#30before31: 2 Good Ideas in Chicago

Apologies for already falling behind... family time during the holiday sometimes trumps blog posts. ;) 

So for yesterday & today's post are two really simple ideas that solved a problem in Chicago and made me say, "why didn't I think of that?" 

Idea Post 2

Chicago Parking Meter App

2-hour parking in Chicago was always such a joke because it practically takes two hours to get to your destination. But for most Chicago parking meters, that's how long they allow you to pay for at one time, or if you are lucky you might find one for 3 hours. Or if you parked after 10pm (for free) you would have to refill the meter or move your car promptly at 8am. 

But with the parking meter app, long gone are the days of running out in the middle of dinner or drinks to pay the meter or trudging through the snow in your PJ's on Sunday morning to prevent getting a ticket. 

With the ParkChicago app (available at the AppStore or through GooglePlay) you can pay for your spot and/or extend your time through your phone. Just remember to record the zone number on the Pay Box sign and your license plate number so you have that off hand when. 

And there is no transaction charge for renewing or paying for parking for 2 or more hours. And only a 35 cent transaction fee for less than 2 hours, a much cheaper choice than your alternative - the $40+ parking ticket. 

Idea Post 3

Turning Vacant News Stands into Healthy Food Kiosks And Giving Jobs to Less Fortunate

If you are a Chicagoan, I'm sure you've seen the old yellow newsstands nearby the "L" in the loop that have sat vacant over the past several years due to the decline of physical newspaper sales. A few of these vacant spots are now being transformed into healthy, hip food stands thanks to a local entrepreneur, Ken Waagner. 

Waagner's "eat spots" are an extension of his e.a.t. (education, agriculture, technology) non-profit organization. Not only is the food healthy and designed by former Frontera Grill chef, Shaw Lash, but the stands are operated through Streetwise, an organization that enables the homeless of Chicago get jobs. 

I personally haven't stumbled upon one of these "eat spots", but (as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer) I'll definitely have to check them out! 

#30before31 Charity Idea

One of my #30before31 challenges was to "Write 10 things I'm thankful for every day for one month." After a bit of contemplation, I've decided that while that's important for me to be thankful, that could come off as a bit selfish and not as interesting to read (or write about). And honestly over the past year, I've spent a lot of timing realizing the good in my life. 

So instead, I've changed my challenge to "Every day for 30 days, write about an idea. One that 1) I think would make a positive impact or could be successful, 2) one that I think has been successful, 3) someone I know who has turned an idea into a success." This was inspired by Imitation Game, a movie about Alan Turing genius mathematician and scientist who helped crack the Enigma code during World War II. Not I think I can do something as big as cracking a code that would save millions of people and end a war, but that movie really started me to think about how much one person or one idea can make an impact and be a "success". Which got me thinking about how many people I know who are successful and how many things can be impacted with one idea.

There are a lot of things I want to do, or I wish I could do, or I think would be good to do to solve a problem, but somehow I always find an excuse about why I can't. When I was married, all decisions were joint decisions. But now I can make my own decisions. I don't a family holding me back. I have a great education. I have support from my friends and family. So maybe one of these solutions. 

I figure to make this possible, the ideas or problems can be simple or broad. Something impacting my everyday life, something I observe happening or something that I have to do some research on. 

So, for my first post: 

Idea Post 1: 
What if there was an app or resource that would somehow connect charities/auctions with people or companies who were willing to donate auction items or money?  

I've very involved in the American Cancer Society events that raise money through silent auctions. And sometimes the events would be lacking key auction items or we weren't able to get as many as we'd liked. Most of the securing of the auction items would fall on the committee members, who if they didn't have the means or connections, were at a disadvantage. 

So what if there was a tool that 

1) listed all the local charity events, what they supported, what the charity was looking for and 

2) allowed individuals and companies to list what they were willing to donate and (if they'd like) select the charity or organization they would like to donate to. 

