Lincolnite

Yesterday's post by Scott Adams made me try to think if I have ever had a close encounter of the celebrity kind in Lincoln. I haven't, as far as I can recall. Have you? My only real celebrity close-encounter was the time I nearly stole Larry King's cookie at the Rose Bowl. I had a press pass for taking photographs of the Cornhusker Marching Band's pre-game and halftime performances from the roof of the press box. I was thinking about picking up this cookie when Larry King himself appeared from nowhere, said "I forgot my cookie", and then disappeared into one of the private suites with his reclaimed dessert. Edited to add: I can't believe I forgot this story. One day while I was in grad school a couple friends and I ate at Yia Yia's. As we left, we brushed shoulders with a small group of people headed inside. One of my friends froze and stared. I asked what was up. "You don't know who that was? That was Connor Oberst. Bright Eyes. You guys don't know him?" We didn't. Then my friend did one of the strangest things I've ever witnessed. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and dreamily said "Oh man, you can still smell him."

Lincolnite Jesse Whidden sent in this tip several days ago, but it got buried in my inbox. Sorry for the delay, Jesse, and thanks for the tip!

Taco Bueno is coming to Lincoln. I noticed last weekend that a building on N 27th. St. (near Wal-Mart) that could only be a Mexican fast-food restaurant was nearing completion. A quick Internet search confirmed that it will be a Taco Bueno.

In other taco news, King Taco is (supposedly) coming to the former Taco Inn on Highway 2 / 9th Street / 10th Street / whatever that street is called just south of Van Dorn. It has been "coming soon" for a while now.

I like the concept behind Lincoln's new digital billboards. Most importantly, they aren't nearly as obnoxious or distracting as the naysayers swore they would be. If I were an advertiser, though, I'd be very annoyed at the short 10-second display time. Ten seconds often isn't enough to fully digest all the content on a sign. And ten seconds is only if you catch the sign at the beginning of its display cycle; you're more likely to only see the sign for a portion of that 10-second window. I can see the digital billboards being great for promoting a brand (e.g. RibFest, Nebraska State Fair), but not for disseminating details about that brand. And if your brand isn't already well-known, you're going to have a very difficult time with a digital billboard. That's my take, anyway.

In contrast to Verizon's experience, things aren't going so well at 48th and O Streets. That intersection is a good example of why I don't like it when government gets too wrapped up in that sort of project. Limited involvement by local government can sometimes be good, or even necessary. But more often than not, taxpayers get less than they were promised more slowly and with more difficulty than promised. The intersection of 48th and O is prime real estate. The redevelopment shouldn't be so difficult. Should it?

Jeff Korbelik reviews 9 South Chargrill in today's LJS. I'm bummed I wasn't able to make it there first, but considering the review's knock on 9 South's service, I'm glad The Missus and I didn't try to take Robbie there. Iffy service + energetic toddler = trouble.

Sometimes I think the Journal Star spends as much time talking about Omaha as they do about Lincoln. Today's article focuses on Omaha's so-called "cultural renaissance". Good for them. No, seriously. Because more often than not, what's good for Omaha is good for Lincoln. A portion of Omaha's success is likely to come to Lincoln in the form of "hand-me-downs" (thanks, big brother!). On top of that, any time a new door opens for Omaha, Lincoln has an opportunity to get there first. That's the most interesting part. How do you think Omaha's successes help Lincoln? How do they hurt us? Is the Omaha hype just that, or is it real?

Lincoln has been criticized as a difficult place to do business. Verizon doesn't think so, and that's great news. In fact, according to Kent Gregory, one of the developers, he has "never had a project go through a city as quickly as this project in Lincoln". Now that's what I like to hear.

Noticed today that Jones Coffee at 11th and G is now open. Apparently it opened sometime earlier this week, but I didn't notice it until walking back from work tonight. One of the owners left a note here earlier in the year with a description, and it sounds pretty cool. Score for me I only live a stone's throw away. This neighborhood could use a nice wireless coffee place, and I like their ethics. I have a feeling it will probably be popular with the students in the area and others who like coffee and locally-owned business. I'll try and head over there this weekend.

A year ago yesterday we met this guy for the first time: A year ago today I sat around the hotel room staring at him.

How is it possible, in this day and age, for event planners to forget to make accommodations for individuals with restrictive dietary needs or preferences? I attended a workshop yesterday and the planners provided lunch. Great! But lunch consisted of:

• Hamburgers
• Brats
• Potato salad
• Cole slaw
• Chips
• Cookies

That's a very reasonable lunch for most people. Problem was, there were zero options for folks who don't eat beef and pork. That may not be a problem at a luncheon for, say, the Nebraska Cattleman's Association, but this was a pretty mixed group that was likely to have a higher-than-normal population of vegetarians. I don't think it's (usually) a planner's responsibility to prepare for every possible style of picky eater, and I do think the picky among us bear a certain amount of responsibility for either asking the planner ahead of time for an alternate meal or bringing their own meal. Still, it takes very little effort for an event planner to make minimal preparations for the picky (toss a few Boca burgers into the mix, for example). Or if that isn't possible, advertise the style of meal ahead of time ("Lunch entrees will feature beef") so that the picky know to prepare themselves. The Missus' former employer used the latter tactic and it worked fine. The Missus was one of only one or two individuals who did not eat beef or pork. Since pretty much every meal featured beef and pork (usually donated by a local meat company), The Missus knew to be prepared with an alternative. No problem. So folks out there planning events: don't forget to account for picky eaters. The number and style of accommodations you make (if any) will of course depend on your audience and the type of event. But spend at least 2 minutes thinking about the issue.

Husker volleyball coach John Cook has been rewarded for his efforts with a new contract and a pay raise. Cook's teams are an astonishing 220-14 (94%) with two national championships. Glad to see you're hanging around, Coach Cook.

Keep an eye on Zion Church's recovery by bookmarking their newly-redesigned website.

Hmph, no time to write this morning. I'm on my way to an all-day workshop. Maybe I'll have time to post something between sessions. We'll see. Anyway, here are some topics you can talk about while I'm away:

• Evil ice cream men
• Football players as role models
• Theories explaining foxspit's username
• And that Lincoln classic, the weather

Have fun!

The Missus just returned from Jazz in June. She said that as of 7:40 the live music hadn't begun (it's supposed to start at 7:00), and there hadn't been an announcement explaining why, as far as she knew. They just played piped-in music over the speakers. What gives?

I just got off the phone with The Missus. Robbie fed himself this morning. He grabbed the jar of food from her, stuck the spoon in, and went to town. Most of it even went in his mouth. Bravo, Robbie! I tried to get him to self-feed quite a while ago, but at the time he showed no interest. I knew it was about time to try again because he has really been mimicking the eating process with his own (empty) spoon. Time to invest in paper towel companies.