Latest Blog Posts
The Chief’s Corner
I went ahead and added Police Chief Tom Casady’s blog to the blogroll today. It’s a new blog, but so far the posts look promising.
Unplanned Day Off
I had an unplanned day off today. Robert was feeling pretty crummy and he was running a bit of a fever. I took him to the doctor this morning. We didn’t come away with a solid diagnosis, but it looks like some sort of infection in his throat. We’ll give antibiotics a try and see what happens.
Frankly, I’m glad I got to take the day off. I felt pretty crummy myself all day, but without Robert’s illness, I probably would have gone to work anyway. I’m weird that way. Even though spending a day with a cranky kid isn’t the best way to recover, the warm fuzzies I get from playing dad make it worthwhile.
I’m not sure if Robert and I will go back to our normal routines tomorrow. Robert is obviously still tired and uncomfortable, and right now my eyeballs feel like they’re going to pop. Either way, I know I will have to plan to referee a soccer game or two tomorrow evening. There are lots of games in town tomorrow and not enough referees. Stepping up in those situations is what you do when your father is the referee assignor.
So anyway, hopefully I’ll manage to get a couple posts up at some point tomorrow. See you then!
Rats and Pizza
My niece turned three yesterday, and to celebrate family and friends gathered at Chuck E. Cheese. Or as I call it, Upchuck E. Cheese.
When I first walked in I was shocked at how small the place is. In my mind I remember the old Showbiz Pizza being huge. But now, shoot, there’s nothing to the place. It was also much, much quieter than I remember, even with all of the screaming munchkins running around. The slightly freaky animatronic critters on stage hardly even make a peep. Makes you wonder why they’re there at all.
I have to give the Cheese credit for two things. First, the pizza wasn’t nearly as awful as I feared. Faint praise, sure, but it’s the best I can do. Chuck’s pizza won’t win any awards, but it isn’t really trying to. The food isn’t the point at Chuck E. Cheese.
Second, I give a very enthusiastic round of applause for the fact that pretty much every game and ride only requires one token (a quarter or less, if you have a coupon). (I didn’t check every ride, so some of the contraptions may cost more than one token.) I was flat-out shocked to only have to pay a quarter to play pinball. How many pinball machines these days can be played for a quarter? Not many.
I won’t be rushing back to Chuck E. Cheese any time soon, but at least I won’t have to dread it quite as much the next time my niece wants to go there. I had better get used to the idea of going there occasionally, because with my niece being a fan, there’s pretty much no way I can hide it from Robbie.
The Return of The Auditor
It’s hard to disagree with the City Council’s decision to restore the position of auditor for the City of Lincoln. I won’t go so far as to imply that the firetruck mess wouldn’t have happened had we had an auditor on staff, as Ken Svoboda did. But it sure wouldn’t have hurt.
Once we have an auditor, it will be interesting to see how well the City Council, Mayor, and others play with him or her. As representatives and employees of the public, they should embrace the auditor and make her job as easy as possible. Unfortunately, government often doesn’t work that way, with inertia, turf battles, and other barriers getting in the way. Cross your fingers.
Would You Use an Ice Rink?
If the City and UNL were able to build an ice rink would you use it? I can’t help but feel like there wouldn’t be enough interest to keep an ice rink open over the long term, but I don’t think I have enough of a feel for the local demand to trust my intuition on this one. Do you think it would last? Where could it be located to minimize start-up costs and maximize usage?
Zesto Sold
The Zesto on South Street has been sold in order to settle a lawsuit related to the landmark’s name. T.J. Group Investments, owners of a Zesto in Wahoo, acquired the seasonal ice cream stand, while former owners Dave and Sandy Wolfe will retain the year-round location on Pine Lake Road.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand the Pine Lake Road location. It’s like going to a Husker volleyball match at the Devaney Center. Sure, it’s the same Husker volleyball team that plays at the Coliseum, but games at Devaney feel unnatural. That’s the way it is for me with the two Zesto locations. There’s something very unnatural about eating Zesto in a strip mall parking lot. Fortunately for the Wolfes not everybody feels that way. My parents, for example, will probably visit them three times a week this summer.
