I Was Skeptical, But Apple Sports Won Me Over

iPhone Sports App

iPhone Sports App: A Convert's Perspective

For years, iPhone users have relied on third-party apps for sports scores and updates. But Apple recently stepped into the game with its own Sports app, and after some initial skepticism, I'm now a convert. The Apple Sports app was introduced on the iPhone on February 21, 2024. I initially tried it back in February, but it lacked customization, so I didn't use it for long. However, I've returned to using the app for the past two months, and I'm enjoying it much more. Apple has made several improvements that enhance usability, including displaying live games I follow on my lock screen and Apple Watch. Adding or removing games from my "followed" list is now a breeze.

While other apps on my phone (e.g., ESPN, MLB, NFL) offer game tracking, I particularly appreciate how Apple Sports displays real-time countdowns on my lock screen and Apple Watch. Often, the countdown is ahead of what I see on TV, giving me a more "live" feel.

Follow a Specific Game

Following a Specific Game

The screenshot shows the games I'm currently following. In this case, there are NFL games and college basketball games. To follow a game on your lock screen or Apple Sports, simply open the game in the app and tap the icon in the upper right corner of the game details. Tapping the icon again unfollows the game.

The ability to display followed games on the lock screen is a relatively recent addition, introduced within the last two or three months. This feature wasn't available at the app's initial launch and has been a game-changer for me. I often close live updates from other apps like NFL or ESPN, relying on Apple Sports for at-a-glance updates.

Followed Game on Lock Screen

Lock Screen Updates

As shown in the screenshots, Apple Sports provides clear updates on the lock screen and Apple Watch. On my Apple Watch, I receive notifications for scores, end of quarters, and halftime/game endings. These notifications can be customized if you only want to see score updates.

Final Thoughts

I am currently using Apple Sports as my primary app for following my teams. I appreciate the real-time updates, which seem faster than those in other apps. Occasionally, a game might not update correctly, requiring me to force-close and restart the app, but this is a minor inconvenience.

I'm optimistic that Apple will continue to update and improve the Apple Sports experience. If you haven't tried it recently, I encourage you to check it out.

A Weekend Escape: From Kansas City Adventures to Backyard Grilling Bliss

Here I sit writing about the weekend on a Sunday morning. Last week was a short work week but as is usually the case it seemed like a very long week. It was very busy at work, but it was a productive work week. 

I was glad when Friday arrive as we had plans to travel to Legends in Kansas City to go to Yard House to celebrate Greg's birthday from a few weeks prior. Always a good spot and this time did not disappoint. From the beers and appetizers to diner, everything was delicious. Would you believe I did not get any pictures from the Friday trip? I need to do better at taking pictures to help liven up my weekly posts but that is for another day.

Saturday morning was low key with a trip to Higher Grounds for breakfast, coffee, and a little reading. This was our second visit to Higher Grounds and it continues to be a consistent spot with good food. We discussed while we were there that we want to go back sometime to have lunch. We were able to sit on the patio and the fire was going on the patio as it was a little chilly out Saturday morning here in Topeka.

Following Higher Grounds we went to pick up groceries at Aldi's for the weekend and week. We had plans to grill Saturday night and again on Sunday. We picked up some salmon which along with a salad Carrie was going to make would be our dinner for Saturday night. What a great meal for a beautiful Saturday night.

Salmon Meater Cook

I enjoy using Meater to say when it is time to remove from the grill. Grilling on the Big Green Egg that I have had for a few years I got the Meater a few years ago and I have used it for doing everything from salmon to steaks, turkey, and pork. It works great and would recommend one if you are in the need for a meat thermometer. Works not only on the grill but also in the oven and the newer models will even go into liquids to provide readings. I have the older model, so it can only go up to around 600 degrees and cannot go into anything liquid. Still, it has worked great for me. 

Sunday should be relaxing for us with a lot of NFL games on today which I am looking forward to watching. I have NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV which is my second. year to have and I enjoy the ability to watch any games on Sundays. It helps me to track my fantasy football players and watch them instead of relying on stats to update. It makes it fun to watch them when they are playing and also the ability to switch over to a game if I get a notice they are about to score. I thought about getting NFL RedZone, but decided not to add it this year.

A short meandering Sunday morning post. Now it is time to get ready to watch some football. Have a great day and I will talk with you next week.

Finished Watching Last Four of Best Picture Nominated Movies and Made My Picks

We finished our final movie of the Best Picture nominees just hours before the awards ceremony will begin. We watched four movies in the past three days. A short update as the time nears for the start of the Oscars.

Reviewing my update from February 25 (see post), we had the following movies to watch which we just finished today.

