"Inktober" Challenge - Day 26

Turns out I had to work another four hours last night. One worker called in sick, and two other workers couldn't be reached, so I came to the rescue.

I didn't mind too much; it was only four hours, I didn't have to close up (though I did start to close up), and I got to buy some potato wedges afterward, before the hot case was shut down for the evening. I even got to put the wedges in the box myself; plus, I snagged a chocolate bar and a Dr. Pepper, my favorite. Naturally, I shared the wedges with my family, since we all love them, and there were too many for one person to eat.

Payday was today, but my mom calls it (half-jokingly) "Exchange Day," because no sooner do you get your paycheck than most of it gets devoured by bills and other necessities. In my case, student loans and medical insurance gobble me up.

If I just had to pay for one or the other, I wouldn't mind so much. But I borrowed a ton of money for college (that's probably the only thing about college that I regret), and I feel like I've been bullied into taking this medical insurance; they flat-out told me, "Get medical insurance or face a hefty fine." Both my mom and I feel that that's not really fair. Yes, I recognize the importance of insurance, but they shouldn't twist my arm this way, and forking out more than $200 a month, along with everything else, with the kind of income I have right now, is pretty painful. Even when I'm able to cover it all (at least for the month), I'm left with a very puny nest egg.

If I wasn't living at home, I'd be a lot worse off, and I'd lose a lot more sleep over this. Right now, I couldn't go anywhere even if I wanted to. I couldn't afford my own place, I couldn't afford a car; I doubt I could afford groceries.

I guess I shouldn't complain. I know money isn't everything...but having a little more to spare here and there is always nice. It would be nice to have something to show for all the time and effort I've put in these last few weeks. It would be nice to have a friendly splurge once in a while. Oh, well.

On the plus side, I'm making my payments on time, which means I don't owe any late fees; my credit score is healthy, and best of all, I'm one step closer to paying those student loans in full. I owe those guys a little less money now than I owed them before. Progress is good...so far.

Now, on to the "Inktober" challenge! I can't believe I've already reached day 26. (That means NaNoWriMo is less than a week away.) I'm going to miss doing this when it's over...and I'll most definitely have to do this again next year.

Disney theme: "Experimental Era."

The years 2000 through 2009, when Disney movies were still good (in fact, they were great), but they didn't get quite as much recognition (or love) as they should. At least they're gaining some recognition now.

I remember when Brother Bear first came out, I watched the VHS (yes, I am that old-fashioned) almost every chance I could get. Before you knew it, I could quote most of the dialogue and sing just about all the songs on cue. That's not to imply that I don't love the movie today, because I do. It's a real gem.

Even Brother Bear 2 is nice; I rank it as the second or third best sequel.

The other theme: "Squeak."

I think my own heart just stopped from the sheer cuteness.