Like Clockwork
Last night around 8:30pm The Missus was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. She pointed to the front page and predicted, “Tomorrow’s front page will be the annual Easter dinner at daVinci’s.” Oops, not quite. It was on page 1B this morning. So close.
The article didn’t mention how many people were served this year, but it did say that 400 pizzas and 400 pounds of pasta were prepared.
All Smiles at The Isles
The Missus, Robbie, and I ate at The Isles in Havelock for the first time last night. We will most definitely go back.
The Isles isn’t out to impress anybody. It has a classic love-it-or-hate-it atmosphere, complete with plastic plates and the distinct odor of beer, pizza, and cigarettes. That’s right, after all this time The Isles still smells like the smoking ban went into effect just a week ago.
The interior is much smaller than I expected, and though there was plenty of seating when we showed up around 5:45, there were several groups standing around waiting for tables when we left. Note to parents: The Isles only has one high chair (which we managed to snag), so you might want to have a backup plan in the event it is taken.
Service was good. It was just as friendly as you would hope from a true neighborhood establishment, and our waitress was plenty attentive. She didn’t bring out The Missus’ salad until after our pizza arrived, but since The Missus was feeding Robbie, the waitress may have thought she was being helpful. Or maybe that’s how they do it at The Isles. Or maybe she just forgot it. In any event, she probably should have asked when The Missus wanted it.
Neighborhood joints usually aren’t renowned for the excellence of their side salads, so The Missus wasn’t expecting much more than iceberg lettuce in a bowl. Instead, her salad was surprisingly fresh and green. In addition, Robbie gives the accompanying Club crackers two slobbery thumbs up.
We ordered a medium pizza with half green peppers and mushrooms (The Missus), and half pepperoni and cream cheese (me). Both of us really enjoyed our slices. I was feeling hungry so I chomped through all four of my slices; The Missus made it through two of hers. For me, the pizza at The Isles fills a nice void that other local pizza joints leave open. Whether or not that’s true for you will depend on what you want out of a pizza. In my case, I like The Isles’ tasty and plentiful (but not excessive) sauce; the plentiful toppings; and the soft and floppy (but not doughy) crust.
In short, the only disappointing thing about going to The Isles last night was realizing that I had been missing out on something good for all these years. I’ve been experiencing that feeling a lot more often lately as I gradually break out of my old ruts and explore the city’s dining scene more thoroughly.
Friday Five
With all of this talk about the new building at 14th and Q, it has made me think about what sort of amenities I would put on that corner if I had a few million burning a hole in my pocket. Here are five things I would put in my building:
- A below-ground restaurant, bar, and/or entertainment venue. There’s just something special about entertainment under ground. Remember when Spaghetti Works was in the basement? The atmosphere was much neater than it is today.
- Quality student housing. I’m not talking party central here, but quality housing options including lofts.
- Rooftop reception and party space, perhaps with an attached top-floor restaurant.
- Some sort of a connection with the nearby civic plaza at 13th and P.
- A three- or four-screen second-run theater. Hey, why not?
I’m Going to Acapulco
After seeing the photograph that accompanies the article, I’m definitely going to Acapulco (1501 Centerpark Road, 420-0058). Mmm, looks tasty. I probably shouldn’t judge a restaurant on one photograph alone, so let’s see what else the article says. A salsa bar? Hot dog. Green tomatillo salsa on the enchiladas? I’m crossing my fingers that it’s something like the salsa at Cristina’s in Crete. Large seafood menu? Seafood sounds really tasty right now, even though it’s not even 7:30 in the morning.
I need to check this place out.
The Q Street Project
A few details about the parking garage/high-rise project on Q Street were described in today’s Journal Star. Most disappointing is the non-proposal from John Hammons; I think a lot of folks considered him to be a front-runner, after his hotel proposal on 17th Street was shot down due to concerns about using eminent domain to boot existing property owners. The other two projects are much more interesting.
The first is from Dial Realty, a $45 million, 13-story project featuring a 112-room Residence Inn by Marriott and a 600-stall parking garage. The project would also include entertainment, office, and retail space, including two floors occupied by Sinclair Hille.
