Connectivity

I am craving connectivity. I don't mean good internet service (which I am in constant pursuit of). I mean connecting deeply with family, friends, and even strangers. This pandemic disrupted my interactions (which I mostly took for granted). It eliminated my ability to connect with anyone outside my "immediate" bubble. To be honest, I miss the simple act of writing this (frivolous?) newsletter and getting replies from various people. I love my immediate bubble, but I dearly miss everyone outside it. I am not saying I am an anti-masker or that I want to hug you (no fears), but I do need more connections than I currently have. Connecting via Zoom is just not cutting it anymore.

Whoop
Health

Whoop, there it is. Ten thousand steps are in vogue. Maybe it never stopped, but more people than I can count are counting their steps. It may be a product of not going anywhere or walking instead of riding in a cab/Uber, but there is a clear trend to walk more. My wife and one of my kids have taken to setting very high goals (over 400,000 steps for the month) and competing/challenging each other/anyone to join them. However, you can't clock your steps if you don't have your phone (golf, soccer, tennis, etc.) because it is the gyro on your phone that measures. This is the first reason to consider Whoop, the World's Most Powerful Fitness Membership. For a $30 monthly membership, you unlock the power of very accurate measurement. This band is more comfortable to wear than an Apple Watch or Fitbit, and critical to gain insight when you are playing sports, working out, and especially sleeping. It even tells you when you should bring it down a notch, something that doesn't happen to me very much! My goal this month is 500,000! Game on!

Medify
Home

If you are going to have people over, especially people outside your bubble (god forbid!), you may want to take extra precautions. This includes wearing PPE, social distancing, and creating limits to where in your house said people go, so you can Lysol where they've been when they leave. However, an added precaution that came on my radar was air filtration. I was introduced to Medify by a few organizations looking to clean at an industrial level. This air filtration device comes in various sizes, depending upon the size of the space you wish to clean. Furthermore, it is attractive, but MOST importantly, it reduces the spread of droplets that contain infectious viruses, like COVID-19. An air filter alone is not a solution in and of itself, nor is it clinically proven. Still, common sense would infer that because these systems capture 99.97% of infectious particles with a HEPA13 filter, it has to help limit exposure and the spread of COVID19. Stay 6ft apart, wear masks, and consider a few Medify purifiers to keep you, and those you love, safe!

Window Swap
Website

Sometimes you are truly stuck inside, waiting for a Zoom to start or something else. Maybe you don't even have a window in your makeshift office. Perhaps you do have a window, and you have been staring out it since mid-March. It would be best if you had a change of scenery. Window Swap provides transportation to someone else's window somewhere else in the world. They are a series of user-contributed views that the Website magically transports you to. They are quirky and fun, often playing music or sounds of the streetscape. This one is from Kiev!

Lost Connections by Johann Hari
Book

I’m not a doctor, nor is the author, but he posits that anxiety and depression are driven by a lack of connections rather than body chemistry. I recognize that this is an argument with strong convictions and stakes on both sides, but it addresses some apparent advantages to being more connected to others versus the alternative. It represents Hari's journey from isolation to diagnosed chemical deficiency to chemical dependency and then back to connectivity. It delves into the research driving the current beliefs about depression and reveals much about us as a society. Further, it provides ways to connect as the solution, which appears to me what life is all about.

Upstate Vintage Antique Show
Farmhouse at Stone Ridge, 3050 U.S. 209, Stone Ridge, NY 12484
If you don't have anything to do this coming Saturday, or if you do have plans and want something better to do, come visit Upstate Vintage Antique Show. It will be an outdoor fair of fashion, antiques, crafts, and other curiosities. This selection is being curated by fellow Louper and friend Amy A., founder of Artists and Fleas. This is a one day only event and almost 50 vendors will be there at Farmhouse displaying their wares. Buy your tickets in advance here!

Go out and connect, or bring your connections in, and consider Whoop, Medify, Window Swap, Lost Connections, and Upstate Vintage Antique Show Found!