In the digital age we live in, we use technology for everything from turning the lights on in our houses to getting home from work in the least amount of traffic. While much of the time technology can seem like a distraction, when it’s used well, tech can actually help us live savvier day-to-day lives. Here are some apps that will help make you smarter.
Like CliffsNotes for non-college students, this app summarizes more than 3,000 nonfiction books into easily digestible, 15 minute summaries. Subjects include psychology, science, economics, religion and many others.
Be smarter about how and where you recycle with Earth 911’s recycling app, which allows users to look up 350 different recyclable materials and find local drop-off locations for them.
There’s no time like the present to learn a new language, a process that boosts cognitive power whether or not you ever achieve fluency. Duolingo guides users through reading, writing, listening and speaking exercises in 13 different languages.
Close out your social media apps and pull up a TED Talk instead to learn from inspirational leaders, thinkers and innovators speaking on interesting topics you may—or may not—know much about.
Do you need to know that a dolphin sleeps with one eye open? Not really, but a little extra random knowledge won’t hurt you. Every day, DailyBrain delivers a random fact you probably didn’t know before.
Be smart with your finances using the Mint app, which analyzes your income and purchasing habits to make sure you’re not spending more than you make. Create a budget, then track what you’re buying throughout the month in different categories such as bills, groceries and food.
Some say eyelashes are a woman’s best accessory. In recent years, everything from fake lashes to lash extensions to lash tinting have come on to the beauty scene to enhance eyelashes and make them appear fuller and longer, so you don’t have to use mascara every day. Now, a new trend called lash lifts is becoming popular. Also known as a lash perm, a lash lift curls lashes from the base to the tip, similar to an eyelash curler. The process is quick and easy, and only enhances your natural lashes rather than adding false eyelashes to them.
Lash lift treatment at White Dahlia
Jenny Abhau, owner of White Dahlia massage and facial spa, explains that during a lash lift service, an esthetician applies a softening solution to the client’s lashes and shapes them according to their preferences—either fanned-out or extended higher into their brow line, typically giving them a permanent curl with fuller visibility. “Lash lifts have a more natural look that enhances your existing beauty,” Abhau says. “They are significantly better for your eyelashes, as lash extensions tend to leave your natural lashes short, dry and brittle when removed.”
Additionally, eyelash extensions can require a lot of maintenance, while lash lifts require none. A lash lift typically lasts between six to eight weeks, and during that time, you can continue wearing mascara and any other eye makeup. White Dahlia will officially begin offering lash lift services on May 1, with an introductory special throughout the month for a lash lift and lash tint for $48 (regularly $88).
As violins cry, drums rumble, flutes whistle and piano keys plink, North Carolina Symphony director Grant Llewellyn stands poised above the orchestra in Meymandi Concert Hall.
His back is turned away from the audience. He wears a tail suit and bowtie, his grey and white hair slicked back, and he waves a baton in his hand, to and fro, to the tune of the instruments the musicians are playing in front of him. It’s where he’s stood for North Carolina Symphony performances through the past 16 years, and where he’ll stand during his final performance as the symphony’s music director in May.
A native of Tenby, a picturesque harbor town in southwest Wales, Llewellyn possessed an extraordinary musical talent from a young age. He grew up playing the piano and the cello, and at age 11, he won a scholarship to a prestigious music school in Manchester, England, which he recalls as the most significant chapter in his music education.
During high school, Llewellyn sang in choirs, performed in piano recitals, composed and conducted; in 1985, he was one of only a handful of fellows selected for Boston’s prestigious conducting fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Center, where he learned under the conductor Seiji Ozawa. Ozawa later invited Llewellyn back to Boston where he served as assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony.
It’s no surprise, then, that the Cambridge graduate was selected for the North Carolina Symphony’s open music director position in 2004. But when Llewellyn first came to Raleigh, to guest conduct a program for the symphony in 2002, he was unaware that the symphony was looking to fill the position. “I came in with no expectations beyond just having a good week and making music together,” he says.
During his tenure, Llewellyn has played a major role in evolving the symphony into what it is today. As older members of the orchestra retired, he’s been responsible for appointing more than half of the current members and nurturing them into what the orchestra has become. “It’s been absolutely wonderful to see this new talent coming in,” Llewellyn says. “Growing the orchestra has been a significant thrill.”
Llewellyn has also introduced ambitious programming into the symphony’s musical repertoire, with a considerable emphasis on young, contemporary North Carolina composers, including women composers—both living and dead—who have been neglected or discriminated against in the past.
Llewellyn is also passionate about the North Carolina Symphony’s education program, the most extensive education program of any symphony orchestra. Every year, the symphony travels to a different community in the state to hold a special educational program in conjunction with local music educators for more than 70,000 students. In an effort to make the symphony’s performances accessible for all, Llewellyn worked with the BBC to create sensory friendly performances in which children and adults with autism, sensory sensitivities and other special needs can feel safe and comfortable during performances. Some of the performances featured specialists signing for the deaf community and executing an audio description for the blind.
“We feel a responsibility to all the arts,” Llewellyn says. “Music touches on every aspect of daily life. You can hardly get away from it.”
After 16 years as music director, Llewellyn says the key to the symphony’s success is camaraderie. “Goodness knows you need lots of humor and levity, in this world and in this life, but especially if you’re in the arts and in music where you’re working so closely [together],” he says. “If you don’t have occasional light relief, you’ll go crazy.”
