#googlepixel

Is there someone who brings out the best in you?  How about the worst? 

There is a person in my life who drives me nuts.  We’ll get along for a while, but something will set her off, then BAM—she verbally jabs, berates & argues. Sometimes I take the bait & respond, & boy, it can escalate quickly. 

I try to get along with everyone. This kind of conflict doesn’t happen with my family ‍‍‍, friends  or colleagues. It just happens with this one person.  A few weeks ago there was another incident & I felt like it was the last straw. 

On the other hand, there are people who bring out my best.  One of them is my sister. ‍♀️ Throughout my adult life & especially during the pandemic, I’ve been grateful to have such a great friend, therapist & supporter all rolled into one person.  I wasn’t the nicest sister when we were kids, but as I grew up I realized how lucky I am &got better. 

When someone brings out your best, they believe in you. They’re not judgmental. ‍⚖️ They’re not critical.  They don’t compete with you & genuinely want what’s best for you.  They’re on your team.  Don’t we all need that?

The person who brings out my worst, makes me dislike myself AND the person.  I hate that she knows how to push my buttons.  My solution is to limit communications & only make contact if essential. Time & space helps. ⏳

Is there a toxic person in your life?  What’s your best remedy? And who is the person who brings out your best? 
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UPDATE — the $1.99 #ebook promo price of #BloggingOnInstagram expires 9/25! Hurry! #instagram #firsttimeauthor
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PHOTOS: My brother gave me tickets to Herbie Hancock  at the #ParamountTheatre #downtownSeattle. @jenniferannegood & I had great seats & enjoyed the show. I shot some photos & before the encore we walked down to the main floor by the #soundengineer. I was shooting a photo when a security guard told me, “No pictures.”  I had what I needed in my #GooglePixel  #jazzbaby #herbiehancock #headhunters #jazzfunk #livemusicphoto #pixelperfect
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. (at Paramount Theatre)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUPDtyRr4Pu/?utm_medium=tumblr

Are you a polyglot? @queenhorsfall is! ️ I like to learn words in other languages but like many Americans, I can only speak English. 

I’m a third-generation Japanese American (sansei) & have lived in Seattle for six decades. Most of the Japanese I learned were niceties to say to my grandparents,  but as a kid, I also picked up essential words like “baka” (idiot) & “hanakuso” (booger). 

This week I learned “Shikata ga nai,” means, “It can’t be helped.” Podcast host @GuyKawasaki described it another way: “It is what it is, so stop feeling sorry for yourself & suck it up.” 

Guy did a podcast  with Jeanne Wakatsuki, the author of a memoir, Farewell to Manzanar.  Manzanar was one of 10 camps built to corral Japanese Americans during WWII.   In his prologue, Guy says Jeanne has traveled to educate people with the hope that nothing like this happens again. I hope that, too. ⚠️

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led the US to enact #ExecutiveOrder9066 to stop espionage. ️‍♂️ Fear, suspicion, & war hysteria led to the three-year incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese American citizens. 

During the war, my family ‍‍‍ was dispatched to a concentration camp at Tule Lake in northern California. ☀️ It’s the Japanese way to quietly endure & overcome.  My bestie & I (both sansei) have talked about how the camp experience did a real psychological number on our parents. 

Can you imagine in current times  locking up people because of their ethnicity or beliefs?  How about their medical status?
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I discovered the #RemarkablePeople podcast  through my professor @erickoester. Guy has fascinating conversations with interesting people—remarkable people, actually . I hope you’ll check out & subscribe to his podcast. The link is in my bio.
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Family update: oldest son arrived home safely! Photos: #roses #hydrangea #chrysanthemum #funeralflowers #godspeed #summercolors #summerflowers from #Charmaine&Bill #pixelphotos #googlepixel #Seattlesummer #Seattleinthesummer # #macro_delight #japanesewords
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. (at Madrona)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CR-3fCbrB9M/?utm_medium=tumblr

When you find something curious, do you investigate?

Tuesday, I dug into the mystery of a vintage gold Goldring fountain pen.

I became aware of fine writing instruments in my late 20s ✍️when a client gave me a gold & burgundy Montblanc pen & pencil set.

Over the years I’ve acquired some fancy rollerballs & fountain pens.✒️ They’re special, & I remember how I came to have them.

I’ve been spring cleaning, sorting through boxes, drawers & cubbies. As I decide what to keep, toss, ️recycle♻️ or donate, ️ I’m using “If in doubt, throw it out,” as a guide.

A German Goldring pen with an iridium nib turned up. ️ It was familiar. I figured it was a “garage sale” purchase.

