End of the month

USA. Texas. Austin. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/125 sec, ISO3200
USA. Texas. Austin. 2016.

こんばんは!How are you doing tonight? Can you believe that we have reached the end of January already? Time really flies.

As expected, it was very warm today… I think the high temperature got up to 81° F! It was so nice outside that I went for a 2-mile run. That felt great, and I broke a sweat early on it was so warm.

Before the run, I went to the market to buy things for dinner, but I made sure to go the the extra-large supermarket nearby to get some Pickapeppa. Do you know this sauce? It’s from Jamaica, and it is delicious.

My mom was born and raised in Jamaica, so when I was growing up, we had a bottle of Pickapeppa in our pantry at all times. We usually used the original (brown) sauce, but there was also the hot pepper version in a smaller bottle. I didn’t really like that when I was young, but now, that is the one I prefer. This morning my kids had some Jamaican patties for breakfast (my Mom made them) but we ran out of the red Pickapeppa. That’s why I made it a point to go to the market that I knew carried the red version.

"Jamaican Pattie" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
“Jamaican Pattie” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

Well, it’s only 8:15pm now but I am exhausted. I think the combination of the afternoon run and the fact that I woke up at 5am means that I need to go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow the kids have the day off from school which means I don’t have to prepare breakfast for them… that means I can sleep in a little bit later too!

Let’s have a productive Monday!

おやすみなさい!

-B Barron Fujimoto

Kitty kitty

"Maneki Neko" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/40 sec, ISO6400
“Maneki Neko” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

こんばんは!How are you today?

My current condition: sleepy and ready for bed. Last night, I only got about 4 hours of sleep, and while I felt great all day, a wave of fatigue just hit me a little while ago. Barely hanging on!

This morning was very productive. I went to the bank to deposit some money, then stopped by the UPS store to drop off a return package to Zappos, and after that, to the post office to mail of our property taxes. I did this all before 10am! But that seems like ages ago… It was a great day, however! 😀

Today’s photo is of some cute cat figurines in our home office.  I’m not sure when Mariko got them but I really like them! They usually hang out on the cabinet shelf above Mariko’s side of the desk, but I moved them onto the desk for this photo. I really like the bokeh that the Fujifilm X100T produces. Lots of character!

Okay, I think that is all my brain will allow me to write tonight. So, until tomorrow!

おやすみなさい!😴

-バロン Barron Fujimoto

JanSport Hatchet Backpack Review

JanSport Hatchet Backpack, in Grey Tar
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/60 sec, ISO6400
JanSport Hatchet Backpack, in Grey Tar

I bought a new backpack a couple of weeks ago – the JanSport Hatchet Backpack, in Grey Tar. It’s has a 28-liter capacity which I’d consider a medium-sized pack, bigger than my Patagonia Minimass messenger bag, but smaller than my North Face Router (41-liter) backpack. Not only is it smaller than the Router, it is much lighter (but less rugged). The design of the top flap is what really attracted me to this bag. And not only the look, but the function. As with everything, there are pros and cons. So let’s dive right in with my JanSport Hatchet backpack review!

First off, the JanSport Hatchet comes in several different colors, including some special designs from custom shops. I went with the most incognito color, which is called “Grey Tar”. I think the dark grey material (subtly two-toned) paired with the black straps looks very handsome, and the blue/yellow zipper pulls are a very nice complement. The JanSport logo patch in faux leather is a nice dark color as well. The inside of this version is a nice bright blue which is great. It’s much easier finding stuff in brightly colored interior than a black interior. (Especially for people with poorer vision like myself!)

The straps have a nice soft texture and include a sternum strap. It’s very comfortable to carry, either on one shoulder or both shoulders. It’s got a standard haul loop on the top, and there is a small cutout for hydration pack tube.

Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Back)
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO4000
Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Back)

Each side of the backpack has a large elasticized pouch for water bottles or other items, and above those are compression straps to cinch down the pack a bit. I keep my Panasonic TS2 camera in one of these pouches.

Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Back side)
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO2500
Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Back side)

The left side also has a zippered pocket, which is nice, but it’s pretty tight if you have something in the water bottle pouch. It’s great to have the drink pockets on both sides, which something my other bags lack.

Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Back side)
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO2000
Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Left side with zippered pocket)

The back has some daisy-chain style loops in the straps (where I have a green Camp USA Nano Carabiner), and also two loops at the bottom of the pack, for strapping on other items. I guess some people strap their yoga mats there. In the center, there is a small zippered pouch hidden under a flap. It’s not so big, but it doesn’t stick out too far. Inside this pouch, I keep my Totoro zippered container which holds stuff like aspirin, eye-drops, gum, and other semi-perishables.

Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Small Pocket)
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/25 sec, ISO6400
Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Small Pocket)

Above that, on the main flap, is a vertical zipper which opens a pocket on the lid. You can see in the photos I have my makkuro-kurosuke from Totoro/Spirited Away. This pocket is really convenient to access. I keep my wallet and keys in there, but it’s a large pocket (the full size of the flap) so you could fit a lot in there.

Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Vertical Pocket)
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/35 sec, ISO6400
Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Vertical Pocket)

One of the things that drew me to this backpack was the way the main compartment opened. When you zipper open the flap, you have easy access to the contents. On a conventional backpack, you are reaching into it from the top. With the JanSport Hatchet backpack, you have a larger opening to access your stuff.

Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Open)
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO1600
Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Open)

This is pretty nice if you have a lot of things at the bottom of the pack. For myself, I put my padded camera-bag insert in the bottom, and in it I keep my Instax Printer, extra pack of film, Instax photo album, my small camp towel, and my Fujifilm X100T camera.

Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Contents)
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO3200
Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Contents)

One thing to keep in mind is that if you have the main compartment filled with stuff, it might fall out when you unzip the pack since the opening comes down halfway. In that case, it might be better to put the pack down on its back and open it up laying flat. Another drawback of this flap design is that the zippers are a little harder to operate since the ends of the zipper tracks are not so taut. It just takes some getting used to, but even so, it isn’t the easiest bag to open.

Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Inside)
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO2000
Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Inside)

The rest of the main compartment consists of a lightly-padded space for a large laptop or hydration pack (I keep a clear file with papers in here), a smaller soft-lined sleeve for tablet-sized devices (I have my Kindle and Zebra McKee Colored Pens here), then two side-by-side pockets for smaller items, one of which is soft-lined. I keep my Anker battery, small notebook, Moo-cards in small Altoids tin, and a set of chopsticks. There is also a narrow mesh pocket which I’m not sure what you’d use for. Finally, there are two loops, one at the top of the pack, and one in the middle which has a carabiner attached. On the inside of the flap itself is a large, zippered mesh pocket. This is very nice since you can see what you have in this pocket without having to open it.

Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Open Flap)
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO1600
Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Open Flap)

Overall, I’m disappointed in the interior organization. For instance, there are no dedicated spaces for pens, nor are there any zippered pockets inside. In comparison, the seemingly much-smaller Patagonia Minimass messenger bag has many more pockets, including zippered, velcroed, pen pockets, and mesh. It actually organizes all of the items nicely, while the JanSport Hatched has run out of pockets! So, what is going on here? Well, the JanSport designers should have taken full advantage of the height of the backpack and extended the top of the laptop sleeve farther up towards the top edge of the backpack (up to the hydration opening). There are at least four inches there that they could have used to put more organizational pockets. Instead, it’s just a lot of wasted surface area.

Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Pockets)
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/30 sec, ISO6400
Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Pockets)

Because of this lack of organization, I am using some extra bags and storage units. For pens, I have a red and white striped pencil bag that I found at Daiso. I hung it from the top loop (along with my ugly doll) and it hangs loosely in that wasted space. It actually hangs too low, so I am looking for a different solution that I can fill the space at the top of the backpack. For electronics-related items, I have a brown LINE character zippered pouch. It holds USB cables, USB wall plug, two camera batteries, LensPen, SD memory cards, and USB memory sticks. That just sits on top of my Instax Printer.

