Workaholic

This week I've been working like crazy!  I got almost 45 hours of work at Jamba Juice, and about 15 hours at maurices.  That's almost 60 hours.  The other day I picked up another employees shift at Jamba - giving me a 12-hour day there.

My good friend Taylor Dugger keeps asking when we're going to be able to get together for lunch or a movie night and due to work I keep blowing her off.  She's called me a workaholic on more than one occasion.

I tell myself that I work so much so that I can start building up my savings account.  It would be worth all the work if I were seeing some of my money go into my savings account, but I've had some expenses lately that have drawn a lot from my account.  I've needed to build my wardrobe for work at maurices.  Before I started working there I didn't have a lot of cute clothes, and I've needed to wear cute things to work - "wear what you sell."  Even with my amazing employee discount I'm still spending more than I should.

The other day my phone keeled over, so I had to buy a new one.  I was torn between two models - The HTC freestyle ($100) and another model (I can't remember the name, but it was $40).  I went with the HTC.  It's a sweet phone, but it did cost a pretty penny!  This week I have rent to pay.  I have a gym membership to pay (which, due to my heavy workload I haven't been able to use a whole lot since I started my second job!).  And soon my friends and I are planning a trip to Disneyland which I've got to pay for.  We're getting a steal of a deal splitting the costs, but it's still a chunk of change!

So what is the real reason I work so much if it's costing me almost as much as I earn? 

I do enjoy my work!  I like the fact that I'm not at my apartment sitting around doing nothing.  I'm out and about.  I'm "socializing" at work.  While I'm outside of the apartment I can talk and get to know more people - even if it's not quite the same as hanging out with people, it's still an opportunity to be out and talking to co-workers and customers.

I also enjoy that I'm not constantly eating while I'm at work.  At Jamba sure I get my free shift meal (which I could usually go without, but it's free, so why not take it?) but I'm not constantly grazing on whatever snacks seem to be lying around.  I drink more water because I'm talking and my mouth gets dry.

I'm moving around!  Although it's not a replacement for the gym, it's a little extra movement which burns a few extra calories.

Work is just so good for me, I'm glad I have it!  I wish I had a little more time to spend with friends, but I'm not usually hanging out during the day with anyone, so I'm glad to be doing what I'm doing.

Today I had an entirely work-free day!  No Jamba, no maurices so I'm took time to visit Temple Square and do baptisms for the dead at the Salt Lake Temple.  I went with my oldest sister, Brittany, who I haven't been able to bond with in years, so this was a good "sisters" day for us. 

Work is good, but having a day off occasionally is even better.

I didn't get the guy I wanted, but I knew all along that he wouldn't make me happy

A few weeks ago I was "dating" a guy in my ward.  I really enjoyed spending time with him - we always did fun things together - Hostess raids, nerf dart attacks on his roommates, movie nights, just fun stuff!  Eventually we kind of dissolved.  I should have known it was coming from the start because we never really talked - all along we were just friends/cuddle buddies.  When we actually talked about everything I wasn't upset about just being friends though.  The only time I was upset about the situation was during the day when I had nothing else to think about - I thought about him.  I thought about other girls in the ward going after him and vice versa.  I was jealous when I had those thoughts, but everytime I would actually see him I was happy to call him my friend.

We're more like Harry and Hermione

Yesterday I saw him with his new girlfriend - someone not in the ward.  I was happy for him!  The girl he was with looked very nice - looked like someone who has and will make him happy.  I know it sounds weird, but I am genuinely happy for him and I hope he'll be happy with her.

I know I'm better off without him.  I wouldn't make him happy, and I've realized he wouldn't have made me happy.  It's not just about having any boyfriend - there really needs to be some chemistry going on.  For us, there never was.  I wanted him because I liked the idea of dating someone, not neccessarily dating him.

I didn't get the guy, but I am so much better off and so much happier!

1937 vs 2011

vs.

I was recently talking with some co-workers about Disney movies when one brought up the fact that she tried to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the other day, but couldn't handle it because there was only one plot line and it moved too slowly for her.  I've heard it before, and I'll be the next one to say it:  We live in a time where story is no longer enough.  We live in a time where stimulus is everything.  People have no patience today. 

Notice the differences between these posters.  Snow White's poster is filled with pastel colors, a basic background that doesn't draw attention to itself, simple smiles and poses, and virtually every character in the movie.   The poster for Tangled shows bright colors, extremely detailed scenery in the background, a determined look on each of the main 3 characters faces, and they stand in kind of awkward poses to be honest.

Notice the backgrounds specifically.  Snow White's background doesn't draw any attention to itself.  The castle is there to hint that Snow White is royalty, but it isn't there to take away from the focus of the main character.  The castle is done in a lighter ink than the characters.  You don't want to spend much time looking at it, because it really has nothing to do with the story line.  Tangled's background kind of distracts from the main characters.  When looking at this poster my eye travels from Rapunzel's awkward stance in the front to the tower in the back.  There is no dividing line between the scenery and the characters.  The same goes for the entire movie.  Everything is animated with stimulating colors - the only reason your eyes stay focused on Rapunzel and Flynn is because they are the ones moving.

True, Walt Disney was a visionary.  He kept up with the latest technology and took advantage of anything and everything available to him.  Notice that Snow White was filmed in Multiplane Technicolor.  Yes, I have no doubt that Walt, if alive today, would be pursuing computer animation.  In fact, I think he would probably have been the first to use it.  He would have taken advantage of the speed and almost life-like quality that comes from computer animation.  He would have created amazing movies, I'm sure.  But I'm not arguing that Walt's creations were "better" in any way than today's movies.  They're both good - just in different ways.

All-in-all, in the 1930s people were more patient.  They didn't mind taking their time to get to the happily ever after.  They enjoyed the music, the comedy, and the emotion.  Today, that just isn't enough.  It seems like everyone must be hurrying.  Rapunzel and Flynn do a lot of running, fighting, and keep on the move constantly.  Their story isn't the only one we follow.  We see Mother Gothel weave in and out with her own twisted addition to the plot.  Anytime you can tell there is a slow moment between Rapunzel and Flynn we cut to a scene of Mother Gothel's scheming.  We never see Rapunzel and Flynn just walking for more than a minute, there always must be something going on that we need to pay attention to.  If you stop watching for just one minute, you just might get lost in what is happening.

I love that I live in this day and age.  I've said before that I belong in the 1940s.  I still think I would have enjoyed it immensely.  I would have enjoyed taking my time a little more.  I would have enjoyed the patience, but I enjoy living in today's world where I can compare and contrast.  I'm eclectic.  I don't have one specific style.  I like to gather bits and pieces of all kinds of styles from different time periods.  I will always enjoy the classics from the past, but I can't ignore the present and future.

To me, it doesn't matter how the characters get there, how slowly or speedily it arrives, but the one thing I can always be certain of in a Disney movie - there will always be a Happily Ever After.