daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
I love donburi 丼 (rice in a bowl with a topping) and tonight Mariko made a new “fancy” donburi. It had egg, Chinese vegetables, and sweet ground pork for the topping. So good! ❤🍚 I could eat it every day.
Today Bay and I went down to Houston to pick up keys to his new apartment that he’ll be living in for the upcoming school year. We made a trip to IKEA and Target to pick up some items, and I noticed that many more people in Houston were going mask-less as compared to Austin. The photo above is not an accurate representation of the percentage of mask-wearers versus non… I’d estimate only 15% of shoppers were wearing masks, and it didn’t seem like anyone was practicing social distancing.
I suppose people are just tired of wearing them, even though COVID infection levels are on the rise in Texas once again. I’m still wearing mine 100% indoors, and sometimes outdoors when there are a lot of people around. It’s really not an inconvenience to me.
I have finished restoring Sophie’s handlebars. The final version has the original narrow drop bars wrapped with black cloth tape. I removed the safety levers from the brakes, and added brown hoods, and lastly, the bar ends are fitted with cork from wine bottles.
I seriously thought about replacing the handlebars with new, wider bars, but gave up on the idea. Wide bars simply do not match the aesthetic of the classic bicycle shape. They would be more comfortable, but new bars would be the beginning of a whole new cockpit since I’d have to get new brake levers as well. With new stem, handlebars, and brake levers, Sophie wouldn’t be the same bike that I rode from San Francisco to Los Angeles when I was in high school, and I really don’t like that idea.
Still, I am glad I tried the wide bar idea out. If I didn’t, I would always be thinking about them in the back of my mind.
Here are a few photos and a video from my lunchtime bicycle ride along Brushy Creek Regional Trail. We’re fortunate to live near a beautiful hike and bike route. Please watch the video if you have time! 😊
We took Lani to the veterinarian today for a wellness exam and to update her with vaccinations. The doctor said that apart from some tartar on her teeth, she’s perfectly healthy!
And she did great at the animal hospital… just a bit excited but no messes and when the vet’s helper came to take Lani back to the exam room, she went without a fuss. In fact she went with enthusiasm. 😄 She’s so funny.
