Climbing Ever Skyward

I've been on overdrive lately and I love it. I've had to turn down graphic design and Web design work because I was too involved in my writing project. Ain't that terrific? This is what I have been working toward for I don't even know how many years. I just know I've been climbing this damn ladder for so frigging long I'm not sure how to get off of it. It just occurred to me the short answer is not to get off of it

I've been going to more and more seminars over at ABC Disney where I get to meet writers and producers of top shows. In addition to finding out all kinds of intimate inside information about how the business works, how to stay employed once I get employed, and how to move up, I'm getting to know the people who do the hiring when the time comes.

Much of my effort goes into making people feel comfortable around me and around my disability. I just except fact that certain people are going to be uncomfortable at first. I certainly would be if I'd never been around a guy who, among other things, can't shake hands. I let people know early on that I'm cool about my disability, I joke about it, and then move on, as if it wasn't there. I've heard it referred to as acknowledging the elephant in the room. As long as I acknowledge that I'm in the chair and don't try to ignore it, I found that people pretty much get past it within the first few minutes. In fact, in certain groups of people, I can get a lot of mileage (no pun intended) out of my disability. I know a million jokes about it and readily invite people to have fun with it.

That isn't to say that I poke fun at myself, or I make jokes about my disability to cover low self-esteem. There are some comedians, fat guys, ugly guys, skinny girls, who spew out a long string of jokes about themselves that in my mind, aren't that funny. I wouldn't engage in any mean spirited banter, and, to tell the truth, it rarely comes up. Most people know where the line is. If they don't they find out right away either from me or from the reaction of other people around.

I hope of not being Pollyanna, maybe I'm still enjoying my honeymoon, but everyone I've met so far at ABC/Disney is very nice. Very accommodating. And talk about a diverse company ... I have never seen such a diverse group of people working together anywhere. My experience is that there is always a predominant group. Some places its white people, some places disabled people, whatever. But the diversity there is the predominant group. And it is pretty much at all levels. It's not white guys at the top who have all the power. From what I've seen, it's pretty well spread out among all the ethnic groups. I'm very impressed.

ABC has also offered to help me as much as possible with the completion of my project as well as the production of the promo for it. In other words they are going to great lengths to insure that my script for the pilot episode of The Outsiders is the absolute best it can be, and the video to promote it will not only be something I'll be very proud of, but will have such a knockout production value it's bound to get me noticed, and more importantly a job.

I hate to blather on about this but I am so thankful and so blessed for being in this position. People say I deserve it, and I guess after all the work I put into it I do, but the bottom line is I'm just thrilled to be here.