Lincolnite

What is this list? Try to figure it all out without using external resources.

1. Site of Tarzan's home?
2. Paved with sweets, perhaps?
3. Lincoln's Mason-Dixon?
4. Former trolley route
5. The high road
6. Lower number
7. Lincoln's first lady
8. Score!
9. William Henry and Mr. Ford
10. Face cards, often
11. George W's town
12. Tiger beetle's home
13. A fortnight
14. O's partner
15. Driveway to the legislature?
16. Nothing unusual here
17. Sherlock's arctic beach?
18. Paved with platinum, perhaps?

[Update] The more I think about it, the more I realize this is probably Pretty Dang Difficult. Thus, I think it's only fair that the person who figures it out should get a reward. Scratch that, I'll give two rewards: one to the person who correctly figures out the most clues; and one to the person who figures out how the eighteen items are related. Hmm, what should the rewards be ... how 'bout gift certificates to a locally-owned restaurant? On your mark ... get set ... go!

Back before the math portion of my brain shifted into neutral -- curse you, calculus! -- I considered myself a bit of a math nerd. When I saw that Lux Middle Schools's MathCounts team placed second in the state competition it brought back a stream of memories. Unfortunately, most of the memories involve me not having the slightest idea how to do most of the problems set before me, but hey, I tried. Also, big congratulations to Lux's Isaac Bohart who will join three Omahans to represent the state in the National MathCounts competition in Denver in May.

It's official, I'm now a member of the National Marrow Donor Program. My card arrived on Friday. Here's hoping medical science makes my stay on the list very short. Not because I don't want to donate, but because it would be fantastic if the stuff they need could be grown in a lab.

Among the news that P.O. Pears is closing later this month, I had forgotten that Kuhl's was due to close, too. That's two Lincoln classics gone in one month. Ouch. Looking at Lincoln's dining scene today, can you identify any newish restaurants that are likely to be considered "classics" many years from now?

Wisco dropped me a note to let me know that he has started up a new local restaurant review blog. The food lovers among you -- read, pretty much all of you -- will probably want to keep an eye on it. I have added DINK Restaurant Review to the blogroll rotation on the right for your easy access.

Finally made it over to The Peacock to catch their lunch buffet earlier in the week, the relatively new Indian restaurant across the street from the Southpointe Mall. I thought it was really very good and I would definitely go back there again. I thought the buffet was about the right size. If I remember correctly, that day there were at least several vegetarian offerings – dry, slightly spiced potatoes, saag; and for protein there were three meat and fish items – tandoori chicken, chicken curry, and fish curry. They also had sambar soup with rice cakes, as well as white and yellow rice and naan bread. Contrary to most Indian-style buffets I have been to before, it was nice to see a mix of different cuisines here. Personally, I would have liked to have seen a black or yellow dal as well, but I can’t complain. For a buffet outing, I would much prefer to eat at a place featuring a limited selection of well done items rather than the 100-item super buffet Chinese-style places that have creeped across American suburbia in recent years. Although I tried a bit of everything, I concentrated on the chicken and fish curries with naan. I thought they were both excellent, with rather largish chunks of meat and fish respectively, and a nice, spicy curry base. Each had a very distinctive chicken and fish flavor. The fish curry especially was very tasty, had a strong fish taste, as well as a nice spicy kick to it. Although I could see how some people might not like it, I enjoyed it the most of everything on the buffet by far. I also snacked on the tandoori chicken as well and liked it. You can see a piece of it hiding beneath a few pieces of naan in the photo above. I have been to other Indian-style buffets in which tandoori chicken is a main stay, and have sometimes found it to be under or over cooked, no doubt a casualty of under-experience or an overworked kitchen. At The Peacock it was about perfect. The cooks seemed to keep the buffet well stocked and hot as well. Lincoln chowhound Swoof (who looks like a heftier and meaner version of Elliott Spitzer) seemed really taken by both the mild and aromatic saag, yet also enjoyed the spicy and strong fish curry as well – together they make for a nice yin/yang like balance. You can tell this man has an experienced palate and knows what kind of flavors to aim for when dining at an Indian restaurant. Mr. Wilson also noted how much he enjoyed the saag as well, and made a few return trips for it. The ubiquitous BeerorKid dude – albeit no slacker when it comes to preparing and enjoying good food of all sorts – admitted that this was his first time partaking of Indian food. He employed a shotgun-like strategy and took as many different tidbits of items as possible (including an item labeled “quesadillas”). He was impressed with the overall spiciness of the offerings, and I noticed that he finished his first plate of food well before the rest of us. He enjoyed the chicken curry the most. Please make note of the difference in lunch buffet prices from Monday to Thursday ($7.99) versus Friday and Saturday ($10.99) at The Peacock. I assume that from Monday to Thursday there are fewer items, and Swoof mentioned that they usually do not have Tandoori Chicken in the buffet, so that may have explained the weekend hike in prices. Again, I very much enjoyed my lunch outing there and hope to make return visits soon, although at $10.99, I'm not sure how often I'd come back on a Friday or Saturday. It will be interesting to see how often the kitchen will rotate items on its buffet, and with what dishes.

