On Monday night Schanna Gayden, a 13-year-old honors student and innocent bystander, was killed as she bought a slice of watermelon from a vendor’s cart in Logan Square.

Two gangs, the Imperial Gangsters and Spanish Cobras, have previously fought over the Logan Square territory.

Tony Serrano, 19, suspect for shooting Gayden in the park, said he was doing so under orders from gang leader Mwenda Murithi. Both are members of the Imperial Gangsters. Serrano was supposed to be firing at rival gang members across the street.
 

 Serrano                          Murithi

Murithi is living in the U.S. on an expired student visa. The Kenyan native attended the University of Wisconsin at Platteville for three years and since has lived here illegally. He has been arrested 28 times in the past four years.

At a press conference Tuesday Mayor Daley, visibly upset, said “Parents have to go into the bedrooms. Find out whether their sons or daughters have guns in their room. Find out whether their sons or daughters are palling around with gangbangers on a block in a community…Parents have to do this. They should prevent crime.”

He repeated his frustrations about guns and how gun control isn’t a priority in Springfield or Washington, and called for the parents of Serrano to stand up and be held accountable.

Susanna Rosa, who provided a home for Serrano for the past month, said Serrano became a “victim of the streets” after he moved to Logan Square last fall. “Richard Daley wants us to look under our kids’ bed,” said Rosa, 38. “Well, he needs to come live here and see what is going on. . . . This is a rough neighborhood. Some of these kids don’t listen. . . . These kids need jobs.” So a 19-year-old shouldn’t be held accountable for his actions and we should blame the streets of Logan Square? Other kids need jobs and don’t go around shooting people. How ignorant of her.

Schanna is the 34th student killed in 2007. In 2006 there were 201 gang-related murders; through May of this year, there were 49.

Visitation for Schanna will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday in Armitage Baptist CHurch, 2451 N. Kedzie Blvd. The funeral, also in the church, will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Gayden’s mother, Rita Sallie, invited any Chicagoan touched by Gayden’s death to attend.

All you Spice Girl fans out there - bust out your six-inch heels and “girl power” panties! The Spice Girls are back! It’s now safe to unpack all their CDs, posters and dolls and re-watch “Spiceworld”. Actually, its probably not safe. But they’re back! Yay!

The original Girl Power group of the 90s has agreed to reunite for 11 concerts around the world in December and January. This will be their first concert since their break up in 2001 and the first with all five girls since Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) left the group to pursue a solo career.

The show dates are as follows:
Dec. 7 - Los Angeles
Dec. 8 - Las Vegas
Dec. 11 - New York
Dec. 15 - London
Dec. 20 - Cologne, Germany
Dec. 23 - Madrid, Spain
Jan. 10 - Beijing
Jan. 12 - Hong Kong
Jan 17. - Sydney, Australia
Jan. 20 - Cape Town, South Africa
Jan. 24 - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sadly no stops in Chicago ::wipes tear from eye:: It’s okay. It’s not like I used to pretend to be Baby Spice or anything

Hang onto your underoos kids! The first shipment of iPhones began to arrive earlier this week accompanied by armed guards. (Nice)

People in New York are actually lining up at the flagship Apple Glass Cube Store on 5th Avenue to get their paws on the first iPhones. So far there are no campers at the Apple Store on Michigan Avenue. The store will close at 2 p.m. Friday to prepare for the 6 p.m. launch.

The iPhone, who has mustered more attention than the new Blackberry and update TREO combined, will end up costing tech-fiends $500-600. Those models have 4 and 8 gigabytes of storage, respectively. That’s room for about 825 or 1,825 songs. The price includes a cell phone, iPod, email, web browser, camera, alarm clock, Palm-type organizer and “one heck of a status symbol.”

It’s fast, it’s beautiful, it’s sleak. The best part? It’s dead simple to operate even my mother could figure it out (Hi Mom!) It’s menu-free. You can’t get lost because the phone opens to the homepage, which lays out icons for the phone’s 16 functions. But is it more than just eye candy? Does the phone actually work? With all the hype about the simple use and “innovative” design (I’m not sure I agree with this) I haven’t heard much about how it functions. I guess we’ll find out.

Personally, I’d rather not spend $500-600 to become a beta tester. I think I’ll wait for the second or even third generation of iPhones to arrive. Plus I need to work that bad boy into my budget and that takes time!

