Things I'm liking right now
It’s Autumn 2023, and here are some things that are floating my boat.
DIY
Yep, we need to replace these underfloor beams and floor boards.
We bought a doer-upper property up in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture (it’s a 2-3 hour drive).
The property is a 50-year-old timber house in need of repair.
It has been a fun project to weed and clear the land, do some garden landscaping, and get stuck into repairs and renovations.
Vinyl
My “media nook” (excuse the mess) – I like the way the speaker cones look with the front grilles removed.
As we’ve been doing up the property in Mashiko and thinking about how we would like to spend our time at a “home away from home,” I thought it would be nice to listen to music in physical format.
I bought a turntable, amplifier, and tallboy speakers. I love listening to vinyl – especially the vocals sound really warm and immediate.
Piping TV audio through the amp & speakers is also great, although it means the remote control doesn’t work to adjust volume any more. You win some, you lose some.
Oh, and I’ve set up a Plex server. More on that later, maybe.
Switch gaming
I’ve already got my pre-order in. Can’t wait.
I’m really not anywhere near as much of a gamer as I was in my teens (and especially since having kids).
That said, I’m very excited at the prospect of being able to play the Metal Gear Solid games again, precisely because they're available on the casual-gamer-friendly Nintendo Switch.
The MGS Master Collection is going to be released in late October 2023.
I actually have a previous Master Collection release for PS3, but having these great games available to play handheld is going to be awesome.
On the Switch, I’ve also been enjoying going back and playing through GoldenEye 64, which is now available with the Nintendo Switch Game Pass.
Damn Natalya keeps getting killed in the final cave area of Jungle.
The Lumix LX100
I should really write a love-letter to this thing. I think it’s the best compact camera ever made. Let me clarify what that means.
“Best compact camera ever made” (when I say it, anyway) does not mean any of the following:
It has the fastest lens
It has the sharpest corners
It is the thinnest, most pocketable form factor
It has the most megapixels
It produces images as good as a SLR
It is the most well-sealed lens design that never lets any dust in to get onto the sensor (!)
A well-balanced package. In Japanese, the word I would use to describe the LX100 is 「絶妙」 – sort of a mix between “exquisite” & “sublime.”
However! In my personal opinion, it does mean the below:
It looks and feels like a “proper fucking camera” (excuse my language)
It has an eye-level viewfinder for composition
There are physical controls for aperture, shutter speed, exposure (and zoom, if you want to map the lens barrel rotation to that function)
It’s the best-feeling compact camera to hold and shoot with because of those physical controls
The sensor is big enough (Micro Four Thirds-size) that you can create SLR-like images
In front of that large-ish sensor, the lens’ maximum aperture is wide enough to separate subject from background and make some bokeh (no it’s not a Leica Noctilux, but still)
It just makes you want to grab it and shoot with it – like I did recently when I went out and captured some lovely shots of a local festival near my mum’s house in Tokyo
… all of the above in a light, portable form factor (no I wouldn’t put it in a pocket, but I usually have it with me in my body bag or rucksack). And it even takes 4K video!
We’re just coming up on a decade since its release (2014) but I rediscovered my adoration for it so much that I have snapped up a couple of second-hand units still in good condition.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I find myself still shooting with this camera in 2034.
My model cars
Recently, whenever browsing “recycle shops” (thrift stores / charity shops to Americans & Brits), I find my eye drawn towards old toy cars.
Naturally, it started because my sons (7 and 4 years old) like them.
The ones that tickle my fancy are mainly the 1970s muscle cars , some of those classic Japanese sedans, and the boxy Mitsubishi & Nissan jeeps & pick-up trucks from the 1980s & 1990s.
I’m not too fussed on the brand, whether Matchbox (UK), Majorette (France), Hot Wheels (USA), or Tomica (Japan). I’m also not too fussed about their condition – the ones that were loved and played with decades ago wear their battle scars well.
I seldom pay more than ¥1000 (around £5) for each. Most were acquired for between ¥100 and ¥300 (50p ~ £1.50).
They’re charming reminders of how cars used to look. My sons aren’t so into the older body shapes and instead prefer the modern-looking supercars, so we don’t usually fight between us about who gets which one.
I guess this is one more manifestation of generational divides (or “vibe shifts” to use the parlance).
Have a good one!
Best wishes from Kamakura & Mashiko, Japan.