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(10/26/13 4:00am)
I'm a list-maker.
I have lists for my school assignments, Plainsman tasks, chores to do around my apartment, groceries and I even have my Christmas wish list already written.
By making lists, I see progress as I achieve my goals, and I feel satisfied when I accomplish something, even if it's a mundane task.
Everest is the app for people who also like to keep track of the small steps to maintain motivation for a dream or goal.
Everest starts by asking the user to enter any large-scale dream they have, such as running a marathon or learning to cook.
You can choose one dream to be your "Everest," or the dream you're currently focusing on the most.
Everest knows how to combat the intimidation factor of large-scale goals by breaking down goals into everyday steps that are accomplishable.
For example, if you set a goal to "lose 10 pounds," underneath that goal's page you can create steps that can be repeated every day, such as "do cardio for 30 minutes" or "drink a glass of water."
The app displays how many steps you've completed in total during your entire attempt to reach your ultimate goal.
You can set reminders if you need the extra push to complete the smaller steps to a goal. Pictures can also be added to document your success.
The default setting for dreams is public, so other members of Everest can comment and encourage you in your progress.
The community involvement in the Everest app is what helps make achieving goals more attainable.
If you are unsure what the next steps are on the road to your "Everest," the app offers the option to check out what other people with similar goals are doing or ask for a suggestion for your own goals.
Who knows, maybe there is a daily task you could be doing to reach your Everest you never considered.
If your friends are members of Everest, you can compile a "dream team" of three people to help keep you on track. Updates on your progress can also be shared on Facebook and Twitter if you really want to be held accountable.
The app also offers a search function that shows you all the other people on Everest who are working toward a similar goal so you can bounce encouragement and questions off of one another.
If you're looking for a way to finally set out to run your first 5K, finish the book you've been trying to read for a year or start saving for a new car, Everest is a great catalyst for movement.
As the developers of this app insist: Everyone's got their Everest. Climb yours.
(10/09/14 3:29pm)
Remember penning the words "Dear Diary" in a little book, protected by a lock only your key necklace opened?
Well, gone are the days when you would scribble your crush's name in gel pen in a sparkly journal and lock it up so snooping siblings wouldn't find it.
In this day and age, journal writing has gone digital with the emergence of apps such as Day One by Bloom Built.
Day One is a mixture of Facebook's Timeline and a digital diary.
Entries can be made every day, detailing what happened, how you feel--your typical journal entry.
However, with this app you can attach pictures that depict your day.
The app also taps into your phone's GPS to preserve your location and weather.
By adding tags and keywords to your entries, you can search through hundreds of past entries to find certain topics.
The entries are displayed in a running-calendar format, so you can scroll through to see what you recorded during a particular month.
Because the app is on my iPhone, which is usually the first thing I see in the morning, and last thing I see before bed, it's easier to remember to record than pulling out a journal and writing everything by hand.
You can set reminders to alert you at a certain time to write your entry for the day.
I typically set it for 9 p.m., so I can fill in everything about my day.
The only drawback of this app is it is just that: an app.
There seems something impersonal about reading your words as digital text.
The physical process of writing is cathartic for me. With this app, that process is diminished to small taps on a keyboard.
I also enjoy looking back at my handwriting in my physical journals and seeing how I penned things I was happy, angry, or sad about.
With an app, all you read is the text that looks like anyone could have typed it.
However, I am much more likely to take the few minutes to type a small entry on my phone rather than write three pages in my journal, so the app keeps me on much better track with my writing.
I have yet to fill an entire year with entries, but when I do, the app offers the option to export all the entries as a PDF to keep as a physical copy in case iCloud goes haywire.
As for security, a passcode keeps your journal from prying eyes.
It's no key necklace, voice-activated lock, or invisible ink pen, but it will keep your most private thoughts safe and sound.
Day One has proved its usefulness in the past few years, winning the 2012 Mac App of the Year Award and coming it at No. 1 on the Best Apps of 2011 Mac App Store list.
Unfortunately, this app is only available for Apple products, so Android users are going to have to journal the old-fashioned way.
(10/10/13 5:00am)
Pine Hill Cemetery will come alive the nights of Oct. 10-11, with characters from Auburn's past.
