Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ideas

Would you show me some great front porches?

davey_darling — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:30:25 -0800

I am looking for google street view links to neighbourhoods or streets that have nice front porches as design inspiration for an upcoming renovation. I am adding on to my house and part of the addition is a 8x20 front porch across the front of the house.

I have the basic design down and I'm now looking for some styling tips.

My porch will look something like these: 1, 2, 3.

More specifically the porch will have windows across the entire front with the entry door on the side. The gable end of the roof will be facing the street and tying into the roof "face" of the existing one story house. This is not an open "veranda" style porch but an enclosed, insulated room.

Here is where you come in. Does your town have a street with particularly nice front porches? Do you know of a street anywhere with nice porches?

I'm looking for google street view links of houses with nice or interesting looking front porches. I want my house and new porch to look "old" and blend in with the street as it is currently. My house is the red one in this streetview if you want to see what the surrounding area looks like.

Down the drain

corn_bread — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:34:49 -0800

For 6 weeks, due to a broken septic tank, we have been unable to put any water at all down our drains. This has involved driving to the gas station/grocery store/town park/etc every time we had to go to the bathroom. It has meant keeping buckets in all of our sinks for tooth brushing/dish washing/etc that we have to empty in our driveway whenever they fill up. It has meant either showering at the pool or, if in a rush, stopping up the drain in the bath tub and showering before work and then bucketing out the water when returning home. It has basically been like living in a 250k tent with climate control and real beds. On Monday (purportedly) it will finally be fixed. We want to have a big, water-usage themed party (sorry, environment) to celebrate this miraculous victory. Please help with suggestions. Some ideas for the party so far: slip & slide, alcohol shot ice block luge, spicy food that makes you shit a lot (we're thinking of having Taco Bell cater). We would love more ideas, because we want to make this EPIC.

I sew and I translate. What do I call my business(es)?

ClarissaWAM — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:33:27 -0800

So I finally want to get a name / logo / site for my little side business(es). I do (German-English) translation, localisation and copywriting on the one hand, and I sew colourful accessories on the other. Unfortunately I can't even get past the "what do I call this thing?" hurdle. Can I even have just one name? So I'd like to have one site/name for both, but they seem almost antithetical - for translation I have to be reliable, accurate and so on, whereas my sewing is whimsical, cute and a bit out there (if you want an idea of the stuff I make, check out my Tumblr which is linked from my profile). The only "common denominator" I've found is that they're both "tailor-made". Kinda. Pen, thread, needle, craft, words... I'm so stuck! Any ideas welcome!

Or is it just a very bad idea to mix two completely unrelated businesses? What speaks for/against it? The idea was to use subdomains, words.name.com and sew.name.com or whatever. I realise it may be a lost cause, but the more domains I have to maintain (I'd like to have a blog), the less likely it is they'll be updated. Plus business cards become more cluttered. Coherence is good. Right? I don't know anymore.

PS. I'd love to be little-rainbow... something or other. Not very translatey unfortunately. Oh, and I want to avoid using my name for various reasons.

Creative puzzle gift box contents?

blnkfrnk — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:25:24 -0800

I have a puzzle box...a little box with a puzzle you must solve in order to open it. The opening inside is a cylinder about 2.5" in diameter by 3" in length, so, big enough for a standard plastic gift card if you bend it a little. I want to give a gift that is more interesting than a gift card, so I need your ideas! I'll entertain any budget, age/interest level, and genre. Ideally, I would like a website or something where the recipient could solve another puzzle or have their prize revealed in a fun way. Even a gift card with and interactive/experiential use would be good.

Honesty is the best policy... except when it's not

dinosaurprincess — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:34:33 -0800

Manpulationfilter: how do I subtly get other people (or myself) to 'come up' with or believe in ideas? In other words how does one perform Christopher Nolan style inception IRL? Hey askmefi,

This sounds super stealthy and manipulative I know (and it probably could be), and I'm not asking with a specific purpose in mind but I was just wondering if you had ever done this, and if so... How? I know this is super broad, and partly a question about persuasion, but I am really curious and if refined Ithink that this could totally be an interesting super power! Let me know!

Or alternatively how could you raise suggestions up while sidestepping the defence mechanisms of the other person which usually causes them to say 'no'? I have seen virtually two people raise the same suggestion to the same audience with completely opposite results but I can't quite put my finger on why, and as a procrastinating daydreamer urgently need to have answers!

