Guilty

It took the jury just over two hours to find Reginald Potts, Jr., guilty of the first degree murder of Nailah Franklin. Illinois no longer has the death penalty, but he is unlikely to ever walk free. He had eight previous convictions and warrants for $40,000 in outstanding child support by the time he was 31. He had recently been paroled when he met and wooed Nailah Franklin. When she found out about his past, and about the child he'd fathered while seeing her, she severed the relationship.

Women did not dump Reginald Potts, Jr. When she broke up with him, their relationship changed from boyfriend and girlfriend to, in the words of the prosecutor, "hunter and hunted."

Long ago I loved a man like that. He still resurfaces in my life from time to time and still has the power to scare and upset me. We all make mistakes. It breaks my heart that Nailah Franklin had to die over hers.

Her case has resonated with me since she went missing, that warm autumn of 2007. She had recently worked at Leo Burnett, an advertising agency just up the street from mine. Her former coworkers, who clearly adored her, were leafleting at my el stop and pressed one of these into my hand. Throughout my neighborhood, her face looked out at me from store windows.

First her car was found, abandoned and empty and wiped clean. I had hoped that perhaps it was a carjacking gone hideously wrong.

Then her body was found in an Indiana lot, beside the video store* which just so happened to be run by the brother-in-law of Reginald Potts, Jr.

Now it's over.

I hope that her family can find some measure of peace. They have suffered a great deal and lost a great deal more. They are in my prayers.

*When is the last time you saw a video store? That's how long this case has dragged on.

Google says

Liberated from Kwizgiver

1. Type in “[your name] needs” in the Google search: a new liver 
Reaction: Well, this game is starting with a very sad story. A mom needed a liver transplant but died before a donor organ could be found. The link was to her family's Facebook page, and the cover photo is the woman's grave, decorated by her daughters' jack-o-lanterns.

2. Type in “[your name] wants” in the Google search: to be lazy
Reaction: Well, yeah. And I am.

3. Type in “[your name] is” in the Google search: in Dublin
Reaction: But I'm not.

4. Type in “[your name] looks like” in Google search: a pit to me
Reaction: There's a dog out there with my name

5. Type in “[your name does] does” in Google search: work that appeals to kids of all ages
Reaction: No, I don't.

6. Type in “[your name] likes” in the Google search: summer in Oakville
Reaction: I suppose I would, as long as it doesn't get too hot

7. Type in “[your name] hates” in Google search: public schools
Reaction: No, I don't!

8. Type in “[your name] goes” or “..has gone” in Google search: over to Arizona's dark side
Reaction: I've never been to Arizona, but I suppose every locale has a dark side.

9. Type in “[your name] loves” in Google search: The Pampered Chef
Reaction: Hah!

10. Type in “[your name] says” in the Google search: Get right with God
Reaction: I'm four-square in favor of that, only I don't believe it's my place to tell you how to do it

Who knew cauliflower popcorn existed?

11. Type in “[your name] eats” in Google search: cauliflower popcorn Reaction: What? Never heard of it and am not interested in munching on it

12. Type in “[your name] has” in Google search: quit
Reaction: Oh, how I've thought about it!

13. Type in “[your name] makes” in Google search: mischief
Reaction: It's been known to happen

14. Type in “[your name] can” in the Google search: interrupt
Reaction: Yes, I can.

15. Type in “[your name] will” in Google search: play the villain
Reaction: Bwaaah! That might be fun.

No wonder I drink at lunch

Last week, when I took a few days off, my boss had to handle one of my presentations. It was not a big deal at all. Since we were presenting web banners, which have a very easy-to-understand format, he was able to do it over the phone, saving him a trip downstate to the clients' offices.

Of the six concepts that were presented, four were his and two were mine. At the end of the presentation, our client asked what the agency recommendation was. This is de riguer and I hate it. I mean it when I tell her, "We would never waste your time with creative concepts we don't stand behind," and then I once again topline the benefits of each idea.

