Lincolnite

Saturday was our fifth wedding anniversary so The Missus and I hit the town to celebrate. We started things off with a bang, catching Wall-E at The Grand. It was an enjoyable movie, but it didn't knock my socks off. For me it was a 3-star (out of 4) flick. Some of the animation techniques, on the other hand, were mind-blowing. As for The Grand, I can't say I'm crazy about the employees wearing tuxedos. It has the distinct odor of trying too hard. I'm all for well-dressed employees, but the illusion of professionalism and poise is shattered when you overhear two employees talking about their carnal conquests with members of the opposite sex. If a theater really wants to impress me, it should offer high-quality concessions in sensible portions at a reasonable price. After the movie we walked down to The Oven. Now, I love The Oven. It is probably the most important restaurant in my transition away from the limited diet of my youth to the expanded, diversified diet I enjoy today. For that reason it will always hold a special place in my heart. But boy, the last three times I've been there -- over a span of several months -- service has been very disappointing. The food is always excellent (with one exception; see below), but service is mediocre at best. The adjectives "inattentive" and "uninspired" come to mind. Last night, I think our server was just plain overworked. He had a few tables on one side of the restaurant, plus a couple tables outside. He couldn't ever stop moving for fear of getting behind, so of course he couldn't focus too much on us. Oh, and that one exception to the excellent food? It has to be the salad. I've seen livelier salads at McDonald's. My lamb madras, on the other hand, was very tasty, and The Missus had nothing but praise for her Indian crab cakes. Next we just had to stop by Ivanna Cone. We knew we were in for a wait since the Jehovah's Witnesses were in town, and sure enough, we stood in line for 25 minutes. But it was worth it. Ivanna Cone is always worth it. Once we had our ice cream we walked north to check out some of the Haymarket's newest restaurants. First we investigated the menu at Magnolia's. Mmm. I'm a little freaked out by the fact that they don't have prices on their outside menu, but at a place like that, I figure you probably already know you're coming out with a lighter wallet. I haven't heard a lot of talk about Magnolia's, but what I have heard has been very positive. Suite 1 Pub & Pizza is just a few steps away, so we checked out its menu next. Again, what little buzz I've heard about Suite 1 has been very positive. We hope to get there soon. Last, we walked all the way up to Bread & Cup. It's a little larger than I expected, and what a beautiful setting. I can't wait to give it a try.

Well drat. The Journal Star has discontinued TV Week without warning. And judging by the comments on the LJS's website, at least a few folks are pretty steamed up. I especially like the suggestion from "Lily" that the LJS pay for new remote controls, due to the increased channel surfing required to figure out what's on. Although I'm disappointed, I'm not surprised. The ad-to-content ratio was pretty low in TV Week. Until you find a new way to get your TV listings, you may need some help determining what you should watch. For tonight there's really no contest: ALF is on WGN for two hours starting at 7:00pm. You can be darn sure I'm going to introduce Robbie to some fine 1980's television tonight.

The Missus whipped up some sweet patriotic dessert in honor of Independence Day: The official taster doing his thing: Tada!

The Journal Star has posted a summary of Beutler's budget proposal today, plus a slideshow with a few more details. I don't have time to really analyze the budget, but here are some quick, top-of-the-head reactions:

• Closing Bennett Martin at 6:00pm instead of 9:00pm is a bummer, but few Lincolnites will notice, much less complain.
• Spending $150,000 on (yet another) study -- this one a study of fire and rescue coverage -- will be very unpopular. I won't be surprised if that item disappears. Or heck, I'll do a darn good job for only fifty grand.
• The $25,000 for a graffiti removal program is easy money to cut. It's pretty easy to say that neighborhood associations could do a better job for less money. Whether or not that's true across the city is a whole other issue.
• I can't believe Beutler wants to spend $610,000 -- a whopping one-third of the budget shortfall -- on his bizarre new home subsidy program. The proposal completely baffles me. This item -- the entire thing -- should be shot down, dismembered, burned, buried, dug up, shot again, encased in concrete, and thrown into an active volcano. *poof* The budget shortfall is down to a cool million.
• The proposed property tax increase of fifteen bucks on a $150,000 house is a relatively easy sell. That's not to say Lincolnites (or the City Council) will buy it. But it's doable.
• I don't doubt that the City Council will say there is still fat left to be cut from the budget. I look forward to seeing what they can find.

This is getting annoying. Periodically -- once a week? I haven't kept track -- I find a copy of the Lincoln Journal Star, clad in a red plastic bag, laying in the middle of my lawn. Or my driveway. Really, anywhere except on my front porch, which is where a newspaper ought to be; even the phone book spammers manage to get their garbage to my front porch. It's apparently some sort of promotion. Or maybe they're just dumping extra papers in my yard because they don't know what else to do with them. Whatever the case, it annoys me. I subscribe to the LJS and my paper carrier does a dandy job of placing it right next to my front door each and every morning. (Note to self: I should really tip the guy because he is very consistent.) So why are the folks at the LJS killing the occasional extra tree for me? It's very unnecessary. I haven't yet removed this morning's spam from my lawn. I consider it litter, and I wish somebody from the LJS would come remove it. Better yet, I wish they would stop putting it there in the first place. Maybe I should start collecting scarlet papers and, whenever I'm downtown, deliver them to the LJS's front door. Or is that too passive aggressive? Are any of the rest of you receiving these periodic, redundant deliveries? Random aside: While writing this, I spontaneously remembered my route number from back when I was a paper carrier. 0568. I can't believe that 4-digit piece of trivia is still taking up space in my brain.

Kaplan University (formerly Hamilton College, formerly Lincoln School of Commerce) has formally announced its long-expected expansion plans for its campus at 19th and K. The expansion, plus the fact that the school sits right at the end of the Antelope Valley Project, will certainly help build its visibility within the community. I don't know a whole lot about KU / HU / LSC. Are any of you grads from the school? How did you like it?

After being shot down three years ago by the Planning Commission and then-Mayor Colleen Seng, Whitehead Oil may be on the way to getting approval for a McDonald's and U-Stop on the site of a vacant parking lot at 21st and K. I was a fan of the development in 2005, and my opinion hasn't changed. Well, let me clarify: I'm a "fan" only to the extent that I think it's a logical use for the land, and I don't see any good reason for the project to be denied. I'm sure I could come up with "better" uses for the land, but that's not really the point. Besides, if there were better uses for the location, somebody would have stepped forward in the last three years. Now that I think about it, I'm a little surprised the gas station won't include a restaurant of its own. I would think an in-store Subway would do killer business there.

Mr. T reports that Holyland Cuisine's downtown location is open. He and I are going to try to hit it for lunch soon. Let me know if you beat me to it.

Am I an evil bastard for not caring about the endangered tiger beetle's plight? I feel like I should care. It seems uncouth to sit idly by while a species goes extinct. But so far, I just haven't been able to stir up any outrage over the potential loss of a critter that has no measurable impact on my life. Or on anybody else's life, for that matter. A lazy way of thinking, I know. Will any of you come to the tiger beetle's aid and defend the resources required to ensure the beetle's survival?

It may be a futile effort, but Chief Casady reports that his officers will be hard-asses this year when it comes to ticketing fireworks-related violations. Expect a ticket, rather than the usual warning or finger-wagging, if you are caught with fire crackers, bottle rockets, or other no-nos. I wish LPD the best of luck, but I suspect it's a lost cause. One week of super-strict enforcement will breed resentment and bitterness, not compliance. Fortunately, LPD has a hefty amount of goodwill to burn, so it's not like the city is likely to turn on them, especially on a topic that's only relevant to most people for, at most, 5 days out of the year. I'll be curious to see how the enforcement efforts work out. If you notice any effects one way or the other, do let us know.

I have to admit, I'm a bit of a Foley fanboy. But why not? He seems to be doing a nice job, and the fruits of his office's efforts are government accountability and taxpayer savings. I'm bringing up Foley again because the Journal Star ran a feature on him recently. Check out the comments for a glimpse into what others are saying about him. Frankly, it's nice to see a guy on the right wing encouraging more openness, more efficiency, and less spending. I don't think I could support Foley for certain other public offices, but as Auditor, he's doing just fine. All this talk about the State Auditor's office makes me wonder: who audits the Auditor?

Lincoln's own Near South neighborhood is one of the best places in the midwest to buy an old house, according to This Old House. That's a nice little honor for a neighborhood that has been fighting to improve itself -- and doing a pretty good job at it. Hat tip: Journal Star

I can't really explain it, but I'm starting to feel the itch to move north. If things go well, maybe I'll even build my own place. Something like this (warning: obnoxious music), perhaps.

I think I have a new favorite running route. It's a nice five mile loop that begins on bike trails and ends on quiet residential streets. I begin at 48th and Highway 2, though it would be easy to begin anywhere on the loop. If you don't live on or near the loop, the parking lot at 40th and Highway 2 makes a good starting point. From 48th and Highway 2, I head west on the newly-christened Boosalis Trail toward Shopko. Then I catch the northbound Rock Island Trail, which features several shaded areas, depending on the time of day. I go under Sheridan Boulevard and continue about a quarter mile until I reach Van Dorn Street. (Note that Van Dorn doesn't actually cross the trail.) I take a right across the park to 33rd, then turn south. I head back to Sheridan, where I turn east. I follow Sheridan until it meets Calvert Street, hop on Calvert for a half block, and then turn south on 44th Street. 44th Street appears to end at Prescott, but I continue south by taking the sidewalk between the houses. Once I hit Pioneers Boulevard I take either 44th, 45th, 46th, or 47th Street, depending on my mood. Whatever the case, I continue until I hit Gertie, zigzag down to Claire, and pop out on 48th. And boom, I've just gone approximately 5.25 miles. I like this route because it's one big loop, so there is no repeated scenery; there are very few traffic interruptions; and there is plenty of shade at various points throughout the run. There are also a couple easy alterations for shorter mileage:

• From the Rock Island Trail, turn east on Calvert Street. Follow Calvert to 44th Street, then continue as above. This route is about 4.5 miles.
• From the Boosalis Trail, turn north on 33rd Street. Turn east on Calvert and continue to 44th Street, as above. This route is about 3.9 miles.

There's also this lasso: It's not usually one of my favorite routes, but since it stays primarily on good bike trails it works out well for for intervals and fartleks. What are some of your favorite running routes of various distances around town? Edited to add: If you don't already use it, check out Gmaps Pedometer. It's great for mapping out routes and measuring mileage.