There are companies who are offering services to help make this happen, like Like Charity Connect in the UK. But what if your charity can't afford that type of support? What if there was something open source by area? 

This is an idea that I'd like to think about a little more. Does anyone know something like this out there? 

Louisiana Burn #30before31

One of my #30before31 challenges is to eat something I've never eaten before. So naturally, I decided to try Turtle Soup at Heaven on Seven, a restaurant with good old Louisiana fare, for a dinner with my cousin & her husband. 

Yes, that's turtle as in the green, slow-moving animal. No, it wasn't green. Or served in a turtle shell.

So what does turtle taste like, you ask? Chicken. But seriously the taste and texture of the turtle chunks were very similar to the consistency of chicken. The soup itself was very tomatoey and a bit oily. I'm not sure if the oil was from the turtle. But after one heaping spoonful, I was okay with not investigating any further.  

I can imagine to the vegetarian cousin-in-law at the table, this was harder to swallow than it was for me. 

Would it eat turtle again? Probably not. Am I glad I tried it? Not really. Would I do it again? Sure, why not try something that I haven't tried before. I mean, after all, #youneverknow what you might be missing out on. 

I'm Taking A Poll

Wine & peanuts for dinner twice in one week? Acceptable or not? 

#yesIam30

CIMA #30before31

Another one to check off the list: Go to an event where you know no one & leave with a contact.

So Thursday afternoon during my back-to-back meetings I got an email from a media rep that is supposed to come in next week for a lunch meeting asking if I s going to the CIMA party that night.

I had never even heard of the event so I quickly consulted Google. $260 for a ticket? Hell no, I thought but politely answered, no. And was promptly offered the ticket.

Should I go? I debated. I have to change & meet the rep & coworkers out for drinks... without knowing what they look like other than a LinkedIn photo. But why not? Worst case, I could leave early and cab it home.

Turns out, I made the right move. I got to meet the rep, got some potential freelance business, inserted my company into the Chicago advertising conversation, was wined & dined and actually ram into several coworkers, colleagues & friends at the event.

Moral of the story is, step out of your comfort zone because #youneverknow

Chicago 1: Megan 0

So Chicago won today. 

It all started when I was on my way to work (already late) and discovered I had forgotten my laptop bag. 

And ended with a trip to the Western Union because someone had wired me money there (don't ask). And after a 40 minute trek (that should have taken 23 according to Google Maps) I found out that their Western Union service was down. And then found out I could have gone ANYWHERE in the city that has a Western Union - I mean how would I know? 

BUT the lady at the desk directed me to a TravelEx that was still open AND right around the corner. So I rushed over to find out that they actually DON'T have a Western Union and by this time anyone who did Western Union would be closed. 

And then my phone died. 

Surprise, Mom! #30before31

Yikes, it's already been over a month since I turned 30 and I've only checked two things off of my #30before31 list and in progress on one more. I better start planning how the hell I'm going to pull everything off. 

One of my big check marks was the heartfelt surprise. A surprise memory book & birthday party for my mom's 60th to be exact. Something I never could have done living in Kansas City. 

I asked our family, neighbors, family friends (old & new, Mom's bunko friends, co-workers, etc. all to share a memory (photo or write-up) about how great my mom is so I could give it to her for her birthday. Then at the last minute decided to throw a low-key surprise party to give it to her & celebrate her 60th in coordination with her best friend. 

There was so much going on that I actually didn't really stress out that I didn't get a lot of response, but the party size was just right - 20 people - and she was certainly surprised! ;) Although apparently next time I'm supposed to tell my mom so she doesn't get her face stitched up 4 days before the party. [That's why there are no pictures of her. She doesn't want to highlight the bandaid on her nose]. Oh well. 

Lessons Learned in Chicago

Fact: don't wear a fitted skirt if you are walking to work in the winter... unless you want to end up wearing it like a backward-fitting tube top.