In my last year of college, I was in a creative writing class. It was definitely one of my favorite classes. (Actually, it might be my favorite.)
Anyway, the first unit of this class was *shudders in fear* poetry. I am not a poet. But one of the poems that I wrote for this class (which I will not be sharing here because it was quite bad) was called “70% Coffee.” It was about how I felt that everyone who drinks coffee talks about it like it’s some miracle liquid, and they drink it so quickly that they might as well have it injected into their veins. So they would be 70% coffee instead of 70% water.
Well.
Two years later and I am on my way to being 70% coffee. It’s been two (??) weeks since I got my espresso machine, and I don’t think a day has gone by where I haven’t had an iced latte. I used to almost die if I drank coffee, and now I might almost die if I don’t.
My, how the tables have turned.
My life revolves around coffee these days. A few people at my Starbucks location quit, so I’ve been working a lot. I practically live at the kiosk. Last week I worked eight days in a row.
I was getting flashbacks to my Disney days.
On my (rare) days off, I’ve been experimenting with my espresso machine. I can consistently pull good shots on it now (hooray) but I’m still using pre-ground beans (not hooray).
Still, I’m having fun trying new recipes and flavors. I got a lavender flavored syrup from the store that was actually disgusting, so now it’s just sitting on the counter. But I’ve got some good caramel and vanilla syrups. My favorite thing to make is an iced salted caramel latte with salted caramel cold foam:
My drinks are getting unhealthier and unhealthier as I go
I’ve also made an iced brown sugar shaken espresso:
I didn’t put cinnamon in it though because the cinnamon I found in our cabinet expired in 2023 💀
a somewhat-okay cappuccino:
I’ve made another one since this that looks a lot better–unfortunately I did not take a picture
and did I mention lots and lots of cold foam:
Delicious
On top of this, I have also been making a lot of blonde caramel lattes for my mom. She likes hot lattes, so this gives me a chance to practice my latte art (right now they just look like vaguely circular blobs). One time I tried to make a heart, and instead I think I invented a new geometric shape. My mom did say it kind of looked like a planet with a ring around it.
So there’s that.
Maybe I’ve invented a new kind of Rorschach test: “What do you see in the milk blobs?”
From an episode of Make Some Noise that features Rorschach tests (one of the best episodes)
Yesterday, I made a hot chocolate for Joanna. Which doesn’t involve espresso, but I did get to practice milk steaming.
And she liked it! There’s really not that many ways to mess up hot chocolate, thankfully.
I think my favorite thing about coffee is that it’s creative, but it’s also scientific. I like experimenting with different flavor combinations and milk-to-coffee ratios, but also if I don’t tamp the 18 grams of grounds exactly right my espresso machine will betray me. (I’ve tasted a lot of under-extracted espresso lately).
This morning, I created a “chocolate covered strawberry” latte. I am sure that this is not original, but it turned out super pretty:
🍓🍫🍓🍫🍓🍫
Overall, I love being a barista. I know I still have a lot to learn, but it’s a very fun kind of learning so I am not burnt out (yet–we’ll see how I’m doing after another straight week of closing shifts).
Actually, I do have a deadline for my learning now. My family on my mom’s side is getting together for Thanksgiving this year in Missouri (none of us live in Missouri–well, except Rachel–it just happens to be a great midpoint between Colorado and Alabama), and it has been requested that I bring my espresso machine. So hopefully I can stop under-extracting my shots by November. And maybe I’ll also be able to make some decipherable hearts on lattes.
A girl can dream.
Otherwise, there’s not much else on the update front. In a couple of weeks, some of my family is going to California for a few days. There’s some kind of court reporter/legal videographer conference that my dad is attending, so we get to come along. The downside is that we are flying, so I will not be bringing my espresso machine. Will I survive five days without coffee? I guess we’ll find out.
Also, I took a dialect quiz yesterday and got California, so I’m sure I’ll fit right in.
Here is the link to the test, in case anyone is interested:mydialect.us
My other non-coffee update this week is that I made a comment on one of Dropout’s Instagram posts, and it now has over 300 likes. So I’m famous now 😎
When will Dropout go back to small dumpling prices???
Anyway, I really haven’t had much time to write this week, so I’m not surprised that this post has turned into just a lot of stuff about coffee. (Seriously, I live at that kiosk now.)
Maybe next week I’ll have something more to write about. I just saw the trailer for the new Harry Potter series, and I’m developing Thoughts™ about that as we speak. If there’s one constant in the universe, it’s that I will have opinions about TV shows.
This post has been floating around in my head for literal months.
I’ve been wanting to find a way to summarize the 10 months that I spent in Florida for a while now, but I’ve quickly realized that there is no easy way to do that.
Originally, I was going to make a blog post called “My Complete Experience on the Disney College Program.” The problem is, that’s a lot to cover, and it’s so vague that I didn’t even know where to begin.
So, as I’ve been thinking back on my time at Disney, I’ve found that what stands out to me is not the details of my program–my role, my room assignment, my day to day life, etc.
Instead, it’s the things I learned, and the ways that I grew. And so, instead of this being a typical: “Here’s everything I did on my program and why you should do the program too” post (I’m getting tired of seeing those on Instagram), this is going to be a post about what I learned about myself, about Disney, and about the world on my Disney College Program.
But first, I am going to just give some basic information, just so that we’re all on the same page.
My Role: Merchandise
My Location: Disney Springs Marketplace Village
Goofy’s Candy Co. (Candy store)
Disney’s Days of Christmas (Christmas ornament store)
The Art of Disney (Art Store)
Disney’s Wonderful World of Memories (Embroidery store)
My second location: EPCOT Festivals (Festival of the Arts) ← best part of my program
If I had known I was going to post this picture I might have actually smiled lol
Ok, now we’re jumping in.
What I Learned About Myself
I’m capable of more than I think I am
I tend to minimize my strengths–sometimes when I’m talking to others, but most of the time when I’m just thinking to myself. I tend to ignore or not pay attention to good opportunities because I’ve convinced myself that I would obviously fail at whatever it is.
Well, one thing about the DCP is that you really don’t get much choice about…anything. You don’t choose your role, you don’t choose your room type, and you don’t choose your roommates.
You pay $400 in fees and you go in blind. (Literally. Like, you meet your roommates when you walk in the door on the first day. Are they 20 years old? 30? 40? Did they bring a cat? Do they keep the thermostat at 80 degrees?)
So, instead of having time to think about the things that I would be good at and apply to specific roles or opportunities, I just had to hope that I was cut out for whatever circumstances I found myself in.
During my time on my program, I learned that I can:
move across the country (with some help from my parents)
make my own food (mostly stuff with rice)
budget (Did I make a budget? Yes. Did I follow it…)
and apparently get all the childhood illness I never had (Hand, Foot, and Mouth; Strep Throat; Ear infection…)
Mostly, I learned that I can make decisions. I can decide how I want to spend my time, spend my money, and spend my energy without getting someone else’s approval.
I learned that I have good ideas that are different from other people’s ideas. I learned that I can trust my judgement in situations where everyone else seems to have a different opinion than me.
I thrive on chaos
I had a lot of chaotic days as a cast member. My schedule changed every week, and I worked a variety of shifts at a variety of stores. Every day was different, and I could never really predict what was going to happen.
And…I kind of loved it?
I’ve always thought I was a creature of habit. I make routines, schedules, lists, and plans. I think about every possible outcome in every situation that I’m in.
But I realized I enjoy something about the unknown. I also enjoy solving problems and having lots of tasks.
There’s not enough time to get all the tasks done?
We’ll see about that.
My favorite positions in the stores that I worked at were the ones that were the most chaotic, like the personalization register at the Christmas store. At Goofy’s, my favorite days were the ones where there was a line stretching across the whole store. I always hated when I was just standing at a register with nothing to do.
Chaos is fun like how a workout feels good: only afterwards. During the chaos, I’d often be a little bit overwhelmed, but after it was over, I’d always think, “That was kind of fun!”
I enjoy solo activities
I think I’ve always known this about myself, but my time at Disney really confirmed it. Some of my favorite days on my program were my solo park days, where I could just wander through the World Showcase, stroll down Main Street, or get lost in Galaxy’s Edge.
One of my absolute favorite days was a day at EPCOT.
The previous day, I was working a FOTA shift, and I saw, like, six people wander past my art tent with baguettes from France, and I thought “I want to walk around the World Showcase with a baguette!”
So, the next morning, I went to EPCOT, got a baguette from the France Pavilion, and walked around the World Showcase while looking at art.
I forgot I literally took a picture of the baguette.
Bliss.
I hate the monorail
Just speaking my truth. I think I would stay on property just to avoid having to go through the (*shudders*) TTC…
If I never see the monorail again, it’ll be too soon.
I did enjoy trying to collect all the monorail colors though
What I learned about Disney
Storytelling is taken very seriously
This one is pretty obvious, but I never realized the full extent of it until I was literally working at and visiting the parks almost every day. Every single detail has a purpose, and every design is intentional.
In one of the storytelling class sessions I attended, we heard from an Imagineer whose job was to basically design, build, and gather props for different lands and attractions at WDW. Hearing the thought behind every object that is placed in the parks really gave me a new appreciation for Disney’s commitment to storytelling.
The company is its people
Disney is a company of creatives. If you try to blend in and “fit in” with the company, you won’t contribute anything to it. As much as Disney has their own policies and procedures, nothing would be possible without the ideas of innovative people who challenge the system.
All of Disney’s best movies are the ones that reject the status quo of the previous ones (Anna not marrying a man she just met; Rapunzel realizing she never needed Eugene to rescue her; Tiana working to achieve her dreams instead of just waiting around for them to come true).
