Communication Graduation Day in University of Illinois.

I was at a graduation yesterday in U of I, Champagne, Urbana where Communication students received their diplomas after four years of college. The ceremony was moving and the speaches given by the students and some alumni was very revealing. At this event I learned the fears and anxieties some of these students feel as they prepare to go out into the real world, the present economic state of the country adding to their anxieties.

At this commencement ceremony was an alumni who played basketball for 13 years and is n0w a sports correspondent for ESPN. He encouraged the students to believe in themselves, and let passion drive anything or career choice they make. He concluded his speech with an African adage about the lion and the antelope, who both had to run faster than the other to stay alive. The lesson from the adage is that, it doesn't matter who is the strongest or the fastest out there, the point is each has to run faster in order to stay alive.

What he meant was that every student should work harder, stronger, and smarter in order to stay alive in the most competitive career which he or she chooses. After listening to him speak, I realized that I was meant to hear that speech to remind me of the things I need to do to "stay alive" in the Journalism world.

Please stay tuned for the video of this event and I hope it will be useful to all communication students who see it.

Up2TheEdge Bike Trail Tour

I joined a group of people today for an unprecedented tour of the bike trails in the Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods. It turned out to be a fun and insightful activity. This expedition of the numerous and sometimes hidden bike trails was organized by two Keystone community members, Kerry and Joane. 

The tour took us from the Lawrence and Lake Shore bike trail to Kenmore avenue bike trail, we turned on Granville and rode up to Clark street. The trail continued from clark street to Berwyn street where we headed west to Damen street. The ride continued to Wilson avenue and led us back to our point of origin.

Some of the intersections along the way were a bit dicey, like the Ashland and Berwyn intersection where there was no 4-way stop, and some of the drivers did not want to yield to the bike riders. Other than that, the trails appeared to be easy and safe for bikers. 

There were signs along the route to enable bikers stay on the trails and markings on the ground show bikers and drivers where bikers rightfully belong on the roads. This expedition opened up more biking venues for me and I would recommend it to anybody seeking more riding paths than the Lake Shore bike trail which can be crowded during biking season.

The Cage

I had a bit of a run-in at the cage last week, and I just wanted to throw it out there so that it's clear to everyone because I somehow didn't know--ALL EQUIPMENT IS DUE BACK AT NOON! I thought the cage employee said mine was due back at five, but to my dismay when I called at 1:15 the day it was due to ask for an extension I was informed that I was already overdue and that I am fined fifty dollars! The ironic part is that I had tried calling earlier in the morning but no one answered the phone, and I was unaware that equipment can be extended via voicemail.

Learn from my lessons! Always get your extensions on time, leave a voicemail if you have to, and equipment is due back at noon.

Goodbye, $50 :(

Update!

It looks like I'm not the only one who kind of completely forgot that we're supposed to keep updating this blog! I'll make up for lost time with an enormous post detailing my progress on my second multimedia project about Metropolis Coffee and their bean roasting!

I had a really great time working with Tony Dreyfuss and his employees at the roasterie in Andersonville (a cute, Swedish neighborhood nestled in between Uptown and Edgewater). Tony was super friendly, talkative, and excited about my project, so that made it even more fun to work with him. We played voicemail tag for about a week, and then last Tuesday I went over to interview him and shoot a little footage of the coffee bean roasting. He gave me a tour of the roasterie and explained everything in detail. Unfortunately, I didn't have the camera turned on for the preliminary walk through, and by the time I finished interviewing Tony, the roasters were done for the day.

Lucky for me, I got the chance to see them doing a taste test of a sample roast! In addition to my interview with Tony, then, I got a lot of great footage of the guys at the roasterie slurping and spitting different coffee samples to determine which bean they might want to roast next. After they made their decision, Tony insisted that I try the slurping and spitting too, which was fun but also a little humiliating because I ended up salivating all over my chin, hands, paper cup, etc. The things we do for stories!

