The Computer Blackout Blues

At the end of a mostly good weekend, I tried to get on to my laptop to rip a CD. Nothing unusual, just wanted to put Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band onto my iPod. When I put the CD in and opened iTunes, however, my screen went all shimmery and then black. Uh oh. I tried to restart, with no luck (since when does hitting Ctl+Alt+Del twice not restart your computer? I don't know, but I'm pretty upset about it!) so eventually I had to just use the power switch to turn the thing off. Fortunately, everything looked okay when it came back on. No sooner had my desktop come up, though, than the screen went black again. After much fiddling, I discovered that random things would make the screen flash back up--jiggling the wireless toggle, crazily moving my fingers over the touchpad--but it would quickly go black again.

I've had problems with my computer in the past, but this is the first time it's been this bad. I hate to give up quickly, but it wouldn't surprise me to find out my screen is just done. So I may now be trying to buy a new computer before I leave for Florida.

Best Buy has a couple of comparatively economical options. For $399, I can get a Dell with a dual-core processor, 2 GB of memory, and a 160 GB hard drive or for $499, I can get an Asus with 3GB of memory and a 320 GB hard drive. Unfortunately, each has some downsides: the Dell has no webcam (I could buy one and mount it, but...) and, according to reviews, the graphics on the Asus leave something to be desired. Also, the extra $100 for the Asus doesn't seem like that big a deal, except that it bumps the computer up into the next highest price class for the warranties at Best Buy, something I want to invest in. So the price difference actually ends up being closer to $200. The extra GB of memory isn't worth it, but once you figure in the extra 160 GB of hard drive space and the webcam, it might be. I use my computer mostly to store music, videos, and pictures, along with the internet, email, and DVD viewing, so I don't know if I really need the extra hard drive space. I'm not doing any intense gaming or anything like that. Both of these computers have around 15.5" screens, which is another drawback--my old computer had a 14" screen, and even that was a little big for me. But now you can't really get much between the 15" and the little bitty netbooks. So I think this is one thing I'm going to have to compromise on.

I just hate thinking that I'm going to have to spend at least $500 of the money I'd saved for Florida. There's just really very little way to get around having a computer--I'll need it for school in the Spring, anyway, and I was planning to skip taking a TV, and just watch Hulu and DVDs while I'm in Florida. There's a computer lab in the apartment buildings, but I don't want to have to go down there every time I want to check Facebook. It's going to be hard enough as it is to keep in contact with every body at home! And, of course, I need to be able to update my blog frequently! :)

My old computer lasted just over 2 years. It wasn't a really cheap computer, either. It was a pretty nice HP, but I guess I just didn't take good enough care of it. It's extremely frustrating to me, too, that the 2 year warranty had just expired when the screen went out. However, they had already replaced the motherboard and the battery once, so I guess I got my money's worth out of the warranty.

If I have any tech-savvy readers who want to weigh in, please feel free to leave me a comment! Is it a mistake to go cheap and get the smaller hard drive? I'm just afraid that this one won't last long, either, and I don't want to wind up with another very expensive paperweight!

New Bedding for Florida!

I went on a little pre-CP shopping spree this past weekend. Target had put out all of their dorm furnishings and I was inspired to go ahead and buy some of the stuff I will need for the apartment. I bought a couple of packs of hangers and almost all of my bedding. The bedding ended up being a great deal--$25 bucks for the throw pillow (I know this isn't that cheap, but I really loved it), $20 for the sheets, and only $15 for the comforter at Wal-Mart. I love the look I ended up with, but, boy, the sheets and comforter sure feel as cheap as they were! The sheets are supposed to be cotton jersey, but they definitely don't feel "t-shirt soft!"

