Apple Watch

Knockoffs

~ MaryG ~ 11 Comments

I am not brand obsessed, but I’m not brand immune either. I think I like fashionable stuff about the same amount as other GenX women. (We are products of the Reagan era after all.)

I confess I once hopped into a windowless, unmarked van on Canal Street in NYC to buy a fake designer purse. Once.

Well, now that fall is here, I wanted a new silicone “solo loop sport” band for my Apple Watch in a fall color. The “moonglow” one that came with it is too light-colored for the season. The official Apple ones are very expensive and in limited colors.

This sent me sorting through the endless array of Apple Watch band knockoff websites.

I finally ordered one from god-knows-where that I thought was going to be $20, but ended up being $30 with the shipping.

The email address for the company literally came up “iMod Watches Knockoff Bands.”

It took forever to get here (from China, I presume) though the outer packaging says it came from “Shipping Department” in Jamaica, NY.

It feels very similar to an actual Apple Watch band. My only complaint is the color is a bit redder than I thought it would be. It was called “plum,” but I’d say it’s actually maroon.

I like it (so far). It feels just like the Apple one.

What about you? Do you ever go searching for “knockoff” products? Do you have any moral or economic objections to buying them?

The indignity of falling

~ MaryG ~ 17 Comments

I was determined to close all three rings on my Apple Watch yesterday, so I went out for a walk in the rain. I wore a baseball hat and a large LL Bean raincoat with the hood up. My peripheral vision may have been slightly impaired.

I was listening to music from my phone in my pocket, when I briefly looked at my watch to see how far I’d walked. I must have stepped on a piece of loose asphalt and turned my ankle.

I went down. All the way down. I landed on my left side and caught myself with both wrists. I was briefly laying on my side in the wet street (a quiet cul de sac).

My watch started beeping and tapping my wrist telling me that I’d fallen and asking if it should call for help. That part was actually nice. Someone cared! But I didn’t think anything was broken, so I hit the little X to decline.

What the fuck ankle! You can’t handle stepping on a little bump?? (This ankle has let me down before.) How many times have I implored my mother and others “watch your step, don’t fall”? Falling is the worst. It’s sudden. It’s stupid. You weren’t watching. Dumb.

A few days ago I voluntarily got down on the ground to take this photo of a mushroom along the side of the rail trail where I typically walk, which has no loose asphalt.

My 50th Birthday

~ MaryG ~ 9 Comments

Share one of the best gifts you’ve ever received.

My dear friend Susan made my 50th birthday special. (She makes every occasion special.) Not only did she help me plan a dinner in a restaurant, but she also invited my guests back to her home afterwards. She and her lovely daughter created thoughtful touches like chocolate covered strawberries, a sign, and birthday confetti. I really felt special!

And then, on top of that, Susan gave me my first Apple Watch. A very generous and EXCITING gift! It was June 2015 and Apple had just come out with watches that spring. I remember they seemed so weird and futuristic at the time. I really didn’t understand what they were or how they worked, but it was so cool to have one of my own! It was silver with a white sport band. I’m sure I never would’ve bought one for myself (or I would’ve taken many more years to try one).

It was a very exciting gift and I ended up loving Apple Watches. I’ve upgraded to new models several times. As I’ve mentioned, I’m a good candidate for digital health products. I’m motivated to “close my rings” daily and I like getting the colorful little “medals” for special challenges. I was thrilled when Apple came out with the waterproof version, so I could wear it in the pool and get “credit.”

So, not only was it a generous and thoughtful gift, but I truly believe it’s helped me stay healthy in my fifties.

Thanks Susan. I love you!

My 50th birthday sign in Susan’s apartment
Special touches by Susan 💕

Related post:

Digital health target audience

Digital health target audience

~ MaryG ~ 6 Comments

What is your favorite form of physical exercise?

I’m a fan of the big three: walking, swimming and biking. I don’t go crazy doing any of them. Unlike my husband, I’m a believer in the “everything in moderation” philosophy.

Walking is certainly the easiest. Just put on sneakers and open the front door. I typically walk 2-3 miles. When swimming, I do laps in a 25-yard pool for 30-40 minutes (total yards are less than a mile). I get the least amount of credit from my Apple Watch for biking. I go slowly on a paved rail trail. Eight miles is a long bike ride for me.

So, I’m very boring. By contrast, my husband took up competitive powerlifting at age 60 and now holds multiple state records. He works out with 25-year olds and has a terrifyingly intense coach.

Sometimes I get a bit creative in order to close the rings on my Apple Watch before the end of the day. I was a majorette in high school and still have my old silver baton. I set-up “baton twirling” as an exercise category on my watch and will occasionally do a quick routine to “Second Hand News” by Fleetwood Mac or “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John, just to close my watch rings.

I guess I’m exactly the type of person that the digital health movement is aimed at: the lazy-to-moderate types who need some positive reinforcement to keep moving.

A typical “pat on the back” from my Apple Watch

Nothing Terrible Happens

~ MaryG ~ 1 Comment
Daily writing prompt
Describe your ideal week.
View all responses

At age 58, my ideal week is one in which nothing terrible happens.

Twenty-two years ago today, several thousand Americans, including 343 NYC firefighters, went to work thinking it would be a normal Tuesday and never made it home. That was a horrible week.

No school shootings, no terrible floods, no massive fires, no acts of terrorism, no insurrections, no friends or family diagnosed with cancer, no pandemics, no big news at all. That’s ideal.

If I can also manage to close all three Activity Rings on my Apple Watch every day, that’s a bonus.

This is the award you get from Apple Watch for a “Perfect Week“