Sunset and Car Stuff

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"Sunset" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/280 sec, ISO200
 “Sunset” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today I was in contact with the car dealer discussing financing and options, and he said they found the model I wanted, with the options I wanted, in the color I wanted and it would be delivered in the afternoon! And, the cost is less than the already great deal they were giving me before! There was only one thing we were worried about, and that was that the car was being delivered from Houston, and they recently had Hurricane Harvey come through.

I was assured by the dealer that any cars that were damaged in the storms would be either trashed or returned to the manufacturer as per Texas law, and that the car that was being delivered was probably built (in Japan) after the late August storm. But, I wanted to be sure (for peace of mind) and asked them to provide the vehicle history.

After a few hours, they sent me the document that shows the date of production, delivery, etc. And it was all after the storm had passed, so we’re in the clear! What a load off my mind. ☺️

Besides finding the right car at the right price, I need to decide what to do with our Honda Odyssey. The dealer’s trade-in offer was really low, so I went to CarMax for a free appraisal. Their offer was about double what the dealer offered, but it was still low. So I think I’ll try selling it on my own. Should be fun? We’ll see.

I’m excited, though, about the new car! If all goes as planned, I will check it out Wednesday and test drive it and make sure it is ok. I can’t wait!

Today’s photo is of the beautiful sky this evening. Now that daylight savings is over, the sky gets dark early. Such a strange feeling.

I hope you had a nice Monday.

またね～

Avocado Toast

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"Avocado Toast" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
 “Avocado Toast” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。

Today’s photo is of some Avocado Toast I made for lunch. Mariko bakes a lot of bread for the kids’ lunches, and there is usually a bunch of stray pieces, like the ends of the loaves, and single slices. So, I gathered a bunch of them, toasted them up, put on some Japanese Kewpie mayo, avocado slices, peppers from the pepper plant, and cheese, and had a yummy lunch! I love making mini-sandwiches with the leftover bread as well. Perfect little meals.

I hope you had a nice weekend!

おやすみ

Audition, Car Shopping, and a Sketch

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"Morning Begging" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/90 sec, ISO3200
 “Morning Begging” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today I took Koa to the regional band audition early in the morning. It was a long day for him, but he’s been practicing for this all week and the hard work paid off. He got second-chair and made the region band! I’m very happy for him because I knew he really wanted it and was nervous about the audition. Congrats, Koa!

Later in the day, I went to the Subaru dealership to test drive the car I am most interested in: the Crosstrek. I love this car! I’m pretty sure this is the model I will buy, and since the Odyssey is starting to have problems, it will be soon.

The model that I drove today was the trim level I want and had the options that I cared most for, plus the price was excellent. Everything was great, except for the color. Although the white is nice, I prefer the silver or the pale blue. In fact, I saw a “cool gray khaki” color and fell in love with it, so I’ll wait until one of those is available.

Later in the evening, I added some more to a portrait I sketched the other night. I think it came out ok, considering I only spend 30 minutes initially on it. I really don’t know how to draw a hoodie, and this one looks more like a parka-type jacket, but I like it anyways. 😄

"Hoodie" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/70 sec, ISO3200
 “Hoodie” Cedar Park, 2017

To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.

And today’s photo is of Koa and Lani at breakfast. Lani is so well-behaved when she wants a treat. 🐶

I hope you had a nice Saturday!

またね～

Happy Fountain Pen Day!

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"Fountain Pen Line-up" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO320
 “Fountain Pen Line-up” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Well, who would have known, but today is Fountain Pen Day! It’s celebrated on the 1st Friday of November each year by fountain pen otakus around the world. I guess I count myself as a dabbler in the fountain pen hobby.

I really enjoy writing with them and trying out different inks, but my spending limit is relatively low compared to the real enthusiasts. I’d have a tough time spending more than $35 on a pen, but luckily for people like me, there is still a wide variety of good fountain pens below that price!

"Fountain Pens" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO250
 “Fountain Pens” Cedar Park, 2017

My most expensive is the LAMY Safari, which I bought for about $28, and the cheapest pen is a Jinhao 599 which I picked up for $1.17 on Ebay. The Jinhao is actually pretty good, but I’ve read that because the quality control isn’t so great, it’s a roll of the dice if you get a good specimen or bad one. I guess I got lucky!

Apart from the pens, I think the real fun is choosing and using the different inks. They each have their own character, and there’s such a wide variety that the combination of pen/nib and ink are just about endless. It’s a lot of fun. And I haven’t even mentioned paper! 😄 But since it’s Fountain Pen Day, not Paper Day, I’ll not discuss the notebooks I have.

I hope you had a nice Friday!

おやすみ

Office Quirks

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"Office Rules" Austin, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO640
 “Office Rules” Austin, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

I rarely talk about work on this blog, but for this post, I have to show this photo. I just don’t understand how someone can just ignore the sign (and emails that have gone out) and leave their dishes in this sink. What is the person’s mindset? Do they feel privileged? Or are they rebelling against the facilities team? Or have they simply not seen the sign/emails?

For the most part, our office is a really nice place to work, and everyone is friendly and respectful. But sometimes I have to wonder when I see stuff like this.

Oh well… I hope you had a nice Thursday!

またね～