Lincolnite

1. ...a great place to live and work.
2. ...in the Central Time Zone.
3. ...a fast growing community with friendly neighborhoods, low crime rates, a great health care system and an excellent educational system.
4. ...the tenth healthiest city for pregnancy according to BabyFit.com’s list of Top 100 Cities for Healthy Pregnancies.
5. ...the state capital and second largest city in Nebraska.
6. ...located in Lancaster County.
7. ...a community of 215928 people and is the home of Nebraska Wesleyan University.
8. ...recognized nationally for its football team from the University of Nebraska.
9. ...very, very radical when it comes to encouraging poor people to have babies the public schools give people backpacks of food to encourage the poor people with babies to have more of them and additionally as was discussed before they offer free-baby care to high-schoolers who have babies.
10. ...squarely in the middle, say observers.

So sayeth Google.

The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce says growth is good:

Did anybody get a hug? Did you see the hug guy and just walk or drive right on by?

According to this article, Downtown Lincoln's housing market is overbuilt. I wonder what the Downtown Lincoln Association would say about that? My guess is: "Nuh uh!"

I'm best man in a wedding this weekend, so I need to prepare a speech for the reception. I already have most of it thought out, but I figured I should see if any of you have any advice for me. I already have some of the basics:

• Keep it short.
• Do not give a speech while drunk.
• Beware the fine line between funny and cringe-inducing.

Anything else?

I sat across from John Denver on the bus this morning. Well, a dead ringer (sorry), anyway. I really wanted to ask for an autograph but I decided that would be rude. I'll add that to my list of celebrity sightings around Lincoln. For example, a couple summers ago I had repeated sightings of Ice Man eating a burrito at Chipotle. Still no Elvis sightings, though.

The headline might be a stretch, but it got your attention, right? Governor Heineman used his veto pen yesterday to eliminate over $40 million from the state's $2 billion two-year budget. That's about 2%. None of the vetoes are all that substantial, relatively speaking, which makes it all the more humorous when Gov. Heineman brags about his vetoes demonstrating fiscal restraint. Yeah, well, sort of, but he could have cut a lot more -- axing entire programs, for example -- if he had wanted to. But there was no political need since the state's budget forecast is starting to perk up. The headline, by the way, refers to Heineman's veto of $120,000 for a prostitute diversion program; $5.4 million from special education; and $1.3 million from the Education Department.

Current city ordinance bars all commercial kennels from within city limits. A new proposal would change that policy. Existing kennel owners are fighting the proposal because they say it is unfair. Why should new businesses get to play by different rules. But they should be careful about what they're protesting; if Lincoln annexes their land, they will instantly be out of business. I propose a compromise plan: block kennels from opening within today's city limits, but allow them beyond that (even when the city expands). Good idea? Awful idea?

I finally managed to get my flowers and vegetables planted over the weekend. I wish I knew more about flower gardens. I happen to like marigolds and many of the other drug store parking lot classics, but I know there is so much more out there. Does SCC offer a quick-and-dirty flower garden course? I'm a little more confident in my vegetable garden -- but just a little. This year I put in:

• 4 tomatoes
• 4 bell peppers
• 4 Italian grilling peppers
• 1 super chile
• 3 cayennes
• 3 jalapenos
• 1 habanero
• 2 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 2 cucumbers

I'm hungry already. I don't know why I put in an habanero again. The last time I had habaneros I nearly killed Mr. T with one. Maybe I'll use them as ornamentals. By the way, I have room for two more plants (one in sunny, dry, fine soil and one in partly shady, heavy clay soil) so if you have some suggestions, fire away. The sage bush I planted two years ago is big and beautiful right now with its pretty purple flowers. I'm not the only one who likes it; the sage has its own bumble bee pal who hangs around all day, every day. The bee and I got to know each other pretty well yesterday since we worked so close to each other for a couple hours. In addition to the sage, I have a thriving basil plant, some struggling rosemary, and a ton of cilantro. Next project: building a small retaining wall and bringing in several cubic yards of dirt. After that: install a picket fence. It's going to be a busy summer.

Admit it, a bunch of you spent a lot of time mingling with crowds this weekend. Raise your hands: How many of you went to Lowe's? How about the Extreme Makeover house? (I stopped by Lowe's on Sunday morning.)

There was a nice piece in the LJS yesterday about Air Park and how the easily-forgotten neighborhood is picking up steam.

Have you noticed the new electronic billboards popping up around town? I have seen two: one near 56th and Old Cheney, and the other near 48th and Normal. Are there others? What's your opinion of them?

Within a one-month span The Missus and I will:

• Pay off RUNRGAL, her 2001 Prism
• Pay off our credit card expenses from our trip to Boston to pick up Robbie last year
• Pay off my laptop
• Stop paying for daycare, since The Missus will be home with Robbie this summer (and beyond?)

Not having to pay for these items each month is going to feel very, very good. With these four liabilities out of the way, that just leaves the house and my student loan, and my student loan debt isn't bad at all considering it covers a BA and an MA. Nevertheless, I'm not going to do a happy dance or anything since I know darn well that debt abhors a vacuum and new expenses have a way of wiggling their way into one's life. For example, my 1993 Ford Tempo needs some potentially expensive repairs and will probably need to be replaced sooner rather than later. And with The Missus no longer working full time we're going to feel a shock when her paycheck stops arriving later this summer. Still, I will allow myself a nice smile and a deep breath while I enjoy the temporary freedom from some of our large regular expenses. I plan to enjoy it while it lasts.

It's the Friday Five "A Few of My Favorite Things" edition. My favorite...

1. ...place to be alone is the prairie at the Pioneers Park Nature Center.
2. ...memory of a Lincoln gone by is riding my bike to Kool Krest and playing golf with my Lincoln Journal paper route money.
3. ...summertime Friday night activity is going to Friday Nights Live at SouthPointe.
4. ...stretch of road is Sheridan Boulevard.
5. ...grocery store is Hy-Vee.

Hey, what's the deal, Journal Star? I tried to flip directly to the restaurant review in today's Ground Zero and it wasn't where it was supposed to be. No fair confusing the tired guy!