Just a quick note to tell you that I am retiring Takoyaki.org. But, I’m not retiring from blogging! I will be blogging at my other site 10nineteen.com from now on. Takoyaki.org will still exist so I can keep go back to look at my old posts (since my memory is getting worse as I get older), and I will still use for email. But please update head on over to 10nineteen.com and update your RSS reader!

So why am I moving my blogging to the new domain? Basically because I prefer WordPress these days. It’s a lot easier to post using my mobile phone! Also, while I like the name Takoyaki.org, it really didn’t have much meaning as a blog name (it took me 13 years to finally change!). I chose the URL 10nineteen because I was born on October 19th, and I see 10:19 on the clock so often. I guess my brain is wired to make me look at the clock at that time. It’s really weird.

Anyways, with the new URL and easier posting, I am planning on posting more! I can’t promise any kind of quality improvement, but hopefully quantity will improve. Isn’t that what’s important? Oh wait…

-Barron

March 5! Can’t wait!!

I like the green color the best:

Lenses - The ones in bold are in the bag just about all the time:

• Sony 16-50mm f/2.8 SSM - My best lens and the one that is on the camera by default. It’s also my widest.
• Minolta 100-200mm f/4.5 - This old Minolta lens replaces my broken 70-210 “beercan” lenses. It’s small, light, and focuses a lot faster than the beercan.
• Sony 35mm f/1.8 - An inexpensive lens, but fun to use and has great bokeh. It’s light as well so I can keep in the bag and not think about weight.
• Minolta 50mm f/1.7 - The “nifty-fifty” is a great lens, but with the crop factor of 1.5x, I prefer the 35mm to carry around as a “normal” prime.
• Minolta 24-84mm f/3.5-4.5 - Not quite wide ebough, but fills the gap between my 50mm and 100mm. I also have ND filters for this size.
• Minolta 28mm f/2.8 - My first lens AF lens that I bought. Came with my a507si that I bought in Yokohama so it has some sentimental value.
• Minolta 50mm f/1.4 MD Rokkor - Fun to use, but it’s manual focus so it takes more committment.
• Minolta 135mm f/2.8 MC Tele-Rokkor - I rarely use telephoto, but this one was cheap used so I had to have it. Also manual focus which adds difficulty.
• Minolta 50mm f/1.4 MD Rokkor - Fun to use, but it’s manual focus so it takes more committment.
• Holga HL-S 60mm f/8 - Plastic lens, but too much reach. You can get a nicer effect with a good lens and Lightroom adjustments, but if you want to have authentic toy-camera blurriness and vignetting, you will need this one. Using live-view is essential.

Other Gear:

• Sony HVL-F56AM - I don’t use flash often, but I have this versatile unit if I need to. Works easily off-camera with the simple Minolta wireless flash system.
• Velbon Ultra-maxi SF Tripod - Excellent cheap, small, and light pod with decent ball head. I need a new quick release as the one I got isn’t very tight. Also lost the center extension pole. It’s somewhere in the house!

Wish list:

• Sigma 10-20mm - I love wide-angle, and this would complete the range on that side. The only reason I haven’t bought one yet is that it is $400, which is over some internal threshold for me. I’ve wanted this lens for many years, however.
• Quick-release plate - Something that needs replacing.

My daily bag is my REI messenger bag with padded camera insert. It is excellent for holding the camera body/lens, two other lenses, and some accessories.

I’m always on the lookout for a better bag to carry my daily things. I’ve bought quite a few messenger bags and backpacks in the past (it’s kind of my obsession), but my previous bag just wasn’t working out. The Manfrotto was too big and bulky, uncomfortable to carry, and the inner lining was starting to fray. I might use it again if I need to carry a lot of stuff in a second bag but it is definitely not a bag that I enjoyed using every day.