I took it apart to clean it. As I slid open the pen barrel, I saw an odd component with a dolphin insignia. I didn’t know if it could be freed, but I got it out & inspected. On the flip side was a rubber stamp with the name, “George Xxxx.” ️ It showed his address in West Seattle near our store, Alki Surf Shop.

It was cool for a pen to have a built in stamp & blotter & I wondered if George was still around?

After a quick Google search of George’s name & address, the first hit was a property database . It suggested he’s probably either very old or no longer alive. I was curious, but not a stalker, so the search ended there. ‍♀️

Search engines like Whitepages, US Search & others find people & dig up contact information. ℹ️ There are search engines for finding email addresses, too. .

TO FIND A PHONE #, EMAIL OR ADDRESS ON GOOGLE, start by typing into search:

Name+City+phone
Name+City+email
Name+City+address

It’s freaky how easy it is to find people. But in the past, each year personal information was printed & distributed to everyone in something called the Phone Book☎️!

Have you ever tried to find an old friend? How did it go?
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PHOTOS/TAGS: In 2017 @dubaitara & @wcellis were in Seattle. She just celebrated a major birthday. Happy belated BD, Tara! #westseattle #SalishSea #elliotbay #Alkibeach #pugetsound; #Montblanc #montblancpen #writinginstruments #goldring #germany #fountainpens #mystery #alkisurfshop #lostandfound #googlepixel (at Alki Beach Park)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdgto5lPNaf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Have you heard of Wordle? FERNS is a 5-letter word.

Maybe you’ve been playing or maybe you’ve not heard of it. If you like word games, you might enjoy Wordle!  Players have 6 tries to guess the 5-letter word of the day—usually through the process of elimination . It’s rewarding to solve the puzzle. 

Josh Wardle created the game for his girlfriend & made it public 10/21. A month later, there were fewer than 100 people playing, but 2 months later the number of players grew to 300K. It caught the attention of the New York Times  which decided to buy it. If you’re curious, you’ll find it on the NYT website . Lots of people (besides me) are playing & it bonds people from all walks of life who endeavor to find the daily word. 

WORDLE STRATEGIES:

Start with the same word each time (Mine is a color)
Start with a different word each time! (HUH?)
Start with SLICE, TRIED or CRANE
Start with a vowel-heavy word like ADIEU, AUDIO, LOUIE or OUIJA
Skip using correct letters when trying to identify 5 usable letters
Form Words Using Commonly Used Letters. Here’s GameRant’s list from most to least common: E, T, A, I, N, O, S, H, R, D, L, U, C, M, F, W, Y, G, P, B, V, K, Q, J, X & Z
 Use a database of 5-letter words. Is this cheating? The NYT calls it “assistance” for when you’re stumped.  www.bestwordlist.com/5letterwords.htm
 Hints: Some words use the same letter twice & it doesn’t hurt to try weird words

Will Wordle make you smarter?  No. But it’s a lot of fun. Inverse.com says “Wordle may give you a daily dose of complex cognition combined with social interaction” —good things!

I usually tackle Wordle right before bedtime  then I share it to @terrinakamura on Twitter  with a cryptic clue. I may be stimulating my brain  when I should be calming it ‍♀️, but I fall asleep quickly & sleep soundly .

Do you play Wordle, or want to try?
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PHOTOS: Spring is in full force & the #ferns are here to prove it! Last photo: the ONE TIME I solved #Wordle in one try (not my normal start word)
#wordgames #unfurling #springgreen #seattlespring #springinseattle #googlepixel #pixelphotography #macrophotos #Portraitmode
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. (at Central District, Seattle)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc91W3YODuO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

An unexpected visitor

#jumpingspider #spider #arachnid #nature #googlepixel
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoSOMYPACfZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=doql2gxuzg0r

He’s gonna be big enough to play that gameboy soon.

#leachianus #leachiegecko #reptiles #pets #googlepixel
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnphed2gpvd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=17ftcicp7bb3x

San Francisco, CA
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#urbanandstreet #streetactivityteam
#jj_streetshots #ic_streetlife #streetcollectors #featuremeinstagood #citykillerz  #best_streetview #shootermagm #urbanromantix #everydayeverywhere #createexplore #urbanphotography #everybodystreet #igersone #streetleaks #streetphotography #sanfrancisco #igerssf #california #sfstreet #streetphoto_bw #bnw_one #bwstyleoftheday #bnw_planet #gallery_of_bw #blackandwhite #bw_society #googlepixel #mobilestreet