LONDON – The last time I was in London, it was spring break 2007. While fellow Marquette seniors were planning trips to Cancun, California and other places they could bask in the sun, I decided that rainy London would be perfect.

Five years later, here I am in Londontown again. However, the entire atmosphere of London has changed. I experienced a sleepy, businesslike London previously. Right now, the air here is electric and everyone is so excited. It's truly amazing. I'm just taking everything in while I'm here.

I am not a huge sports fan. I think while at Marquette I attended a total of five basketball games in four years. I don't follow football or baseball or soccer either. But every four years, I become a sports lover. Bring on the swimming, gymnastics and volleyball. I get caught up in the Olympics and I have been ready for London 2012 for awhile. My time here started a few hours before the opening ceremony.

The first thing I noticed as I exited from the train station was the avalanche of advertising. Team GB, as they're being called here, is hawking everything from electronics to hair products on billboards, buses and those banners that hang from lamp posts.

The traffic around town is a bit of a nightmare for drivers. My driver told me that there are no shortcuts through the city as branch streets are shut down. There is also an Olympic lane that can only be utilized by official vehicles. It was completely empty as we made our way through the city and our lane was bumper to bumper. Plus, there are the bus only lanes, so a normal three-lane road can be limited to one for the normal folk heading around town.

What about the London Underground? It's actually not that bad. The train cars are pretty full, but I haven't experienced any real delays. I have seen some pretty long lines, or queues, to get into venues or out of the stations. If you need help, there are Olympic ambassadors everywhere, wearing hot pink uniforms and occasionally hot pink foam fingers…

I waded into "tween" territory Friday night as I took my seat for "17 Again," a body-swap movie in the same vein as "Freaky Friday" and the obscure, similarly titled Showtime movie starring Tia and Tamera Mowry.

With "High School Musical" alum and current teen fantasy Zac Efron -- referred to as "Zac-y-poo" by some -- playing the lead role, this movie was almost certain to satisfy the tweens.

Any parent or adult expecting the plot line to be tired and old should think again.

Mike O'Donnell (played by Matthew Perry) has pretty much given up on life. He didn't go to college, he's passed over for a promotion, his wife is divorcing him and his kids could care less. He's clinging to the memory of what was supposed to be his bright future right out of high school -- a basketball scholarship.

He's given the chance to relive those glory days as he's transformed from the mess of a man he's become to the athletic, popular 17-year-old he once was (played by Efron). He sets out to fix what went wrong in his life, with years of life experience as his guide. As he learns more about himself, his wife and his children, he realizes he doesn't regret it all.

"17 Again" is a sweet, witty and funny yet some times uncomfortable movie. It goes beyond simply recycling the familiar story by creating scenes and characters that grab you.

Many will groan as Efron can't seem to be cast in a movie where he doesn't don a basketball uniform. He even utters a line similar to one of Troy Bolton's mantras ("We're in this together" Mike tells his teammates). However, Efron plays the role of the young Mike well. He takes on the persona of a man in a boy's body and exudes maturity both humorously and seriously.

Despite Efron's assets, Thomas Lennon, who plays Mike's best friend Ned and "father" to the younger version, steals nearly every scene. Lennon, best known for his role on "Reno 911," takes the hilarious comedy he's known for and brings it to the geeky, a…

I made a resolution back in January that I plan on keeping. No, it's not some vague "this year, I plan on exercising more" or "I plan on traveling more" or any of the other do-something-more resolutions. This one was a goal that I think is actually attainable. It's the 50 Book Challenge. As New Year's rolled around, I said to myself, "This year, I plan on reading 50 books."

Fifty is a nice round number, something possible in 365 days. Easy, no problem. However, it's now June and I've only read about 12-15 books. I haven't been keeping a really good count, but the year's half over and now I'm wondering: Can I actually do this?

Now, I'm no slouch when it comes to reading. When I go on trips, I pack as many books as I do pairs of shoes. Somehow on my last trip, which included a lot of time sitting in an airplane seat, I finished all the books I brought with me and had to buy another two in the airport gift shop.

When I was younger, I was a bookworm who preferred a good read versus television (Oh, how the times have changed). My shelves were lined with books I would get through in no time. My shelves are still lined with books, but I'm finding it hard to actually get to them.

Thankfully, speed-reading is my forte -- and yes, I can actually comprehend what I'm reading -- it has been since an early age. I remember when my cousin and I would challenge each other to speed-reading contests with R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" books. I'd like to say that I won every time, but to be fair I'll say that we both did well.

You know how the public is applauding J.K. Rowling for firing up the imaginations of children with "Harry Potter?" I remember losing myself in book series such as "The Babysitters Club," "Nancy Drew," "The Boxcar Children" and "The Sweet Valley Twins." Those were the series that I just couldn't put down. "Harry Potter" is that not-so-guilty pleasure I have that reminds me of those series, the ones that had me reading at top-speed so I coul…

Want to hang with Fall Out Boy's bassist Pete Wentz? Well, the Ladybug Club, 618 N. Water St., will be hosting the FOB After Party. Wentz will be doing a live DJ set with Milwaukee's own Scott Berendt drumming live. The live DJ and drums trend has been big on the coasts and is finally moving into the Milwaukee scene.

The show begins at 9 p.m., admission to the event is $15 advanced at the Ladybug Club. Reduced admission is available with a ticket stub from the Bradley Center show. Meet & Greet packages are available.