Seen at an EVGo charger near my parents' house:  A self driving Chevy Bolt.

I just noticed it looked like a Waymo, and so I took a picture of it. 

It was my second day off work, trying to make progress with helping my parents with legal things.  We didn't get anywhere, but it was actually a very pleasant visit.  With my mom's very slow mental decline and recent health problems, it's usually not pleasant.  So I considered it a successful trip.  

This one was technically MH's photo.  He has more zoom on his camera.  & he might have just been focused on the bird, but I like the way the photo came out.

Oh yeah, and we saw a Great Blue Heron.  A little too far away to get a useful photo or a really good look at it.  It was an unexpected surprise at the end of our walk.

I did take pictures through the end of the month, but then time got away from me.  Today I am going out of town and tomorrow I have an 8-hour class.  So I don't expect much down time this week.

My takeaway is that sharing a photo is a much smaller time commitment than blogging.  & it was also enjoyable, so I will infuse my blog with more photos.  Once a week is probably more realistic, though I don't have any reason to stick to that.

Oh yeah, and October 2025 was the most calm month I remember in the past 8 years.  Phew!!  

We did go to a local college arboretum this past weekend.  I think it's a 4 mile loop when you walk the whole way through.  We usually go in the spring, but figured we'd go during a different season.

$0 spent.  Sometimes we also get lucky and get a free car charge.  But no suck luck this time.  Which means we probably spent about $1 on electric fuel.  It was a bit of a drive.

& then this website wouldn't support all my pictures in one post, so I broke this out into two posts.

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

MM(22) Oct 2025 'Gifted College Fund': $13,759 (+$5K ROTH)

Rent is paid through 11/30.

🤯

I will blink, and the school year will be over.  I suppose our biggest expense is rent, though school didn't start until mid-September.  The rent part is about halfway done (July thru July).  I pay all the bills the first of the month, so basically December rent is already taken care of (covered with my November income/expenses.)  I might not transfer the money to MM(22) for a couple of weeks, but it's long gone as far as my accounting is concerned.  I've moved on to December.  & in December, I will be sending MM(22) his January rent money.

I told MM(22) the other day that I will be celebrating that last tuition payment.  That will be in March.  

Like I've said before, it's less about the actual cost of tuition (low).  & more about moving on to the next chapter.  But it will be nice to confirm he is *done* (after extending one year).  & it's just this whole other mental load, remembering to pay tuition 3x per year.   Extra so, with the quarter system.  (& of course, was a lot more when sorting out constant financial aid refunds, wondering how on earth MM would find housing, etc.)  The monthly rent is a little more *shrugs* as it is part of my monthly accounting cycle.  & will likely just shift over to paying rent for DL(22), anyway.  

Note:  I would have felt *shrugs* if we paid rent x2, re: money set aside to cover college living expenses.  But I can appreciate the simplicity of only having one rent payment to keep track of.  The timing worked out that I will only be paying college rent for one kid at a time.

In other news, we have entirely replaced MM(22)'s $20K college fund (what we personally saved for college years).  & so we will be moving on and working on replacing DL(20)'s $20K college fund.  While we have not used any of DL's money, I did divert $5K into retirement in 2024.  So we can start with replacing that $5K.  It will be nice to have these funds when other things come up.

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.  

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.  

The view from our hotel room.  We had a clear sky and an amazing view of the stars on our first night.

The beach was filled with clams.  Which was apparenty unusual (per social media chatter) but never saw a definitive answer as to why there were so many clams.  The birds (and some people) were enjoying the clam bounty. 

On Day 3 we went to the Elfin Forest, which we had to ourselves.  Lots of animals and amazing views (the surrounding hills, the salt marsh, sand dunes, and Morro Rock).

On Day 4 we hiked a preserve that was behind our hotel.   I've been to the hotel several times over the past ~40 years but I don't believe we have ever done this hike.  It's amazing how much forest and shade is hiding behind the brown (summer) hills.  We might have walked 6 miles on this day.  We had some calories to burn off (re: too much good food).

I shared a photo in my last post (from this hike) of a higher up view of Pismo Beach.

On Day 5 we stopped by a little cafe for dinner.  The food was unique.  

