October 31, 2023: Toothbrush shortened and no calendar app on the smartphone

October 31, 2023. This morning at 9 am, I immediately canceled my digital Germany ticket and used the trick Robert told me about yesterday. When you order the Germany ticket through the Hamburg public transport network, you receive a physical chip card. This solved the problem of my ticket being tied to my smartphone and the DB app. Since I want to be as independent from my smartphone as possible, Robert's tip is the perfect solution for me. Starting in December, I will use a chip card as my ticket. If my phone's battery dies during the trip, it's no problem for me.

At breakfast with Julien, I skipped the chocolate spread, even though it was difficult. I want to achieve better dental health. What bothers me the most are the exposed tooth necks and the worn grooves between the gums and teeth. I thought about how I could naturally apply less pressure to my teeth, as I always forget and brush with pressure.

Then I had the idea that my toothbrush consists of short toothbrush heads and a long bamboo stick onto which these heads are attached. I removed the long bamboo stick and tried brushing with the short toothbrush. I no longer held the toothbrush with my fist but with my fingers. And it worked. I noticed that with this grip, you can’t apply as much pressure to the teeth.

I hope this solution will help reduce enamel and gum abrasion in the long term while still being sufficient to remove plaque. I no longer need the long handle, and my toothbrush is now only half the size.

I removed the calendar widget from my phone’s home screen, which had appointments, birthdays, and holidays, and now I only use the same calendar widget on my MacBook. This makes me 1 percent less dependent on my smartphone.

Later, Mom came over. Julien and I had already prepared everything for the wraps, so we could eat right away. After that, Mom baked a cherry cake, and just before it was ready, Masha and Tobi arrived, and half an hour later, Laura came too.

Then Masha and Tobi drove me to Harsum. Mom couldn’t let me leave empty-handed, of course. I took a cucumber, three pieces of cherry cake, an apple, a banana, and two mandarins. Then I went back home and spent the whole evening looking for a good merino wool pants, using that as an excuse to watch YouTube reviews. But I got sidetracked by video recommendations and ended up watching outdoor and survival videos.

Unfortunately, I still watch YouTube occasionally, but I’m proud of myself for at least not doing it while eating and using it much less frequently.

1. I shortened the handle of my toothbrush. Now the toothbrush is only half the size.
2. I no longer use the calendar on my smartphone. Deleted the calendar app from my smartphone.