Similarly, through listening to different people talk about their careers at Disney, I realized that these were all people who weren’t afraid to make their voices heard and shake things up. They got to where they are today because they took risks and spoke up, even if it wasn’t technically “the way things were done.”
These are the people who have made Disney what it is today.
You can’t buy the “Disney Magic”
The “Disney Magic” doesn’t come from low wait times. It doesn’t come from aesthetic food, magic bands, deluxe resorts, lightning lanes, personalized ears, birthday buttons, or (gasp) a $50 bubble wand.
It doesn’t come from the perfect itinerary, a VIP tour, a limited edition pin, or a passholder discount.
The “Disney Magic” isn’t a thing you can buy; it’s a choice you can make.
When my family took a trip to Disney World when I was nine years old, I’m sure that there were things that went wrong. I’m sure that rides went down, I’m sure we missed a chance to meet a character, and I’m sure we had to wait in a bunch of lines. But I don’t remember any of that.
I also don’t remember much about the resort we stayed at or which rides we had Fast Passes (RIP) for. And I don’t think I even have any of the souvenirs I bought anymore.
The magic, for me, wasn’t anything that we bought, it was my belief that I was in a fantasy world. And, when I was older, the magic came from my choice to have fun, to buy into the world, to ignore small problems that I would forget about tomorrow.
Experiencing the magic at Disney World is a choice you can make. Believe it or not, you can still have a good day at Disney, even when Cosmic Rewind is down for six hours.
The location of Walt’s frozen head
I would tell you, but then I’d have to make you prick your finger on a spinning wheel.
What I learned about the world
Every individual is unique, but we all have similarities that connect us
Every DCP participant is on a different path in life. There are some who do the program while they are in college, some who do it shortly after they graduate (me!), and there are some who do it later in life.
During my DCP, I had 8 roommates (and like a million coworkers). Some were from Florida, and some were from the other side of the world. All of them were people I never would have met if I hadn’t decided to do the DCP.
We were all unique human beings, but we had at least one thing in common: a connection to Disney–whether that was the movies, the parks, the Disney Channel shows, etc.
Even if we spoke different languages, we loved the same stories.
There is no “right path”
Everyone is just figuring it out as they go, and taking the opportunities as they come.
During my program, I had many opportunities to listen to different people speak about their careers at Disney. One thing that stood out to me was that most of them found their way to the position they were in by accident. They were pursuing one thing, and then found themselves doing something completely different in the end.
Of course, having career goals is good, and sometimes things will go as planned.
But a lot of times, the opportunities that we take are the ones that we would have never even considered in the first place.
It’s kind of exciting not having a map to follow.
Everyone has a different version of success
One of my coordinators at my location said something to me once, along the lines of: “If you want to have a successful career at Disney, you should never stay in the same position/location for more than 5 years.”
It is super common for people in the company (and especially for cast members) to switch roles and move around a lot.
At the same time, I also had many coworkers who had been in the same role for 20 years.
So, who’s more successful? The coordinator who has moved locations 12 times and networked themselves into a leadership role? Or the cast member who has stayed in their role their entire career–who cares about their location and knows it inside and out?
To me, the answer is both. Everyone has different goals, and not everyone’s goal is to advance up the career ladder. At the same time, there is a lot of fulfillment that can come from a career-focused life. It just depends on what you’re looking for at the time.
People really don’t like to wait in line
Like, at all.
Conclusion
Overall, the main thing I learned on my program is that opening yourself up to new experiences and new opportunities is one of the best things you can do. There’s always time to settle down, to get a “real” job, to (gag) nEtwOrk.
But my favorite experiences in my 22 (almost 23–yikes) years have been the surprise ones: travelling to Spain, moving to Disney World, starting a blog…
Well, it’s official–I’m no longer an employee of The Walt Disney Company.
Hey, who put that there?
It’s actually been official for a while now. My program ended at the beginning of June, and then I guess I decided I needed a break from blogging.
But I’m back!
I have so much to say about my program–so much, in fact, that I have a whole post planned about my full experience on the Disney College Program. I’ll be exposing everything.
Just kidding.
In reality, I just have so much to say about my time at Disney (all good things, all good things) that it’s going to have to get its own post. So, look forward to that–if I ever have enough motivation to write it.
So today, I’ve decided to just do a little life update. Since starting this blog, I’ve realized that I enjoy writing my life updates much better than putting together Instagram photodumps. This may have something to do with the fact that I never take pictures…
I guess we’ll start with May/June: the end of my program.
During the last week of May, my family came down to help me move out of my apartment.
That’s right: I’m no longer a resident of Flamingo Crossings Village.
Now that one’s there on purpose
When I met up with the rest of my family, one of the first things I realized was that despite being the oldest sister, I am now the 4th tallest (out of five).
I guess age order and height order aren’t the same thing anymore…
During my time as a cast member, I earned a bunch of complimentary Disney tickets, so my family stayed an extra week in Orlando and we got to have a 10-day family vacation. We did four days at Disney and five days at Universal. (I didn’t have tickets to Universal; we just like long vacations.)
We also had one “rest” day in the middle, except that while my family was resting, I was working my last shift.
Anyway, we had a lovely vacation. We started with Disney and did one day in each park. Then, for our Universal days, we did two days at Epic, two days at Islands of Adventure, and one day at Universal Studios.
You could say it was the Most Magical and Universally Epic trip on Earth. (I think I got all the parks in there…)
We got lots of pictures, too. I will put some below.
“But wait,” you say, “I thought you said you never take pictures!”
And to that I respond: Yes, you are correct. These are all either taken by Photopass or my mom😂
These may not be the best pictures from our trip; we have just shy of 500 pictures in our Google Photos album, and I am not about to go sorting through all that. So these are just some fun ones I found. And they are also in random order.
Anyway, after four Disney days, one last shift at Goofy’s, and then five Universal days…we missed our morning flight back to Colorado.
If there’s one place the “Disney Magic” doesn’t exist it’s the Orlando International Airport.
Luckily, we were able to get on another flight later in the day. But it was touch-and-go for a while there.
So, after like three flights (we had two transfers) we arrived in Colorado Springs. As soon as we walked off the plane, I immediately realized I couldn’t breathe.
6,000 feet is a lot after you’ve gotten used to living at sea level.
Anyway, after a couple weeks of rest, I started a new job:
I’m in my barista era ✨☕
For the past two months, I’ve been working as a Starbucks barista, and I love it. Which is surprising, because I used to be pretty coffee-averse. Those who know me know I couldn’t handle any amount of caffeine.
But, over the last few weeks, I’ve built up my tolerance, and now I drink coffee all the time, lol. Making drinks is so much fun, and I get a lot of fulfillment from it, too. I love connecting with the customers and getting to know all the regulars!
A few days ago, someone came into the shop and said, “Oh, I’m glad you’re here; you make good drinks!”
There have been some crazy days (*cough cough* unicorn frap *cough cough*) but it’s all been mostly fun. And I will say it is also really nice to work at a job where I can pull out my phone for one second and not worry about getting fired lol.
And where I can take a sick day and not get a “point.”
And where I can use the same bathrooms as the customers.
(Also–It took me like three weeks before I started saying “customers” instead of “guests” lol.)
One other fun thing that has come from this job is that I bought my own espresso machine!
Isn’t she lovely
I spent many hours in the “figuring stuff out” phase, which may or may not have included a can of coffee grounds exploding on the counter. Anyway, I’m still not perfect at it, but I did successfully make one iced salted caramel latte!
I know for sure there’s other things that I could give updates about, but if I wrote it all now I would have nothing to write about for the next few weeks! And I really want to start blogging regularly again lol.
But I can’t leave off without first showing the best part of the summer: being reunited with my cats.
If there’s one thing I do take pictures of, it’s the cats.
Ok, now I can finish this post.
I’m looking forward to a lot of things: the beginning of fall (and the fall Starbucks menu!), the holiday season, getting to celebrate my birthday at home for the first time in like four years…
And hopefully continuing to blog through it all!
If you’ve read this far, thank you! I really do appreciate my blog readers 😊 I hope to get back to my regular schedule of Blog Sundays, so stay tuned! And subscribe, if the ramblings of a 22-year-old English-major-turned-barista sounds like something you’d enjoy.
See you next week!
P.S. One more update:
My family and I all got subscriptions to the New York Times Games app.
This is probably going to be the last post for at least the next two weeks. We’re officially at the last week of my program, and my family is coming to do a couple of days at Disney and Universal before they take me back home with them, haha. Between all of the packing, last days at work, and 12-hour Disney and Universal days, something tells me I’m not going to have that much time to write. Even this post is probably going to be shorter than normal.
The title of this post is “Last Week on the DCP…” and it’s kind of a double meaning.
The first is that it’s obviously my last week on the DCP. But it’s also like those voiceovers at the beginning of two-part TV show episodes where they say, “Last week on Abbott Elementary…” and then recap the previous episode so you’re updated for part two.
So, this blog post will be talking about my last normal week on the DCP…which was also last week.
So, here we go.
Last week, on the DCP…
MONDAY
I probably should have just started with Tuesday. Not much happened on Monday, besides the fact that I worked at the Christmas store and this time I did NOT lose my name tag after my shift (the last time I worked a Christmas shift was two weeks ago when I lost my name tag). Which is good because it would have been embarrassing to lose the backup one they gave me.
Also, today on the way to work, the bus got in the right turn lane and then made a left turn instead. At some point you just have to admire the audacity.
TUESDAY
Tuesday will forever be known as the day that I took a picture with Mickey while dressed as Goofy, while also wearing a name tag that says “Chris.”
And I did it on the clock. (Because, believe it or not, this is not how I dress on my days off.)
