Is it a hobby?

I was listening to a podcast the other day, and the host said something like, “… whatever hobby you might have, whether that is photography, quilting, reading, etc.” And I thought… is reading a hobby?  I mean, to me, reading is just something that I like to do. Like watching movies, or listening to music. I wouldn’t consider those hobbies.

Or is it just me?

Already March

USA. Texas. Austin. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250
USA. Texas. Austin. 2016.

こんばんは!Hello! How’s it going?

Can you believe it is already March? This year is flying by like crazy. Soon it will be summer and then I hope things will slow down a bit since that is my favorite time of year. I miss it!

Today is “Super Tuesday” here in the States. It’s the day when several states hold their primary elections to help determine the official candidate for the two main parties of the US Government. Here in Texas we got to vote today, and I went to the polling location near our house to cast my vote. It was very easy and fast. I think it’s our duty as Americans to vote in the elections, even though you might live in a state that is always lopsided in its results. At least if you vote, you can complain about the leaders. If you don’t vote, do you have the right to complain?

Today’s photo is from a pizza restaurant that I often go to for lunch with friends. Lately, I’ve been enjoying making photos in black and white. I love the aesthetic and the simplicity of black and white, without the distraction of color. But it’s difficult too… and I am learning a lot about shooting in black and white. I have a ton to learn still but it is so fun to discover and grow!

Well, I think I will read a bit tonight since I am getting close to finishing The Alchemist. I am enjoying it so far!

おやすみなさい!

-バロン Barron Fujimoto

Back Home

Hi all! How are you today/tonight?

Well, we are back home in Texas now. Today we flew on our normal route from Long Beach to Austin on JetBlue airlines. We really like flying out of Long Beach because it is a small airport and hardly any traffic or lines. Especially compared to the craziness that is LAX! But this morning’s flight was delayed by 2 hours, so we arrived in Austin at 5pm… not really too big of a deal, and waiting at the airport was ok since we had sandwiches that my mom had made for us. Also, I had time to finish The Martian! What a great book! 👍

USA. California. Long Beach. 2015.
USA. California. Long Beach. 2015.

The flight itself was pretty good, and I spent the time reading and also reviewing and deleting photos from my camera. I like to pare down the photos I keep. In the past, I would just keep every single photo, even if they were similar. I might have 8 photos that are almost exactly the same just because it didn’t cost me anything to keep more than one. But now, I really enjoy minimizing down to just the essentials. That means keeping only the best photo of a series. (I might cheat and keep two sometimes!) It’s so liberating to jettison all the extra photos right away after taking them. I feel like the longer you hold onto all those extra files, the longer they stay in your mind and clutter up your thoughts. Just choose one or two and be happy with those!

USA. 2015.
USA. 2015.

So, we made it home, but Austin is cold! Tonight will drop into the 30s again… ❄ Please take care to stay warm!

-B

South of the Border, West of the Sun

South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami
South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami

Just a couple of weeks into the new year, and I have finished reading my first book! South of the Border, West of the Sun
by Haruki Murakami has been sitting on my shelf for a long time now (the receipt I found in the book showed that I bought it at Borders 14 years ago!). Actually I sort of forgot about it, but when I started reading it I couldn’t put it down! That happens often when I read a book by Murakami.

I won’t go into the plot of the story, but the one thing that I kept thinking as I was reading it is that I really miss Japan. This is normal a normal reaction with all his books. But I always can picture the scenes, especially the ones in the city and I can remember when I stood in the same locations as his characters. At least the same neighborhoods.

Like most of Murakami’s works, there are many details that get left unsaid and unexplained. It’s fascinating to read about everyone’s theories about these loose ends. There’s a nice thread on Reddit if you’d like to read them.

I enjoyed South of the Border, West of the Sun quite a bit. I’m now ready to move on to his latest work, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage: A novel which I found at my local library’s digital catalog.