Table Topics – Colors of Life

In Toastmasters, our goal is to become better speakers. While prepared speeches are great, being able to speak briefly about a subject on the spur of the moment is also important. That is why we have a segment in our meetings called Table Topics and the person who presents the topics is called the Table Topics Master.

I am once again the Table Topics Master for our next club meeting and the theme of our meeting is “Colors of Life”. This table topics idea is inspired by my kids, who were constantly coming up to me when they were little with drawings they had made, hoping I could decipher exactly what they’d drawn. Sometimes I was better at this game than others. I decided it might be fun to have my fellow Toastmasters have a go at deciphering random colorful kid drawings.

I typed “colorful kids drawings” into a search engine and downloaded my favorite images. I then added one per page to power point slides. The whole process took about 15 minutes. There isn’t much else going on at our meeting tonight, so Table Topics will need to fill a large amount of time. I selected 16 images so we have quite a selection to work with. Each Table Topics speaker will be presented with an image and have to create a 1-3 minute story about the image.

This is a great Table Topics idea to use for online meetings as well as in-person with a projector available. Feel free to use this idea to create your own selection of artwork for interpretation. It doesn’t have to be only kids’ drawings. You can use themed art, ink blots, tie dye, photography, or anything else that leaves room for interpretation.

Here are links to my presentation, in multiple formats, in case you are in need of a quick creative Table Topics presentation that is suitable for any time of the year and don’t have the time to create your own.

Colors of Life  – Google Slides

Colors Of Life – Power Point

Colors of Life – PDF

Follow this link for more information about Singing Sands Toastmasters Club in Michigan City, IN   https://7269291.toastmastersclubs.org/

Raw Food Challenge: A Sweet Treat

It’s day 3 of our 2 week raw food challenge and I am desperately missing a few things… mainly sugar, carbs, and coffee. This morning I decided to try a raw “hot” chocolate recipe to see if I can curb those cravings a bit. Turns out it worked pretty well. I had a single cup and my tummy and taste buds were instantly happy. You can find the recipe here: Raw Vegan Hot Chocolate

There’s one important thing to note about the preparation of the lukewarm chocolatey drink… you need a high speed blender. A standard kitchen blender isn’t going to cut it for this one. The high speed blender will do 2 things. It will break up the cashews enough so that you don’t have a bunch of chunks floating around in your drink. It will also warm the drink just slightly. While I would love to have a Vitamix, it’s just not in the budget at the moment, so I use my Instant Pot Ace. It worked like a champ on this recipe and so far has done everything a more expensive blender can do.

As for the energy I usually get from my morning coffee, I’ve been taking Goli ACV Gummies for about a week now and notice that my energy level jumps for several hours after each 2 gummy snack. I call it a snack because they really do taste like candy. There is a B-12 boost in them and I think that is responsible for the added energy in my day. I usually take 2 gummies 3 times per day, so I suggest getting a couple bottles at a time because they take a while to ship. If you want to use my link, you can get 5% off every time you order. Just make sure to click through from here to get the discount: Goli Gummies.

Having said all that, I do still have a mild headache from the caffeine withdrawal but as it’s already day 3, I expect that will go away pretty soon. It’s dull enough that I don’t need to take anything for it, it’s just mildly annoying.

Otherwise the raw food challenge is going well. I’m not feeling hungry at all, especially after the huge salad we ate last night, and my mood seems to be fine. I have been gentle on myself and added in a short afternoon nap to my daily routine, at least for the first week. We’ll see if I need it as we move towards week 2.

Scallops and Fennel, served over gluten-free pasta

I’m trying to find new ways to eat fennel and this was one attempt.

I referenced a lot of recipes before cooking, to get an idea of what flavors might compliment the main ingredients, but most recipes I found wanted me to add wine and butter. I really do love to use wine and butter when cooking, they add a great flavor to dished like this. When I start my new way of eating, however, I won’t be able to have the wine or the butter, so I don’t want to be adding new recipes into my arsenal that include those ingredients.

