Category: Slice of Life

At home today

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"School Bus" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec, ISO400
 “School Bus” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

こんばんは！How are you today?

On Wednesdays I usually work from home. It’s nice because I can wake up about 20 minutes later than usual, delaying my normal shower until later in the morning or lunchtime. And in the afternoon, I can pick up Koa from his bus stop and give him a ride home.

The bus stop is actually really close to the house (less than a 10 minute walk) but he has some band gear he has to carry and it can get pretty heavy. Today I decided to walk to the bus stop and meet him and then walk home together. As you can see in today’s photo, we had very nice weather with plenty of sun and fresh air so I enjoyed the walk! (I think Koa would have rather me picked him up in the car, however)

The week is more than half way over, and I am already looking forward to the weekend. Hope you have a great day tomorrow, and I hope it is sunny where you live! ☀️

おやすみなさい！

-B

New Backpack

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こんばんは！

How are you doing? I guess I am ok today.

As I have mentioned a couple times in the past, I am a bit crazy for bags, backpacks, and messenger bags. Tonight I was shopping online and came across a great deal on a cool mid-sized backpack. It was on sale, and also I had an REI dividend to use so I got a great price on this JanSport Hatchet Daypack. I love the design! It looks like it will be a nice addition to my small collection of bags. Its 28-liter capacity seems right between my Patagonia Minimass messenger bag and the cavernous 41-liter capacity North Face Router. I like the Router backpack, but it does get huge!

The only thing about the JanSport is that I am not sure exactly what color REI will ship to me. The website says “Grey Tar/ Shade Grey”, but those are actually two different colors. Both look nice to me, but I am hoping that the darker “Grey Tar” is the one I get. It has a bright blue interior which makes finding things easier.

Today was another cold one, with another frozen windshield. The layer of ice this morning was a little thicker than the last one, but still it melted away quickly once I got some warm air coming up from the dashboard.

"Frozen" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/90 sec, ISO6400
 “Frozen” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

I think I am ready for some warmer weather already. I am truly a summer person! 😎

Stay warm tonight!

-B

Getting up there

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Hello! How was your Monday? Mine was pretty good! I met with a good friend for lunch and we spent a lot of time discussing Star Wars and it was fun to just geek out. We are the same age, so we have a similar experience of watching the original trilogy.

Today’s photo is one I took while I sat in traffic this morning. I noticed that I forgot to reset my trip meter after filling up the day before, so I set it to zero and I noticed that the odometer just hit 142,000 miles!

USA. Texas. Austin. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/125 sec, ISO2000
 USA. Texas. Austin. 2016.

It’s a 12-year old car so things are starting to go wrong with it. But I love the mini-van so much… it has taken us safely and reliably on a lot of fun road trips and camping excursions. ⛺ I will hate to see it go, but I think that it is almost time to get a new car. 😔

140,000 miles is a long way. In fact, it is almost 6 times around the world! 🌎 This Honda Odyssey is amazing. I am hoping my next car will take me as far.

Have a good night and let’s do our best tomorrow!

-B

My Favorite Selections from the Star Wars Soundtracks

I Like It, La Musica, Slice of LifeLeave a Comment on My Favorite Selections from the Star Wars Soundtracks

I am still on a Star Wars high from seeing The Force Awakens for the second time, and spent Saturday night and some of today listening to the epic Star Wars soundtracks by John Williams. Of course the Main Theme, Cantina Band, and Imperial March are amazing, but here are the other memorable parts of the soundtracks to me:

  • Yoda’ Theme / Yoda and the Force – A melody that perfectly exemplifies the Jedi master to me. It’s filled with wonder and beauty, but also conveys the mystery of the Force, a perfect accompaniment as we learn more about a mystical new world when Yoda is teaching Luke on Dagobah.
  • Han Solo and the Princess – It’s amazing that Han and Leia’s feelings towards each other could be established so strongly in just a few scenes, and with so much left unsaid. It’s a great contrast to the multiple forced scenes and cheesy dialog between Anakin and Padme in Episode II.
  • Princess Leia’s Theme – John Williams really hits it out of the park with Leia’s Theme. The melody is beautiful and delicate, but noble and sad at the same time.
  • Binary Sunset – This one and Tales of a Jedi Knight (below) are the classic “Luke’s theme” to me. I think it may be everyone’s favorite scene in Star Wars – Luke gazing out towards the double suns over the horizon.
  • Tales of a Jedi Knight – Another part of the soundtrack that gives me chills. It’s where the mystery of the Force begins for us viewers.
  • Rey’s Theme – The most memorable theme from The Force Awakens for me. Starts small but builds wonderfully into a complex and soaring theme.
  • Across the Stars – I think this is the only piece from the prequels that I thought was memorable (besides the standards). I think the melody is great… it’s too bad my memory is marred by the cheesy and forced romance scenes and dialog.
  • The Rebel Fleet/End Title (Episode V) – This is my favorite of all the Star Wars themes/medleys. It’s because the end scene in Empire was so memorable and sad, but you can tell the movie is wrapping up. Then when it cuts to the credits and the triumphant theme kicks in… When I first saw it in the theaters, I was left thinking “Wow, that was the best movie ever!” It will always give me chills!
  • The Jedi Steps and Finale – Bringing the series up-to-date, this ending scene had almost the same effect on me as the ending of Empire… and then seeing Luke… chills! When the main theme kicks in, it’s the same feeling of “That was fantastic!!! When can we see it again?”

Click the links above to listen to the songs, or you can check out a playlist I’ve created:

🎵 Barron’s Star Wars Favorites 🎵

And here is a photo of an Instax pic of Rey and my BB-8 Google Cardboard.

"Rey and BB-8" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/18 sec, ISO6400
 “Rey and BB-8” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

Lazy Sunday

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こんばんは！

Wow, the weekend went by quickly (it always does, doesn’t it?) but I had a very relaxing one.

Tonight I grilled burgers for the family and they turned out great. This time, I added some Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and scotch bonnet pepper sauce to the ground beef before grilling and it made the meat a little tangy and gave it a bit of heat. Everyone thought they were delicious! I topped the burgers with sharp cheddar, the buns were from the supermarket bakery (yummy), and the fixings were mayo, mustard, ketchup, onions, tomatoes, pickles, jalapeños, and lettuce. Too bad I didn’t take a photo, but it probably wouldn’t do it justice!

It’s cold out today (in the 40s) so we enjoyed the heater:

"Lazy Sunday Morning" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO1250
 “Lazy Sunday Morning” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

Tonight will be below freezing where we live. Please keep warm and let’s have a great week!

おやすみなさい

-バロン