Phantoms & Other Musings

So sorry about the delay in my post for this week.  I was feeling very unwell last night.  I feel much better today and I hope that I continue to feel better.

Recently, I watched the 25th anniversary edition of "The Phantom of the Opera."  Overall, I was impressed with the vocalists, but I felt that it was a little...well...over-the-top.  I mean, of course it's over-the-top, it's a musical, they're all that way.  However, I had trouble taking this particular version seriously.  I saw it live several years ago, and I saw the movie when it came out on DVD.  I have to say that Gerard Butler has been my favorite Phantom so far.  He had a real mastery of the character on the screen, one that I have not seen in the live versions.  And Emmy Rossum was beautifully, perfectly cast as Christine Daae.  Maybe it's just me, but no live version (in my mind, anyway) will match up to the film.

Okay, Rant #1 out of the way.  Rant #2: School.  I don't have enough money in student loans to cover all of the expenses, so I have a decent-sized bill coming my way in January (don't worry, it's less than $5,000, I can handle it).  Money is tight right now, as it is for a lot of college students.  It's hard to budget my money, and it's even harder to figure out how to fit in unexpected expenses such as this.  Only go to a private school if you think you can handle paying the loans off as fast as possible.  My husband and I don't have cable TV, we don't go out very often, and we do everything on the cheap.  We buy items that are cheaper with a generic brand, we buy a lot of things used, and we don't buy junk food - only the essentials, such as bread, fruit, meat, milk, and cheese.  Most of our furniture was given to us by family members, and our cars as well.  I want to go back to living in a house, but not if it means putting our future in jeopardy.  We're also waiting for a while to have kids so that we can afford to have them.  I want at least 3/4 of my student loans paid off before we have kids.

Even though I have a trajectory of where I see myself in five years, plans always change and nothing ever happens the way we expect it to.  Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not, but sometimes, it's the best thing that could ever happen.

Have a great week, ladies and gents.

Melanie E.