My boss, on the other hand, had a clear favorite. One of his. On the call, our client agreed with him enthusiastically but said she had to show the concepts to her boss before she could give us her final choice.

On Friday, she let her know that her boss had overruled her and they were going with one of mine.

My boss was shocked and appalled. You would think they had accused his mother of being a hooker in France during the war. Oh, for Christ's sake, it's a web banner. It will appear on their site for 30 days and poof! It's gone forever.

And, as I was impolitic to point out, we presented it. If, as an agency, we didn't think it was a good concept, we shouldn't have shown it to the client.

That was Friday. On Monday, we had to start on the next month's banners. I showed my boss one that was a logical follow up to the one the client choice so we could leverage the visual and content. He killed it right away. This was just plain petty. If the client had chosen one of "his" ideas (and I consider them all "our" ideas), I would have suggested a continuation of that one, too.

"Let's retire that," he said, taking a bite of his sandwich. RETIRE IT? The original idea hasn't even been seen by the public yet! He has no idea if it will be a success or not, and we're already retiring it?

It almost amuses me that he's so emotionally invested in this. These web banners are ancillary to The Big Project, and while it's high profile, it's kinda boring and my boss has been very willing to let me virtually run it since it kicked off in April. He only got involved with these web banners because I'm finally taking my vacation and he got in front of the client in my stead.

And here's the kicker: Wednesday morning, the client is having a big hush-hush meeting. The title is, "Go/No Go." Meaning that The Big Project -- the thing I've been working on since April, the one I found myself discussing from the courthouse while I was on jury duty, the one I concentrated on instead of finishing my bathroom redecoration or celebrating the Cubs' victory against Pittsburgh -- may be postponed or cancelled.

So the fucking banner that my boss hates so much may never be created. Of course, this also means that the 16-page booklet, six-panel brochure, series of six letters, emails, and multi-piece welcome kits that are already being produced may be scrapped, too.

After I heard this, I walked over to nearest dive, ordered a greasy burger and washed it down with beer. Cold, wonderful beer. Don't judge me. You would have done the same.

Now we wait

Remembered as "not just a star, but a superstar"

The last few witnesses have testified in the trial of Nailah Franklin's accused killer. His ex-wife and a former girlfriend described the physical abuse they suffered at his hands. A friend of his testified that they were together in Chicago all day, running errands, on the day Ms. Franklin went missing, and therefore he couldn't be dumping her body and car in Indiana. (Never mind that last week, he had a different alibi.) The accused chose not to take the stand in his own defense.

Tomorrow the jurors will hear closing arguments. Then they will begin to deliberate.

They will consider the cell phone evidence -- the threatening text messages he sent her, the defiant ones she sent in response, and the telltale "pings" that place their cell phones in the same vicinity on the day she died. Then there's the surveillance evidence -- the camera in the garage of her condo building shows them leaving together on the day she disappeared. Then there's his pattern of abusive behavior -- placing his hands on the necks of two other women in his life, relevant since Nailah's cause of death was asphyxiation.* Then there's the crime scene evidence -- her body was discovered in a vacant lot next to a business owned by the accused's brother-in-law, and her abandoned car was found just 10 minutes away. And now, his shifting alibis.

Then finally, after more than eight years, there will be a verdict. Most Illinois murder cases take two years to go from arrest to trial. This one took so long because the accused kept changing attorneys -- at one point insisting he could defend himself -- and complicating matters by committing literally hundreds of serious infractions from behind bars.

In 2007, when he was arrested, Illinois still had the death penalty. Now, as the jury hears closing arguments, it has been abolished.

*Though, to be fair, there is no evidence that she was strangled. Decomposition makes positive determination impossible.

