Lincolnite

Have you ever wanted to know what's going on in Lincoln today? View the summary.

Nebraska is sitting on $540 million in cash reserves. That could be a good thing. We want to be prepared for the all-but-inevitable collapse of the corn ethanol industry, for example. (Was that too cynical of me?) Or it could be a bad thing. It's cash that could be in taxpayer pockets. What would you advise the state to do with that cash?

How's all that street construction around the city doing? South Street is open, Pioneers Boulevard is open, and I hear South 27th around Yankee Hill has at least partially opened. The O Street bridge, of course, is closed for the next year. Any other streets around town we should know about? Speaking of streets, I've had an annoying revelation. It won't be long before the fastest way for me to get to Omaha will be taking HIghway 2 to Highway 77 to I-80 and around the north side of town. The "84th Street Freeway", which I've relied upon for so long, is slowly but surely bogging down with traffic. How are those South and East Beltways coming along, Lincoln?

I am a vivid dreamer. I always have been. I don't dream every night -- or rather, I don't remember my dreams every morning -- but I go in streaks. Right now I'm in the midst of a dream-heavy streak. Last night's dream selection included:

1. A day in high school. Unlike my recurring school-related anxiety dream -- I didn't do my homework! I didn't study for the test! I can't open my locker! -- this one was pretty subdued. My first problem: I couldn't figure out if it was cool to wear my backpack with one strap or two. I ran into my cousin who happened to be teaching at the school. He told me that everything was going great for him, except he couldn't get Microsoft Word to retain his contact information. It kept resorting to the default. I was on my way to fix it for him.
2. A flashback to my days playing video games at the arcade at East Park Plaza. I stood in the arcade with somebody and told them about how there was a time when Street Fighter 2 machines "were all along that wall, and halfway down this row".
3. A scary dream in which a fictionalized version of a local building -- I won't say which one -- was brought down implosion-style by terrorists. I stood with a couple family members nearby when we heard "pop pop pop pop". We looked up to see the building collapse on itself, apparently with many people inside. I woke up with my heart racing after that one.
4. A bizarre dream in which a friend of mine was an astronaut, and he and his crew were showing off NASA's new spaceship for the first time. It was a giant, ray-shaped ship that could take off and land vertically. We got to tour the ship. It was like a big, multi-level apartment on the inside. In the kitchen, a huge container of spaghetti marinara was waiting for the crew. I spoke with my friend about how I wasn't crazy about NASA sticking with the crappy space shuttle for so long, and how the agency exceeded my expectations by a mile with this new ship.
5. An anxiety dream (one of my recurring ones) in which I had a difficult time preparing for an important soccer match because my back was really sore. I awoke to find myself sleeping in a really awkward position that was putting a lot of pressure on my back.

Now that I think about it, I'm impressed I remember so much about those five dreams. Would any of you amateur shrinks care to tell me what these dreams -- in isolation or in combination -- say about me?

I don't know about you, but I get a kick out of reading the comments at journalstar.com. Sometimes they are witty, sometimes depressing, and sometimes hilarious (often accidentally). "Lee Baugh" left a comment last night that caught my eye regarding the proposed arena and convention center:

Who cares about public participation? Lets be honest, do you really want the lowest common denominator making decisions that could very well determine the future of our City? The average citizen in this town cares more about who the next football coach will be or what Britney Spears is up to, and comparatively nothing about economic development, economic multipliers, tax incentives and tax breaks for investors. If we listened to the majority of voters, we'd still be picking up the pieces from the one term Al Gore presidency. I think the sensible among us can see the fallacy in following the majority. I, for one, trust the business community and the investors in this community to make the best choices when it comes to business and investment issues. The rest of you can have your say when it comes to issues you actually have expertise in, like flipping burgers or greeting consumers at Wal Mart. Investors, shareholders, and the self employed are the real heroes in a capitalist society like the USA. To be against this project is un-American. If you don't like it, move to Massachusetts.

There's a lot going on in there, all of it worthy of discussion. Some of his points make for pretty good debate fodder. For example, do we really want "the lowest common denominator" helping to make decisions? It's an inflammatory question, sure, but an intriguing one if you're willing to dig into it. And he is right that most voters -- even those not among the group Mr. Baugh labels "the lowest common denominator" -- are ignorant of many important topics. He also leaves plenty of room for ridicule. Being against the arena is "un-American"? Who knew? At least he thinks I'm a "real hero". That makes me feel good about myself. So have at it, folks. What does Mr. Baugh get right, and where does he miss the mark?

The difference in cost between building an "ideal" Fair somewhere else and sprucing up the existing facilities is about $144 million, according to the latest consultant report. I suspect the $175 million figure for a new Fairgrounds and the $31 million figure for a refurbished Fairgrounds are too high and too low, respectively. Even still, there's every reason to believe the gap is at least, say, $80 million, and quite likely more. I'm not surprised that the 2015 Vision folks aren't phased by any of this. They're thinking about benefits to the state far exceeding any of these costs. And good for them. They're thinking big. But how in the world are they going to convince the public to support their ideas to enough of a degree that key decision-makers who oppose their ideas change their minds? Selling their vision to Lincolnites isn't too big of a challenging. Selling it to folks in McCook, Chadron, and Norfolk, on the other hand, was just made much, much more difficult.