There may be other storage hacks I can apply to add more storage. For instance, if I can find the right kind of bag or pouch, I can fasten it to the mesh pocket so that it will sit high up in the interior space. It’s disappointing, though, that I have to look at adding more organization to this backpack. On my North Face Router pack, there are so many places to put things, I was wondering, “What should I use this pocket for? And this pocket?” But with the JanSport Hatchet, it was the opposite. I was wondering, “Where the heck am I going to put these cables? Where should I put the spare batteries?” etc. Even the Patagonia Minimass bag had more options. I guess I was expecting more from the backpack.

Patagonia Minimass, JanSport Hatchet, North Face Router
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/35 sec, ISO6400
Patagonia Minimass, JanSport Hatchet, North Face Router

But, the advantage of the backpack is that it can expand a bit in that top area. I have no problem stuffing my jacket in there, which would be impossible with the Patagonia Minimass.

Also on the plus side, the JanSport Hatchet backpack was relatively inexpensive. I found it on sale for $40, and I had an REI dividend to use, so it only cost me $30 including shipping. That’s only a third of the cost of the Patagonia Minimass, and a quarter of the price of the North Face Router pack. So, I guess the phrase, “You get what you pay for,” definitely applies to bags and backpacks!

What’s kind of neat is that if you have the flap open, you can use the strap that is on the outside of the flap to loop around a hanger or something, and the backpack can hang on the wall totally open, like some kind of giant travel toiletries kit.

Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Flap up)
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO800
Jansport Hatchet Backpack in Grey Tar (Flap up)

Here’s a look at most of the stuff I keep in the JanSport Hatchet backpack. I just noticed… I have 5 “creatures” along for the ride!

JanSport Hatchet Backpack (What's In My Bag)
Photo info: SONY SLT-A77V, 16mm, f/6.7, 1/200 sec, ISO800
JanSport Hatchet Backpack (What’s In My Bag)

In conclusion, the JanSport Hatchet backpack is a comfortable, stylish, and functional backpack which has the potential to be great but falls short because of the poor interior organization. Still, for the price, it’s a pretty good backpack. Plus, JanSport backpacks have a lifetime guarantee, so if anything goes wrong or wears out, they will replace it for free! So, I’ll be using my new backpack regularly, while I look for ways to improve the interior situation. 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Late night

こんばんは!Good evening!

It’s very late… in fact it is 1:41 am on Saturday morning. I am writing this right before bed, but I had such a nice time tonight I wanted to share a bit about it. I went to a birthday party 🎂 for my good friend Mikey and it was a blast! The highlight of the night for me was playing the game “Cards Against Humanity”. It was so funny and raunchy. Definitely not for kids! But so much fun!

I’ll write some more later, and post my daily photo tomorrow… I am so sleepy now and I have to wake up in about 4 hours… 😴

おやすみなさい!

-B Barron Fujimoto

Sushi at home

"Sushi-making" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
“Sushi-making” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

こんにちは! How’s it going today? It’s a beautiful day here in central Texas, with temperatures approaching 80° F!

Although I love the warmth, I am worried… I mean it’s January so it should be cold! I am wondering how the planet’s climate will be when my kids are adults, and even what the world will be like when my grandchildren are adults. I can imagine that there will be more powerful storms, sea levels will have risen, etc. It’s really a shame. But I am reminded of some lyrics from Everything But the Girl – “In the end, if you take care, you can be happy or unhappy anywhere.” I suppose this could also apply to your place in world history too. I’m sure there will be plenty of happiness whatever the future brings to the planet.

And speaking of happiness, just look at today’s photo! There’s happiness in-the-making right there! As you probably know, my wife is an amazing cook and baker, and she can roll some mean sushi too! Here you can see the fixings for some sushi rolls she was preparing for a potluck party. I “sampled” a lot before the party, so I didn’t eat much there… but really I needed to make sure I got to have a nice share of the sushi before it all got devoured! (I’m not an idiot)

If you haven’t made sushi at home, you should give it a try! Lots of places now sell sushi-grade (and safe) fish, and it makes for a really fun party. You can even order sushi fish online and have it delivered in refrigerated packaging. Very convenient!

I hope you all have a great day!

-B Barron Fujimoto