The bi-annual Pine Hill Cemetery Lantern Tour, sponsored by the Auburn Heritage Association, will take guests on a candle-lit stroll through Auburn's oldest cemetery, located on Armstrong Street.
"The purpose of the tour is to educate the local community and surrounding areas about the local history of Auburn, because the cemetery is a microcosm of what Auburn has become," said Mary Norman, Auburn Heritage Association director.
Tour guides comprised of local volunteers, dressed in Civil War period costume, will lead groups through illuminated paths to visit with historic figures in Auburn's history.
Additional volunteers will portray the ghosts of Auburn's historic icons, such as city founder Judge John J. Harper, Georgie and Mary Petrie, and Mollie Hollifield.
Lan Lipscomb is a returning volunteer who has been portraying Auburn's characters for more than 10 years.
Lipscomb will play William "Uncle Billy" Mitchell, who, upon his death in 1856, requested to be buried in his feather bed.
His crypt, with the feather bed inside, is visible in the center of Pine Hill.
"I love (Uncle Billy) because I get to lie in a big old iron bed while I wait for people to show up," Lipscomb said. "You have to fight the temptation to fall asleep. I love doing it. It's just fun."
A few years ago, Lipscomb portrayed his own great-great-grandfather during the lantern tour. This year, Lipscomb's son Sam Lipscomb, 11, will be joining him as a Civil War drummer boy.
"I'm kind of a picture for all the other soldiers that have died," Sam said.
Mollie Hollifield is another Auburn icon who will be given a voice at the lantern tour. Hollifield, a 1902 graduate of Auburn, was one of the first writers to write about the history of Auburn.
Her book, "Auburn: Loveliest Village of the Plains," was published in 1955. Erlene Lingle, Auburn resident, 86, will play Hollifield this year.
"Miss Mollie was older and had a boarding house," Lingle said. "They had students (stay), so she hooked up and married one of them. Miss Mollie was a character."
According to Norman, the cemetery, located just a block from Auburn's campus, is continually the victim of vandalism.
Norman said the city of Auburn maintains the cemetery, but the Auburn Heritage Association puts in extra money to repair vandalized grave markers and put up fencing.
The lantern tour is one way the Heritage Association raises the funds to keep the graves in good condition.
The Pine Hill Cemetery Lantern Tour runs Oct. 10-11 from 7-9 p.m.
Tickets are $10, and parking is available at Auburn Junior High School on Samford Avenue. Trolleys will be available to take visitors to the cemetery.
All proceeds go toward the Auburn Heritage Association for the promotion and preservation of the history of Auburn.
(10/07/13 1:00am)
Pack your bags, hike up your petticoats, strap on your pith helmet and prepare for a linguistic roller coaster with Auburn Theatre Department's production of Eric Overmyer's "On The Verge."
Within the space of an hour and a half, the time-traveling trio of Mary Baltimore (Anna Claire Walker), Fanny Cranberry (Daley Browning) and Alexandra Cafuffle (Anna Caudle) cross not only the lands of Terra Incognita, the unexplored land they've happened upon, but decades of time.
Before the show even began, it was obvious Auburn's set department delivered a masterpiece once again.
The proscenium arch soared above the stage in the form of a well-worn map.
Panels in the wings and the floor of the apron were illuminated to mimic the map.
Projector screens slanted at the back of the stage provided an easy visual to indicate transition as the actresses moved from one decade to the next.
Rotating mirrors were used to reflect the projections and also served to symbolize, as they are turned, the moving of the characters on their journey through the jungle.
Act 1 began in the year 1888, and as the audience was introduced to the three ladies, they were also introduced to the elegant language of the day.
A major theme of the play was the evolution and use of language, and each of the three actresses use their extensive vocabulary to portray their character.
Caudle's portrayal of Alex was hilarious from the get-go. Caudle gave Alex spunk and wit that resonated with the audience; her character elicited the most laughs.
Walker delivered Mary Baltimore's dainty diction delightfully and gave a poignant glimpse into Mary's inner conflict between her wanderlust and society-dictated restraint.
Browning played stuffy, conservative Fanny strictly in the first half, but let her guard down in the second act to show the audience Fanny's unlaced, wild side.
Much like the women, the first act wandered, meandered and trudged through bogs of lofty linguistics, bizarre character encounters and confusion over the nature of Terra Incognita.
