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Tech in Real Life

Your World, Upgraded.

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We’ve finally recovered from Mardi Gras down her We’ve finally recovered from Mardi Gras down here (mostly), and now the talk has turned to Jazz Fest. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a big music festival that starts at the end of April. There’s usually a great music lineup, and people come from all over to attend. 💜 Over the years I’ve been asked, “If I’m going to visit New Orleans for a big ‘event’, should I come for Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest?” While there are certainly pros and cons to both, my vote goes to Mardi Gras. While in a way they can both be considered big parties, there’s just something unique and incredibly special about how the city transforms during Mardi Gras. Not to mention the spectacle that are the actual parades themselves. You really can’t grasp the magic of it until you see it in person. Trust me. It WILL blow your mind. 💛 The one caveat is that you MUST do (what I’m calling) the “locals” Mardi Gras. No bourbon street, no boob flashing, no stinky overcrowded tourist-filled bars. Instead, come Uptown and attend what is basically the coolest and most ridiculous tailgate ever. Children of all ages welcome. You’ll leave with plenty of beads, and more than a few memories. 💚 The energy is contagious and I promise it will be a trip you never forget. So set aside a few vacation days and book your tickets early, because Mardi Gras 2020 is only 352 days away. ⚜️ New post is up on the blog — no, not about Mardi Gras — but about a topic that I think a lot of people can relate to these days: the growing list of subscription services that we pay for. I lament about my own subscription addiction, and give you a few ways to tackle (what can be) an surprisingly expensive way to pay for all the services we’ve decided we “need” these days. 🔗 in bio! . . . #techinreallife #TIRL #techblog #techblogging #techblogger #mardigras #mardigras2019 #throwmesomethingmister #fattuesday #jazzfest #jazzfest2019 #followyournola #nola #trimspending #trubill #subscriptionaddiction
I have seen hell, and it looks like the Louisiana I have seen hell, and it looks like the Louisiana DMV. 🚘💳😑 But seriously, enter any DMV cliché — slow, rude workers that take “breaks” every 15 min; systems that randomly “go down” multiple times a day; a bizarre and overly complex “grab-a-number” system that gives you zero ability to predict when you’ll get called; the incomprehensible forms and requirements needed to complete even the simplest of tasks — my day had it all. And let’s not forget the sea of my fellow humans staring off into space with lifeless eyes wondering if their boss would fire them for taking a 3.5 hour lunch break that included no lunch. • I decided to change my name after we got married last year and I have been putting off a DMV visit for MONTHS (shout out to the LA Social Security Office that felt like a trip to Disney World compared to the DMV). But I’m happy (and relieved) to report that it’s finally done. I may have lost 4 hours of my life that I can never get back, but I did walk out of there with a shiny new license and one of my most dreaded to-do’s crossed off the list. • After spending (what felt like) a small fortune on our wedding, the idea of spending even another DOLLAR on something wedding-related AFTER the wedding made me cringe. But as they say, time is money, and there’s never enough of it. So I did some research, and went ahead and forked up $90 for @hitchswitch’s concierge name-change service. Spoiler alert: it was worth every penny. • Did they do anything I couldn’t have done myself? No. But did they save me several hours of Googling, navigating government websites, and printing forms and documents. Absolutely. Additionally, they laid everything out in simple, logical steps that saved me potentially even MORE time that I could have wasted accidentally doing things in the wrong order. • So if you’re in need of a little name-change assistance and you have more dollars than hours to spare, you should check them out. And if you’re interested in my thoughts on the whole idea of changing your name in the FIRST place + more details on Hitchswitch, click the 🔗 in my profile to read the latest on TIRL!
It’s a @chickfila kinda day... • Does anyone e It’s a @chickfila kinda day... • Does anyone else use Chick-fil-A’s mobile app!? I’m obsessed. They’ve gamified my chicken and waffle fry purchases and I’m working (read: eating) hard to attain Red Member status. • I only need 3,165 more points to reach the pinnacle. Which means I have to spend $287 at Chick-fil-A before August. Challenge accepted. • If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out the Chick-fil-A app and the Chick-fil-A One Membership Program. It’s free. And awesome. This is obviously not sponsored in any way by Chick-fil-A, but hey, a girl can dream! . . . #chickfila #cfa #wafflefries #sweettea #treatyoself #chickfilaone #chickfilaapp #redmember
Sometimes you stare at the hot dog and know you sh Sometimes you stare at the hot dog and know you should pass. Other times (in the legendary words of Donna and Tom from Parks & Rec), it’s totally appropriate to TREAT. YO. SELF. 🌭 Today on the blog I’m sharing a different kind of Holiday Gift Guide. This isn’t a gift guide to help you figure out what to buy for your family and friends. Nope. This is a POST-Holiday gift guide to help you discover tech toys you didn’t receive as a gift and should go buy for YOURSELF. 🎁 Yes, the Holidays are a season for giving. And giving is great. But there’s also a time to treat yo’ self. And that time is now. 📱 So without further ado, I present to you the 2019 Tech in Real Life Holiday Gift Guide — Treat Yo’ Self Edition! (🔗 in bio) . . . #techinreallife #TIRL #techblog #techblogging #techblogger #giftguide #holidaygifts #gifting #nogiftreceiptneeded #treatyoself #treatyourself #luluphelps #doodlesofinstagram
