Ang's Journal

Quantity	Item	11/2/25 Price
12 oz	Nestle Toll House Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips	$4.99
17 fl oz	Private Selection Avocado Oil	$9.99
20 oz	Seattle's Best 6th Ave Bistro Dark Roast Ground Coffee	$9.99
1 qt	Kroger 2% Reduced Fat Milk	$2.29
12 ct	Kroger Medium White Eggs	$1.49
18 ct	Vital Farms Pasture-Raised Large Eggs	$10.49
32 oz	Kroger Wild Caught Pacific Cod Fillets Frozen BIG DEAL!	$17.49
1 lb	Perdue Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts	$9.46
1 lb	Black Seedless Grapes	$3.98
1 ea	Fresh Banana	$1.24
1 pt	Fresh Blueberries	$4.49
1 lb	Fresh Strawberries	$3.49
1 ea	Medium Avocado	$1.25
	Total:	$80.64

The total cost of this grocery list increased from $79.28 on October 1st to $80.64 today. This is an increase of $1.36 or 1.72%. These costs are 5.41% higher than they were on April 1st.

music link

Quantity	Item	9/2/25 Price
12 oz	Nestle Toll House Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips	$5.49
17 fl oz	Private Selection Avocado Oil	$9.29
20 oz	Seattle's Best 6th Ave Bistro Dark Roast Ground Coffee	$12.49
1 qt	Kroger 2% Reduced Fat Milk	$2.29
12 ct	Kroger Medium White Eggs	$2.69
18 ct	Vital Farms Pasture-Raised Large Eggs	$9.99
32 oz	Kroger Wild Caught Pacific Cod Fillets Frozen BIG DEAL!	$13.99
1 lb	Perdue Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts	$9.46
1 lb	Black Seedless Grapes	$4.98
1 ea	Fresh Banana	$1.24
1 pt	Fresh Blueberries	$3.99
1 lb	Fresh Strawberries	$1.67
1 ea	Medium Avocado	$1.25
	Total:	$78.82

The total cost of this grocery list increased from $74.54 on August 3rd to $78.82. This is an increase of $4.28 or 5.74%. These costs are 3.03% higher than they were on April 1st.

Quantity	Item	7/5/25 Price
12 oz	Nestle Toll House Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips	$4.99
17 fl oz	Private Selection Avocado Oil	$9.29
20 oz	Seattle's Best 6th Ave Bistro Dark Roast Ground Coffee	$12.49
1 qt	Kroger 2% Reduced Fat Milk	$2.29
12 ct	Kroger Medium White Eggs	$1.99
18 ct	Vital Farms Pasture-Raised Large Eggs	$8.99
32 oz	Kroger Wild Caught Pacific Cod Fillets Frozen BIG DEAL!	$14.99
1 lb	Perdue Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts	$9.46
1 lb	Black Seedless Grapes	$6.58
1 ea	Fresh Banana	$1.24
1 pt	Fresh Blueberries	$3.99
1 lb	Fresh Strawberries	$2.79
1 ea	Medium Avocado	$1.25
	Total:	$80.34

The total cost of this grocery list decreased from $80.44 on June 2nd to $80.34. This is a decrease of $0.10 or 0.124%. These costs are 5.02% higher than they were on April 1st.

Quantity	Item	5/2/25 Price
12 oz	Nestle Toll House Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips	$4.99
17 fl oz	Private Selection Avocado Oil	$7.49
20 oz	Seattle's Best 6th Ave Bistro Dark Roast Ground Coffee	$10.79
1 qt	Kroger 2% Reduced Fat Milk	$2.29
12 ct	Kroger Medium White Eggs	$3.99
18 ct	Vital Farms Pasture-Raised Large Eggs	$12.99
32 oz	Kroger Wild Caught Pacific Cod Fillets Frozen BIG DEAL!	$17.99
1 lb	Perdue Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts	$7.88
1 lb	Black Seedless Grapes	$4.98
1 ea	Fresh Banana	$0.25
1 pt	Fresh Blueberries	$4.99
1 lb	Fresh Strawberries	$2.99
1 ea	Medium Avocado	$0.99
	Total:	$82.61

The total cost of this grocery list increased from $76.50 on April 1st to $82.61. This is an increase of $6.11 or 7.98%.

It is time for my favorite annual internet event: Fat Bear Week! Click the link & rejoice in the glorious fatness of the bears of Katmai National Park.

I have noted with mild irritation that - effective October 1st - all my various savings instruments reduced their interest rates by 0.5%, right in lockstep with the Fed. They never delay with reductions but always dawdle on raising their rates to match Fed changes. Grumble grumble.

I had a work client give me a really nice gift today. It's the nicest thing any client has ever done for me. Don't believe the news - the world still has nice things in it!

One of those nice things is The Bible Project, a nonprofit, crowdfunded group out of Portland that provides tons of tools for learning more about the Bible. They are currently doing a once-weekly, yearlong podcast series on The Sermon on the Mount. They dive deep into every word, every phrase, & every nuance, & I've learned a lot.

Sleep: Last night was below average. I was in bed just after 10, asleep fairly quickly, but I woke up at 5 & never got back to sleep. I got up around 7 AM.

Program: I didn’t remember to pray this morning. But I had a good afternoon meditation session. I didn’t call my sponsor – mostly because when I thought of it, I couldn’t think of a single thing to tell her.