I went back to the roasterie on Thursday to shoot some footage of the actual roasting process. I was glad to have had the personalized tour on Tuesday because I knew which shots to look for. I got a lot of footage of the roaster, the testing, the bagging for distribution, etc. UNFORTUNATELY, right as the beans were dropping from the oven into the cooling area, my camera ran to the end of the tape! I'm not sure if I got any of that action, although I sincerely hope that I did. I panicked a little bit and rewinded the tape to the middle somewhere and taped over some of the slurping and spitting from Tuesday (luckily, I had a whole lot of this footage--much more than I will need). I am nervous to see how the footage comes out when I put it onto the computer--I hope I have enough usable stuff! If not, I can always make another quick trip back there.

In other crazy news, the roaster was actually a little bit on fire when I taped the process. I guess it wasn't a big deal and they fixed it, but it was kind of a little bit of a disappointment because the roasters were too busy fixing the machine to really have time to give me an interview. It's okay, though, because my interview with Tony should be more than enough information to make a quality two-minute video.

I think that's the bulk of the excitement...sorry to have it all in one gigantic post instead of several little ones like I should have been doing all along!

Sports sessions on Lake Shore - Uptown Beaches

I was disappointed when I got a call on Friday from my intended subject, saying that the seats for the fundraiser on Saturday were filled. Then I asked myself, what else is there to do in Uptown? The answer? Almost anything. 

I remembered that Saturdays are the most colorful days on Chicago's lake shore, especially starting from the Uptown area. By colorful, I mean any color of sporting uniform you can imagine or name is found on the lake shore on Saturdays, beginning mid spring to early summer. 

The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), uses the soccer fields in Uptown lake shore for its youth soccer games.

Armed with my camera, I set to shoot some games which happened to be my cousin's games. I cannot describe well enough the different kind of atmosphere one feels on the fields, but I can say this, the kids are happy to play in the cold though scantily clothed. The parents are glad to cheer their kids on as they play.

I would post the pictures as I edit them to show the colorful sights one can behold in Uptown's lake shore beaches.

Hear ye, hear ye... UpToTheEdge Politicos.

So, on a recent walk from the BRYN MAWR CTA Stop down Broadway... I came across some great community resources... from a care-center for HIV Positive residents of the area to the home base of Edgwater and Uptown's politicians.

They have walk-in hours posted,.. but I thought it was worth noting who and what their relationship is..

Interesting to note many share office space!! Conservatism at its best! - and the republican store-front is beside the democratic front. WOW-EE!


Straight From REP SHEET.COM - if you live around Edgewater... HERE-YA-GO:

You live in...	You are represented by...	They can be found at...	And contacted...
City Ward 48 (Alderman)	Mary Ann Smith	5533 N BROADWAY	Ward: 773-784-5277 City Hall: 312-744-6860
State House District 14	Harry Osterman	5535 North Broadway Chicago, IL 60640	(773)784-2001
State Senate District 7	Heather Steans	5533 North Broadway Chicago, IL 60640	(773)769-1717
Congressional District	Janice D. Schakowsky	5533 North Broadway Chicago, IL 60640	773-506-7100

AND IF YOU LIVE TEN BLOCKS SOUTH (Around 4500 N. Broadway) - Here's who moves and shakes for ya...

You live in... You are represented by... They can be found at... And contacted...
City Ward 46 (Alderman) Helen Shiller 4544 N BROADWAY Ward: 773-878-4646
City Hall: 312-744-6831
State House District 13 Gregory 'Greg' Harris 1967 West Montrose Chicago, IL 60613 773-348-3434
State Senate District 7 Heather Steans 5533 North Broadway Chicago, IL 60640 (773)769-1717
Congressional District 09 Janice D. Schakowsky 5533 North Broadway Chicago, IL 60640 773-506-7100

Edgewater emergency

Today, while I was walking around Edgewater enjoying the sunny afternoon with my friends, we stumbled across an alarming scene. Right outside the apartment building at 2161 N. Sheridan, an elderly man was splayed out across the grass, his body in an unnatural position, his eyes closed. My friends and I nervously approached him, terrified we might be looking at a corpse. Although his leg was bent at an almost-impossible angle, and his back seemed almost too straight, he was breathing. We called out to him, and he opened his eyes and closed them again, stuck out his tongue, but didn't talk or make a sound.

