Watch and Learn

Heidi and I have had our Apple watches for about 5 years now; so long that, not only have they become one of the devices we rely on daily, but we take for granted their ability to track our activity, alert us immediately to the news and weather, answer calls and texts, and oh yes, tell the time. Apple is always pushing down new tweaks and features, many of the look-what-our-watches-can-do-now novelty version, and to be honest, we rarely even notice them.

Recently, more time and fewer choices about spending it, have made our activity and workouts kind of a bigger focus in our daily lives. I always checked my rings, but now I'm looking at my trends, too. I want those arrows by exercise, distance, cardio fitness, walking pace, running pace, and stand minutes per hour to be pointing up, even though part of me knows quite well that no arrow left behind is just a statistical impossibility.

Another feature our watches have offered is the ability to share exercise activity with a friend. The idea seems mostly to encourage friendly competition, but Heidi and I know better than that. We started sharing activity a couple weeks ago with a promise to never compete. So now, any time either of us finishes a workout or completes an achievement, the other gets a notification, even if we're standing right next to each other. But, what could be very annoying, also comes with the perk of being able to shoot off a little prewritten message of encouragement.

And, those writers at Apple are pretty clever: it's rare that we don't get a giggle out of our options, whether we want salty or sweet. For example, after a long walk, we can send Did you miss the bus? or You're wearing out those shoes! 

Some of the other gems:

Oof! Can't match that!
#gifted
Pop and fizz!
Don't hurt yourself.
Numbers don't lie.
Now that's some walking
#micdrop
Feeling more flexible?
You're my favorite runner.

Not only that, but the algorithm is smart enough to give us new choices every time.

Oh, it's a small pleasure, but aren't those the ones that count most right now?

Apples to Apples

One of my go-to dessert recipes is a sour cherry cake published in the Washington Post for Thanksgiving in 2002. I have a well worn photocopy of the original article that I keep on a magnet on the side of the fridge.

Over the years, I have riffed several variations on that cake, including a peach version with chili and lime, which is a delicious finale to grilled fajitas in the summer. One thing I have never done, however, as much as I love that recipe, is bake the second cake from the same piece. But all that changed yesterday when a neighbor put out an SOS because she had five pounds of apples she couldn't use.

We immediately came to the rescue. My first thought was apple sauce, but I decided that I wanted to make something a little more satisfying, since we are, y'know, stuck at home indefinitely. I considered apple pie or galette, and then briefly considered an apple version of the cherry cake, until it occurred to me that there was actually an apple cake on the same page, just waiting for a try. And when I read the recipe? I was sold!

A "cake" in name only, it has a pastry bottom, enriched with egg yolks and a crumbly streusel topping. In between, you boil the apples with vinegar and sugar that bakes into a sweet and sour filling. It's delicious! And, it was fun to make and more than big enough to share with the neighbors.

Satisfying, indeed.

Grab a Bucket and Mop

Another thing that's great about our place, is that the two of us can clean it thoroughly in a couple hours. Six weeks ago, cleaning anything definitely would not have been our preferred way to spend a Sunday morning, but I have to admit, it's up there now. There is just something very gratifying about such a concrete accomplishment.

The Ladies Upstairs

We have lived in our townhouse-style condo since early 1999. Over the years we have considered buying a bigger place, mostly to accommodate more guests, but with 2 ensuite bedrooms and a half bath downstairs, the place, although compact, has more than enough space for the two of us, a dog and two cats. There are a few inconveniences to be sure; probably our biggest beef has been the lack of storage for our bikes, and not having a good place to grill outside is also a headache, but in general, we have been very happy here.

Our unit has two floors, and there is another condo below us. When we first moved in our neighbor downstairs was a quiet architect named Joe who kept the landscaping around our building immaculate. When Joe took advantage of low interest rates in the mid-2000s to buy a house, he sold his place to Steve, another quiet guy who traveled a lot and rode his bike for fun. Steve moved out a couple of years ago, and our new neighbor was Trevor, a young man starting his career as a government employee.

There was something about Trevor's enthusiasm and earnestness that reminded me of some of my former students grown up, and he and I bonded the first morning he lived here when his car was towed and I helped him get it back and get to work on time. After that we would trade text messages almost daily. But Trevor must have been good at what he did, because only a couple of months later he was offered a promotion which entailed a move to New Jersey.

The condo stood empty for a while; the market was soft and it must not have made sense to sell it right away. A few people did move in and out of the place, but they kept such a low profile and stayed such a short time that we only jokingly began to refer to the place as a witness protection safe house. All that changed earlier this week when a guy named Clayton, his partner and their three-legged dog moved in.

It's only been a few days, but I can hear their music clearly enough to tell that they like Paul Simon and several other rocking singer-songwriters from the late 20th century. Their music has been my music all day today, and I can only hope the intermittent banging is just temporary picture hanging and furniture placing racket.

I know that everyone is staying home and we are all in closer quarters than usual, but for goodness sakes! For the first time in 21 years, we might have to go knock on the door and ask them to keep it down, all ready!

Office Hour

I had ten students "stop by" for my first virtual office hours today. Some of them had a simple question or two, but most of them simply wanted to hang out on the video chat, see the other kids, type jokes in the comments, and show us their pets.

An assistant that I work with was there, too, and so we just kind of visited with the kids as they came in and out, asking for TV and movie recommendations, how they are staying in touch with their friends, what they do to keep from total boredom. It was nice to connect, and one of the toughest kids I have in class stayed on the whole time, which was gratifying.

And although I enjoyed the session, at the end of the hour, I was certain of one thing:

An hour?

Is too long!

Next week I'll do 2 thirty-minute sessions.

No Comment

I had a little bit of a shock today when I checked my personal e-mail only to find a comment had been left on yesterday's post on this blog by "Mom".

Regular readers know that my mother passed away last October, but until then? She was my most loyal reader. My mother never was much of a commenter, though. No, she preferred to talk about my writing in our regular phone conversations, where she knew she could get the unedited version of any story, full of juicy details.

And today, I knew, of course I knew, that it wasn't really a comment from my mom, but I lingered over the link for a little, imagining what such a comment might say.

Sharing the Road

I read a report today of a Florida man (yes, really) who threatened a mass shooting in a grocery store because many of the people in there were not wearing masks. I can believe it. Negotiating social distance in public spaces can be harrowing.

Last week, when Heidi made a wide arc around three young men walking toward her as she ran with Lucy, one of the guys yelled, "What would you do if I touched you?

To which my wife replied, "I'd let my dog bite you!"

Well, he did ask.

The next day, we were hiking in a regional park with my sister-in-law and nephews. A fellow hiker was very upset that the guys were standing too close to each other and their mom. He stood by the side of the trail and bellowed at us that we were peeing in the pool. "It's all ruined now," he moaned, as if in physical pain. When another family walked past us in the opposite direction, he shouted that the distance they chose was not six feet. Obviously disturbed, he huffed and groaned and sighed along behind us for some way, until at last he shouted, "Passing! Passing! Clear the trail!" Which we happily did.

And then just tonight our neighbor was out running when she stopped at a traffic light alongside a family of three on their bikes. "That is not 6 feet," the mom scolded her.

"That is not the bike lane," our friend snapped back. "You're on the sidewalk."

It's hard to cut each other slack when we are all wound so tightly. Normally one might recommend taking a deep breath in any of these situations, but these days?

Even that seems dangerous.