Sunday Shopping

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"Record Shopping" Austin, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO3200
 “Record Shopping” Austin, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today Bay and I went downtown to do a bit of shopping. We found everything that was on our list, and also a couple bonus items. Here’s a bit of our haul:

There were a couple more things on the list, but I can’t remember the names of the other books and album that Bay bought.

We went to the market to buy some essential oils for Bay’s aromatherapy mist thingie, and it was fun sampling all the different scents. Check out the funny names of some of them in the last photo in this post. I love the name “Panic Button”. 😅

It was a nice way to spend a Sunday downtown, but unfortunately, I must go to work tomorrow. But the kids have the day off. Lucky them.

I hope you had a nice weekend!

おやすみ

"Moleskine Shelves" Austin. 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/110 sec, ISO6400
 “Moleskine Shelves” Austin. 2018
"Essential Oils" Austin. 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO320
 “Essential Oils” Austin. 2018

Buying Ink

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"Iroshizuku Chiku-rin and Ama-iro" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/80 sec, ISO3200
 “Iroshizuku Chiku-rin and Ama-iro” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。Today’s photo is of my two Iroshizuku inks that I am using. The one on the left, Chiku-rin, just arrived today and I love using it! It’s a nice complement to my favorite ink, Ama-iro. As you can see, the Iroshizuku 50ml bottles are beautiful and so cool! They are quite pricey, however, at around $18-$28. If you don’t want to spend so much, you can find 15ml bottles, but those are about $10, so the 50ml is a better value. On the other hand, it will take a while to use up all that ink unless you write a lot or use larger-nib fountain pens.

When I first started getting into fountain pens and inks, a friend of mine told me about buying ink samples from Goulet Pen Company. It’s a smart way to try out a wide variety of inks for not a lot of money. This is how I decided that I really liked Ama-iro and Chiku-rin. Plus it’s fun to experiment with colors that you’d probably never buy otherwise.

Of course, if you have a lot of different kinds of ink, you might want to get a bunch of fountain pens! I’ve lately purchased a bunch of Jinhao pens on Ebay. I don’t know how these companies can make money because the pens only cost ~$1-$4 with free shipping. The quality of the Jinhaos I have received is pretty good (I think I’ve gotten lucky), but for that price, if I ever get a dud, then it won’t be the end of the world.

I’m really having fun with my fountain pens and notebooks. I highly recommend getting into it. And, if you live nearby, I’d love to swap inks sometime!

またね～

Readily Available

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"Warm Sun" Austin, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/10, 1/100 sec, ISO1000
 “Warm Sun” Austin, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today’s photo is of the notebooks that are on my work desk. I was chatting with a friend about journaling and writing in notebooks, and I thought about the barriers that prevent me from writing more. And by writing, I don’t mean writing stories or the great American novel. But just jotting down reminders, practicing kana, doodling, etc.

And I realize that one of the big barriers for me is just the proximity of the notebook and pen. For instance, when my notebook is in my bag on the floor, that’s too far. However, if I keep the notebook on my desk, opened to a blank page and a pen resting on top, then I write a lot more.

It’s kind of like photography for me. Since my X100T is so small and easy to carry around, I almost always have it with me, and therefore I take more photos. It’s readily available all the time.

So, making the pen and paper easily accessible has been key so far this year. My notebook might not be the prettiest, but it’s functional and I enjoy writing in it. It’s just another small thing that makes life a little more fun.

I hope you had a nice day!

おやすみ