I made the mistake of sending this picture to my family group chat, and now it’s up on my mom’s Facebook page. As she pointed out, I’m as tall as Mickey Mouse now.
Oh, also I got some cool shades:
WEDNESDAY
This was the day that I spent mostly on the phone, trying to get my family’s Disney tickets. One thing about me is that no matter how much I try to plan ahead and get things done early, somehow it always ends up becoming a time crunch situation, and everything gets done at the last minute.
In this case, I had been working a lot of hours in order to get the last set of tickets for the fam and had all the hours I needed by May 9th (like two weeks ago). But apparently whatever system counts the hours messed up and was showing that I had about 80 hours less than what was needed.
So, after one long phone call where I was redirected to about three different departments, with the last one saying they would have to email a 4th completely different department, I ended up getting an email with the tickets later that night.
Hallelujah.
THURSDAY
Today, I got to go to one of the Special Engagements that Disney Programs offers. Every once in a while, Disney Programs brings a celebrity to come and talk to us CPs. Before this one, I’d been to two others: JoJo Siwa and John Stamos.
I don’t know if I could think of two more opposite people if I tried.
Anyway, this one was with Darren Criss, who is an actor, singer, songwriter, composer, etc. He was in Glee (which I’d never seen) and also many other shows and musicals and some Broadway shows. He was also in A Very Potter Musical, which is a deep cut, but it was the only thing that I knew him from, haha. I don’t even know if I’ve seen the whole thing, but I grew up seeing the clips online.
That’s another thing about me–as a middle school kid I didn’t have any social media, but I did have full access to YouTube. And used that access to watch almost exclusively Harry Potter videos.
Anyway, this session was actually really good and Criss had a lot of interesting things to say. He talked a little about growing up in California and then doing Broadway in NYC. Whenever people talk about growing up in California or New York or anywhere on the coasts, it really fascinates me because it’s so different from my experience growing up in rural Colorado.
I only got one really bad photo from this one:
Anyway, because of this session, I went home and started watching Glee. I’m a couple episodes in, and it’s definitely…dated. I’m not sure if I’m going to end up finishing the series but there is some great music!
FRIDAY
Today I went to Gideon’s one last time. (For my non-Disney readers: Gideon’s is a bakeshop in Disney Springs.) Technically, I’ve only been there one other time, so I was really just there for the second time. I wasn’t originally planning on going either, but I was in Disney Springs because…my new name tag was ready!
I decided to grab lunch, go get Gideon’s, and then get my name tag. It was about 100 degrees outside, and the line for Gideon’s was pretty long, but I needed to build up my heat tolerance for the rope-drop-to-close days I have coming up anyway.
My family thinks they’re excited for the Florida heat. It’s been cold in Colorado lately, and it snowed pretty recently, actually. Basically, they’re switching from cold and rainy to hot and rainy. Not a great trade-off in my opinion. We’ll see if they survive.
After I got lunch and waited 30 minutes for my cookie,
Chocolate chips with a side of cookie
I finally got my nametag:
War is over
I timed it so that I would be picking up my name tag right before the bus arrived. Unfortunately, the bus was 30 minutes late, and I ended up standing outside in the insane heat for a lot longer than I had planned. For some reason, waiting outside in 95 degrees to get on the bus is less fun than waiting outside in 95 degrees to get on Tiana’s Bayou.
The bus did eventually come, and on the way back, it cut off a car in traffic. A few seconds later, the car sped past us and flipped the bus driver off.
This all happened after we were off Disney property, of course. That would never happen in the most magical place on earth…
SATURDAY
And that brings us to today. I have spent most of the day packing up my stuff. This is my last day off before my family gets here! I’m super excited to show them around the parks again, even though we just had a Disney vacation last year lol. We’re also doing some days at Universal afterwards, which will be fun.
But first, I have to pack all of my stuff, most of which are things I have acquired since being on my program. For example:
My pins. I managed to collect one complete series, and no, not one of the limited-edition ones. Just the regular open-edition princesses. Plus some other fun ones like scenes from Runaway Railway (my favorite ride), a skyliner pin from when I did my staycation at the Art of Animation resort (the pre-blog days), and a pin from my time as a FOTA cast member.
Despite having acquired a lot of stuff, I did get most of my packing done, and I rewarded myself at the end with this new drink from starbucks:
It wasn’t that great, but it’s very photogenic.
Like I said at the beginning of this post, this will probably be the last post for the next two-ish weeks. However, I already have my next few posts planned, so here’s what you can look forward to:
A post about my complete experience on the Disney College Program–the highs, the lows, and the buffalos
A post about my family’s disney/universal trip–because I’m sure interesting things will happen
A post about books, specifically about fiction–because I can only go so long without talking about writing
I’m sure you’re on the edge of your seat.
Well, that’s all for now.
See ya real soon!
So long, Disney Springs
P.S. Just as I was finishing up editing this post, I get this little notification from WordPress:
It’s officially been one month since I’ve started (consistently) blogging. And now that I have more than three posts up, I’ve begun to notice a pattern, which is basically that I write about two things: minor life updates and various media opinions.
Well, the last two weeks have been about movies and TV, so I figured today I would give everyone a break from my Star Wars takes and instead make this a life update post. And, unlike last week, I do actually have updates now.
The main thing is that my Disney College Program is almost over. I’m planning on making a post about my complete experience on the program, so look forward to that. But for now, we’ll stick to recent events.
Now that I only have three weeks left on my program (it will be two by the time I post this), I’ve started to actually think about life post-program, which includes everything from trying to find a job to trying to fit [redacted] amount of merch in the one suitcase and one carry-on I brought with me in August.
These are both equally difficult and impossible struggles. And yet, I persevere.
In the midst of my program ending, I’m still trying to squeeze as many experiences into these last few weeks as I can. And experiences I have gotten indeed, both planned and unplanned. So, here’s a list of four things that have happened to me in the past week-ish.
I earned my Master’s Mouseter’s 🐭
The Disney College Program is often described as a split between earning and learning. Basically, you are both working at Disney World (earning), but also have the opportunity to take a wide variety of classes (learning) that range from Disney Heritage to Improv. Through gaining a certain number of learning hours or taking certain classes/multi-week series, DCP participants are eligible for different “certificates” such as a Mouseter’s, a Daisy Degree, a Ducktorate, Goofy Graduate, all the way up to Sorcerer’s List for over 200 learning hours.
There are some people who do the DCP while also being a full-time college student. There are some who do the DCP and get over 200 learning hours from Disney. There are some that do both. I do not know how these people function.
I’ve taken a few Disney classes here and there (you may remember the Improv class), and they’ve all been great. As a storytelling company, Disney offered many classes that aligned with my interests, such as a class where we got to listen to a panel of show writers. I also signed up for a multi-week series called “The Magic of Storytelling,” and this was how I got my Mouseter’s.
Basically, I just showed up for each class and that was the only requirement, haha. But it was a really interesting class. There were many guest speakers with super cool jobs that were fascinating to hear about, and it really expanded my knowledge of the creative careers that are out there.
This series wasn’t really academic; it was more of an exploration of how Disney uses different storytelling methods in all of their media and parks. Something that I realized when I started my in program was that while I was very familiar with Disney’s storytelling in their films/the Pixar formula, I was less familiar with the storytelling in the Disney parks. In this class we learned a lot about how imagineers and storytellers use theming and forced perspective to immerse guests in each “land.” It was also interesting to hear how they translated many lands and attractions for the international parks.
So anyway, now I’m trying to figure out how to include a “Mouseter’s” degree on my resume…more to come.
Now, this class isn’t the only learning I’ve gotten to experience recently…
I got a backstage tour of Animal Kingdom’s Kilimanjaro Safaris
The tour group; I’m in the back
Continuing on with the learning theme, another fun opportunity that the college program offers is backstage tours of almost every attraction in the parks. Sign-ups for these tours drop randomly, and they can only take 20-ish people on each one (and there’s like 10,000 DCP participants) so they’re really hard to get into. I’ve been trying since I got here in August and had basically given up on ever getting to do one, but then one day I opened the app and Kilimanajaro Safaris was open! It’s one of my favorite attractions, so I signed up immediately.
Now, this whole day was very cool but also kind of a fever dream. First of all, the bus that took us to Animal Kingdom had a barely functioning AC. Now, this was not an ideal situation for a bus ride in Florida summer, but it was really early in the morning, and the sun wasn’t at full force yet. Eventually we made it to Animal Kingdom, a little sweaty but still mostly in high spirits.
The tour was scheduled to start at 8:30 in the morning, so it was early, but not too bad. Most of these tours start at like 5:30 in the morning. Which is, like, when I go to bed sometimes.
Anyway, we showed up at 8:30am and found out that somehow, someone had messed up the times, and the tour was actually supposed to start at 7:30am. Our guide didn’t seem too concerned about it though; he ended up just giving us a more truncated version of the experience.
It was still really cool! We got to learn a lot about the history of the Africa section of Animal Kingdom and found all of the hidden Mickeys, of course. After that, we got to go on the safari trucks and get a look at the backstage areas of the safari, including a giant field where all of the food for the animals is grown. It is bigger than the entirety of the Magic Kingdom.
And of course we got to see the animals as well.
GiraffeElephantBaby Elephants
Now, once the tour was over, we all headed back to the bus stop. And lo and behold, what bus was waiting for us but the same one we had taken in the morning. Except now, it was almost noon. The sun was fully out, and it was 90-something degrees.
As the bus pulled up, a bunch of sweaty cast members piled out. One guy said something along the lines of: “I opened all the windows for you guys; it’s terrible in there.”
Sure enough, we walked onto the bus, and there was no AC at all.
The bus ride home was hot. I don’t think I’ve ever been more uncomfortable in my life. If the windows hadn’t been opened, I don’t think we would have made it back.