E.g. of scenarios where you want to persuade/incept someone off the top of my head:
school
-you wish your teacher would decide to go on a field trip which is kind of relevant to your course or to play a documentary/movie that you want to watch anyway
-you want your teacher to consider nominating your friend for a scholarship or a role in a play

romantic
-you want your friend to stop liking/notice the bad parts of someone who you had a crush on first
-you want a love interest to start seeing you in a different context (either from romantic to non-romantic, or vice versa)

friendships
-you want your friend to ask you to encourage you to join his football group
-you want your friend to introduce you to someone she knows
-you want your friend to feel more confident and stop obsessing about her hair or body shape

workplace
-you are at a job interview and want your interviewers to think that you would be a good asset to the team
-you want your boss to move you to a different team because there is someone on your team you work really badly with

self-inception
-you want to trick yourself into internalising something you know is true on a rational level but nonetheless find hard to put into practise (or self-limiting beliefs)

TL;DR how do I incept/persuade people with ideas?

Explanations of your favorite deep and meaningful ideas

the brave tetra-pak — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:31:35 -0800

I still remember vividly the moment that I got the idea of entropy in information theory; I spent weeks seeing the world in those terms, and playing out the implications (as I understood them). Likewise Nietzschean "eternal recurrence" -- not just as a hypothesis about things repeating on a cosmic scale, but to see if the world and history can be taken as a choice, as something we can affirm. What are your favorite deep, rich, meaningful concepts to think with? (They don't need to be scientifically accurate, necessarily, or something you personally believe -- just things that offer the pleasure of understanding, for you.) Links to explanatory resources, or explanations in the comments welcome, or just names and starting points. A few others that fill this space for me: the habitus in sociology, Stewart Brand's "shearing layers," the "distribution of the sensible," Hofstadter's "strange loops" ...

Oh no you didn't

lasamana — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:43:59 -0800

Recently in a social situation I was asked my thoughts on a budgeting item and I gave it along with a solution that I had given thought to and was planning on presenting to the budget chair. (We work in different departments but run things past each other on occasion). One of the people at the gathering was a woman with political ambitions for our small town. A few days later she wrote a letter to the editor that gave my exact idea. What would you do? On the plus side it was very well received, OTH it was mine. I realize I should have said nothing and it was my mistake. I figure people that were there would know it wasn't hers and hopefully someone will point that out. Can I address it or should I leave it?

Tips and Tricks for playing concerts?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:08:12 -0800

I have a big important concert that I'm playing coming up sort of soon. I'm not even sure what to ask... but here goes. I have a big important concert that I'm playing coming up sort of soon. I'm not even sure what to ask... but here goes - what happens during soundcheck? Between soundcheck and playing, especially when it's hours between? Do places ever let you go over your allotted time slot if you are the headliner? Is there anything I should do with regard to the venue management or anything? What's the best practice for selling things like CDs and posters outside after the show? What's an acceptable price per song for a demo EP? What about bracelets? 8x11 posters? How can I put on the best show (I have things down musically) possible, sell things outside the best possible, make the best impression on the crowd and the venue? What should I bring that I might forget - capos, cords, wires, water, picks, what else? As my last question, what's the best way to attempt to get good video and audio of this show on one singular device - i.e. no boom mics will be happening. Like camera, videocamera, iSomething. Help please? Thank you much.

What's a good second sewing project?

mireille — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 10:12:33 -0800

So I finished the apron! What should I sew next to really improve my fledgling skills? I learned a lot from the apron project* (and your tips/answers in my previous question), but now I'm trying to figure out what type of project I should go for next.

Should it be quilting? Working with jersey and knits and making a dress/skirt/shirt or something else? Attempt a zipper, or is it too soon for that? What really lends itself to a "second project" kind of learning curve?

If it's clothing, it'd be nice if it could be simple (I like BurdaStyle type ideas-- clean lines with some detail or asymmetry that makes it unique). My only problem is that my second-hand machine is missing the buttonhole foot, so unless there's another way to make them, functional buttons are out.

*There are pics of the finished apron in my update at the bottom of the first question linked above if you'd like to see what I made for my first project and how it turned out!

Practical yet Attractive Uses for narrow-necked glass bottles?

The Whelk — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 13:43:10 -0800

I have a few old glass bottles which I've cleaned, de-labeled, and given airtight cork tops. They're attractive bottles, about 750ml each with narrow tops, and I'd like a practical way to show them off ideally in the kitchen. I already used one to infuse olive oil and other to hold my dried dried beans rather than leaving them tied up in the pantry. What else can do with them?

