A Treat for My Wrist

"Keeper" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/20 sec, ISO3200
“Keeper” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

It’s the 2nd day of Spring Break for the kiddos, so I worked from home in the afternoon. I think they are old enough to take care of themselves, but I still worry! 😀

New Watch

Well, I kind of knew for a while now that I wanted to get a new watch, and I also had narrowed it down to a certain model. I just had to decide on the size and the color. The watch is a Seiko diver, the SKX. There are different variations: 007 – 42mm with black bezel and face; 009 – 42mm with blue and red “Pepsi” bezel and blue face; 013 – similar to the 007, but a 38mm size.

I went with the SKX007 because I thought the Pepsi blue/red of the 009 wouldn’t look as good with different watch straps, and didn’t go for the 013 because I already have a smaller-sized watch. Plus, I liked the classic black of the 007.

I bought the model with the black rubber strap instead of the metal bracelet to save a few bucks and I knew that I would take off whatever it came with to replace with a zulu strap. In fact, I ordered a black zulu strap with the watch so that I could change it immediately. I read that getting the old watch band off was difficult and by god, it was a pain! Even with a dedicated tool, it was a struggle and my fingers are sore. But in the end, I won and got the rubber strap replaced with the plain black zulu strap. I think it looks great. And so comfortable! This watch/strap combination feels a lot better than even my 37mm Seiko SNK809 with 18mm zulu strap.

One other thing I love is the raised design on the back of the watch. It features a flowing wave 🌊, which is on all the Seiko dive models.

"Wave" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
“Wave” Cedar Park, 2017

Speaking of dive models, this SNK007 is ISO 6425 compliant, which means it has been tested to meet or exceed some pretty impressive specifications, including depth rating of at least 100 m (this watch is 200 m). So I guess I can be confident taking this watch anywhere. In other words, I don’t have to worry about it. Here’s to a bit more peace of mind!

The SKX007 is the most expensive watch I have ever bought, but that’s not saying much since I am such a cheapskate where watches are concerned. This watch is generally regarded in the watch community as one of the cheapest yet respectable diver watches, but for me, it’s a definite keeper and the highest quality timepiece I own. I am expecting it to be my daily watch for the rest of my life. We’ll see!

I hope you had a nice Tuesday!

おやすみ

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Dark Mornings

"Dark Morning" Austin, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/25 sec, ISO3200
“Dark Morning” Austin, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Yesterday here in the States, we set our clocks an hour ahead for Daylight Savings. This means that when I leave for work, there is no sign of the sun coming up yet. When I arrived at work, it was still like night time! Granted, there was heavy cloud cover, so perhaps a bit darker than normal. What a strange feeling to be arriving at the office in the dark.

Take care!

– B Barron Fujimoto

Reading and Watching

"Deserted Library" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1600
“Deserted Library” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。

Today was the beginning of spring break here in Texas, but it was a grey, cold, and rainy day. Nice to spend it indoors. At least most of the day!

Movie Day

I watched two really good movies today: Kon-Tiki (2012), and The Kite Runner (2007). Both were fantastic.

I read The Kite Runner before, but never saw the movie. Happy to say the movie really matched what I read in the book almost perfectly. Amazing, but tragic, story.

I haven’t read Kon-Tiki, but after seeing the movie, the book is on my to-read list. The epic ocean journey is captured with breathtaking cinematography, which reminded me a lot of another favorite movie, Life of Pi.

By the way, I have kept a list of the movies watched/books ready for the past couple years here on my blog. Check out this year’s list, or access all the lists from the site navigation menu.

Library Visit

Today’s photo is one I took at one of my favorite places: the library. I borrowed both of the movies from here. They have a really nice selection. It’s great! Anyways, the photo makes it look like the library was deserted, but it was actually quite busy. I just happened to take the photo when no one was in the frame.

I hope you had a nice, warm Saturday!

またね~

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Old Camera

"X-700" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO3200
“X-700” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。

Friday, and the weather was nice. It actually hit 82° F this afternoon! ☀

Ramen Lunch

A bunch of us went out to lunch today to say goodbye to a co-worker who is leaving the company. We ate at a nearby ramen shop called “Kanji Ramen”. 🍜 The food was ok. I’d say, though, that it was below par for a ramen restaurant, although better than a dressed up instant. I got the tonkotsu and the broth was nothing special, the portion was a bit small, and the pork was skimpy and over cooked. However, the restaurant is only a few minutes away from the office, there’s no wait, service is fast and friendly, and parking is easy. 🙂 If you want ramen in Austin, there are better places, but for convenience, Kanji Ramen is a viable option.

X-700

Tonight’s photo is of my Minolta X-700 film camera. 📷 This was (is?) my dad’s camera, but I borrowed it in ’88 for a photography class and kept it ever since! I’ve run a lot of film through it, got it CLA’d when I lived in Japan, and it has never let me down (apart from dead batteries). These days, I shoot 100% digital due to convenience, but I do love the old film cameras. Mostly just to look at. I can’t be bothered to get film developed anymore. 😏 Consequently I have been selling most of my old lenses, but I’ll always keep the Minolta!

I hope you had a nice day!

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