As I thought through the apps I use it became clear that there is a distinct difference between the apps I use in my work life versus the ones in my personal life. In my work life I rely heavily on OneNote, OneDrive, and a laundry list of banking apps. Looking at those I use in my personal life made me laugh – and for anyone that knows me it will not come as a shock that the apps I use reflect the crazy cat lady and book lover that I am.
Devin, my 11 ½ year old cat, started having some health issues for which the vet couldn’t find a physical cause. So, being the diligent (and at that point, worried) pet-parent I am, I started monitoring everything about her. Pet Happy, though geared towards dogs, allowed me to track her behavior and moods. The result was finding meds and a routine that helped Devin relax and return to her happy self.
In the on-going effort to keep her healthy, iPetCare lets me track her weight and diet, as well as store her medical history. The app allows for uploading PDFs, so I can keep her prescriptions and the instructions for the pet-sitter close at hand. I use the wag.com app to quickly and easily reorder her prescription food.
And for those times where I want to playfully confuse Devin, the Human-to-Cat Translator keeps her entertained for a few minutes before she moves on to the next thing. While I’ve tried a few of the apps that are specifically designed for use by the pet, Devin much prefers a red twist tie.
What goes better with cats than books – and books are where my passion lies. Years ago I started keeping a journal of all the books I’ve read…there is some irony in creating more books to add to my collection that are about the books in my collection. LibraryThing.com solved this problem by creating an online service to allow people to easily catalog their books. Via the LT Catalog app I can access my personal catalog anywhere, preventing me from purchasing a book I already own.
I openly admit that I’m a book addict, so when I’m travelling and need a fix I use Readar to find bookstores, libraries and fairs/festivals. If there is a book I’m interested in I use Bookends to find out more details. This was invaluable while trying to track down a specific version of Treasure Island while in Japan – outside of please and thank you I speak no Japanese, but I was able to find the ISBN for the book and after visiting several stores I found one that had it in stock.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make the transition away from paper books, but finding them has become much easier with the use of apps.