OMG! I was born to make a website like this! http://www.clevelandideas.com/

Its all about ideas to improve Cleveland. People suggest ideas and anyone, after registering, can join in.  Its an online brainstroming session creating great ideas.  I should make one about DC ideas or youth or something about which I care!

  

Several times I've said "If I could, I would be a professional problem solver."  Not like a consultant per se, but I would randomly offer my insight on problems and people would listen. Ok, maybe a consultant but not in a specific area like corporate bank mergers in North America but in something general, like life. 

My ideas so far...

• The idea for the metro cars with fewer seats? Nope.
  
• Putting more water fountains in schools? No-brainer.
  
• University staff who need to contact people? Mandatory email skills and yes, I would check during the interview, you'd send an email. Or maybe a follow-up test. I love 200 year old ladies as much as the next kid but NO more typewriters!
  
• Help people recycle - Reminders outside the grocery store telling people to bring their own bags. I know once I'm in the checkout line I don't want to go all the way back to my trunk for my bags and I'm certainly not buying new ones. As a result, another tree bites the dust.
  

And the list goes on...

What ideas would you post on a huge brainstorming list?

Melissa's Cool Site of the Week. 

So we made a big purchase this weekend of an air purifier to help me breathe more easily. We searched through a few websites and read through the popular reviews to see which product would work the best. Then, I stumbled upon wize.com.

[Enter Eureka moment here]

If you are thinking of buying something big like a new camera, hepa filter, fancy vacuum - whatever, check it out on wize.com and you can consolidate reviews from sources all over the internet. Take a look. Pretty fancy, huh?

So I was at the playground today with my nephews. Walking around. Policing. Dancing on the periphery of fun, as usual. Then the kids decided to go over to the swings. I situated them and pushed for a while until the younger one became bored. He left and there was a vacant seat, so I sat down.

The older one and I sat in silence until he asked how to get things moving. I told him he had to take his feet off the ground and pump his legs. Out and back. I demonstrated and began to climb higher. And higher. And higher. Soon I couldn't control the goofy smile on my face. I had forgotten how fun it is to swing.

He, too, became bored with the swing set and went to a different area of the park, but I stayed behind thinking about how swinging is a metaphor for life. You lift your feet and take off. Who knows how high you’ll go. Out. Back. Out. Back. So simple. Just pump your legs. Out. Back.

Why hadn’t I thought of this earlier?