American Fiction
Carrie and I really liked this movie. I went into watching the movie not knowing a lot about it, but it was really good. No, I do not think it will win the best picture category, but it was done well. I liked the story and how the story was told.

The Zone of Interest
As I mentioned in the February 25 update, I heard about this movie on NPR one morning and knew it was going to be an interesting movie to watch. Hearing the sounds of the "camp" next door to the family was eerie as the family went on to live their lives, have their picnics, and play in their backyard that was right next door to the camp. 

Poor Things
This was an interesting movie watching the main character, who was brought back to life, learn and explore her world. I did like the movie, but so different from the other movies in the best picture category. Cast was excellent as were the costumes.

Anatomy of a Fall
This was the final movie we watched just hours before the awards ceremony is set to begin. I found this movie interesting although a little boring. I fell asleep a few times while watching. Again, this seems like a different style movie than the majority of movies in this category. I did enjoy the movie, but not one I would watch again.

Now that we have finished all of the movies, I make my pick and know that I have no insight into which is the best movie other than this is my opinion. I believe Oppenheimer will win as it has won in a number of other award ceremonies. The movie I like the best after watching all of the movies was The Holdovers. The Holdovers will win some awards, but I am not sure it will be selected for best picture in the Oscars.

I enjoy trying to watch all of the best picture nominees each year. Carrie and I try to watch other films nominated in other categories, and we were able to do a few this year. We caught a few documentaries nominated for awards as well as a few shorts and animated movies. 

Hopefully you were able to catch some of these movies prior to the big event tonight or can watch them soon. Have a great week!

Oscar 2024 Nominated Best Picture Movies with Short Update on Those Watched and What are Left to Watch

The Oscars are approaching on March 10, 2024. I have some movies to catch up on before the ceremony, but I have watched some of the nominees. Here is a break down of those I have enjoyed and what I have left to watch.

The Holdovers
Carrie and I watched this movie during our holiday break. We both really enjoyed this movie. The whole story and the characters. By the same director that did Sideways so I could see some similarities, but I enjoyed this movie a lot. The character development was excellent for all the characters in this movie. This is up there for my best movie from the lot even before I see all of the movies.

American Fiction
I have not seen this movie yet. It is on our list of course to watch. Sounds like an interesting movie that I plan to see in the theater. It will take a lot for this movie to beat out the leader for me, but I am looking forward to seeing this movie.

The Zone of Interest
I did not know anything about this movie until I heard about it on NPR this past week. A movie about a family living next to unthinkable camps. More on this movie after I am able to watch it.

Barbie
I watched this movie in the theater along with the next movie in the list. It was good. I did enjoy the movie. It was not the best movie I have seen from the list of nominees. The cast was great, the set was just how I would see a "Barbie" set. However, it is not my favorite movie from the list of nominees.

Oppenheimer
A long movie at over three hours. A movie that could have been maybe two hours. It was a story I was not familiar with hearing. The movie did a good job of telling the story, but it could have been shorter. A powerful film that was synced up with the prior movie with people watching both movies.

Poor Things
Another movie I have not seen yet. Carrie and I plan to watch this movie. It will be interesting to see Emma Stone in a different type of character. More on this movie later.

Past Lives
I was able to watch this movie recently. It was well done and good. The cast did a good job in this one. I found the movie to be entertaining, but not a great movie.

Anatomy of a Fall
Another movie that I do not know anything about. I read through IMDB on this one and it sounds interesting. More on this movie after I am able to watch it.

Maestro
I really did not know the story about the conductor. I thought Bradley Cooper did a great job and Carey Mulligan was excellent playing his wife. Bradley Cooper throughout this movie and I found myself forgetting it was him that was in the movie. From his appearance to his voice, it seemed like a different person.

Killers of the Flower Moon
Another movie that I was able to watch during the holiday break. I did not know anything about the story until watching this movie. A long movie that could have been shorter. Lily Gladstone I thought stole this movie as Lily did a great job in her role. 

The update for this week is more for myself to track the movies I have watched and what I plan to watch. I do plan to watch the remaining movies before March 10. Some of the movies left for me to watch are still in theaters, so I am hoping to get to the theaters to watch them in style.

Washburn Basketball, Movies, Weather, and NFL in this Update to Start the 2024 Year

Carrie and John at Washburn Game

Carrie and I attended our third game of the season. We have missed a number of early games in the season, but hope to make the remaining games of the season. With traveling, holidays, etc., we were unable to make games earlier in the season. We had a great time on Saturday. Washburn came away with the win. We attended the Washburn game on Thursday too and we won that game too.

