To Buy, Or Not To Buy

To Buy, or Not to Buy… Squid is no fan of tug-of-war, associating it with a frustrating chase for shrimp (Squid gets hangry). So when Squid stumbled upon a real-life tug-of-war – this one involving a $5.3 million Big Sur property – Squid wondered: What gives? Santa Clara County residents Jennifer DiBrienza and Jesse Dorogusker are suing Michelle H. Mackay and associated trusts after four years of back-and-forth negotiations over a home known as “Teapot.” The one-bedroom, 900-square-foot home is on Clear Ridge, with a real estate listing promising it is “undoubtedly one of the best home sites in all of Big Sur.”

That’s if you can get it. According to the lawsuit, filed in Monterey County Superior Court, the initial offer was made in April 2022. Over the next few years, Mackay repeatedly changed her mind – first agreeing to sell, then backing out, then rejecting DiBrienza and Dorogusker’s $5.3 million all-cash offer, believing a higher bid would come.

It didn’t. Eventually, Mackay accepted the offer on Sept. 11, 2025. But even after preparing a contract she attempted to back out again – twice. First, Mackay wrote, “It is with humility and sincerity that we ask if you would consider releasing us from the contract… ”

Two days later, Mackay pivoted, citing a clerical error that made the contract invalid. Squid, exhausted by just reading about this battle, will just stay cozy in the lair.

Numbers Game… Squid is no math genius, but Squid can count to 420,000. That’s the amount of money Seaside City Council had budgeted for community social services grants this year to give to community-based organizations and faith-based organizations with projects that benefit Seaside residents.

Sounds easy enough, except 22 organizations applied seeking a combined total of $1,067,303 – obviously more than the amount allotted. So councilmembers reviewed the applications and each made recommendations on who should get funding and how much. “Of course it’s not enough money to go around to every agency,” Mayor Ian Oglesby said, offering an olive branch. “It does not mean I don’t value those nonprofits in our community.”

But when the council set out to divvy up the money on Thursday, Oct. 16, the numbers analysis went on – and on, and on. The number-crunching took more than two hours to get to $420,000 allocated to 12 organizations.

Some of the discussion focused on which groups were most deserving, but most of it was the excruciating process of adding, subtracting, averaging and moving numbers around on a spreadsheet – a little bit like counting sheep. The council agreed to fund wide-ranging initiatives from plants in parks to youth ambassadors building trust with police officers. Nowhere on the list was improved math skills.