Babbles of a Fan Girl - What I've Learned in the "Real World"

You may have not noticed because I'm so subtle about it, but I haven't been happy with the direction my career has gone post college.  The other day I was scanning through my old blogs, trying to get some inspiration for future articles and I stumbled upon this adorable, little gem as seen here. Could three years really have changed and bittered my perspective on the real world so much?  Since that article I have worked two jobs: one in promotions/marketing and the other in sales/event planning.  And what have I learned?  Well let's dive into that.

I wanted to put a minion here, so I did.

All That Glitters is Not Gold 
It's pretty simple and I don't think this lesson needs much fleshing out.  If a job seems to be too good to be true, it probably is.  Oh! And do NOT, I repeat DO NOT ever work somewhere you appreciated as a child.  Chances are you will run into a place that crushes you image of what you thought that business to be like when you were a child.  It will make you angry and resentful and you will spend a few years wishing you could make it better only to realize it was a ship sinking long before you ever got on it.  It sucks. Speaking of when things suck....

NO! Not THAT!
(PS: NEVER Google "sexy vacuum")

If Your Work Life Suck, Improve Your Personal Life 
After wedding wrapped up I knew I needed to get back into blog writer ASAP.  Why?  Because I needed a task to make me feel fulfilled in the way work never could.  I try to focus on writing, reading, and just enjoying the internet.  I have a dog and a husband that I will spend many a night with cooking dinner and watching shows on the couch.  I have friends (yeah, who would have guessed that!) and I see them often on the weekend. In short, I have a kickass personal life and that helps balance things out.  If you don't feel good about your day job, do yourself a favor and figure out what you need to make your life at home grand.  Which brings me to my next point:

Get A Hobby 
You know how so many cranky, old people below, "GET A JOB!"?  Well I do the same thing with hobbies.  If you are feeling crappy because you come home from a draining job and just stare at the wall, dreading going to work the next day, it's time to get a hobby.  Ask my husband if you need help coming up with an activity to do.  The man collect hobbies like some people collect bobble heads, and he's damn good at every hobby he undertakes.  Do you know why?  Because he treats every hobby with precision and dedication.  The same precision and dedication you would apply to a day job.  If work has you down and feeling like your brain is turning to the green mush from Troll 2, it's time to get passionate about something!

Because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

You Probably Won't Make Money from Your Hobbies....and That's Okay!
I used to think that my blog and youtube channel would one day make me famous enough that I wouldn't have to ever do anything but the two for the rest of my life.  That really is my ultimate dream, to make my art for a living.  I often stop and remind myself though that that is a privilege that few people get.  It requires a raw talent, determination, and dash of dumb luck that very few get.  Plus you can't be lazy.  You can't come home from work and just mindlessly type for a few hours and hit "post". It requires turning your hobby from a hobby to a part-time job. Not that there is anything wrong with trying to turn something like this blog into a business, but not at the point that your creation process suffers.  There was a point where I wasn't writing because I thought the topics I wanted to cover weren't "marketable" enough.  And that's just dumb.  I had some people reading and that was more than enough.  It I start worrying about every schmuck that comes here to read I will probably have an aneurism.  So maybe you will manage to make your hobby turn into a business and maybe you won't.  Just don't let your hobbies suffer because you put a paycheck like and asterisk next to it.  Remember why you started that hobby, because you like it, because it keeps you sane, because it's an escape from that pesky job you've been trying not to think about all morning.  So that's what I've learned.  Work can suck, work can shatter your perception on the real world but it can lead you to doing great things.  Just don't let those escapes turn into another job you resent and dread.

Here's to hoping that something good is around the bend!

My inner Disney Princess is still hoping

Tootles!


Xoxo

Babbles of a Fangirl - Disney's Frozen

My favorite Disney film is Tangled.  There, I said it.  If you would like to judge me get in line behind the people who don't understand why I like ponies.  To me Tangled encompassed everything that the Disney films from my childhood had while still remaining aware of how its audience has changed.  When I heard about Disney's newest crack of the animated whip "Frozen" I was optimistic but not jumping out of my seat to witness any footage released early.  Instead I waited idly by, until on a snuggly Sunday afternoon I decided to go see the icy concoction myself.

I was not disappointed.