Multiple times I found my attention waning as lengthy monologues were delivered and fancy phrases were thrown about.
The delivery was without stumbling or flaws from any of the three actresses, but I found myself trying to catch my breath after some of the speeches given.
Act 2, however, picked up the pace and jetted the women and the audience into the 1950s, where some of the more interesting characters dwelt.
The discovery of Cool Whip, rock 'n' roll, Burma Shave and Jacuzzis by the three women was amusing and led to some hilarious mix-ups (Cool Whip or Noxzema? The women aren't quite sure).
My favorite scene occurred halfway through the second act when suddenly, an array of items from the 1930s-50s dangled from the sky, and the women arrived at some curious conclusions as to what the items were (Dinglehopper, anyone?).
Throughout the play, Mary, Alex and Fanny run into eight different characters from different decades.
Typically, when Overmyer's work is performed, all eight people are played by one man.
In Auburn's rendition, however, the roles were split; Blake Willoughby played Grover and the Yeti, and Jordan Lunstead played Alphonse, Gorge Troll, Mr. Coffee, Madame Gnu, Gus and Nicky.
I think a greater effect would have been achieved had all the roles been played by the same actor.
I believe Overmyer wanted to show that throughout the years, there will always be different people who speak to and mean something to us, but they're cast from the same mold.
Overall, the story was pushed along by the audience's imagination, which I very much enjoyed.
The esoteric language and long-winded speeches were "a bit annoying" in the first act. However, the second act redeemed the first with all its hilarious pop culture references.
"On The Verge" will take you on an intellectual and comical expedition.
Just don't forget to take your machete.
(09/19/13 2:50am)
I hate diets. Like, really hate them.
When I first saw some friends using MyFitnessPal, I swore I would never be enslaved by a fitness app bullying me into eating an apple instead of a cookie, or telling me it was the 394,832nd day I'd gone without working out.
However, what I realized when I eventually downloaded the app is it really isn't so much of a bully after all, but more of an educator.
MyFitnessPal has all the bells and whistles of a typical fitness app.
You can plug in the foods you eat, see how many calories you've consumed, track your weight-- the whole shebang.
My favorite feature of MyFitnessPal, however, is the information I learned from it while tracking.
For example, many times I would assume a particular meal was healthy, but when I plugged it into MyFitnessPal, I was sadly mistaken.
Who knew that a Spud Max from McAlister's Deli was almost half a day's worth of calories?
I mean, potatoes are vegetables, right?
Little did I know that my "healthy choices" were about as good as ordering a Big Mac and a Diet Coke.
MyFitnessPal opened my eyes and made me rethink how I thought about my meal choices.
I also learned a lot about portion control.
I never realized how ridiculously over-sized my portions were before I used this app.
When you plug in a whole roll of Ritz crackers and get the calorie results, you start to rethink your life choices. Pretty soon, you're good with 10 crackers.
One of the benefits of MyFitnessPal against other fitness apps is its extensive database.
A dilemma I would face when I got health-nut crazy, and started counting calories, is that most foods aren't already listed in a database.
It was too much work to type in all the nutrition facts from a box or bag, so I would just skip it, not log my meals, and faster than you can say "break me off a piece of that Kit-Kat bar," I was back to my old, terrible eating habits.
MyFitnessPal, however, is so widely used most foods are already available in the database.
I have never had to add the nutrition information manually for any food.
In addition to a large database, MyFitnessPal features a scanner that will scan the barcode of any food and import the nutrition information for you.
If you eat certain foods regularly, the app will remember and suggest them to you for certain meals.
You can also put certain foods together to form a meal, and add it to your calorie count if you ever eat it again.
For example, my "breakfast" meal consists of coffee, International Delight Almond Joy creamer, a bowl of Great Grains Banana Nut Crunch and one cup of low-fat milk.
I just click "breakfast," and all those foods are automatically imported into my counter.
If you want to lose weight, you plug in your metrics and MyFitnessPal will calculate the best, daily caloric intake based off of your information.
Another great feature is the daily breakdown of nutrition.
Not only does the app tell you how many calories you've taken in, but it shows exactly where those calories came from.
You're not doing yourself any good if you've only taken in 1,200 calories, but all from fats and carbs.
MyFitnessPal shows you if you're on track for your recommended daily allowance for all nutrients and minerals. Thus, training you to aim for foods that fulfill those requirements.
MyFitnessPal is much more than a calorie-counter. It was designed to kick-start healthy habits and thinking.
I highly recommend this free app for anyone not just wanting to lose weight, but also wanting to start living a healthier lifestyle.
(09/04/13 6:51pm)
I had the chance to attend a public forum for the city of Auburn this past week.
The meeting was held to gather feedback and opinions from the community about the new Downtown Master Plan.
(09/09/13 3:35pm)
In a Pinterest-soaked generation, the term craft usually evokes images of pasting photos to journals or knitting a sweater for a Pomeranian.
(08/29/13 2:02pm)
Joe, java, brew... whatever you call it, coffee is a staple in any college student's diet.
(08/28/13 2:54am)
Gone are the days of bank registers inside checkbooks toted around in bags and purses.
Ask a student around you if they have a checkbook on them and the answer will probably be no.
So with every swipe of a card or withdrawal of cash from an ATM, how are students supposed to remember their purchases?
How do they know their subsequent balance without saving receipts and hand writing costs into a little rectangular book?
Companies such as iBear are answering those questions with Checkbook HD, a new personal finance app.
Before I found Checkbook, it was rare for me to pull out my checkbook at a checkout and do mental math while the next customer breathed down my neck.
Usually, my checkbook was sitting in a drawer gathering dust when I ran out to Kroger or went to dinner with friends.
That led to some guesstimated balances and serious trouble when I was wrong.
Checkbook proved to be a huge stress reliever.
It provides a quick way to plug in purchases by category and does the calculations for you, allowing you to know your balance immediately, without having to log in to your bank's website.
It is available as a free version, with limitations on how many accounts can be tracked, but for the full 99-cent iPhone version, you can add an unlimited number of accounts, such as checking, savings, gift cards and cash in your wallet.
Versions are also available for the iPad and MacBook, and your balances will sync through the iCloud to all your devices.
For a generation attached to technology, Checkbook is the new bank register that is with you wherever you go.
Checkbook generates bar and pie charts based off of the categories you assign to your purchases.
You can know in an instant how much per month, week, or day you've spent on food, gas, or clothes and adjust your budget accordingly.
You are also given the choice to create your own categories for purchases you make often that aren't listed in the default menu.
Checkbook has the option to directly connect to your bank account, so you know your bank balance in real time, similar to Mint.com.
However, I find it easier to plug in all my purchases myself so I know what my real bank balance is, even if they're still pending in my bank account.
Access to the app can be locked with a PIN code to keep your data safe and secure.
Exports of your financial information and spending can be sent to your computer from the app to save for future reference.
Checkbook has proven its merit with more than 800,000 downloads and a spot on Apple's Staff Favorites list.
It is an absolute lifesaver for college students on the go. As you're checking out, simply plug your total in and you have your bank balance faster than you can say, "no receipt, thanks."
For more information about CheckbookHD, visit CheckBookHD.com or visit the App Store.
(08/27/13 3:16pm)
We all know college is expensive and students are usually broke.
Jokes about students eating cereal and ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner are runof-the-mill.
I'm pretty sure Taco Bell was created by college kids just trying to make the last few dollars in their bank account last all the way through finals week.
But by tweaking some small lifestyle choices, college life doesn't always have to break the bank.
#1 Shop with coupons & rewards
Kroger is amazing about sending coupons for free grocery items every month or so if you sign up for their Kroger Plus rewards card.
You also get discounted prices as a Kroger Plus Card member, and can download digital coupons so you won't spend your Sunday clipping coupons like a TLC show maniac.
Winn-Dixie also offers 5 cents off every gallon of gas with their rewards card, which may not sound like much, but you're going to wish you saved that little bit when all you want is a candy bar from Outtakes and you're scraping the bottom of your book bag for spare change.
Deal sites such as Groupon.com, LivingSocial.com, and Slickdeals.net offer huge discounts on normally expensive services like oil changes and eye care.
#2 Take the bus
I know taking a bus isn't as fast or convenient as just zipping to campus, but honestly, are you going to find a parking spot anyway?
Spare yourself the headache that is C-Zone and save a few dollars in gas by hopping on the Tiger Transit.