I was going to post a reply to Fletch's comment in another thread, but this is a slightly different train of thought than the other blog post, so I'll start fresh. To refresh your memory, last night I questioned the name of Lincoln's newest park, Union Plaza. It's a curious name selection, considering there happens to already be a fairly well-known Union Plaza on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, just to the north. That Union Plaza has been around for decades. (Granted, I think its official name is Nebraska Union Plaza, but everybody calls it Union Plaza.) So why cause confusion by creating a new -- and completely unrelated -- Union Plaza just a few blocks to the south? The "Union" half of the answer comes from the donor of $1.5 million toward the construction of the new park. Union Bank is a local bank that does a good job being involved in various ways throughout the community. In fact, their local involvement is one of the reasons I am a customer. They should be commended for their donation, as Fletch noted. But none of that is a reason for the duplicate name. It could have been Union Park, Union Mall, Union Place, Union Square, Union Station, Union Center, and so on. In the long run, the duplicate names will likely be little more than an annoyance. Still, it's an annoyance that should have been avoided.

As a fan of spicy food, I couldn't help but feel a bit of empathy for the folks on 20th Street who were chased from their homes by chile fumes. I have tortured the eyes and lungs of the residents of 625 Elm Street more than once. I don't think I've ever poisoned the air enough to send an entire apartment building running for the hills, though.

Lincoln's newest park will be called Union Plaza. That's funny. I could have sworn Lincoln already has one of those.

You know, it's one thing to have Robbie learning word after word after word. But speaking in sentences? He isn't that old already, is he? I had heard Robbie utter a few "near sentences" before. Things like "want up" ("pick me up") and "get off" ("take object A off of object B"). But those weren't really sentences. The other morning The Missus went into his room to wake him up. Apparently he had already been awake. When I walked in, The Missus was lifting Robbie from his bed. "Well aren't you wide-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning!", I said. "Bushy-tailed?" The Missus exclaimed in an questioning tone. She asked Robbie, "Do you have a tail?" Robbie pursed his lips. "No", he replied. Then, after thinking for a moment, he added, "Daisy had a tail". And there it was. Robbie's first obvious, unmistakable, real-live sentence. It was a surreal moment as I was struck by the realization that Robbie is on the verge of not just speaking words but manipulating language. In retrospect, he has been manipulating language for many weeks, but in more subtle ways. For example, he has been forming more compound words all on his own, such as "big truck trash" (garbage truck). I suppose it's largely a first-time parent thing, but these little "lightbulb moments" of Robbie's are really a hoot to watch. I can't wait to see what's next.

Today is the first day of the high school soccer season. I'm excited as both a referee and as a fan of youth sports. The Class A picture is a little more jumbled this year than in past years, on both the boys and girls side, so it'll be fun to see how that works out. There are several local athletes to keep an eye on, including some relatively rare Division I talent on the boys side. I'll be on the pitch tonight at 5:00pm resuming my role as "Mr. Clean", a name officially bestowed upon me by some of the Lincoln East parents, along with countless heckling student sections. Too bad high school soccer season is in the spring. If it were in the fall, I would definitely wear a wig on Halloween just to toy with them. And by the way, we're still recruiting referees. It's too late to get registered to ref varsity soccer, but we still need youth, reserve, and jv refs. Drop me a note if you're interested.

The Missus, Robbie, and I made a spontaneous visit to the brand-spankin' new -- it opened just yesterday -- Tina's Restaurant last night. It is located on Highway 2 across from Channel 8, just in front of Robber's Cave. Here are some scans of the menu. Click to enlarge. It's always hard to rate a restaurant on its first day, but my initial hunch is that Tina's will have a better chance at success than King Taco, the former tenant at the location. Why? I can't really put my finger on it, to be honest. The menu feels mostly authentic, but not "too" authentic such that it scares away the skittish. The food is tasty and nicely prepared, and prices are very reasonable. And the interior is clean, warm, and pleasantly decorated. Speaking of the interior, I love the kids' play area. It's the sort of play area you'll only see at a locally-owned restaurant. There are some small tables and chairs, a few toys, and coloring books, all placed on colorful mats. It really makes the place feel homey. I ordered a combination plate featuring a burrito, enchilada, rice, and beans. The burrito was approximately deLeon's size in a fresh tortilla, with shredded beef, green peppers, and onions. The enchilada was smaller, also with shredded beef and onions, and smothered in a red sauce. The beans were of the thinner variety, but not soupy. The Missus ordered a country burrito off the breakfast menu. It featured eggs, potatoes, and I think cheese and onions. (I'll have to double check with her on that.) She said she would definitely order it again. We received a small basket of chips with our meal, with which we sampled the salsa bar. There are three salsas: a thin, green, tomatillo salsa; a thin, red salsa; and a chunkier salsa with plenty of cilantro. The latter was my favorite. It went very well with both of our burritos. Long story short, even on Day 1 Tina's made a good impression on us. I'm a little concerned about their ability to keep up if they get really busy, but that's always a general fear I have with small, local joints. Also note that their credit card terminal was late, so for now it's cash and check only. The terminal was supposed to arrive yesterday. If you go in the next couple days, you may want to have cash available. Also note that Tina's drive-thru is open 24-hours. If you're on a late-night prowl and the neighboring McDonald's doesn't trip your trigger, Tina's is there for you. Added: Heh, I forgot to add this amusing anecdote. When we were leaving, a Suburban pulled up and a family piled out. The father, a relatively imposing fellow, hollered over to us, "So how is it?" We said it deserved a thumbs-up. He took a step toward the door, then stopped and looked at us with a scowl. "It ain't none of that Taco John's crap, is it?" I laughed. "No, no, it definitely is not Taco John's crap."