But we did, and as soon as I got into my apartment I collapsed onto the couch and stayed horizontal for many hours, until I left for my shift later that evening.
That night, I didn’t get back to my apartment until after midnight, and ended up sleeping until 2pm the next day.
Good times.
I got a new identity
Which is just a clickbait-y way of saying I lost my name tag. And unfortunately, I was not wise enough to listen to the advice of the seasoned cast members who told me to get more than one name tag at the beginning of my program. In my defense, my one name tag survived to almost the end of my program!
I had to go and get a loaner tag, and so now I have a new identity for the next week:
Nice to meet you everyone, I’m Chris from Orlando
The funny thing about wearing a name tag that does not have your real name on it is that most of the time, you aren’t thinking about it at all, until a guest says, “Thanks Chris!” after you check them out at the register.
And then you get to have a whole identity crisis because now there are real people walking around in the real world thinking they just interacted with someone named Chris. And you don’t feel like a Chris but that person seemed to accept that your name was Chris, no questions asked. And so you go about the rest of your day, catching glimpses of yourself in windows and mirrors with “Chris” pinned right above your heart…some people would lose their head if it wasn’t attached; I would apparently lose my identity if it wasn’t pinned to my shirt.
Anyway, my new name tag comes in a week–just in time for the end of my program–and thank goodness because any longer and I might have had to write a post about names and identity, and that just sounds like a lot of work and research.
And it would’ve probably given me flashbacks to certain EU chapels…
Everything AND the kitchen sink
As my program comes to an end, I’ve been trying to check a bunch of “bucket list” items off my list. It’s mostly different foods, and I finally got the orange milkshake I’ve been eyeing for the last few weeks:
Orange shake, hallelujah
It’s the most orangest orange thing I’ve ever had (those who know me know I can’t describe flavors). And it is perfection. My favorite milkshake in the parks used to be the chocolate shake at Auntie Gravity’s in Magic Kingdom, but this is the new #1.
This shake was part of my last visit to EPCOT’s Flower and Garden festival, which was also on my bucket list. I think out of all the festivals, it ranks 3rd. Food and Wine is 2nd, and Festival of the Arts is officially my favorite. But I’m definitely not biased from working there or anything…
Anyway, Flower and Garden is also cool. They definitely have better food than FOTA, for what it’s worth. Besides the orange shake, I also tried a mango bubble tea and poke bowl that were both delicious.
Mango Boba Poke Bowl
And, in the midst of all the resort hopping, park days, (and mostly food sampling), I also conquered one more bucket list item:
Behold: the Kitchen Sink
My roommates and I went to Beaches and Cream and got the famous “Kitchen Sink.” Eight scoops of ice cream, every topping, and a whole can of whipped cream.
Just an FYI, when you do this, they turn on siren lights in the restaurant and then the cast members loudly announce that you have decided to try to eat the entire kitchen sink.
And I am pleased to report: we did, in fact, finish the whole thing 💪
Good soup 😋
Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed this little life update! I’ve had a lot of fun during these last weeks of my program, but it has also been very chaotic. Re: the procrastination, my time spent on this blog is starting to look like one of those vague graphs with a scary downward slope:
I would have made my own graph but I am drafting this at 3am
Maybe one day I’ll have more free time, but for now, you’ll have to make do with the ramblings of a sleep-deprived Disney College Program cast member. Lucky you 🙂
P.S. One more last-minute non-update: I saw a bunch of people posting those Spotify “party of the years” things, so I decided to check it out. Big mistake. If anyone wants to know what the first song I ever streamed was–too bad. I’m going to the grave with that information.
If you really want to know, the lowest offer I’ll accept is coincidentally the same number as the remainder of my student loans.
Every week, when I’m deciding what to write, I look at my calendar and my photos to see if anything significant has happened recently. Well, this is what my calendar for the past week looked like:
Crickets, crickets…*cue tumbleweed*
And, besides a couple shots of the EPCOT ball (and the screenshot I just took of my empty calendar), my Google Photos is also looking pretty bleak.
Editor’s Note (which–still me; I’m the editor): I *did* just complete a few Disney Programs classes and earn my Mouseter’s; however, at the time of my beginning to write this post, this was not yet the case.
So, with no major life events to blog about, I turn to my current obsessions and see if there’s anything interesting about them.
Now, anyone who knows me knows I love TV shows. I’m always watching a show. Actually, I saw this stand-up special recently where the comic made a joke about how when her life flashes before her eyes, it’s going to be a reel of all of the TV series she’s watched. I’ve never felt so seen. And convicted.
Anway, I love TV shows, but it’s currently a hard time to be a TV fan. TV series have changed a lot recently. Because of streaming, weekly sitcoms are slowly fading out. In its place are TV dramas that release 10 episodes, each an hour long, all at once exclusively on one subscription streaming platform that costs $15 plus tax (your soul) every month.
A lot of my favorite series are from the 2010s era (think Modern Family, Parks and Rec, Big Bang Theory, etc.), but I didn’t watch them as they were coming out, since I was but a child at the time. I think it would have been really cool to be watching TV during a time when there were multiple shows with new episodes coming out every week.
It’s still somewhat around today; Abbott Elementary is one of my favorite sitcoms that releases weekly. But overall, weekly storytelling is something that is slowly slipping away from popular culture. Which is sad because serial storytelling has historically been an important part of the human experience.
Lately, I’ve seen many complaints about how TV shows are just 7-hour movies now or that we don’t have “filler episodes” anymore. And, like, if you take those two statements without really thinking about them much, you might just say, “Ok…so?”
I mean, what’s the difference between ten 45-minute episodes and twenty-two 20-minute episodes? They both average out to about 7.5 hours of content. And if there’s no filler episodes, that means less time is being wasted, right? Right??
No, not right.
There’s a lot more to consider when talking about how TV has changed, and when people complain about the length of episodes or the fact that there’s no more filler episodes, there’s a lot more beneath that.
Weekly storytelling has been a thing for, well, forever. Even before there were TV shows, there were short stories, periodicals, weekly comic strips, radio shows, etc. And because of the nature of having to produce something every week, not every episode/edition/article had the same “level” of storytelling, hence: filler episodes.
In the olden days, people used to complain about filler episodes because they did not further the overarching plot of the season. However, when these episodes went away, it became clear that they actually served other important purposes, such as furthering character development and continuing the worldbuilding of the show. Having episodes come out every week also gave people something to talk about that was kind of one step above small talk: “Oh, did you see the new episode of xyz show?”
So what’s happened now? Well, streaming, basically. It’s created a phenomenon that I like to call the “Film-ification” of TV, and the “TV-ification” of film. Basically, TV shows and movies have switched places.
What do I mean? I’ll try my best to explain.
We’ll start with TV shows turning into movies.
Before streaming, movies were a bigger deal than TV shows. When you went to see a Marvel movie, you probably expected it to be “higher” quality than whatever workplace sitcom was currently airing. A TV show was something to keep people entertained for 20 minutes when they turned on the TV at home, a film was a “work of art”–something that would shape the culture and conversation for the foreseeable future.
However, with the introduction of streaming, that all began to change.
Introducing: the limited series.
Suddenly, big studios were releasing big budget TV dramas that had film-style production value. These shows were anywhere from 6-10 episodes, 45-60 minutes per episode. This is different from the classic TV dramas, which were also 45 minutes, but there were still 20-24 episodes per season (think medical dramas/police procedurals).
At first, these shows were very popular. Marvel really capitalized on it, releasing many limited series such as WandaVision, Loki, Hawkeye…basically every character that didn’t have a movie yet got a series instead.
The problem with this format, however, was that once the series ended, everyone wanted a season two, because that’s usually how TV shows work. However, these shows weren’t intended to operate like traditional TV. They were a one-time thing, a limited release. Like a movie.
Still, the format worked for a while. Audiences were engaged with the shows, and because the shows were being released by such popular studios, they were getting a lot of views, a lot of attention on social media, and thus were regarded as wildly successful. The pros of a limited series were that you could make a 10-hour story and not have to shave it down to two hours because a theatrical release was no longer necessary. Everyone could just watch it at home on their own time.
So, the goal of TV became not to tell a story over an extended period of time, but instead to capture the audience’s attention for a specific point in time, and get them to talk about whatever was currently releasing as much as possible before they moved onto the next thing.
Another way these limited series became like films is that there was one plotline throughout the entire series. Because of this, the plot felt very drawn out, and character growth was minimal.
So, this combination of plots being drawn out while simultaneously feeling too short without multiple seasons created feelings of dissatisfaction among fans.
And now, because every company has their own streaming service, there are a thousand limited series, and none of them are connected to each other, and it is literally impossible to watch/care about all of them.
AND, even further, now that the production value of these series has increased, many series do not get a next season until many years later (*cough cough* Stranger Things *cough cough*). And everyone forgets what happened previously.
Ok, so to recap: TV shows have turned into movies by upping the production value, drawing out the plot, and releasing all episodes at once, for one time only…until 5 years later when you get “Season 2.” That is the Film-ification of TV: releasing what is basically one movie, just broken up into 6-10 parts.
But now, another, kind of strange, phenomenon has emerged, and that is the TV-ification of Film. How does this work, you may ask? Well, it basically boils down to two things:
Sequels, Sequels, Sequels
Everything is One Big Series
We’ll start with point number one. Literally every movie in existence has a sequel, or multiple sequels by now. A common criticism of Disney/Pixar/Marvel etc. is that they are releasing more sequels than original stories. Not only is making a sequel of a popular movie likely to make more money, it’s also significantly easier to work on a story with a world and characters that you already know. There’s also less pressure to convince the audience to watch movies; if they liked the first one, they’re going to want to see the second one. So now, we have film franchises that have more sequels than TV shows have seasons, and it used to be the other way around.