On Day 7 we went to Solvang, a little Danish town.  We have been there before, but this time wanted to be there at night and to see the lights.  When we got there the place was packed.  They had some sort of festival going on.  But thankfully it thinned out quickly.  The place is pretty quiet at night.  They had a free concert.  We ate at a great pub with a perfect view of the sunset and then enjoyed some of the music and people watching.

After staying in idyllic beachfront hotels most of the week, we mostly used Santa Barbara as a point to travel from.  So on our last (mostly travel) day we decided we should at least go down to the beach (4 miles from the hotel) and see the beauty of Santa Barbara.  

I didn't know that the beach there was right next to a slough and wetlands.  We were just squeezing in an early morning walk before we left, but saw some incredible birds.

*Not* my picture, but this is an elegant tern.  We saw them dive bombing into the water.  We also saw a heron that we could not ID (too far away).  But it looked like it might have been a great blue heron.  Which is a bird we have abundantly near our house (we live in the wetlands) but that I don't see very often.  This experience tells me that I need to up my bird watching game.  It would take very little effort.

& after that crazy whirlwind of a month...  It's back to reality.

'Big Splurge' Anniversary trip was a success!

It was fairly low key.  The only spending was fuel, hotel, and food.  100% just nature and the great outdoors, otherwise.  But the hotels were expensive.

This trip really narrowed down my focus.  I had wanted to travel and explore the central coast more.  It's always been my happy place.  So...  We expanded and explored a bit.  & nope.  This is the place.  If we redid the same trip over again, I would have just stayed in Pismo for the week.  I do have a renewed appreciation for how special it is. 

We had about 20 miles of coastline completely to ourselves.  Unreal.  

Our trip (distance) was cut a little short re: Highway 1 closure that cut off a lot of our access to Big Sur.  We can save the windy/steep coastline road for a future trip.  I guess the road has been washed out for about 3 years (according to the northern most hotel that we stayed at).  I am sure we have driven that stretch before but we had wanted to stop and do more camping (further north) this trip.  It just wasn't worth the extra time and drive to go all the way around.

Too far north (absolutely gorgeous but no wifi or cell service):

Too far south:

Pismo Beach:

I paid for the trip when the hotel charges posted to the credit card. I sent $1,200 to the restaurant/fuel card.  (We ate *very* well).  & sent $2,500 to the travel card to pay for the hotels.  That should cover it. 

That reminds me, we did expand our horizons and try some new food places in Pismo.  Realized why we always go to the one place.  (Which is somewhat a cost thing because the cost is unreal/low, in addition to the amazing food).  But we tried some things.  & then we just ended up focusing on all the best places we always go to.  (Lots of amazing Italian food.)

So yes, we seemed to fail on all fronts, as to trying new things.  But hey, at least we tried.   I suppose that's not totally fair.  We enjoyed the northern notel we stayed at, and discovered we had the coastline to ourselves.

Grand Total:  $3,700

Note:  We took out MM(22) for a handful of extravagant meals, so it wasn't just the two of us.  We spent most of the week just a few miles from his college campus.

This was probably our biggest 2-person domestic splurge.   We came in slightly under our 2017 Europe trip (that we did soley because it was an incredible deal).  & I mean, the $3,850 Europe trip was far more extravagant as to how many places we went and things we did.  The non-stop flights were unreal (something like $500) and the exhange rate was very favorable at the time.  I paid for all the tours (different cities/countries) with credit card points.

The obvious thing I would do to redo this trip is camp on the weekend to save $800.  I mean trading out a very ho hum (but the most expensive) hotel in more out of the way city and trade it for camping in a cabin with a full bath and kitchen, on a lake.  We had planned to do that anyway but it was a 2-night minimum.  & I didn't want to stay that long. Hindsight 20/20, I'd make that switch.  I'd also eat out a lot less and just eat more leftovers.  

MH's movie has been released!  It's on Amazon!

https://www.amazon.com/placeholder_title-John-Doe/dp/B0FP6N4LBB

If you click on the link (er, copy and paste the link) and click on the icon that I highlighted in yellow, you can see the movie preview.  It's a horror comedy. So be forewarned, if horror is not your thing.  

Picking up where I left off...