Wherever she is, she understands and forgives you

This old (2007?) photo is making its way around social media. Melania Trump is seven months pregnant, wearing a gold bikini and high heels, posing on the steps of husband Donald's jet. We can certainly wonder what this photo means about Trump and his attitude toward women, but that's not what this post is about.

Not that long ago, there was an uproar about Michelle Obama showing bare arms in her official White House portrait. In comparison, bare arms seem pretty tame, don't they?

I've learned that no First Lady gets good press in real time. It started when Martha Washington was slagged for the formality of her official dinners ("What? Does she think she's royal or something?") and hasn't let up since.

For example, the First Lady whom Melania Trump is said to aspire to be like, JBKO, was haunted by these two photos when she entered America's consciousness. The first is a shot of her at 16, trying to look like "a vamp" between sets on the tennis court. During the 1960 campaign, when this 1945 snapshot surfaced, there was an uproar over a teenager smoking. And her lifestyle! A young girl flaunting heavy lipstick, jewelry and a cigarette holder as she romps around Newport tennis courts? How decadent! There was a war on, after all!

This second one is of First Lady Jackie Kennedy vacationing -- without her husband (!) -- in Italy. Anyone with even a shallow understanding of the Kennedy marriage can imagine why she may wish to get away from the White House soon after her husband enjoyed being the subject of Marilyn Monroe's rendition of "Happy Birthday." However, back in 1962, whispers about the President's infidelities were limited to the Georgetown/New York/Hollywood elites. Ironically it was Jackie who was slammed for abandoning her husband and toddler son to go off to Italy on her own (though "on her own" meant accompanied her 5-year-old daughter, her sister and brother-in-law, and a pair of Secret Service agents).

Photos like this one, showing her in a bathing suit, were splashed across front pages all over the world, and Americans were scandalized. Is this how a young wife and mother should behave? 

After her husband's assassination, public sympathy swung overwhelmingly in Jackie's favor. But once she married Aristotle Onassis, the charges that she was spendthrift and decadent resurfaced. While no one blamed her for the nude sunbathing paparazzo shots that Larry Flynt published in Hustler, no one much felt sorry for her, either.

Now, decades after her death, JBKO is the First Lady today's candidates wives look to.* I think this would amuse her. Now that the pendulum has swung back, she's considered an icon of elegance and decorum again. I suspect she would say she was pretty much the same Jacqueline all along and it was the public's perception that changed.

*No word on who Bill Clinton's First Spouse role model is.

Sunday Stealing

The Big, Bad Meme

Is there anyone else in the room with you at this moment? What are they doing? Nope. It's just little ol' me.

Do you show your teeth when you smile, or do you prefer smiling with your lips closed? When I'm posing for a photo, I'm careful to control my upper lip when I smile. Otherwise I can look a little gummy.

Would you rather be told the truth, even if it isn’t what you want to hear? Depends on who's doing the telling, and if what they're saying is an absolute truth. If it's an opinion about something superficial -- like a coworker doesn't like my cologne -- keep it to yourself.

What is something that you plan to buy, as soon as you’ve saved up the money for it? New tile for my bathroom walls! Gawd, I hate it in there!

Do you play Sudoku? No

Have you ever had a migraine? Not recently, and I'm grateful for that. Migraines are murder.

What was the last book you read for pleasure? The Chocolate Cat Caper. It's just as lightweight as the name implies. But I've been reading biographies lately that have gotten me involved emotionally. It's a nice change of pace to read something inconsequential.

What was the last item of clothing you purchased for yourself?  Just today I bought myself a green Izod pullover for $2.50 at Goodwill. I went over there to drop off a bag of clothes and wandered around a moment, checking the pricing to make sure the fair market value I declare to Uncle Sam is close to true. And wouldn't you know? I fell in love with a cable knit sweater on the rack. Yea for me!

Your first serious relationship, do you still talk to him/her? No. His mom died earlier this year. I sent flowers, because his mother had stayed close to mine and I think my mom would have wanted me to. I didn't hear anything back and that's just fine. I was a little worried I would, and then what would I say to him?

