Oct 25

I did not take a single picture on Saturday.  So I pulled this one from Friday.

I developed a sudden intolerance to avocado in recent years.  😭 A couple of years after developing a banana intolerance.  Apparently these are related.

Anyway, my employer buys lunch every Friday.  I quickly realized that most sushi has avocado.  *sigh*  But I finally found something I like on this particular menu.  Mango sushi.  It's a vegetarian sushi with fried sweet potatoes.  Yum.

Oct 26

Sunset picture on Sunday night.  Picture taken through a windshield (with some window reflection).

More eating out...  I went through a drive thru.  

I initially offered to pay for dinner if DL(20) went out to pick up something.  I just wasn't feeling it and hadn't gone to the grocery store over the weekend (we had too much food in the house, even though MH was out of town for 5 days).  DL(20) said he wasn't hungry.  So my plan B was to just grab a fast food burger.  But then that enticed DL.  Which somewhat surprised me because my kids are food snobs.  They'd usually turn up their nose at fast food.  But I guess I go DL(20) hooked on the chicken fries.  & then he asked me, "Do they have shakes?"  So he seem pleased with his meal.  Since I am the only one in this house who would actually go through a fast food drive thru (in the house of food snobs), I just went.  I mean, I was pretty much out the door on my way to get myself a burger.

Oct 24

I went for a morning walk on Friday and at first I noticed some dew on the plants and thought I might get an interesting photo during a different time of day.  But then the birds were very loud and so I tried to snap a picture.  They were mostly too small and I was surprised this came out at all.  He stood still just long enough...

Oct 23

On Thursday I just got lucky.  I don't think I took any other pictures.  But happened to catch this sunset when we went out to dinner.

I've only recently figured out this hack.  If I take my kid out to dinner, he will talk to me for 3+ hours.  It's not like it never happens, re: kid living at home.  & I am sure there are more frugal hacks.  But it's a new thing I am experimenting with this year.

MH is not as big of a fan of this buffet we go to.  So I took DL(20) a few times this year when MH was busy or out of town.  I think it kind of started as a, "Well if MH doesn't come too, this is much more affordable."  But then it turned into really good quality time with my son.

This time I made the mistake of giving him a heads up and letting him pick a day.  I told him I figured we'd eat out one night while MH is in Austin.  So we settled on Thursday.  Then mid-day on Thursday he texted me if he could bring his friend.  His bff friend.  I *sighed* (thinking this sounds expensive and not what I had in mind) but I just let it go.  He was *very* excited.  Then it turns out his friend has never been to this buffet.  What!?  So it was cute watching her geek out over the entire experience.  

The meal itself was not as fun, for me.  But then we came home and had a deep talk for a few hours.  The topic is always something completely different.  

Oct 22

I had some Kohl's cash and so I picked up some clothing for DL(20).  He definitely gets a 'free clothes' boost re: living at home.  

I had gone to Kohl's to return some shoes the prior week.  They already had Christmas stuff filling up the front of the store but I hadn't bothered to grab a picture at that time.  I snuck a pictue this time, but it was only a small fraction of the display.

I guess we are skipping Halloween and going straight to Christmas.

Note:  We spend $0 on Christmas materialism.  So it always seems a little extra weird to me.  More 'I grew up on a different planet' feelings. 

MH's movie has been more widely released, and is now available to watch at no cost. 

Here is one of the links to watch on YouTube.  I presume that there will be ads on any free option.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrgwhFfXYjI

& it's also available on Fandango at Home.  Free, with ads.

Oct 20

Monday was a busy day.  So I just took a picture of my cat at the end of the day.  

Oct 21

This was the more exciting looking sports car I noticed before.  I hadn't seen it since.  But today...  Today I went for a mid day walk and there was the car.   Apparently it belongs to a veterinarian.

Google lens tells me that the car is a Corvette. 

Oct 18

Another trip downtown.  This was just the best picture I got of the sunset.  The pyramid at night.

I went to a Halloween party at an art gallery, but this was the most interesting picture I took.

Oct 19

This is a Pacman frog that lives in MM(22)'s college house.  

I pretty much checked out for the day and didn't take any pictures.  I am sure I could have come up with something if I had more brain power.  But MM(22) was telling us all about his roommate's new pet.  So I borrowed his picture.

Oct 17

A California Scrub Jay (the blue jays of the west)

Picture taken on a mid-day walk.  I really like how it turned out with the blue sky.