The Beran family has dropped their suit alleging negligence against LPS. Brady Beran, you probably recall, suffered a serious head injury during a high school football game. His injury forced LPS to reevaluate its policy about not paying to have ambulances present at sporting events. Today, Three Eagles Communications pays for the cost of ambulances at high school football and soccer games.

SNOW!!! Sorry, I just wanted to get the snowphobic all riled up.

I want to support the idea of the University of Nebraska and the State Fair sharing the same land. It sounds like a fine idea. Compromise, yay! Sometimes compromise is great, but more often than not, compromise creates as many problems as it solves. This may be one of those cases. In the short term, a land sharing agreement would be fine. Sure there would be some problems with parking and transportation during the Fair, but those issues could be resolved. In the long term -- say, 15+ years out -- there's no way a successful Fair and a world class research park can commingle. If we're going to put resources into both the Fair and the research park, eventually the two will butt heads. And then what? If UNL is going to create a research park at State Fair Park, eventually the Fair has to leave. Not today, and not necessarily five or ten years from now. But that time will come, and it will come sooner than we might think. That doesn't make the land sharing idea a bad one in the short term, but let's not forget that a compromise today is only putting off the inevitable.

Kudos go to Lincoln's physicians and hospitals, considering Lincoln's first-place finish in a healthcare satisfaction survey conducted by National Research. An impressive 83.74% of Lincolnites rated their last hospital, ER, or clinic visit as "excellent" or "very good". Add in another 11.78% ranking it "good" and that leaves only about a 5% rate of "fair" and "poor" experiences. Here's the big question, though: What makes Lincoln's healthcare satisfaction so high? Are our physicians, nurses, and facilities just that good? Are we less likely to complain about poor experiences, even in an anonymous survey? For what it's worth, I've only had one truly bad experience with a physician in Lincoln. I had a terrible case of the flu and my longtime family physician had just retired. I went to his old clinic and ... well, I've never been back. Every other experience has been, at worst, "good". Even at places like LincCare, where once a doctor took one look at me, tore up my check, and ordered me to get my butt to an emergency room. (I spent the rest of the night hooked up to IVs in the Bryan East ER.)

Argh, the Christmas music has begun. My annual ritual of radio station avoidance thus commences. I'm not anti-Christmas music like some people are, though I admit I get closer every year. I don't have a specific time frame that I think Christmas music is "ok", but generally speaking I think December is a good rule of thumb. Maybe Black Friday. Beyond that, I think there has to at least be the possibility of "Christmas-like" weather. Snow is ideal, but at least some nice frosty days. So far this year we haven't even come close. Without the appropriate weather, how can it feel like Christmas? Somebody must love listening to Christmas music this early. Radio stations wouldn't play the music if there weren't an audience. So fess up. Who are the early Christmas music lovers among us?

Robbie's got the moves, baby: Oh, that big pile of toys? It should be gone soon. Huzzah! The toy box we've been waiting on for months is finally here. Long story. I'm just glad we can de-clutter a little bit.

County Commissioner Bernie Heier has been doing some thinking about the new jail:

As far as I’m concerned, transportation, I think that’s just one of those things we have to do. I think it’s far cheaper to transport them than it is to go out to another block down to the south here, or two blocks and buy all those houses up and buy more land.

He thinks the plan he just voted for is cheaper? After all of this time and study, he doesn't know? He just spent $2,250,750 of our money, and he doesn't know if it was a smart move or not. Fantastic. I wonder if Mr. Heier accepts uncertainty in major personal financial decisions. I suspect not. It's easier to be unsure when it's not your money.

I'm curious at what temperature Lincolnites tend to keep their houses, especially as we enter a new season. Here at 625 Elm Street we've been keeping the thermostat at 68 during the day -- The Missus and I are both home during the day, remember -- but on sunny days the house stays above 70 thanks to some southern windows. At night the thermostat drops to 65. Last year we kept the house warmer because of Robbie, but I've hardly noticed the change this year. I know The Missus feels it more than I do, and occasionally she'll "cheat" and bump up the temperature. Are we in the normal range among Lincolnites? At what temperature do you keep your home?

If you're looking for a simple gift for a Lincolnite in your life, you might think about giving them a Pogo Card. The card features discounts at a number of area restaurants and businesses. Many, but not all, of the discounts are of the "buy one, get one" variety. The Missus and I have worn out a few Pogo Cards over the years. The card features a nice mix of places we like to frequent and places we'd like to try. (Along with, inevitably, a few places we'll never go.) At 20 bucks, it'll pay for itself quickly if you keep it in your wallet or purse. And if it does what it's designed to do and it encourages you to try out more area businesses, it's a win for them as well. Why do I bring this up? The card is on my mind because I noticed an ad and coupon on the back of Section B in today's Journal Star. Pogo Cards will be available two-for-one on Thursday at Scooter Mart (415 N. 66th Street) from 3:30 to 5:30. KFOR is doing a live remote from the store. (It's not clear if the coupon is required to get the special price. I'm checking on that. The coupon is not necessary.) Ten dollars a pop is a good deal, in my opinion, so I think I'll plan to go pick up a couple cards. Maybe I'll see you there. (Note: This post is not an advertisement and I don't have any relationship with the Pogo folks. I'm just a satisfied customer.)