I plan to keep looking for a comforter because I like the look, but I'm sure I can find another plain black bedspread that doesn't cost much more and hopefully it will be made of a little bit nicer fabric. I also need to find a matching pillow sham. I'm hoping they sell them on WalMart.com, because they didn't carry them in the stores. The comforter, the sheets, the bedskirt, everything...except the shams. And they weren't just out: they never carried them! I don't know what's up with that. So the lovely yellow and white sham featured in the above picture is from the bedding that I usually use. It doesn't look bad with the new stuff (the yellow shades look closer in real life than they do in the picture), but I hate to take the sham from my nice bed set down there. That was kind of the point of buying cheap-o bedding this time around.

The sheets also feel a little scratchy, but I love the pattern (the subtle pinstripe doesn't show up very well in the pics) and I'm hoping they'll soften up when I wash them. The yellow and grey pillow is definitely a winner and really the whole reason I decided to go with this color scheme. Plus--bonus alert!--it matches the things that are in my bedroom at home right now. So unlike the rest of the things I bought, it won't have to sit in the closet until August.

Online Shopping: All The Cool Kids Are Doing It!

Disney announced yesterday that they would begin to sell some of their park merchandise online at DisneyStore.com. The selection is small: only one t-shirt style, Mickey ear hats, and a few other categories. But I'm sure this is just the beginning.

I think this is a pretty neat idea. The last time we went to WDW, I really wanted to buy the park soundtrack. But by the time our last day rolled around, I still hadn't picked it up, and no one wanted to spend our last few hours in a shop while we could be getting in one last ride. I toyed with buying it off Ebay, but there was a very small selection, and even used copies were almost full park price. So I never did buy it. If this option had been around back then, I probably would have sprung for the CD and bought it off the website. Now of course, I'm glad that I didn't, because I can get a 20% off discount when I buy the CD in a few months (woo hoo for cast discounts!) And that will be one of the first things I buy when I go into the park--after my first pair of Mickey Mouse ears. (Can you believe I've been to WDW 4 times and never had a pair? I don't deserve the label "Disney fan".)

The park CDs aren't actually offered on the website right now: like I said, it's a very limited selection. But just give them time...

As a (future) Merchandise CM, I also get to look at it from the perspective of my job...but I have absolutely no idea how it will affect it. I don't think it's going to really be that big of a deal. They've had a phone line where you could order park merchandise for years, so its not really that different. I just wanted to point out how cool it is that Disney news is now news that indirectly affects me. :)

Dream Work Locations

Since I'm going to be working Merchandise, and I love lists, I thought I would share my list of the top 5 stores I think I would like to work at. I'm not even sure if CPs usually work at all of these stores, but oh, well. This is just for fun. Ready? Here we go!

Sid Cahuenga's One-of-a-Kind --Hollywood Boulevard, DHS

This shop is one that immediately jumped out at me as a place that I would LOVE to work. I'm a huge, huge movie fan, and this store, which carries autographed posters, authentic props, and other movie memorabilia, seems like just my cup of tea.

Animation Gallery--Animation Courtyard, DHS
Like many people, my first Disney love was their animated movies. I have a true soft spot in my heart for these films, and a true appreciation for the art that goes into them. So I think I would also truly appreciate this store, which sells authentic cels, and other Disney animation collectibles. I loved shopping here as a guest, why not working here as a CP?

Castle Couture/Tinkerbell's Treasures--Fantasyland, MK

These two stores may represent the epitome of "Disney merchandise" to many people: girly and glittery. It's really one large building, divided up into two sides: Castle Couture sells dress-up get-up, while Tinkerbell's Treasures sells...well, I don't actually know. The last time I was there, it was all one store, and they sold mostly princess stuff. While I was looking for pictures for this entry, I came across the news that it was now two stores. I'm assuming that, since Tinkerbell and her fairy friends have their own franchise now, Tinkerbell's Treasures sells fairy stuff. I think this would just be a really fun, fun place to work. Little girls shopping for tiaras, tea sets, and those little plastic dress-up shoes. What could be more sweet? Plus, over in Castle Couture, you can see Princess Aurora's color changing dress really changing colors, and at Tink's...well, if you have a really good eye, you might just spot Tinkerbell herself flitting around the store! No kidding! You've just gotta love the Disney magic. :)