While we were at the game, we decided we are going to attend one of the home track meets Washburn plays through January. I have never been to a track meet although I have watched them online, so I am looking forward to attending our first track meet at our very own Indoor Athletic Facility on the Washburn University campus.

Friday night, we stayed home and enjoyed watching movies. During the holiday break, we watched a movie, or two, every night. There were a few we did not get to, so we watched on Friday night. We were able to watch The Holdovers and it was fantastic! We watched The Holdovers on Peacock, but I know it is playing at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, KS. Worth checking out as the whole cast did a great job. From the same director who did Sideways (2004), Alexander Payne put together a good story that was heartwarming and brought tears to my eyes. After watching The Holdovers, we decided we would watch Sideways as it had been a long time since we had seen Sideways. Fun low key Friday night for us.

Trees and Lights in the Snow

Friday also brought our second snow to Topeka. It was not supposed to amount to much, but it did snow all day long and left the trees and shrubs looking pretty. A wet snow that covered trees, so Carrie snapped a picture of our trees and lit up snowman in front of our house as it was pretty. The forecast is for significant snow fall Monday through Tuesday, so we will see what happens. 

This is the last weekend of the regular season for the NFL. Many teams are playing backup players to save their starters for the playoffs which includes the Kansas City Chiefs who are not starting Mahomes and others to keep them fresh for the postseason. So I am looking forward to watching football all afternoon although Carrie is not thrilled as she will be happy when the season is over and no more football. 

A wondering ramble of topics for this week. Short week last week with New Years Day on Monday, but it was back to work. It was a good productive work week. I hope your year started out well and I will talk to you soon.

Follow Up to Oscar Nominations and Impressions… We Did Not Watch all of Best Picture Noms #Oscars #BestPicture

I had intentions of watching all of the best picture nominated movies as outlined in the post from February 27 posting, but that turned out to be a little difficult. Some of the movies were not available to watch via streaming until just recently. As tonight as Oscars night, we have four movies we did not watch. First time in a few years we have not watched all of the Oscar nominated best picture movies. We are still looking forward to tonight for the Oscars.

We were able to watch Westside Story a week or so ago. A lot of hype and of course I already knew the story. They did a nice job, but I am not sure it is best picture in my view. Entertaining, signing was good, acting was good, but some of the other movies I like better. We were also able to watch King Richard which we watched Saturday night. It was good and fun to watch the charger of Richard Williams throughout the movie. Good movie, but again, not what I see as best picture.

That leaves the following movies which we were not able to watch as we lead up to the awards this evening: Dune, Drive My Car, Belfast, and Licorice Pizza.We will watch these movies, but probably over the next few weeks. I heard that Dune was good and better than the original. I wanted to see Belfast as the story sounded interesting. So far at the top of my list for Best Picture remains CODA. I doubt it will be best picture, but I thought CODA was fantastic! Well done, great acting, and the story was inspiring. 

Before the Oscars tonight, we have some basketball to watch this afternoon, a baseball game or two, and then we will settle in for some awards. Looking forward to the day and see how everything turns out.

Oscar 2022 Movie Nominations and Impressions of Those We Have Watched So Far

The nominations came out for the Oscars on February 8. Carrie and I are going through and watching the movies. We have seen four movies so far, so playing some catch up when we can to watch the nominated movies. We were hoping that AMC Theaters would once again be doing their best picture showcase, but with how things the way they are, it is once again view on our own. Some theaters are showing some of the movies, so we might have to do that for some of them. But it will not be an all day viewing as we have done in the past.

And the nominees for Best Picture are... #Oscars pic.twitter.com/wKEWVMpqwl

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 8, 2022

Watched Movies

Nightmare Alley is an interesting movie with manipulations and danger take the viewer through an intense story. We watched this movie through rental at our home. Overall, I enjoyed the film although I do not believe it is the Oscar winner for this year.

Don't Look Up we rented at home one evening prior to knowing it was an Oscar nominee or possible nominee. A story about two astronomers attempting to warn the world of impeding doom, but no one will listen. I enjoyed how the story went along and world watch out of touch with what was happening.

CODA (known as Child of Deaf Adults) is a movie we recently watched. We were able to watch this movie on HBO Max. We loved the movie! The story looks at a girl who is the only hearing person in her family and it looks at the struggles she faces with family and love of music. Needless to say, Carrie and I were both shedding tears for this movie... but in a good way. I am not sure it will win, but I thought it was a great movie and as my dad used to say, if it makes you feel good when the movie ends, that is a good movie.

