Category: Slice of Life

Running With a Mask at the Ready

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Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 2.671mm, f/2.2, 1/550 sec, ISO100
 “Covered Up” Cedar Park, 2020

During this pandemic, I stay away from routes where there are a lot of people, specifically the hike & bike paths that are too narrow to keep a safe distance from other people. So that means I stick to my neighborhood streets where I can run in the road or easily cross to the other side to stay socially distant. However, there are some parts where I have to run on a narrow pathway or sidewalk, which is why I always carry a disposable mask.

I will just put the mask around my wrist, and it’s so light that it doesn’t interfere at all with the running experience. But when I am running on one of these narrow sections and I see another pedestrian or cyclist, I’ll put the mask on. It literally takes just three or four seconds, so why not? Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly?) I haven’t seen any other runners using masks, but maybe now that they’ve seen my put on my mask, it will normalize it to them (or maybe they will feel a little ashamed), and they will start doing the same. Hey, we have to look out for one another!

In other running news, I saw this really great sidewalk art version of It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Very cool!

Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/1500 sec, ISO100
 “Sidewalk Art” Cedar Park, 2020
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/2000 sec, ISO100
 “Sidewalk Art” Cedar Park, 2020
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/1600 sec, ISO100
 “Sidewalk Art” Cedar Park, 2020

I hope you had a great day!

Motorcycle Maintenance

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Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO111
 “Maintenance” Cedar Park, 2020

Today was another maintenance day for Kiki! A quick trip to Walmart to pick up some motor oil, coolant, and distilled water and I was all set for a couple hours of motorcycle work.

Including last night’s work, here’s what I completed:

  • Bled brakes/replace brake fluid (DOT4)
  • Changed oil (20W-50 dino oil)
  • Changed coolant
  • Topped up battery water (distilled)
  • Lubed the chain (PJ1 Blue)

Changing the oil and coolant is not difficult, but it’s a bit messy and more complicated that it should be. Did you know that BMW stands for “Bikes Made Weird”? I can attest! 😄

Ready to vroom-vroom! 🚀

Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/40 sec, ISO112
 “Kiki” Cedar Park, 2020

Burger Night

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/35 sec, ISO3200
 “Burger Tower” Cedar Park, 2020

I got the request for burgers, and I was happy to oblige! Like last time, I fried up some bacon as well, but also grilled some onions and jalapeños for Koa and I. (Mariko prefers raw onions and peppers) We also had sliced avocado, so the cheeseburgers had a lot going on. The above photo is Mariko’s sky-high burger, and below is my creation, which turned out to be really messy and fun to eat.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/70 sec, ISO3200
 “Deluse Burger” Cedar Park, 2020

Homemade buns were beautiful and delicious and made a huge difference! Over the years, I’ve tweaked my burger recipe and technique: I add salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and Japanese Worcestershire sauce to the 80/20 ground chuck, mixing with a fork.

The most important change I’ve made in cooking the burgers, is when I add the cheese. In the past, I used to add the cheese while the patties were still cooking on the grill. But now, I add the cheese later – when the patties are cooked, I transfer them into a warm casserole dish, add the cheese, and cover with foil while the burgers rest a few minutes. The cheese melts just the same, but the benefit is that the barbecue grill stays cleaner. I really don’t miss that smell of burning cheese the next time I fire up the grill!

🍔❤

Nearby Trail

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/8, 1/320 sec, ISO200
 “Short Trail” Cedar Park, 2020

I had fun today at lunch exploring a little trail that runs behind our house. We have what’s known as a “green belt” in our neighborhood, which is a bit of wooded area, and when the kids were little, we explored it a bit looking for a geocache. At that time, the trail didn’t extend very far back, but now it actually connects to the street on the other side of the neighborhood, although you have to kind of know where the entry/exit point is because it’s not marked or anything. It’s kind of a neat, hidden little part of the neighborhood.

I hope you had a nice day!

She’s Back Home!

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Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO125
 “Kiki” Cedar Park, 2020

My BMW F650GS “Kiki” is back home! I had to get the fuel pump replaced, and the fuel system cleaned which took a few months, but she’s back. I went for a little spin and I really need to perform a bit of maintenance on her. Specifically some new brake fluid! The brakes feel a bit spongy, which isn’t a good thing. And then I should probably do an oil change while I’m at it. And clean/lube the chain. But those things are pretty fun to do, actually. Gotta give Kiki a bit of love! 😘

Vroom vroom!

Taco (and Tequila) Tuesday

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2.5, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
 “Carne Asada Taco” Cedar Park, 2020

It was Taco Tuesday at the Fujimoto house! This time, we had carne asada from Trader Joe’s. It was yummy!

And before we feasted on tacos, we pre-gamed it with some Espolòn tequila. A combination for the ages. 😄

Marching Band, 2020 Version

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/3.2, 1/35 sec, ISO3200
 “On Snare” Cedar Park, 2020

Tonight we went to the stadium to watch Koa perform in the marching band for the band parents. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the marching band competitive season and all travel was cancelled, but they still were able to rehearse (both virtually and socially-distanced in-person) and perform at a few home-field football games. The show was redesigned to keep space between each band member, although I have to say there were a few moments were it got closer than 6 feet. But still, it was nothing like past shows, which was appreciated. All students wore masks, the wind and brass instruments had coverings, and many of the kids also wore face shields. Happily, we haven’t heard of any band kids nor band staff testing positive for COVID-19.

New this year, Koa switched instruments from marimba to snare. This meant he was actually marching in the field instead of just up in the front ensemble. I think he really enjoyed it. He was also a drumline captain! Yay, Koa!

The photo above was taken through my binoculars in case you were wondering. I don’t have a long telephoto lens, so this will have to do. 😆

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO640
 “Marching Band” Cedar Park, 2020

You can watch the show below:

The angle of the camera makes the crowd appear packed, but actually the seats were marked off with tape so that groups would be kept apart at a safe distance, and masks were required. I was reluctant to let Koa return to marching band this year (many of the students attended 100% virtually), but after seeing a few of the rehearsals, I was more comfortable with how seriously everyone was taking it. And Koa has some pretty sweet tan-lines on his cheeks from wearing his mask! 😄

Normally we attend several of the football games to see the band perform but this year we only saw the show once. Hopefully next year the pandemic situation will be over and Koa can enjoy a normal senior year performing at more games and competitive events.