Magnetic Watch Straps and Fake Whisky

November is typically the month when everyone says “no” to things. No-scroll November, No-shave November, No-*insert-bad-habit-here* November, etc. You get the point. I wanted to add one for myself this month as a kind of 30-day challenge. I used to do 30-day challenges every month and it has been a while. So I’m going for it this month: No-Sun November! Don’t worry it’s not as depressing as it sounds. I’m just going to try to wake up every day before the sun. The sun rises pretty late in November so it shouldn’t be impossible. Day 1: Check! I’m already shooting 100%.

🏠 Quick housekeeping

Try as I might, I’m not an artist. At least not in the classic sense. I can’t draw, paint, or do anything else with my hands that doesn’t involve a computer. So for this weeks newsletter I’m going to try and make use of AI as the main thumbnail. Let me know if it made for a better image or if you just prefer I use one of the product pictures as the main image as usual.

in this issue

 ⌚️ DSPTCH Apple Watch Strap

 🧥 Passenger Recycled Sherpa

 🥃 Kentucky 74 Spirits

⌚️ DSPTCH Apple Watch Strap

One of the best things about being in the Apple iSheep ecosystem is the sheer volume of available accessories. As someone who lived exclusively in the wonderful world of Android for years, I was always jealous of Apple’s accessory options. The same was true when I was using my Garmin Instinct. I loved that thing, but the Apple watches got all the cool straps and accessories. The tech itself is important, but never underestimate the power of a good third-party accessory market. Now that I’m deep in the Apple world (at least until I get bored), I’ve been enjoying window-shopping for random accessories.

The most recent one to catch my eye is this Fidlock Watch Strap for the Ultra by one of my favorite companies DSPTCH. I’ve mentioned this brand before when talking about some of my favorite backpacks, but its accessory game is honestly so fire. One thing I believe is that everything that feels magical about technology is really just magnets, and the magnetic fidlock clasp here is a perfect example. It isn’t the cleanest and most professional look, but who cares? Dress codes are meant to be broken.

🧥 Passenger Recycled Sherpa

Have you ever been scrolling Instagram and get got by an ad? Like, you know it’s an ad, and you hate it on principle, but you click anyway. Yeah, that happens to me often. The latest ad that came across my feed actually made it onto my wishlist, though. The Passenger Recycled Sherpa gives me big Patagonia vibes, and I’m a sucker for the fall-glamping aesthetic.

I recently picked up a second fleece from Costco, and the two that I own are quickly becoming my most worn pieces of clothing. And because they’re from Costco, they cost $9 USD each. This one is way more expensive, but it’s also made of recycled material, and the company plants a tree with every purchase (or at least gives money to the organization that does). Not bad. One can never have too many fleeces in a New York winter.

Kentucky 74

One thing I’ve been doing a lot less lately is drinking. I’ll still take a shot or grab a beer for occasions (like a bachelor party or a birthday dinner), but I’ve completely cut myself off from the habit of drinking something after work or every weekend. Go ahead. You can applaud now. I know, I’m awesome. Except that I still really enjoy drinking. I liked having a bar cart and different wines to try. I just don’t like the gross alcohol feeling the next morning.

My partner and I have been looking for non-alcoholic versions of drinks we can enjoy for a while now. We tried a non-alcoholic wine that was really good, and Athletic Brewing is a solid choice in the summer, but I think this winter will be about Kentucky 74 for me. There is nothing like a good Old Fashioned to warm you up, and this non-alcoholic whisky tastes JUST LIKE whisky. It’s crazy. Obviously, it doesn’t burn the same on the way down, but the combination of spices gets the experience pretty damn close.

Day One Impressions

I did it! I finally did it! I actually journaled! Since October 13th I only missed five days in total. That’s the most consistent journaling I’ve ever done. And the app itself is pretty great too. It’s fairly straightforward so you can just start typing whether you’re in bed or waiting in the line at the grocery store. My favorite thing has to be the templates and prompts. Part of my problem with journaling is that I never want to feel like I’m writing in a diary. In a perfect world, I envision my journal as having all of the artistic details and scientific insights of a travel log from an explorer in the 1800s or something. In reality though, it’s a photo dump and a quick glimpse into what happened that day. And I think that’s enough.

Long story less long: I really like Day One! I’m interested to see the Apple Journal feature that’s coming soon but I think I’m going to stick with Day One as it’s actually working for me. I feel like something like this shouldn’t be locked into the Apple ecosystem.

What’s Next? CoPilot

Over the next two weeks I’m going to be trying out an app that I have been recommended SO MANY TIMES that I’m finally just giving in. Copilot is a budgeting app that’s supposed to help you keep track of every single dollar you spend down to the last penny. To be fair, I’ve tried it before and found it to be so complicated and confusing that I just revert back to my good ‘ol Google spreadsheet. But I’m willing to give it a serious try this time around and see if it helps me get rich me save money.

Answer to last week: Fire!

This week's AI riddle: 
"I'm full of keys, but can't open any locks. I have space, but no room. You can enter, but you can't go inside. What am I?"

Affiliate Link Disclaimer: Some links in this newsletter may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them.