Tag: life

Oil Change, Animal Crossing, and a Movie

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"Maintenance Day" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/30 sec, ISO320
 “Maintenance Day” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today was a long day, but I did a lot of different things. First of all, was breakfast for the kids of Portuguese sausage, eggs, toast for Bay, and tortillas for Koa (actually breakfast tacos). I made do with just coffee as is my norm, and then it was off to Home Depot to buy some filters for our air conditioning vents.

After those were replaced, I took Koa to his band practice, and then I spent an hour changing the oil in my motorcycle. The procedure for my bike is not difficult, but it takes a long time because you have to take off some plastic parts, remove a metal bash plate, drain the oil from two locations, and replace the oil filter which is in a suboptimal location. But it all worked out with just a little bit of spillage on the garage floor. 😀 And it’s much cheaper than taking it to the motorcycle shop!

With that work done, it was time to play some Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. I’m still having fun playing it, but I do have to deal with an annoying login issue, as shown in the photo below.

"Error" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO1000
 “Error” Cedar Park, 2018

After maybe a dozen unsuccessful attempts at logging in, it will finally go through and I’ll be able to play. What a hassle! But once I am in, it’s a lot of fun crafting new items and arranging the camp. Very relaxing!

After a couple hours, it was time to pick up Koa, and then we decided to go out for dinner at an Asian buffet. It was actually pretty good, and I liked the fact that this restaurant had a Mongolian barbeque. Tasty! I used to eat a lot of Mongolian BBQ when I lived in Los Angeles, but in Austin I have only had it a few times. The BBQ at the buffet place wasn’t as good as a dedicated BBQ restaurant, but for the price, it was satisfying.

Later in the evening, I decided to go to the theater to see The Greatest Showman. I’m not really into musicals, but I just wanted to see something (using my Moviepass!) and since the theater is less than 10 minutes away, the last-minute decision was perfectly ok. As it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised with this movie! I didn’t think it was super, but it was entertaining and good to see on the big screen and with good sound.

And now as I type this, it’s past 1 am so I better get to bed.

I hope you had a nice Saturday!

おやすみ

Freezing and a Movie

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"So Cold" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: SONY NEX-6, 16mm, f/3.5, 1/40 sec, ISO3200
 “So Cold” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today was another cold one – in fact, this was the coldest morning here that we can remember! At 7am I took Koa to school and when we left the garage, the car’s outside temperature gauge was at 50° and we watched the number quickly drop all the way down to 17° when we arrived at the school. And by the time I reached back home, it was at 16°. Brrrr!

At least the sun came out today so it looked warm outside. 😂

In other news, my new Moviepass card arrived in the mail yesterday, so I’ve been eagerly anticipating using it. After dinner, I took care of my evening tasks (washing the dishes, feeding the cats, and cleaning the litter box) then told the family that I was going out to catch a movie. It turns out that Lady Bird is still in one theater nearby so I watched that, and it was excellent! I won’t be surprised if it takes home an Oscar or two.

I’m looking forward to watching a lot of movies this year because of Moviepass. I think it’s a great deal. Check it out if you like going to the cinema!

I hope you had a nice Wednesday.

おやすみ

Crispy Karaage

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"Chicken Dinner" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/60 sec, ISO3200
 “Chicken Dinner” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Well, the freeze hit us overnight and the roads were treacherous so we all had a snow day today. I pretty much shut myself in the home-office with the doors closed which works out nicely because I have a portable heater that I like to use to keep that room warm like a sauna. Well, not that hot, but I tend to like it warmer than the rest of the family does. 😀

As you can see from today’s photo, we enjoyed a nice big serving of Japanese fried chicken, or karaage. We have a small Cuisinart deep-fryer, which is perfect for cooking up these small pieces of tender chicken. It doesn’t use too much cooking oil, and you can reuse the oil a few times before discarding it. It’s also pretty easy to clean. I highly recommend it.

I hope you bundled up and had a nice Tuesday!

またね～

Before the Freeze

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"Hanging Vinyl" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO1250
 “Hanging Vinyl” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。

The imminent freeze has been in the forecast since last week, but I was genuinely surprised that the weather models were so accurate! As I type this, the temperature is at 40° F and dropping, the wind is howling, and the rain is coming down. All schools have been canceled for tomorrow and it looks like everyone in my company who works in Austin will be telecommuting. Snow day!

But before the town freezes over, I dropped off Koa at the movies, then went to the bookstore and did some shopping. I was particularly interested in looking at some records, but they didn’t have anything that looked good. However, I did take a photo of a bunch of color vinyl that was hanging from the ceiling. I thought it looked pretty cool so I had to take a snapshot.

The weather at the time was still pretty good: warm and just a little breezy. But two hours later, when I went to pick up Koa, it was starting to rain and the wind was picking up. It’s crazy how quickly the weather can change in Texas!

Take care everybody!

おやすみ

"Storm Coming" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/40 sec, ISO6400
 “Storm Coming” Cedar Park, 2018

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

Enjoy Shooting

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"Cold Front" Leander, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/16, 1/1250 sec, ISO200
 “Cold Front” Leander, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

I watched a great video by Kevin Mullins in which he talks about simplifying the photographic process. I agree with a lot of what he says and his idea of letting the camera do most of the work, and you just concentrate on seeing the scene. He also talks about simplifying your gear and amount of kit you carry. I think once you stop thinking about gear, the photographic process gets simpler and purer, and also more enjoyable.

It’s kind of where I am at (and have been for a while) with my photography hobby. I’ve gone through the evolution of buying lots of gear and maximizing specs, lusting after the latest and greatest cameras and lenses, and collecting many different camera formats (and spending a fair bit of money). Then I started gravitating to smaller cameras, ditching gear, and eventually landed with my X100T, which doesn’t even have interchangeable lenses. And I love it! It’s been my go-to camera for the past few years. I don’t need anything more than this. When I travel, I take this one camera, a couple batteries, and I am all set. It makes traveling much more enjoyable!

"Trusty" Cedar Park, 2017
“Trusty” Cedar Park, 2017

I am on a journey to simplify my life, and simplifying my main hobby of photography is a great step in the right direction.

Today’s photo is of the sky as a cold front arrived in Texas. The temperature will drop about 40 degrees in just 12 hours! Brrrr….

Keep warm!

おやすみ

Snow?

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"Movin'" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/15 sec, ISO6400
 “Movin'” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Well, the cold weather continued today, but I wasn’t expecting to get any snow. ❄️ It was just 81° F the other day, for goodness sakes! But snow it did, and it was actually pretty fun. When I went to pick up Koa from school at 5:30 pm, there were only a few snowflakes falling, but on the way to get dinner, the snow was coming down a lot harder.

"Snow?" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/30 sec, ISO3200
 “Snow?” Cedar Park, 2017

Obviously, this being Texas, the snow is not as serious as up north, however, it was a bit more challenging to drive in since we’re not used to all these particles floating down. 🌨️

Lani also seemed to enjoy the weather. 🐕 As you can see in the top photo, the snow didn’t slow her down at all. She’s leaping over the stairs like she always does… full speed!

Lastly, I couldn’t resist getting a photo of my Subaru with a light dusting of snow on her. 😁 Cool huh!

"Slight Dusting" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/125 sec, ISO4000
 “Slight Dusting” Cedar Park, 2017

I hope you had a nice day!

おやすみ