Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO3200 “Cluttered Corner” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going?
As my oldest son gets closer to graduation, it’s finally dawning on me that he’ll be leaving the house in just five or six months. So that means a lot of things that I’ve done each day for many years will come to an end. For instance, I won’t be making tamago-gohan for him for breakfast anymore. I also won’t be picking him up from school. And the dinner table will have an empty chair. All of these make me a little sad. 😢
But of course I am also excited to see what the future has in store for all of us so I will keep looking ahead with a positive attitude. がんばれ❗️
I’ve really been enjoying creating little bits of digital artwork on the iPad using Procreate. It’s a lot of fun trying out all the different brushes, and even creating my own versions. I definitely gravitate to the inks, but I usually start my sketches with the 6B pencil, then switch to a new layer to use the ink pens.
One really cool thing is that you can easily draw perfect circles in Procreate – after drawing the oval, just hold the pencil a bit longer, and the oval will reshape itself into a circle. This is so convenient for starting the basic shape of a face. I love it!
Right now, there are two subjects I am practicing with Procreate. One of the subjects is landscapes with watercolor effect, and the other is the stylized portraits, like tonight’s sketch. For this one, I went with a thick ink brush, in a loose style, then used the smudge tool to blend the edges a bit. I like how the hair turned out, and although the face is not as detailed as some of my other sketches, I liked trying a new thing. The big eyes and tiny mouth and nose makes a fun style!
I think I’ll keep this version, but duplicate it and work on it some more. Just another fun thing you can do when you work digitally. 😀
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/125 sec, ISO3200 “Duck Collar” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Today was Super Bowl Sunday here in the States, but since I am not a fan of football, I decided to refrain from watching. There are many reasons why I don’t like NFL, so I choose to not give them any of my time, but I know the majority of people love pro football and have a great time watching the championship game. I’m happy for them.
I, however, spent my time in my home office with the doors closed watching the Chinese drama/comedy My Amazing Boyfriend 我的奇妙男友. It’s a lot of fun, especially because the main actress Janice Wu 吴倩 is so funny. Her expressions are hilarious.
I made it up to episode 5 (of 28?) and am enjoying it a lot. It’s fun to see China too, and I hope I can visit again soon.
In addition to watching the tv show, I drew in my sketchbook (rather than on the iPad), wrote in my log book, and edited some photos. And earlier, I took advantage of the warm weather and went running. It was so nice to get my heart pumping again!
I hope you had a nice Sunday, watching football or other weekend activities!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO5000 “Ehoumaki” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Setsubun is tomorrow but we ate our celebratory ehōmaki 恵方巻 this evening because of Super Bowl Sunday. We aren’t really doing anything special for the Super Bowl, so I’m not too sure why Mariko wanted to make ehōmaki early, but who am I to complain? (I also think she may have mentioned a reason but might have had a senior moment) Anyways, this year’s lucky direction is N/NE, so we each ate our ehōmaki roll in silence while facing the lucky direction, as dictated by tradition.
Actually eating without talking, and just thinking about the taste of the sushi, is really great. It’s a special experience, but one that we can have all the time if we choose to just be mindful. I wonder if it would be possible to institute a one-minute of silent eating to begin each dinner? Hmm….
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/125 sec, ISO2500 “Sushi” Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2500 “Duo BurgerIM” Cedar Park, 2019
Tonight my family and I tried a new burger restaurant that opened near our house. It’s called BurgerIM, and the special thing about this chain is twofold. First, their burgers are sliders, which means they are smaller than normal, perhaps half the size of a normal burger. Secondly, you can choose from several different types of meats and topping combinations. This is really what I found interesting at BurgerIM. For instance, there’s Wagyu beef, Marguez beef, dry-aged beef, lamb, etc. The website also lists fish, but I don’t think they have added it to the local menu just yet because this location is so new.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO1600 “BurgerIM” Cedar Park, 2019
I got the Wagyu beef and the Marguez beef, and both were tasty, but the Wagyu was definitely better. I also tried the dry-aged which was yummy as well. Next time, I’ll go for the lamb and something else since there are so many choices to try!
Besides the patty, you can choose from several topping combinations, including a traditional American style, a “California” style with avocado, of course, a spicy style, etc. I thought the variety was pretty good and varied. We also tried the fries and onion rings. The fries were the coin-shaped style and yummy, while the onion rings were nothing special, but not disappointing.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO4000 “Trio BurgerIM” Cedar Park, 2019
While the food is good, the prices are a bit on the high side for burgers, but probably typical for gourmet burgers. It was $6.99 for the two slider option and $9.99 for three slider option. Add another $3 for fries and a drink (or $3 for a side of fries), and the bill adds up quickly. Also, for the Wagyu beef and a couple of the topping combos, an additional $0.79 is added. When the cashier rang it all up and I saw the total, I was honestly a little shocked. I suppose it was because the restaurant looks like a fast-food place so I was expecting fast-food prices.
Once I got past the sticker shock, I enjoyed the food (and they have beer on tap!) and spending time trying a new restaurant with the family. I also have to add that although these were sliders, two of them left me with a surprisingly full stomach.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2500 “BurgerIM” Cedar Park, 2019
We have plenty of burger options near our house, ranging from the higher-end Hopdoddy to the wallet-friendly In N Out, and BurgerIM fits in right below Hopdoddy. It’s nice to have another option rather than a third McDonalds or Wendy’s.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2500 “Wagyu BurgerIM” Cedar Park, 2019
I hope you had a nice day!
またね～
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