Who is the last person you texted? A former coworker who wanted to share some industry gossip.

 

How close is your family? My niece and nephew like me, and I have a cousin (mom's side) and an aunt (dad's side) in Florida that I correspond with. But my sisters and I are not at all simpatico.

Is there anything too serious to be joked about? Yes. I do not joke about another person's faith or race or infirmity. I'm one of those insufferably PC people some complain about.

Do you like to understand and have good knowledge of things? Yes. Why on earth would anyone answer "no" to this?

What is worse? Back pain or shoulder pain? Back pain. It's impossible to get comfortable when your back hurts.

Have you ever almost fallen off of something high off the ground? Of course.

What’s one fruit you love in drinks? This afternoon I had a peach bellini, so I'll say peach.

What is something simple that you’re afraid of? Air travel.

   

Has this weekend been good? The weather's been good -- sunny and 55º. The company was good -- lunch with my niece and her boyfriend. But I feel crappy because a nascent cold is sapping my strength.

 How much time do you take to get ready in the morning? It takes me forever to get ready in the morning because I keep getting distracted. I'm very much an "Oh, look! A squirrel!" kinda gal when I'm preparing to go out.

 

 Last movie you watched in theaters and with whom? The Seventh Victim is a 1943 horror film that was screened by my classic movie group to celebrate Halloween.

And all I want to do is sleep

I have so much to do! My home is a mess, and I had rededicated myself to finally doing something about that before November 19 -- which is the day a contractor may be wandering around, moving furniture, as he remedies the problem with my heat.*

But I have no energy. I'm battling the beginning of a cold. So far no cough, and the congestion that isn't so bad. But it's a battle to stay awake!

As I post this, I'm watching Ken Burns' Civil War, which could be an inspiration as I continue Liza's saga for my Nanowrimo, but I'm struggling to remain upright on the sofa ... and here it's barely 5:30.

Oh well, it's not like I did nothing this weekend. Saturday I did laundry and put my summer clothes away. And today I took a bag of clothes to Goodwill and bought a new set of sheets at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Best of all, I had lunch with my niece. My 23 year old niece! I can't get over how time has flown, and that she's done with college. She was just in for the weekend and wanted me to meet her new fella, Michael. A sanctimonious pain in the ass if ever there was one. Though, I suspect, the woman I am today would have felt the same way about a 23 year old Gal. And, it's important to note, she seems quite happy with and proud of him. I just hope there's no wedding in the near future. She went from a few months in the dorm to sharing an apartment with her boyfriend Jason directly to sharing an apartment with Michael. I worry that she's not spreading her wings and flying solo. But then, that's me wanting what I wanted/want for myself, and this is her life we're talking about.

*Which is way too much heat. I can't regulate it.

Saturday 9

  Random

 

1) Do you prefer your pickle sliced thin, sliced thick, or in a spear? I like the spear when it's served on the side with my burger or sandwich. I'll happily munch it solo. But if I'm having pickles on my sandwich or burger, I prefer sweet relish.

2) What kind of eggs do you like best for breakfast? I like all eggs. Scrambled with diced ham. In an omelet with cheese and spinach. Over easy or poached. It's all good. (Can you tell I'm thinking of heading over to the coffee shop for breakfast this morning?)

3) If you got 2 pennies for change, would you pocket them or leave them on the counter for the next person? I'd take them because I save pennies in a red piggy bank (a gift from a coworker). It holds about 750, and when it's full I take it to the Coinstar machine and give myself a little present. Last year I got an Amazon gift certificate, this year, one from Red Robin (yum).
 