Hosting a Chappy Chanukka Party

anya32 — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:49:21 -0800

[Chappy Chanukkah party]: Lots of latkes. Now I need help with music and games. We're throwing a chanukkah gathering for our friends. We're making latkes and our friends are pot lucking the rest of the food. We will have 10-12 adults and 4-5 kids, all under 5. Thoughts for fun games for kids? A fun (not cheesy) soundtrack? Special treats to have around? (We already have gelt and colorful dreidels to play with). Decorations?

Thanks!

Help our Thanksgiving trip not be a turkey.

rabbitrabbit — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 09:41:31 -0800

Portland-area getaway, Thanksgiving weekend, mountains or coast. With dog and toddler. Help? We are thinking of skipping Thanksgiving this year in favor of a mini-vacation either at the Oregon Coast or up in the mountains. Slight preference for the mountains, since we've been there a lot less than we've been to the coast, but either would be good.

Difficulty: elderly dog (so pet-friendly, no stairs, and easy to get outside to go potty), 23-month-old (so we would prefer a suite, where we can put him down and close the door and have some adult time), and Thanksgiving weekend (so there will need to be nearby restaurants open on Thanksgiving, or our suite will need a kitchen so we can cook). Also, relatively short notice. Is this good or bad, considering it's Thanksgiving weekend? I do not even know.

Prefer to pay $150 or less per night. Ideally, we'd like a cabin or something "special" like that, but I know that's not likely.

I hate researching and booking accommodations almost more than I hate anything else in the world, and this is not something priceline is good at. Any ideas?

Gift in LA

Carravanquelo — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:19:05 -0800

Friends (couple and their gorgeous 2-year-old) are moving from the UK to LA (via NYC for a month or two). Do you have any fabulous gift ideas? I don't want to get them a physical thing to lug around so maybe a pre-paid something, or an experience - something I could buy online and give them a printout tomorrow would be perfect. Thanks!

What are some unique examples of projects or organizations that are helping grow and improve your local art or music scene?

stokast — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 05:19:21 -0800

What are some unique examples of projects or organizations that are helping grow and improve your local art or music scene? I'm the editor of a local alternative magazine here in Newfoundland, Canada where every year we publish a feature that brainstorms around a particular subject. This year we're focusing ways to improve or grow the local art and music scene. Do you MeFites have any suggestions for inspiring things happening in other places we should take a look at?

Things like... 826 Valencia ... Joe's Mill Musical Instrument Library ... The RPM Challenge (which is popular here!) ...

We ain't got no budget!

Seiten Taisei — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:39:42 -0800

CHALLENGE TIME! You are lent some expensive, professional grade video equipment for 18 hours and told that you may use it as you see fit in the time you have. Assuming little to no preparation beforehand, what do you do and/or film with it? Ideally you'd like the owner (or anyone else who sees your work) to be mildly impressed, knowing that you have no actual solo film making experience whatsoever. Yes, this is about something that just happened to me. I have been asked to hang on to the following: Sony HVR video camera, Microphone, Radio Mic, and Tripod until tomorrow afternoon* when I meet the lender again to assist them with a project they are working on with important people. Lender totally trusts me and said I was free to make use of the equipment if I wished to do so. I'd like to make full use of this opportunity so that in future I might be allowed to hang on to equipment for, say, a weekend or more. Problem is, It's been a long and hectic week and my brain is shot. I am creatively burnt out and have no idea what to make in such a short time that would be worth showing anybody else. That's where you guys help me out. I'd like any ideas you can throw my way.

Additional facts:

I have used the equipment before, so I know how it all fits together and whatnot.

Also, I have a copy of Final Cut Pro X on this computer with which I am fairly proficient and feel confident I can cut together something nice and professional looking given decent footage.

Finally, I am currently staying in the DTES of Vancouver and own no mode of transport apart from my feet. I have $50 in pocket I can blow on this if necessary.

*If you are reading this after the deadline, feel free to post any ideas you have. I could always use some no budget/no crew film ideas.

I have no idea what I am doing.

~Bert — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 16:25:10 -0800

I am looking for costume ideas which include a horse head mask? The mask

On an impulse I purchased a horse-head mask during the summer and wore it around for a laugh. Now I could use a hand to think of costumes that could incorporate it for Halloween? I'm at a loss but want an excuse to wear it again!

Things I've thought of were dressing it up with a suit just because, or perhaps in going in drag and calling myself Sarah Jessica Parker... As per the quality of my humor.

