Today I took some photos of bento that our friends’ restaurant will sell. 🍱 The photo above is a closeup of the tofu bento, but I think the photos that will be used are just the basic top-down angle. But, I took several closeups too just in case.
As a bonus for the work I did, I got to take the bento home, and we had it for lunch and dinner. おいしかった！😄
This afternoon I relaxed by watching a lot of TV… first I watched an episode of Yuki!!! On Ice, which is an anime that Emily Yoshida is discussing on her podcast, It’s Cool to Like Anime. I decided to give it a watch, but the first episode didn’t interest me too much. I’ll probably watch a couple more to see if it grows on me.
I also started watching a currently running Japanese dorama, Tokyo Tarareba Musume, which I will blog about in another post… more to come!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/30 sec, ISO3200 “Spectre Bond Strap” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは。Are you well today?
Continuing with my mini-obsession with my new watch, I decided to get a couple new watch straps. I mentioned in a previous post that the band that came with the watch wasn’t highly regarded and that a NATO strap replacement is recommended. Well, I did a little research into the style I wanted, and I ended up going with the “Bond Strap”, which is the same design that James Bond wore. But, he actually wore a couple different styles. In 1964’s Goldfinger, Sean Connery wore a black, green, and red striped design, while in 2015’s Spectre, Daniel Craig wore a black and grey striped design. Naturally, I got both!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec, ISO3200 “Goldfinger Bond Strap” Cedar Park, 2017
What is nice about the NATO style straps is that they are very inexpensive. I paid about $10 each. They are both pretty good, but not perfect. The black and grey Spectre strap is a good thickness, softer, and more comfortable, but the buckles are a shiny stainless steel. I prefer the darker matte finish of the stock band. The black, green, and red Goldfinger strap is thinner, harder, and the buckles are a nice matte nickel color. Unfortunately, they are a little too big and prominent, plus I think there are one too many buckles. There’s a way to loop the strap around two of the buckles so that it is more secure, but I don’t think I need that, so I might Dremel off one of them.
I like the NATO straps, though, and I bet if I search hard enough, I will find the combination of smaller matte buckles and softness. But perhaps it’s not about finding the perfect one, but enjoying the variety that comes with owning several different types. 😊 Luckily, NATO straps are easily removed and replaces, so switching it up to suit your mood is not an inconvenience at all.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/55 sec, ISO3200 “Late Valentine’s Dinner” Cedar Park, 2017
みんなさんこんばんは。How’s it going?
Tonight we celebrated Valentine’s Day (a day late because Mariko had to work last night) with our annual fondue dinner.
Mariko always prepares a yummy cheese fondue, with bread, sausage, cauliflower, and potato. This year, we also had asparagus, carrots, apple, and ravioli! In the photo, you can see there are two cheeses, one for the kids and one, with wine added, for the adults. 😄🍷
And after the cheese fondue is finished, we’ll have a chocolate fondue, with strawberries, banana, apple, and marshmallows. 😍 おいしかった！
I look forward to our Valentine’s fondue dinner every February, and this year’s version didn’t disappoint!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO3200 “Fresh Bread” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは。How was your Monday?
Mine was really good! At work, I was able to make progress on some projects that fell by the wayside, and that gave me a good, positive feeling of accomplishment. I find it so interesting that each time I complete a task that has been sitting on my mental list, a small weight is lifted off of my mind and I feel a sense of relief and freedom. I have gotten to the stage where I kind of enjoy having things on my mental list because I look forward to the feeling I’ll have when I finish the task.
Anyways, today’s photo is of a fresh loaf of bread that Mariko made today. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? And I had to steal a slice just to savor the taste. おいしかった！🍞❤️
Tonight I put together a Google Map that contains a bunch of info for our summer trip to Morroco and Spain – hotels, restaurants, and sightseeing locations. Bay had gathered a list of items, so I started with that and now I’ll start doing some serious research into activities I think everyone would be interested in. If you have any suggestions or tips for traveling to Morocco and/or Spain, let me know via comments or my contact form!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO2500 “That Tongue” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Sunday is my sleep-in day. But I don’t really sleep much later than I do during the week. The main difference is that I don’t need to wake up, so there’s no stress on Sunday mornings. 😄 It’s great.
This evening I grilled burgers 🍔 for the family, and since I had time I decided to grind the meat for the patties using our Kitchenaid rather than buy pre-ground beef. I think it makes the burgers taste so much better, and it is supposedly less risky health-wise to eat beef from a single animal, rather than hundreds of different animals, which is the way regular ground beef is made.
Today I bought a chuck roast, with bone-in because it was a reasonable price and the amount of fat looked good. Before grinding it helps to cut the beef into 1-inch cubes and put them in the freezer for 20 minutes so they just start to freeze. It goes through the grinder easier this way. I also put the meat-grinding mixer attachment in the freezer.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1600 “Essential” Cedar Park, 2017
I decided to use the charcoal grill instead of our gas grill to make sure we have the maximum flavor. The last time I made burgers, I didn’t press the patties together as tightly, and they sort of fell apart on the grill (and on the bun). This time I made them firmer, and also oiled the grill nicely using cooking spray. These two adjustments made a huge difference! The burgers held together nicely and didn’t stick at all to the grill. 😄
For toppings, we had the usual lettuce, tomato, and onion, but I also prepared jalapeño, habañero, avocado, Hatch chile bacon, pickle slices, ketchup, mayo, and mustard. For cheese, we had cheddar and Monterey jack. As you can see, there was a big variety of things to choose from to build your own burger!
I went for everything of course. 😝
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/90 sec, ISO3200 “The Works” Cedar Park, 2017
Today’s first photo doesn’t need an explanation, does it. 🐱 BTW, the cats just turned 1 year old! Time flies.
I hope you had a nice weekend!
おやすみ
バロン
Like this:
LikeLoading…
My camera & photos
I use a Fujifilm X-series camera for most of the photos on this site and my Instagram. Why not pick one up for yourself?
