This is a little embarrassing to admit but I bought an Apple Watch Series 1 back in February. I don't know why it felt embarrassing to me - like it was unnecessarily flashy or something? Anyway, I'd been considering a Garmin watch to track my cycling/workouts but they're huge and not cheap and why not get the silly toy watch that I really wanted that does basically the same thing and more? So I did and I freaking love it.
I was initially skeptical of the watch but I am now completely obsessed with the Activity Rings function. If you're not familiar, every day your watch gives you three rings to complete: Move, Stand, and Exercise. I am a pretty active person outside of work but at work I'm totally sedentary, so this has really helped to up my activity. I also really love the workout app and Strava works great from the watch, which means I don't have to pull my phone out during rides. Plus, getting text and email notifications without worrying about having my phone out is my favorite new way to lazy. Um, yeah. Basically, the Apple Watch has made me both more active and more lazy. Whatever, I own it.
Do you have an Apple Watch? What apps do you like? Anyone have a reliable source for cute, inexpensive bands?
The Week. One of the few magazines I get anymore is The Week and I look forward to it every week! It "provide perspectives on the week's news and editorial commentary from global media to provide readers with multiple political viewpoints." Basically, it pulls bits of news from different sources internationally to give a well-rounded view of what's happening. It also has a two-page real estate spread that I LOVE (and always read first) as well as reviews of music, books, art, etc. It's a very analog way to keep up with current events and, amusingly, I never read the Week's website.
Watching
The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu. Oooh, you guys. I read Margaret Atwood's book years ago and I definitely need to re-read but I went ahead and watched the first two episodes of the new Hulu series and it is REALLY good so far. Very dark, deeply disturbing and visually stunning. Plus, Elizabeth Moss (who I love in everything! Have you seen Top of the Lake yet? OMG.) and Alexis Bledel! Also, The Handmaid's Tale feels very relevant right now, which is...not great. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't watched it yet, but so far I'm highly recommending it. PS. If you have Amazon Prime, The Handmaid's Tale is available to read electronically for free.
Listening
I'm for sure the last woman on earth who's not already listening to the Call Your Girlfriend podcast, right? Probably. Call Your Girlfriend is "a podcast for long-distance besties everywhere" which is really apropos for me since two of my best girlfriends live in different states. It really is like having a convo with your friends and the topics range from pop culture to politics. I found their recent podcast about the business end of podcasting really fascinating. I should also give credit where credit is due and mention that I found out about this from Caroline Crampton's (SRSLY podcast) newsletter.
That's it for this week! Please let me know if you have recommendations or if you're enjoying (or hating) something I recommended.
The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu. Oooh, you guys. I read Margaret Atwood's book years ago and I definitely need to re-read but I went ahead and watched the first two episodes of the new Hulu series and it is REALLY good so far. Very dark, deeply disturbing and visually stunning. Plus, Elizabeth Moss (who I love in everything! Have you seen Top of the Lake yet? OMG.) and Alexis Bledel! Also, The Handmaid's Tale feels very relevant right now, which is...not great. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't watched it yet, but so far I'm highly recommending it. PS. If you have Amazon Prime, The Handmaid's Tale is available to read electronically for free.
I'm for sure the last woman on earth who's not already listening to the Call Your Girlfriend podcast, right? Probably. Call Your Girlfriend is "a podcast for long-distance besties everywhere" which is really apropos for me since two of my best girlfriends live in different states. It really is like having a convo with your friends and the topics range from pop culture to politics. I found their recent podcast about the business end of podcasting really fascinating. I should also give credit where credit is due and mention that I found out about this from Caroline Crampton's (SRSLY podcast) newsletter.
That's it for this week! Please let me know if you have recommendations or if you're enjoying (or hating) something I recommended.
I too bought -- and love -- the Apple Series 1, and for the same reasons you did: my running watch/heartrate monitor had died, and I didn't like the alternatives offered by Garmin and others. I bought the rose gold looking one with the lavender athletic strap, and I really like how it looks. And, I figured, I like the other stuff (in addition to heartrate, gps, etc.) that the Apple watch made possible, like answering texts on my wrist without digging into my purse to find my phone. I bought mine a year and a half ago, at Target (try there for inexpensive strap replacements).
ReplyDeleteAlso Amazon for leather straps (double tour 😉), they don't last very long once you get them wet (sweaty) repeatedly, but they're inexpensive and pretty. Apple silicone ones are still the best though...
ReplyDeleteI really like it for the haptic alerts (with phone on silent) and satnav.
I am surprised the Apple watch is affordable...I had it in my mind that they were $400, or was that only when they came out?
ReplyDeleteOh, they can be! Mine is the Series 1 model and the price dropped on it when they released the Series 2.
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