daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
Mariko made a batch of croissants today. She said she used very good butter and they tasted amazing! The inside had so many layers. I only had a couple bites of one because the rest are going to other people, but that’s fine because I already ate dinner and I am trying to be good! 😄
Yesterday I replaced my cheap bicycle seat that’s on Sophie with a brand new Brooks B17 leather saddle. It was a pricey purchase, but I wanted to get one of the best seats out there. The Brooks saddles have a passionate following, with the fans loving the saddle’s comfort and style. When you first get the saddle, you have to condition the leather with some “Proofide”, which is like a waxy oil. This softens the leather a bit, and needs to be applied every now and then to keep the leather from drying out.
Also, the saddle takes a while to “break-in” and conform to your sit-bones. This is what makes the Brooks leather saddles so comfortable. The break-in period is different for everyone, and this was the first day I rode on the saddle, so it’s hard to say for sure if I am a convert or not. But I think it’s going to be great. Even non-broken in, it’s much more comfortable than the previous seat.
Anyways, I’m looking forward to years of enjoyment from the Brooks B17!
BTW, I made a video from today’s short ride. Enjoy!
This morning Koa’s high school band had their annual fundraiser parade through the neighborhood. It’s always fun to watch them go past near our house, and the music is so loud and powerful. Incredible! (He’s the one with the green sunglasses)
During his freshman and sophomore years, he played marimba in the front ensemble. Of course you cannot march with those huge instruments, so during the parade he would just walk with the rest of the band. But this year he is playing snare drum so he was right in the middle of the action. It was really cool!
As a senior, this is his last time playing with this band so it’s pretty special. No one knows if school will eventually become fully virtual or not, but at least he’s already gotten in a few live performances.
The temperature this evening didn’t drop down below 90° F until 8pm which is when I decided it was okay to go running. There was still quite a bit of light to see by, and it was really cool to run in the blue light. The moon was just rising which made it feel very special.
I also had a ton of energy and felt so good that I ran at a very fast (for me) pace. For the past few weeks, I have been running my 5 km route almost every day and some days I hardly have energy, whereas days like today are the complete opposite. But either way, I always enjoy the run.
If you are on Strava, let’s connect so that we can cheer each other on!
I hope you had a nice day! またね～
Today is World Photography Day, and I thought I’d take a photo of the camera that started my photography hobby in earnest. It’s my beloved Minolta X-700, which was my dad’s camera before I “borrowed it permanently” for my photography class in college.
My grandfather bought it in Hong Kong in the 80s as a gift for my dad. When I moved to Japan, I brought it with me and got it CLA’d (Clean, Lube, Adjust) at the Yodobashi store in Yokohama for ¥ 5,000 JP and enjoyed practicing photography and using slide film while there.
Ever since digital cameras got up to speed, I haven’t used my film cameras much, although I did stick with Minolta (Konica-Minolta) and even Sony after they bought the Konica-Minolta camera division.
Film cameras are certainly beautiful, but I find film to be too much of a hassle. I know film photography has been enjoying a resurgence (mainly for those who grew up with digital), but I am pretty sure I’ll never seriously go back.
Thank you for all the memories, my little Minolta X-700!
