In case you've encountered something confusing in the blog. A place or abbreviation that you might not be familiar with, hopefully this will help. You can thank
Joe McClendon for the clever posting date and time idea.
BTTF: Back to the Future
This abbreviation is usually referring to Back to the Future the Ride at USH unless otherwise noted. My first job in L.A. was as a part time operator for this motion simulator ride in 2004. I became a lead and attraction supervisor soon after I began working there full time. The uniforms involved yellow button shirts, khaki pants with elastic ankles and fake cargo pockets, a fleece lined lab coat and a mandatory pocket protector. I worked at the ride until fall of 2006 when I was promoted to a full time office job. The ride closed in September of 2007 and I was a participant on the last official ride cycle.
ECA: Educational Center for the Arts
ECA was a magnet high school in the New Haven area that local public schools would send artistic kids to in order to hone their crafts. It was divided into five different departments: Dance, Drama, Creative Writing, Music (instrumental/vocal) and Visual Arts. Students participated mainly in their home department with occasional elective classes. I attended the visual arts department during my sophomore-senior years of high school.
HHN: Halloween Horror Nights
This refers to the time of year when USH fills the park with various monsters who jump out at you, fog machines, tinted lights and scary walk-through mazes. People would come out to this event in outrageous numbers, way more than daytime park operation. I worked crazy hours at this event in 2006 and 2007, sacrificing every weekend (and most Halloween parties) in October for two years. Most shifts began around 5:30 in the evening and finished up closer to 3:00 am with a trip to Denny's.
A national chain of furnished temporary apartment complexes. Lived in the Los Angeles branch during my final semester at Emerson College in a two bedroom, four person apartment. The location was on a hillside directly between Warner Brothers and Universal Studios. Aside from college students, the grounds were overrun with wannabe child actors who were living there during pilot season until they got their big break.
USH: Universal Studios Hollywood
Located in the heart of it's own city, the entertainment capital of L.A. is a theme park within a working movie studio. I got a job here in 2004 and worked my way up from a line employee through various lead and supervisor positions. I still have a big stack of unused business cards that prove this.
USY: United Synagogue Youth
This is a Jewish group for high school aged kids that combines social, religious and leadership activities. The group covers the entire USA and Canada, with events of various sizes taking place all over the country. I was involved in this group throughout high school, serving on regional and international boards and attending conventions in Orlando, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Jose.
This is a USY (
see above) summer program with 48 teens and 5 college aged staff traveling on a coach bus for 7 weeks. The trip crisscrosses the country, usually starting in New York, heading to Los Angeles and then working your way back. The participants come away from the trip with wonderful friends, great experiences and all sorts of memories. Kids stay in homes from the local Jewish communities, at hotels and sometimes in national parks. I went on this trip when I was 16 years old in 1998 and staffed four times from 2001-2005, including once as the group leader.
WAKA: World Adult Kickbal Association
World Adult Kickball Association. Grown ups get to play a kids game, followed by drinking at the local bar. Each division board plans parties and argues rules mostly. I have played consistantly since 2007.
