Idea!

I've been using Tumblr for a little while now. I started off slowly and even had friends say they wouldn't follow me because it was so boring. Well, since then it has started picking up steam, even to the point where users reblog my entries. I know, I excite easily.

But I'm torn. I feel like Tumblr is a Twitter for pictures. I've tried writing stuff, but it just doesn't feel right. Including captions just makes my page look sloppy. I'm a simple person, and too much on a page makes me feel claustrophobic. Yet, I want to give an explanation for why I've chosen those pictures.

So do I explain why I like these pictures and risk my Tumblr looking cluttered? Or do I leave my viewers to decipher for themselves, the reason behind my entries?

The good news is that I've come up with an answer! I'm going to integrate my blog and my Tumblr. My plan is to post a picture on Tumblr, and then blog about it's significance here! Sound like fun?

Of course, the plan isn't perfect. People will have to want to put in the effort themselves to get the full experience. And my blog will now be less appealing visually. I'll have to fix that problem somehow.

Garage selling is a dangerous game.

My recent exposure to Garage Selling this weekend has inspired me to put together a list of suggestions and ideas for those interested in selling themselves. Or it could also be called the That's-What-I-Should-Have-Done list. Whatever you want to call it, anyone thinking of having a garage sell in the future should follow these guidelines...unless they have better ideas.

1) Eat breakfast. Especially if you become grouchy when you get hungry, food in your belly is a good idea. Preferably something semi-healthy. No Egg McMuffins or doughnuts. You don't want an angry tummy during your shift.

2) Speaking of shifts, enlist the aid of friends. The more friendly eyes you have on your merchandise, the better. Because whether you want to believe it or not, you'll get a lot of shady customers who won't hesitate to jack your stuff.

3) Catalog the things you're selling. I know this sounds tedious and boring, but you need to know exactly what you're selling. For example, if you're selling DVDs, know exactly how many regular movies, how many TV show seasons, how many collector's editions that your selling.

4) While you're cataloging, decide on prices. Back to the DVD examples...I was selling regular movies for $3, TV show seasons between $7 and $10, Blu-rays for $5, and so on. Decide not only on the prices, but how low you're willing to drop the price.

I'm using DVDs as an example because I had started off with 100 some odd movies. A girl had offered me $40 for all of them. I almost took it. But then I realized that even if I sold them for only a buck a piece, I'd get way more than forty. Needless to say, she wasn't happy. Oh well.

So know the exact quantity of what you're selling, because you're put on the spot each and every time someone tries to haggle with you. Don't just take the price because you don't want to spend the time trying to figure out whether or not their offer is fair, because chances are it's not.

5) Don't forget to remind buyers that what they're buying is used. Probably for years. So $5 for a snowboarding jacket with a tiny hole in the underarm is not highway robbery. In fact, that hole is the reason the jacket is $5, and not $10. In case you were wondering, a guy tried to get me to lower the price on a jacket to $1 because of a hole in the underarm. I said no.

6) It's ok to say no.

7) Oh yeah, don't forget to start out with change.

That's about it I guess. If you're planning on having a garage sell anytime in the future, follow these guidelines. But please, feel free to modify or add to or change completely. It's all good. Just remember that not everyone who comes to browse is going to be pleasant.

What a tease.

So there I was, talking with Sharayah, when she mentions footie pjs. Now I'm a pretty big (mainly tall) guy who's chances of finding said pajamas are very slim. But my girlfriend is one step ahead of me and tells me of website that sells these pjs...in my size no less. So I'm browsing the selection, but nothing catches my eye.

Then it hits me. I want Max's footie pajamas. You know, King Max from Where the Wild Things Are. I want my pjs to have a hood...with wolf ears. I want them to have a tail (I think Max's has a tail). I don't want them to have a stupid logo on them, or a picture on the back. I just want pjs that are straight up like in the book and movie.

Then I'm hit with another though. Well, more specifically, it's a question. Have you ever noticed how merchandise from a movie is never exactly like in the film? It's always tweeked in some way.

I first noticed this lack of authenticity as far back as 95, when Toy Story came out. I wanted a Buzz Lightyear just like in the movie. The height of a GI Joe, with a helmet that wooshes open at the push of a button, and the karate chop action. I was ok with the fact that it wouldn't fly because, well, Buzz Lightyear is not a flying toy. But that was never the case. He is never to scale. He never has any karate chop action. His head moves around. Or his suit was never the same as in the movie. It was either silver or clear or something just as ludacris. I'm pretty sure he could glow in the dark though. My point is, when a toy design is dancing around on the screen in front of you, why change it?

I've also wondered why they never mass produce wardrobes. I can understand costumes from, say, Lord of the Rings. But what about more "normal" items? Why is it that I can never find a Gryffindor scarf? Or, in the rare case that I do find one, it has a Harry Potter logo on it. Did the uniforms from Hogwarts all have Harry Potter's name on them? Of course not! So why put it on the clothes? I've seen the movies; I'm well aware that red and gold mean Gryffindor. Even the muggle clothes in the Harry Potter films are cool. Why not make a store where they sell those clothes? I'd shop there. Truth be told, I'd love to have a Weasly sweater.

But sadly, we fans are (at least in terms of clothing) forced to fend for ourselves. We have to try to make them or find them at thrift stores. We're stuck with the silver Buzz Lightyears. The Slinky dog is made out of plastic. The Gryffindor scarf has Harry's name on it. Max's footie pjs only come in a toddler size. And so forth.

These merch designers need to get in the game.

I feel like a star.

Last night was pretty awesome. Or rather, the night before last. It's 45 minutes past midnight, so it's technically the 10th. At any rate, it was Wednesday night.

We didn't have the normal Electric Light Parade because at 11PM was the cast member preview of the Boo to You parade. So at 10:30ish, any straggling guest was cleared out of the park, and the cast members were let in.

Now, my shift didn't end until 1AM, which meant I was working during the parade. So I got to direct and control cast members. Or so I thought...

We have a meeting before every parade to receive updates from the managers and coordinators and to find out where we'll be working for the parade. Most of the parade positions are responsible for setting up barriers and keeping guests within those barriers. However, some positions are much more fun and require less work. For example, the position I got for the Halloween parade was escort. This is the coveted PAC (parade audience control) position. The responsibilities for parade escorts are to walk 20 feet in front of the parade. We're kind of a last minute check to make sure people aren't in the streets.

It was exciting. This was the first time the parade has been run, and I got to be apart of it. I'm pretty sure I'm in hundreds of pictures.

Mousekeeping w/ Lourin & Kevin

Episode 2: Kevin's Food Adventure

Here's a little something I did on a day off.

I'll try harder

I had an epiphany the other day. I've forgotten that I promised really exciting updates and fun videos. The whole reason for my starting a blog was to keep people updated on my jealousy-inducing experience. I think only a few people are actually jealous that I'm working at Disney World. Why? Because my updates are so boring and my one video is so poorly done that everyone is too confused to be envious.

"I thought Kevin was in Disney World, but from the lameness of his updates, I would swear that he's still in Fresno." That's what everyone is saying after they read my blog.

Not to pass the buck or anything, but Disney is very efficient at sucking away my energy. I work as many as 10 hours in the heat playing with kids, directing crowds, taking tickets, blah, blah, blah.

It's a good thing I caught this early so I can quickly correct it. I'm going to try to take as many pictures and capture as much footage as I can. I don't want to promise anything, but I'll do my best.

Mousekeeping w/ Lourin & Kevin

Episode 1

They'll get more interesting, I promise.