Over the weekend I had the opportunity to see the movie 28 Weeks Later with the boyfriend. Not being a huge supporter of zombie-like movies, I had no clue this was actually a sequel to 2002’s 28 Days Later. That tells you how much I actually pay attention. I also had no idea that this wasn’t really a “zombie” movie per se, but rather a “human-infected-with-a-Rage-virus-who-still-likes-to-eat-people” movie.

Now before I get into the opinion that has taken me a few days to form, I would just like to say that I would consider myself a horror movie fan. I can handle, blood, gore, boogie-men, torture, and men with knives as hands. I’ve sat through all three Saw movies plenty of times with not so much as a flinch. So you could imagine my surprise watching this movie and being completely disturbed by it. There were scenes I could barely watch. And I’m not entirely sure why. I honestly don’t think this movie was worse than any of the Saws…but at the same time, I would gladly watch Saw I, II or III rather than watch this movie again. I still refuse to see the first, “28 Days Later,” though I heard it was much less violent.

I think that overall, the story and how the movie was put together was a good idea. I don’t understand why people would want to go back to London after that virus broke out though. Quarantine or not, I wouldn’t be stepping foot back in that place. You know it’s gonna come back! I really could have done without some of the violence…but I guess that the directors wanted to maintain the rawness of that lovely emotion: Rage. And they really did.

Have no clue what I’m talking about? The films “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later” are about a Rage virus epidemic breaking out in London. It immediately turns the infected person into a crazy angry person with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. In the sequel, people are welcomed back into London after the U.S. Army quarantined the area for several months. Sure that they have a fail-proof system, people are let back in. Among one of them was a carrier for the virus. Of course, she infected someone who then pushed his thumbs in her eyeballs. This of course set off mass-hysteria throughout the quarantined area, and before you know it almost everybody is infected…again. And of course they leaving the end wide open for a “28 Months Later” with a mob of people running and screaming in front of, what I believed to be, the Eiffel Tower. Fantastic.

The CTA is threatening to eliminate 63 bus routes and two rail lines and raise rates if it doesn’t receive any new state funding. The CTA needs $110 million in new funding.

They would also institute a separate and higher fare for rush hour, much like New York.

The combined fare hike and service cuts would begin in mid-September and would result in a loss of 260,000 rides each weekday. The CTA estimates that its buses and trains provide 1.6 million rides each day right now.

Under the new plan, only bus routes that operate on Sundays will remain. That’s only 91 routes! The Purple Line/Evanston Express will be eliminated as will service on the yellow line. As a result, 840 employees will be laid off.

CTA President Ron Huberman claims his plan isn’t an attempt to pressure state law makers into funding more money. “If we made no changes, the CTA would be out of service in October.”

Fares could increase as much as $7 (much like our gas). $.25 to $1.25 will be added to fares depending on the time of day and mode of travel. Buses will increase from $2 to $2.25 ($2.75 during rush hour) and trains will increase from $2 to $2.50 ($3.25 during rush hour). The monthly pass will increase from $75 to $122.

I have to ask. If Daley and his Chicago can’t keep our trains working, how in the hell does he expect to host the Olympics here when our public transportation system isn’t working? Will there be moving sidewalks? Honestly…we can’t stop our corrupt government and we can’t maintain our transportation or gas…how is this city prepared to host an extra million people? It’s not.

I finally finished reading “Stumbling On Happiness.” I say finally not because it took me 5 months to complete, but because it took me about a month and a heck of a lot of effort. I went into this book with very high hopes. The description on the cover sucked me in. I originally bought it for my boyfriend but decided I’d like to read it. And in doing so I managed to highlight, underline and scribble my way through this monster book. It’s no bigger than any other book I’ve read, but it is just jam-packed with information. The beginning starts out alright, but by the middle of the book it’s just study after study, fact after fact. There are very few stories, which I was expecting this book to have. I didn’t know it was going to be 101 facts shoved down my throat.

On that note, the book is a very interesting one! Didn’t see that coming did you The author spends 265 pages discussing happiness, our mind’s interpretation of it and how we are relatively easy to trick. I learned a lot and agree with most of it. Such as that quote I shared with you all a few weeks ago:

Once we have an experience, we cannot simply set is aside and see the world as we would have seen it had the experience never happened…Our experiences instantly become part of the lens through which we view our entire past, present and future, and like any lens, they shape and distort what we see.

