Lincolnite

I feel tremendous sympathy for the family of Ivan Havlovic, whose 10-block trip turned into a journey to Kansas. My grandfather did something very similar many years ago. By sheer coincidence, he happened to run out of gas in just the right place. The State Trooper who found my grandfather recognized his name, so he called my cousin, who was also a Trooper, and who lived nearby. Everything turned out well, but grandpa never drove again. Years of mental decline followed. It sounds like a terrible story, and to some degree it is. But my grandpa was happy as a clam holed up in his own little world. That's worth something, right? Anyway, good luck to Mr. Havlovic's family. Keep a sense of humor, folks.

Much to the displeasure of their knew kneighbors, AgeMark's new assisted living center in the Knolls near 27th and Old Cheney was approved by the City Council. I hate to beat a dead horse, but I still don't understand why an Alzheimer's facility is a threat to any neighborhood. "Old folks homes" -- to group them broadly -- are among the best neighbors you could possibly hope for. I think sometimes people just like to be cranky.

UNL's enrollment is up a whopping 3.9% this year, a sure sign that the University's recruitment efforts are working. The upside for Lincoln: more students means more capital of all types coming into town. There's the economic capital, sure, but don't forget about the gains in human and social capital as well. And a certain percentage of each year's class will decide to stay in Lincoln after graduation. Plus, somebody has to keep all those Downtown bars humming.

After five long years I finally get to renew my drivers license today. I think I'm one of three people to still have the old style license. Whenever I show it to somebody they do a double-take, as though it were a fake. But it must be real, because nobody would go to the trouble of making a fake ID that bad, would they? I don't think I look all that different than I did five years ago. I'll have to add 5 pounds to my weight, but that isn't so bad. Well, as long as I don't keep adding 5 pounds every time. That could add up after a while. On hair color I should probably be BLD instead of BLN. I don't plan to let my hair grow back any time soon. I'll be an organ donor again. If any of you happen to run me over, could you be so kind as to make sure my organs end up in some nice homes? My innards are in fine shape, as far as I know. Did I mention it's my birthday today? I guess that was implied. Yesterday somebody suggested I could play in an "over-35" soccer league. Sorry, not quite. I haven't even hit the three decade mark. I've just always looked older than I really am. It's the dark areas under my eyes. I get that from my mom's side of the family. Oh well, it's not how old you look, it's how old you act, right? In that case ... oh crap, I'm 40!

The Missus took Robbie to get his haircut at Lollipops (70th and O) on Saturday. She noted an absence in the shopping center: Mexicali Bullfrog was gone. I have to admit I'm not too surprised, but I am bummed. The food was good and reasonably priced. Ribbit in peace.

The GameDay crew is coming to town on Saturday. On the plus side, the Huskers are 5-0 when GameDay comes to town. On the flip side, we're playing USC. My money is on Lee Corso picking the Powerful Prophylactics over the Huskers, so get your "boo" voice in shape.

Well no, not really. But ConAgra purchased Lincoln Snacks, former makers of Zonkers, and there's a teeny tiny itty bitty chance Zonkers could make a comeback. At the very least, Poppycock and Fiddle Faddle will continue to be made. What are Screaming Yellow Zonkers, you might ask? I have never seen the popcorn covered in a yellow sugar glaze, but my parents used to talk about it. Zonkers aren't available any more, but the Zonkers website lives on.

The NU Regents approved a plan to outfit all NU housing with fire sprinklers by 2017. I know what you're thinking: Why wait ten years? You already know the answer, of course. Money. $16 million plus, to be specific. In the grand scheme of things, $16 million is a relatively manageable, though big, chunk of change. Problem is, if NU diverts that money from other areas to speed up the process, which areas should be cut? That isn't a rhetorical question. Raising tuition is all but off the table. Getting more money from the Unicameral would be extremely difficult. That leaves taking pieces from the existing budget. So if you think the process of installing sprinklers in NU's residence facilities should be sped up -- I do -- where would you get the money to pay for it?

1. I net myself the best women in the country to serve for me, but my wife Wendy doesn't badger me about it. Who am I?
2. I'm hungry for a little New York-style comfort food and a conversation with a man with no footwear. Where should I go?

Sorry there are only two. Gotta get to work!

I don't think I need any more proof than this to show beyond a reasonable doubt that The Missus is trying to kill me: Isn't that the most evil murder weapon you have ever seen? It is composed of Ho-Hos, chocolate pudding, and Cool-Whip. Oh, but what a way to go.

Both Kearney and Sarpy County want the State Fair. Kearney would put it near the Archway, while Sarpy County would place it near I-80 and Gretna. Perhaps I'm being overly cynical here, but why should Nebraskans trust those two entities with the Fair? Kearney wants to place the Fair next to the most over-hyped tourist attraction in state history. Who trusts Kearney's predictions about the Fair's likelihood for success at that location after the Archway flop?* And Sarpy County wants to place the Fair next to one of the most spectacular shopping center failures in the state. That hardly seems like a foundation for success. What's next, Boyd County pitching to site the Fair at the former proposed nuclear waste facility? * Yes, I hear the Archway is actually pretty neat. That isn't my point. Compare the pre-construction promises with the post-construction reality.

In a year filled with many pieces of good employment news for Lincoln, Windstream has decided to drop 100 positions in Lincoln. The broadband customer support positions, which averaged $15 per hour, will move to Ohio and India. Another piece of the former Lincoln Telephone chips away...

I figured I'd make it clear in the title what this post is about. Folks bored by College Football should just pass on by. First, Coach Callahan's contract has been extended and he has received a raise to $1.75 million. His players, on the other hand, will continue to receive a $0.00 salary for their efforts that create untold millions of dollars in economic value. Second, what's the deal with Michigan being bumped out of the polls (from #5)? Sure, they lost to a I-AA team, but so what? That I-AA team just happens to have won two consecutive national championships. Imagine if Michigan had lost to, say, Baylor. History suggests Michigan would not have dropped out of the polls in that case. But why not? Appalachian State could probably beat Baylor 8 times out of 10. Not that I'm defending Michigan. They blew it. I just think the polls are silly.

Dan Marvin wants DiAnna Schimek's seat in the Unicameral, so he plans to run for it in November 2008. If elected, his City Council seat would be vacated in January 2009, and the vacancy would be filled by ... the Council itself? How weird. Oftentimes committees replace their own members, but an elected body?

The Nebraska State Fair almost hit 300,000 visitors this year. That's small potatoes compared to some of the other fairs out there (Iowa), but hey, we'll take what we can get. Love or hate the Fair, it's good for Lincoln, and it's good for Nebraska. Probably not good for our arteries, though.