Went to a local brewery with Alison for date night. I had a root beer and street tacos, which were delicious.

Breakthrough: I’ve discovered how to not display dates on blog posts in RapidWeaver.

Last night, I took off my Fitbit. I’m not planning on putting it back on.

I’ve worn a Fitbit almost every day since 2011. I started with the Ultra, moved over to the One, and for a very short time, wore the Charge HR. I ended up having that nasty rash everyone was talking about.

I’ve had dozens of friends wear a Fitbit over the years, with very few sticking with it more than a year. My friends list is a ghost town of inactivity, with probably only four users active on any given week. I’m soon to join the ghosts.

I’ve struggled to understand, especially in the Apple Watch era, how Fitbit remains so arrogant. They throw their weight around pretending to be the big kid on the block, when, from my perspective, they’re a mid-size semi-niche company. They get market share, but their customers don’t stick around. The move that’s emblematic of this misplaced confidence is their adamant refusal to add support for Apple Health, as if doing so would yield market share to Apple.

Fitbit’s business plan has them moving towards all-wrist trackers with the sole exception of the cheap, and easy to lose, Zip. They discontinued my One in the last few months, including the accessories (clip, sleep band) that need replacing about every 12 to 18 months. I’ve never liked wrist trackers for step counts because they’re less accurate than a waist-worn one.

I’m ending my near decade long relationship with the company. They failed to capture my imagination or loyalty, which is shocking given how long they’ve had.

In the end, I’m no longer motivated by a step count. I’m going to stick with my Apple Watch.

Walmart is killing Amazon on pricing.

I just played around with Shortcuts, and it’s as disappointing as Workflow. This is not an OS feature that will be easily adopted by normal iPhone users because it’s so unintuitive.

I’ve written about my activities and included a photo in Day One Journal every day since January 1, 2016. Today I received my first printed version, which was entries from the first six months of 2018. I’m delighted at the product and the historical record I’ve left for myself.

I opted to go for the hardcover and color printed pages, each of which was $5 extra. For the result, the overall staying power and the beauty of my pages in full color, it was well worth the extra $10.

This is an extremely well thought-out product. Assembling, choosing the photos, and ordering was very simple. The only hard part was waiting for delivery.

This simple habit has turned into something very special for me. Not only do I get to experience these great photos from my life, but when I take the time to write seriously about my activities of the day, I can look back and remember not just what I did, but how it felt.

I’m grateful for this app and I can’t wait to order the rest of my printed journals.

Dental cleanings are usually uncomfortable. Although there was a lot of descaling to do, I really enjoyed watching my children play and read books in the mirror above the dental chair.

Alexis de Tocqueville:

(The United States) is the product… of two perfectly distinct elements that elsewhere have often made war with each other, but which, in America, they have succeeded in incorporating somehow into one another and combining marvelously. I mean to speak of the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom.

I’m fascinated by logistics. More specifically, with the operations of services like UPS, FedEx, and the United States Postal Service. It’s amazing to me how letters and packages make it from their origin to their destination, and in such short order.

Many people are frustrated with the USPS because of their sluggish pace, outdated technology, and poor customer service. There’s no dispute that the Post Office is far behind their commercial competitors. More than a service problem or a technology problem, I think USPS has a people problem.

There was a time when the Post Office employed an army of employees. In force, they moved mail across our nation. Your post office would stamp each letter with the name and town of the post office cancelling the postage. Letters that you received would be instantly recognizable as a cancellation from Keene, NH would clearly be from your Aunt Susan.

These uniformed employees manned counters, drove trucks, and carried messenger bags heavy with correspondence up and down your street reliably every day. You may have even had a personal relationship with them.

Technology has disrupted this organization and, along the way, the Postal Service has lost touch with its roots. Instead of delivering mail with pride, the focus is put on achieving greater efficiencies at any cost. There is no brand story, no reason to do better.

Although they take the same route every day, the difference in delivery time can be as much as four hours. Packages are hurled onto porches instead of carefully placed at the door. I even had a carrier leave two large packages in front of my garage door with lightweight letters balanced precariously on top. Completely thoughtless.

The Post Office traces its roots to the beginning of our Nation, the brainchild of the venerable Benjamin Franklin. Although the work may seem routine or irrelevant, it’s still a job worth doing well. Until the leadership of USPS finds ways to integrate the mission and history of the Postal Service into the performance of its employees and contractors, customers everywhere will continue to suffer.

During today’s homily, our priest supposed that were we to follow this Gospel literally, we would all be blind. Sin touches each of us, and each of us face our own set of temptations. This truth dovetails nicely as I read the plotters correspondence in The Screwtape Letters. I’m not called to mutilate my body, but to excise with extreme prejudice, “whatever leads me to sin.”

A tall order to depart from my place of comfort for the pains of conversion.

First Reading: Numbers 11:25-29

Second Reading: James 5:1-6

Gospel: Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape on not relying on feelings of hatred:

In his anguish, the patient can, of course, be encouraged to revenge himself by some vindictive feelings directed towards the German leaders, and that is good so far as it goes. But it is usually a sort of melodramatic or mythical hatred directed against imaginary scapegoats. He has never met these people in real life—they are lay figures modelled on what he gets from newspapers. The results of such fanciful hatred are often most disappointing…

A great commentary that still rings true in today’s political climate.

Beautiful Fall evening for a walk.