4) You’re now in charge of the manners for the planet. Tell us the new rules for cellphone etiquette. NOT at the table! My friend Barb used to check her phone all the time while we were eating, until one evening I told her if she touched it one more time, I was getting out my hardcover book and beginning to read. She never did it again. My oldest friend needs to shape up her phone manners, too. She takes her son's every utterance way too seriously (he's now 25) and I've seen her take his call during a lecture and a museum exhibit. I know he's had problems in the past, but the last call turned out to be about whether he should pick up cat food at the grocery store or Petco. That certainly could have waited.

 

5) You’re about to write a novel. What genre will it be (sci fi, chick lit, historical fiction, comic …)? I'm writing a novel right now. Does that sound pretentious? It shouldn't, because November means NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and people all over the country are working on that idea that's been rattling around in their hands. Anyway, mine is historical fiction, set in the mid 19th century.

6) Is it a bad thing to lie to save a friend’s feelings? Usually, no. Especially if the question is something like, "Do you like my hair?" Sometimes, though, if it's a serious matter, people need to hear the truth if they are to move ahead in their lives, and who better to tell them than a friend? So it depends on the situation.

7) Is your big toe your longest toe? Yes.

8) Hot stone massage: yea or nay? Yea.

9) Do you check the mirror before going out? Yes.

 

Sisterhood can be powerful

This week in the trial of Nailah Franklin's accused murderer: A woman made her voice heard, even though she didn't testify.

A guy named Hugh took the stand and said that, on the night of the murder, he picked the accused up at an Indiana gas station, not far from where Nailah's abandoned car was found. This is not what he told police back in 2007. Then Hugh had provided his buddy an alibi, saying they had been together all evening in the city of Chicago.

Why did he change his story? He testified that his wife coaxed him "to tell the truth."

Good for her. Good for him. Good for the memory of Nailah Franklin, may she rest in peace. 

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW is back! To participate, and to see how others responded, click here.

1. What are you currently reading? The Chocolate Cat Caper by JoAnna Carl. I just started it, so I can't comment on the mystery that's certain to unfold. But I can share the setting -- a newly divorced big city girl returns to the sleepy little Michigan resort town where she spent her girlhood summers, and it's here that she plans to start anew. So far I enjoy it because I visited my niece in such a sleepy little Michigan resort town and like the way Ms. Carl is presenting it.

2. What did you just finish reading? Franklin and Lucy by Joseph E. Persico. This biographer took an interesting take on an oft-told tale and I appreciate his originality. Persico tells the story of FDR (and Eleanor) by putting his (and her) extracurricular relationships into historical perspective. What a sad, sad story it is. I came away believing that Roosevelt and the Lucy of the title (Lucy Mercer Rutherford) truly did love one another, and as a romantic I always find it heartbreaking when True Love Doesn't Conquer All. On the other hand, if he had divorced Eleanor and married Lucy, he most certainly would never have been President and that would have been a tragedy for the entire world. 

This also solidified a feeling that's been gnawing at me since I watched the Ken Burns/PBS series on the Roosevelts: I don't like Eleanor. This disturbs me because I appreciate her life story, all she endured, and all she accomplished. But dear Lord, she was a drag. If it was fun, she was against it. As someone observes in this book, it's hard to be around a saint. There have been First Ladies I'd love to spend an hour with: Abigail Adams, Mary Lincoln, JBKO (of course), Pat Nixon and Laura Bush. But not Eleanor. And, since she's a quintessential feminist icon, I feel very guilty about it.

3. What will you read next? Dunno.

Turning back time

Last weekend is when we turned the clocks back. As luck would have it, I spent that weekend in the past, in Springfield, IL.

First, my hotel. The State House Inn, so called because it is almost directly across the street from our State Capitol. I imagine it's very popular with lobbyists and others in town to conduct state business. I loved it though because of it's charmingly retro mid-century modern decor. Pop art and blonde wood was everywhere! It reminded me most fondly of my uncle, for this is the style of decor he always favored. (It's why I have such affection for the sleek, light colored coffee table upon which my feet rest as I post this.) It's also very Mad Men.