I’m a little concerned about the lime juice I used, and it might have to go eventually too, but it really brightens the flavor of the fennel. As a trial run, I wanted to have the pasta to bulk up the meal a bit; and because we have tons of it in the pantry that needs to be used up. Obviously, I won’t be able to serve it over any kind of pasta going forward, but it holds up well enough to be eaten on it’s own.

INGREDIENTS: 2lb. bag frozen wild-caight scallops, 1 box gluten-free pasta, 2 bulbs of fennel, olive oil, lime juice, ground coriander, salt and pepper.

1. Rinse the scallops and dry them thoroughly.
2. Slice the fennel bulbs thinly on a slight angle. I also sliced the stems into rounds for snacking on raw and separated the leaves for garnishing. Chop some of the fennel leaves and set aside for garnishing this dish. I ended up with a LOT of chopped fennel, but it does cook down nicely.
3. Start a pot of water boiling for the pasta. Add the pasta when the water is boiling and cook according to package directions.
4. Using a medium sized skillet over medium heat, sauté the scallops in a little olive oil and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Remove the cooked scallops from the skillet. NOTE: Do not overcook the scallops. Look for them to be opaque white and just slightly browning on one side.
5. To the same skillet, add the sliced fennel bulb, ground corriander (about 1/4 tsp), salt and pepper. Add about 1/4-1/2 tsp of lime juice and sauté until soft and translucent. Add water as needed if the fennel sticks to the pan.
6. To serve, place a serving of pasta on the plate, top with a spoonful of the fennel and a spoonful of scallops. Sprinkle chopped fresh fennel leaves over the top for garnish.

REVIEW: This turned out to be quite delicious.  The taste of the fennel blends very nicely with the scallops without overpowering them. Definitely look for wild-caught sea scallops because they have a more intense flavor. They will be a bit pricier, but all scallops are pricey and the difference will be worth it. Make sure not to overcook the scallops. I only cooked these for a few minutes and they were perfectly done; any more cooking would have made them tough. Be generous with the fresh fennel garnish… the fresh fennel has a different flavor than the cooked and they blend together very nicely.

Table Topics for Fall

In Toastmasters, our goal is to become better speakers. While prepared speeches are great, being able to speak briefly about a subject on the spur of the moment is also important. That is why we have a segment in our meetings called Table Topics and the person who presents the topics is called the Table Topics Master.

I am the Table Topics Master for our next club meeting and the theme of our meeting is Fall. I got a package of inexpensive leaves from the local craft store and wrote topics (see below for the list) on them. Volunteers will pick a leaf, read what is written on the leaf, and then have 1-2 minutes to give their thoughts on the subject.

Here are the questions I used. You can certainly change them up to suit your needs.

