#WeekendCoffeeShare (September 2, 2023)

Hi everyone on this first Saturday of September. I’m joining #WeekendCoffeeShare, even though it’s waaay too late for me to have coffee. That is, I don’t usually feel the energizing effects that strongly, but I am sure the staff won’t let me have a cup of coffee anymore. Or anything to drink except for water, truthfully. So let’s have a glass of water and let’s catch up.

If we were having coffee (or a glass of water, but I always start my paragraphs like this and even my saying that is a cliché), first I’d share about the weather. We’ve had rain, clouds, some sunshine and daytime temperatures usually around 20°C. Today, the daytime high was 23°C and next week, we might even get temperatures as high as 28°C.

If we were having coffee, next I’d tell you about my movement. I haven’t been exercising as much this past week as I did last week and today I saw in my trends in the fitness app that my exercise has decreased. Of course it has, you’d say, if I haven’t been exercising as much this week as last week, but the trends compare the past 90 days to the past 365 days. I try not to care, even though I did sign up for a month-long challenge in the Challenges app for September.

Yesterday, when on a walk with my assigned staff, we compared data, since she also has an Apple Watch. I’m glad my cardio fitness level wasn’t much lower than hers. I mean, I would’ve felt bad for her if both of ours were low, but mine is in the below-average range.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that, on Thursday, my assigned staff and I went out to have lunch together. She’s off on vacation for the rest of September and I’ll (most likely) move this month, so we won’t see each other again. We both had a large salad, mine one with chicken, of course. We both also had a heavenly caramel coffee.

Today, I decided to gift my assigned staff the blue polymer clay unicorn with Hotfix rhinestones on it. I remember creating my very first unicorn here at the institution with her. I originally hadn’t intended on giving my polymer clay creations away, like I had done when moving out of the care home in Raalte, but then again if I take them with me to the new care home they will probably break during transport. I’ve seen a little too many staff come and go here to have a piece for everyone, but I have something for the ones I see most often.

If we were having coffee, I’d share that I’ve been collecting books of journaling prompts once again. Amazon.nl now allows customers to pay for Kindle books with their bank account, for which I’m extremely grateful. Until last Monday, you could only pay for digital products with a credit card, which I don’t have, so I only downloaded free Kindle books. Now you still need a credit card for other digital products, but eBooks are an exception. And, of course, the first book I bought was a collection of journaling prompts. I also bought a collection of essential oil diffuser recipes. Each book cost under €3. I do need to make sure I won’t spend my money compulsively, as a search for “journaling prompts” in the Kindle store returns over 3,000 books. Then again, a lot are free at one point. For this reason, I acquired three new books of journaling prompts over the past few days, only one of which I paid for.

Lastly, if we were having coffee, I’d ask you all to cheer on my oldest niece as she starts school on Monday. She will be four on the 10th. I need to pop into the toy store tomorrow to buy her a present, as ordering something online won’t get it here on time for me to send it on to her.

How have you been?

7 thoughts on “#WeekendCoffeeShare (September 2, 2023)

  1. Were you able to pop into the store and give your niece a school and birthday present?

    [and what are the toy stores like these days?]

    Here are some cheers for the oldest niece.

    Yes, there are a lot of great free books on Kindle.

    Caramel anything is just about heavenly – or sublime.

    Hope your assigned staff has a good September holiday and it’s great that she saw your unicorn journey.

    The latest Apple Watch and Apple Health are bringing out an app for mental health this September.

    Had a chicken and tomato sandwich yesterday for lunch.

    Diffusers and journalling! Two great activities to set the tone and tenor.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, I did pop into the toy store for a present for my oldest niece. I’m not sure what you mean by what toy stores are like? I headed straight to the Play-Doh section, honestly, as she wanted something like that and I, working with polymer clay, of course love to give her something that’s the age-appropriate version of that.

      Yes, I really look forward to iOS 17, although of course it may take a while for me to install it as there are usually quite a few accessibility bugs in the first release.

      Like

      1. What I meant by ‘what toy stores are like’:

        Elements like the sound and the ambience.

        Entrances and exits and aisles.

        How hard or easy it is to get the particular thing.

        PlayDoh in this instance – if it was organised into a “creative arts” category.

        Or an age category – like the toys for under-three-year-olds [the ones with not so small pieces] and over-three year olds.

        I also meant the contrasts in what they were like in the 1980s and 1990s or when I last actively visited one – the early 2000s.

        Desks and customer services.

        Also the heating and cooling and sometimes the lights can be hot and buzzy.

        How it might be similar or different to a grocery store or a 5-Euro store [reasoning from Poundlands and two-dollar shops] – which also have lots of good sensory and creative toys.

        I do remember that your eldest niece enjoys claymaking and PlayDoh.

        I wonder if you have dipped into the toy-buying on Amazon? Or perhaps you HAD and I had not remembered it.

        [the affiliate marketing on WonderBaby.org for instance – the products the writers recommend – found out about 2 new stores that way – or on Virginia Sole-Smith’s substack BURNT TOAST – organisers and well-made meal receptacles].

        ***

        Yes – the BUGS!

        And which one is it going to be this time that might de-rail the whole accessibility experience?

        [Apple TV has some moderately good audio description, especially on a show called STRANGE PLANET – and sometimes DROPS OF GOD].

        iPhones and iPads and iMacs and MacBooks doing the things they need to do in the ecosystem.

        My own iThing has stopped at iOS 9 [it is a second-generation iPad].

        And again the things which are happening with Apple Watches are next-level.

        It’s been a big jump from the first Apple Watch to the second one and now this one.

        Like

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