Wiggle wiggle wiggle, yeah!

youngergirl44 — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:26:04 -0800

I need costume suggestions for an LMFAO themed Halloween party. I need ideas for both me (female) and my boyfriend, although I suspect his costume will be easier since LMFAO is a couple of guys. So far I've got neon colors and animal prints, but have no idea what to do with that (except painting my nails different, bright colors). I'm ok with bearing *some* skin, like maybe a little cleavage, but would prefer to keep my costume pretty comfy. And what to do with my hair (long, straight, brown)? I have no clue.

The party is on 10/27, so I've got some time to shop - online or retail stores are both ok. I'm fine with buying stuff that I'll never wear again if it's cheap enough. Hope me?

What To Get The Vaishnava Who Has Everything?

howgenerica — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 00:23:28 -0800

My boyfriend is a very spiritual devotee of Krishna (via ISKCON). Before we were dating he lived in an Ashram for a while, and has been involved with the temple since he was in early high school. I'm happily Jewish, and not personally disposed toward that sort of devotion, and I think sometimes my inability to understand comes off as skeptical or disapproving. His birthday is coming up in about a week, and I'd like to get him something, or do something for him that will demonstrate a commitment to his spirituality - or at least something that shows I'm trying. I'd love your suggestions. More details beyond the fold. I was thinking I could get a first ed. of one of Srila Prabhupada's books or something, but they were all published so recently that it doesn't seem too special or personal. I don't want to get him anything that should be worshipped, because that seems presumptuous. I can't afford a trip to India, and he already lives in New York. Ideas??

I need more information about advocating for myself in the American Health Care system

bilabial — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 19:05:06 -0800

So this was me commenting a bit ago about how some views toward health care actually damage the lives of real people. And now I need advice, because the situation has grown so far out of my control and I think I’ll go out of my mind with worry. Short version, I'm recently unemployed, uninsured and I have a mass on my left ovary the radiologist report suggests is a tumor in need of biopsy. The pain is a constant 5-6 based on this scale, with spikes up to an 8 that are brief or hours long. I've fallen between the cracks of the healthcare system and my boyfriend can no longer cope and has dumped me as of last night. I've listed the options I'm considering, as well as the things with which I'll need assistance for each option. My questions: 1. How/where else should I look for assistance? 2. Have I missed anything I should consider?

I have at the absolute minimum, one month to wait until I get a referral to a gynecologist through the county. On Monday this week I was told that my normal pap smear meant I could not be referred because there was no need, and there was no record in my chart of my wanting a referral. I asked the nurse when did pap smears start finding ovarian pathology? And cried. She asked who told me I have a tumor. I told her that my MRI and ultrasound reports are in my chart. A few hours later she called back to tell me very excitedly that the doctor has started the referral process, but it will take some time. Hoping that I could pick it up the next day, “I asked how long is some time?” A month, maybe a month and a half. Nothing can be done to make it happen faster, because the referral is being done by the county, not by the clinic. My trust in this system is almost irreparably broken by several other mis-statements at every level, from scheduling to billing to nurses and the Nurse Practitioner who delayed my referral.

My boyfriend talked me into making an appointment with a gynecologist acquainted with a friend of his. He’d convinced me to do this a month ago, but only sent me the contact information Monday, despite several reminders, and pleas. Thanks to some name dropping they squeezed me in for next Monday. The first visit will cost $230 plus any labs or further ultrasound. I had been calling other gynecologists whose offices declined to accept a “self pay” patient with a known tumor and no insurance of any kind.

Yesterday my boyfriend dumped me. He said that I have “a lot of projects going on that he doesn’t need to be involved in.” Yes. I suppose finding a job and getting health care is a lot of projects. My name is on the lease, but we just got a roommate to help defray the costs of my uncertain situation. He had talked to his parents on Monday and they told him that I seem lost and all of his help is doing me “a disservice.” My name is on the lease, however I am sleeping on the couch until I can find another place. They also expressed that he "doesn't need to be taking care of someone else while he is in Medical School." And he agrees with them.

Several mefites have reached out to me to offer help and to suggest some courses of action. These are the two that I think makes the most sense:

Crowd source funds to get pre-existing coverage insurance. This will take a few weeks and have a deductible, likely pretty high. [worst case is $235 per month for a maximum of $7,000 catastrophic maximum excess.] Find a surgeon who accepts that insurance and can make a payment plan for the remainder if necessary. Get surgery while living with my ex-boyfriend, then find a job and then get an apartment. If the ovary is not invaded by the tumor/has no other pathology (isn’t twisted), it might be spared and I can keep the pair. This is not a priority for me, but several people have mentioned that staying in this system allows that. Hope to not need chemo or radiation.