When in REI I like to check out the bags and I came across the new REI Transit Messenger Bag. As some of you might know, I used to have an older model Transit bag that I loved. However, my infatuation with the Manfrotto bag led me astray and I sold that to a friend. So when I saw the new Transit bag, I was happy. I even liked the colors! There was a black one with lime green interior, or the green one with light grey interior. I chose the green one since the black was a little boring.

There are many things I love about this bag, and only one that could use improvement (in my eyes) and it is not a big deal at all. So, I’ll start off with the con and get that out of the way. On the main flap, there are two straps that you can fasten, which function to strengthen the bag when you carry it by the handle. It would be cool if these straps worked as compression straps to cinch down and make the bag a little slimmer in width. But like I said, not a big deal.

The Transit bag fulfills pretty much everything I am looking for in a bag these days. It has ample space for my DSLR, an extra lens, battery charger, Kindle, laptop, and extra cables. For the camera stuff, I added the padded insert from my old canvas camera bag into the main compartment. Everything is snug and protected.

To access the main compartment, you can use either the outside zipper (which is next to your body when carrying the bag with the shoulder strap) or the inner zipper under the flap. The outside zipper is great for quickly getting to the camera, and also makes accessing the laptop easy and convenient. No need to lift up the flap (and hearing the velcro). I’ve kept this zipper open when I was taking photos for an event, and could quickly grab the lens I needed.

The inner zipper adds a little more security. With other messenger bags, the flap is the only cover for the main compartment, but in the new Transit bag you can keep the main compartment fully closed, even while accessing the pockets under the main flap. Having the main compartment zippered up also adds some structural strength while carrying with the handle. When the inner zipper is opened, you have wide access to the main compartment.

The flap itself is held down with two patches of velcro, and you can also secure it with two straps. The straps add strength when you are carring a heavy load and pick up the bag using the handle. Without the straps, the velcro is not strong enough. On the outside of the flap is a zippered pocket, and underneath the flap there is a long pocket filled with even more pockets! Perfect for pens, cellphone, mouse, etc.

On the sides of the bag are elastic pockets for water-bottles (I put my wallet in one of them) Above those are smaller hidden pockets (I put my keys here). This is very convenient!

Lastly, the shoulder strap and carrying handle are nicely padded. The strap has a grippy shoulder pad, and is attached to the bag by metal swivels. The back of the bag (the side that rests against your body) is padded as well, and is flexible enough to curve a bit against your body. All this makes for a very comfortable bag to carry around.

In conclusion, this is the best messenger-style bag I’ve owned. I think I’ll keep it for a while!

I love Nedding’s videos!

We finally got a dog! After a couple years of thinking about it we finally did it. A weekend trip to the animal shelter and the pet store, and a chance encounter with the perfect little puppy sealed the deal. After playing with Lani (the puppy previously known as Greta) for a while, we signed the papers, then went to the nearby Walmart to buy a crate/bed for her, and took her home.

She’s a pretty smart dog, and full of energy but not too crazy. She’s very friendly and has a bit of a mischievous side to her (she hides slippers). At 4 months old, she is just about potty-trained and can go through the night in her crate without much whimpering now. In the morning when I wake up, she’s still sleepy and not in any rush to go outside to do her business. When we do let her out, she takes her time. Funny dog! The people at the adoption center said that Lani is a “Chiweenie” which is part Chihuahua and part Dachshund, although they weren’t 100% sure. But we think that she is probably part pinscher and not dachshund. Who knows?

Apart from buying some things for her (food and toys), I had to dog-proof our backyard. Since we live by a greenbelt, the back fence is metal and you can see the trees through it. Lani is small enough that she could slip through there (and was eager to try) so I bought 150’ of garden fencing and put that up. I only got about eight mosquito bites doing it! Also, I put down some fire-ant granules to make the lawn safer for her. Hopefully it will do its job.

We’re loving having Lani in our live now but Miki is not so thrilled. She’s still getting used to the idea of having a rambunctious puppy in the house! But I think we’ll all do just fine. The boys love Lani and enjoy playing with her, teaching her tricks, and taking her for walks. Now I just have to get them to clean up her poop in the backyard!