My Disney Obsession

or: Why Some of You Will Love Me and Some of You Will Hate Me

Look at me, so distracted by the Disney I can't even pay attention.

If you've read my first post or my "About Me" tab then you may have noticed I mentioned a love for the Disney Company. "Aw, cute." you chuckle, or, "Huh, weird." you mumble skeptically. To get all of my cards on the table I'll touch a bit more on what I mean. 

Guys. 

I'm obsessed. 

No, you don't understand.

I always have been (except perhaps my first trip when I was two or so), always will be (unless some sort of amnesia comes between us). I can memorize Disney trivia easier than memorizing any other subject. I know all the words to Yo-Ho (A Pirates Life for Me). All the words. I feel more at home on Main Street than I do on my street.  It worries people. I do not care. 

Me and my sass ride the WDW carousel. 

Growing up an only child honestly is what fostered my passion. I was kind of what you would call a "lonely only". I was mature for my age, something that alienated me from other kids for the most part. Usually, I got along with my mom far better than I did with people from school. I had a few friends, but our interaction was limited at best. Now don't think this is the start of the pity party, because that's not the case, and anyway you didn't bring a desert like you said you would so it's cancelled. CANCELLED. Quite the contrary, I truly believe that it shaped the person I am today. I'm more creative and imaginative, an attribute I feel I owe to hours playing on my own. Perhaps this is the main reason I feel so at home in the Disney parks, a place literally built with imagination and creativity. 

We went to Disney quite a bit when I was a youngin'. We lived close enough, and my parents soon realized it was the one place I really seemed to enjoy completely. This made it a favorite for birthdays (We tried Chuck E. Cheese once. Once. This resulted in me breaking my Dad's nose ON ACCIDENT and was the last attempt at a change of scenery.). Quickly, I associated nearly every warm and fuzzy memory with the mouse. Disneyland began to be synonymous with family and smiles and happiness.

The movies crept into my psyche as well. I'm told that I used to watch Peter Pan endlessly. Waking up sick in the dead of night meant World of Color and Silly Symphonies on Disney Channel. I snuck into the living room when my parents rented Nightmare and watched from behind the couch, it quickly became one of my favorites (please note Jack Skellington 3rd birthday cake pictured below).

"No really, she's normal." - My Parents 1994

The foundation was set, but my love didn't fully blossom until two things happened: 

1. I entered a homeschooling program. 

2. I discovered the internet 

I started homeschooling in the eighth grade. When I say homeschool I should clarify, my mom didn't teach me. I had a teacher. In a building. That I visited and took tests with on a regular basis. I read books, taught myself, and to some extent, came up with my own curriculum. It was awesome and it gave me a bunch more free time. Free time that my mom and I used to go to Disneyland much more often. We became passholders, and thus some of my favorite Disney memories had a place to grow. If I finished school work on a Tuesday, we'd be in the parks on Wednesday. Disneyland became my classroom, and boy I was hooked on them phonics. For the first time I was able to explore Disneyland the way it's meant to be explored: when it's less crowded. We were no longer pressured to do everything before the end of the day, a crucial element to my appreciation. I could see things I had never seen before. I began to notice details, and single out favorite areas not based on their rides, but their atmosphere.  

R.I.P awkward straddle seats (circa 1998)

Some time before that, I had an issue. Haunted Mansion scared the crap out of me. Yes, that's extremely embarrassing. I didn't know what it was, but I would develop some insane anxiety if I even laid eyes on the damn thing. I forced myself (Notice I say myself. My parents do not believe in forcing me to ride a ride if it genuinely scares me and I don't think any parent should.) to ride HM once and closed my eyes tearfully through the whole thing. It was a problem. Finally at the VERY EMBARRASSING age of 10 I decided enough was enough. I had to get over this stupid phobia and the way I did so was kind of brilliant. I discovered this website called Doom Buggies which at the time outlined nearly every aspect of the attraction. This could work. I could familiarize myself with every angle; the history, the technology, the layout, everything, and then maybe, just maybe, I could face it. I plopped down and poured hours into my research, and slowly I felt the fear evaporate away. How silly that I was afraid of that effect created with mirrors and lights and mannequins! How laughable that something as simple as a scrim could shed my precious tears! Why you're not scary at all, Paul Frees! Ha! I felt empowered. Quickly I discovered other sites for other, less scary rides and I was hooked. I had finally found something I liked studying.

Soon after, my experiment was put to the test and I'm happy to report Haunted Mansion is now one of my favorite rides in Disney history.

The "forced" ride. Before my turn-around. 

Today, I'm here. I'm the same goofball kid in a bigger package, and my love is the same. Disneyland is still my favorite place to be, and I have a sneaking suspicion that isn't changing. I'm also not delusional by any means. I know the company is an enormous corporation with it's fair share of scandal and I know the parks are expensive (hell, I complained about this when I was a kid too.), but I am, if anything, an optimist through and through. I will always smile and pay my tab to enter the gates that I consider my front door. Because the parks are my home, plain and simple. I realize that makes me look like a sucker, and you can think that. I don't really care. I'm a happy one.

My mom understands. 

I'm always looking forward to my next visit to the land of Disney, and I can't wait for the memories I'll form there some day. Lately especially, I've been particularly dreamy about escaping again and I plan to chronicle most (if not all) of my Disney experiences on this blog (D23 anyone?). Does that mean I can just call myself a "freelance writer" and say I'm attending expos, movies, and the parks for "research"? Can I get a HELL YEAH?



Hell yeah. 




Have a wonderful day, everyone and thanks for reading.


-Jen

Bonus picture: I'm the one that's not a cardboard rodent