He flew up on a branch (I startled him) and I figured I'd try to take a picture.  Very pleased by how the picture turned out.  Not much bird detail, but the composition and the blue sky turned out neat.

Edited to add:  My desktop monitor showed the picture as much darker, mostly the blue sky contrasted against black.  I showed MH the picture and was surprised he could tell it was a blue bird.  & now I am on a different monitor where I can see all the colors of the trees and leaves.

Towards the end of my walk, I saw several squirrels.  Two in particular, were having a snack on the lawn (and didn't scatter when I walked by).

He was adorable, and I suppose I should make up for not having a photo yesterday.

Oct 15

I bought a new desk at the end of last year.  & I set up a little side table for some extra space.  I expected my cat to maybe sit or nap more on the side table, but he doesn't seem too interested.

On Wednesday night I was working late and my cat was annoyed.  He usually jumps on my desk, when he's had enough.  Usually after a full work day.  But on this day he just jumped on my side table and looked somewhat annoyed.  (Maybe more annoyed, when I started taking photos of him).

Oct 16

No photos on the 16th.  It was foggy in the morning and I tried to take some pictures, but they just didn't come out the way I expected.  Nothing worth sharing.

I have lived in my current city for 24 years.  And...  The dense fog still surprises me.  I forgot that is part of the local weather patterns.  

Oct 14

Picture taken on a work break walk.  I was surprised how quickly the scenery turned to fall.  We just had a couple of days of cooler temps and rain.

Which reminds me, I turned on the heat today.  Wanted to make sure everything was working, before we really *need* it.  The temp inside the house dropped by 11 degrees, over the last few days.  

I made a fajita casserole for dinner tonight.   I was just taking pictures of colorful food, undecided which picture I would settle on today.  I now wish I had just taken a picture of the red bell pepper.  I didn't *see* in until looking through my pictures.  I was so focused on the melding of the colors (while cooking and planning to combine ingredients).  But the red really popped in my photos.

So I am making it a 2-picture day.

Oct 12

I've only just discovered chicken noodle soup.  & minestrone.  It's just nothing my parents ever made.  & MH never makes.  So it took almost 50 years to get it into the rotation.  I mean, I discovered 4 months ago.

Because it's a new thing, the thought didn't cross my mind (or MH's mind) when he was sick.  It took me a minute.  But I thought about it last week and made some soup over the weekend. 

Around the same time I attempted chicken noodle soup, DL(20) got into making minestrone.  I told him he needs to make some minestrone this month.  Maybe one soup a week.  & it's time for butternut squash soup, our more longstanding fall tradition.  

Oct 13

A picture taken during a work break walk.

2025 is the year of Grants, for our household. 

MH was instrumental in getting a grant for the cable access show that he works on.  This grant was secured last year but took some months to come through.  It's not a lot, but MH is receiving $50 every time he works in the studio or works an event.  He also just received a reimbursement for some dues he needs to pay to access the public studio.  That's $460 for 5 months.  (He missed out on at least $100, re: travel plans the past month). The grant should last through the end of the this year.  Future grants seem more unlikely. 

I believe this grant was specifically awarded so that they could pay their volunteers and invest in more studio time.   I don't remember all the logistics, but MH zeroed in on what would actually get them money.  Some version of investing in and improving the community.

MH's current plan is to get a grant for his next film.  He's talking to more people who got grants for their films.  This is clearly a lot less work (and a lot less fees and overhead to pay) compared to the alternative of crowdfunding.  Though realistically he'd probably have to do a combo of both.

If you read my blog, you are well aware of the middle class grants my kids are getting for attending public California colleges.  I was surprised that DL(20)'s grant amount bumped up this year.  

& then MM(22) got a job as a student research assistant at his college, when unexpected grants came through.  It sounded like a situation where other students expected that not to come through and they accepted other jobs.  MM(22) made out well with the turn of events.  He made $5,500 at his very part-time summer job.  & then the job was extended through the school year, when another large and unexpected grant came through.

Edited to add:  No idea if this has anything to do with grants, but MM(22) just told me that he no longer has to buy food for his infite LA road trips (re: rose float project).  He drives down most weekends, during the fall quarter.  His college got a budget to cover more meals.  Lucky for him.  

Oct 11

MH & I attended an event at a historic theater in our city.  The theater was built in 1912.

It was a selection of short films from local film makers.  There's always a handful of people (usually actors) who dress like they are going to the Oscars.   In addition to some unique characters.  Definitely an artistic group.