Okay, now point two: everything is one big series. I’m specifically thinking of Marvel for this one. Basically, there are, like, a thousand Marvel movies. And they’re not all sequels (although I think we’re on the…5th…Spider-Man movie??), but they all exist in the same universe, and each movie is critical to understanding the storyline.
This has made it pretty much impossible for people to be introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They look at the list of 35+ movies now that are all connected (plus the limited series because yeah, those are canon too), and it’s overwhelming. Even as someone who loves the Avengers films, I find it hard to convince myself to keep watching the movies as they come out. The plot is too complicated now, and I don’t have time to go back and watch the previous 100 hours every time something new comes out.
I mentioned in my last post that my sisters and I got introduced to all the major “nerdy” franchises (Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel) by watching them as a family as each of us became “of age.” So like, first my parents watched those series with me, then me and my parents watched them with Rachel, then all of us plus Rachel watched them with Sarah, then all of us plus Sarah watched them with Joanna and Bethany, etc.
When Rachel and I were first watching the Marvel movies in 2019, there were 22 movies. Now there are 37 (almost 38) to show Joanna and Bethany as of 2026. That’s 15 movies in seven years; more than two per year.
And so, you can see that TV series and films have switched. Instead of getting a season of TV every year and a sequel film every few years, now we get multiple sequel films per year, and one season of TV every three-ish years. Because it’s quicker to release two hours of content (one movie) than ten hours (one limited series).
Now, all is not lost. Despite the major film/tv studios following this new trend, there are still good standalone films being released and good TV shows being developed. One of my favorites that I mentioned earlier is Abbott Elementary. This is one of the only examples of a classic sitcom that is still being released currently. There are five seasons, 20-ish episodes in each season, and a new season comes out every year. (It’s been renewed for a Season 6–I’m so excited.)
Another cool series that was released recently was the second season of a show called Jury Duty. If you haven’t watched this show before, I highly recommend it. The premise is basically “What if we made a sitcom, and everyone was an actor except for one person?”
The first season was about an eccentric group of people on a jury. Everyone was an actor except for one guy, who thought everything that was happening was real. The second season was about a company retreat with the same premise: one person thought that the company was real, but everyone involved was an actor. Both seasons are filled with wild and comical circumstances that could only happen in a TV show, but the actors are so good and the scenarios are developed so convincingly that the regular guy of each season fully buys into it. They also managed to find the most genuine guys you can think of, and they both became the “hero” of the show by the end of their respective seasons.
It’s a really cool series, and even though it’s not a classic sitcom, and there were multiple years between Seasons One and Two, it still managed to capture audiences and be a major topic of discussion for a minute. It’s kind of surprising that a show like that can be made now, especially when you think about how easily just having a cellphone could derail a whole show like that. But somehow it still worked, and it was incredible to watch.
So anyway, now that I’ve nerded out about TV shows for a hot minute, I’ll get to the point. I feel like one of the problems streaming has presented is everything is getting made with the standard of perfection. Now that TV episodes aren’t being released every week, the pressure is on to make something literally perfect because otherwise it won’t be worth the five years the audience had to wait to watch it. The only problem is, there’s almost nothing that is actually worth multiple years of waiting to see. Sure, there are some exceptions, but overall, not every piece of media should be intended to be a “masterpiece.”
Sometimes, the best compliment you can give a piece of content, whether it’s a TV show, movie, book, podcast, etc. is that it kept you entertained. If you were able to get into the story, or buy into the world, to the point where you forgot you were watching a show and instead were fully invested in what was happening, that’s a success. And sometimes that means tuning in to watch your favorite characters in a workplace comedy every week, and sometimes it means going to a movie theater to see something new.
Not every form of media is intended to be the same; that’s why there are so many! Every story should be told in the format that best serves the story, not the format that the industry expects. (Maybe next time I’ll talk about how every podcast has a visual element to it now…)
The content that will become timeless is the content that changes the game, and you can’t change the game by conforming to industry standards.
The only way to begin is by beginning.
So.
I hope you’ve enjoyed me nerding out (and borderline ranting) about movies and TV shows for six pages. But actually, that’s kind of why I created this blog–because I was starting to get into this mindset where everything I wrote had to be perfect, and so I wasn’t writing anything. And that’s the beautiful thing about blogs: they’re not supposed to be perfect, and more importantly, no one blogs anymore! There’s no expectations, and I can talk about whatever I want 😎
Anyway, maybe one day movies will go back to being movies, and TV will go back to being TV. But for now, I guess I’ll start on my 4th rewatch of Clone Wars (Lucasfilm Animation knows how to make a TV show) until something else catches my attention.
Since the dawn of time (c. 1977) Star Wars fans have been known as the most opinionated humans on the planet. Truly, there’s nothing that brings the Star Wars community together like a good debate. There are so many different topics: who shot first, what order to watch the films in, why are all the main characters human, who has the worst “sci-fi” name… (I’m looking at you, “Count Dooku.”)
It’s a tale as old as time.
Now, every Star Wars fan also has one hot take that they will defend with their life. For example, here’s mine:
The Star Wars Prequels are Objectively Better than the Original Trilogy
This is a hill I will die on, and honestly, it’s…probably a pretty nice hill to die on, all things considered.
Probably not too crowded, nice views, etc.
Now, because of many factors (mainly TikTok edits) this opinion isn’t such a hot take anymore. I can’t begin to tell you how many people have told me they want to watch the prequels because of seeing an AnakinxPadme (of all the couples…) edit on TikTok. A win is a win, I guess.
Anyway, when I was first planning this blog post, it was going to be more of a persuasive piece about why the prequel trilogy is better than the originals. But then I realized I would have to watch all the Star Wars movies again and do a bunch of research and, well, it’s Saturday, and I’m posting this on Monday.
So, instead, because it’s May the 4th, I’ve decided to dedicate this blog post to the Star Wars Prequels: why they are awesome and why I, personally, love them.
Ok! Here we go!
Reason Number One why I love the Star Wars prequels:
Anakin Skywalker.
Anakin is the best (Skywalker) main character out of all the trilogies (between Anakin, Luke, and Rey). We actually get his whole story, from when he was a child, to becoming a Jedi, to (spoilers, I guess, if you’ve lived under a rock) becoming Darth Vader. And, we even see him get redeemed in the OG trilogy (or the tril-OG, as I like to refer to it).
Anakin is more relatable than Luke. Luke is your classic “good guy” character. He always does the right thing, is willing to make the sacrifice, and successfully defeats and redeems the “bad guy.” I think a lot of people like the idea of “being” Luke, or the “good guy.” We like to think that we’re always going to make the right choices and take the moral “high ground,” (hehe) so to speak.
Anakin, however, wavers. He starts out as a “good guy.” In the first movie, he’s a cute kid who cares about his mom and wants to become a Jedi to help protect her. But what’s interesting with Anakin is that instead of seeing him become the “hero” he was always meant to be, we see him fall into the traps of the Dark Side. Mwahaha.
In one of my writing classes, we learned that the difference between the protagonist (the main character/good guy) and the antagonist (the villain/bad guy) is that they are faced with the exact same choice, they just make the opposite decision.
When Luke learns about the Force, he learns that there is a “light side” and a “dark side.” He can either use the Force to help others or just help himself. Luke chooses the light side, chooses to help others, and joins the Rebellion to free the galaxy from the Empire.
When Anakin discovers he can use the Force, he’s told he is the subject of the prophecy and that he can “bring balance” to the Force. Instead, he chooses to use his power to protect himself and himself only (and still ultimately destroys himself…very Voldemort-coded).
When faced with ultimate power, Luke and Anakin are presented with the same choice: selfishness or selflessness. And as much as we would like to think that we would choose to save the galaxy, I think we can all identify a little bit with Anakin’s self-interest. And seeing his descent into becoming a Sith is more real because we can see all the tiny choices that lead up to it. We’re forced to admit that the line between “light side” and “dark side” is thinner than we’d like it to be.
Reason Number Two why I love the prequels: The Story
My number one complaint about the tril-OG is that it is So. Slow. There’s like, an extended scene in every movie that is either unnecessarily long or has absolutely nothing to do with the plot. Think the ice storm scene…and that time where they have to escape a giant sand monster…
Runners Up include Yoda training Luke, and every scene with Jabba the Hutt. I fall asleep during these parts every time my family watches these movies, which is usually when we’re introducing them to one of my younger sisters.
(Side note–my family treats the viewing of all major fandom movies or TV shows like rites of passage. Once you come of age, you must watch Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Marvel movies. My youngest sister, Bethany, is now 11, and so far we’ve gotten her through Star Trek and Harry Potter, and apparently now she’s on Phase Three: Star Wars. She’s becoming a nerd, just like her sister before her, and her sister before her, and her sister before her, and her sister–)
Anyway, I will admit that the prequels do have one, one unbearable plotline, and that is the pod race from The Phantom Menace. The only thing that saves this storyline is that there are actually some stakes and, like, a reason why Anakin has to win the race.
Otherwise, the prequels actually have a pretty tight story. Unlike with the tril-OG, there’s an actual plan for the ending of the prequels: Anakin becomes Darth Vader. And the process of seeing him slowly slip into the Dark Side, even though you know it’s coming, is actually very compelling. Every time I watch the prequels, I think, “Maybe this time he won’t turn evil.”
So far, this hasn’t worked, but I’ll keep hoping.
I usually despise prequels because it’s hard to see the point in a story where you already know the ending. But in this case, knowing the ending is part of what makes the story good.
