Journal

Apple Watch Series 6

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I’ve been wearing an Apple Watch for the past three years starting with the series three and recently upgraded to the series 6.

I’ve been holding off on purchasing a new Apple Watch and making the most of my Series 3 the last couple of years. As this things usually go, the 3 started to run out of storage space quickly and there are new features being released with each iteration. So a week after it was released, I upgraded to the Series 6 Space Grey Aluminum 44mm with cellular capabilities.

I’ve been wearing it for almost a month and there is a lot to like about it.

The first difference is the upgraded dual-core S6 chip on the A13 Bionic processor used in the iPhone 11. So it is absolutely faster than my series 3. With the always-on display, I’m averaging about 16 hours of battery life. Less than the previous watch, sure, but there is a lot more going on under the hood too.
Also new is the always-on altimeter to track elevation changes and compass- great for hiking.

A new sensor in the 6 that can measure blood oxygen levels is pretty neat. It works by shining infrared LEDs onto the blood vessels in your wrist and measuring the amount of light reflected back. The Apple Watch then calculates the color of the blood, which indicates how much oxygen is present (bright red blood is well oxygenated). It does this in the background, and can also be trigged using the new Blood Oxygen app.

New watch faces allows me to customize and personalize. I prefer a classic chronometer as a standard and for special occasions I can switch to something more whimsical.

The Watch is designed specifically for your health and has even saved lives with the built in EKG meter. It will prompt you to breathe, stand up after periods of sitting, and remind you that yes you can walk a specific amount of steps per day. Two new exercises include a sleep tracking app and hand washing apps (timely feature during the pandemic.)

Is the Apple Watch Series 6 Worth the Upgrade?

If you have the Series 3 and lower, then yes, absolutely. If you have the 4 and up, not so much.

As with my recent iPhone 12 Pro upgrade, this new series 6 Watch is future-proof. There is not too much more that Apple can do to upgrade more than the current device so I will enjoy this one for quite a long time. And did I mention the design is gorgeous?

It’s Time To Write

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Every November for the past few years there comes inspiration from an organization called NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write 50,000 words that month in hopes of cranking out a novel. I’m good for about two days out of the month. Last year I switched gears and penned an article a day for this website instead.

A few of the reasons why I haven’t progressed past a second day is because there was a lack of a plan or focus to build this writing habit that I want to see changed this year.

Place- This year I have a dedicated writing space. Since adapting to a quarantined work from home environment I now have two desks, one for work and one dedicated to personal production. For work, my environment is organized, streamlined and ready to do the work for maximum productivity. For personal use, I tend to be more relaxed and dis-organized. But not this year. This year is set up for the potential of maximum creativity. This dedicated desk is both my photo studio and writing space.

Time- In the past, I would decide to get around to doing whenever I had the time or energy. This year I plan on getting back to a consistent schedule, which has been lacking, again, due to quarantine. The 30-step commute makes it easier to roll out of bed later than I would if I had to travel to the office.

Dedicating a minimum of 15 minutes to writing in the morning before I start my 7am work day will be beneficial I think. Also, a minimum of one hour a night to crank out some words will help too. I don’t use the dedicated calendar journal or apps to block out these times, but I will.

Plan- At work, I am a planner. For creativity, I seem to rely on being a pantser, meaning, “fly by the seat of my pants.” Not this time around. Plot developments, character development, story arcs etc are all scheduled for dedicated focus, research and yes, eventually writing.

In addition, a dedicated morning routine such as clean up, exercise, good food and some hot green tea with the same ambient music playing in the background will tell my unfocused brain that hey, this is your current focus, do the work.

I don’t like the concept of accountability but it may help, I don’t know. My personality has a difficult time with this concept. If I can’t hold myself accountable, why should I report or check-in with someone else? How many people would I disappoint including myself? I struggle with this but do plan on updating this site with progress notes.