I had to skip a couple of the million studies this book talked about. At a certain point it became too much and I began skimming pages for something interesting. I only did this in the last two-three chapters though. So I can honestly say I enjoyed most of the book. If you’re into psychology books or interested about why you think the way you do, you’d probably like this book. Just don’t expect to finish it over a three-day period.

Congratulations Chicago! You have the highest gas prices in the nation! While driving home from the Cook County Courthouse today I saw that gas has reached $3.79 per gallon…and that’s for the unleaded!

I also need to congratulate O’Hare Airport for being the busiest airport for Memorial Day weekend for the second year in a row. Friday, May 25th, is rumored to be the busiest day for travel. Luckily my boyfriend will be flying in on Thursday night and will miss that by only a mere three hours.

A Rembrandt etching worth nearly $60,000 was stolen from an art gallery on Michigan Avenue this past weekend. A couple walked into the gallery and within five minutes the 400-year-old piece of art was gone. Police are still looking for the couple suspected of stealing it.

For more Chicago news and local happenings and hot spots, check out The Chicagoist

I would like to share my thoughts about The douchebag Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman.

I liked Andy. He was a cute bachelor. Probably the cutest so far. Mind you I don’t really watch the Bachelor. I started watching this season halfway through. But I have seen the other bachelors thanks to celebrity gossip magazines (God bless em!)

Andy

Last night’s rose ceremony crap really surprised me though. I thought for sure he was going to pick Bevin. But no…no no no…he chose Tessa!

Bevin Tessa

Wtf Andy? Wtf? You’ve got this chick Bevin whom you claim to have felt a connection with from the moment you met her. You always seemed the most excited to see her and really sparked when you were with her. You ever told her you loved her…and then what happens? You dump her. You cry and tell her she’s wonderful and you’ll never forget her but then turn around and ask Tessa to marry you! Wtf?! Tessa is some chick you were iffy about because for half the show she didn’t seem to want to be there. She wasn’t very open about her feelings either. But no..no no you go ahead and marry her. Officer and a gentleman my ass!!

If some guy told me he loved me one day and then the very next dumped me, I’d probably punch him right in his eye..maybe even both.

These are my favorites from today’s batch of secrets. Be sure to check out the rest of them over at PostSecret

I like this one a lot because last year I realized for the first time that my grandparents are getting older and unable to do things they once used to. I wish they’d live forever.

Since I’m feeling exceptionally smitten this week, I had to share this one.

I take pictures of my boyfriend like this because I sometimes feel embarrassed asking for a picture of the two of us because I have a lot already. Surprisingly my random walking in-front-of-your-face shots turn out awesome.

Agreed.

I wish someone I knew would admit this.

Spoiler Alert - If you haven’t seen the finales for Ugly Betty or Scrubs, you probably don’t want to read this.

Did anybody else watch the Ugly Betty season finale last night? Oh my god. What else could they have possibly thrown into that show?! There were more twists in that episode than there will be in the new Chicago Spire Skyscraper!

Betty and Henry finally pledged their love to one another, but wait! Henry’s ex-girlfriend Charlie came back and announced she’s pregnant (though rumored now to be the child of Betty’s dentist). Henry gets on a plane with Charlie not knowing this and Betty has to stop him.

Wilhelmina Slater finally suckerd Bradford Meade into divorcing his imprisoned wife and marrying her. Meanwhile, Claire, Bradford’s wife, holds a guard at gun point and has now escaped prison in order to save her marriage.

Santos, the fiance of Betty’s sister and father of Betty’s nephew Justin, was shot in a hold-up. His condition remains unknown but the scene leading to the end credits was that of Betty and Hilda (her sister) crying uncontrollably during Justin’s play.

Amanda and Christina found Fay’s “love dungeon,” got locked in, got tipsy and stumbled upon a safe which contained Amanda’s birth certificate stating she was the daughter of Fay Summers.And finally, Alexis Meade hired a hitman to kill her father. But after her brother Daniel stumbled into her office all drugged up, she took her father’s car to the hospital to help Daniel. Unfortunately, the hit man slashed the brake line and the car crashed. The bodies of Alexis and Daniel remain in the car, bloody and not moving.

Did I miss anyone? Oh, Betty’s father is still in Mexico because he visa was denied. Did anybody catch last week’s ending where that waiter in Mexico made that suspicious phone call alerting somebody that he was back in town and now they can have their revenge? I do. I’m not a fan of that!

I cannot wait until next season. I hate cliffhangers!

As for Scrubs…not quite as suspenseful as Ugly Betty, but they did manage to leave us with a sexy cliffhanger at the end.

