has this not made international headlines? Where was CSNBC and CSpan with this amazing transaction? What...did some stealthy waterfall specialist ninjas come to northern New York and air lift it out of there in a dark of night? Impressive stealthy ninjas! I applaud you!

Ok so that may have been a little over dramatic, but I just wanted to convey the severity of what my education is providing me with. I am paying a lot of money to go to an excellent school, and yet I am being told the Niagara Falls is located in Brazil. My tuition dollars are certainly hard at work to provide me with the best possible education! Thanks ISU!

Waiting on the Next Best Thing...

So yesterday afternoon at about 12 noon, applications for the Disney College Program Fall/Fall Advantage went live on www.disneycollegeprogram.com. I received a text from someone and instantly bolted to apply. Luckily, being a current cast member as a Campus Representative, I did not have to pass the web-based interview. I was prompted to call for a phone interview immediately after submitting my application...THANK YOU DISNEY!

So I called the phone number I was provided with to schedule a phone interview. I was surprised to learn that I was the 7th, yes the 7th, person to call after applying. With interview time slots available as early as today, January 20th, I just wanted to get it done! So today, I had my phone interview with a college recruiter for the Walt Disney Company at 11:15 am. On the dot, because Disney is very punctual, i received my call. Some of the questions I was asked were as follows:

Why do I want to work for Disney at this point in my life?

What makes me beneficial to Disney?

What are my top 3 roles from my role checklist and why?

How would I deal with working with VIP guests?

If I were dealing with a repetitive task, how would I keep myself 

interested and motivated?

What sets me apart form other applicants?

How would you deal with a problem in your roommates?

Having done the interview process and the College Program before, my recruited told me she would skip a few basic questions because they are only necessary for students who have never worked for Disney before. I felt a little more nervous this time than I did for my last interview, I have no idea why. Unfortunately, I was not able to talk about, what I felt, was one of my best moments of the CP. I had the opportunity to network with Bob Igor and Meg Crofton. I mentioned it when she asked if I had dealt with VIPs, but that was it. Overall, I felt the interview went very well! Now we play the waiting game...tune in next time for the exciting conclusion of.."AS THE SPACESHIP EARTH TURNS!!!!!"

Tag! You're it!!!

Well you all know about when I was dropped in the Manta ray tank at Sea World when I was just a little kid. So we will skip right past that embarrassing moment.When I was about 6 years old in first grade, I was playing on the playground at recess. Keep in mind during this story, the this was in 1994 when play structures were still make of wood. I was about 8 feet up and sat on the ledge where the slide-down pole was. I went to grab the pole and my shorts caught a lose nail on the ledge. Well I went down the pole, but my shorts didn't! I was half way down when I realized what had happened.
But oh wait! It gets better!! I was still half attached to my shorts...so there is a little Chip...hanging three feet off the ground by his half stripped off shorts. The recess monitor helped me out and i was walked the two blocks home by the school secretary. When i came back to school the next day I was taunted by my friends for having Scooby Doo underpants. It wasn't my most shining moment. Ha ha.
So now you know the real truth...I admit it...I WORE SCOOBY DOO UNDERPANTS! I suppose it was only a matter of time before the world found out my secret!

Let's hear it everyone, whats your most embarrassing moment?!

I tag Catherine Brunner and Bryant Michael Stanley

-Chip
WDW

Back to the Future!

So when Chip was a lad in grade school, he used to play games. He played hide and seek. He played freeze tag.  He played MASH!! In a random effort to try to keep conversations light after an intense Skype chat one evening, Chip proposed that the group do a MASH. So with pen in hand, Chip and Jess plotted out her possible future. The choices for this particular MASH are as follows:

Men:                        Marriage:                  Place:
Ryan O.                   Utah                         Tree house
Chip                        Australia                    Disney  
Brett                        Ireland                       Ocean    
Gerard Butler           Back Ally                  Dumpster  
          
Ring:                        Dress:                       Tux:
Diamond                  Red                          Orange
Plastic Spider           Blue                          Yellow
Sapphire                  Puke Green                Blue
Ruby                        White                        Pink

Live:                   Job(her):                     Job(Her):                                                                          
NYC                  Vet                             Pimp
Anaheim             Sex Toy Tester            Killer Whale Trainer
Reno                   Make-up Artist           Black Jack Dealer
Ames, Iowa        Hooker                       Pilot