All of this is to say that by doing one or more of these things is going to help me progress in ways I have not been able to do in the past- to help achieve my writing goals and deliver a better writing habit.

Crazy Weekend

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Halloween, full moon, Daylight savings time, Dia de los muertos, Nanawrimo, No-shave November and the last installment of my monthly journeys.

What a crazy weekend and looking forward to a great November.

You Are Invisible To Me

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This webpage did not contact any trackers

Did you know that almost every website you view has anywhere from 2-30 tracking codes that report all sorts of data known about you? I’ve been taking steps to shield my privacy and in turn, have always tried to reduce it here on my website as well.

I don’t use Google Analytics. Facebook and Amazon affiliations have no hold here. It’s none of my business and I don’t care anyway. What am I going to do with it? How does it help me or you? Those Big Three don’t need my help. And as always, ZERO advertisements.

As a result, this website is clean, streamlined and fast. Try reading this site in Safari or Firefox instead of Google Chrome where it’ll track everything. Thank me later.

Back to the point- I don’t know anything about you. For all I know this is being read by only two people. The most valuable feedback comes to me from comments on these posts, emails, tweets and other forms of contact where people say hello, asks questions, or take issue with something I’ve said. You know, the whole point of the social web. Yes, there is a difference between the social web and social media but that is a different post.

So please leave a comment on the post, or say hello.

I wouldn’t know you were here if you didn’t.

10/10 Check-In!

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On 2/2 I began my year-long journey to create life long habits for myself and throw in some fun intentions as well. The plan is to check in every month to monitor my progress. How did I do since my last check-in on 9/9?

Nutrition & Training

Due to family medical issues (all better now, thank you), the Keto diet came to a halt. I tacked on seven pounds previously lost. However, I have lost four pounds since starting this back four days ago. Progress? Still wondering if it is safe to go back to the gym or not. The membership is currently in suspension.

Yoga & Meditation

Again, there is a reason why people call this yoga practice. I’ll just keep practicing, thank you very much. I’ve been using the workout app called Sworkit since January and it has been beneficial. Apple recently announced a new service simply called Fitness (coming soon) with a 30-day trial. Yoga is included so stay tuned.

Photography & Writing

Photography- Doing around with instant gratification and instant cameras. Hipstamatic has released some new films and lenses I am playing with too. Fun.

Writing- “Tools Get In The Way” – a memoir by Chris Denbow

11/11

As always, I see some progress, see some room to do better, and hope that next month’s check-in will be better than the last!

Highs Without Lows

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Meditation

Gratitude

Prayer

Journaling

Unconditional love

Yoga

Exercise

Play

Walking in nature

Creating art

Reading

Singing

Practicing a craft

Pursuing curiosity

Star Search

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“If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.”

While taking my morning walk, The sky was amazing.

Fourteen More Reminders

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  1. Delete your social media
  2. Cancel your television subscription
  3. Read books. Paper, digital or both.
  4. Learn something new with that free time earned back from media, social media.
  5. More creating, less consuming.
  6. Stop buying the shiny new toy and play with the ones you have first.
  7. Do something for someone else. Time and/or money.
  8. Breathe. This moment is just for you.
  9. Take care of your body with frequent fitness.
  10. Eat smarter. Fall & winter is here; load up on the comfort food. Find new recipes and experiment.
  11. Yes, life is hard but it is also difficult for your neighbor and your friend and most people out there.
  12. This can feel like it has been going on forever. But nothing lasts forever. Everything dies, including viruses.
  13. The stoic philosophers have much to teach us in that we can think, and prepare ourselves for the worst or when something is outside our control occurs, we are ready. We will be prepared to fix it quicker too.
  14. Acceptance doesn’t mean we give up. Make the best use of your time by enjoying it.

Mind, Body, Spirit

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When the Body is exhausted, train the Mind.

When the Mind is exhausted, train the Body.

When both are exhausted, you finally get to train the Spirit.

When all three are exhausted, Rest.