J.D. and Elliot lie to their significant others and crash in the on-call room to think about their current situation. Elliot is marrying Dr. Cutie Pie in a week and J.D.’s ex-girlfriend who lied to him about not being pregnant showed up pregnant and is now living with him.

The two of them are unsure about committing to other people or to each other. The camera fades away as they grasp each other’s hands and appear as if they are getting ready to kiss.Unfortunately next season is rumored to be Scrubs’ final season. Hopefully J.D. and Elliot will figure it all out by then.

See, I told you Scrubs was less exciting than Ugly Betty. I honestly don’t watch much other TV so if you’re looking for other season finale spoilers, I got none!

 Suicide or Clumsiness?

If you just happened to be traveling on I-55 today I bet you’re not home yet to read this. All lanes on I-55 were shut down in both directions temporarily today causing major backups due to a woman who fell off of an overpass - supposedly attempting to commit suicide.

She fell from the overpass at Weber Road near Romeoville and landed in the right shoulder of the southbound lanes causing three crashes. Drivers in the northbound lane stopped after witnessing the incident resulting in at least three rear-end collisions.

None of the drivers suffered serious injuries and the woman was taken to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove with non-life-threatening injuries.

The lanes were reopened this afternoon and a “normal” rush hour is expected according to Illinois State Police Trooper Mark Dorencz of the Joliet district.

Bad Parenting or Bad Kid?

Yesterday a teenage boy shot his parents and then barricaded himself inside his house for nearly six hours before surrendering. Today Alex Rivera, 17, of Streamwood, was charged with attempted first degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.

Rivera shot his mother in the chest and stabbed her in her stomach and shot his father in the back “for no apparent reason” yesterday afternoon. His mother, Josefina Rivera, is in stable condition today and his father, Jesus Rivera, was treated and released yesterday afternoon.

Police were called around 3 p.m. after the wounded couple went to a neighbor’s home. The son stayed in the home for nearly six hours before surrendering himself to the police snipers who stationed themselves on the roofs of nearby homes.

All I can say is what the crap is wrong with people these days? You don’t shoot your parents! You run away or get therapy. As for jumping off bridges…in my opinion I-90 would have been much busier. I kid!

Apparently Maxim has named Lindsay Lohan the sexiest woman alive for 2007. Um…why? She beat out plenty other beautiful women who don’t flash their va-jay-jay getting out of cars, snort coke, dress trashy and basically suck at life. But then again, this is Maxim and their standards for women probably aren’t too high.

 Speaking of va-jay-jay flashers, Paris Hilton won’t be serving her 45-day sentence. Instead she’ll be serving a 23-day sentence in a “special needs housing unit” at the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood. Her sentence was shortened after jail officials gave her credit for good behavior. Yes…because flashing your bits and partying til you’re too drunk to drive but drive anyway, resulting in a suspended license is the epitome of good behavior.

And finally, some 17-year-old employee at McDonalds thought that a Happy Meal would be a great place to hide his stash.  This Happy Meal later ended up with an 8-year-old who found not only a pipe and a lighter, but a bag of weed as well. Some toy!

After the child’s father went to the police, the employee was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. I guess if I were stoned I’d think a brightly colored children’s meal box would be a perfect place to hide my weed.

Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman began filming in Chicago today for the new movie Wanted

The filming, which will last throughout the week, will include a high-speed car chase beginning on Lower Wacker Drive and finishes on Upper Wacker Drive. One scene is supposed to include a helicopter filming over the Chicago River.For those of you traveling in the downtown area this week, here are some closures you should be aware of:

Street closures on May 15 started at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted:

* Lower Wacker Drive from Harrison Street to Michigan Avenue
* Post Place from Lower Wacker Drive to Lake Street
* Upper Wacker Drive from Franklin to Randolph streets starting at 10 p.m.
* Franklin Street from Wacker Drive to Randolph Street starting at 10 p.m.
* Lake Street from Clinton to LaSalle streets starting at 10 p.m.
* Wells Street from Wacker Drive to Randolph Street starting at 10 p.m.

Street closures on May 16 and 17:

* Lake Street from Clinton to LaSalle streets
* Franklin Street from Wacker Drive to Randolph Street
* Wells Street from Wacker Drive to Randolph Street

Street closures on May 17 and 18:

* Columbus Drive from South Water Street to Wacker Drive
* Wacker Drive from Columbus Drive to State Street
* Wacker Place from Wabash to Michigan avenues
* Wabash Avenue from Kinzie to Randolph streets