Annual Income:    Car:                               Kids:
$0.13                    Jeep                               4
$250,000              Porsche                          52
$888,400              Mustang                         4,130.75
$7.45                    Box on Wheels               29

Divorce Age:   Divorced for:                             Death Age:
22                   Hooker                                     47  
47                   Pool Boy                                   89
26                   Supermarket Bag Boy               28  
58                   Paper Boy                                62  

Cause of Death
Sinking Ship
Killer Whale
Bullet Wound
Car Crash

So Jessica's life will pan out as follows:

She marries Brett Knapp in a back ally under the ocean. He gives her a Ruby ring. They are married in a puke green wedding dress and an orange tux! Wow how classy and festive! The live in Ames, Iowa (Chip's home town) where she works as a sex toy tester and he works as a killer whale trainer! Together, they have a combined income of $7.45 per year. Which is why they have to drive a box on wheels. The do live in a mansion however. Sex toys must be really lucrative!!! Together, they give birth to 4,130.75 children, little Timmy was both without his lower right quadrant! Unfortunately, at the age of 58, Jess leaves Brett for the paperboy, until she dies from a car crash as the nice old age of 62!

What a life Jess! Hope you are looking forward to all those babies!!!!!

Have a Magica Day
-Chip
WDW

....and a partridge in a pear tree!

So before the commercial break, we were looking into how Chip's older sister is a extraordinarily messy drunk. Well here's what you've missed since then! After I got her all tucked in with buck bed-side, I went home to find my father wondering why I was home. I explained the situation and went to bed. And who's number should appear on my phone at 5 am?! My lovely sister! She decided to go see a friend, so she walked her drunken self across the state line to Bellows Falls Vermont. (She lives legit, a 40 second walk to the border for those of you who were wondering.) She walk walking home and proceeded to tell me how much she loves me and how good I smelled and how she misses me already...typical Ashley. Ha ha.

So once upon a time, there was a handsome prince named Steven. One day he met an equally handsome...ha ha...prince named Chip. For most of the summer months, they were very much in love; spending as much time together as possible. Unfortunately, as we learned from Grease when we were small children, summer love must end eventually. Chip returned to his kingdom of Iowa while prince Steven ventured to a new and excited land called...college in Boston Mass. As much as they tried to stay in touch and remain dedicated to one another, their relationship soon fizzled to a smoldering ash. Now, deep down, they both still feel the same and who was to know until once Christmas vacation when Chip would return to the kingdom of New Hampshire only to find prince Steven home at the same time...

So he calls me and how surprised was I to see his number come up on my cell?! So Steven and I met up at his parents place, who were equally excited to see me. We shared out college and life experiences over a glass of wine until his parents retired to be and we put in a film. It was like we had never separated. With his head resting in my lap, and his smile imprinted on his face for hours, we watched the film and snuggled. For those of you who think you know what is coming next, how dare you!!! Prince Steven is way to classy for that!!! With a few goodnight kisses, I went home. The third installment should be on shelves everywhere sometime in the next five years!

So, thanks to mother nature, my family's Christmas was cancelled until the day before I was to fly home. She can be such a you-know-what sometimes. She sent a Nor-Easter to New England which caused all of my cousins and my sister to be stranded. Consider this, New Hampshire is soo spread out with hills and rivers that it takes 40 minutes to go anywhere. Interestingly enough, people seem to think this about Iowa all the time, WRONG-O!!! I will say, however, my grandmother finally understands me. Last year, someone told her I like hats and she bought me a winter hat and scarf combo from the Olympics..."...umm...thanks gram....i love it?" This year, she bought me a wonderful bottle of cologne by Patrick McDreamy Dempsey. So knows me!! She also bought me the latest CD from Glee. I was so surprised.

For those of you who don't know what Boston Gardens is, it
is where Chip watched Disney on Ice as a child!

So let's skip ahead to the most interesting part of the next chapter. I checked in at Logan International in Boston only to find that AirTran hates me. They made my trip much harder than it should have been. Because my second flight was with a different airline, they informed me "Oh, you have to claim your luggage in Milwaukee and then re-check in with your next airline." WTF AirTran!!! Luckily Frontier is a wonderful airline that takes care of this little ones like me who's fathers book their flights without researching these things. So it all worked out because my guardian angle, who I found...works for Frontier, knew all about this type of situation and made life sooo much easier! And a few hours later, I was home in the kingdom of Iowa.