• Fall has recently become filled with pumpkin spice everything. In the past, it was apple pie spiced everything. What flavor (or scent) reminds you of fall?
• Describe the perfect fall day. Use as much detail as possible, engaging all 5 senses, so we can really imagine it.
• Fall is the time of year that the new TV show line-ups begin. If you could live in any television show, which would you choose?
• In the fall, we reap the rewards of our spring harvest. Speaking metaphorically, what is one goal you “planted” this spring that you have enjoyed “harvesting” this fall?
• Many species of bird migrate south, away from our area, in the fall. If you could migrate somewhere else this fall, where would it be?
• Fall is a popular time of year to watch horror movies. If you found yourself in a horror movie, what strategies would you use to survive?
• The leaves are beautiful when they change color. Tell us about an time when you especially enjoyed experiencing this annual fall spectacle or where you would like to go see it this year.
• October 2 is both Charlie Brown and Snoopy’s birthday. Who is your favorite Peanuts character and why?
• October is Stamp Collecting Month. Who or what do you think should appear on a US stamp and why?
• There are a lot of yummy fall foods and treats… pies, hot cocoa, caramel apples, etc. What is your favorite food, that is traditionally eaten in the fall?
• October is Dinosaur Month and a great time to watch Jurrasic Park movies. What is your favorite type of dinosaur and what do you think life would be like if they were still around today?
• There’s a lot of orange around at this time of year. What are your 3 favorite orange items?
• October is National Popcorn Month. What toppings or other foods do you put on or in your popcorn to make it the best snack?
• Pumpkin farms, corn mazes, haunted houses… there are lots of fun things to do in the fall. What was your favorite fall tradition as a child? If you didn’t have fall traditions as a child, what fall tradition would you like to start as an adult?
• If you could help harvest any fruit or vegetable in the fall and get as much as you want in return for your help, what would you help harvest?
• Fall is a popular time of the year for camping. If you were to go camping this fall, would you rather rustic camp in a tent or “glamp” in an RV?
• The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta takes place the first week in October every year, with 600 colorful balloons taking to the air. If you could design a hot air balloon for the fiesta, what would it look like?
• In our area, we have a lot of tourists making some of our favorite spots crowded in the summer. What is your favorite thing to do in the fall, when the summer crowds are gone, that you tend to avoid when they are here?

Follow the link for more information about Singing Sands Toastmasters Club in Michigan City, IN   https://7269291.toastmastersclubs.org/

What Do I Do With This? Jicama Edition

Jicama is a veggie I’ve eaten quite a few times before, but have really never thought to buy. I often see it on veggie trays and I know it tastes good raw with ranch dip. Unfortunately, I’m not supposed to be eating ranch dip, so I figured it would be good to investigate what else could be done with this unique veggie.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Only the inside of the root is edible, so don’t eat the SKIN, stem, leaves, pods or seeds as they are toxic!

HEALTH BENEFITS: Jicama is known to have high levels of potassium, so it would be a good replacement for bananas to help my fiancé with his leg cramps. It is also supposed to be good for bone health, which I think is a very important consideration on a restricted diet. A concern for me is that it is very starchy and has a higher concentration of natural sugar than other vegetables. While it can probably still act as an occasional snack, I will need to do some further investigation first.

CARBS: 1 cup of sliced jicama has 11 grams of carbs

TASTE: Jicama tastes to me like what you would expect if you crossed an apple with a raw potato. I’ve only ever tasted it raw, so I’m not sure what it’s flavor would be like cooked. 

SELECTION TIPS:  They should be firm and not have blemishes.

COST: I paid $1.61 for the fist-sized jicama (pictured above) at Meijer (September 2019). Jicama is priced by weight, not by piece, and is currently $1.99/lb.

STORAGE NOTE: Keep in a cool, dry place. Fridge is ok, but only if you are able to keep it dry.

THE ADVICE: I decided to start by asking others in some of the Facebook recipe groups I’m in what they suggest I do with it. Here’s all the advice:

• Raw – always peel fully first as the skin is toxic
  • Sprinkle with chili powder, lime juice, and salt
  • Great with avocado
  • Coleslaw
• Cut and prep like french fries or potato chips – always peel fully first as the skin is toxic
• Use in place of apples in cooked recipes – always peel fully first as the skin is toxic
• Roasted – always peel fully first as the skin is toxic
  • Roasted Jicama with Green Beans
• Sauté – always peel fully first as the skin is toxic
  • Jicama Hash
  • Jicama Chicken

WHAT I’VE TRIED: I haven’t tried anything yet, but will update here as I do

 

What Do I Do With This? Fennel Edition

If you followed my 60-Day juice fast, you probably noticed I used fennel a lot while juicing. However, I haven’t cooked with it much before. I know it has quite a few health benefits and a unique flavor, so I’d like to incorporate it into my diet more. I know it pairs well with tropical fruits, such as pineapple, in juice, so I imagine it would be good with savory tropical flavors as well, like salmon or other ocean seafood.

