“Watercolor Card” Cedar Park, 2020
This year I made a watercolor card for Mariko for Mother’s Day. I used a photo of another watercolor as a reference.
Card
“Watercolor Card” Cedar Park, 2020
Category: Slice of Life
“Watercolor Card” Cedar Park, 2020
How to Fix Nintendo Joy-Con Controller Drift
“QD Electronic Cleaner” Cedar Park, 2020
I’ve been enjoying Animal Crossing New Horizons for the past month, but our Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controller drift problem has been making it frustrating. What is “drift”? Well, it’s when when the control stick is not being touched, but it registers as being pushed slightly in one direction. In Animal Crossing, this means that your villager will start walking slowly even though you aren’t touching the Joy-Con controller analog stick.
I did a little bit of research on how to fix Joy-Con drift and decided to try cleaning the controller stick. One method involves using a Q-Tip and rubbing alcohol to clean the mechanism, however we don’t have either of these items in the house at the moment. (We used our alcohol to make sanitizing spray because of COVID-19) But I remembered that I have a can of CRC QD Electronic Cleaner, which is an alcohol-based electrical contact cleaner. I originally bought it to clean the dials of my electric guitars and get rid of that scratchy static sound that happens when adjusting the volume or tone dials.
“Cleaning Joy-Con” Cedar Park, 2020
The process I used to clean my Nintendo Joy-Con controller was to use a toothpick to gently pry up the rubber covering underneath the analog control stick, then spray the CRC QD Electric Cleaner into the exposed area. I then moved the control stick in all directions for a minute or so, and could immediately feel it move more freely. After waiting a couple of minutes, I repeated the process just to make sure it got thorough cleaning, then waited about 10 minutes before testing it with the game.
Happily, the Joy-Con controller drift problem was fixed! My Animal Crossing villager would remain in one spot when I didn’t touch the control stick, with no drifting at all. Also, the directional input was more precise and seemed to return to center quicker. This precision makes it so much easier (and less frustrating) to play the game, especially when terra-forming. And now that the right-controller’s stick is no longer drifting, the interior view when inside a house no longer pans by itself. Yay!
The Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controller is not an inexpensive piece of hardware, so before you go out and buy a replacement, give this a try, either with the rubbing alcohol, or the CRC QD Electronic Cleaner. But, I’d recommend picking up a can of the cleaner – it’s inexpensive and very handy!
Animal Crossing Rocks
“Animal Crossing Tree and Rocks” Cedar Park, 2020
I went for a run at the football stadium parking lot near our house, and as I jogged up and down the lanes, I kept looking at the rocks and thinking that I should whack them with my shovel to collect some iron nuggets. Maybe I’m playing too much Animal Crossing… 😵
Yakiniku Dinner
“Yakiniku” Cedar Park, 2020
We live near an H-Mart Korean Market so having yakiniku at home is a convenient dinner option. The market has many different kinds of meats, sliced and/or marinated, ready for the grill-pan. For tonight’s dinner, we had thinly-sliced fatty pork belly, lightly-marinated beef, and mini smoked sausages. Veggies included lettuce, kimchee, zucchini, onion, jalapeno, pickled cauliflower, and salad. So yummy!
I hope you had a nice day! 😀
Run and Bike
“Sunset Cycling” Cedar Park, 2020
Today I went for a lunchtime run, and immediately I could tell my legs were a bit tired and the muscles were stiff. From our house, whichever route I take is downhill so it’s a nice, gentle way to warm up and assess my physical (and mental) condition. Yesterday was a rest day so I wasn’t too worried about straining myself, however, I made a note to take it easy. I don’t want any injuries!
I’m reading the book The Pants of Perspective: One Woman’s 3,000 Kilometre Running Adventure through the Wilds of New Zealand by Anna McNuff and I kept thinking about what a bad-ass she is and how she dealt with physical down-days on her journey. Super-inspiring and motivating! That positive energy definitely helps with my mental state, and although my legs might still be tired, I don’t let that get me down.
I ended up running 3.43 miles, which I am pleased with, and my pace of 12:19 /mi wasn’t as slow as I expected. And besides, it was beautiful outside!
Not surprisingly, the run’s momentum carried with me into the evening and I went for a short evening bicycle ride around the neighborhood. I remembered to pack my camera and was rewarded with a really nice sunset. You know, it’s really nice having a cargo rack and panniers on my bike – I can get the mail, carry my phone and camera, and still have plenty of room to spare.
The ride was great and I saw lots of people out walking, running, and playing safely. Lots of waving too! Although we’re living in a pandemic situation right now, people seem to be keeping it together. I really like our neighborhood.😀
I hope you had a nice day!