The Power of the Dog certainly sounded interesting. We watched this movie Friday night. It was interesting, kind of slow, and had to really pay attention to know what was happening. Subtle scenes or comments throughout the movie to know what was happening. I did not care for this movie although Carrie read where other movie goers recommend watching it a second time and it is better. No thanks, I think I am good with one viewing and use my time doing other things.

Not Watched Yet

Dune is a name I recall from when I was growing up (1984) but as typical Hollywood, they love to remake movies. I had heard good things about this movie in 2021 after it was released and my friends saw the movie telling me it was better than the original. I do not recall much about the original film, so I am looking forward to seeing this film.

Drive My Car is a foreign film and so far we have not been able to find a place to watch this film. I believe we might have a chance coming up in March to watch it at a theater, so we are keeping a watch on whether that will happen. The film looks to tell the stories that the main character finds of his wife.

Belfast follows a young boy in the late 1960s. I do not know much about this movie, but I look forward to watching it. I believe this is another movie we have not been able to find where we can watch it easily, so hoping it shows up in a theater so we can see it. 

Licorice Pizza is yet another movie I do not know much about. I know it is based off of first love for a couple. More later once we have a chance to watch this film.

West Side Story original was in 1961 and I have seen the story a few times on stage performances. This is another film I have heard good things about. Carrie is not too interested in watching this re-make, so it might just be watching this movie.

King Richard caught my attention when I first saw the previews. Tracks how tennis stars came to being who they are today based on their father. The story looks interesting and I enjoy the cast, so I am interested to see this film. I believe this is another movie on HBO Max.

In Summary

Unlike last year, the nominated movies are not covered in stories based on real stories. I have enjoyed the movies we have watched so far. I really enjoy CODA, but I am afraid it will not be the winner. It is possible my views will change as we finish up the other movies we have not watched as of today. The Oscars are March 27 at 7 pm CDT, so we should be able to finish up the remaining movies without too much trouble. I will do a follow up once I finish the other movies and post my favorite.

Enjoy the movie watching and I might see you in the theater...

Finished Reading News of the World and Watched the Movie Along with Books I am Reading

I continue my reading journey. I have read four books so far in 2022. Probably the most books I have read in a short amount of time in my life. Right now I am going back through my GoodReads to finish books that I started in the past. I am down to three books remaining in my “reading” list. More on this later as right now I want to talk about News of the World that I recently finished. I started reading this book back on March 12, 2021. Carrie had recommended the book to me to read and so I started the book. The book uses a unique process of writing compared to what I am used to reading in books. It does not use quotes to show what the characters are saying. It took me a little while to get use to the writing style, but I enjoyed how it all came together. At a certain point reading the book, I did not notice it was not written like other books. So, it took me a few months to read the book, but there were months between March and January where I did not read the book, or any book, at all.

After finishing News of the World, we decided to watch the movie. We watched News of the World on HBO Max. News of the World movie features Tom Hanks as Captain Kidd. The movie was very well done. It captured what I had in my mind as I read the book. The casting was perfect with Tom Hanks as the Captain and then Helena Zengel as Johanna. The movie had been in our queue to watch for a few months since it was released, so it was good to be able to watch it last evening. The movie stuck close to the book from what I could tell. Obviously, going from book to movie there are going to be changes, items left out, or modified, but I thought it stuck well to how the story went and matched what I had visioned in my mind as I read the book. 

The three books I have remaining in my reading list of GoodReads include Fortune’s Rising, Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King, and then Dark Light. I started Fortune’s Rising back in 2019 while I was waiting for a library book at the time to become available. I do not believe I have started Sleeping Beauties or if I have, I will need to restart it as I do not remember anything about the book. I also have not started reading Dark Light which I see is a series and it is book #13. So, I might end that book and start at #1 in the series as I do not believe I have read any of the books by Randy Wayne White.

I have found that for the past month I find time to read whenever I can fit it into the day. I head home for lunch and instead of watching television I grab my Kindle and read. When I get home in the evenings from work, I will grab my book to read. Or, at night when it is bedtime, instead of grabbing my phone, I will grab my Kindle and read a chapter or two. I have a tendency to fall asleep while reading, so it is perfect for the evenings, but when I want to read over lunch or when I get home in the evenings, it is frustrating as I will read the same passage multiple times as I drift off to sleep. While it is kind of nice and mind plays tricks on me over the passage I just read, it does not help with finishing the book. The time I get most of my reading completed happens to be on the weekends when I read a lot on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

I continue to be well ahead of my goal of twenty books for the year. I am hoping by the end of 2022 that I will be way past 20 books and set a new record for myself on reading. Carrie set her reading challenge to 80 books. Carrie has already read eight books and the month is not over. I am sure she will go way past her target of 80 books and if I could do half that number, I will be happy.

