Favorite Five Friday (59th Edition)

Well, hello there Friday!  It’s been such a happy week.  Let’s dive in…

FAVORITE FIVE FRIDAY

1.  Last week, I wrote about Universal hiring new Tour Guides.  This week,  I get to share that my amazing husband is one of them!  The very first time Dan and I rode the Studio Tour (on our 2nd Anniversary) I told him that he should be one of the guides.  I thought it would be the perfect job for him.  Little did I know it was also the perfect job for me.  I have enjoyed my time at Universal so much, and I am thrilled that Dan has been given the opportunity to join the fun.  I’m so looking forward to watching him work hard throughout training and seeing him show all that he can do.  I am just so proud!  Welcome to the Studio Tour, Babe!

2.  As Dan is about to start training, we decided to go take one of the best tours on the back lot!  My friend, Trevor, is one heck of a guide.  We had a fabulous time experiencing his tour – we learned, we laughed, we loved it.  You should go take his tour, too! (I should do promo work).

3.  Well, while I’m on the subject of Universal… I got to experience it in a whole new way this week.  I occasionally work as a background actor.  When you are watching your favorite movie, all you typically pay attention to are the main actors, right?  Well, if you look again… there are other actors up on screen.  Actors without lines.  Actors coloring in the picture so it looks like a complete piece.  The people you see milling around a scene at a mall, the couple eating at a restaurant, the group on the dance floor at the club… these are all background actors.  People who get paid to add atmosphere and realism to movies and TV shows.  It is certainly not glamorous, but it’s pretty neat to be on set.  So, I do this sporadically. (I think I picked that word because when I was imagining movies with background actors, the first thing that popped into my head was Clueless.  Someone please get that reference.)  This week I was able to do background work on an NBC show that films on the Universal lot.  I got to enter the studio from a different gate, drive down a road I never knew existed, and park in a parking lot that I’d never even heard of before!  I know a lot about the Universal lot, but it made me realize how much I haven’t learned yet.  How exciting!  It was fun to hang out in one of our sound stages, eat craft service, and wave at the trams as they drove by.  I loved getting to see Universal  from a fresh perspective.

4.  #HackmanDisneyAdventures

5.  Obviously we can’t get enough Disney.  So, we joined the Disney Movie Club!   To start our membership we got 5 Disney movies for $1.  No joke!  (Again with the promo) You have to buy a certain amount over the following 2 years, but that won’t be a problem.  The Hackman’s love all things Disney and movie related.  Also, if you are interested in this deal… let me know, and we will refer you! (And not just because we might get some free movies that way 😉  We just want to share the joy.)  Now you know how nerdy the Hackman’s really are.  Not Ashamed.

So, that’s what my week looked like!  Lots of theme parks, lots of movies, lots of happy.  I also learned a couple of things…

• I should always grocery shop on Friday night.  The cool kids are busy.  That means I can find parking at Trader Joe’s, and I can be in and out in about half an hour.
• Nothing feels as good as seeing the person you love most so overjoyed.

That’s all I’ve got.  Enjoy your weekend, beautiful people!