World of Disney--Downtown Disney

I like to think of this store as the Wal-Mart of Disney. They sell absolutely EVERYTHING. If they can slap a Disney character on it, they sell it. This size of this store is truly unbelievable, though. It's hard to know for sure because of the way the store is divided into themed rooms, but it may be even bigger than your average Wal-Mart Supercenter. I mean, it...is...huge! This store is always jam packed, which would make it a very, very exciting place to work. Plus, it's actually not located in a Disney park--it's a part of Downtown Disney. This has its downsides, of course, but I think it would be kind of neat to save the actual parks as a place for pure fun and days off. So this mega-store makes my list.

Tower of Terror Gift Shop--Sunset Boulevard, DHS
I can't have a list of Disney shopping without an attraction gift shop, right? Basically every ride at WDW has at least one gift shop that you must exit through to get back out onto the street. Some sell very generic merchandise, while others sell merchandise that is specifically themed to their attraction. By far, my favorite of these shops is the one attached to the Tower of Terror. The elaborate theming from the ride pours out into the gift shop, where you can buy all kinds of hotel-inspired merch: bathrobes with the Hollywood Tower Hotel logo, bellhop bells, and even this...

Mickey, my face looks the exact same way every time I ride. :)

The Wonderful World of Disney (Discounts)

Here's that long-promised post about what may be one of the most important and interesting aspects of the Disney College Program...discounts!

CPs get tons of discounts, not only at Disney, but at places all around Orlando! Local restaurants, hotels, and shops offer Disney Cast Members discounts...because we're just...that...cool. :) These discounts aren't so easy to know about in advance--they're called TEAM Discounts (I'm sure 'TEAM' is a cute acronym) and are listed on the HUB (which I won't have access to until I check in) and in a book that I can get once I get down to Florida. But Disney is fairly open about the discounts they offer, and, boy: even just that list is enough to make me want to sign up for the CP all over again!

For one thing, I get discounts on dining at Disney. I get a 20% discount, which can also be used by those eating with me. This will definitely come in handy as I complete my first big mission at WDW: eat at every restaurant in the World Showcase at Epcot. First down? Probably gonna be Akershus, the restaurant in Norway. What in the world do Norweigans eat, anyway? Inquiring minds want to know. For some reason, I'm thinking a lot of fish...

I also get a discount on merchandise. And since I'm going to be surrounded by merchandise all day, I can see me finding lots of things that I just have to come back on my day off to buy. That is also a 20% discount. But even better than the regular merch discount: I'll get to shop at Property Control, otherwise known as Cast Connection. This is where they send discontinued and overstock merchandise, and only Cast Members are allowed to shop there. Basically it's the ultimate Disney outlet! The discounts here range from 50-75% off original in-park prices. How cool is that?

Now it's time for the two biggies: resorts and...drum roll...park admission! Here is what everyone needs to keep in mind: I get some pretty sweet discounts, and if you want me to get you some deals, you better be nice to me between now and August. Are you listening (reading), family?

Ah, I'm just kidding of course. (But, no. Really. Be nice.) But the deals are pretty awesome. On resort reservations, there are two different deals Cast Members can get. If I stay in the room, I can get up to a 50% off discount (depends on the season--busy times for the resorts, I can't get as big of a discount). These reservations are unlimited. If I won the lottery between now and August, I would never even have to stay in the CP housing--I could just stay in a different Disney resort every night of the semester.

If I don't stay in the room, and just get a reservation for someone else, then the discount is only up to 40%. These are limited to 5 reservations. The length of the stay is unlimited, however, so that really is quite a few discounted nights when you think about it. And even though I'm assuming each room would count as a separate reservation, I don't know about that. (See? As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes I don't know everything.)