Of course, there are other reasons why this story is good. Allow me to introduce you to my (and everyone’s) favorite character:
No, wait, not that guy–
Yeahhh that guy.
Obi-Wan Kenobi. One half of the best friendship duo to ever grace the big screen. If there was a platonic version of “grumpyXsunshine,” it would be Anakin and Obi-Wan.
Friendship duos are always my favorite character trope (Eugene and Lance from Tangled the Series, Shawn and Gus from Psych, Chris and Ben from Parks and Rec…the list goes on and on). But what I like about Anakin and Obi-Wan’s friendship is that we get to see it evolve from mentorship, to friendship, to brotherhood. So, when Anakin makes the ultimate betrayal, and Obi-Wan is forced to fight him and leave him for dead, we feel that pain.
And, just another note on Obi-Wan, I also always love a character that can jump between being both intensely serious and also the comic relief. Because what do you mean the same character who says this:
is also incredible meme-able:
And now, for the final point of why the prequels are awesome, may I introduce you to the greatest love story ever told:
Just kidding. Actually, this might be the weakest aspect of the series.
I mean seriously, between Luke trying to date his sister and Anakin falling in love with someone twice his age, I can kind of understand why the Jedi aren’t allowed to get married/be in relationships. When it comes to love, the Skywalkers don’t have the best track record.
And as long as we’re talking about counterarguments, I do also have to bring up one more character:
Highly regarded as the most annoying character to ever appear in a feature film. However, I’d just like to argue that one annoying character is no reason to say that an entire trilogy is unwatchable. And, there’s absolutely no way he’s worse than this guy:
But meesa digress.
So…what’s the point of this blog post? Well, honestly, I think I just like talking about Star Wars, and there were favorable conditions for a Star Wars post (I needed an idea for a post…May the 4th was coming up…I really didn’t have a choice when you think about it).
It’s like when there’s favorable weather for a tornado, but instead of a tornado watch there was a, like, fandom watch. Which is just as dangerous (you should always be alert on the major nerd holidays: Back to Hogwarts, First Contact Day, etc).
So, I guess all I’m trying to say is that the prequels are awesome, maybe even more awesome than the tril-OG, and if you like angsty characters, best bud friendship duos, problematic love interests, and also thoughtful and intellectual story themes, then you should definitely give these movies a chance.
Yes, I love the Star Wars prequels, and while I do like to joke and say that they’re “objectively” better than the Original Trilogy, I can admit that that’s probably not true.
However, there is one fandom, one series, that IS objectively better than the Original Star Wars Trilogy, even better than the Star Wars PREQUELS:
Star Trek.
But that’s a post for another time.
Happy Star Wars Day. May the 4th be with you Live Long and Prosper 🖖
A couple weeks ago, I had one of the most crazy, chaotic, and calamitous shifts I’ve ever had so far on my Disney program. Like truly, it was one of those days that only happens when you think, “Huh, my life’s been going pretty good,” the day before.
Literally, nothing good happened the entire shift. Which was bad for me in the moment, but is now good for present-me, because I have something to blog about! See that’s the thing about a bad day:
Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do about it except get through it.
…and then maybe blog about it later.
As I was thinking about it, though, I was like “Well, I *could* write about it, but what would even be the takeaway, or the point?”
Well, dear reader, I have no idea. So let’s find out together.
I will say this is a rather funny story to me now, and I believe it also has some entertainment value, so here we go.
It all starts with the fact that for this particular shift, I was working outside of my home location (so not my regular stores in Disney Springs). I was scheduled to work in Candy Cauldron, a candy store on the complete opposite side of Disney Springs. I had worked a few shifts there in previous weeks, so I pretty much knew what to expect.
Or, at least, I thought I did.
The first thing you should know about this day is that the shirt I was wearing was about 4 sizes too big. This is due to the fact that costuming never has my size…ever. Luckily, the costume also has an apron that kind of hides the shirt, but here are some pictures just so you can visualize this more:
Full costume including apron and mushroom (hat)Big sleeves (also, sorry I’m not smiling–I wasn’t aware I was going to eventually blog about this when I took this photo. I’ll do better in the future.)
As you can see, this is the flowiest shirt I’ve ever worn. However, I’m pretty used to crazy getups:
I love twinning with Goofy every day
Anyway, I’m in a giant shirt but otherwise in a pretty good mood. I was running a few minutes behind, but I managed to catch the bus on time, and that was all that mattered. People on the DCP love to complain about the buses (I can’t judge; there have been a few times where I’ve gone on a bus rant), but overall I have loved living in a walkable area with public transportation. As someone who hates driving, bus drivers are some of my favorite people in the world. However, sometimes the actual buses themselves can be a bit of an issue. And on this particular day, that turned out to be the case.
We had made it over halfway to Disney Springs. The bus that I take to work stops at a couple of resorts as part of the route, with Disney Springs being the last stop. We made it to the first resort with no problem, but then, as the bus was pulling out of the parking lot, we stopped at the stop sign to get back on the road…and then we stayed stopped.
And stayed stopped some more.
A couple minutes later…still not moving.
Then, the bus driver stood up and turned around to face us.
This is not a good sign, I thought.
I took out my earbuds and looked at her.
The bus driver explained that the bus was not accelerating like it was supposed to, and that it currently could not go more than 20 miles per hour. Because of this, she didn’t think we would be able to make it to Disney Springs safely, so she was calling a repair crew to come look at it, and in the meantime, we would have to wait for the next bus.
Well, I thought, this is inconvenient, but considering this is my first time being late for work ever, it’s not a big deal.
And it can’t really get worse than this.← remember those words
There was a big commotion as the people around me decided what they were going to do. This was a bus of about probably 30-ish people. A large group decided to get off the bus and walk to the guest buses at the resort that would take them to Disney Springs. One person booked an Uber and announced that there were 5 seats available to whoever would want to split the cost, $6 per person. And so she and a group of 5 left the bus. So that left me and about 7 other people on the bus.
I decided that I was not going to pay to go to work. My shift was supposed to start at 5pm, and the next bus was scheduled to arrive at Disney Springs *at* 5pm, so at most I would probably be 10-15 minutes late, which is not the worst thing in the world. (Now, if this situation had occurred while I was in high school/college trying to make it to Band class, or any Band event really…shivers. There’s a chorus of “early is on time; on time is late; late is unacceptable” echoing through my head at the moment.)
Anyway, about 30 minutes later, the next bus arrived, and we were back on track and on our way to Disney Springs. Everything was starting to look up, except for the clouds, which upon our arrival to the Disney Springs bus stop, decided to pour down on us.
And, as the heavens were opening up, so were the bus doors. Time to walk to work.
Luckily, I had my umbrella.
Unluckily, my umbrella did not have me.
The rain was attacking me from all sides, and my tiny umbrella could only do so much. So, when I got to work, my hair looked *fabulous*…but the rest of me was completely soaked.
There wasn’t really anything I could do about that (I’d never brought an extra pair of socks to work before, but guess what you can always find in my bag now?) so I clocked in to work, about 13 minutes late.
The first hour or so of standing behind a register with squishy socks wasn’t the best feeling in the world…but after a while either my socks started drying or I was just becoming numb to the dampness (a win is a win).
And, I knew that once I got my break, I would be able to just sit and unwind. I’d never looked forward to staring off into the distance more. The store was busy, my socks were wet, and my pants were so heavy from the weight of the water that they would have been falling down were it not for my belt. But my break was coming soon, and I was sure that was when things would start to look up. Because (say it with me):
It can’t get much worse than this.
About two hours into my shift, I got my break. (Hooray!) But when I looked at the assignment paper, it said my break was only 15 minutes. (Not Hooray!)
Basically, because I clocked in late, my shift was less than 6 hours, which is the cutoff time for a 30-minute break. So, because I happened to be working 5 hours and 47 minutes that day, I got a 15-minute break. And, after the time it took me to ask about my break and then walk to the breakroom (a 4-minute walk each way), I was left with…5 minutes.
And I forgot to pack my lunch.
Ok, not great, but at least I’ll have time to sit down for a second. It can’t get much worse than this.
So, basically what went down was I walked to the breakroom, drank some water, sat down, listened to one song on my playlist, drank some more water, and then headed back out again. To work the last 3 hours and 45 minutes of my shift.
It was at this point that I stopped thinking “it can’t get much worse than this.”
One: because I was pretty sure I was jinxing myself, and
Two: because I was actually starting to imagine how much worse it could get.
Some more time went by, and now it was later in the evening. The crowds were starting to dwindle, which was good in some ways (I don’t really know how much more human interaction I had left in me) but bad in other ways (I was left just staring into the distance, contemplating…everything).
And as I was contemplating, I realized something. In the midst of all of my negative thoughts (this sucks, I’m wet, I’m tired, I want to go to bed, the DCP never mentioned *this* in their Instagram Reels), there was another, quieter voice in my head:
Just keep going. You’re almost done. This isn’t forever. Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow is so soon. Tomorrow is literally in 15 minutes, actually. (Yes, it was almost midnight.)
Once I started paying attention to that quieter voice, my other thoughts started to shift. And suddenly, nothing else that happened that night mattered.
Still had 30 minutes left in my shift?
You’re almost there. Keep going. That’s only, like, 6 more Disney songs.
Bus a few minutes late picking us up?
That’s ok, the shift is over now. Relax. You’re almost home. Tomorrow will be better.
Getting home and taking off my shoes and realizing that yes, my socks were indeed still wet, and my hypothesis that I had just become numb to the dampness was correct?
Whatever, it’s okay, you can dry your shoes before your shift tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better.
Washing and drying my feet and then having, like a whole sheet of dead skin flake off because of standing in wet shoes for 6 hours? (TMI, I guess.)
