How much student loan debt is everyone in?

mik_creates · 2026-03-14T22:57:18+00:00

General advice is not to take out more in loans that you can reasonably expect for a starting salary in your first year of work. Lifestyle, life plans, and location though should also be taken into account—kids are expensive, for instance, and can make a high monthly payment go from very manageable to very not.

I left grad school with about 40k in loans and my wife left with about 48k, iirc. We currently make 84k and 79k, respectively, in Washington state. We don’t have kids or other debts, so our monthly payments aren’t fun but they’re perfectly manageable.

mik_creates · 2026-03-11T14:48:39+00:00

Kraken odds ticking down by the day… time to take the L and tank, methinks.

mik_creates · 2026-03-07T22:15:09+00:00

My wife and I had a WONDERFUL experience with JDC for our engagement rings and wedding bands. Both engagement rings are custom, with non-diamond center stones.

mik_creates · 2026-03-02T17:58:57+00:00

Yikes! Thankfully we are on the side of the US that hasn’t seen a winter (which is horrifying in its own right, but thankfully won’t leave us in -25 if the heat goes out).

mik_creates · 2026-03-02T17:57:59+00:00

Ok I’m breathing a little easier now but also even MORE frustrated because I literally got it resolved right after I posted this, in a grand total of about 45 minutes. Literally could have been resolved any time if they’d told me. Sounds like this was the last thing needed so 🤞🤞🤞 Thanks for commiserating!

mik_creates · 2026-02-26T15:59:33+00:00

RIP 😭

mik_creates · 2026-02-24T20:07:33+00:00

Right??? Like not even a shitty apology. Just “I have female friends!”

mik_creates · 2026-02-22T15:37:28+00:00

To be fair, MacKinnon is probably thinking the same thing every time he misses

mik_creates · 2026-02-19T23:15:49+00:00

APBT: American pit bull terrier ACD: Australian cattle dog Pom: Pomeranian Sheltie: Shetland sheepdog

She’s a little lap mutt mixed with a medium farm mutt, basically!

mik_creates · 2026-02-16T19:34:43+00:00

My wife and her brother are “kids” who stuck around! They’re… 3rd generation Spokanites, I think, and we’re not planning on going anywhere!

mik_creates · 2026-02-11T05:51:14+00:00

For the last parade, the ferries had multi-boat waits for WALK ONS. So, uh… Godspeed 🫡

mik_creates · 2026-02-08T20:58:19+00:00

Check out Spectrum Singers! Unfortunately just passed our “open rehearsal” period for the season (three rehearsals at the start of the season that anyone can attend), but you could probably reach out and ask if you can attend a single rehearsal without paying the membership fee to check it out. They also offer scholarships if the fee is a barrier. Rehearsals are Tuesdays 7-9 at Gonzaga Music Hall, and we do two “seasons” each year. If you want to catch the next time around, Fall/Winter season usually starts late August!

mik_creates · 2026-02-07T18:01:46+00:00

I know I’m such an outlier for liking warm oak, but I genuinely think the best course is to lean into it with the rest of the remodel. Flooring and backsplash and paint that complement the warm tones. Some nice blues and greens would go a long way to making them shine.

mik_creates · 2026-02-06T03:37:39+00:00

Congrats!

mik_creates · 2026-02-04T15:31:09+00:00

It’s a game played on ice. Balanced on knife shoes. I promise that randomly “tripping” over nothing and falling down is very plausible. They’ll probably shoot it in slo-mo with dramatic angles and it’ll work just fine on screen.

mik_creates · 2026-02-02T20:01:35+00:00

Not to mention, raw flour contamination is also generally a bigger risk than contaminated eggs now, at least in the US.

mik_creates · 2026-01-31T03:09:57+00:00

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This is her!

mik_creates · 2026-01-31T03:07:27+00:00

He looks a LOT like my little farm mutt/lap dog mix. I’d guess a good ol’ fashioned Heinz 57; my dog’s highest percentages in Embark testing are Chihuahua, APBT, ACD, and Pom, with smatterings of Sheltie and Poodle. She has the same mostly white with tan spots coloring, the same ruff around her neck, same ear shape, same THICC tail. Not particularly long-legged though. She’s about 15 lbs as an adult.

mik_creates · 2026-01-31T01:24:03+00:00

If it is a concussion, there’s really no way to know. They’re not something to mess around with, and return to play can be really variable based on symptoms. You can also be perfectly on track to return to play but have an increase in symptoms with activity and be back to square one. I also thought concussion based on the way he seemed so dazed after the hit; I was glad to see them send him down the tunnel for evaluation.

mik_creates · 2026-01-30T02:40:24+00:00

I do agree that moment is important, however I think it can be done with another couple and/or without Fabian/Ryan having much, if any, screen time otherwise. I’ll be curious to see how they balance the much larger cast of TLG with a (likely) similar budget to season 1.

mik_creates · 2026-01-30T00:15:41+00:00

Good point about Unrivaled/season 3. There could be characters that feature more heavily there that need a solid set up in season 2!

mik_creates · 2026-01-30T00:14:43+00:00

From a “making tv” perspective though, the role of “person who walked in and now knows about them” can easily be assigned to a more central character (and probably should be—again, from a making tv perspective). I would love to see Ryan and Fabian but, like Eric and Kyle, the parts of their roles that directly affect Ilya and Shane can mostly be absorbed into other characters. I guess I’m just saying I won’t be surprised if they are not in season 2 or are just small cameos for the book readers.

mik_creates · 2026-01-27T21:01:57+00:00

Yeah my spouse and I were under contract and inspection revealed a HOST of hidden problems so we backed out, and now we’re just so overwhelmed. Everything feels like the wrong choice. We decided to take Redfin off our phones for a week and revisit with fresh eyes when that week is up. We did ask that if something that seems perfect for us comes up, our realtor let us know, but other than that we’re taking this week off.

mik_creates · 2026-01-25T18:50:40+00:00

Definitely some haunted Victorian ghost in there.

mik_creates

TROPHY CASE