Lincolnite

It's recess day! Who: You, your co-workers, your dog, and anybody else you can find. What: Recess! When: Noon today Where: 14th and Q, in the former Star Ship 9 location Why: Who needs a reason for recess? Come one come all to the First Annual (Monthly? Weekly? Daily?) Lincolnite Recess Extravaganza! Come on out to 14th and Q and have a ball (or a Frisbee) with a bunch of goofy folks from all across Lincoln. Meet Lincolnite regulars like Karin and beerokid while reliving the glory days of your youth. Don't want to get all sweaty? That's ok, come and blow bubbles or draw with sidewalk chalk. Also, don't forget lunch at Ribfest tomorrow at noon. See you there! (Mega bonus points if anybody can identify the reference in the title of this post.)

You can blame three of us if this doesn’t work

That's County Commissioner Bob Workman, speaking on behalf of himself, Larry Hudkins and Bernie Heier, on the topic of new money being sent to the Lancaster County Events Center. So Bob, if things really don't work out as you've promised, will you have the integrity to step down immediately and voluntarily?

The Lincoln Fire Department gets picked on quite a bit, often for good reason. So it is good to see that LFD's ambulance service is breaking even this year. Compare that to last year's $1 million in the red. Not that that gives us reason to pop out the champagne; after all, "breaking even" isn't exactly what we were promised when the City yanked ambulance service from the private sector's hands six years ago. Let's hope this is the start of a positive trend.

(Note: This entry will stay will stay on top throughout the week.) There are not one, but two opportunities to meet up with your fellow Lincolnites this week:

1. On Wednesday we will be having recess at the new Starship Memorial Adult Playground (aka the ugly parking lot at 14th and Q). Bring your jump rope, your bouncy balls, and your sneakers and join us for a little goofy recreation. Time is TBA, but let's plan on meeting around Noon.
2. On Thursday we will be meeting at Ribfest for a little finger-lickin' goodness. Again, time is TBA, but figure on meeting around Noon.

I hope to see you at one or both events! Details of each will be posted as they become available.

Mayor Beutler and the City Council have found themselves in an unpopular position as they decide whether or not to cut services to seniors in the form of removing 22% of the Lincoln Area Agency on Aging's budget. Mayor Beutler has to make cuts somewhere to keep his no new taxes (this year) pledge, and new taxes aren't going anywhere in the Council. There isn't much wiggle room. I won't haggle over whether or not cuts to LAAA are a good thing. Plenty of people are fighting about that elsewhere. I want to know if there are alternatives in the community that can (relatively) seamlessly replace the services proposed to be cut. What options are out there? Are they able and willing to step in where the government is backing out?

Bored by the current sandwich offerings in Downtown Lincoln? Two new options just opened up: Bread and Cup specializes in homemade breads and soups served "simply". No frills here. Well, there is one frill: owner Kevin Shinn has a blog. Look for Bread & Cup at 8th and S in the Historic Haymarket. Roost Sandwiches features "the world's most intense, original gourmet sandwiches". Fourteen unique sandwiches grace Roost's menu. Find Roost at 1451 O Street. Best of all, both Bread & Cup and Roost are local. Drop by and say hi, won't you? (Images are from each respective restaurant's website.)

The Missus and I are big fans of Grandmother's on 70th and A. We ate lunch there yesterday with a couple who had never been there before. We all really enjoyed our meals. The Missus and I always do. I rarely hear anybody talk about Grandmother's, or G-ma's as we call it. Their Sunday brunch used to be the talk of the town; yesterday, there were several empty tables throughout the noon hour. Have folks forgotten about it? For the record, my two favorite menu items are the hickory bbq bacon cheeseburger and the "super nachos" (good as an appetizer or an entree). You can't go wrong with either one. The Missus prefers the quiche.

The Capital City Ribfest is this Thursday thru Saturday, 11:00am to Midnight each day. I always like to hit Ribfest twice: once for a weekday lunch, and once for dinner. That way I can try more of the vendors. Would any of you like to meet for lunch on either Thursday or Friday? Which day works better?