 

Then there is our State Capitol Building. In all the times I've visited Springfield, I've never even seen it because our current state house is not one of the Lincoln sites. Built in 1870, it's more attractive than I realized. (News coverage is always a reporter close up, on the steps, holding a mic.) It's also more majestic than our current legislators deserve.*  

 

The way the Capitol looked from my hotel

I wonder if 50 years in the future, this state house won't join the Old Capitol on every school kid's tour. The Old Capitol is preserved because it's the site where legislator Abraham Lincoln delivered his "Nation Divided" speech. From 1997 to 2014, Barack Obama was a state senator here.
 

I was surprised by how nondescript the other buildings in this part of town are. So many of the issue that impact my life have been decided in gray squarish structures -- The Illinois Supreme Court and Illinois Secretary of State -- that look like boring little community colleges.

Of course, I also spent a good deal of time with Abe. I visited his house in the morning, followed by a visit to the train station where he gave his impromptu farewell to Illinois (a short, lovely little speech that revealed so much about the way his glorious mind worked) and ended the day with a stroll through the Presidential Museum.

I've visited the Truman, Kennedy, Nixon and Clinton museums, as well, and Lincoln's is the one aimed most directly at children. I understand this. To kids, Abe is the Elvis of Presidents. (As, of course, he should be.) But it's disappointing because on this day (Sunday, November 1), I had the place virtually to myself. Truly, I've never been here when it's been so empty. It would have been nice to linger and learn from a terrific, challenging new exhibit. Alas, that didn't happen.

I was excited to see one of the original sets and many costumes from the recent movie Lincoln, generously donated by Steven Spielberg. Sally Field lent her thoughts on playing the much-maligned Mary, and I appreciated that. But did I learn anything new? Not really.

Me in Cubbie blue, waving from Abe's house

Still, time spent with Abe is always time well spent. Impressive and inspirational. It was also cool because this year's Nanowrimo is historical fiction, and it was nice to immerse myself in the world my characters would have lived in.

I also loved getting away by myself. Reading magazines, working on my 2015 novel, wandering streets where no one knows me. It's so refreshing! En route to Springfield, I rode the train partway with a neighbor. Upon my return, I ran into neighbors in the hall and the laundry room and was intercepted by the janitor. Nice people, all, but blah-blah-blah. I enjoyed, and was rejuvenated by, my anonymity. This may come as a shock to those who know me in real life, because I can be quite blabby, but I do dearly love my alone time!

*Our state finances are now such a mess that Illinois has stopped paying our lotto winners. Gulp.

Dona Nobis Pacem

I am a peace blogger, because like Mimi Lenox, I believe words are powerful.

In today's hothouse political climate, where some Presidential candidates like to trumpet their machismo and their eagerness to talk tough and "stare down" other world leaders, it might be helpful recall that this is how an American President addressed the United Nations in September 1963, at the height of the Cold War.

It was that approach that brought the world from the brink of disaster in Cuba a year earlier.

It's been said that Americans vote their wallets, that the economy is a principal motivator when we go to the polls. I hope everyone who sees this will also think about what kind of world we want to live in, and how who we elect as President will help shape that world, when we vote.

For more about the Blog 4 Peace movement, please click here.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Thriller (1983)

1) In this video, Michael Jackson is transformed into a "werecat," with fangs, claws, yellow eyes and whiskers. What  monster or ghoul frightened you the most? None, really. For me, the truly chilling characters are very bad men, like Hannibal Lecter or Norman Bates.

2) Michael sings that evil things that will be lurking "close to midnight." Where will you be at midnight tonight? Asleep

3) Horror movie icon Vincent Price does the voice over on "Thriller." What's your favorite scary movie?   Psycho. Once you've seen Janet Leigh's final shower, you never forget it.

4) Mr. Price's House of Wax, made in 1953, was one of the first 3D movies. What's the most recent 3D movie you saw? This summer's Jurassic World. It was very entertaining.