HEALTH BENEFITS: Fennel is supposed to be good for congestion and stimulating the appetite. Although I definitely don’t need help in the wanting-to-eat-more department, I’m hoping the lung benefits will kick in and help in curing the COPD. Fennel also has a high content of vitamin C, so it would probably good for me to eat with steak (instead of fruit) to help my body absorb the iron in the red meat. It contains potassium, which might help my fiancé with his leg cramps when he isn’t eating a banana every day.

CARBS: 1 cup of sliced fennel has 6 grams of carbs

TASTE: Fennel has a mild flavor of black licorice.

SELECTION TIPS:  look for a nice, firm white bulb with some wispy leaves attached to the stems. Note that fennel is often also called anise in the produce department.

COST: I paid $1.49 for the single bulb (pictured above) at Meijer (September 2019). At this time is is priced by the bulb, not the weight.

THE ADVICE: I decided to start by asking others in some of the Facebook recipe groups I’m in what they suggest I do with it. Here’s all the advice:

• Add fresh fennel to this Fennel Chicken recipe – I have made this recipe twice without the added fennel and we love it, so this is at the top of my to-try list!
• Create a dish with fennel and sea scallops, perhaps over pasta.
  • Seared Scallops with Braised Fennel
• Raw
  • Add cubes or matchsticks to salads
• Steam
• Roast
• Saute
• Leaves only
  • Add to rice
  • Use over fish when cooking

WHAT I’VE TRIED:

9/28/19 – Scallops and Fennel, served over gluten-free pasta

INGREDIENTS: 2lb. bag frozen wild-caught scallops, 1 box gluten-free pasta, 2 bulbs of fennel, olive oil, lime juice, ground coriander, salt and pepper.

1. Rinse the scallops and dry them thoroughly.
2. Slice the fennel bulbs thinly on a slight angle. I also sliced the stems into rounds for snacking on raw and separated the leaves for garnishing. Chop some of the fennel leaves and set aside for garnishing this dish. I ended up with a LOT of chopped fennel, but it does cook down nicely.
3. Start a pot of water boiling for the pasta. Add the pasta when the water is boiling and cook according to package directions.
4. Using a medium sized skillet over medium heat, sauté the scallops in a little olive oil and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Remove the cooked scallops from the skillet. NOTE: Do not overcook the scallops. Look for them to be opaque white and just slightly browning on one side.
5. To the same skillet, add the sliced fennel bulb, ground corriander (about 1/4 tsp), salt and pepper. Add about 1/4-1/2 tsp of lime juice and sauté until soft and translucent. Add water as needed if the fennel sticks to the pan.
6. To serve, place a serving of pasta on the plate, top with a spoonful of the fennel and a spoonful of scallops. Sprinkle chopped fresh fennel leaves over the top for garnish.

REVIEW: This turned out to be quite delicious.  The taste of the fennel blends very nicely with the scallops without overpowering them. Definitely look for wild-caught sea scallops because they have a more intense flavor. They will be a bit pricier, but all scallops are pricey and the difference will be worth it. Make sure not to overcook the scallops. I only cooked these for a few minutes and they were perfectly done; any more cooking would have made them tough. Be generous with the fresh fennel garnish… the fresh fennel has a different flavor than the cooked and they blend together very nicely.

 

What Do I Do With This? Kohlrabi Edition

I’m trying to add leafy green veggies into my diet and this leafy green veggie jumped into my cart at the grocery store this week. It’s called Kohlrabi. I’m familiar with it by name. It’s appeared in dishes I’ve eaten in restaurants before, but I’ve never felt compelled to bring it home and prepare it myself.

HEALTH BENEFITS: Kohlrabi is rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals and I’m really looking forward to it helping my metabolism and weight management. I’m also hoping it will help my vision as my eyes seem to be struggling a bit more as I age.