StarTran users should take note of upcoming changes to fare cards. The new cards will bring StarTran into the 20th Century (sic) by using "magnetic strip technology" to keep track of transactions. The new passes will be available at a number of outlets. One of my concerns at this point is whether or not riders will be able to easily determine the balance remaining on their fare cards. Can I access a website to determine how many rides or days I have remaining? Is there an automated telephone number? Or do I have to board a bus, swipe my card, and find out that way?

Everybody who loves recess raise your hand. Yup, just as I expected. Everybody's hand is up. Awesome. Karin kicked off the idea over here and several commenters said it was a good idea. Anybody want to move from idea to reality? I'm up for a little four square over the lunch hour. Or maybe some dodge ball tomorrow. Here are the questions:

1. Are you in?
2. Today at noon or tomorrow at, say, 11:00?
3. What games should we play?

According to Opulence's (former) owner Robert Adams, that's a possibility. Talk about a change of direction.

I (naively) assumed that after the businesses at 14th and Q were demolished, preparatory work would begin relatively quickly on our new highrise's utilities and foundation. Silly me. Instead, it looks like we'll have a nice blacktop parking lot for a while. Count me unimpressed.

Last night The Missus and I dropped by King Taco, in the former Taco Inn building near Robber's Cave. It wasn't my favorite Mexican fast food place in town, but it wasn't bad. The interior is pretty plain, with tables and chairs throughout and photographs on the walls. They don't have high chairs, so families with young children be warned. The menu contains the usuals: tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, and so on. Prices for individual items are in the $1-$3 range, while combos (with rice and beans) are in the $5-$6 range. Meals are served in Styrofoam containers that aren't the prettiest things in the world, but they are good for to-go orders. They could probably save some money by using paper plates for in-store orders. The Missus went with a two chicken tacos combo. She enjoyed her meal and said it reminded her of some of the authentic places she used to eat at in Tucson. She also noted that the chicken was prepared well. I, too, enjoyed the chicken, though mine was in an enchilada covered in a mild green sauce. Next to that was a beef burrito in a mild red sauce. In addition to rice and beans, both of our meals came with some tortilla chips and salsa. Like The Missus I enjoyed my meal, though I tend to be more fond of un-Mexican Mexican (e.g. Tex-Mex and New Mexican) over the authentic stuff. For that reason, I'm not going to rush back. I suspect a lot of Lincolnites feel the same way. That, combined with King Taco's iffy location and the abundance of Mexican restaurants around town is going to make it tough for King Taco to hang around. On the other hand, King Taco does have some opportunities to separate itself from the pack. They offer a breakfast burrito all day, for example, and the location could be an asset if they can draw folks off Highway 2.

It's not Lincoln news, but it fascinates the heck out of me: new details have been released regarding Steven Haataja's death, and they are extremely odd. It's starting to look like Mr. Haataja got liquored up, tied himself to a tree out in the middle of nowhere, and committed suicide by breathing carbon monoxide generated by charcoal briquettes he had recently purchased. No seriously. Is that not one of the strangest theories for a man's death you've ever heard?

Neighbors of the proposed Alzheimer's care facility west of 27th and Old Cheney Road who oppose the facility are making a mistake. The neighbors fear increased traffic and noise. Fair enough, but I think their fears are mostly unfounded. There is a nursing home smack in the middle of my neighborhood. Traffic seems to be a non-issue. The number of cars entering and exiting the property is roughly similar to the number of cars that would go to and from houses that were there instead. And the traffic isn't notably dangerous; there aren't many teenagers speeding to go see grandma. Noise from emergency vehicles is an issue. Firetrucks and ambulances are loud. I would give the neighbors credit for that argument except for one thing: there is a fire station just two or three blocks away. In other words, the neighbors already have to deal with the noise of emergency vehicles on a regular basis. Very little will change in that regard. Frankly, I think the neighbors should thank their lucky stars that it's an Alzheimer's care facility that wants to move in. That's about the least-intrusive business you could possibly have in your neighborhood. You know the building and grounds will be maintained, the business itself generates almost no noise and no trash, it's not a magnet for crime, and the customers/visitors are unlikely to cause problems. What more could you want?