5) Horror fans might be surprised to know that, despite his sinister image, Mr. Price enjoyed very genteel and relaxing hobbies, like cooking, gardening and painting. What would we be surprised to learn about you?   I don't remember many of my dreams, but the ones I do recall tend to be gross and creepy and weird.

6) A Halloween tradition is the jack-o-lantern. Did you carve a pumpkin this year?   Nope

7) According to Yahoo!, the most popular costume of Halloween 2014 was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Will you be in costume this Halloween? If not, who or what would you most like to dress up as?  If I was dressing up, I'd costume myself as Liz Taylor. I've never seen myself in a black wig, and I think all the gaudy jewelry and eyeliner would be fun.

8) When you went trick or treating as a kid, did you usually wear a store-bought costume, or was it DIY?   Always store bought. And I can't remember a single one.

9) When trick-or-treaters show up at your door, what candy will they get?  All they will get is disappointed, because I won't be home.

Today in court

This lovely young woman, who was murdered more than eight years ago, was much loved. So much so that two rows in the courtroom were filled with her family and friends as her accused killer's trial continued.

I'm glad those who cared about her are getting their day in court. I'm just sorry that the testimony they heard was so grisly. For today, the cop who found her body took the stand.

So I'd like to combat that sad ugliness by sending this image of Nailah Franklin out into the blogosphere.

My Halloween haunts

This weekend I'm staying at this mid-century modern hotel, The State House Inn in Springfield. In this case, when I say "mid-century" I'm referring to the mid-20th century. I'll also visit a mid-century home inhabited by a certain famous someone. That would be Abe Lincoln's home from the mid-19th century.

I haven't slipped away by myself all year and I miss my little solo getaways. So this weekend, it's me and Abe.

Here's hoping the trip is a pleasant adventure. Because of extensive track construction, Amtrak is running buses between Chicago and St. Louis. It's going to take me (gulp!) five hours to get to Springfield. That's one long-ass bus ride. I'm hoping I'll be amused by witty banter by people like these two. But I'm not counting on it.

Happy Birthday, Dear Kwizgiver ...

Happy Birthday to you!

Opening arguments

So today the Nailah Franklin murder case officially began. As  expected, the prosecution promised to show that the accused "erased" this young life, as he threatened to do. As expected, the defense promised to highlight holes in the prosecution case.

What I didn't expect to learn was this: Nailah Franklin's father, a retired biochemist, was not in the courthouse to see this. He died three years ago, before he could see justice for his daughter.

And in tonight's episode ...

Mr. Big

Mr. Big got into work Wednesday, and was discreetly sent home. He was let go after a little more than four years.

He hired Long Tall Sally and Christine the Mole, two examples of major mismanagement just this year. I can only imagine how many other missteps were made that I didn't see. So I don't dispute that this move needed to be made. I just hate the thought of Mr. Big getting off the train hours early and facing his wife. He was home when his kids got home from school and had to explain the situation to them. This makes me so sad.

When Mr. Big's replacement was introduced to us at about 2:00 PM, Fearless Leader excitedly told us the agency had been wooing him for "at least two years." I felt so sorry for Mr. Big. Imagine knowing that your bosses were on the phone to someone else for your job, day in/day out, for two years! How could you come in every day and still do your best?

Fearless Leader

I used to be more successful than I am now. I used to have a better title and a bigger paycheck and awards. I burned out and took sixteen months off. I worked as a freelance writer, taking assignments and mostly working from home. I was, by and large, happy. I worked out often and kept a much cleaner home than I do now. I missed being downtown in the middle of it. I didn't like having to scramble and beat the bushes for assignments. I hated having to file my taxes quarterly.

But today I remembered so clearly why I got burned out. This is a tough, tough business. Suddenly I was glad to be flying below management's radar.

Tuckered out

Unit owners in my condo building met on Monday. It wasn't pretty.