The key benefit that I’m looking for though is the anti-fungal properties of kohlrabi. There is a train of thought that says COPD may be an opportunistic fungus that grows on tobacco and is present in the lungs of ex-smokers, waiting for an opportune moment to cause problems. The purpose of this diet is to starve and remove that fungus so my lungs can be healthy again. Anti-fungal foods are an incredibly important addition to that.

CARBS: 1 cup of sliced kohlrabi has 8 grams of carbs

TASTE: I’ve been told the bulb has a taste somewhere between a cabbage and a radish. I’ve also been told that the leaves don’t taste very good, so I’m going to have to find a good way to prepare them to get past that.

SELECTION TIPS:  I learned to avoid the larger bulbs as they may be woody.

COST: I paid $2.49 for the bunch of 3 (pictured above) at Meijer (September 2019).

THE ADVICE: I decided to start by asking others in some of the Facebook recipe groups I’m in what they suggest I do with it. Here’s all the advice:

• Raw (peeled) – This seems to be the most popular answer
  • Raw with Salt
  • Peel and eat like an apple
  • Thinly slice and eat instead of chips
  • Raw with lemon juice
  • Raw, quick pickled
  • Raw, in coleslaw instead of cabbage
  • Raw, sliced into matchsticks and added to salads
• Roasted
  • cube, toss with oil and seasoning and air fry until tender
• Stir-fry
• Grate, squeeze out the water and use in various ways like you would zucchini
  • dough
  • soup
• Saute
  • with oil, salt & turmeric
  • With taco seasoning to use as taco filling
  • Breakfast hash – Chop bulb and stems. add yellow onion and sweet potato (or yukon gold) and roast or sauté. Add sausage, eggs or ham if desired.
• Cut like french fries and boil
• Spiralized
  • Raw
  • Saute and add Thai peanut sauce
• Kashmiri Ganth Gobhi – look for recipes online
  • Mustard oil is optional but does enhance the taste – keep mustard oil on high until it smokes, then let cool for 2-3 minutes before you start cooking your vegetables in it.
• Greens Only
  • Pesto
  • Treat like collard greens – make sure you add vinegar to cut the bitterness

WHAT I’VE TRIED: I haven’t tried anything yet, but will update here as I do

 

Medical Concerns: My Love/Hate Relationship With Western Medicine

When I was a kid, my mother rushed me to the doctor every time I sniffled, which had me at the doctor at least a couple times a month. I was an only child, so my overall well being was of paramount importance. It was determined, by the time I was 7, that I had allergies and I began a 14-year treatment cycle of weekly allergy shots and over-the-counter medicines to reduce the symptoms. I was a regular fixture at my doctor’s office and everyone knew my name.

Flash forward to adulthood and I tend to avoid the doctor like the plague. I prefer to use natural remedies whenever possible anyway, but because of my choice to go back to school full time, I often haven’t been able to get health insurance very often in the last decade or so. This year, however, I do have health insurance and decided it would be a good time to head to the doctor and check things out under the hood.

I’ve been dealing a few minor aches and pains that come and go, but my main concern is that I get very short of breath whenever I’m walking up… hills, stairs, etc. Although I quit smoking over 6 years ago, I did smoke most of my adult life and I always worry about the ramifications that might have later in my life. Plus I’m getting a little older, wondering if I’m starting to enter peri-menopause, and have never had a mammogram.

The process of going to the doctor for a wellness checkup for the first time in 10 years is really overwhelming. My new doctor was great, spending about 30 minutes with me going over every minor issue I’ve noticed recently and suggesting treatment options that ranged from nutrition and exercise to medications. He also ordered a barrage of tests that I’m not finished getting done yet.

