BUT once in a while you can lie on the couch for 2 hours binge watching “90 day fiance” and the Garmin says “congrats for building a restful period into your day”!
I also had Stage 1A breast cancer in 2020 and a double mastectomy. :D I live in Northern California but have always fantasized about North Carolina.
I have an Apple Watch which I got so I could leave my phone at home. Which I do not in fact do. The main thing I use it for it is to find my phone in my house, which seems silly. Agree that TMI is not helpful.
I made a reservation at the same Italian resort she and her husband go to each summer and jumped in the pool and yelled: “What a coincidence! Thanks for saving my life!” The polizia municipale made a big deal about it—they’ve clearly never had blood cancer. Weirdos!
Another exquisite piece. And yes, that Garmin watch is TMI as you so funnily capture.
I wouldn’t want that surveillance - I rather live in blissful ignorance.
Unrelated to your essay I just HAVE to squeeze in a few words of praise for “Foreverland” because it made such an impact on me.
I devoured it over three days (just finished, sadly) and was bubbling enthusiastically over your relentless, brutal honesty and your fierce, sharp sense of humour.
What a feat!
Your sweeping declaration of love in the final pages nearly left me in tears.
Now I’m on a mission to push it onto the owner of my beloved independent bookshop and have her order endless copies😊.
I have no such devices, but my husband does, and I like him. I’ve just finished Foreverland, and have been trying to think of the most cleverest way to praise you because you’re so smart. And, God you make me laugh. And you make me think. I like to do both, very very much.
Enjoyed this read, thanks. I confess I do not understand the appeal of smart watches, Oura rings, or any kind of wearable health tech gadgetry (provided that you are a perfectly healthy person).
I feel like the constant health monitoring speaks to our unhealthy cultural obsession with tracking and quantifying and optimizing and manufacturing achievement in absolutely everything we do (c'mon, a sleep score?!) Whatever happened to going to bed when you feel sleepy?
I share your skepticism and bought this watch to count my swim laps. Once I saw how extensive the features were, I started to get curious about how my numbers would change under different situations. Unfortunately what I'm learning is that alcohol and sugar both fuck up your sleep, and giving yourself time to rest after a workout is important.
That sounds pretty obvious, but some of us put a tremendous effort into avoiding this type of information. It takes hard work to know so little about how your body functions, but listen, I've put in the hours and I feel like I've really earned it.
That said, I love numbers and I love to be heartily congratulated for continuing to metabolize food and breathe in oxygen, so I'm an easy mark. Eventually my guess is that most people will have robots on their wrists telling them what to eat in order to address their current level of inflammation and hit their macronutrient goals. But let's get real, robots will be doing all sorts of strange things very soon. Regular people are going to get robot-pervy out in the open, and we'll become a nation of optimized goons who love their tiny robot armies more than real people. I think it's our job to call these people losers early and often, so I respect your stance 100% and I would only ask that you start dialing up the mercilessness of your verbiage in anticipation of the coming onslaught.
As a fellow swimmer, your mention of counting swim laps piqued my interest, but I will resist! Thanks for your reply, and I hope my joke-y, grumpy Dad demeanor on this matter came through.
I too am tired of my Garmin's judgements. My husband says I shouldn't anthropomorphize an inanimate object. And when it tells me that I may be more tired than usual today, it is wrong. Because it tells me this pretty much every day! Stupid thing.
BUT once in a while you can lie on the couch for 2 hours binge watching “90 day fiance” and the Garmin says “congrats for building a restful period into your day”!
Also when you swim two miles like I just did the watch says “72 hour recovery” like you shouldn’t do anything but nap and eat for three days!
I also had Stage 1A breast cancer in 2020 and a double mastectomy. :D I live in Northern California but have always fantasized about North Carolina.
I have an Apple Watch which I got so I could leave my phone at home. Which I do not in fact do. The main thing I use it for it is to find my phone in my house, which seems silly. Agree that TMI is not helpful.
You are a wonder! (I drive by my oncologist’s house. I call her and hang up.)
You're obsessed with your oncologist. Now I *do* want more information!
I made a reservation at the same Italian resort she and her husband go to each summer and jumped in the pool and yelled: “What a coincidence! Thanks for saving my life!” The polizia municipale made a big deal about it—they’ve clearly never had blood cancer. Weirdos!
Another exquisite piece. And yes, that Garmin watch is TMI as you so funnily capture.
I wouldn’t want that surveillance - I rather live in blissful ignorance.
Unrelated to your essay I just HAVE to squeeze in a few words of praise for “Foreverland” because it made such an impact on me.
I devoured it over three days (just finished, sadly) and was bubbling enthusiastically over your relentless, brutal honesty and your fierce, sharp sense of humour.
What a feat!
Your sweeping declaration of love in the final pages nearly left me in tears.
Now I’m on a mission to push it onto the owner of my beloved independent bookshop and have her order endless copies😊.
Forgot to add..you’re such a spitfire!!!😁
I have no such devices, but my husband does, and I like him. I’ve just finished Foreverland, and have been trying to think of the most cleverest way to praise you because you’re so smart. And, God you make me laugh. And you make me think. I like to do both, very very much.
This is incredible. I haven’t read something so witty, profound and funny since David Sedaris. Wonderful. Thank you.
And relatable. I gratefully lost my oura ring without feeling any loss.
Enjoyed this read, thanks. I confess I do not understand the appeal of smart watches, Oura rings, or any kind of wearable health tech gadgetry (provided that you are a perfectly healthy person).
I feel like the constant health monitoring speaks to our unhealthy cultural obsession with tracking and quantifying and optimizing and manufacturing achievement in absolutely everything we do (c'mon, a sleep score?!) Whatever happened to going to bed when you feel sleepy?
If someone can explain the allure, I'm all ears!
I share your skepticism and bought this watch to count my swim laps. Once I saw how extensive the features were, I started to get curious about how my numbers would change under different situations. Unfortunately what I'm learning is that alcohol and sugar both fuck up your sleep, and giving yourself time to rest after a workout is important.
That sounds pretty obvious, but some of us put a tremendous effort into avoiding this type of information. It takes hard work to know so little about how your body functions, but listen, I've put in the hours and I feel like I've really earned it.
That said, I love numbers and I love to be heartily congratulated for continuing to metabolize food and breathe in oxygen, so I'm an easy mark. Eventually my guess is that most people will have robots on their wrists telling them what to eat in order to address their current level of inflammation and hit their macronutrient goals. But let's get real, robots will be doing all sorts of strange things very soon. Regular people are going to get robot-pervy out in the open, and we'll become a nation of optimized goons who love their tiny robot armies more than real people. I think it's our job to call these people losers early and often, so I respect your stance 100% and I would only ask that you start dialing up the mercilessness of your verbiage in anticipation of the coming onslaught.
As a fellow swimmer, your mention of counting swim laps piqued my interest, but I will resist! Thanks for your reply, and I hope my joke-y, grumpy Dad demeanor on this matter came through.
I too am tired of my Garmin's judgements. My husband says I shouldn't anthropomorphize an inanimate object. And when it tells me that I may be more tired than usual today, it is wrong. Because it tells me this pretty much every day! Stupid thing.
Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY on Tuesday. Hope you’ll be spoilt in every way!
ahh the watch sounds stressful! But I'm so glad you're okay!!!