Is it just me, or has Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady been a bit of a downer lately? He seems to be really promoting the notion that Lincoln isn't as safe as you think it is. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. Lincolnites, as a general rule, like to think of our city as a happy, mostly crime-free place. Sometimes a little slap to the face is good for keeping our heads out of the clouds. Still, I wonder what Casady's angle is. There's the cynical interpretation: Casady's negative tone is designed to build support for LPD, thus raising its budget and increasing its prominence in the city. That would be a very typical government bureaucrat approach to protecting one's job. Then there's the ominous interpretation: Casady knows more than he lets on. His warnings are just the tip of the iceberg; if we don't do something soon, we could find ourselves in an ugly situation. Or maybe he just has these topics on his mind these days and he isn't trying to be negative at all. I'm sure there are other interpretations as well. What's yours?

I'm doing some behind-the-scenes work on the site today. If you notice anything goofy going on -- especially anything related to comments -- please let me know here. If the goofiness prevents you from commenting, then drop me an e-mail at mrwilson at you know where.com

I was surprised to read this morning that LPD has all but cleaned up The Core, so now they have time to focus on selectively enforcing a ludicrously broad statute designed to keep folks from getting giddy. The focus of LPD's attention is the demon weed Salvia divinorum, or salvia, an herb from the sage family that induces psychedelic effects for a few minutes. So far salvia has not been linked with criminal activity or serious health effects, though it is possible to experience an unpleasant high ("dysphoria"). I can't help but mock Chief Tom Casady's desire to go after distributors of salvia, for two reasons. First, with no connection to criminal activity and no impending health crisis, salvia is all but harmless compared to all of the other things LPD could -- and should -- be working on. LPD effectively had to go to the trouble of creating a crime where none exists. Doing so requires a substantial investment of officer time and resources. And the investment isn't over; now that tickets have been issued, LPD's officers will have to deal with the court process as well. Second, let's take a look at state statute:

28-419. Inhaling or drinking certain intoxicating substances; unlawful. No person shall breathe, inhale, or drink any compound, liquid, or chemical containing [long list of substances], or any other substance for the purpose of inducing a condition of intoxication, stupefaction, depression, giddiness, paralysis, inebriation, excitement, or irrational behavior, or in any manner changing, distorting, or disturbing the auditory, visual, mental, or nervous processes. For the purposes of sections 28-419 to 28-424, any such condition so induced shall be deemed an intoxicated condition.

28-420. Selling and offering for sale certain compounds; use; knowledge of seller; unlawful. No person shall knowingly sell or offer for sale, deliver or give to any person any compound, liquid or chemical or any other substance which will induce an intoxicated condition as defined in section 28-419, when the seller, offerer or deliverer knows or has reason to know that such compound is intended for use to induce such condition.

Statute 28-419 is so ridiculously broad I have a difficult time understanding how it could hold up in court. Take a look at the definition of illegal substances. Alcohol is illegal. Tobacco is illegal. Caffeine is illegal. Many or most medications (OTC and prescription) are illegal. If LPD wants to use 28-420 as their justification for pulling salvia from Lincoln's shelves, they must also explain why our bars, grocery stores, gas stations, pop machines, and pharmacies are all still in business. Perhaps Chief Casady and crew have a good reason for going after salvia. Maybe they have access to medical studies that show its irreversible addictiveness, or maybe they have sociological studies describing the terror we will face from the impending wave of salvia-induced visions. If they have a justification -- any justification -- for their actions I would love to hear it. Or better yet, rather than inventing crimes and wasting time trying to come up with a justification for their misuse of resources, perhaps LPD will instead reassign its officers to deal with real problems. I hear The Core needs some help.