On the other hand, some people have convinced themselves that now is the right time for the iPhone and are desperately bargaining with themselves that it’s okay to spend that much on a phone. While they try to weasel that item into their monthly purchases budget, I’m sitting back and waiting to hear first hand how that phone works.

Apple has chosen AT&T to be the iPhones official carrier, but gives the buyer the option to purchase a phone plan through iTunes instead of dealing with those obnoxious sales people. Hoorah! Unfortunate for me, I have Verizon, thus another reason why the iPhone is not a good investment for me right now. I’d have to pay to quit my service. No thanks.

The planned Chicago Spire, the twisting 150-story lakefront skyscraper that will be the nation’s tallest building, announced that construction on the tower’s foundation will begin “within weeks.”

The skyscraper, planned to house 1,200 condominiums, was thought to never get off the ground due to the state of the nation’s housing market.

 Developer Garrett Kelleher made sure it did, though originally he had hoped to begin construction June 30. His goal isn’t far off though. Construction equipment is already present on the 2.2 acre site, located on the north bank of the Chicago River just west of Lake Shore Drive.

Estimated cost: $1.5 billion (at least)

Estimated completion: late 2010 - just in time for me to move back to Chicago from Atlanta (coincidence? I think not)

Units are rumored to be up for sale in September. The sales center is located on the 18th floor of the NBC tower, 454 N. Columbus Drive. 

Its time for thousands of sweaty, smelly people stuffing their faces and exposing body parts you’d rather not see wandering around the streets of Chicago (and this is different from any other day how?) It’s the Taste of Chicago, so the sweating, smelling and eating til you pop is encouraged. Interesting choice of dress is optional.

I’m not sure if I’ll have a chance to get over there this year. I’m bummed about missing last year so I’m going to try hard this year. It begins tomorrow and will go until July 8th.

Here is a list of the restaurants who will be there supplying Chicago’s “finest” with food. I can’t wait for the corn!

As for entertainment….I’m impartial:
# Friday, June 29
5:30 p.m.: Maze featuring Frankie Beverly

# Saturday, June 30
3 p.m.: Kenny Rogers

# Sunday, July 1
3:30 p.m.: Sara Evans, Craig Morgan

# Monday, July 2
6 p.m.: Broadway in Chicago features casts of “Wicked” and “The Color Purple” with the Show Choir of the Chicago Children’s Choir

# Tuesday, July 3
8 p.m.: Grant Park Symphony Orchestra Independence Eve Concert and Fireworks Display

# Wednesday, July 4
3 p.m.: John Mayer, Robert Randolph and The Family Band, Rodrigo Y Gabriela

# Thursday, July 5
5:30 p.m.: Lyfe Jennings, Musiq Soulchild

# Friday, July 6
5:30 p.m.: The Black Crowes, Umphrey’s McGee

# Saturday, July 7
5 p.m.: Cheap Trick, Soul Asylum, Cracker

# Sunday, July 8
3 p.m.: Brandi Carlile, Los Lonely Boys

This past weekend I went to see 1408. I didn’t know much about the movie until the night before I went when I googled some trailers. I was sold on the trailers alone. $8.75 for a ticket? No problem!

I knew that it was based on a Stephen King story but I hadn’t read it. I have faith in King though so I went into the movie believing I’d be scared. The movie ended up being pretty suspenseful. I can’t say it was terrifying though. I think what scared me the most was the loud sounds…you know, the music gets soft and creepy and then out of no where BAM! Those made me jump more than anything else. There were no monsters or demons (real ones) to battle.

This movie was more of a psychological thriller. Mike Enslin (Cusack), an author notorious for writing about haunted places (because he doesn’t believe in them) has chosen to stay in room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel over night. The hotel manager (Jackson) lays out a pretty thick story full of horror about that room. He claims nobody has ever lasted more than an hour in it before they commit some form of suicide. Enslin, shaken but not deterred, decides to stay anyway. It’s not long before the room starts tormenting him with tricks and apparitions. I won’t go into detail, but most of the things that happen in that room have to do with aspects of Enslin’s own life, leading me to believe that he is fighting his own demons in that room. He’s claimed to be a selfish man - and it’s obvious throughout the movie that there are a lot of unresolved issues from his past, specifically his daughter’s death.