Who else is ready to tackle 2019!? As I’ve been Who else is ready to tackle 2019!? As I’ve been scrolling through social media for the past couple of weeks I’ve seen a lot of hot takes on 2019 “New Year’s Resolutions”. I don’t know if people are truly sick of the word (or maybe more the idea of) resolutions, or if they’re just trying to think of a more clever way to attract eyeballs and get more followers and readers — maybe it’s both. • In general, I think people (myself included) are tired of feeling like complete failures 🤦🏼‍♀️ when they look back on their “resolutions” for the year and realize they’ve accomplished almost none of them. • However I think part of the problem is that everyone is so artificially invigorated by the changing of the number at the top of the 📆 that they tend to bite off wayyy more than they can chew. I am guilty of this Every. Single. Year. • So call it a resolution, a goal, and intention — we don’t have to agree on a label. But what we SHOULD agree on is that not being able to put a nice clean ✅ next to whatever it is you had hoped to accomplish by the end of the year, does NOT mean you are a failure. Life is unpredictable. Things come up. Priorities change. And let’s be honest, sometimes you just stink at keeping promises to yourself. • So after epically failing at our resolutions in 2017 and 2018, C and I decided we might take a break from resolutions in 2019 and just try to push all the various balls we’re juggling just a little bit further down the road each day. If we can do that on most days, we’ll consider it a success. • HOWEVER, I do want to keep up my tradition of creating a list of technology goals for the year — something I call “Tech Housekeeping”. You can check them out on the blog and hopefully they’ll inspire you to create some of your own! • If you’ve already set some technology goals for yourself in 2019, I’d love to hear about them below! (🔗 in bio!) . . . #techinreallife #TIRL #techblog #techblogging #techblogger #techwriter #techandlifestyle #happynewyear #newyears2019 #2019 #techgoals #techboundaries #techlimits #techhousekeeping
Looking back at 2018 like... ✨ We’re done with Looking back at 2018 like... ✨ We’re done with our holiday travels and ready for the new year and all the challenges and opportunities it will bring. Despite a few lows, 2018 was incredibly good to us and we have so much to be grateful for. ✨ And while I’m not big on resolutions (because, spoiler alert, I almost always pick things I can’t possibly stick to and then feel like a total failure), I do like to do a little “tech housekeeping” at the end of each year — so I’ll be sharing that on the blog this week. ✨ I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing New Year’s, and I’d love to hear what your goals for 2019 are (tech related or otherwise)! . . . #newyear #newyearsday #new year see solution #resolutions #bye2018 #hello2019 #techhousekeeping #TIRL #techinreallife
Christmas time > any other time of the year! Our t Christmas time > any other time of the year! Our tree is up, Michael Bublé’s Christmas album is on repeat, and cookie-baking is in full force. But seriously, aren’t the Holidays the BEST!? 🎄 C and I are just starting our ornament collection, so scroll left for some of our newest and most favorite additions. Let us know if you have any fun holiday traditions we should start as we celebrate our first Christmas a married couple! 🎅🏼 There’s also a new blog post up on Tech in Real Life if you’re in need of a little weekend reading. This week I tackled the maddening world of spammers and robocallers. I answer some my own questions around how in the heck these jerks make money, and why it’s such an epidemic. But more importantly I offer up an app suggestion to help you fight back against this insanity that only seems to be getting worse. 🎁 Hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday no matter what or how you celebrate! ⛄️ (🔗 in bio!) . . . #christmas #theholidays #christmas2018 #techinreallife #TIRL #techblog #techblogging #appsuggestion #robokiller #robokillerapp #spammers #spamcalls #robocalls #stopthemadness
While I was taking a walk last weekend, I found an While I was taking a walk last weekend, I found an iPhone in the restroom at our local park (sadly, NOT this park in Telluride where we walked this summer, which is a lot prettier than ours!). As I’m sure many have done before, and many will do again, it was left sitting atop the toilet paper holder 🤦🏼‍♀️ • Because I’m so attached to my gadgets, my first thought was about the panic that was or would soon be racing through this poor person after they realized that their phone was gone. Then, being the good citizen that I am, my next thought was, how can I get this thing back to said panicked person? I have to admit, it kind of felt like a fun little mission to spice up my Sunday afternoon! • After all was said and done, it got me thinking about whether the average person would know what to do with a lost phone if they found it. So I figured, why not type up a few tips that you can use if you ever find yourself in this situation. • Spoiler alert: Even though the phone I found had a passcode enabled, I was able to successfully return it to its owner using the tips I’ve outlined in my latest post and she was incredibly grateful! (🔗 in bio) . . . #techinreallife #TIRL #techblog #techblogging #techblogger #lostphone #findmyphone #iphone #apple #findmyiphone #goodcitizen #techtips #techtidbits #tipsandtricks #ihelped
When in doubt, throw a cute dog (or baby) in your When in doubt, throw a cute dog (or baby) in your photo. I struggled with a good shot for this post, so a cute dog is what you get! • From the oppressive brink-of-hell temperatures, to the potholes that will swallow your car while, to the local vernacular that almost seems like a foreign language at times, New Orleans is without a doubt one of the most magical — and infuriating — places I’ve ever lived. • One saying that has always made me scratch my head is, I’m “makin’ groceries.” Come again? Did you mean you’re COOKING? Making something you bought at the store? But really. WTF 🤔 • Check out the latest post on Tech in Real Life to find out the meaning behind one of the strangest phrases I’ve heard while living in NOLA, and and why you should check out @wholefoods updated mobile app! (🔗 in bio) . . . #techinreallife #TIRL #tech #techblog #techblogger #wholefoods #wholefoodsapp #mobileapps #grocery #groceries #grocerying #dexter #nolablogs #nola
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