So we are still working on getting the financial backers their swag and their first look at the movie.  Dealing with some hiccups on the discs that most the backers are going to receive.  

I guess the distributor asked for some artwork recently and MH asked if that meant things were moving along.  As he recounted to me, the main producer scoffed and said, "That's not how it works."  The best ETA they have is late October.  The film is still going through QC, which is expected to be a long process. 

So fast forward a couple of days..  & MH texts me that his movie is on Amazon Prime.  What!?  It took me a minute to process this.  This was my work from home day.  The same day we were expecting discs and planning to see the movie at the micro theater. 

So I ran to the TV and found it!

Some of MH's friends had told him that you never know when or where your movie will show up on streaming.  But...  We interpreted this as more of a 'once you get the final go ahead' thing.  We were not expecting it to show up 6 weeks ahead of the last ETA.  What!?

One other thing I heard was that Amazon was the most picky about QC.  So it sounds like it could show up on all of the other streaming platforms.  We were expecting it to show up on Tubi.  I don't know what specific platforms will stream this kind of movie.  I think Amazon and Tubi were the big ones I've heard thrown out.  & also sharing if you are curious but don't want to pay to see the movie.  There will eventually be more options.  

If you do watch the movie, keep in mind that it's a micro budget film.  Most of the short 10-minute movies I have seen at the festivals had a similar or bigger budget.  Most of the feedback we've gotten to date was responded with, "Yeah, we wish we had the budget for that".  The vision was more Gremlins re: the waffle balls (which are marketing genius).  But...  Those had to be CGI and there's only so many hours in the day.  The main producer did all the CGI work.  If we can make the money to do a sequel.  Yes....  That's obviously what we would want to deliver.  We need more than $50K to bring that part more to life. 

This movie took 2 years from the first crowdfunding to the first distribution.   The movie was filmed in 3 weeks in early 2024.  Post production took about a year.  We screened the film for the first time in March.  We have been working out the distribution deal since that time, making some final adjustments to the film, etc.

We will get a small cut of the proceeds, after dividing many ways.  I don't expect it to amount to much but will see how it goes.  I don't expect any money or further information until 2026.

MH is planning to go to the Arizona film festival again.  I was able to pay for the flight and the hotel with credit card rewards.  I was extra pleased because Capital One gave me an extra $250 travel credit re: booking through their travel site.  I've already looked up hotels at least 4 times already.  They never have the hotel or the room type that we want.  I guess the 5th time is the charm.  It's nice I was able to actually use that credit.

I think we can easily pay for the balance of this trip, and the balance of his Austin trip, with MH's income.  I was intially eyeing DL's 'college rent fund' for our big anniversary trip.  But we've actually been able to build up some cash this year.  (Knock on wood).  I will probably just more view the DL fund as a secondary emergency fund.  & will just see how it all lands at the end of the year.

On Wednesday, MH was able to show his movie at a small micro theater.  They have about 25 seats.  

MH wasn't sure who was showing up.  All his flakey friends who couldn't make it to the IMAX screening were interested but were once again flakes.  As we drove to the theater, MH told me he had no idea who was going to show up.  The tickets had sold out quickly.

Once we arrived at sat down to watch the movie, MH told me, "I don't know any of these people!"  (I think technically there was the two of us, and two of his friends that had confirmed ahead of time.)

Definitely the most cold crowd we have watched the movie with.  Because it's always been cast, crew, friends, family.  

From the first minute, people were laughing at every.single.joke.  I looked at MH and told him, "Well, this is a good crowd!"  He definitely found his people.  I think it was just a group of people that likes indie horror films.  They LOVED it!  Which bodes well for the real plan which is to gather a cult following and eventually make a sequel.  Maybe we can do this thing.

I told MH that other than the first screening with the cast and crew, I think this audience was the second most excited.  MH told me he thought this audience appreciated it more than the cast and crew.  Fair.  I think MH felt very seen as they laughed at pretty much all of his stupid jokes.  When it comes to the movies MH has made, I feel like it usually takes a minute for people to get that this is supposed to be dumb and silly.  & this crowd *got it* from the first beat.