Option 2: crowd source funds to go to another country with less expensive health care. A couple of mefite friends I met are medics in another country and have invited me to visit them. With their help, the kind of pain and my history I would be operated on within a week and just have to pay hospital charges much lower than here. The ovary would likely not be saved. I do not hold a current passport, so I would need to get one. [worst case scenario about $7,000 to be cared for by people who...uh...care]

Either way, a friend has requested that I go help with her baby for a few weeks on the East Coast. She’s a stay at home mom and the baby is sick. They can’t pay me to help, but they can feed and house me for a few weeks. This is appealing because sleeping on a sofa and interacting with the guy who just dumped me is going to get old. Also, I love this friend and her husband and their toddler. We would all be helped immensely by this. If possible, crowdsourcing of frequent flyer miles to accomplish that trip? Are there websites for that?

Staying here in Orlando gives me little to do but beat the job search path (knowing as I do that I need abdominal surgery) and mope around the apartment. I volunteer teaching adults literacy and I go to a knitting group one night a week. I don’t own a car, so I have been pretty isolated here.

So now that I’ve outlined what I need to do, I need help mapping out the logistics:

What are the best crowdsourcing websites for fundraising? I have heard of Chipin and...some others. Pros and Cons of them? How to encourage people who want to give but want more control over where the money goes? Amazon wishlist? Something else?

Part of my health problem is that I’m having a cognitive decline. I have trouble integrating information. This question has been in process since I asked my last question (I asked it to give myself time to formulate this without being hasty.) We don’t know if this is because of the tumor or something else (well, some think it may be the tumor/hormones, others think maybe it’s lupus or RA. I wish I were kidding.)

I need help comparing PCIP insurance plans. Who can I contact for that?

Things I have done/tried:

Enrolling in medical trials. My joblessness/no insurance status makes me a poor candidate, because trials have costs involved. The screener stopped there.

Social workers at local hospitals: they referred me to Medicaid and the county program. Florida would qualify me for Medicaid if I had a disability or a baby or were pregnant.

Gone to the emergency room in excruciating pain. They did an ultrasound, decided the ovary was not twisted and gave me Percocet and a prescription for tramadol. This was the public ER that is required to provide the most care of all the ones local. While I understand that in other countries/other situations this would result in at least someone taking a look inside, I was given an ultrasound and sent on my way when the results of that showed probably not twisted. That level of pain returns near daily, but I fear being labeled as a drug seeker in the health care system. Also, the bills.

Finding a job with health insurance. Finding any job has been very difficult, health insurance even more so. I have been reminded that small business insurance costs go up dramatically with cancer treatment. I am not interested in having a small business feel like I screwed them over. It does look like this is just going to be surgery and done, but there is a small chance that this is very bad news.

Looked into starting a non-profit or charity to make donations from my larger social network more appealing. However, a kind Mefite has found this in the tax code (and I'm quoting the IRS here): "must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes...and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual."

While I have a pretty long history on Metafilter and there are mefites who know me in person, I’m supremely conscious of the difficulties in the past so feel free to ask questions.

HiveMind, is there something I’m missing?

What are your best 20-minutes-or-less recipe ideas?

po822000 — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:47:42 -0800

I need quick, healthy dinner options for a family of three (some restrictions apply). So, my wonderful wife is the one who usually cooks dinner, since she gets home a few hours before me. But lately she's been unable to cook because in addition to having to wrangle our rambunctious 3-year-old solo until I get home, she's dealing with the two-headed monster of pregnancy and a Crohn's Disease flare-up.

So, we go grocery shopping once a week and have meals all planned out, only to get to the evening and my wife is (understandably) way too wiped to handle the cooking duties. This leads to me picking up dinner on the way home, which isn't helpful to the wallet or waistline.

That aside, I need quick dinner ideas that can be put together in 20 minutes or less.

The restrictions: we've got a seafood allergy in the family, and because of my wife's CD, dinner salads (and large amounts of roughage in general) are a non-starter. Otherwise, we're open to your ideas (our three-year-old is the antithesis of a picky eater). Ideally would like it to be light on the starches as well.

