Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/25 sec, ISO6400 “Old Pullover” Cedar Park, 2019
While going through some of my old clothes, I came across two items from my alma maters, Torrance High School and UC Irvine. The one from high school was my old cross-country jersey. It was cool to look at it again before putting it in the trash. Its last bit of usefulness was to remind me of the good times I had running in high school. Honestly, I didn’t really enjoy cross-country. Haha. But it happened, and it gave me experiences and I learned about myself.
The other item I found is a pull-over from college. I really like the classic design and color, but it’s uncomfortable and not soft anymore. Actually, I don’t think it was ever very soft. Anyway, I was going to throw it away but then Bay decided he wanted it. I guess he’s into “college mode” or something. I’d eventually like to get a more comfortable replacement for the pull-over because I am sort of proud of graduating from UCI. It’s not really high on my list, though. 😄
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/20 sec, ISO679 “RO Water” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Today I had a little project: installing an under-sink Reverse Osmosis Water System. We purchased the iSpring RCC7AK 6-Stage water filtration system which has great reviews, and supposedly simple installation process.
I have to say, the installation for the iSpring RCC7AK was pretty easy. I always get nervous when working on plumbing, but this was really straightforward. The unit itself is designed smartly, with easily connected water tubes, and a brushed metal faucet that matches our main water faucet nicely. It is free-standing, but you can mount the system to a wall if necessary. The 2-gallon tank is the largest part of the unit, and I had to remove the bendy part of the PVC drain pipe in order to get it to the back corner, but that took only a few minutes. The only hiccup in the instructions was that part of it is outdated and referred to a couple of parts that had changed. After looking through the added documentation booklet I found the reference to the correct part, and I was back to the installation.
I won’t go deeply into what Reverse Osmosis filtered water is, except that it removes most of the contaminants that tap water contains. It tastes great too! We’re planning on using the RO water for drinking, making coffee, and cooking. As we get older, we’re spending more time/money focusing on our health, and since we drink plenty of water, having the best water possible seems like a great thing to do. 😄
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/125 sec, ISO3200 “Papers” Cedar Park, 2019
Today I cleaned up a bunch at home (I’ve been reinvigorated in my decluttering!), first with some paperwork that I had way too much of. Today I focused on financial statements of IRAs and 401ks from back before the dawn of time. Basically, I am keeping the most recent statement, and shredding the rest. I have never looked at them in all these years. Which is probably good for retirement accounts, right? Just let them do their thing.
The other week I cleaned out other documents like medical records (I’ll hold onto the last 2 year’s worth), automotive records (why do I still have oil change receipts for my 1999 Sentra which we sold ten years ago?), and documents pertaining to our old house which we sold in 2005.
With most of the papers disposed of, I now have so much space in our office cabinets. It’s awesome!
Next, I tackled my closet and my clothes, which I had pared down quite a bit already, but there were three drawers full of brand new socks, old gloves, and ski hats. It’s crazy how many pairs of new wool socks I had! All those went in the Goodwill bag, as well as a bunch of t-shirts. I was able to discard enough so that I could get rid of one plastic drawer.
There were a bunch of other adjustments I made in the closet that involved throwing out and reorganizing what was left, but now the closet is tidy and airy. It’s such a welcome difference.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 18mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO400 “Things That Spark Joy” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going?
It seems that everyone is talking about Marie Kondo lately because of her show on Netflix. I’ve seen a couple episodes and read her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which I enjoyed, and like a lot of other people, I’ve been re-examining the things that I buy and keep. I’ve put together a list of items that not only “spark joy”, but also are things that I use often and if I lost the item, I’d buy it again.
Instead of listing them here, I created a page so I can update as needed. If you have a few minutes free, why don’t you check out my list? (And if you buy anything via the links, I’ll get a small kick-back from Amazon 🤗)
We’re back home in Texas after a wonderful holiday vacation in California. While I enjoyed myself quite a bit, I let my daily habits fall by the wayside, but that’s okay. I was on vacation after all. Nothing to beat myself up over.
While I did post on my blog, play some ukulele (my dad has a cool Kamaka ukulele), exercise/stretch, and take a daily photo, I didn’t study my Japanese vocabulary nor do a daily drawing. And of course, I didn’t do a daily decluttering. But now that I’m back home, I’ll pick those back up. It’s a new year which is kind of cool. No new year’s resolutions for me. I’m just going to continue what I’m doing. Little by little, every day, ought to be enough. 😊
It’s the end of the year and as usual, many bloggers and vloggers are re-evaluating their blogs and channels. I’ve seen a few decide that what they are writing about is not adding value, or they feel like they don’t have anything new to write about. Others have found that they’ve reached a plateau in their number of followers and are frustrated that the growth has stopped.
And many of these bloggers/vloggers have decided to pause their activities during the holiday break while they decide if they will continue, re-focus, or quit. I can understand where they are coming from, and I think it’s fine to stop blogging of vlogging if it has become a burden, especially if it’s not your source of income. You shouldn’t feel guilty about losing the motivation or passion that once drove you to create content. People change, and if you force yourself to keep doing the same thing, you won’t grow and you’ll get frustrated.
I’ve actually never done the end-of-year evaluation. I’ve been blogging off-and-on since 2000, and I’ve been posting daily for a couple years now. I suppose the reason why this blog has been going for so long is that I don’t have any long-term goals for it, other than to document my daily life. And my daily life isn’t filled with profound realizations, amazing tips & tricks, or other marketable lifehacks. I just write about anything that strikes my fancy. Sometimes it’s helpful to others, but most of the time, it’s of limited value. I know I won’t make any significant money blogging this way, but I have fun writing, learning about WordPress, affiliate ads, and SEO. And what’s nice is that it takes almost no special effort to do so. That’s because it’s become a habit every night. I never find myself forcing myself to blog… it just happens. And sometimes if I don’t get around to writing that night, I’ll just write two the next day, or simply post a photo. It’s really not worth stressing over.
I said I don’t have any long-term goals for this blog, and it’s true. I blog without trying to gain followers, improve SEO, or make money. Or if I do, it’s just for entertainment. But I do achieve my short-term goal each day, which is to write a little bit and post a photo, which keeps my brain sharp. Those small achievements add up, I believe, and create a sense of wellbeing and a healthy mind.
But for those bloggers who have more invested in their blogs, and perhaps a financial interest in having a profitable blog/channel, you have my respect and support! And I hope you all have a successful 2019!
In the spirit of including a photo in my daily post, here’s a random pic of items on my desk.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1000 “Desk Items” Cedar Park, 2018
Yesterday, Pauline, a fellow photographer, commented on one of my cloud photos that it was “one for the Cloud Appreciation Society” and included a link to the following TED talk:
Well, I watched the video and was completely blown away… Gavin Pretor-Pinney’s talk brought me to tears. I’ve mentioned in the past how fascinated I am by clouds (and also how surprised I am of the lack of enthusiasm that others have towards them) so I was so elated to find out that there is a group of like-minded people who are also enchanted by clouds. Without hesitation, I became a member of the Cloud Appreciation Society – #46923!
Anyway, here’s a cloud animation from when we visited Spain in 2017, and I just realized that I’ve kept a cloud photo as my website title image for the past year or so. 😄
Have a wonderful day, and “Look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and always remember to live life with your head in the clouds!” (from the Cloud Appreciation Society Manifesto)
またね～
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My camera & photos
I use a Fujifilm X-series camera for most of the photos on this site and my Instagram. Why not pick one up for yourself?
