Immersion

After nearly 10 months of freelancing for the Mouse, I was finally brought on as permanent staff last week. Becoming "official" meant I had to participate in a day and a half of orientation (or, as some have dubbed it, "indoctrination"). I actually found the experience very interesting, and it was quite a nice morale booster. The highlight of the orientation was a tour of the studio lot, during which we got to walk into the sound stage for Eli Stone. Though I don't follow the show (and it is yet another ABC show slated for cancellation), it was still pretty cool. And I loved that the statue of Dopey (part of the facade of the executives' building) was adorned with a large Santa's hat in celebration of the holiday season.

We also visited the Archive Library, where we marveled over historical Disney artifacts. Did you know that decades ago, Donald Duck lime cola and Donald Duck frozen flounder fillets could be found in stores? Of course, the Archive Library also displayed props from recent films; these included Prince Edward's sword from Enchanted, the cursed medallion from Pirates of the Caribbean, and Julie Andrews' Genovian driver's license from The Princess Diaries. The best part was when the librarian brought out an Academy Award, and we actually got to hold it. The Oscar felt very heavy and substantial. No wonder so many winners remark on its heftiness!

To cap off the day of immersion, we were given tickets to attend the company holiday party at Disneyland that night. (We were brought on just in time for it!) The park was open only to employees and family members from 8 to midnight. It's been years since I've been to Disneyland, so I had a blast (despite the long day). We hit the Indiana Jones ride, Pirates of the Caribbean (the repeated references to the film trilogy felt a bit forced), the Haunted Mansion (brilliantly redone in a Nightmare Before Christmas theme, just for the holidays), Star Tours (probably my favorite ride), Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (no line, but I apparently suck at it!), and Space Mountain. It felt very much like grad night. ;) Even though I didn't get home till around 2 AM (and I still had another half day of orientation the next morning), I am so glad I went. To top it off, the holiday decorations were absolutely beautiful.
It certainly puts one in a festive mood. Only 9 more days till Christmas! Yay!