The second is a much—much—bigger project from Lincoln Synergy Group. Their project would feature a “22-story tower with 726-stall garage, 150-room full-service hotel, 104 apartments and more than 140,000 square feet of office and retail space.” But that’s not all. They also propose to redevelop all or part of the block across the street to the north. That building would include 700 more parking spaces, retail space, room for UNL offices, and 245 retirement units, all within 18 stories. The price tag for the two projects? $180 million.
In terms of “wow” factor obviously Lincoln Synergy Group is the winner. To a certain extent “wow” should be a major factor in determining which group gets the project. “Wow” projects generate excitement and momentum—just what Lincoln needs to boost economic development, attract (and retain) employers, and move toward completion of the 2015 Vision Group’s pillars and other priorities. But Lincoln has been promised “wow” before, only to receive much less. Consider, for example, just how difficult it could be to convince property owners on the north block to move. (It’s not clear how many would have to move to make room for the proposal.) Although Lincoln Synergy Group’s proposal is very exciting, Dial Realty’s project is very attractive to me for the simple reason that it sounds achievable.
Which is your favorite? What ideas do you like, and which rub you the wrong way?
The Naked Lincolnite
Lincolnite will be going naked on Thursday, April 5, 2007, to celebrate CSS Naked Day. It’s a day to strip websites down to their bare bits, exposing the raw (x)HTML for all to see. What’s the point? Well, for one thing this is how geeky web developers get their kicks. But more importantly, it helps to expose flaws in a site’s design, especially for folks who rely on assistive technologies (e.g. screen readers) to browse the web.
What do you think? Does Lincolnite hold together well without the facade of colors, graphics, and other design elements? I know what I think, but I would like to know your opinions.
Passed Over
The Missus tells me that the Hy-Vee at 40th and Old Cheney, usually a reliable source for matzo and other Passover goodies, didn’t carry any items for the holiday this year. We didn’t host a seder this year, but I could still go for a bowl of matzo ball soup. I know the Sun Mart on South Street usually carries Passover products. Are any other stores carrying Passover goods this year?
Overpaid
Wow, I would love to be overpaid $10,000. Paying it back could sting, though.
Seriously, how does an organization screw up four separate paychecks? That is absolutely inexcusable. What better way to give trust in local government a kick in the shins than to overpay a part-timer (earning $62K/year) by ten grand? Well, don’t answer that. There are much bigger ways to screw up, and in the grand scheme of things this isn’t that big of a deal. But it isn’t good. What are the odds that, if elected, Mayor Beutler’s first act will be to clean house in the accounting department?
Vote Today
Yeah, I know today’s primary election is pretty insignificant. If you have the opportunity, though, you should still make an effort to vote. I would love to set a good example and do just that, but today’s 8:00am to 8:00pm voting window is too narrow. I left the house at 7:00am and I won’t get back until around 10:30pm thanks to a couple soccer matches after work.
Speaking of voting, I want to counter something Wendy Birdsall said on the radio this morning. In regard to voting, she said something along the lines of if you don’t vote, “you don’t have a right” to have a say anything about goings-on in the city. I hear that sort of thing all the time, and I whole-heartedly reject the notion. For one thing I don’t like the use of the word “right” in that context. Of course non-voters have a right to complain. Thank goodness for the First Amendment. You may think it petty to pick on word choice, but considering all the rights people in this country are willing to take from one another, I think that particular word is awfully important.
Additionally, I know Ms. Birdsall and most others who say that sort of thing don’t entirely stand behind it. Consider this easy case: can you imagine Ms. Birdsall, head of the Chamber of Commerce, standing before a gathering of youth and declaring “None of you have a right to participate in discussions about the direction of the city!” Of course not.
Voters or not, we all have a “right” to affect the direction of the city. Voting is but one element citizens should use in determining how much weight to put behind a fellow citizen’s opinion. Civic engagement, expertise, and myriad other factors can be as, if not more, important than one’s voting record.
But you should still try to vote.
The Blogs
-
The blog that covers everything Lincoln
-
The home of the Wilsons
-
In which Mr. T mutters and muses
-
Local and national sports chatter
The Blogroll
The Archives
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004