No worries, that was a bit gross but you’re still alive, and yeah…that was actually kind of satisfying.
And finally, finally, I made it to the end of the night, and to bed.
Before I continue, I would just like to state that my feet (and I) are perfectly fine now. In case anyone was wondering.
Now, when I started writing this I mentioned I had no idea what the takeaways were. Well, now that I’ve relived my trauma, I *can* actually think of a few:
In middle school/high school, I remember my teachers would always talk about the importance of having a “growth mindset.” Not sure if this was the exact scenario they were trying to prepare me for…but it ended up coming in handy. So…there you go. I guess I do have *some* practical real life skills. (Or at least one, anyway.)
I also remember something my mom used to say all the time, which was that you can’t always control your circumstances, but you *can* control your attitude. I always hated when she said that. I even kind of cringed just now as I wrote it. But she was right. I guess. Thanks, mom.
Some days are bad. But tomorrow is so soon. (And depending on when you are reading this, tomorrow could even be 15 minutes from now!)
On the bus ride home that night, I collapsed onto the seat, put in my earbuds, and stared blankly out the window. I honestly don’t even remember anything between getting on the bus and then shedding my foot skin. (Imagery is my favorite literary device, can you tell?)
Here’s the last thought I remember having:
Today sucked. Sometimes that happens, I guess.
Tomorrow will be better.
And it was. ☀️
A rainbow over the Saratoga Springs parking lot. Not from the same day, unfortunately. That would be too poetic.
…in just a second. First, I would like to address my absence on this blog. I saw this tweet a couple of weeks ago that pretty much sums up my relationship with this blog at the moment:
Suffice it to say, I have enough ideas to write one blog post a week, but unfortunately not enough executive function. It’s like some backwards version of writer’s block.
Anyway, I’m back, at least for now, and today I will be talking about…drum roll please…improv and unscripted comedy!!! Hooray! (Please don’t click away, I promise* this will be fun and interesting!!)
So, like I mentioned earlier, I attended an improv class last week. One of the cool things about the Disney College Program is that they offer a wide variety of classes and learning opportunities for all of the CPs to attend. (You know, because we have soooo much free time 🙃)
Now, I haven’t taken any kind of acting/theater/improv classes since my sophomore year of high school, and there is a reason for that.
Me in a church playMe as “the moon” in another church playMe in a play during my freshman year of HS. I like this picture because it looks like I’m flossing. Who knows. Maybe I was.
I am what you might call a “Triple Non-Threat”:
I can’t act
I can’t dance
and I *definitely* cannot sing (just ask my shower)
So you might be wondering: what was I doing in an improv class in the first place? Great question. Well, it all starts with a bad case of strep throat, Instagram reels, and a poor financial decision.
Back in November of last year, I got strep throat. (Thank you, Anonymous Disney Guest.) During this time, I was kind of in-between TV shows, which was a problem because I was trapped in my apartment for a couple days and had no shows to watch! So…enter Instagram Reels. I spent a lot of time scrolling and ended up getting a lot of reels from these shows called “Game Changer” and “Make Some Noise.”
You may have seen one or two of these clips. There are a few that have gone extremely viral (which is how I ended up on this side of Instagram in the first place). Anyway, turns out these shows are part of a company called “Dropout” (formerly “CollegeHumor”). Now, I’m not going to waste too much time describing Dropout, but essentially it’s a comedy streaming service that mainly features unscripted comedy shows. And, after watching a million clips on Instagram, feeling generally terrible (re: strep throat), and some encouragement from my mom, I decided to get an annual subscription (the aforementioned poor financial decision).
Well, fast forward a few months, and I’m almost watching more improv than sitcoms (still watching Abbott Elementary every week, of course)! So, when I saw that one of the classes that the Disney College Program offered was a once-a-month Improv class, I thought:
YES, that sounds fun, AND I signed up.
So on March 31st, I walked into a class called “Improv for Improvement,” armed with all of my extensive Improv knowledge, including:
memories of watching my high school’s improv troupe with my sister in the pre-COVID days
hours of various Dropout shows
and also having seen some random improv shows that I found on Netflix (everyone should watch Middleditch and Schwartz)
…and no practical experience. At first, I thought I was just going to be thrust into a group of people and then just have to improvise a scene based on a prompt or something, so I was very prepared to just fail. And maybe die.
Luckily, this was not the case.
After everyone sat down, the first thing we did was listen to the instructor talk about the purpose of the class. This particular instructor is a Disney cast member who is also part of a local improv comedy group, and she teaches this improv class to different Disney teams to show how improv can be helpful in the professional world. After she introduced herself, we went over three basic principles of improv:
Yes, And
This one is basically in the title. You accept what the other improvisers give you, and also add to it.
Don’t Think
I liked this one because of the sheer impossibility of it. Basically, there were two parts to this: don’t overthink your choices in the moment, AND don’t think about what you could have said that would have been better/funnier afterwards. (Which, how dare they–those are, like, my main shower thoughts!)
No One is the “Star”
The purpose of improv is working as a group. If one person walks away as the “star” of an improv show, then it probably wasn’t a very good show! I’ll mention Dropout again–one of my favorite things about their shows is that all of the cast members work really hard to make each other laugh and have fun, instead of trying to make themselves the main focus.
After this brief intro to improv, we broke into groups of ~6 and basically played improv games for the rest of the class. Once I figured out this is what we would be doing, I started to relax. I also started to get flashbacks to playing “Zip Zap Zop” in my high school Theater 1 class.
The focus of this particular class session was “Teamwork,” so all the games we played relied on working together.
The first one we played was called “Yes, Let’s!” Basically, you stand in a circle, and then one person jumps in the circle and suggests an activity and mimes doing that activity. Then, everyone else shouts “Yes, let’s!” and does their own interpretations of that activity.
My suggestions in this game (“Let’s knit a sweater!” / “Let’s paint a mural!”) were rather boring compared to some others… (“Let’s bury a dead body!”)
…but it was oddly affirming to suggest something to a group and have everyone enthusiastically agree (even if they were quite literally obligated to).
In the next game we played, we had to work together to create a physical representation of different spaces or concepts with our bodies. We did a couple rounds of this, creating shapes like Mickey Mouse, an airplane, and a living room. During this time I got to represent Mickey’s ear, an airplane wing, and the other half of a 2-piece end table set. All in the span of 10 minutes!
After that, we had an extra bonus round where we had to create the shape without speaking to each other. The prompt was “Disney attractions,” and when the instructor asked my group which ride we were supposed to be, we found out that half of us thought we were Tiana’s Bayou, and the other half thought we were Tower of Terror…whoops.
Hakuna Matata though, am I right?
The final game we played was kind of a classic icebreaker game, where we had to line ourselves up by birthday order without speaking. This went surprisingly well; we only had two people out of place in a room of probably 40?? Ish??
Ok, so why am I telling you about this not-even-Improv-101 class? Well, because after the session was over, I started thinking (critical mistake) and realized that my whole life has kind of been improv recently, and that the instructor was right–having improvisational skills can really be helpful in all aspects of life.
Let’s go back through the three basic improv rules again. (“Yes, let’s!”)
Yes, And
Anyone who has ever worked in retail or any guest service role knows the phrase: “the customer is always right.” This means more than just providing excellent customer service, it means that when a guest walks up to you, no matter what they say, you kinda have to just roll with it.
I won’t get into any examples this time…but maybe one day I’ll make a post about the time I had to guard a pile of vomit for 20 minutes.
The point is, “Yes, and” has more applications than just in an improv class. Even with something as simple as just having a conversation, I’ve discovered that being able to talk with random strangers about any subject is a very useful skill to have.
Don’t Think
As a chronic overthinker, this one is probably the hardest for me. I’m always thinking about the things I could have said that would have been “better” or “funnier.”
During the improv class, our instructor explained that there’s no need to think about it, because everyone else is so focused on what they’re saying, that truly they are going to forget whatever it was you said, whether it was good or bad.
I have found this to be mostly true; it’s been a week or two since that class and I really only remember a couple of things other people did, haha.
All this to say, the spotlight effect is real. Everyone’s not always looking at you, and you have the freedom to make your own choice, even if you’re not sure if it’s the “right” one.
I might be just preaching to myself here.
No One is the “Star”
I like how this one applies to real life. If you’re always trying to be the best, or the star of the show, not only will that hurt your relationships, but also you will always fall short. There’s always going to be someone who is “better”/has more experience/etc. But it doesn’t matter because no one is the star! We all have unique experiences and perspectives that we can bring to the table.
I remember being in writing classes and being amazed when everyone got the same assignment, or prompt, but all wrote completely different pieces. None of them were the “best,” because they were all so different they couldn’t really be compared against each other. Similarly, we as people are all so unique, there’s no point in playing the comparison game.
I guess my main point is: improv is cool and it has practical applications in real life and you should definitely watch as many unscripted comedy shows as you can.
Please.
I need someone to understand my references.
After the class was over, our instructor showed us a slide of improv resources, which included Dropout! Which made me feel very vindicated. Maybe that subscription wasn’t such a bad financial decision after all…
Anyway, am I “good” at improv?
No.
Have I already signed up for the next improv class?
Yes, and hopefully it won’t be my last : )
*the word “promise” here was used in the…metaphorical sense. Yeah, that’s a thing.
When ChatGPT first released back in, like, 2023, I was so annoyed with people always wanting to talk about Generative A.I. and its consequences. Not because I didn’t care, but because I thought it was so obvious that A.I. was bad that it was physically frustrating for me to hear people argue about its “good uses.” And, I thought that maybe if everyone ignored it, it would just go away.
Well.
Flash forward to 2026, and I don’t think there’s ever a 20-minute period where I’m not looking at, hearing about, or even interacting with some form of artificial intelligence.
