life

5 on a Friday

December 3, 2021

1- Yesterday was terrible (work-related). Details are not for the blog, but it was a bad day. Nothing insurmountable, but disappointing nonetheless. I guess one victory was that I did not dive into a social media hole to cope. Hopefully I will move from sadness to a more positive “growth mindset” action plan mode soon in a few days.

2- I have to admit — I like the Apple Watch! I wasn’t sure initially, but I really do. More than the Garmin, it allows me to entirely put my phone away and only have my watch out when at home. This is a game-changer. Also, a very small (but wonderful) thing is that when I have to authenticate (via DUO) to remote access my work email or electronic medical record, I can just tap my wrist rather than having to find + unlock my phone every time. It’s also more comfortable to wear overall. And I love being able to answer the phone on the watch!

It probably isn’t 100% accurate when it comes to running distance, but I wore both on my initial run and they were pretty close! As Josh pointed out, I am not training for the Olympics (I accept this!) so it’s probably good enough for those purposes. I will shelve my ~5 year old Garmin for now.

3- 3 more nights of Hanukkah! We’ve been squeaking by from a gift perspective each night. I will not be terribly disappointed when it’s over (and then we have 2 birthdays). But I have to say I am rather relieved to be done with most of the holiday stuff! We are giving out cash gifts at work, so that’s easy. Cash bonuses for our nanny, babysitter, etc. Our GME holiday party is next Friday. I will be ‘done’ with Christmas 2 weeks before it even begins! We did decide to delay holiday cards this year until January and convert them to Belated New Year / New Address cards.

I recognize this makes me sound very curmudgeonly but I’m okay/happy with it.

4- Good news or inaccurate/incomplete data!? Our hospital system numbers are very low right now, so keeping fingers crossed this is at least somewhat real. I desperately hope Omicron does not put a stop to the phase we are in now where COVID is really not limiting much of what we do. (We still mask, but that’s about the extent of precautions. And with the rates below, I’m thinking school masking may not be needed forever, especially for vaccinated kids!?)

5- Instagram report: Well, I’m about ~5 days into my official exit from Instagram. Thus far, I do not miss it at all. My Screen Time levels are way down. I feel less scattered/distracted (though that meant yesterday I had to feel my negative feelings a bit more than I would have otherwise). So this is encouraging!

Time for a workout – I have pivoted back to Sydney Cummings because after 5 weeks of the EPIC I I decided it was too torturous (esp since I’m trying to run more). So, this one today!

18 Comments

  • Reply Sara December 3, 2021 at 6:35 am

    So glad that your exit from Instagram is making you happy!

    I have both an Apple watch and a Garmin. I love my Apple watch for everything but running. I just can’t escape loving the accuracy and having all my running data together for years. I nerdily wear both watches when I run (one on each wrist). Apple for podcasts/music and cellular emergency support, garmin for pacing. I love it. I think I got my apple watch when I was marathon training and I’m not sure it could handle all the things for marathon-length long runs, so I happily landed here.

    Based on the ER, I think the Florida COVID numbers have been accurate (when they are reported) – our hospital numbers have been similarly low. I had seen very little COVID for a few weeks. But I saw 4 cases yesterday. (Happy Thanksgiving!) We shall see if this is the start of a big uptick or a little one. We are waiting to downshift until the 3y/o is vaccinated but then I’m hoping to settle in to a new normal. My kids haven’t eaten at an indoor restaurant since March 2020 – we briefly did before the delta surge but that made my husband a little gun-shy.

    Hugs for a bad work day.

  • Reply Elisabeth December 3, 2021 at 7:34 am

    Not curmudgeonly – we all enjoy the holidays in different ways, and one of those ways is feeling like we’ve survived all the intensity of gifting/expectations.

    I’m so glad you’re liking the Apple Watch! I’d be lost without mine!

    Sorry about the crummy day. It’s been kinda of a crummy week for me (mix of work and personal). So glad today is Friday and I’m headed off to make a hot cup of chai tea now which will definitely boost my spirits.

  • Reply KGC December 3, 2021 at 8:24 am

    I LOVE my apple watch for all the reasons you mention. The authentication on my wrist for work sign-in is amazing! And it definitely allows me to stay off my phone because I don’t get sucked into other things (no ability to just scroll on the apple watch!). My husband bought it for me for my birthday last year (after I told him I didn’t need it) and basically I’m in birthday gift debt forever because it’s the best thing anyone has ever gotten me. I use it for running, too (I used to just use strava on my phone; was never a huge garmin devotee and don’t care THAT much about it being totally accurate), so for me it’s nice to have everything right in one place on my wrist. I get irrationally excited when other people also see the light of the utility of the apple watch =)

    Sorry you had a rough day. Hopefully today is better.

    • Reply Kate F December 3, 2021 at 8:42 am

      This made me chuckle. I’m fairly sure an apple watch is coming my way for christmas from my husband… we usually don’t do gifts so this has made quite the challenge for me in finding him a gift! I’m glad to read all the love for the watch though. I have a super old vivosmart that I love because I can see who is calling or texting, but I can’t do any forms of replies or answering on it. Hoping I feel the same as many of you do!