The end result are:

• I have an injured rotator cuff (shoulder) that will probably heal on its own over time. I was given naproxen (anti-inflammatory) to take as needed when it’s hurting me. Apparently I somehow obtained this injury because of how I position my arm while driving and reaching for my seatbelt. I think that makes me officially old… lol!
• I have plantar fasciitis in one foot, which is why my foot (and especially heel) hurt so much when I walk a lot. Turns out it wasn’t just me being whiney. He gave me some daily exercises to do and said I could use the naproxen for painful days with the foot also. He also told me to stay off the foot as much as possible until it heals.
• I’m overweight… by a lot. I knew this going in and I’ve been struggling to remedy it for a long time. The hard part about it is that I wasn’t always this size and I didn’t really change anything to get me to this point, so I don’t know what to do to fix it. I’ll probably talk a lot more about this going forward, as I figure things out. He did give me a perscription for weight watchers and a gym. Apparently my insurance will cover a few months of each, so I’ll have to look into that.
• I have the beginning stages of COPD… likely from smoking. This is the big one, and what I was most worried about hearing! My doctor ordered tests to determine that this is really the case, and although I’m not finished with all of them, the results I’ve gotten so far confirm this diagnosis. Apparently there is no cure and I will need to be on medicine for the rest of my life to slow down the progression of the disease.

This brings me to the point at which me and western medicine simply need to part ways… no cure?!?! It has been proven over and over again that our bodies are spectacular at regeneration and healing when we provide the right environment and nutrients for them to do so. I really don’t believe in the concept of “no cure” and I certainly don’t want to take some chemical substance daily, until I’m eventually forced to carry an oxygen tank around until I die unable to breathe.

I’m trying to live my bucket list life and there are activities, like scuba diving, on my list, that will require my lungs to be in good condition. I can’t just sit around waiting for them to deteriorate, no matter the rate at which they will do so. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate western medicine for devising the tests to help me determine what is going on and desperately needs my attention, but I am not interested in lifelong medication. Instead, I looked to what nutrition had to say. How can I best support my body, in order for my lungs to heal themselves properly?

Unfortunately, I don’t particularly like the obvious answer… no sugar… for a long time!

I’ve decided that for all of 2020, I will adopt a diet without sugar, including the elimination of natural sugars. This means basically meat (pasture raised), chicken (pasture raised), fish (wild caught) and healthy, organic green vegetables. It’s going to be an extreme challenge (even harder than the 60-day juice fast) because I really love sugar, especially in the form of baked goods, but also in fruit and sweet potatoes. These aren’t unhealthy foods, but apparently they provide nutrition for the fungus that may or may not cause COPD. I figure, the worst-case-scenario is that I end up a healthier version of me at the end of the year, but still have COPD. Best-case-scenario is that I eliminate the COPD, drop a lot of weight, and prime my body for self healing of other problems to come.

In addition, I will be looking into which supplements, if any, might also aid in this journey. I know I will not necessarily find all the nutrition I need in the foods I’m eating on such a restricted diet and want to make sure my body has everything it needs to be healthy.

I’m spending the next couple months researching and cleaning out the less-healthy foods (for my current situation) from the kitchen. I’m eating up the remainder of items like the grass-fed yogurt, honey and canned beans. My diet isn’t particularly bad right now, especially when I’m eating at home, but it apparently isn’t good for my condition. I will continue using up these foods without replacing them and work on adding new healthy green vegetables into my diet or finding new ways to prepare the ones we already eat.

I’m starting a new page on the blog called What Do I Do With This?, where I will look at all the vegetables and other foods I’m allowed to eat and find as many interesting, healthy ways to prepare them as possible, so I don’t get bored. Feel free to follow along and get some new ideas, or comment your own ideas on the posts to help me out.

Also, please check back using the tag Health-Fitness to watch my progress, hear how things are going, share your own stories, and provide much needed support as I continue on this journey. In the meantime, continue living your bucket life each and every day, because you never know when you might no longer have the opportunity to do some of the things on it.

