Category: Slice of Life

Pizza Days

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/45 sec, ISO3200
 “Pizza Class” Cedar Park, 2020

Mariko has a few pizza-making classes (online) this week, which means plenty of pizza for us! I love pizza, but in order to not get sick of it, we’re trying to vary the toppings. Beyond the common ones like pepperoni, sausage, onion, and olives, we’ve added Jalapeño and Serrano peppers, anchovies, and roasted garlic to the options. And for the next couple of classes, we’ll add gyro meat, feta cheese, fresh basil, Romano cheese, and pork belly to the mix.

It’s fun to try different combinations! After all, when you have a good crust, which is the critical part of the pizza, you can experiment with toppings and almost always have a good pie.

Bon Appetit! ❤🍕

Early Voting

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Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/180 sec, ISO100
 “Early Voting in 2020” Cedar Park, 2020

Today I went to the local library where I always vote to cast my ballot. In Texas, early voting began on the 13th, and the numbers of people casting early votes is setting records. Since we have plenty of time to early vote here, I was planning on voting a few days later, but when I drove past the library, the line wasn’t too long so I decided to just do it then.

It took about 20 minutes from getting out of my car to getting back into my car with my votes being cast. Not bad at all!

Oh, and as an added bonus, I got my flu shot today. Science and Democracy!!!

Making Budae-Jjigae / Army Base Stew

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/45 sec, ISO3200
 “Budae-Jjigae” Cedar Park, 2020

Today I made Budae-Jjigae (Army Base Stew) using this video as a guide. It was super-delicious, spicy, and will leave your whole body warmed up. It’s also very easy to make (hey, if I can do it, anyone can!)

In the photo below, you can see it with the spicy paste mixed into the broth (we just used water), and instant noodles added. We cook it on our kitchen stove, and then bring it over to the table and use a portable gas stove on low to keep it nice and hot. I highly recommend this yummy Korean dish!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Budae-Jjigae” Cedar Park, 2020

New Shoes for Mango

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/300 sec, ISO200
 “Schwalbe Marathon Plus” Cedar Park, 2020

I replaced Mango’s 26 x 1.9″ Continental Town & Country tires with some brand new 26 x 2″ Scwhalbe Marathon Plus tires which are a really nice upgrade. They are a lot more puncture-resistant, and have a great reputation for lasting a long time. In fact, they are the most popular tire for long-distance touring.

Of course, there are tradeoffs that come with this kind of durability, and those are price and weight. Actually, at around $50 per tire, they aren’t too bad, especially because I expect to have them for many years, and although they felt pretty heavy when I was putting them on the wheels, I hardly noticed a weight penalty when riding.

The ride is really smooth and quiet. The Continentals were good as well, but the Schwalbe’s seem to be a step above. I’m very happy with them!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/450 sec, ISO200
 “Schwalbe Marathon Plus” Cedar Park, 2020

Oh, as an added bonus, they have reflective paint as well, for added safety. 😀

I’m almost ready for a RTW bicycle tour! (A dream)