The new woman on the second floor is parking two cars where she should only be parking one, thereby blocking other drivers when they try to move their cars. Her response? "You're not blocked. Learn how to drive."

The Saddest Boy in the World complains that our next door neighbors smoke outside their building and he can smell it in his apartment. He reports that the church across the alley is noisy as they repair their roof and replace their downspout and it disturbs his sleep. He doesn't like that the garbage bins are under his window (even though they have been there for at least 20 years.)

The daughter of one of our tenants (she doesn't even live here!) objects to young people "socializing" in front of the people. I suppose anyone "between 15 and 25" should be kept in a pen and out of sight.

Oh, and my assessments will probably go up by approximately $40 every month. Not happy.

I got home and went to bed. At 9:30. That's how draining the affair was.

I wouldn't attend these sad affairs, or I would at least leave early, except that one of my neighbors is deaf. She has trouble following the action in these meetings -- she can't read everyone's lips at once -- and so I sit beside her with my laptop and key in what I hear everyone saying. She says she wants to run for the board in 2016, so she'll need me even more.

Finally, Nailah Franklin gets her day in court

On Monday, Nailah Franklin's accused killer will finally find himself in front of a judge and jury. If you're interested in why it's taken so long for this SOB to be held accountable, here's a Tribune story. You won't read his name on this blog. Instead, I'm celebrating this special, much-loved girl with a post I originally published in 2013.

With the perspective that comes with age, I wonder why a girl who had absolutely everything going for her got involved with such an irredeemable creep. Then I remember myself at 28, and the man whose violent streak and cruelty I thought I could change if only I loved him enough. So there's no judgement of this young woman here.

Only the tender wish that she'd had the last eight years.

I won't forget Nailah Franklin

This beautiful young woman was killed in 2007. It will be six years ago this September! And the man arrested for her murder -- a former boyfriend who threatened to have her "erased" -- is still sitting behind bars, no trial date set. I refuse to use his name in this post, but if you want to read more about the case, click here.

I prefer instead to concentrate on Nailah. I never met her, but our lives intersected. The advertising agency she once worked for is just up the street from the one where I work, and after she went missing, her heartbroken coworkers were on the el platforms, leafletting and making sure we were all familiar with their friend's face, her car and her license plate.

The search for Nailah was big news for over a week, but then her body was found, a suspect was arrested, and life went on.

But I haven't forgotten. I have an old lover in my past who mistreated me physically, so when I read about the suspect's arrest it stirred deep feelings in me. I was also moved by how much former her coworkers loved her, how hard they worked on her search. Nailah Franklin must have been very special. And so, in tribute ...

Nailah Franklin was one of 5 daughters.

She graduated first from Homewood Flossmoor High School and then the University of Illinois.

She spent 5 years at the prestigious ad agency, Leo Burnett.

She moved to Eli Lilly in 2006 because she believed a sales job would help give her greater control over her finances and career.

She loved "all things Oprah."

She loved clothes and had a terrific sense of fashion.

Her mother told the Tribune that she wondered why Nailah "always seemed to be in such a hurry to live life. I think her spirit knew she had such a short time on this Earth and she had to cram in as much living as possible."

An older sister remembers her "little baby voice that she never grew out of, but she was bold and spirited, headstrong and beautiful."

Her father recalls "an exceptionally smart woman" and says that not a day goes by that he doesn't miss her.

A younger sister smiles when she remembers CD/DVD collection because "it was such a reflection of her -- a combination of old school songs by Luther Vandross and Tae Bo exercise DVDs."

Her youngest sister tried to follow Nailah to Urbana but she wasn't accepted. She treasures Nailah's words of encouragement as she applied to other schools. "When we learned she had died, I considered quitting the nursing program. But I remembered how much she believed in me and I thought it was important to keep going."

She volunteered at the Chicago Urban League.She was eulogized as "not a star, but a superstar."

She was just 28 when she died.