daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
As I get ready to start my very first Hobonichi Techo, I asked Mariko if she happened to have any stamps I could borrow. I was hoping to find an airplane stamp to use next to my travel plans. She casually told me she had a bunch of stamps, plus washi tape, highlighters, and a whole pile of other journaling goodies. Wow, she was not kidding. I hit the stationery jackpot!
I added a new gadget to my streaming setup this week, a Stream Deck Neo. It had been sitting on my wishlist for a while, but it did not go on sale for Black Friday. When I checked again on Cyber Monday, the price had dropped, so I jumped on it right away.
Before buying the hardware, I had been testing Stream Deck Mobile on my iPhone and setting up all my streaming commands there. That gave me a good feel for how the system works and made the decision to buy the physical device much easier. If you are not familiar with it, a Stream Deck lets you trigger commands and actions with the press of a button instead of digging through apps and menus on your computer.
This is especially helpful for me because I stream on my MacBook Air. Whenever I switch between apps while OBS is running, it can cause lag and choppiness in the stream. With the Stream Deck, I can control Spotify, adjust volume, mute my mic, send chat messages, and toggle OBS overlays without ever touching those other apps. It is incredibly handy and, honestly, pretty fun to use.
I am wrapping up the last batch of chili, and it looks like the rest of the family has officially hit their limit. That works out perfectly for me because I could happily eat chili every single day. I will have one final portion waiting for me tomorrow, and I am already looking forward to it. Leftover chili might be the best kind of chili. Yum!
Today my 2026 Hobonichi Techo finally arrived, and I am ridiculously excited about it. This is my very first Hobonichi, and I already have big ideas for how I want to use it. Of course, I have no idea how those plans will actually shake out, but that is part of the fun. I am really looking forward to discovering my own rhythm with it.
My goal is to use it more as a journal than a forward-looking planner. I want it to become a record of my days, a place for memories, thoughts, and little notes rather than just a list of future tasks.
To go along with it, I also picked up a Pilot Frixion pen with erasable ink. I have a feeling that is going to be a lifesaver while I am still figuring out how I like to use the Hobonichi. Now I just have to wait for 2026 to arrive. I cannot wait to begin.
The power went out for about an hour right at lunchtime today. Since I could not work, I decided to embrace the moment and made some ramyun on our gas stove. I ended up eating it in front of my dark, lifeless monitors, which felt kinda cozy.
The ramyun was absolutely delicious. I had to make a quick dash to the fridge to grab some cheese, opening the door just long enough to not lose too much cold air. Ramyun without cheese just would not feel right!