#3 Get an on-campus job
There are plenty of great, flexible jobs available within a wide variety of University departments and locations on campus. Jobs can range from as little as 10-25 hours per week, and you are often able to choose your schedule and work around your classes and other activities.
On-campus jobs look great on resumes, help you meet people on campus and provide a little extra spending money.
#4 Dine in
I'll admit, I love eating out just as much as the next person and on top of being a pretty terrible cook, that leads to a lot of calls to Jimmy Johns and trips to Moe's for a quick dinner.
But after tips, gratuities and delivery fees, you end up spending much more than you would spend on a dinner made at home with groceries purchased with coupons (tip #1 anyone?).
It will take more time to prepare, but you'll save a decent amount of cash and sharpen a useful life skill in the process.
Sites such as Pinterest.com often have copycat recipes for popular restaurants and for you amateur cooks, free apps like How to Cook Everything by Culinate, Inc. take you step-by-step through even the mostbasic cooking techniques.
#5 Go with water
Of course, there are plenty of occasions that warrant splurging on dinner out.
When you do decide to hit your favorite pizza joint, don't get a $3 soda on top of your meal price and stick with good old ( free) H2O.
Most drinks offered, such as sodas and sweet tea, are high in calories anyway. Why not save yourself the few dollars all the while making a healthier choice?
Your wallet and waistline will thank you.
(08/27/13 2:28pm)
For many students, the final lazy days of summer are filled with packing, last minute visits with friends and finishing up jobs and internships. But for the four members of Auburn-based band Scooter McGavin, the last few weeks have been far from lazy.
The band has almost completed recording their first, full-length album, performed a marathon of shows in the Alabama-Georgia area and kicked off their fall line-up with a show at Spicer's Music in Auburn, all in the span of three months.
The band is comprised of vocalist, lyricist and guitarist Sam Harvey, bassist Jimi Greene, electric guitar and mandolin player Mitch McKoy and drummer Corey "Scooter" Spicer.
What started out as a simple jam session among friends has become an organized music group.
"I met Mitch at Auburn United Methodist Church, and he always kept talking about his roommate [Harvey] who was an acoustic guitar god," Spicer said. "We just started jamming at the beginning of last summer."
After being together for only a year, the band's success has come as a surprise to its members.
"It's kind of weird just because for the longest time starting out it's so hard to get gigs," McKoy said. "But now it's people calling us."
The group's first gig was performing at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, but soon afterward, they received calls to play at the Loft in Columbus, Ga., the Summer Swing Series in Opelika and the Taste of the Highlands Festival in Atlanta.
McKoy considered the Highlands Festival as his alltime favorite gig so far.
"The whole experience was so cool, meeting a ton of cool people and the family we stayed with. We didn't make much money, but it was still cool," McKoy said.
When asked about the unique name, McKoy laughed and said it's a combination of all the band members' names. Spicer contributed his own nickname, Scooter, to the band's first name. McGavin is a blending of McKoy and Harvey's real name, Gavin.
And Greene's contribution?
"Jimi is the space in-between," McKoy said.
Scooter McGavin has been described by its members as folk, funk and Southern rock, but according to Harvey, the band's genre is somewhat of a mixture.
"We always joke about how we call ourselves Americana because that could be anything," Harvey said.
Lyrically, the music of Scooter McGavin attempts to provide a sense of connection through shared experience.
However, Harvey said he is hesitant to write about real people.
"I made it a point to myself to never write about actual situations," Harvey said.
"It's too dangerous, you end up like Taylor Swift. I try to make them a story but they're always about some people who aren't actually real."
The fast pace that has defined Scooter McGavin this summer will continue into the fall with a line-up that will include shows at The Overall Company in Opelika, Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and the Art, Food and Wine Festival in Atlanta.
The band's first album is expected to be released sometime this fall and will be available on iTunes and Spotify and as a physical copy. More info can be found at www.ScooterMcGavinBand.wix.com/ScooterMcGavin
(08/22/13 2:01pm)
As Opelika's Lebanon Arts District develops, better known musicians are adding the city to their tour stops.
(03/02/13 7:08am)
In the past two weeks, I have been extremely disappointed and frankly, screwed over by the Tiger Transit system. I have seen my driver peruse the smart phone on their dash while driving, which, for anyone who has been living under a rock, is extremely dangerous when operating any vehicle, let alone a bus full of students... oh, and it's illegal.