Watching Over the Moon

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO4000
“Over the Moon” Cedar Park, 2020

I was looking forward to watching Over the Moon, and when I saw my Twitter feed filled with news about it, I had to watch it immediately. I was kind of blown away by the animation and art style, especially Fei Fei’s hometown. It was beautiful! The scenes on the moon were pretty cool, but I preferred the Earth-bound visuals.

The story was fun, a bit silly, but there were a couple of sad scenes when my eyes teared up a bit, so I guess it was a pretty good movie. 😭

I know this film is kind of a big deal for Chinese Americans, and I felt a little bit of pride in my heritage, even though I am very far removed from it. Still, something stirs within me when I see Chinese, Japanese, or Hawaiian heritage represented like this. The English and Scottish part of me… not so much, but maybe some day.

Preparing Live Kegani Crab

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/80 sec, ISO6400
“Kegani” Cedar Park, 2020

Two Kegani crabs that we ordered arrived from Hokkaido (we picked them up from our good friends’ restaurant) and we prepared some sashimi from the legs, and then steamed the rest. It was interesting (and a little painful) to cut up but they were delicious and I enjoyed the new experience. I’ve only had live crab once before, back in Osaka when I met Mariko’s dad for the first time. We went to a “sunakku” which is like a bar that also has food/snacks, and the owner prepared the crab in front of us.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO2500
“Kegani Sashimi” Cedar Park, 2020

Mariko and I watched this video beforehand, and simply mimicked what he did. It reminded me of the time we took an oyster-shucking class. It was messy, wet, and smelled like the ocean. I thought it was great! 😀 And the kegani crab tasted excellent, by the way.

I hope you had a nice day!

Birthday Gravel Bicycle Ride – Castell Texas North Loop

“Birthday Ride” Castell, 2020

So, my birthday happened. :) I took the day off and decided to go for a long ride on the north loop near Castell. I rode the south loop a few days ago, so I wanted to compare the two, and I think I prefer the north loop, but both are great.

This time I took my camp chair and a sandwich and took a nice break at the halfway point. It was definitely a good idea, and something I would do again. I actually thought about bringing my camp stove and some ramen but the Texas weather is still quite warm, so I nixed the idea. Maybe when the weather turns colder. 😀

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/13, 1/100 sec, ISO400
“Birthday Ride” Castell, 2020

By the way, this was my longest ride (of my adult life), and I felt great afterwards. I also enjoyed riding with the new Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. The puncture-resistance gives me a bit of peace-of-mind which is welcomed. But even if they do get punctured, I have the tools to make repairs in the field. I’d rather not do that, of course. 😄

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/280 sec, ISO200
“Birthday Ride” Castell, 2020
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/13, 1/100 sec, ISO200
“Birthday Ride” Castell, 2020

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/13, 1/350 sec, ISO200

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/13, 1/280 sec, ISO200
“Birthday Ride” Castell, 2020
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/13, 1/280 sec, ISO200
“Birthday Ride” Castell, 2020