Apple watch me! Watch me!

This year I got an Apple watch, and thus began the comparison against my beloved FitBitch...


I don't know anyone else with one yet, so the interaction with friends bit is unfulfilled and will have to wait. 

The cool factor for me is being able to measure my own heart rate, and see what is normal for me.  Currently my range is anywhere from 46 bpm while sleeping up to 120 bmp while running around which is pretty cool!

Similarly to the FitBitch, floors climbed seemed to not work as I would expect... which softened the blow I had initially given the Fitbit over the same matter... until I recently read that the altimeter portion is contained within the paired iPhone and not the watch.  Given how many things they had to cram into the watch I understand why it isn't in there, but it left me feeling like it was inaccurate.

The charge time on the watch is about a day and a bit, which makes it relatively ineffective for capturing sleep habits and heart rate. I've found that if I do wear it overnight, I end up charging it during an awkward time the next day and subsequently forgetting to put it back on, or not wearing it when I'm actually doing something.  Not that big of a deal unless you're getting credit for your workouts somewhere else.

I had thought that the watch was going to help eliminate lugging around as much tech during workouts, however due to the altimeter and gps functionality residing in the iPhone it actually increases the amount of gear you've got.  Of course it gives you the added functionality of heart rate monitoring, which at the moment you would have to strap on a heart rate monitor to get any other way... so it's not that bad, and at least is more comfortable than trying to keep a heartrate monitor in place.

Overall they've done a good job, but it still has a ways to go in terms of being more than a glorified heartrate monitor for me. 

Yes it brings some of the functionality of my phone conveniently out of my pocket, but I wasn't someone who was really that bothered by taking my phone out of my pocket to do things in the first place.  For me, that's like people who complain about webpages being too long... and that everything should fit on the screen. Quite frankly I'd rather scroll than have to click through 10 different pages of screen sized content if it doesn't really make any sense to split it up in the first place. Scrolling is not that difficult. Get over it.

FitBitch!

Late last year I got a FitBit, affectionately referred to as a FitBitch by my friends...

Initially I was excited about my fitbit, because I figured it was going to change my life!

Correction: Nooooo, it will not change your life.  You still have to do that for yourself.

It does provide some valuable feedback though, and I found it makes me more aware of what I'm doing (or not doing) and how much I'm eating and snacking.  In that regard, it has improved my health/wellness to some extent.

I like the sleep tracking feature, but it falls into the category of personal interest at the moment. I haven't really figured out a way to act on the info it's providing other than to note that I should probably start going to bed earlier.

I am disappointed in the number of floors climbed, it seems to be way off pretty consistently.  I'm also disappointed in the distance reported from the sense that there's no training or calibration step.  It would be easy enough when you get your fitbitch to link it up with your phone, turn on gps, and walk a given distance and use that info to calibrate how long your normal walking strides are... this info could also be updated any time you log a walk or run by matching up the time stamps.

Community is where the fitbitch makes up for its previous pitfalls though, it wasn't until I had added my brother and his wife that I rediscovered my competitive nature and logged a ridonkulous number of steps in a single weekend.

Also battery life of the Fitbit Charge rocks, although the icon that displays after the app has synced with the device doesn't seem to have any bearing whatsoever on actual battery levels.  I do find though that since it stays charged longer, I'm more likely to be wearing it and keeping better track of things.


Although it comes and goes in waves, I think I'm more consistently logging exercise hours which ultimately is what's going to balance out my junk food intake so all in all? I love it and I can't wait to see further improvements.

The force awakens... as do we at 2:30 am

Shockingly enough we made it to the theatre in record time at 3:45 am and found a decent parking spot only to realize that we were going to have to run the gauntlet of people who had just finished watching it and were no doubt talking about it. right. now.

At least no one looks pissed... that's a good sign. 

My eyes are burning and itching but my adrenalin is pumping and excitement and anticipation are coursing through my veins. Despite this my thought process is running at half throttle with a significant delay, and even simple tasks like going to the washroom take longer than one would think.

The wait is about to be over, where we find out if they were able to stay true to the spirit of the originals or if Star Wars as we know it is about to jump the shark at lightspeed.  

Also we have been dreading the possibility that the characters we've met only through advertising could potentially turn out to be Jar-Jars...

No spoilers, but I loved it, and would like to see it again... maybe like at least 3 more times, in addition to that I am looking forward to seeing where the rest of this story goes!

Ungodly hour in the morning after the show, to the guy whipping through the parking lot:

You better slow down dude, I know you're excited to see the movie but if you hit me I'll spoil it for you.

*unstoppable tired giggles*

Announcing experimental Watson weekends!

That's right, food around here is about to get a whole lot crazier!

I have been invited to take part in beta testing for Chef Watson, Iamsoridiculouslyexcitedaboutthisyoujusthavenoidea!!!!

Everything is better now!

After almost a month of working from a jet pack and worrying about going over our usage limit, fighting with various providers, and other ridiculousness... you have no idea how happy this makes me *relieved sigh*
 

Stand back! We are going to attempt the horizontal loop

I learned how to drive the Unimog this weekend *grins*

This Sunday just after checking in on the morning net Aaren and I got to thinking that we should get his horizontal loop up before the snow flies... and with summer slipping through our fingers, we got the bright idea that we should do it *right now*.

I'm sure we did at least half of the things on the list of "Things *not* to do when putting up a horizontal loop antenna" but I'd like to think we learned a few things along the way... and we had some fun.

Aaren on the Mog, next to his existing tower

Now two of the corners of the loop are going to be held up by his antenna tower, and his new wooden mast... the other two corners are going to be held up by willow trees.  That's the part where I come in, he let me back and forth the Mog all over the yard topark it at the base of the willow tree, as a reward for what was to follow...

We used a ladder *on top* of the Mog to get half way up the 40 foot height he was hoping to get his loop up to... I know right, safety first. Shhhh! we wont talk about the clippers and chainsaw I used just so that I could get up *into* the tree ;)

The Unimog ladder extension

 The first tree we did was tough, there was a 'Y' section that I needed to be standing in, but it didn't really have any branches to get up to it. I don't honestly know how I got up there (or down), only that it involved some scootching, and as I sat there with my shin wedged between the bark I distinctly remember thinking

"Yeap, definitely should've put on pants!"

After getting the pulley attached, and the rope that would pull the loop tight, we pulled it up and down and through a few times just to make sure the pulley worked get everything where it should have been.

The second tree was much quicker, other than the rope toss which we realized should have gone *over* the G5-RV... and you thought we were almost done ;)

Nope, those aren't my shoes either... figured big shoes were safer than flip flops ;)

"You would have some sexy legs if it weren't for all those scars!" ~Mich

It was pretty cool when we were done, although unfortunately next to impossible to get a decent picture of... I have a little bit of tree rash to show for it, and I had bark in places that no normal human being should have bark... Ever. But it just goes to show... I still got it *snaps*