The things we do for money...

I like money. I like the things that I can do with money; like buy food, pay for rent, buy books, travel, make dollar bill rings...you know, all that good stuff.That's why I have a job, and a pretty good job at that. I've already posted about employment as a secretary in the Teacher Education Department at BYU, so I won't go into that. (See what I did there? I told you about it without really telling you about it. Sneaky, huh?)

Sometimes it's hard for me to remember that that's why I have a job. This is usually when I'm in the thick of an awesome project. As I was sitting at work the other day, completing the redundant job of folding 125 invitations and putting them in corresponding envelopes, I hearkened back on the things I, my family, and my friends have done, all for an extra penny.

• As a secretary my sister Rebecca cleaned throw-up off of a professor's binder. The throw up was the professors 
• I have wrapped 60 packets of licorice. Curled ribbon and all
• My past roommate woke up and 3:30am to go clean buildings on campus
• Rebecca has set up an entire Playmobil set for her 65 year old boss
• My brother Spencer spent hours of his college life surrounded by and inhaling paint fumes 
• The next door neighbor and friend sacrifices her Saturday mornings, being to work by 7
• A different past roommate sat in the HFAC from 8 until 6 on a Saturday letting students into a try-out room every 15 minutes
• Yet another roommate stood at a sink and scrubbed dishes for 2 hours after serving food for BYU Catering
• I try to deal with emotionally distraught students who can't get in contact with their professor
• At her newer job Rebecca has to scan in thousands of documents in an effort to get an old doctor to use 21st century technology
• I did about 350 hours of transcriptions this summer
• My parents moved away from family in Utah to go to Las Vegas for my dad's work
• I have bruised my wrists from scooping frozen ice cream for 4 hours at a time
• My friend from high school would stand on sugar drenched and super sticky mats, in a shack, for 6 hours selling frozen ice.
• Friends now go to work at all hours. I know of one shift that goes from midnight to 6am
• Rebecca, Spencer and myself have all experienced tomato sauce under the fingernails, onion juice in the eye, the touch of garlic artichoke hearts, and the ever pervasive odor of pizza that clings to your body for hours
• Another friend watches hours of PBS Kids in order to edit and prep them to be aired. (Ok, that isn't too bad. I love me some PBS Kids)
• With help I made 110 crepes...yeah...I'm going to have to wait another year and a half before I can make another crepe
• We all spend oodles of time with people that we probably would never choose to spend time with outside of work
• We wear certain clothes and say certain things
• We willing put ourselves under the orders of someone else and subject ourselves to their every wish and demand

Why do we do these things? For that extra buck, that next raise so that we can go and make our lives better through the things that can only be purchased monetarily. Woot-Woot for capitalism and the American Dream. Are we living it or what? 

What insanity have you experienced for that piece of paper named "paycheck?"

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for me to transport these heavy boxes of books across campus.

*This blog post is written in a tone meant to convey sarcasm. Please take note that I do enjoy my life and the things that happen in it. I have a good job with good work and a good boss. Only on occasion am I required to do outrageous things for it.*