*pick up that remote and hit fast forward...we are skipping ahead again....keep pace people!!*

I went back to work and it was like id never left. I don't mean to sound cocky but to look of utter relief by the overnight supervisor when I walked through the door on New Years Eve was enough to let me know I was missed. Unfortunately New Years Eve was a terribly slow night so I didn't do so well in the tips department, it was still good to be back to work. Not having worked for two weeks was so strange. A few more shits at the Ames, Iowa Perkins and you have caught yourself up with what you've missed in Chip's life. Stay tuned next week for a hard hitting interview with Christiane Amanpour and a look at Nicholas Spark's new book!

-Chip
WDW

10 Random Facts!

1. I'm allergic to strawberries.
2. When I was 3 years old, I was dropped ACCIDENTALLY into the manta ray tank at Sea World!
3. I secretly wish my entire life was a huge musical. I will randomly burst into song from other musicals while I am walking down the street.
4. I have never been out of the United States of America.
5. I hate UGGs.
6.I really hate veggies. I dont know. Something about the different textures or something. I just really hate to eat veggies. I will always ask for my food at a restaurant specifically without them...and i will be really upset if they are on the plate!
7. I thought the Addams Family wanted to kill me when I was a kid. I legit thought they lived in my closet until I was 5 years old.
8. I have horrible relationship luck.
9. I teach myself songs on the flute. I try to learn part of one every week.
10. My birthday doesnt mean much to me. As a kid, I was always performing in dance recitals on my birthday so by the time I stopped dancing, i got used to not doing anything special for myself on my birthday. Sad huh?!

Michael Bryant Stanley  &  Diana Kelly

You always find your way back Home

 So my semester has ended and I have three weeks of vaca ahead of me. My father called me a few months back and asked if I wanted to come see him and some other family during break, since I hadn't seen him for a while, I jumped at the offer!


So i headed back to New Hampshire for Christmas vaca this year. I haven't been back to see my family in almost two years. I completely forgot how beautiful this part of the country is. Too bad it snowed like crazy while I was here! I'm staying in North Charlestown...also known as BFE...but it is close to my hometown of Claremont. Now, my hometown is a cute little New England town and it looks like i fell off the set of Gilmore Girls. This time of year, the town square is lit up with Christmas lights and the Opera House's halls are being decked for the Christmas pageant. When i was a child, i used to see these lights every year and they were just something i came to expect. They aren't as grand as I remember as a child but it is still very beautiful. I spent some time walking around this charming little town just looking at what had changed since the last time I had a chance to just meander around. All the shops Id frequented as a kid were gone. Some placed had been replaced with better or worse businesses and some were merely vacant store fronts.

So, my father and i decided to schlepp ourselves 3 hours to East Chatham New York. OMG what a boring drive. And when the weather is definitely not cooperating, it gets even longer. 3000 feet up to the top of Mt Crumpit....well...Mt Bromley actually. Up and over the top of Mt Bromley in the middle of a snow storm was the best slash worst part of the entire trip. I did get some really cool photos of the mountain and the ice forming...which i never see out west.

So I have a friend from my first CP who lives in lower NY state. I had really wanted to see him while I was in NY but unfortunately it didn't work out. My cousin was going to take me to Schenectady and we were going to party with him. Instead, we went to some small ass town in northern Mass. to see her boyfriends band. So we all piled into her tiny ass car and headed to North Adams. I met some great peeps and got some great shots with the bar peeps. So we schlepped back to New Hampshire and that was my great New York adventure.

My sister and I have never been out partying together before, and as of right now I dont know that it will ever happen again. My sister and i went out to the only open bar in the small ass town in Vermont, right across the border from where she lives. It was the worst little hole in the wall Ive every seen. However, they sure know how to charge your credit card like a big city bar! 19.00 plus tip for two beers, a drink, and a shot! Holy expensive drinks batman! Even still, my sister is a pre-school teacher and when she drinks, she treats everyone like they are one of her students. My sister with alcohol in her system, makes me sober up very quickly!

Stay tuned after this commercial break to see how my vacation will end!!!!