Category: Slice of Life

Repairs

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"Ain't Pretty" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO6400
 “Ain’t Pretty” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！How’s it going?

Today’s photo is a close-up of some “repair” work I did on my hiking boots. I bought a pair of Keen Targhee II boots several years ago, on sale at REI for only $12 and they have served me well over the years. They are comfortable and have an adequate amount of support. But the one huge flaw is that Keen used a glue for that particular model which wasn’t as strong as other types of glue. The rumor is that they used a more environmentally friendly type of glue, which is commendable, but the sole pretty much separated from the upper. Upon close inspection, I couldn’t find any glue residue at all – it’s as if the glue just disappeared!

I probably should get new boots, but since I love these so much that I decided to slather a good amount of Shoe Goo on them and reattach the soles. It’s definitely not pretty, but I am hoping they hold.

We are going hiking in a couple days and I’m not 100% confident that the soles will stay on, so I am bringing another pair of shoes (running) just in case. But perhaps it’s time to look for some replacements. Either way, I am happy with my $12 purchase! 😄

*** Update 11/27/2016 *** The Shoe Goo held up and the soles stayed connected the whole trip, including three moderately easy hikes. Go Shoe Goo!!!

Cold Front and Mexican Food

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"Kotatsu" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO1600
 “Kotatsu” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！How’s it going?

The weather has turned cold and so I brought down the kotatsu and set it up in front of the tv. The kotatsu is a Japanese table with blanket and small heating element. In many homes in Japan the rooms are pretty cold in the Winter, and people keep warm by using heavier clothes, small space heaters, and kotatsu.

Here in the States, we tend to keep the whole house warmer, but we still like to break out the kotatsu because it is so comfortable! It’s a little “dangerous” though, because once you get comfortable under the kotatsu, the chances of falling asleep go up considerably! In fact, this afternoon I took a nice 1-hour nap… it was too hard to resist.

For lunch today, Koa and I were going to go to Taco Bell to get a couple burritos, but I decided we’d go to another place, that served more authentic Mexican food. I wanted to eat our food there, but Koa wanted to take it home so I compromised and we got the meals to-go. (He really wanted Taco Bell!) Anyways, the food was delicious and I liked going to this restaurant because all the diners there were seemed to be Mexican workers on their lunch-breaks.

"Mexican Take-out" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2000
 “Mexican Take-out” Cedar Park, 2016

Here in Texas, we have plenty of Mexican restaurants and also Tex-Mex style. I grew up in Southern California, so I am used to a different kind of style of Mexican food, and when I first tried Tex-Mex, I thought it was strange. It was yummy, but just strange. Tex-Mex tends to use more gooey American-style cheese, whereas California-style has more fresh ingredients, most notably avocado. I actually like both styles of Americanized Mexican food, but still cannot stand American cheese in Mexican food.

However, I love to eat where the “locals” eat, and going to a Mexican restaurant in which 95% of the diners are Latino means you are getting the real-deal.

Sunrise

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"Sunrise" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/125 sec, ISO800
 “Sunrise” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！How’s it going?

Tonight is the start of a long vacation for my family! The kids have all next week off from school, and I am also taking some vacation days so that I don’t have to go back to work until November 28th. That’s 10 days! Woohoo! 😄

I can’t remember if I posted what our plans will be, but you’ll find out soon enough. For the next couple days, it’ll be business as usual… just hanging at the house. And I’ll try to be in full relax-mode. It’s been a couple of stressful weeks, so I need to recharge… or at least attempt to recharge.

Today’s photo is of the sunrise this morning. Life goes on!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

(anti) Social

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Over the years, I’ve been on plenty of social networks, but at this time, I’ve whittled it down to just a couple that I am active on:

And of course I check my blog feed… BUT, I’m no longer active on Facebook. So if I don’t respond there, my apologies! If you need to contact me, you can find me on these chat apps (search firstnamelastname):

LINE, Google Hangouts, Messenger,WhatsApp, Skype

Ok, back to our regularly scheduled programming…

**************

"Delicious" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/75 sec, ISO3200
 “Delicious” Cedar Park, 2016

Today’s photo is of a wonderfully refreshing local brew. I just love the design of the “label” on this one. It’s one of life’s little pleasures to arrive home after work and have one of these little beauties waiting in the fridge. 😊 Cheers! 🍻

Concert Night

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"From the Stage" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/10 sec, ISO6400
 “From the Stage” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！How’s it going?

Tonight Koa’s band had another concert where they previewed their songs that they will perform in Chicago over the holidays. The played 7 songs and they all sounded fantastic! It’s amazing and wonderful how awesome their musical abilities have become.

"Piano" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/8 sec, ISO3200
 “Piano” Cedar Park, 2016

In other news, at work I organized a photoshoot with 9 people and it went well! I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure about the locations around the office, but I am pleased with how the photos turned out. And the models are all co-workers so we had fun taking the photos. Tomorrow and Thursday I will take more photos, but instead of a large group, we’ll be splitting into groups of three, and doing solo shots.

FYI, these photos will be used on our website. Instead of just using stock images like we have done quite a bit the past couple of years, we decided to create our own photos so they are absolutely unique. It’s not the first time we’ve done something like this, but I haven’t done a “stock” photoshoot in a while, so it’s a lot of fun, with plenty of nervous energy. I enjoy it a lot, surprisingly. I guess it has a lot to do with self-confidence which is something that I’ve gained quite a bit over the years. It’s a good thing!

I hope you had a nice day. 😄

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto