Two Apps for the Way I Live Now

Illustration courtesy of Wix

I do my best to embrace all that is good about technology, as there is so much not to love about it in today's world. I'm glad I grew up in non-Internet times when I could stay out too late, drink too much, dance like there was nobody watching, sing out of tune and, basically, make an eejit of myself. Thankfully, there is little or no pictorial record of my youthful stupidity or (to my knowledge!) any embarrassing photos of those 'mornings after' on social media.

I was one of the early adaptors of ICT in primary education in Ireland when I spent endless hours creating and seeking out programs and applications that could make learning exciting and interesting for the children in my class and I did my best to spread the word among my teaching colleagues. In contrast, towards the end of my teaching career, I was often dealing with the fall-out of online bullying that took place outside of school. I don't envy today's teachers as they wrangle with AI and other difficult technology-related issues.

However, I will always read with interest about technology that may make my life a little easier and less dull, and I love getting recommendations from friends and family to try out various gadgets and apps. Two such apps have come into my life in recent times and I am finding them useful for living in my semi-retirement phase. I am not in any shape or form an influencer, and I have no ties with any platform or app, but these two may be of interest to some of my subscribers/readers.

Illustration courtesy of Wix

The first is to do with my wardrobe of clothes. My friend Máirín used a great phrase recently when she was asked what she was going to wear for an upcoming wedding she would be attending. She said she was going to 'shop in her wardrobe.' It got me thinking. Then, a couple of months ago, I read an article by Deirdre McQuillan that asked 'Is your wardrobe suffering from ‘stuffocation’? We own 400% more than what we did 20 years ago.’ Apparently we actively wear 20% of what's in our wardrobe. Guilty as charged, I thought. I've a full wardrobe but often feel like I have nothing to wear. How could that be? Then, a week later, I read a column by the stylist Corinna Gaffey recommending a wardrobe app to make the sorting, recycling and putting together of outfits more manageable.

On her recommendation, I began to use Indyx (the free version) and have begun to digitise my clothes. Some might argue I have too much time on my hands (you know who you are, Aileen!), but I am now much more self-aware and conscious about making any new purchases. And the charity shop I volunteer in (Vincent's in Firhouse) has done well also from my donations of (too small!) clothes and (too high heel!) shoes that I will never again wear. For instance, I have just finished uploading images of all my shoes and have categorised them into 'collections' of boots, sandals, trainers and others. When I was tempted last week by a lovely new pair of Hoka, I checked the app and asked myself which pair of the four pairs of trainers I currently own would have to be donated to make space for a new pair. I left the shop empty-handed which I take as a small victory.

Image courtesy of Wix

I've had quite a bit of feedback and discussion on my previous blog post about food and its provenance, and a friend, Patricia, brought another very useful app to my attention. We were having an 'organ recital' as the wonderful author Maeve Binchy used to call her discussions with friends about their various ailments. Part of the chat focused on our 'digestive issues' and the foods that can trigger some unwelcome side effects. Patricia showed me an app called Yuka that she uses in the supermarket when she is faced with a number of competing foodstuffs. The app scans the barcode of the food (or cosmetic) product and rates it on a scale of Bad to Excellent depending on the number and types of additives, etc. 'in order to know their impact on your health.' It claims to be 100% independent and is not influenced by brands or advertising. For example, I used it in my recent food shop to evaluate which natural yoghurt and which cooked ham product was the healthiest. The outcome was very interesting. The app also gives recommendations for alternative healthier products of what you have scanned which I found to be a very useful feature.

Please feel free to comment below or contact me if you have come across a useful app that has genuinely enhanced your life. I'm always open to suggestions!

My Writing Life

Cork Book Fest at Cork Library on 25/4/26

We had a great day at the Cork Book Fest last Saturday. The glorious weather had everyone who passed through the marquee in a great mood and all five of us authors had great discussions and banter with readers and potential readers. A bit of 'book talk' - and a few sales - always replenishes my well.

Authors Valerina Troy, Mary Minnock, Joanne Ryan Curran, Kathryn Crowley and Mary T. Bradford at Cork Book Fest

The fact that our gorgeous son was home from San Francisco and visited me at the stand was a highlight.

Author Kathryn Crowley with Eoin Crowley at Cork Book Fest. April 2026

Since the launch of 'Love, Lycra and Tattoos' I have been receiving regular scam emails purporting to be from book marketing experts and media marketers who offer to promote my book and make me millions. I'm sure I would have to pay them a hefty fee if I responded. Though I mostly ignore them and delete and block, one fact in a recent email did disappoint. I had asked a number of friends and beta readers to remember to write reviews online around the time of my book's publication. At the time I asked for them particularly on BuytheBook.ie and on Goodreads. I was delighted to get a number of very encouraging and kind reviews. However, I realise now that I completely neglected Amazon where I only have one review in the five months since my book was published. This has led to an abysmal ranking of #4.5 million on Amazon. The email told me 'One review cannot lift a prize-winning novella out of the void. Amazon's algorithm rewards social proof.' I am trapped in a cycle! No visibility means no sales, no sales means no reviews, no reviews means no visibility. If you are reading this and you have a spare five minutes, I would be eternally grateful for a (positive!) review of 'Love, Lycra and Tattoos' on Amazon. You do not have had to have purchased my book on the platform to qualify to write a review. My understanding is that you just need to have purchased any product on Amazon in the past twelve months. Thank you so much in advance for your kindness if you do take the time to do this.

I am so looking forward to my upcoming book reading in Amsterdam on next Thursday the 7th of May. It takes place at Banstraat 15-2, 1071JV Amsterdam from 2.30-4.30pm. Tea/coffee/wine and snacks will be served. Please spread the word and ask anyone planing to attend to RSVP to me (kathryncrowley64@gmail.com) as space is limited.