claire.she.goes

Author: Claire

  • The Arlington Hotel

    This little gem is at the heart of my hometown’s downtown.

    There are signs in its windows, announcing to users that it is “Closed for Renovations.”

    Meanwhile, the truth is that The Arlington has been closed–sans renovations–for years.

    Every time I pass it by I feel a twinge of sadness. I can’t help but think about what it could become. In my dreams, it’s a vibrant space–a home to art and activities. Its stature alone reminds me of The Gladstone Hotel. This blog post offers a glimpse of what I love about that place.

    There’s a lot of potential in my community. I hate to see it wasted.

  • RUNday: RunKeeper

    Let’s talk about exercise and technology.

    Do you use any apps when you work out?

    My phone already had Nike+ iPod preloaded on it. But as popular as the Nike name is, their software and I got into one too many fights. (In short, it refused to sync some of my runs.) Furthermore, I was fed up. I found their insistence on using their chip to track me a little unnerving.

    What if my next pair of shoes aren’t Nikes? How would I record my runs?

    (I knew I could by a device like this to hold Nike’s chip. But I didn’t feel like getting one.)

    Enter RunKeeper.

    Not only is it a free app, but it records my workouts via GPS. Which means I can wear any shoes that I like.

    It also keeps track of things such as my pace and distance.

    Since I first began using RunKeeper, they have made improvements. Recently, they launched a set of free training programs. These include useful features such as pre-programmed intervals.

    Thus far, I have only two complaints.

    Firstly, RunKeeper automatically pauses its recording when you aren’t moving. Say, if you stop to re-tie a shoe. However lately the “pausing workout” prompt has been going off without warning–while I’m still jogging.

    You can also listen to music while you run. Yet users should know that the software will only accept your music if it’s a part of a playlist. If I want to listen to a particular artist or a podcast, I have to go outside of RunKeeper into my Music app.

    Now, this may not sound like a problem. But in RunKeeper when you play music, it pauses the music so that its audio cues can remind you of things such as your speed. Outside of RunKeeper, the app’s voice and your music will overlap. I found this out the hard way one day when I tried to listen to an episode of This American Life.

    In hindsight I realized that there’s a way to work around this problem. I should have turned off the prompts or changed their frequency.

    Ah well. You live, you learn!

    Overall, though, RunKeeper’s a useful program. I figure over six million users can’t be wrong.*

    *I was looking for statistics on RunKeeper’s users. I found that information here.

  • Wherein Danielle LaPorte states the obvious.


    That image is from a screenshot of Danielle’s site. You can read her entire post here.

    I tell ya. I’ve been looking for ways to break out of my shell. One of the things that’s kept me from making more videos and podcasts is the fact that I’m often socially awkward. I’m definitely afraid of public speaking, or speaking up in general.

    (If we’re friends IRL, then bless you. You’re one of the few people that I feel truly comfortable communicating with. Because otherwise, I think I’m a disaster.)

    I’ve been thinking about how to do a better job of getting my point across. Friends like Lisa know my struggle. A little while ago she sent me this awesome blog post.

    The point is that I know I need to do a better job of expressing myself. I’m over 30, and I’m tired of being bound by self-imposed chains.

    That’s why I’m glad that Danielle always keeps it real on her blog.

    The other day in my inbox I received a bulletin for…I think they called it a confidence seminar. I can’t remember the exact cost. But believe me when I tell you that it was over $100 per ticket.

    (I don’t mean to disrespect people who need to attend these type of events. I mean, honestly. I’m a part of their target audience.)

    But you know what’s a whole lot cheaper than a seminar?

    PUTTING YOURSELF OUT THERE.

    Get out of the house. Force yourself to socialize with people. Look at your community’s events calendar. Find groups of folks who are getting together and doing activities that interest you.

    I’ve started going to church again. And I’m not going to lie. While the the spiritual aspects touch me, I really could use the social interaction.

    Overall, though, I don’t mean to be disrespectful. There are people who need a mental awakening in order to improve their mental health.

    Interestingly enough, I grew up in a denomination whose forefathers frowned on psychology. To this day I wonder why. The fact is that some people need prompting from others in order to see their circumstances clearly. At the same time, I think that we humans need to be careful. Many of us have become a little too addicted to turning to others to solve our problems.

    That’s why I think it’s important to proceed with caution. Quite often people can improve themselves simply by tweaking their routines and stepping outside of the box.

  • “You want fame? Well fame costs.”

    Anyone else remember this intro?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lL4PKX0bYM

    Just me, then? Ok…

    *cries young-old-lady tears*

    Screw fame. I want freedom. The kind that comes from personal liberation. I want the dreams that burn inside my soul to become reality.

