I concur with @Scifience on all but the last point. If you are not resident in the Chicago Consular District, it is unlikely they will accept your application.

Using an agent, FedEx your application and supporting materials asap, and you should have your passport with Chinese visa back in a week, probably even using Standard Service rather than Rush. Try one of the following agents:
www.mychinavisa.com (obviously use their SF office)
www.freechinavisa.org (only for those in the SF Consular district, they are reliable and often way cheaper service fee than other agents)