Oct 9

I just looked out my bathroom window in the morning, and the combo of the clouds and the (tiny) moon was interesting.  I was surprised this turned out through my very small and dirty window.  😁

Oct 10

The weather cooperated (and life cooperated), and so I did well on walks this week.  

This was a sunset walk in my neighborhood.

Oct 8

Today I ventured out into the world, to get a flu shot. 

This is a unique building, on the other side of the river.  

Oct 7

I hadn't really thought about it until I started typing, but it seems to be a big 'car buying' year in my office.

Our newest employee bought this car.  I get the sense she can afford it.  This post isn't about Americans and their car debt.  

This car sits outside my window, and so I just see people constantly stopping to salivate over the car.  Seriously, the way people check it out!

I do not *get* it.  I always say I feel like I am from a different planet.  When it comes to cultural norms that just completely go over my head.  I mean, I can at least agree for the most part that sports cars look cool.  But this version of the Mustang is not doing it for me.  & when it comes to SUVs being sexy and minivans being ugly or whatever, I am completely lost.  It all looks the same to me.  

I did see a very fancy muscle car in the parking lot the other day.  I think I drove past it, I wasn't in a position to get a photo.  I will snap a picture if I come across it later this month.  It just makes me wonder how much people stop and slobber over that other car. 

Oct 6

I hadn't ventured outside this month.  I am really thrown off kilter re: vacation (catching up at work), MH's travels (covering at home), MH coming home sick (which means more covering at home), etc.  But I did make it outside for a walk in the middle of the work day.

This is an area between my work building and the work building where MM(22) interned a few summers ago.  I presume it's the in-between office that puts out bowls of water in the summer and keeps the bird feeders full.  They also set up a little bench/umbrella for the animals.

Note:  It's just a completely random thing that MM(22) ended up with a job in the same parking lot as my employer.  We did not carpool because he was mostly out in the field, working at construction sites.

Oct 5

I really love this corn salsa, but no one else in my household cares for it.  I will give half to my coworker.

I took a picture because it is so colorful.

MH would say I was bougie, buying lemons and limes.  Versus just using whatever juice he has in the fridge.  It was $1.28 for the lime and lemon.

There has never been a time in our lives where we couldn't afford the extra $1.28.  I always say we are backwards because we started out with the dual income in high cost region.  (It's only been down from there.  Less income.) But I respect that MH considered it his job to keep grocery spending very low during our one-income years.  I just roll my eyes at him more now that we make 3x as much as lowest one-income years.  

I run to the store once or twice a week, these days.  To grab my own things.  Sometimes I plan ahead and add to MH's grocery list.  But today I just went to the store.  

On my drive home, I noticed 3 kids (around age 8 or 9) riding scooters and carrying long fishing rides.  I was too slow.  It took me a few too many seconds to realize, "Now that is a picture."  Like the squirrel, they were too fast for me.  They were headed to the lake.  

Oct 4

I just happened to notice this hand in the corner of MM(22)'s door.  It might have been there for years.  I don't know.  He hasn't been home in a few weeks.

But hey, it keeps life interesting.  

MM(22) Aug 2025 'Gifted College Fund': $16,075 (+$5K ROTH)

MM(22) Sep 2025 'Gifted College Fund': $14,897 (+$5K ROTH)

Rent is paid through 10/31.

Paying *all* of MM's college expenses out of this account.  Still no idea if it will be enough to stretch through the end of the school year.  

MM(22) told me he is due some money for utilities.  To be reimbursed from past year roommates.  But they are shuffling the deposits around and he will have to pay some for the bigger deposit (less people) for this year.  Whenever he gets that refund, I will let him apply that money to rent. 

I just did some quick math and it looks like we may have enough money in this account to pay rent and tuition through 6/30.  It's almost absurd how down to the penny it's going to be.  Like I said before, not planned whatsoever.  The reason I think we can breakeven is if I count his rental deposit being returned.  Unknowns: Utilities, tax breaks, course fees, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DL(20) Aug 2025 'Gifted College Fund': $21,488 (+$5K ROTH )

DL(20) Sep 2025 'Gifted College Fund': $23,682 (+$5K ROTH)

DL got his middle class grant refund from the state already.  So I deposited that back into his college fund.  It was 2 months earlier than we have received in the past.  So I was not expecting that.

DL's net college costs Year 3:  $2,700

Now that I have some real numbers... 

