Twin boys. Toddler daughter. Hospital Tech Support. Writer. Runner. Gamer. Creating in public again.*

Hospital Visit

The journey starts with a quiet walk to the hospital. Fifteen minutes of solitude to gather my thoughts and prepare for this new chapter. This is much different than my previous work-from-home job, where I was isolated from the world and stationary as I answered calls.

At the hospital, I’m given an office that’s completely empty, along with a key to a big storage room with lots of furniture to choose from. I selected a desk, a television on the wall, two tables, and an office chair. I also brought a few things from home to personalize the office. A white HomePod, a white desk fan, a plant, and a few books.

With this new position, a lot of my day revolves around meetings and being at certain rooms of the hospital at specific times of the day, so one of the first things I did was connect my new Microsoft Exchange account to my phone. Now my calendar events for work show up on my wrist with the Fantastical widget.

While going down the elevator, my Watch buzzes, and it’s a notification from Rose’s new preschool. I get about ten of these updates a day from her school now. “She just had her morning snack. She went potty. She just started her nap. She was happy.” These little notification are helpful because I can keep working with the peace of mind that she’s ok.

When returning home each day, my Watch averages about 15,000 steps. That’s before any exercises. And now that I’m home before five during the week, I can hunt down the basketball gym that everyone’s playing at. I expect to consistently be in great basketball shape now, thanks to this new schedule (and salad bar in the hospital cafeteria).

At night (and some Remote Play throughout the day), I’ve been making progress in Metaphor, a fantasy JRPG that’s like nothing I’ve ever played before. It’s currently my game of the year.

Photo Shuffle

Did you know that you can see a different photo each time you raise your wrist? On your phone, go to the Watch app, Face Gallery, and then choose Photos. From there, you’ll select Shuffle, and then decide what type of photos you’d like to use. For mine, I chose People, and then selected Rose. Now each time I glance at my wrist, I see a different photo of my daughter.

Two Outliers

I recently wrote about my current Watch face, and this is a follow-up. A week ago, the watch showed two outliers (lack of sleep and lower respiratory rate), and on the other side it showed my training (exercise) was lower than usual. Thanks to this new face, I’m able to see at a glance areas that need improvement.

Modular Ultra

My Apple Watch is always on my wrist, evening when sleeping, showering, or playing basketball. I consider the Apple Watch my most important computer, tracking all of my health data, and giving me important information with just a glance at my wrist.

The Watch face I’m using is Modular Ultra, an exclusive face to the Apple Watch Ultra. On the left side of the bezel shows my vitals (heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, and blood oxygen). The right side of the bezel shows my training load (intensity and duration of workouts).

The top of the screen shows my messages, the day of the week, and the Watch’s battery life. The middle of the screen shows the time and my next calendar event. The bottom of the screen shows my exercise rings, any tasks for that day, and the weather conditions outside.

A Beam of Light

That little orange button on the side of the watch. I use it constantly throughout the week. For one simple thing. A flashlight. There’s always a dark area to walk through. When Rose wakes up, or when I need a bottle of water in the middle of the night, or if I’m leaving my office and walking back into the house. As soon as I enter a dark space, without thinking, I press the little orange button and a beam of light brightens up the area. I’m still fascinated by how simple and quick this process is.