We have a Crock Pot. I'm not opposed to making one or two meals on a Sunday afternoon for later in the week if they heat up well, either. Prior to having kids, cooking used to be a passion of mine, so I'm no slouch when it comes to executing against a recipe. I just want to be able to feed my family something healthy and tasty within 20 minutes of my walking in the door.

Thanks MeFites.

Name my new company please?

PardonMyFrench — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 08:56:56 -0800

Help me name my new service! I'm opening a consulting service specialised in improving listings for bed&breakfast websites like airbnb, home away from home, 9flats etc... and I'm struggling to chose a name. Tell me what you think? The service is pretty straightforward, we will offer copywriting, translation, and photography services ( and other services as well but they all have the same goal/effect ) in order to improve listings for bed&breaksfast / vacation rentals type of websites. The goal being of course to generate more interests/bookings for the home owners who will use our service. It is geared towards home owners who are not necessarily very computer savvy and could use professional help to make their listing attractive and professional looking.

We're a team of various specialists and experts including writer, graphic designer, photographer, interior designer, search engine optimisation experts, and hotel and bed&breakfast managers, so we pool all kinds of specific knowledge together.

(We'll be starting out in countries were english is not the main language, but eventually went to have it globally accessible/marketed)

We want to give off a dynamic, efficient vibe, but also underline the fact that we're experts in our field.

Here are some ideas we've had so far, but i was wondering which ones Metafilter prefers, and which ones are terrible... and feel free to suggest other ideas as well of course :-)

BookingsBoosters ( sounds a bit ghosts busters to me )
The Bookingists (as in, scientists in the field of bookings...)

Bookings Genius

Bookings Experts

Bookings Doctors

BBOOST or B.BOOST ( from Bookings Boost )

Thanks for your input!

Helloooooo Canada!

xicana63 — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 17:20:53 -0800

Two single girls driving up to Toronto from Indianapolis for a 4 day weekend.. what should we do and other questions! Hi there two 24 year girls are driving up to Toronto from Indianapolis Th evening to Monday. A few quick questions

- Is crossing the border in my car easy? Or will are vehicle fees huge? (We're Americans, and the car is under my dad's name)
- Where should we stay? At least what neighborhood? We are looking to spend less than $100 a night but would like to stay some place near downtown (if that's where the awesome stuff is)
- Best place to party Fri/Sat night?
- Your fav attractions?
- Is there anything truly awesome to see on the way up there? Something we MUST stop and see?
- Should I just exchange currency here at the airport or wait til we get there?

Just a few things we love :
- hookah bars
- art museums
- walking tours
- any tours
- open air markets
- soccer
- bar crawls
- brewery / tasting rooms
- cultural neighborhoods
- paths to go for a run / exercise
- shopping
- local flare
- nightlife
- Korean bathhouses

I've already done some research .. but am super excited what you guys suggest! Thanks in advance?

Cute outfit ideas when wearing athletic running shoes in summer

seekingsimplicity — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:53:27 -0800

Please help me figure out cute outfits when wearing athletic running shoes all day in the summer. I have to wear these for my severe flat/ pronating feet and cannot wear sandals in the summer but still want to look cute and sporty. I am a healthy middle aged woman who travels a lot, walks a lot, lives in a small town and generally has a casual lifestyle. (I would not wear them out to dinner--don't worry) just errands, housework,yard work,family bbqs) I don't need help figuring out my fall and winter outfits because sturdy cute boots are my lifesaver but since in summer I cannot wear sandals I need help with cute sneaker outfits. Please don't suggest Converse or other "fashion" sneakers because they are not sufficient. (i tried!). thanks so much for your help!

Conceptual Cosplay

divabat — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 02:00:43 -0800

I love really clever & well-done conceptual cosplay, such as Disney Princess superheros or genderbent Justice League. What others are there? (They don't have to be tied to a specific fandom; just a real-life costume of a conceptual or non-anthro idea that is done well)

Gift ideas for someone moving to Chicago

GuppieXX — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:06:52 -0800

One of my best friends is moving to Chicago at the end of September, got any gift ideas? I found this question asked about 5 years ago (http://ask.metafilter.com/73132/Big-sister-filter-Tips-for-little-sister-moving-to-Chicago) and it certainly has some good ideas. But 5 years is a long time for ideas to change, new places to open, old places to close, etc. Any suggestions?

My friend is 30 years old, currently in a relationship, but I don't know if he is relocating with her or not, so both single and couple ideas are welcome. She is moving from Pittsburgh, so cold-weather clothing/ideas aren't quite as necessary. Thanks everyone.