      • Reply KGC December 3, 2021 at 12:52 pm

        Yes, same same same. We almost never exchange gifts. So this was a big one, especially after I told him I didn’t need it! (He asked specifically and I said thanks but no thanks) I figure someday I’ll think of something really good as repayment but for now…definitely still in gift-giving debt =)

  • Reply Margaret December 3, 2021 at 9:32 am

    A quote that really resonated with me when I was going through a rough patch recently was “Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” Rilke

    I’ve always written down quotes and poems in my planner as I come across them but when Matt Haig’s Comfort Book came out I had an aha moment and took a spare disk bound notebook and started putting my poems and quotes in it. I also have pictures of my kids and other things that make me feel good. It has been helpful to look through when I’m feeling stressed or anxious.

    I’m a long time reader/listener and have never commented before but really enjoy your blog and podcast.

    • Reply Irene December 3, 2021 at 11:20 am

      Just wanted to say I love that quote! And needed it today. I have a family member who would often say “life is long”. Today may not be great but I can do it.

  • Reply Erica Sparky December 3, 2021 at 9:55 am

    I’ve been thinking about the Apple Watch, but I am also loyal to Garmin and just got a new one last year (my F220 broke after only 2 years). But this info about DUO might actually convert me. I run with a Garmin F245 and my group all runs with Apple Watches and our distances are all within 0.1-0.2 miles of each other, so there’s that. The Apple Watch is a little longer so gives you a ‘faster’ pace :). I’m kind of jealous of all of my friends because they can send each other little messages on their non-run workouts etc.

  • Reply omdg December 3, 2021 at 10:46 am

    Our hospital is only doing 85% of surgeries because of capacity issues due to COVID. Also, school was cancelled today because of threats to shoot students at school. We are going to lose abortion rights, and your governor wants to use government funds to finance his own private militia. Oh yes, and then there is Omicron. I am very tired of all of this. I also had a terrible day at work 2 weeks ago — I MEAN REALLY FUCKING TERRIBLE — but fortunately no patients were harmed. And the best part is I get to talk about it intermittently for the next several weeks, at least, and likely beyond. It’s all very demotivating and I kind of want to quit my job, crawl into a hole and die, or both. I sometimes feel like the only thing I am living for is setting my daughter up for success as much as possible for when she grows up, but the government seems to be doing its very best to prevent that from happening as well. Eff everybody.

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 3, 2021 at 11:05 am

      Oh dear god I didn’t even know about the FL militia concept until now. I don’t even know …

    • Reply rose December 4, 2021 at 7:45 pm

      miss you since you had to go private on blog. SO SORRY work had such a bad turn. Hope events allow you to feel better about your employment. Hoping your children’s generation has a better run than how things are looking from where I sit now. Wishing all who read and write here well, and a healthy end to this year with joy, peace, kindness and health in the new year. THinking of you and Shu constantly, thank you for all you are doing for the living and the coming generations.

      • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 4, 2021 at 8:24 pm

        Thank you so much! And yes, I miss the blog too ❤️

  • Reply A. December 3, 2021 at 11:40 am

    It is funny for me to see how « good » the numbers can be for you, when here in my city we have THE worst moment of all the pandemic with 2.49% pos. rate, with 89% of fully vaccinated. And this rate is out of control for us. This is how we see it is all a question of perspective.

  • Reply Lisa of Lisa's Yarns December 3, 2021 at 11:46 am

    Sorry to hear about your bad day at work! I hope today is kinder to you! Those can be hard to bounce back from.

    I do not think you sound curmudgeonly at all! But, I am SOOO not a gifts person and we buy so few gifts during Christmas which I am very happy about. It’s the baby’s 1st bday today and we did not get him a gift because he will get a lot from my MIL, he doesn’t need anything, he’ll get more gifts in 3 weeks, and he doesn’t even know it’s his birthday… I am sure I sound like a scrooge but I want to try to de-emphasize gifts as much as possible, although I know that is hard as kids get older. Although when we ask our 3.5yo what he wants for Christmas he says he doesn’t know!

    Our cases seem to be declining here in MN but I know our hospitals are at or near capacity and they’ve called in support for a couple of hospitals – one in our metro and one in an outlying area (which has terrible vaccine rates). It’s hard to not feel like this pandemic is endless but I think I will feel better once my kids are eligible for the vaccine!

  • Reply Candace Krause December 3, 2021 at 5:46 pm

    I have clinical days where I feel defeated, nothing REALLY went wrong, but nothing went REALLY right either. And then you try again tomorrow!
    I love my Apple watch too. One thing I did was get the band from Apple with the magnetic closure, so it is sooo easy to adjust on my small wrist. A bit spendy (175.00, I think a few years ago) but I love it every day . (also like my vitamix blender!!!)

    In Oregon, our Covid numbers are up again, and ICU’s are nearly full. I do see the vaccinations number jumping up.
    The Portland Metro area is well vaccinated but 3/4 of the state are in denial.

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 3, 2021 at 6:06 pm

      I DO also want a vitamix blender 🙂

      And I’m so sorry about the recurrent surge. I’m sure it’s going to be a roller coaster, I guess perhaps for years. FL has had so much covid but our overall vaccination rate isn’t terrible. (Could be better though!)

  • Reply Marianne December 4, 2021 at 11:12 am

    Thank you for the Duo tip! Just figured out it works on my Garmin as well.

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 4, 2021 at 11:24 am

      Wow! It doesn’t work on mine (Garmin 235 – from 2016, old!). I get the notification on the watch, but no option to approve or not!

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