Llewellyn says he is looking forward to having more free time once he leaves his position at the North Carolina Symphony, though he will take on a new role as music director laureate beginning in the 2020-21 season and will continue to perform with the North Carolina Symphony. He’ll also continue to direct the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne in France and hopes to do more guest conducting at symphonies throughout the world while continuing to build up his knowledge of music.
Llewellyn says there’s a well-known adage that a conductor only starts becoming effective when they reach the age of 65. So, really, he’s only just getting started.
The Cardinal at North Hills celebrates the Art of Living Well® and is proud to commission this special editorial series. To learn more visit, lifeatthecardinal.com.
A day in the life of a local food photographer and blogger.
Foodies from all over Raleigh flood our social media feeds with drool-worthy photos of stretchy-cheese pizzas, thick bagel sandwiches bursting with fillings, colorful, loaded salad bowls and so many more tasty dishes that have us stopping ourselves from licking our phone screens. It makes you wonder how these Insta-foodies have the time, not to mention the appetites, to eat all this food, all day, every day. So we went straight to the source and asked Nancy Thapa—or @foodieteee as you may know her on Instagram—what a day in her life is like as a professional food photographer and blogger. Spoiler alert: Though the perks are delicious, it’s a lot of hard work—and she doesn’t get much sleep!
Nancy Thapa
11 a.m. – 3 p.m. I’m a part-time social media coordinator for a leading social networking app, so my workday begins with content creation, community management and developing brand strategy. At 2 p.m., I eat a small lunch.
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Shoot new menu items for local businesses in the Triangle.
4 p.m. – 5 p.m. Visit a new local restaurant that I’ve been wanting to go to, particularly one that isn’t being covered by media companies and has just opened. I take pictures during these visits as well—that’s where the majority of my content comes from.
5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Attend media events put on by local groups. I take pictures and videos so I can write about them later.
12 a.m. – 2 a.m. I also work as a recipe and product photographer for a major supplement brand, so this is when I write, cook and photograph a recipe I have been told to create with the products that are being launched. I use this time to photograph for brand partnerships as well.
2 a.m. – 5 a.m. Edit the professional photos I took earlier in the day. I usually have less than a 24-hour turnaround, so I need to get them out fast. I also spend a few hours editing the content I gathered from my day from the media event as well as my visit of choice.
5 a.m. – 6 a.m. Work on revamping my website, or other general housekeeping items. I also use this time to edit portraits and recipe photos.
6 a.m. – 10 a.m. My sleep schedule most nights, which is why my day starts at 10 a.m. Because I work remotely, I have the flexibility to work the hours I want to work. I try to catch up on sleep during the weekends, but due to the increased workload I have now, I work weekends as well.
Raleigh filmmakers are working to rejuvenate film in North Carolina.
If there’s one thing Raleigh-based filmmakers Lance Bacon and Steve Neilson have learned from the film industry, it’s that you should never give up.
After submitting their short film, “Oh Crappy Day,” to several film festivals in early 2015 without hearing anything back, they finally won the Lou Costello Award for Best Comedy Short at the Garden State Film Festival that year.
“We were up against big names and all of the sudden, I heard us called and our lives changed after that,” says Neilson. “It was the moment in my life that I was like, ‘I think I know what we’re doing.’”
The recognition sparked a slew of additional festival wins across the nation, including the Best Plot Twist award at the 2015 Granite State Film Festival and Best Comedy award at the 2016 Cape Fear Independent Film Festival.
The short tells the story of a college filmmaker with OCD who goes on a blind date at Raleigh’s Hayes Barton Cafe; there’s a witty plot twist at the end. It’s a lighthearted, hopeful portrayal of a person dealing with a disorder that has won the hearts of many since it was first screened at The Rialto Theatre in 2014.
Behind the Scenes of “Oh Crappy Day” | Photo by Jonathan Okafo
Now, Neilson and Bacon—who suffers a mild form of OCD himself—are turning “Oh Crappy Day” into a feature film to submit to top tier film festivals like Cannes, Tribeca and Sundance. The filmmakers were inspired to enter Sundance after the festival selected a Wilmington-shot feature film called “Uncle Frank” for its 2020 premiere lineup. “This is exciting for us because it shows that folks in the industry want to know what’s going on in the South, specifically in North Carolina, because it was so vibrant at one time,” Neilson says.
For decades, North Carolina was one of the top filmmaking states in the nation but after the state’s General Assembly let a significant film incentive program expire in 2014, many filmmakers left the state and relocated to places like South Carolina and Georgia where filmmakers receive higher tax credits and other incentives.
But Neilson and Bacon decided to stay in Raleigh.
“Our stance is to dig our heels in the sand as independent filmmakers to bring back the incentives that we all deserve,” Neilson says. “We may not be successful in our run, but at the same time, somebody has to stand up and say ‘This is wrong and we’re going to continue to make films here in Raleigh, because it’s a wonderful state.’”
North Carolina’s Film Commission has since been reestablished under Gov. Roy Cooper in an effort to serve and lobby for the state’s film industry. Bacon and Neilson are optimistic that local filmmaking is on the road to recovery, and that “Oh Crappy Day” can help pave the way.
Bacon and Neilson will host a crowdfunding event at Clockwork on March 4 to raise funds for costs associated with the festival circuit, marketing materials and distributions deliverables. Follow them on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (@ohcrappydayfilm) for updates.
