Lincolnite

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.

I'll bet there were some maaaaad mothers on Sunday when Lincoln Southwest's roster of graduating seniors was replaced by those from Lincoln Southeast in the Journal Star. I know my mom would have been ticked off. Today's Journal Star fixes the error.

Twenty-five years after being purchased by NU Foundation, the former Whittier Junior High will finally get the makeover it deserves beginning next fall. As expected, the historic building will be converted into research space for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In addition, the University has committed to remodeling 13,000 square feet into a new childcare center that may hold up to 150 kids. It's about time.

I'm such a sucker for door-to-door salesmen. This weekend a very nice Time Warner salesman earned himself a commission when The Missus and I opted to take him up on his offer to upgrade our cable service from minimal (channels 2-22) to basic (2-80). We have special pricing for 6 months, at which point the price jumps about $25. I don't see us hanging on to cable at its full price, but who knows. It has been four years since we last had full basic cable. I only really miss a few channels (ESPN and Comedy Central, to name two). I wonder how quickly I will find that even with 80 channels there's still nothing on? Like I said, the salesman was very nice. He was an older gentleman who really knew how to secure a sale. He picked up on little details and would use them to steer the conversation. In fact, he reminded me a little of a psychic in that regard, trying to figure out which details to work with and which were dead ends. I let him follow one dead end for a while just to see where he went with it. When he found out that Robert's middle name is Solomon, he guessed that we might be religious folk, so he tried a few tales with religious themes. ("This one time I called on a minister's house...") We aren't religious, but he was a good story teller and he wasn't proselytizing, so I let him talk. He certainly isn't the only person who has made the "Solomon = religious" link. (In fact, Robert's middle name was the name given to him by his birthmother. Solomon was her brother.) The new service should be turned on by Thursday. A lot has changed in the world of basic cable. What should I watch? Stewart and Colbert are on my list, and Mr. T tells me I should check out Anthony Bourdain's show on The Travel Channel. Any other show tips?

After 46 years, Arturo's is no more. And without so much as a going away party. I only visited Arturo's once, and it happened to be just a few weeks ago. I was not impressed. For example, the article quotes Denise Roesler as saying that "[Arturo's] had the best chips and salsa in town". I found the staple to be average at best, and they weren't free like they are at most Mexican restaurants these days. In addition our service was humorously bad. It was our server's first night on the job and it was obvious that his training had consisted of "the kitchen's in the back. Now go wait some tables." Not that I'm cheering the loss of one of Lincoln's oldest restaurants, of course. If Arturo's was really as bad as my first impression implied, it would have closed long ago. Based on what I have heard from family and friends, Arturo's was usually a fine place to get a meal. Problem was, it wasn't on the tip of anybody's tongue when somebody asked "Where should we eat tonight?" The comments on the article over at the LJS site devolved into a debate over the effect of the smoking ban on Arturo's business. I'm no fan of Lincoln's smoking ban, as I have made clear in this space many times, but I think it's long past time for blaming restaurant and bar closings on the ban. Any place that was going to close is already gone. No, I have to suspect that Arturo's closed due to other factors. In any event, 46 years is a hell of a run. So long, Arturo's.

I hate to see a nice landmark like Zion Church go up in flames. Here's hoping the structure is sound enough that it can be at least partially repaired. Photos here and here and here.

Surprise. Jon Bruning announced his candidacy for the 2008 U.S. Senate seat yesterday at the Unicameral. Actually, Bruning "pre-announced" his announcement on Tuesday with a New York-based daily, where he had apparently been fund raising. As pointed out by a reporter at the Unicam announcement, it seems a little dubious for Jon to be talking big about representing small town Nebraskans against "carpet baggers" when the guy is getting as much out-state support as the next politician. Talking to the New York Sun probably wasn't the best media move Jon's campaign could have done the week of his announcement(s). Advantage: Chucky.

KLIN News reported that Lincoln Fire and Rescue is missing its ambulance response time goals so far in 2007. City ordinance requires LFR to respond in under eight minutes 90% of the time. In the first three months of the year, they didn't even come close:

• January: 85.98%
• February: 85.11%
• March: 83.78%

The new Fire Chief has his hands full ... if we ever hire one. See the Fire Department's own report (PDF) on response times.

Any volunteers?