Rough future math:

$23,000 Start of Year 4

-$3,000 Year 4

-$7,000 Year 5 (Teaching Credential) ~no financial aid expected

-----------------

$13,000 Left after Undergrad/Credential

Of course, DL might also have some summer school classes and test fees.

It sounds like the Teaching Masters program is ~$15,000.  Which is an absolute no brainer from a cost/benefit standpoint.  The Masters will pay off very quickly re: higher pay.

& he will probably get a couple of more $1,000 checks from MIL.  This could end up being a 'down to the penny' situation.  Stretching further with the Masters Degree, because he is just living at home.

I hadn't run through the math before.  But it sounds like he will have just enough money for all of the above.  If not, DL(20) has a lot of time to save up to cover some of the Masters classes.  (He's saving ~$900/month, at the moment.)

He did ask me if he should put that $1,000 gift into his college fund this summer, when I offered it to pay for his college commute expenses.  I told him it really made no difference.  It will just be fattening up his cash and investment accounts.  It's not like he plans to spend it.

Edited to add:  I am sure I already mentioned, that I have frequently seen enticing financial incentives for teaching degrees (over the past 20+ years).  Of course we will keep an eye out.  Today I saw that the school district we live in will pay 80% of a credential, will provide $12,000 housing allowance (over 12 months) and a $5,000 bonus for math teachers.  The catch is he'd have to teach in this school district for 3 years.  Our school board friend shared this on social media.  When I was digging for more details, I saw they offered the same deal last year.  DL(20) is excited about that. I told him to look up what other school districts (like the one he is working for) offer.

If DL(20) can land a deal like this, he'd have $20K left after his Undergrad/Credential. 

Oct 3

I've got two photos today.  The clouds were beautiful again today, against the blue sky.

& this squirrel was very busy.  He posed briefly on a log and I tried to take a picture, but he was too busy to pose for long.  I noticed when I looked closer that he was carrying food in his mouth and burying it in the dirt.  I noticed him run past my window several times in the morning, sometimes catching glimpse of some bright colored food in his mouth.

I've seen the squirrels hiding food around before, but I had never noticed one running back and forth for hours. 

I asked MH about some credit card charge and it sounds like he had to pay ~$75 to attend the film festival?  He came home sick from the festival and I haven't been in the same room with him for long.  I will ask him more about that later.  I feel like generally that's covered when they show your film.  But anyway, I have to revise the spending for his Arizona trip.  It was more like $250.  & I am still very happy with the cost/benefit aspect of this trip.

Oct 2

I was trying to get a picture of the clouds.  But after looking through my photos later, I was somewhat intrigued by this one.  Yes, I captured clouds.  But there's the birds on the light pole, the shadows on the ground, the old truck being towed (I didn't notice in the moment), etc. 

Edited to add:  I somehow got a cursor in the clouds.  I zoomed in; that is an accidental post edit. 

Oct 1

This is the view from my office.  I probably haven't seen very many clouds for roughly 4 months.  So I was enjoying the show and the contrast of all the different cloud colors. 

PatientSaver mentioned she was considering a 'photo a day' project in 2026.  I decided that sounded fun and would try in October.  The past couple of Octobers I have done daily spending tracking.  I find that diving into the minutiae makes for a lot to talk about and share (when I have no idea where to begin).  But actually sharing every purchase does become overwhelming.  & that was during low spend times (in the grand scheme of things).  Maybe a picture is easier.  A picture does not require words.  & if anyone else wants to join in, I think it would be fun. 

MH's Arizona trip was *amazing*.  He had the time of his life.  The film festival there was clearly A+ when we went together some years ago.  Very small and not much turnout, but the small size was nice and we had a blast.  It sounds like word is getting out a little more, so MH met some bigger names this time.  They also had a tour on the last day, touring some of the places where bigger movies have been shot.  MH showed me pictures of where they filmed some scenes from Three Amigos.  The National Parks there make for dramatic movie backdrops.

Grand Total: $187 (4.5 Days)

$20 hotel (tip), $30 Uber ride (from airport), $137 food

Hotel & airfare paid for with credit card rewards

Mental note to self:  Never discourage MH from doing this trip.  Everything was very last minute re: short notice.  As the charges started to roll in on the credit card, I recalled how low cost Tucson is.  The lower cost was astounding (to me) when we traveled there together some years ago.  I just didn't think about this time, until I started to see the credit card charges.