Cade Cooper

Within your budget go for a 10–12 color student-grade set in tubes and grab an extra big Titanium White; you’ll use white constantly and tubes seal better than pots. If you’re stuck between a 24-color bargain and a smaller student set that lists pigment and lightfastness info and choose the smaller one - fewer, stronger colors mix better. To fight drying on the palette, a quick DIY stay-wet setup (shallow container, damp paper towel, baking parchment on top) keeps paint workable for hours. I’d also add Raw Umber or Burnt Sienna first; either pairs with Ultramarine for rich neutrals and near-blacks.

Catch them early evening or a weekend afternoon when things are calm not right after a loud spell but then try, “Hey, I’m in 3B - sorry to bug you. I’m up at 6 for work, so if you could keep music low after 10, I’d appreciate it,” and offer to swap numbers for a quick text if it ever gets loud. If it keeps happening & use a fan or white noise, move your bed off the shared wall, and keep a simple noise log you can share with the landlord only if needed.

Good call on the gentle precharge. Before you go there rule out simple stuff: try a known-good pack to confirm the charger is fine, and make sure the small center/sense pin on the battery isn't dirty or pushed in since a bad thermistor contact will also cause a blink fault. If it's Li-ion and it sat deeply discharged, it may come back with reduced capacity; stop and recycle it if it heats up or swells during charge.