So I called 9-11.

We waited for the paramedics to arrive, and they got the old man to wake up a little more. He still was unable to speak intelligibly, and I do not think he knew where he was.

We minded our own business and left before the scene was cleared up.

Hollywood beach

I justified blowing off my mountain of reading today to embark on an outdoor adventure at Hollywood beach in Edgewater...for this blog, of course! My friends and I wandered around, enjoying the sunshine and all that the scenic neighborhood had to offer us this afternoon.


I noticed this beautiful mural underneath the highway overpass. It's a tiled mosaic with some mirrored pieces that sparkled in the sun.

If you look at the mural up close, you see that some of the tiles are historical photographs of the Edgewater neighborhood.

It's really a magnificent and breathtaking mural!!

This ice cream vendor man was awesome, and not just because he was a ham for the camera! I bought an horchata flavored ice cream bar with real pieces of rice inside. It was the perfect companion for my walk along the beach! A lovely afternoon, indeed.

The Spot

If you want to go al fresco to the visions of the freshly inked Chicagoans, or maybe you want to eye the Wilson Yard construction site,...

You might want to visit THE SPOT. (4437 N. Broadway, Uptown 2 blocks south of Wilson RED LINE CTA)

Famed for Sundays... Diva Brunch in the morning,... and half-price dinner entrees in the evening... the Spot is Uptown's 'lil-swanky-bistro-that-could.

This weekend was my second trip to the Spot.

Notably, the sun was sparkling low in the Western sky and my dining-mate made reference to the "reflective" table-tops outside. Not so smart.

Other than this, the patio was overflowing with fun for a local softball team having beers and appetizers.

Once the evening breeze picked up... our order was re-directed inside.

DELICIOSO: Margherita Pizza & Martha's Vineyard Salads. That is:
Tomato, Basil, Bleu Cheese, Strawberry, & Pecan Nuts... all on the same table.

The carbonated lemonade didn't disappoint. And my dining-mate was rather pleased by the Reisling... and more so by the sampling that arrived conveniently while mulling over the drink order.

What's weirdest and coolest about The Spot? It kinda feels tucked away from civilization...

and yet the menu is widely appealing. People pour in from all over to sip at the bar and gorge on half-priced yumminess.

Salads, pastas, and steaks are their specialty.

Have a peak @ my snaps:








Dinner for two: $24

Dinner for two on half-price Sunday night.... $11 - $15 + booze.

Where Uptown Meets Edgewater

East of Foster Avenue on Sheridan leading to Lakeshore drive & Lake Michigan.
Foster & Sheridan intersection leading North of sheridan.
Southbound view on Sheridan road with a partial view of Edgewater & Uptown.
Macdonalds on Sheridan & Foster where Uptown ends.
Northbound view of Edgewater with Dominicks at the point where Edgewater begins.

I have made several stops at the intersection of Sheridan and Foster in all the years I have been in Chicago, but never considered its significance as the border of two communities in. I took the pictures above upon stepping off the CTA 151 Sheridan bus on my way to the Dominick's store. 

Macdonalds forms the landmark on the Uptown side of the intersection with a residential building on the opposite side of it. Dominicks forms the landmark on the Edgewater side with residential buildings on the opposite side of it on Sheridan road. 

Several CTA buses meet at this intersection, like the 147 Howard/Redline express bus, 151 Sheridan/CLark & Devon bus, 91 Foster bus, 145 & 146 Berwyn/Redline buses, and 135 Sheridan/Lasalle bus. 

On this particular blustery and cloudy spring evening, the intersection had an open and sparse look to it. It also held a kind of serenity that made me wonder about the stories to be told about the intersection. Besides being the border of Uptown and Edgewater communities, I can't begin to imagine what, if any stories there are to be told about this intersection. I intend to find out and I am sure you are wondering too.