All of this to say, I’ve been thinking about A.I. a lot the past few weeks, and that mostly has to do with my current job. Most of you reading this probably know that I’m on the Disney College Program right now, and that my role is merchandise in Disney Springs. But for the last six weeks, I was temporarily deployed to EPCOT for the Festival of the Arts, which started in mid-January and ran until February 23rd. I worked merchandise, which meant I got to work at all the booths that featured artwork from various Disney artists. It was so cool to get to learn about all the art and meet the artists, too.
Besides the artist booths, the festival had other experiences, such as a museum of original Broadway costumes and props, performances every night from the original Broadway actors from different Disney shows (I got to watch some of those while I was working–the dream), animation/drawing classes, a giant paint-by-number mural, and of course very good (and very colorful) food.
Original Broadway CostumesArtist Palette CookiePop Art LatteDole Whip FlightPopcorn, Popcorn Chicken, and WafflesStrawberry Bubble Tea
During this festival I got to experience probably the best night of my entire life, which was hearing James Monroe Iglehart (!!) sing “Bigger Than That,” one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite TV shows (“Tangled: The Series”). I could write a whole blog post about that.
James Monroe Iglehart
But I digress.
Anyway, seeing all of this art, music, and performance got me thinking. Because during the midst of this festival, as I was experiencing all of this human art, I was also hearing a lot of news about A.I. “art.” From the announcement that Disney Plus will eventually platform A.I.-generated videos, to seeing more and more A.I. content on social media, it seems like the world is becoming enamored with the artificial.
So in this age of constantly having to decipher what is real and what is too good to be true, how do we define what actually makes a work of art? Is it the creation itself? Or does the creator have something to do with it? And if so, what makes a good creator? In this essay I will–
Just kidding 🙂 This will not be an essay. Just a silly (but potentially long) blog post 😁
So…buckle in. Lol.
We’ll start with the art itself. What makes a good creation? And what makes something “art”? In my opinion, every good work of art has a story. Story is, arguably, the link that connects all of humanity. We all have stories, and there are even many specific stories that transcend culture and language (like “Cinderella”– there are a thousand different versions of this one story). In order for any song, painting, or movie to connect to its audience, it must have a story.
Think about going to a band or orchestra concert. What happens before the musicians start playing? Usually, the director talks a little bit about the composers and the pieces that will be performed that night. Although it’s obvious that there is a story behind the music, and the music can carry the story on its own, knowing the story heightens the impact of the notes. Meaning comes from that connection between the audience and the sound.
And if you’ve ever watched one of those reality TV talent shows (The Voice, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, etc.) what do they include before every act? That’s right: an incredibly sad story about the person who’s about to perform. Why? Because they know that the story is going to be what ultimately captures viewers.
Even sports have stories. Athletics, in my opinion, is not that different from theater. We love sports for the “story.” It’s live entertainment, we assign teams “roles” like “underdog,” and we root for a specific outcome for our favorite characters (oops, sorry–“teams”). We even judge games based on how fun they are to watch and criticize the actions of the players. “Can you believe that last play?” Sometimes there are even unreliable narrato– referees.
It all comes back to the story.
My favorite part about working at the Festival of the Arts this year was getting to hear the artists’ stories. Sometimes they talked about what inspired the piece, how they decided what media to use, or just their artistic process. One sentiment that many of them expressed was the fun/joy that they had in the creating process. There are many pieces that I look at differently now because I’ve heard the story behind them.
And speaking of artists, if a good creation must have a story, then that story must have a creator. So what makes a good creator? Well, I think that in this case, maybe we should look at the Creator. And here’s where my Christian worldview kicks in.
First and foremost, I think a good creator is intentional; they create with a purpose. If I were to say that nothing about the world mattered, everything was random, God just kind of snapped His fingers and everything appeared, and then He stepped back, most Christians would probably have to disagree. Every single piece of the universe has a purpose. The Earth is situated in the exact position to support life. All life on Earth is part of the same give-and-take life cycle. Every organism in this cycle has a purpose and plays a part in what makes life possible here. I think that was all very intentional.
I think good creators are also thoughtful and create in their own unique voice or style. And when we create like this, we are following the example of our Creator. Many Christians subscribe to the idea that we are made in God’s image. What does this mean? Essentially, we have God’s fingerprint indented into us. Just like how you can tell if something is written by C.S. Lewis, painted by Picasso, or composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda (That was probably the most random list of people I’ve ever come up with!), we all have a similar “touch”: God’s.
To finish out this section, I think good creators take pride in their work and care about their creation. And both of these ideas are needed. Sometimes we don’t care how the work is done. The process is just a means to an end, and as long as it gets done, who cares what happens in the middle?
This is where generative A.I. comes in. It’s so easy to just say, “I want a painting of this sunset,” and plug a photo into any A.I. generator and get an instant result. There, the work is done, and you have a “painting.” Or you can say, “I need a four-page paper on the history of film,” and plug in the assignment details and get an essay in three seconds instead of three hours.
But if, at the end of the day, we’re all plugging prompts into machines and sending in identical “it’s not x–it’s y” sentences and “uncanny valley” images, what is the point of any of it? When we’re applying to jobs and all sending in the same A.I.-generated cover letter, how are any of us going to stand out? When we’re submitting portfolios of our work and it all looks the same, how can we expect anyone to recognize our artistic styles? Twenty years from now, will you be able to point to anything you did and say, “That’s my work, and I’m proud of it, and I can defend it”? Or will we become so dependent on a lifeless technology that we forget that the work, the human touch, is the whole point?
The problem is, we’re conflating premise and plot. This is something that many writers run into when planning their novels/screenplays/etc. Essentially, a premise is an idea. When someone says they have an idea for a book or a movie, it’s a premise. A premise is usually a “what if” question:
“What if toys were sentient?” (Toy Story)
“What if cars were sentient?” (Cars)
“What if emotions were sentient?” (Inside Out)
When we plug prompts into ChatGPT or any generative A.I. platform, we’re plugging in premises, not plots.
Plot is what actually happens in the story. When writers have an idea for a story, they start with the premise, or the “what if.” But they soon learn they need more than that to actually write the book. Who are my characters? What is my story structure going to be? How will my main character move through the Hero’s Journey?
Many stories exist that have good premises, but the actual plot, or story, didn’t really quite live up to it. That’s because a premise, no matter how good it is, is not enough to create a story. A.I. generates based solely on premises, and no matter how “good” the premise is, the final result will always fall short, because there is no mind creating a story, only a computer generating a product.
Ok, now I’d like to present some common arguments I’ve heard in favor of generative A.I., and my thoughts on them:
Everybody’s doing it/we have to keep up with the times/keep up with the rest of the world
This argument is interesting to me, especially when it comes from a Christian perspective because, for the most part, Christians place a large emphasis on not conforming to the world or doing something just because everyone else is doing it.
And if your argument is just that “everyone else is doing it,” let me channel my inner ‘cliche sitcom dialog enthusiast’ and say, “If ChatGPT told you to jump off a cliff, would you?”
It evens the playing field
There’s this myth that you have to “have the best stuff to make the best stuff.” Some say that A.I. evens the playing field for those who want to create art/produce songs/make movies that don’t have all of the resources that industry professionals do.
I’d like to argue, however, that some of the best art has come out of places where resources were limited. Because creativity is about doing more with less. Think about all the Disney movies that have come out in the past six years. How common has it become to see movies that are almost instantly forgotten? Strange World, Moana 2, Wish, the live action Lilo and Stitch, etc. These are not movies that did badly in the box office (it’s Disney–they’re going to make money no matter what), but they are movies that didn’t really leave much of an impression on the audience (generally). This is because of the opposite effect that having resources can create: the more money and support you have, the less pressure there is to create something “good.” Disney is now implementing A.I. into their streaming service. Why? Because they don’t need the human touch anymore, they need products that sell.
It saves so much time/I can focus on “more important” things
This argument is, again, interesting from a Christian perspective. Many Christians believe in a literal seven-day creation, in which the world was created in seven 24-hour days. Now, of course, we cannot “for sure” know how the world was created (and this topic would also be a whole other post). But I have a hard time believing the entire world sprang up in seven days when everything else about God’s creation suggests that growth takes time. Seeds take weeks to produce fruit, seasons come around in months, the earth takes a year to orbit around the sun, a human brain takes 25 years to develop, etc. Nothing worth anything happens instantly. There’s value in struggle, reward in patience, and worth in the work.
Now, it is possible that artificial intelligence has its uses, especially non-generative A.I. My youngest sister was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Apparently, A.I. is being used to develop an insulin pump that automatically calculates how much insulin your body needs and provides it, without you having to pre-calculate how many carbs you’re going to eat. This is the kind of tech I can get behind.
A.I. may even have its uses in other aspects of the world. I’m sure some of the elements I used to design this website are somewhat A.I.-powered, so I really can’t judge anyone. The point of this blog post is not necessarily to campaign for A.I. to be eradicated…but I do think we would probably be better off without it anyway 😂
So what to do with all of this? I’ve just written five Google Doc pages (and if you’ve made it this far, you’ve just read five Google Doc pages) about A.I. How to conclude?
I guess my main point is this: It’s important to engage in humanity. The world is so divided right now; what we need is more human connection, more of a human touch, not less. As an English major, my field of study was under the “humanities” umbrella: an area of academics that studies art, religion, history…essentially what it means to be human. But, of course, you don’t have to have majored in the arts to engage in humanity.
There is so much to be gained from human creation: reading a book, watching a movie, going to a live performance, listening to music, etc. And there is so much to be gained from being a creator: writing, performing, crafting, painting, etc.
In a world of instant gratification, find joy in the process before the product.
