Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1250 “Kindles” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going?
This year I’ve been getting away from tracking data about myself, for instance using a Fitbit to count steps, and I quit logging how my interests were changing over time. But I still enjoy some automated data collection, specifically tracking my progress on books that I am reading.
I love reading books on my Kindle because I can sync progress between devices, but also because it is linked to my GoodReads account. This is cool because I can see what books I have on my shelves and also because GoodReads keeps track of the books I have finished each year. And since it is the end of 2018, GoodReads has compiled the personalized 2018 Year in Books pages for all its users.
Looking at my page for 2018 and all the previous years (you can just edit the URL with the desired year) I see that I had a kind of an average year for reading, with 9 books completed and a total of 2,877 pages read, which is an improvement from 2017, but not close to 2010 when I finished 22 books.
Still, I really enjoyed the books I read and am happy to have discovered some new favorite authors, such as Celeste Ng, Hiromi Kawakami, and Peter Hessler, whose other books are now on my “To Read” shelf. I’m looking forward to lots more reading in 2019!
It’s the end of the year and as usual, many bloggers and vloggers are re-evaluating their blogs and channels. I’ve seen a few decide that what they are writing about is not adding value, or they feel like they don’t have anything new to write about. Others have found that they’ve reached a plateau in their number of followers and are frustrated that the growth has stopped.
And many of these bloggers/vloggers have decided to pause their activities during the holiday break while they decide if they will continue, re-focus, or quit. I can understand where they are coming from, and I think it’s fine to stop blogging of vlogging if it has become a burden, especially if it’s not your source of income. You shouldn’t feel guilty about losing the motivation or passion that once drove you to create content. People change, and if you force yourself to keep doing the same thing, you won’t grow and you’ll get frustrated.
I’ve actually never done the end-of-year evaluation. I’ve been blogging off-and-on since 2000, and I’ve been posting daily for a couple years now. I suppose the reason why this blog has been going for so long is that I don’t have any long-term goals for it, other than to document my daily life. And my daily life isn’t filled with profound realizations, amazing tips & tricks, or other marketable lifehacks. I just write about anything that strikes my fancy. Sometimes it’s helpful to others, but most of the time, it’s of limited value. I know I won’t make any significant money blogging this way, but I have fun writing, learning about WordPress, affiliate ads, and SEO. And what’s nice is that it takes almost no special effort to do so. That’s because it’s become a habit every night. I never find myself forcing myself to blog… it just happens. And sometimes if I don’t get around to writing that night, I’ll just write two the next day, or simply post a photo. It’s really not worth stressing over.
I said I don’t have any long-term goals for this blog, and it’s true. I blog without trying to gain followers, improve SEO, or make money. Or if I do, it’s just for entertainment. But I do achieve my short-term goal each day, which is to write a little bit and post a photo, which keeps my brain sharp. Those small achievements add up, I believe, and create a sense of wellbeing and a healthy mind.
But for those bloggers who have more invested in their blogs, and perhaps a financial interest in having a profitable blog/channel, you have my respect and support! And I hope you all have a successful 2019!
In the spirit of including a photo in my daily post, here’s a random pic of items on my desk.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1000 “Desk Items” Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec, ISO3200 “Filet Mignon Dinner” Cedar Park, 2018
こなばんは。
The other night for dinner we ate our bacon-wrapped filet mignon steaks which we bought from Omaha Steaks. I cooked them on a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, for about 6 minutes on one side, then 5 minutes on the other, and finishing up with a couple minutes on the edges to make sure the bacon was cooked. The internal temperature (checked with an instant-read meat thermometer) read about 130 when I took them off the heat, and they were a nice medium rare when we cut into them.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/40 sec, ISO3200 “Filet Mignon” Cedar Park, 2018
Being filet-mignon meant the steaks were very tender and anything wrapped with bacon is going to be extra-special. We added a pat of butter on each filet (because why not?) and the juicy steaks did not disappoint – we were all satisfied!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO3200 “Steak Frites” Cedar Park, 2018
We rounded out the meal with a spinach salad and homemade fries, which were great compliments to the steaks. Steak Frites – so good!
This was the last meal that we cooked from the special order we received from Omaha Steaks. I have to say, these were the best of the bunch, without a doubt.
Click the image below if you’d like to order some bacon-wrapped filet mignon from Omaha Steaks for yourself:
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1000 “Ink Portrait” Cedar Park, 2018
こなばんは。How’s it going?
For today’s drawing, I wanted to work on another version of the previous sketch, but instead of just pencil or watercolor, I wanted to go black and white. I have a container of Kuretake Zig Cartoonist Ink and an Ohuhu water brush and it was fun to use them together. I am pleased with how this version turned out! I had previously used the ink with a cheap brush on regular sketch paper, but using the ink with the firm water brush on watercolor paper makes a HUGE difference! It’s a combination I can see myself enjoying often in the future.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1250 “Watercolor Portrait” Cedar Park, 2018Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/125 sec, ISO4000 “2017.12.05 Sketch” Cedar Park, 2018
So, it’s been a couple weeks since I started my Daily Drawing habit, and it’s been going well. I’ve only missed one day where I didn’t do something in my sketchbook (traveling and didn’t get to the hotel until 1:30 am!) which is a nice accomplishment. So I’m pretty proud of that. 😊
I hope you had a good day!
またね～
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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?
