Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO5000 “Amazon and MoKo Sleeves” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは！How’s it going?
Today’s photo is of a couple of sleeves I have been using for my Chromebook and Kindle and absolutely love. They are both made from a really soft felt material which hardly weigh anything, but they are thick enough to provide some nice protection from shock and scratches. The laptop sleeve has slots on the back which will accommodate a Kindle and a cellphone, although it does add some bulk. Both of them have small slots for business card sized items. I keep some Instax prints in there.
Each one cost only about $10 and come in either light or charcoal grey and I opted for one of each color for a little variety. 😄
I probably didn’t need the laptop sleeve since I keep it safe in my messenger bag and the screen is protected, but I liked the Kindle sleeve so much that I had to have the larger sleeve as well.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO6400 “Amazon and MoKo Sleeves” Cedar Park, 2017
If you like either of them, you can find both at Amazon.com:
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO1000 “Too Cold” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは！How’s it going?
Wow, the cold weather is hitting us here in Central Texas the past couple days, with today being the coldest so far. Thankfully the air stayed dry so the traffic wasn’t so bad.
Not only is it cold outside, but at work, it’s cold inside as well. I notice that some people actually have blankets at their workstations, and I often have to put a second jacket over my lap too. ❄️
Today I actually wore thermal leggings under my pants to see if that would help, and while my legs were warm, my shoulders were cold. So I put on my jacket and my upper body warmed up, but then my right hand (the “mouse hand”) got cold. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but it’s really difficult to get comfortable temperature-wise. 😒 Very frustrating.
My bed is where I can at least be comfy so I look forward to crawling under the covers every night. 😴
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/15 sec, ISO3200 “Camera Love” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは！How’s it going? Are you staying warm this winter? The temperatures will drop below freezing here tonight, but we’ll be warm and cozy in our beds!
Today’s photo is of my camera, the Fujifilm X100T which I have blogged about before. I’m still loving it – definitely my favorite camera I’ve ever owned. It’s not the fastest, doesn’t have the highest resolution or specs, but it has a certain charm in its body design and the image quality that the jpeg processing produces. That combination is why so many people love their X100 cameras, and Fujifilm cameras in general.
This camera has changed the way I think about making photos. Having multiple lenses that cover the ultra-wide to the super-telephoto range isn’t that important to me anymore. Simplicity has become much more valued to me now. The single focal length simplifies so much. Decision-making is easier. In fact, a lot of decisions have been eliminated… and I love it! It’s truly liberating.
Of course, I value the knowledge and experience I’ve gained from owning and using many different cameras and lenses, and it still comes into play with the photographic duties I sometimes take on at work, but for my personal photography, the X100T is all I need.
I guess this simplification is part of a trend in my life… getting rid of things I don’t need or use. Do I need all the apps on my phone? No, I only need a few. Having less keeps my phone light and fast.
Do I need to keep all the books I have already read? No. I donate or sell them, and free up physical space and clear the clutter. Seeing books that I’ll probably never read again just gives me a feeling of incompleteness. Get rid of them and close that chapter for good. (I made a pun!) Closure feels nice.
There are so many opportunities to simplify!
Focusing on just a few quality items seems to be a path that makes sense to me now. It gets me excited to think about jettisoning the things I don’t need anymore.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/70 sec, ISO4000 “Clean Island” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは！How’s it going?
January 3rd, which means it’s time to go back to work. And it was an incredibly busy day! But I’m feeling energized and looking forward to new challenges and getting lots done.
Speaking of getting lots done, Mariko cleared the top of our kitchen island of all the clutter, and we’ll try to keep it nice and tidy. My first thought when I came home from work and saw the island was, “Oh no! My wife has left me and taken everything!” 😱 But then I realized that this is simply part of the decluttering of our house (and lives?). This was confirmed later when I wheeled the trashcan out to the curb. I don’t think I’ve ever felt such a heavy trashcan! 😄
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/30 sec, ISO4000 “Tidy Pantry” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは！How’s it going?
Whereas yesterday was a relax-day, today was busy being productive and getting the year started on the right note.
First, I cleaned up the toys that were scattered all over a table upstairs, putting everything into either the Goodwill box, or the trash bag. Then I took photos of the table so that we can sell it on Craigslist. I also took photos of Koa’s IKEA bed frame and mattress so we can list that for sale as well. Besides getting rid of furniture we don’t use anymore, we’ll have a bit of cash for a nice meal or two! 😄
Next up on my list of things was to take two boxes of books 📚 to the used bookstore to sell. The boxes were pretty heavy so I put them on a little hand-truck so I wouldn’t hurt my back. Better safe than sorry!
The bookstore was extremely busy and I was maybe 7th in line to get my books appraised. After about an hour my name was called and I was offered $36 for the lot. It was more than I was expecting! 😊
After leaving the bookstore with a smile on my face, I headed over to Costco to pick up a few groceries. That place was also a madhouse today. One of the ladies working there said that they were closed yesterday, so everyone was here today. Makes sense. Luckily I was there before it got super crazy. When I left, there seemed to be even more people arriving.
When I returned home, the mail lady pulled up with a package I was eagerly awaiting – my brand new Moto G4 phone. 📱 It’s been about 2 years since I got my previous phone, so I was happy to finally have a fast phone again, with plenty of space for apps. Setting it up was painless and it’s very familiar since it is just a supercharged version of my old Moto G2 phone.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/60 sec, ISO4000 “New Phone” Cedar Park, 2017
And what about that first photo of this post? Well, Mariko was busy as well, organizing the pantry. It looks great, and having everything in its place makes for a less stressful living environment. It’s nice to simplify!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/60 sec, ISO4000 “Osechi Ryori” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは！How’s it going?
Today we started off the new year in typical Japanese fashion – we feasted on Osechi 🍥 and drank saké 🍶 all day while watching Japanese new years specials on TV. 📺😆
Did you know that each different food in osechi-ryōri represents some kind of good fortune? I don’t know all of the meanings, but if you are curious, you can check out the Wikipedia osechi page. They list some of the most common foods.
Mariko prepares our osechi, and I look forward to eating it every year. It takes a couple days but it’s a worthwhile tradition. The food is delicious, beautiful, and it’s a great way to start the new year. 🎊
I hope you had a great day!
おやすみなさい！
– B
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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?