Indiana: Michigan City – Blind Pig Tavern & Grill

Blind Pig Tavern & Grill: Michigan City

3103 E, US-12, Michigan City, IN 46360

Blind Pig Tavern & Grill is a great place to relax, especially outside, and have a nice family meal. This restaurant changed hands not too long ago and this is the first time we’ve been back since the renaming, renovations, and new menu.

One of the best features of the restaurant is one we didn’t take advantage of this time around… the outside seating area. There is a fenced-in beach outside with patio seating surrounding it. This is a key part of what makes this place so great to come to with kids.  There is plenty of room for kids to run around and blow off some steam while you watch them, happily sipping a cocktail, from the table. There is also an outside seating area for the over-21 crowd if you prefer a relaxed, childless game of cornhole while you wait for your dinner. They have an area for live music out back and have regular offerings, but again, we didn’t get an opportunity to take advantage of that during our visit. It was a bit chilly during the dinner hour, so we sat inside this evening.

My grandson buried a part of his grilled cheese sandwich in the sand a couple years back, so let me know if you happen upon it; I don’t think he’s finished with it yet. 

The renovations inside are quite nice. The stools in the bar area weren’t the most comfortable, but my fiancé wanted to watch the Cubs game, so we sat there to accommodate him. The atmosphere is hip casual and they have plenty of craft beers and local wines available for that crowd.

I ordered the Ft. Collins Cheese Steak Sandwich, which came with kettle chips. The first thing I noticed was that everything on my plate was a little over-salted. It wasn’t so bad that I felt compelled to send anything back, but it was very noticeable and I’m sure I’ll be retaining a few pounds of water tomorrow. If you have problems with sodium consumption, be careful! That said, I did enjoy the sandwich. The bun, to meat, to cheese, to onion, to mushroom ratio was almost perfect, although it could have used some more mushrooms. The mayonnaise was an odd addition and I will ask for it without if I have it again. The kettle chips were pretty standard and likely not made on site.

My fiancé didn’t find much on the menu that fit his necessity for gluten-free and diary-free dining. He ended up ordering the ribeye steak, which came with asparagus. He also ordered a side of coleslaw. He was unimpressed with his meal. He said the steak was average (although cooked exactly as he requested) and there were only 3 pieces of asparagus included on the plate. He also mentioned that his food was over-salted. It didn’t really look appetizing from where I was sitting either, but he was hungry and dove in too fast for me to take a picture.

There were no garnishes or additions to either plate to make them aesthetically pleasing, except a couple lonely pickle slices casually tossed on my plate.

For transparency, there is a single bite taken out of the sandwich in this picture.

Overall the food was ok, but too salty. The prices were high for what you actually ended up getting. Even though the atmosphere is great, we probably won’t be going back often.

 

 

 

Networking: Can It Help You Get a Job?

I really don’t have the time or the money to attend trade shows right now… or so I tell myself. After all, I need to focus my time and energy on finding a job, and I shouldn’t be spending money when there isn’t any money coming in. That may sound logical at face value, but the reality is that I am really struggling to find a good architecture job in Chicago. I don’t really know any architects in the city and I think most of the jobs get filled before they ever find their way online. I have been checking the job boards for a long time now… daily. The jobs just aren’t showing up.

In April, I joined my local Toastmasters club and I’m now working my way through Level 3 of my first Pathways program. Turns out one of the elective projects is all about networking. I decided to ramp my networking game into high gear. There were 2 trade shows coming up in the Chicago area that were right in my budget (free), Chicago Build Expo and Design Chicago, so I signed up for both of them. I will have to take the train and spend 2 full days at each, so there is a small expense of money (under $100) and time, so I’ve really got to make this worthwhile.

The first show was the Chicago Build Expo and I checked out all the info about it online. There were 3 large conference stages and 2 smaller workshop stages, all of which were running informative programs all day each day. To make it easier, they had divided the programs into “summits” and there were several that sounded appealing: architecture, sustainability, and BIM/digital construction. I looked at who was presenting and there were actually several presenters from the architecture firms I would be interested in working for. I started planning my schedule, noting which presentations I wanted to attend, what stages they were on, and which presenters I would like to make contact with.