So, back to reading for me. Enjoy your weekend and your reading.

Finished Watching Movies Nominated for Best Picture and Ready for Oscars

Carrie and I finished watching the rest of Oscar nominated best picture movies last night. We had planned to watch them well ahead of Oscar night, but two movies were $20 and we were hoping they would drop in price before the big reveal. As I mentioned back in March (see Oscars post), we had watched half of the movies and needed to finish up four before the big night. 

Final Four Watched Movies

The movies were good, but they were not my favorite of the best picture category. Here are each of the four we watched and to finish out the category.

Mank was rather boring the first part of the movie. I might have fallen asleep during the first half of the movie, but the second half I found interesting and kept me awake. I am not sure that is a good standard for a movie where I fell asleep the first part and then stayed awake the last part of the movie. The cinematography was really good shot in black and white added flare of the movie. Although, really, I forgot it was filmed in black and white that I was watching. 

Minari we watched the night before. The story of a Korean family that moves to Arkansas to farm covering their struggles to make farming work. The story covered the family of four and a grandmother that joined the family. The movie was entertaining and in good company of the other best picture nominees.

The Father was one I was interested to see since the nominees were announced. The father forgetting most everything was uncomfortable to watch at times and numerous at other times. Overall, it was a sad movie and interesting to watch how the father was portrayed. 

Promising Young Woman was one of the movies I was not sure what to expect. As it turned out, the movie was good and shocking. A story about a woman who had something bad happen to her and seeks out revenge was a fun ride to see how she did her revenge. 

Summary

I think Nomadland is going to win best picture. The movie is getting all the buzz and it was very well done. The movie I like the best was Sound of Metal which as I stated in previous post (see Oscars post) it was a close tie between Sound of Metal and Judas and the Black Messiah, but I think after watching all of the nominated movies, Sound of Metal is my favorite. 

It was fun being able to watch all oft he movies the past few weeks. I look forward to next year resuming our marathon movie watching in a theater (I hope) as I really like watching all of them in one or two weekends. Congrats to all of the nominees and congrats to the winner of this category and all Oscar categories.

Oscar Movie Nominations and Impressions of Those We Have Watched So Far

The nominations have been announced for the 2021 Oscar Awards. Carrie and I have already watched half of the movies and plan to finish up the four four before April 25.

Congratulations to the Best Picture nominees! #OscarNoms pic.twitter.com/UaSUkyrvha

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 15, 2021

Having watched half of the nominated movies, I will post a brief description of each and my reaction to each movie thus far.

Watched Movies

Judas and the Black Messiah is a story of Bill O’Neal infiltrating the Black Panthers. Based on true events the movie kept my attention throughout. Powerful story of true events that I had never heard before. At this point through four movies watched, this is in the top two of my favorite movies.

Nomadland is a story of a woman who lost everything and lives in her van traveling the country. Another movie based on true events with some of the actors in this movie being people living as nomads. While not in my top two movies, it is a very well done movie and compelling story that kept me watching to the end.

Sound of Metal is a top two of the movies I have watched so far. This movie is based on a true story as well about a man that loses his hearing and his struggle through the process. The acting is excellent from the entire cast. The directing was also very good with special effects where I had myself questioning if I had lost my hearing while watching the movie. It helped to make a connection with he main character. I highly recommend watching this movie.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 is about the trial of seven individuals that started at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. This is close to being in my top two movies watched thus far. Had some funny moments and also surprising as the story unfolds that this happened in our country.

Not Watched Yet

Mank sounds interesting about a 1930’s process of writing Citizen Kane. I do not believe I have ever watched Citizen Kane but might have to do so following watching of this movie.

Minari looks very interesting. A Korean family starts a farm in Arkansas in the 1980’s. I think this will be an interesting movie to watch and look forward to doing so before the Oscars.

The Father is a movie about a father who refuses assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he ages, he begins to question everything about him including those that love him.

Promising Young Woman is a story about a woman who has something bad happen in her past and then seeks out revenge against those that went against her. Again, sounds interesting and look forward to seeing how this plays out.

In Summary

There appear to be a number of nominated movies that are based on true events. Of the four we have watched so far, all four were based on true events. After we watch the other four, I will do another update on impressions of those movies and whether they too are based on true events.

If I had to pick my favorite movie today, I would say it would be Sound of Metal. Although after we watched Judas and the Black Messiah, I told Carrie it was my favorite movie. So, it might depend on the day which is my favorite. All four have been very good and highly recommend watching any or all of them.