Thing 8: Health and Wellness

I recognized MapMyWalk - it is just like MapMyRun, which I have already used quite a bit.  This is a very helpful app that I would recommend to anyone.  Very user-friendly, and I just learned that it can connect to my fitbit.  (We get Amazon gift cards for all of the steps/mileage we log, through an incentive program with my husband's health insurance program!)

I decided to learn something new and download the Omvana app onto my phone.  I have been trying to be more "mindful" in everything I do, and I think this app will really help with that.  I especially like the "mixer" feature - pairing the ambient sounds with a person's voice leading me through the meditation.  Many of the tracks are free, but I see in the reviews that there are many paid-for tracks that people seem to love.  I see that "Balance and Heal" costs $.99, and it claims to be able to "balance the right and left sides of your brain so you can function at an optimal level."  I could certainly use some more balance!

I think I've found another "keeper" with this app.

Thing 7: Books and Reading

I started this Thing by downloading the Kindle app to my phone.  I knew right away that this is an app that I will use all the time.  I borrow a lot of library books on my Kindle at home, so I already have an account set up through Amazon. The best part about using the app is the "Whispersync" feature - the app took me to the exact spot in my Kindle book where I left off last night!  In fact, the whole interface looks exactly like a miniature version of my Kindle's screen, which is still very readable on my LG phone.  Yay!  I'm very comfortable when things are familiar like that.  I also discovered that the app makes it very easy to highlight sentences and paragraphs to refer to later.  This will come in handy when I get ready to type up the book's review in my Goodreads account. It will be good to have all of these tricks in my back pocket for my ebook visits to the schools, where kids are using all kinds of devices.

Then I tried accessing my Zinio account on the staff ipad.  (The app was already downloaded for me.) I have not found Zinio to be user-friendly in the past, and did have a tough time getting to my account.  Luckily Erika is here today and helped me persist until I figured it out - I felt like I needed to give it an honest effort since there are patrons who will want to know about Zinio.  I finally accessed my account, and now am super excited to get my monthly copies of Taste of Home and Reader's Digest, without having the "dead tree versions" lying around my house.  I hate creating clutter for magazines like that, that I will read once and then feel guilty for wasting the paper.

Thing 6:  Notes and Productivity

I used to have an iPhone, and really loved having Siri available.  However, when I switched to an android phone, I knew that I would miss Siri.  I didn't think to try a "voice to text" app until 23 Things came along!  I downloaded the Dragon Dictation app, but soon realized that that app doesn't work with the androids.  Katherine was super helpful me access the Dragon Mobile Assistant instead.
It took just a little experimenting to figure out how it will work for me, but I think this is something I will stick with and actually use.  I learned that Dragon doesn't like to "take notes", but is really good at listening to me remind myself to do something later and then sending it to me in a text, all without my having to type.  I also practiced dictating things to add to my calendar (also in an app on my phone), and asking Dragon to find places nearby, such as restaurants.

I don't love typing on my new android phone - I think my hands are too small.  So I will continue to use Dragon.  Also, Katherine says that it will get more used to my voice as I use it more, and like anything else, practice makes perfect!

Thing 5: Maps

I thought I was already an expert on using Google Maps on my phone, but after doing some more exploration for this activity, I learned some new things!  I discovered the "Explore Around You" link that shows up at the bottom of the map when you type in a search for a destination.  It gives you choices in distance categories - places of interest within 5 or 10 minutes of walking, or 10 or 20 minutes of driving.  I could definitely see myself using this when I am in an unfamiliar area and am looking for a coffee shop, book store, gas station, etc.

I tried using the microphone to navigate to someone's house I needed to reach in the Geist area.  For me, it is really just about the same thing as typing in the address, since I am not coordinated enough to talk into my phone and drive at the same time.   But overall, when I am on the road, I definitely prefer the Google Maps' navigation to the app that my LG phone provides.  I haven't figured out a way to make the LG navigation "talk" to me, and I am very comfortable with Google Maps' audio directions.  I have to admit that I am finally a convert when it comes to the map app.  For many years, I had insisted on using physical maps that I had printed out, but I have moved past that.

I briefly looked at the other activities listed for Thing 5, but decided to just stick with Google Maps for my phone.  I will tell my husband about Waze though, as he has a fairly brutal commute down to Speedway every day, and traffic conditions are definitely an issue for him.

Added note:  I just saw an article in the January 19, 2015 edition of Publisher's Weekly, titled "Map vs. App".  Very timely!  Map vs. App  I guess the printed road atlases are still quite popular.  I agree that it can be very handy, not having to worry about GPS signals or a dead cell phone battery.

Thing 4: Social Reading

It was easy to decide which activity to try for this Thing.  I have used Pinterest for many months now - mostly for gathering ideas rather than storing them on my boards.  Most of my preschool storytime ideas come from Pinterest these days, especially crafts.  It seems that I can always find exactly what I need.  I think I need to start pinning more of the things I find though.  For me, this is much more useful than storing ideas in the network (in files) on my computer.  I prefer the more visual format in Pinterest.

One thing I really like about Pinterest is that when other people find interesting ideas for me, they can send me a note within Pinterest, and then I can easily transfer the idea to one of my boards.  For example, Jennifer H. has led me to some really fun knitting projects, such as this mandrake root:


Doesn't every Harry Potter fan need one of these knitted up for them?

Back to Pinterest though.  I hadn't updated my profile picture for years and years, so I finally put in a new photo.  I also included some basic info for the "About Me" section.  I was happy to see that you could only use 160 characters so it was quick and easy.

Thing 3: Utilities

I can see that I am going to like using the Key Ring app.  Downloading it was very easy to do, and thanks to the issues already brought to my attention by Holly and Christy on their blogs, I went right to the correct self-check stations to practice checking out materials from our library.  (Apparently not all of the self-check stations work well with this app.)

I also loaded my key tag numbers for LA Fitness and Kroger, the other two places that I frequently need to scan my bar codes.  Then I went to my Key Ring "dashboard" on my computer, and clicked on the "Weekly Sales" tab.  I really like this feature - all of the paper ads in the Sunday newspaper really drive me nuts.  I would love to be able to throw all of those ads right into the recycle bin.  (I do still like to read the print newpaper though.)

About the Weather app featured in "Thing 3" - I tried the Weather Kitty app that Katherine H. mentioned in her blog, and I am completely hooked.  I think everyone should have this app on their phone!  The kitties are adorable, and I like the format of the weather updates.

Thing 2 - Photos

For this "Thing," I downloaded Instagram on my phone and started playing with it.  I can see the appeal for this app for people who love to share their photos.  However, I realized that I am more of a "play with the photos and make a collage" kind of person, so I also explored Pic Stitch.  I had a lot of fun with all of the borders, stickers, overlays, etc.  I was happy to see that a lot of these are free, so I could at least try a few out.

For my "Weaver Pets" collage, I experimented with all of the options.  I especially liked Vignette border - you can see it really well in the photo of Wonder Woman (the black cat).

Then I exported my collage to Instagram and Tumblr, in my effort to get it onto this blog.  Of course, then I realized that I could have skipped those steps.  I'm hoping to take less time to get it all together when it comes time for Thing 3!