In our Toastmasters officer training in July, I learned that we should always show up at an event with expectations in order to make the most of it. I’ve talked about creating SMART goals before, and these need expectations need to be turned into goals that are just that: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.

• GOAL: Share information with at least 20 individuals per day
  • RESULT: I came home with exactly 40 business cards over the course of 2 days. Of those 40, 27 look to actually be pretty promising.
• COAL: Make at least 5 new contacts each day. For these purposes, I’ll define contacts as someone who I connect with on LinkedIn. They can contribute to my future career in some way, or I can help in their career in some way.
  • RESULT: I have already added 19 new contacts to LinkedIn over the weekend and have more invitations out that I hope to hear back on next week. This far exceeds my goal.
• GOAL: Connect with 5 specific individuals, who are speaking at the event and work at some of my top 10 firms. No, I’m not a stalker, I swear!
  • RESULT: I spoke directly with all 5. Of those, I have connected with 3 on LinkedIn already and have invitations sent to the other 2.
• GOAL: Get 4 interviews out of the contacts made from each show within 6 weeks.
  • RESULT: This remains to be seen. I will cultivate my new network over the next month (and beyond) and hopefully I will end up with a couple interviews out of it. I did connect with 6 people directly in charge of hiring though and 4 of those work in some of my top 10 firms.
• GOAL: Sit in at least 2 informative sessions each day that can help me study for the ARE or that will ultimately help me become a better architect. NOTE: They are giving continuing education credits for some sessions and I can use those hours towards my intern hour requirement.
  • RESULT: I sat in 6 sessions and gained a lot of knowledge to improve my own skills and what qualities I can offer a firm. I have about 6 pages of notes as well.
• GOAL: Get in the habit of getting up and taking the train in and out of the city each day.
  • RESULT: I actually kind of like taking the train. It’s nice to have a little break when you can’t be spending every minute taking care of your to-do list.

I spent some time studying and working my way through the Toastmasters networking unit to prepare myself for the event, stocked up on business cards, and got myself a 10-ride train ticket. I’m usually good at chatting with people, but turning that into a contact and then keeping touch afterwards is not my forte, so I promised myself I would work on a plan the day after, so that I can stay connected to my new contacts in a way that is meaningful to both of us.

“You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want”

–Zig Ziglar

I ended up setting up a Google streak pipeline on Saturday in order to remind myself to maintain contact with my new contacts. I’ll try and get a quick tutorial created on how I chose to set it up, so you guys can copy the format if it works well. There’s no sense in reinventing the wheel. I got all the new contacts in and set up, along with reminders to connect again in 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, and then every year after that. This will challenge me to continuously find something I can offer my contacts, in order to justify those follow-up emails. While I think it’s fine to occasionally ask my network for help, I think it’s best to offer help at least 80% of the time and only ask 20%.

Since I was setting up the pipeline anyway, it reminded me to put in my other professional contacts, many of whom I now consider friends. In went my former classmates and professors, members of Toastmasters that I’ve newly met in the last year, and several other individuals who are in professions related to architecture. This way, I can also be reminded to stay in contact with the people who are already important fixtures in my life.

I walked to and from the event space, getting some much needed exercise, and waited until I got home to eat, since I intermittent fast anyway that wasn’t a problem. It turns out, walking in Chicago in the summer is actually quite lovely and I really enjoyed myself.

I think over the course of a lifetime, those 27 new individuals will come to be worth much more that the $40 I spent on the train tickets there and back, so I will call this event a success. I am now looking forward to another successful event coming up in 2 weeks. I will take some of the lessons I learned last week and hone my networking skills before then. Hopefully I will find that all of my networking will, in fact, one day soon get me my dream job.