    Today’s theme is perseverance. Play this in the background if you want:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x65gdeSg464

    It’s as though something divine is pushing me forward, asking me to ask more of myself.

    Little changes are slipping into my routine. I’ve recently started waking up to jog while it’s still dark. I get a workout, and I’m done before the rest of my day begins.

    Ultimately, I feel like God is setting things up for me in a way that says, “If you want X, you’d better be prepared to Y.” That is, if “Y” equals “work my ass off”.

    Still, the old demons are doing their thing. Fear and disorganization can be ruthless.

    And yet everything is telling me to make way for the life that I want. All I need is the discipline to tear down the wall to get to the other side.

  • You never know…


    Source

    See that girl in the above photo? The last lady on the right, closest to the edge of the shot?

    That’s my cousin, Megan.

    She was born when I was in high school. Now she’s dancing with the Toronto Raptors Dance Pak.

    And even though technically I’m still “young”, I’ll be damned if I didn’t tell the truth and say that I feel just a little bit old.

    But this is no pity party, folks. This is a call to stay inspired. You never know how far your dreams will take you.

  • Couldn’t we all use a little…?

    This is the best parody I’ve seen in a long time. (Featuring chescalocs aka chescaleigh, the Urban Bush Babes, Taren Guy and Hey Fran Hey.)

    On various sites devoted to natural hair, inevitably you’ll find them: Posts by black women fretting over the fact that their hair hasn’t grown by leaps and bounds…But when you read more of their story, it turns out that they’ve only been growing it out for a few months.

    Heck, I’ve struggled with whether or not to loc my hair* over the years. Lately whenever I’ve put it in two-strand twists, I’ve waited a few weeks. Then I’ve panicked because my hair wasn’t nearly as sexy or long as I wanted the end product to be.

    All good things take a long time, folks. Including long hair.

    *More on that later. I have an announcement.

  • Bad Blogger.


    Source

    Random thoughts coming through…

    If writing really is my thing, shouldn’t I be posting more often?

    Last weekend I had a blast. I was all set to share my adventures and then…Next to nada. Barely a peep.

    But I tweeted like a mofo–if anyone actually cares.

    In the meantime, I’ve been concerned about how I’ve been using my time. I have important things to do, and I’ve been procrastinating…

    Interestingly enough, recently someone in my feed mentioned a quote that said something like “perfectionism leads to procrastination…”

    I need to get past being obsessed with perfection. It’s all too easy to let fear stop you in your tracks. Instead, I’m going to hone in on authenticity. Everything else is bound to follow.

  • RUNday Morning

    I have a lot to write about and plenty to do in the real world. In the meantime, here’s a shot from yesterday.

  • “Sunday Best”? How about “Best Sunday”.

    Because it was.

    Seriously. This weekend I had one of the best times I’d had in ages.

    (Thank God for good days!)

    I experienced some fellowship and was reminded that there’s definitely more to my journey. I won’t share those details. But I can tell you that I was inspired by two very simple activities…

    1. First, church.

    I know I said I wasn’t going to bother attending any longer. Yet I can’t help feeling that I need to extend myself into my community. Church is familiar to me. I think it’ll make a great start.

    My town has many places of worship. Yesterday morning I went to one I’d never visited. I keep thinking that I ought to spend time in another sanctuary before I settle down. However, I keep chastising myself.

    I don’t want to play


    Source

    The truth is, I actually know of a place that seems like a good fit. And it isn’t where some people might think.

    2. One of our family friends had a birthday party yesterday. I won’t disclose the exact number but s/he has lived to be over 80 years of age. I couldn’t help feeling overjoyed.

    A long life is a blessing.

    On a hilarious note I can tell you that I couldn’t remember how to get to this individual’s house. (It had been that long…)

    I prayed as I walked. I was concerned. I’d walked down one long street and was making my way up another. All the while it was getting dark. Every time I passed a house where it looked remotely as though there was activity inside, I was tempted to go over and knock.

    Finally at the last minute I glanced down a side street. A group of adults was crossing the road. They were headed in one direction.

    Shy but determined, I approached. “Excuse me. Do you know where I could find [Person X’s] house?” I live in an incredibly friendly area. You never know who knows whom. Or what.

    The man I spoke to told me I was right where I needed to be. A weight lifted off my shoulders, and the joy began. 🙂

  • So it seems there’s a graffiti artist in town.

    These were taken on the same bridge where I found content for this post.

    I don’t know who writes these messages. A part of me hopes s/he never gets caught.