Thursday Friday

"Manekineko" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO400
“Manekineko” Cedar Park, 2018

It’s the start of the long weekend for us! I know not everyone has “Good Friday” off, but the kids’ school district recognizes it as a holiday, and my company does as well. So, Thursday has become Friday. 😄

I’m going to stay up late and watch the last 3 episodes of Anone あのね, which I think is fantastic! The best Japanese dorama I’ve seen in a long time. I recommend it if you have access to Japanese テレビ, such as TV Japan, or other means. 😉

I hope you had a nice Thursday!

またね~

X-T10 Camera

"Fujifilm X-T10" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/6.4, 1/9 sec, ISO640
“Fujifilm X-T10” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

My wife bought a new camera, an Olympus E-PL9, to replace her Fujifilm X-T10. Her first ILC (Interchangeable Lens Camera) was an Olympus E-PL1 so this is a bit of a homecoming for her.

She liked the Fujifilm X-T10, but it was a little too big (even though it’s tiny compared to a DSLR), and perhaps a little too complicated. The E-PL9 is smaller, and the excellent 14-42 EZ kit lens is small enough to be considered by some to be a pancake lens. I think for her style of shooting, the Olympus will be a better camera.

But now we have an extra Fujifilm X-T10, with the excellent 35mm f/2 lens. I really like the camera, so I’ll be using it as my backup, or the camera I use when I need to use a focal length other than the 23mm that my beloved Fujifilm X100T provides. Besides the 35mm (52mm equiv.), we also have the wonderful 18-55mm (27-82mm equiv.) which is probably the lens I’d use most on the X-T10.

While the Fujifilm X-T10 is a great camera and reminds me of my Minolta X-700 both in size and looks, the advantages of the X100T still apply when comparing the two. I prefer the rangefinder-style body, single focal length, the non-detachable lens for zero decision-making, silent leaf-shutter, optical viewfinder, and discreet color/size. If I were to ever replace my X100T, it would be with another X100-series camera.

So, does the X-T10 really fit in with my camera collection? I think it does. But it only makes sense if I use it to replace my DSLR set-up. I guess I’ll put my Sony a77 and lenses on the market and try to get some money. 😄

I hope you have a nice day!

またね~

Taco Tuesday

"Tacos" Austin, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/200 sec, ISO200
“Tacos” Austin, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Yes, “Taco Tuesday” is really a thing… although it’s not like a holiday or super-special occasion. Here in Austin where tacos (especially breakfast tacos) are very popular, many of us “celebrate” Taco Tuesdays. I say that only semi-seriously because since we eat tacos so often, and since Tuesday comes once a week, it’s more like we’ll recognize the special day when we realize we are eating a taco and it is Tuesday. But it’s fun to say anyway… the phrase rolls off the tongue nicely, doesn’t it?

I’m lucky in that we have a taco trailer come by our office every week and the tacos are tasty and not too expensive. For non-breakfast tacos, I like to get corn tortillas, and here they serve each taco with two corn tortillas. I like it like this. And since I got two tacos, the quartet of tortillas makes it a filling and satisfying lunch. To me, the perfect taco consists of a simply seasoned protein, diced onion, cilantro, and a hot sauce or pico de gallo. Not too many flavors, but super tasty. 🌮

I hope you had a nice Tuesday!

またね~

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This post was prompted by The Daily Post from WordPress.

Efficient Morning

I have a weekday morning routine which involves certain tasks which take time, but I often wonder which one I should start first for maximum time-efficiency. For instance, should I open the dishwasher to start it airing out before I put the dishes away, or should I put my cold coffee in the microwave and get that going. Or, should I drink my morning glass of water so my body starts getting hydrated? Or should I fill up the kettle with water and start the burner? Should I defrost any breakfast items before all of that, or wait till the microwave is free?

I’d hate to have an Inefficient morning. Time’s a-wasting! 😝

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This post was prompted by The Daily Post from WordPress.

Art Store Trip

"Artist Coffee" Austin, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO1250
“Artist Coffee” Austin, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

It seems like Bay and I visit Jerry’s Artarama a lot these days! It’s really fun to check out all the art supplies… it reminds me of when I was Bay’s age and painted a lot. Cool to look at all the things that I used to buy, like canvas stretcher bars, gesso, palette knives, etc. And I love that Bay is into his art! So I don’t mind buying him the supplies he needs.

I ended up getting him a good-sized canvas and a couple new brushes, while I picked up a 6×12″ watercolor book. I want to paint some simple seascape horizons. I’ll take some photos of the work!

Today’s photo is of some cool coffee beans they were selling. I totally should have bought a bag, since we are just about out of beans at home. 😞

I hope you had a nice day!

またね~

Taking Vitamins

When I was growing up, my parents had us take vitamins every morning, and it wasn’t just a single multi-vitamin pill. It was multiple pills of individual vitamins, plus other supplements, like garlic or fish oil. Because of this, I became pretty good at swallowing several pills at once. I think my record is maybe seven at one go. Come to think of it now, that’s maybe too many vitamins?

Nowadays, my own kids also take daily vitamins, but their pill-swallowing procedure is not as efficient yet as mine is. And the technique is different as well.

When I take pills, I retract my tongue to the back of my mouth and drop the pills into the space behind my lower teeth, but in front my tongue. Then I take a swig of water and use my tongue to scoop the pills and water to the back of my mouth and swallow. It’s fast and only takes one gulp of water to swallow all the pills.

The rest of the family prefers to take a bit of water first, then drop a pill into their mouths, and swallow. But, they have to repeat this for every pill. I told them my technique, which I believe is superior, and they think I am crazy. 😄

I wonder which technique is the most common… 🤷‍♂️

This post was prompted by The Daily Post from WordPress.

Contest, Critique, and Misc

"Critique" Austin, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/105 sec, ISO6400
“Critique” Austin, 2018

Today Koa’s percussion ensemble participated in a contest and critique. It was very interesting to hear the comments from percussionists at the top of the field. One of the judges is a professor at Florida State University, another is the Principal Timpanist for the Austin Symphony, and the other is a well-respected band director. I think that hearing the perspectives from these experts made a great impression on the kids.

In other news, I took care of some business around the house, including raking, fertilizing the lawn, tidying up our planters, and replacing a license plate bulb on Mariko’s car. Digitally, I decluttered and organized my desktop computer files, and made a fresh backup. And then I almost finished a book I am reading and did my daily exercises. It was a long, but fun, day!