And now, the grand-daddy of all "I know someone at Disney who can get me a discount" discounts...park admission. Of course, I get in for free as often as I want while I'm there. Definitely sweet. But that doesn't help you, my friend, family member, or slightly creepy stranger who is trying to figure out how to bum tickets off of a blogger you've never met. For all of you (except you, creepy stranger), I get 6 Main Entrance Passes. These passes can be used to get up to 3 other people in. That means if I use one of my passes to get in two people, well, I've basically lost a free ticket. 3 people...6 times. It was a little confusing for me at first, but maybe I'm the only one out there who has trouble understanding this. 3 people...6 times. These tickets are Park Hoppers, which means that my guests can leave and enter as many different Disney parks as they'd like on the day that I get them in.

So, now you all know all about the super sweet discounts I can get for my friends and family. Let the schmoozing begin! ;)

My New Year's Resolution...A Few Months Late (Next Year's Resolution: Stop Procrastinating!)

Hi, my name is Bethany, and I'm a shop-aholic. (All of you: "Hi, Bethany!")

There. As they say, the first step is admitting you have a problem.

My problem is shopping. It just comes with the territory, I suppose, when you're an interior designer. I basically want to shop for a living (just kidding--interior design's a lot more complicated than that!). But seriously, if I could, I would spend all of my money on $3000 chairs from Design Within Reach. Luckily, (or unluckily, I suppose) there are always cheaper things that catch my designer-eye. Vases, art, pillows--all of these things are cheap enough to get me into trouble. "Hmm." I say to myself. "I don't really need another lamp, but this one's only $20!" It's a serious problem.

DVDs are another weakness, though this is one I think I've begun to conquer recently. I used to be the worst about buying movies--any movies--just because they were only $5 or $10. I now have a huge DVD collection, full of DVDs I've never seen, or ones that I'm not even that crazy about--but at least they were cheap. Recently, though, I've found myself more easily able to restrain myself, even when Best Buy's having a sale. The last movie I bought was "A Fish Called Wanda", which barely even counts because it was only $3, it was several months ago now, and that movie's just worth it anyway.

But all of this to say that I've decided to seriously start saving some money. I know that I'm not going to become a millionaire on the CP, and probably need to have some money saved up just to make ends meet and be able to afford to do all of the fun things that I NEED to do while I'm in Florida.

I'm planning on working full-time this summer, so that will help me put up some money. But before I get all of that extra money, I need to get better about taking care of the money I have now! For the last few months, I've been putting away 10% of each paycheck into my savings. It's a slow road--seeing that you have $50 put away after several weeks doesn't exactly make it seem like you're a Rockefeller. But my balance is finally starting to get large enough where it actually makes me a little bit excited to put money into that account.

And, so, it's finally time for me to say it--I'M GOING TO STOP SPENDING SO MUCH CRAPPIN' MONEY! Whew, I feel better. I've been inspired by blogs like http://mynobuy2009.blogspot.com/, where the blogger is trying to completely cut out all non-necessary spending for the year. I don't know if I'm going to take it quite as far as she is (I don't want to steal her idea! :)) but I'm definitely going to try to reevaluate. I buy so much stuff thinking how happy it will make me. It's not that I'm trying to fill some hole in my life, it's just that I buy a new shirt thinking how much I'll enjoy wearing it, and how much easier it will make it to get dressed in the morning if I have that one extra shirt. And it does make me feel nice to wear new clothes..but I don't need them. And 4 or 5 months after I buy it, once the weather turns, that shirt gets stuffed into the back of my closet, and it will then be part of the problem--the closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear.

I want to make my resolution public, so I'll do better about sticking to it. If I feel guilty about buying stuff; if I feel like I might be letting people down, it will be easier not to spend. And that will give me the push I need. Eventually saving will be its own reward, but right now I need the extra oomph of guilt.

I should say, though, that eating out, going to the movies, anything like that, is not being cut back. I don't need to save money that badly, and this is almost more about just streamlining my life than anything--I want to just not buy so much darn stuff!

Have you made any big budget cutbacks recently? Got any fool-proof tips? Now that the comment function is fixed, I want to hear about them!

P.S. I'll still be buying some new frames for those cute prints I bought out at West Elm last week. I need to start off with baby steps. ;)