Frozen, in short, delivers two things extremely well.  It has that catchy music that makes it irresistible for both children and children at heart alike.  Second, it doesn't try to hard.  When I saw Princess and the Frog I felt the entire time like the movie was trying so hard to be that nostalgic Disney film that I couldn't focus.  On top of that it was also trying to break that glass ceiling many Disney films are under.  The problem was that Princess and the Frog was trying to break that ceiling with a Miley Cyrus mounted wrecking balls and that's just no fun for anyone (especially the wrecking ball). Frozen, on the other hand, also takes a crack at that glass ceiling, only this time they are slowly melting the glass down as they warm our hearts.  The characters are sweet and memorable, the plot and villain are not what you would expect, and the songs are to die for!

Case and point here:

I feel that this is a great example for young girls, showing them that even if you are awkward or shy you have something great inside of you worth showing.  As for adult audiences, not only will it kick up those warm and fuzzies from the good old days, but it will entertain you with a fun story and great comedy mixed with action.

Plus there is a Rapunzel and Flynn cameo....what more could you ask for?

Just let it go, darlings.  Let it go!

Movie Musings - Brave

I'm working on it, Brave, I'm working on it

Where was THIS movie when I was growing-up?!?  Now before you say, "It was there, it was called 'Mulan'" I'd like you to lend me your ears and hang up your weapons.  Before I defend why I loved this movie, I'm going to point out everything I've heard against this movie.

1. It's not a very original story.
2. Pixar has done better

To address the first complaint, yes, this movie does have a more traditional plot.  Without spoiling anything, it has the typical heros quest adventure with a splash of girl power, something we've been seeing a lot from in the latest attempts at princess movies.  But this movie takes a traditional plot line and does it well, a feat that seems to allude movie makers on many an occasion.  It shows a heroes quest of not only a young girl, but of a strong-willed character.

Now as far as the argument that this is not Pixar's best work, I will admit that it is not the best on paper, but that doesn't mean this flick still can't pull at even the crankiest of heart-strings.  It's a movie about breaking tradition and finding your own way, a plot we see in many movies.  Do you know why we see this a lot?  Because it's relatable, especially for girls were the vast majority of our abilities comes from either breaking recent tradition or having ladies of the past do it for us.  It's nice to see a movie with a female lead, named Merida, that isn't trying to get the guy or even save the guy.  Yes, she is living in a world where she needs to get married whether she likes it or not and it does drive her early motivations, but as the story progresses it becomes like any story (with a male lead or not) about a PERSON trying to save the day.  Gender has nothing to do with her motivations, it's just something that gives her different obstacles than that of a male lead.

I've been known for being a movie snob, especially when a movie provides a simple or overdone story, but I've been known to melt this all away for one reason: if the story invokes my emotions.  I suddenly felt like that little girl I once was who dreamed of climbing mountains and fighting monsters.  I could insert myself into this story with ease and become a part of it.  This movie made me feel like I belonged, something many a disney movie didn't succeed at when I was a little hell-raiser. This is a story about a girl and her parents.

I think that's why I loved it so much.

Okay, not too get too personal, but I'm a young lady who knows (semi) what I want out of life.  I've always wanted to be a mother because I grew-up with the kindest, sweetest mom in the world who is ALWAYS there for me.  Do we sometimes have conflict?  Of course!  Do we at times drive each other crazy?  Understatement.  But my mom always  been there for me.  Brave hits me hard because it's really about parents trying to do what they think is best and learning to just let go and let their kids be.  This movie made me feel that struggle that parent go through and how, despite all it's misery, it is worth it to see your kids grow up and be happy.  Overall, this movie is a great tool for parents in developing strong relationships with their children.  It reminded me of how lucky I am to have my parents with all their wisdom and understand it and made me think about how that's exactly the type of parent I want to be. So when people say this is just another princess movie, I guess that's why I get offended.  It's a story about parenting cleverly wearing a princess costume.  Mix in a little girl power amongst some crazy beautiful, Celtic scenery and you make this gal rather happy. Seriously though, this movie is worth it for the visuals alone, the beautiful lessons learned are an added bonus.

So don't go into this movie judging it because it wears a crown, go to it because you are a blank slat, ready to learn.  You will be surprised.

Well, this has gone deeper down the rabbit hole than I intended!  Haha!  I hope you all didn't mind!  Commence throwing only spoons and feathers if you are annoyed.

Tootles!

PS: The crazy little brothers are ADORABLE....and probably what my own demons would look like someday (help me....)