Lincolnite

Highway 2 is getting a facelift this summer. The project includes improvements like new curbs, extended turn lanes, and road resurfacing. It's the latter item I don't really understand. The road surface doesn't strike me as all that bad, especially east of, oh, 20th Street or so. I would much rather drive on a slightly bumpy road for a couple more years and have the Department of Roads spend their bucks on a tiny little project to the south that would get almost all truck traffic off Highway 2 for good. But that's just me.

The search for a location for the proposed Lincoln arena has been narrowed to three locations:

1. At the current site of the downtown post office near Seventh and R streets
2. Directly west of Lincoln Station, using the building as a sort of historic entrance
3. On the south side of the Harris Overpass, near Seventh and N streets

Looking at those options, I actually prefer #3. I like the idea of keeping the arena -- which could be very disruptive to normal Haymarket operations -- on the south side of O Street. That location comes with some baggage, of course, but so do the others. I would like to see some sketches of that location (including proposed access roads, site layout, and so on) before I decide if I'm officially rooting for #3. In reality, though, I think all of the locations are fine. Which is your favorite? By the way, let's ignore for a moment the fact that we are broke and don't have any way to pay for the arena. Let's also ignore the issue of whether or not a giant arena is a good idea. Those are just tiny little details.

...and we're exhausted! It was a long, long trip, but it was worth it. Think Robbie will let us sleep through the night tonight? Yeah, I don't think so either.

Hot dog, we're coming home! See ya tomorrow, Lincoln!

Being out of town for so long is really screwing up my ability to follow local events. Case in point: what's this I hear that Lincoln plans to annex State Fair Park? I won't comment too much on the idea since I know very little about it. But I will say that it feels a little shallow to annex State Fair Park just to earn an extra hundred grand each year. Are we really that hard up for cash? Don't answer that.

Shame on the UNL police officer who booted a petition circulator off campus on Tuesday. University spokeswoman Kelly Bartling said

Bottom line, I believe an officer may have thought our policy was not to allow petition circulators in that area.

That's a pretty big goof. Oughtn't officers be well-informed of their jurisdiction's regulations regarding things like free speech? Sorry, that's a leading question. Still, officers on a college campus should be trained well enough not to make that kind of a goof. UNL doesn't need any lawsuits created by something as simple as this.

Larry Claassen wants you to report every illegal use of fireworks that you notice this summer. In some ways he comes off sounding silly:

Make life as uncomfortable and expensive as possible for those who want to rob you of your democratically won right to a safe, reasonable celebration of independence.

Our "democratically won right"? Hate to break it to you, Larry, but I don't think we ever "won" that "right" via democratic means. Well, not explicitly anyway. I know what he's trying to get at, but his appeal to democracy is trite. Besides, the fireworks portion of Independence Day has very little to do with independence, freedom, democracy, or any other grand theme. It is instead about, in the words of a good friend of mine, "blow(ing) some shit up!" I would know; I've detonated my fair share of explosives of questionable legality over the years, and I have utilized legal explosives in ways the makers never intended. There go my chances of getting elected to public office. Part of me wants to loosen restrictions on fireworks, at least on July 4. It isn't too much to ask to let people let off some steam one day each year, and I'm all for adults being able to decide the number of fingers they feel like losing. But many fireworks are extremely invasive. Even a simple 1/2" firecracker can be heard several blocks away. As a new father facing his first boom-fest with an infant, I'm not looking forward to what I expect could be a very long, sleepless night. I don't know that there is a "perfect" solution. Either you're going to drive people (and animals) nuts with loud noises, or you're going to drive people nuts by squashing their fun. Of course, a good solution would be easier to find if fireworks users weren't so often jerks. (I admit, I was a bit of a fireworks butthead back in the day.) A little civility and courtesy would go a long way toward finding a satisfactory outcome. Not that it matters. I figure it's only a matter of a few years before private fireworks purchases are extremely curtailed. I think it's pretty much inevitable.

Did anybody catch the episode of Treasure Hunters on NBC, in which the capitol building was prominently featured? I picked up the show after the contestants had already made it to South Dakota, so I missed the Lincoln segment. How did we look?

Presenting Robbie's first motion picture appearance:

Looks like I'll be out of town for a while, so I won't be able to get to Planet Sub again any time soon for a follow-up. Has anybody had a chance to check in to see if things have improved? Any positive stories to share yet?

I'm going to cheat and do this Friday Five on a non-Lincoln topic. I give you five annoying things about driving in Boston:

1. Missing lane markings. Is it one lane? Two? Three? How's a guy from out of town supposed to know?
2. Disappearing lanes. The road used to have two lanes, but now it just has one. Quick, somebody tell that truck driving next to me that I was here first!
3. Slow drivers. Boston is the only big city I've ever driven in in which drivers keep their speed 10-20 mph under the speed limit on the freeway.
4. Non-linear roads. It is taking this Midwestern boy a long time to understand why these East Coasters don't build their roads in a grid.
5. Driving on the shoulder. It's illegal to drive on the shoulder in Massachusetts, except when it's legal. Trying to exit while battling through a line of cars that aren't even on the road is a nice challenge.

On the flip side, there are a few nice things about driving out here. Drivers not only signal their turns and lane changes, they signal them way in advance. It takes some getting used to, but boy, it sure does make life easier. Also, they like roundabouts and non-signaled intersections, even at high-traffic intersections. It feels a little "primitive" at first, but those intersections are far more efficient than some of the high-traffic signaled intersections. A lot of the techniques would unfortunately never work in Lincoln, at least not until Lincoln drivers take some driving lessons.

Have you been following the crazy Shakespeare vs. horse racing thing? Long story short, the Nebraska State Fair Board ran a commercial for horse racing that mocked Shakespeare. A local Shakespeare group took offense. The Shakespearians issued a challenge: let us perform at the track, and if we're a success, pull the ad. Now, the challenge has been accepted. It will occur June 17 at around 4:00pm. Y'know, if I were in Lincoln this weekend I might actually go watch. It's about the only reason I can ever imagine myself going to a horse race.

Plane tickets to Boston: Free (thanks to my dad's frequent flier miles!) Staying in Boston for two weeks or so: a couple grand Meeting your son for the first time: Priceless.

Have you visited any businesses near 48th and O lately? Perhaps it's time. Construction is taking its toll on the many businesses in the area. In reality, the area is pretty navigable. Just follow the signs and you won't have any problem getting where you need to go.

Does anybody like Nebraska's current marketing slogan, "Possibilities...Endless"? Ugh, it grated on me the first time I heard it, and I still think it's awful. But Nebraska has a history of bad slogans. Personally, I haven't been crazy about any of our state's slogans since "Nebraska...The Good Life" from the 1970's. But that's just me. What would your slogan for Nebraska be? There are plenty of snarky answers to that question, sure, but some of us really do like this state. How would you sell Nebraska to outsiders? To Nebraskans?