Well, it has hit the official one year mark for me being a home owner. It was one year ago today that Dad, Katie (my Realtor) and myself sat through two days worth of waiting to close on my condo. I moved in to my new condo this weekend a year ago and I still could not be happier. I finally feel all settled in and am just enjoying what I have. No longer am I worrying each month if my rent will go up or if the place I am living will be going condo. Over the last year I have learned a lot of about living. I now see myself watching everything I spend money on and ask, do I really need to do this or buy that. Every time I walk in the front door, I still think, “this is mine.” Really, I truly am lucky to have such a great home and community. I have been utilizing the gym in my complex and have worked hard to loose those few extra pounds. Sure beats going to an extra gym. Anyways, I’m off to go clean house and finish some laundry. Here’s to what I hope is a good number more years in my great condo.
Tag: life
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/03/one-year-ago/
Feb 19 2008
Am I getting boring?
Ok, this is going to sound really strange but I feel that I have changed in a lot of ways towards what I listen to and watch on TV. I have gotten in to the habit now on the way to and from work of listening to NPR on WMFE. Be it Morning Edition or All Things Considered, feel myself listening to it more and more. Even when I am home, I have started to stream WMFE over iTunes and listen to shows like A Prairie Home Companion. It really does intrigue me how my driving habits have changed from listening to my iPod to listening to the world.
What I listen to in the car isn’t the only thing that I have noticed a change. When I am channel cruising at home, I find myself landing on PBS more and watching shows like Antique Roadshow and more recently, I have discovered BBC World News on BBC America. Where I would once come home to watching shows like The Simpsons or Family Guy, I now feel that being informed is what is more important. It has made me realize how much we miss when we watch the sitcoms and soaps. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy my Desperate Housewives but I have realized that I don’t have to watch those shows. There is so much else going on in the real world that is just as fascinating.
I guess some of these changes in routine come from getting older but I think some come from a desire to be informed and having meaningful conversations with my friends. I’ve even gotten in the habit of waking up and watching the news again while I get ready for the day, something I haven’t done since high school when I would go to work when Dad did. There is so much going on in the world that it amazes me more people don’t take the time to learn. I think my appreciation for knowledge and culture comes from my amazing family but also my great experience at a liberal arts college. So I ask, am I just getting boring?
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/02/am-i-getting-boring/
Jan 13 2008
Oh! The Places We Go
So a lot of you might be wondering why I have been AWOL for a good month or so with a few random updates here and there. It’s been over the past several months that I have come to learn a lot about myself. Who I am and what I strive for in my career and what will shape me to what I want to do with the Company. When I accepted my current role with Ticketing, it looked at the time as what I saw as following a passion I developed for tickets. It’s over the past few months that I have come to realize how much of a Guest Service person I am. I no longer have any contact with Guests and find myself finding excuses to get back in the park just to have that “one little spark” with our Guests.
Over the various jobs that I have held since high school, Guest Service and customer interaction have always been an integral part of my job. Be it as a lifeguard or swim instructor, member services or Guest Relations, Guest Service has always been there. It’s taken a lot of thinking and bouncing ideas of my mentors but I have come to a decision that I know will be the right one for me.
This morning, I reapplied to go back to the Dream Squad on another temporary assignment. This is just the start of another casting call process similar to the last time I applied and Guest Relations. I feel that taking a step backwards to a role such as Dream Squad will help me get the balance of Pixie Dust and Guest Service back that I have missed so much working in an office. Our Guests are the main reason that I work for The Walt Disney Company. To see the pure happiness in their eyes when you do something as simple as smile and wave or just saying a quick hello. That is why I work where I do. I miss creating that extra special magic for so many wonderful people and I hope that this step backwards will be the beginning to a great journey forwards.
Just as Walt Disney said himself, “we keep moving forward”. My experience at Ticketing has been one with a lot of learning. Learning that I know will help me down the road when I do decide to apply for Leadership Casting Call. I am glad to have had the experience but I also know when I need to make a decision that is best for myself. I will keep everyone posted over the next couple weeks on my decision to move back to the parks. Feel free to shoot me a line or leave a comments. Thanks everyone for your support!
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/01/oh-the-places-we-go/
Oct 06 2007
Life and Death
I’ve come to the conclusion that we live in a pretty strange world. The past two days have been a real eye opener for me and how I look at life. Taking a step back a few more weeks, a friend of mine was recently admitted to the hospital with a severe case of pneumonia and has been there ever since. While he is slowly getting better, he still remains on a respirator and they don’t know how long it will be till he is fully awake again so they can take him off the respirator.
Fast-forward to this past Thursday, I had picked up a shift at Magic Kingdom with my old area, Main Street, and was doing a quick re-certification on my steam trains so I can keep picking up shifts. Shortly after leaving the train to go help with other things, I am paged out to Frontierland along with a manager for a guest who had passed out while in the que line for the train. Upon arrival, CPR and AED were in progress and once back stage, the guest was pronounced DOA. For anyone that has never first hand witnessed a sheet being pulled over someone’s head, it is pretty moving but death doesn’t end there.
Last night while picking up Adam from work, I was made aware that a fellow Cast Member from Steam Trains who had been in the hospital for a week had past away. Marie Belasthon had been working with Main Street and Trains since 1992. She could always been seen opening Frontierland Train Station every weekday. She was also a single mother of 3 with the youngest still in high school.
So as I am sitting taking in all that is going on, this week alone I have personally witnessed one death, had a co-worker pass away and still have another friend in the ICU fighting for his life. What a strange world we live in.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2007/10/life-and-death/
About
Welcome to Webby Aquatics! This site will give you a look in to the life of Tom Webster. For more information, please visit About Webby or one of the social networking sites above.