About halfway through the film, it appears as if he’s managed to escape the room. This is where I got disappointed because I expected more of a struggle and a lesson learned on Enslin’s part. But sure enough he ended up back in the room and that was all a day dream. Yay. Finally his daughter appears in the room and tells him how she wishes he and mommy could stay with her. It doesn’t take long before he sets the room on fire. The blaze is seen from the street and firefighters rescue him.

Skip to a few days later when he and his wife are unpacking in a new home, he finds the tape recorder he used in room 1408. He plays it back and sure enough, there is his daughter’s voice. It pretty much ends there. I’m not sure if that’s just pointing out she was really there, or if she got her wish and he and mommy are with her forever in some sick, twisted horror-movie way. As if to say “this will never end.” I dunno. All I know is that it was a pretty good movie. I was pleasantly surprised.

Later I did recall that 1408, when added up, equals 13 and the floor that he was staying on was the 13th floor even though they called it the 14th. (You know how some hotels leave the number 13 out and rename that floor the 14th - it’s still the 13th whether it’s written or not!)

I decided to read the short story that his movie was based on and I’m a bit disappointed by the story. I think it should be read before seeing the movie because the movie was much more impressive. But what do you expect out of a 50-page story?

Can somebody please explain to me why Nicole Kidman is the new face of Nintendo?

Is it because her name starts with an Ni? It makes no sense!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA_r9FUEgAA]

Bathrooms that aren’t used solely by myself freak me out so much that I tend to hold the urge to pee until I have to do a little dance to the bathroom.

I also avoid spots where people sneeze/cough without covering it with their hands out of fear their germs will fly into my face and I’ll taste or smell them.

I found myself perusing the psychology section at Borders lately. A couple months ago I picked up the book Just Checking by Emily Colas.

The author writes about her own experiences with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). She does this is a very humorous way though. At first I thought that it would be a depressing book, but Colas writes like she speaks. She gives an accurate portrayal of somebody suffering from OCD and the impact it has on her life and those around her, but she does so while still maintaining her sense of humor and wit.

She compares her illness to heroin addiction and calls OCD “insanity lite” because she feels it is less interesting than her friend, the heroin addict.

It’s a pretty quick read. I finished it in a matter of days. I could see myself reading it again if only for a quick reminder that my life is no where near as frustrating. I think it’s a good resource for people who are feeling a bit “OCD” at the moment because it really puts into perspective just how much that condition can affect your life. It makes my own need for constant order and worrying seem like a gift at times. I definitely recommend reading it if you’re into this sorta stuff.

Another book I recently finished is A Dirty Job: A Novel by Christopher Moore. This one was recommended to me by someone who just knew that I’d love it. It’s another quick read and it really had me laughing out loud. Its a book about a man, Charlie, who appears to have acquired the job of Death’s helper. His daughter, on the other hand, seems to be his boss. Its hard to give much detail without giving away the ending.

But if you’ve ever wanted a hell hound, this book is for you. It’s funny, easy to read, and it really sucks you in from the get go. It’s not one of those book that needs to build before it becomes a page-turner.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum I am finishing up a book about brain surgeons. I’ll post about that when I’m done. Then I have a few more books waiting: one about worrying, the human brain, and two more Christopher Moore books. I have a feeling I’ll be posting about a lot of books this summer. On New Year’s Day I said that I wanted to read 50 books this year. I’ve read 12 so far. I better get with it!

I’m pretty new to Grey’s Anatomy. I watched one episode this season and I was hooked. It took me about 3 weeks to watch the first two seasons. I’m currently finishing up the last episode of the third season. I waited a good week to finish because I was getting too wrapped up in it and it was stressing me out!

Meredith

Meredith and Dr. McDreamy are killing me! They hooked up the night before she started her internship not knowing he was an attending at the hospital. She also didn’t know that he had a wife who just happens to show up at the end of Season 1.

The Wife

Fantabulous. Of course, drama drama drama. They go back and forth, fighting, flirting, blah blah blah. Well tonight they hooked up again! Stop doing that! He loves her but feels obligated to work things out with his wife, who cheated on him with his best friend, and she loves him and convinced herself she’s over him and is now dating the vet of their dog.

McDreamy

BUT! Tonight they both ran off and did the nasty! Of course nothing is resolved and they have to play this game some more. Just eff’in dump your SOs and be with each other already!

And of course season 2 ends with Dr. McDreamy and Finn (the vet) standing in front of her. Now I have to wait for season 3 to come out on DVD. WHY?! I want to know now!