It's a horror comedy.  If nothing else, we might always do a screening at this theater in September or October.  I don't know if we will ever get our initial investment back.  But all that money was worth it just to experience that once.  & we can do it again!  We also chatted with the owners, who said they are trying really hard to find a bigger space.  I think we found the right venue.  Being able to double or triple how many tickets we can sell...  That would be amazing.

The movie theater split the proceeds with us 50/50.  The sold out show netted us $135!  That's the first money we have ever made from the infinite hours MH has put into making movies.  

MH had rush ordered some test Blu Ray disks, hoping to sell at the movie theater.  I believe they do a 60/40 cosignment split.  It turns out the movie had a small glitch.  MH doesn't want them in circulation.  It's just a sound glitch in the menu.  But selling the blu rays will have to wait for another time.

It's a bummer because this is further delaying the main benefit to all of the financial backers.  Who are waiting for their early blu ray copies.  So close...

When we woke up Wednesday morning, this was the status of further distribution and streaming:  Expected release date end of October.  

Really cutting it close as to wanting to have it available for Halloween.  & who knows how much that will be pushed back.  

All we knew was that it was still under QC review.  There was a very high expectation that there would be some rework that needs to be done re: sound or whatever else.

To be continued...

Crazy crazy week.  But thankfully, it was all good crazy.  I will break this out into three posts.

DL(20) was able to meet with an advisor in the college education deparment.  Because of his work experience, he will be able to do a 1-year track for his teaching credential.  The credential program is treated the same as Undergrad, with minimal fees added.  DL will have to pass two tests and add a few classes to his degree.  He might choose to take some summer classes so that he can keep working, but it sounds very doable.

As far as a Masters, it looks like it will be just one part-time year at his current college.  While I am sure there are many other options, I don't think he will see the point.  Being able to go to school close to home and his job, will be important.  & the cost will also be hard to beat.  I just happened to meet up with another teacher (MH's friend's wife, I only met her once before and she wasn't on my radar at all.  Until MH told me we were meeting up with her the other night.)  So of course I asked her about teaching and all that. She thought that his Stats major was very complimentary for teaching.  & as Rob in the blogs told me, made a point how important data collection was for teachers.  She felt this would look very favorable to employers.  

This officially puts DL(20) on a 5-year college track.  He will fit right in with the rest of the household.  If he can pull it off in 5 years, he will have the distinction of earning a credential, in addition to his degree.  But because of that, he is probably a little extra motivated to finish his degree in 4 years.  It will likely require summer classes because he also wants to work a lot during the school year.  Mostly because he likes his job, but also he has a lot to save up for.  Will see how it all works out.

Note:  Some topics of conversation that have come up in recent weeks:  Buying a condo, marriage, supporting his future spouse, getting a Masters degree, etc.  <----  These are all the things he is thinking about financially.  Though I don't think he has any plans to spend much on a wedding or an engagement.  He asked me the other day how much it really cost to elope.  Then he saw the look on my face and said, "Not now!  In a couple of years probably." 

If you told me 2-3 years ago that DL(20) would be the first in our household to pursue a higher degree.  What!?  I lumped him in with a lot of my family who were not college people.  Now in his third year of college...  I think the truth was that he just wasn't a K-12 person.  It was easy to presume that he would have been more well served by a community college/AA degree, like several people in my family. 

This is also a kid who never wanted to take an advanced class or do a single extra-curricular activity.  He was always so precious about his time and I was so grateful he was admitted into the art school.  It was the only way he ever would have gotten any exposure to the arts.  Because asking him to take a class after school would have been a bridge too far.  Even for something he was extremely passionate about art.  So...  Who is this kid who wants to work and go to school and take summer classes?  Clearly it has to do a lot with finding his true passion.  Being older and more mature.  But I also think a lot of it is just having more control over things.  Having control about what he can study and how he can spend his time.  I might have said already, but adulthood really suits DL.

I wanted to jot some of the college info down before I forget the new info.  This means DL will probably also have a more expensive 5th college year (like his brother).  I wouldn't expect any financial aid once the state grants dry up (after 4 years).  But there's frequently been generous government offers for individuals to pursue teaching credentials.  (MH has considered this route a few times, when they literally would have paid him a 'salary' while also paying for a credential program.)  Will keep an eye out on what opportunities are available when we cross that bridge.