Last night Bay, Koa, Mariko and I had fun watching the Academy Award show for the first time ever as a family. What made it extra fun was that we printed out ballots and each made our choices for the winners in the categories, and there was a nice cash prize for the winner. It ended up coming down to the final award for Best Picture. I was in the lead with 9 correct categories, and chose Grand Budapest Hotel to win. Koa had 8 correct, and he chose Birdman to win. And we all know who won Best Picture! Koa and I ended up splitting the cash prize this year. Best of luck to Mariko and Bay in 2016!!!
Every Pizza Planet Truck Sighting in Pixar Films (1995 – 2013)
I knew about many of these, but the one in Brave totally got past me!
Beautiful Run Day
One of the best things about my weekly “work-from-home” day is that for my lunch break, I can go for a run around the neighborhood. And today is just gorgeous outside! It’s sunny and 60° F. Perfecto!
Here’s my run.
Another nice thing about my Wednesdays is that I can skip the early-morning shower and sleep in a little bit. Today I kind of took it too far and woke up at 6:30am, which is usually the time I wake the kiddos up! I had to do an express breakfast this morning, but it all worked out and I got them ready in time. Fun fun fun!
New Guitar and Amp
I don’t consider myself a guitarist by any means, but I do enjoy playing guitar as a hobby. As a beginner I am pretty much just practicing chords and basic songs. It’s difficult for me but I do see progress (little by little), and that is encouraging. Plus, the more I practice, the more the sounds I can make sound like actual music!
I recently bought a nice little guitar setup – a Squier Affinity Telecaster and a Roland Cube 30x amp. The amp was recommended by a good musician friend of mine, and the guitar is a model that I’ve wanted for many years.
The Roland Cube 30x amp will replace my super-cheap practice amp I bought way back in 1997 at Ishibashi Music store in Yokohama. I found the Cube on Craigslist and only paid $80 for it! What I love about the amp is that it is small, but can get really loud and because it is a modeling amp, there are plenty of different sounds and effects built-in. And the signature Roland JC Clean setting is very very nice!
It’s funny that you can feel an affinity towards one guitar more than another. It’s that way with my new Squier Affinity Telecaster. I am in love with this guitar! I haven’t been able to put it down since I got it two months ago. First of all, the Tele is beautiful. It’s got a classic “butterscotch blonde” finish and a black pickguard. I think it is so cool and the shape is classic. The non-glossy maple neck is super-comfy and the width of the fretboard is a good match for my small hands. I bought a DiMarzio cotton guitar strap which is strong and comfortable… it’s a great match for the Tele.
I’m loving playing this guitar, even not connected to the amp. It’s really fun and enriches my life, even though I don’t have any talent. But it’s worth practicing even just for the sense of accomplishment and keeping my brain active. Good stuff!
Valentine’s Dinner
Fondue Dinner
One of our family traditions is that we have a lovely fondue dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day. This year, the dinner was on the 15th because we attended a Chinese New Year’s celebration on the 14th. But, the fondue was excellent as always (even tastier this year, in my opinion) and the four of us really enjoyed ourselves. I’m not sure how or when the fondue tradition started, but it is something we look forward to every year. It’s so yummy!
This year, the kids had LED ice cubes in their drinks, while Mariko and I enjoyed a bottle of Prosecco. The cheese fondue was accompanied by French bread, bratwurst, cauliflower, potato, and ravioli. The chocolate fondue (not pictured) was accompanied by banana, strawberries, and marshmallows. Just FYI, Mariko and I had a cheese fondue that had white wine added, and our chocolate fondue had some chocolate liqueur added. Mmmm. So good!