Work: Bad day. I got nothing done, again.

Mood: Bored/anxious at work – thanks procrastination. Fatalistic over our national politics.

Exercise: I had thoughts of going to Phoenix for CrossFit, but my right knee is hurting. I opted for a quiet night at home.

Food: normal breakfast (coffee w/cream, keto casserole, cheesy biscuit). Then some of my WINNING chili over Fritos with cheddar, some fresh fruit, some mac’n’cheese, a cup of sweet iced tea, some carrots & pea pods, & corn bread with habanero jelly. Cheese & crackers & blackberry kombucha for a late dinner.

Grats: Struggling with this tonight. 1. I’m feeling economically secure this month, for the first time since I lost my job with ER last December. 2. B* is going to arrive in Denver tomorrow, to stay! 3. I have plans to see K* & M* on Sunday. There you go.

Goals from last year:

1) I will attend at least 100 SQUID practices this year.

Not even close. I did 26 swim practices this year. I need to find another workout venue, because Squid weekday practices are inconvenient enough to be a real disincentive, & I never make Saturday practices because we're always on the go on the weekends. Possible alternatives: swimming at Denver Recreation facilities, finding another team with better practice times, or maybe picking up a different activity. I have toyed with the idea of just throwing myself into skiing & hiking, & maybe doing yoga.

2) I will compete in at least one swimming competition this year, either a pool meet or an open-water event.

Nope. I let my uncertainty about my new job derail my training & missed all the summer events.

3) I will overpay my mortgage by at least $4,000 this year.

Nope. We overpaid by $1,916.05. Good but not great. Still, we have done well in our first year of homeownership. We owe $320,172.25 on the mortgage, & our realtor estimates our house could sell for around $370,000. Our neighborhood has been proposed for historic district designation, which would likely drive up values. We're doing well with Breezehome.

4) I will earn, in some fashion, some income from any source OTHER than my AECOM paycheck.

Yessss.

5) I will log at least 30 Whole30-compatible meals a month into MyPaleoPal.

No. I have actually done an about-face on this. Instead, I have been attending Overeaters Anonymous & trying to work through some of my weird issues around food.
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Health: Weird year. I worked on mental health for a while, then stopped. I worked on weight loss, then realized I'm all fucked up in the head about weight & food. I feel good but I need more exercise for sure. Still not sleeping well. It's not been a great year healthwise. But I did achieve some of the specific goals I had last year: I grew some food in my own garden, I learned how to brew kombucha (I have a batch going right now), & I'm eating more seafood & vegetables than ever before.

HEALTH GRADE: Change in direction required.

Wealth: We did pretty well this year! We didn't make any huge outlays, & didn't realize any huge windfalls. We just plugged along, paying down debts, saving money in assets. Very boring, very pedestrian.

Change in assets, 2016: increased by $55,011.64
Change in debts, 2016: decreased by 10,817.27
Change in rough net worth, 2016: increased by $65,828.91

WEALTH GRADE: Steady Freddy.

Happiness: This year has been volatile. HPG & I nearly broke up in late summer. I'd say we are doing much better now. My job transition was stressful, but overall I think it was a good move. Larger trends - political, mostly - have made me wonder if our world is worth saving. We've made some good friends in our neighborhood, & met even more great people this year. I've spent tons of time in the mountains, exploring the beautiful areas around Denver. But the year's finish - the surprise discovery of my elder brother Richard - means that 2016 can never be anything but amazing.

HAPPINESS GRADE: Despite everything, would 2016 again.

Plans for 2017

I dunno. I did so badly with my resolutions in 2016 so maybe this year I'll just see how things go. Or I may write another post later with some modest goals.

I just tweeted “Still haven't made any #resolutions for 2011. This is what is wrong with my life these days - no direction.”

Overlooking the obvious calendrical typo (etcet pointed it out in approximately 45 seconds), this is the biggest problem I’ve got right now. I am underutilized at work – but not particularly worried about it (whether or not that’s wise is another post altogether). I am doing a terrible job of preparing for next month’s triathlon in Corpus Christi. I am not cooking very frequently. I am not doing much volunteer work. I’m not even reading much new material.

A lot of the year has been consumed by money worries – not without reason, I may add. I am my family’s single income earner (outside of the seasonal peach bonanza) & have been for over three years. So it is with cause that I worried about every cent during 2011. This penny-pinching mentality definitely contributed to me pulling in my horns a bit – it’s not impossible to be outgoing, charitable, artistic, well-read, &/or athletic without spending money, but it is harder.

I have also developed a terrible habit of living through hotpantsgalore. She's working towards her graduate degree... & somehow that massive goal is my goal? I take pride in her accomplishments? While it's true that I am helping her make it through grad school (see earlier, "my family's single income earner"), this does not mean that her accomplishments are mine to claim. And yet I feel that I have submerged any desires of my own beneath the generalized idea of "just keep everything together until June 2013, when we will become a two-income family again". But that's no way to live - especially not for five years (2008-2013).

I think that the problem is a lack of long-term goals. Where do I want to be in five years? Ten years? I have said repeatedly over the last few years that I threw away my crystal ball because trying to predict where my life was going was impossible. Perhaps this was a poor decision. When I stopped trying to predict, did I also stop trying to influence or even control where my own life is going? If I've abdicated that responsibility, should I be surprised that I am adrift?

This entry is full of personal relationship angst, so if you're not interested, ( don't click here )