Lincolnite

Lazlo's used to be one of my favorite restaurants in Lincoln. Long known for its excellent service, food, and beer, I recommended Lazlo's to anybody who asked for suggestions. Lately, however, it just keeps sliding into mediocrity. I can't really point to a single event that started the slide. There was the opening of the south restaurant, which lacked the character of the Haymarket location from the very start. But no worries; the downtown location was still around. Then they went and stripped the soul out of the Haymarket location, moving it next door. Not to mention all of the little things, like less consistent food, declining service, and so on. At least the facilities were always immaculate. That counts for something. Then there are examples such as what happened to The Missus and The Mother-in-Law a week ago. Problems began immediately when, after they were seated, no waiter showed up for many minutes. When he did arrive, he greeted them with a rude, "So, were you going to order some food?" They hadn't even ordered, much less received, drinks yet. Problems continued with errors with the order and indifference from the staff. When they complained, shoulders were shrugged. It wasn't so long ago that Lazlo's was so eager to please that if the guy 3 tables down belched without saying "Excuse me", everybody within hearing distance would receive a dessert on the house. (OK, it wasn't quite like that, but at times it came pretty close.) The Missus and I used to go to Lazlo's fairly regularly. Now, it never makes the list of options. In the past year or more we have only gone a couple times, and only with out-of-town guests. If they keep showing all our guests the same hospitality they showed The Mother-in-Law, there won't be many more of those visits. Are any of you Lazlo's fans? Have The Wilsons just had a run of bad luck with Lazlo's, or are you folks seeing the same problems?

Jonathan Roth is in a huff over murmurs about delaying Lincoln's sesquicentennial celebration. Apparently some people want to celebrate 150 years as Lincoln, not 150 years as a city (originally founded as Lancaster). Frankly, I didn't realize this discussion was even happening. Did I miss something while I was out of town? Can somebody get me up to speed? Wikipedia says Lancaster was founded in 1856, which would mean we already missed at least one of our city's 150th birthdays. Lancaster became the county seat in 1859. Lincoln was born on March 1, 1867, along with the State of Nebraska. For what it's worth, I vote for a sesquicentennial celebration both next year and in 2017. Why not maximize the partying?

Are you and your dogs ready to lose some sleep this week? We here at 625 Elm Street are reluctantly preparing ourselves for at least one sleepless night (Friday), and possibly more if the neighbors get antsy earlier in the week. Robert is going through a phase in which he is scared of thunder; I can't imagine that fireworks will go over very well. Our neighbors across the street are hosting a big party on Friday, including a large fireworks show. I suspect it'll be good and loud. Speaking of fireworks, you'll probably pay more this year (surprise surprise!), but you will also have a few new varieties to investigate. Some new artillery shells and propeller fireworks were approved for sale this year. Do any of you plan to go to Oak Lake for the City's fireworks show? I still haven't been to one of the City's shows. When I was younger my family always did our own thing, often with the help of neighbors. Now, fatherhood keeps me close to home. Maybe when Robert gets older we'll give it a try. Who is going to have the best party later this week? What are your plans?

Mayor Chris Beutler wants to give you $1,000 -- but only if you buy a new house. The proposal is designed to help kick-start a stalled local housing market. Currently, 326 new homes are sitting empty. The proposal smells a little off to me, for three reasons. First, there's the amount of the handout. One thousand dollars isn't much, and I have a hard time thinking that the payments will be much more than a gift to people who were already planning to buy a house anyway. If you were to give me a grand to put toward a car, I'd talk. But a house? Second, the payments create a disincentive to inter-city neighborhood rejuvenation. With all of the City's talk about improving "The Core" and keeping Lincoln's neighborhoods vibrant, why would Mayor Beutler want to offer an incentive that pushes people to the city's fringes? Last, the Mayor is proposing to spend up to $610,000 on this at a time when we still face a $1.5 million budget shortfall. City employees are losing their jobs and City services are being axed. Is subsidizing Heartland Homes et al. really the best use of $610,000 we can think of right now? If the Mayor really thinks that propping up a struggling construction market is a big priority, I suggest he focus instead on his "one-stop development shop". (Blurb in article linked above.) Cutting government-related costs for the local construction industry is a much better way to support the economy than simply handing out cash payments.

This time the pepper spray bit back.

In a classic example of "you get what you ask for", Lincoln Water System's revenues are down because of all the rain we've had the past couple months. Lincolnites are using as much water now as we normally use during the winter. Folks aren't watering their lawns because, well, it just doesn't make sense to put any more water on top of the nearly 9 inches or rain we've seen in June. All in all, it's a very nice problem for a water system to have, I would think. I'm trying to remember how many times I have watered this year. I haven't put any water on my lawn. I watered my garden once or twice. And I think I watered my flowers two or three times. Other than that, plus a little weeding, it's been a hands-off year so far. That's the way I like it.

I don't know if a commuter rail line between Lincoln and Omaha is a good idea. Scratch that. I do think it's a good idea, in the "Gee, that'd be neat" sense. But is it worth all the resources required to start it up and keep it going? Stories like this latest example from Tennessee make it hard for me to shake off my skepticism.

The Missus pointed out to me that a recent advertisement for the upcoming performance of "The Music Man" at Pinewood Bowl included a number of useful details. It even notes the type of pizza that will be available at the concession stand (Valentino's). Unfortunately it did not mention the performance dates. Oops. Those dates are July 10-13 and 17-20. Find more information here.

LPD Chief Tom Casady has received a couple inquiries recently about folks selling DARE merchandise at locations around town. Lincoln has not had an active DARE program since 2000, so don't be fooled into thinking the proceeds of your purchase stay in the community. For that matter, don't be fooled into thinking your purchase is making much of a dent at all -- the amount of your purchase being returned to DARE may be 5% or lower. You're better off mailing a quarter directly to DARE headquarters. The ethically challenged company behind these wares appears to be Momentum Marketing, aka JM Promotions Group. (They share the same phone number.)

OK, maybe it's not likely to be as big a showcase for Nebraska as, say, the College World Series. But tonight's episode of Supernanny will feature the Harding and Michelle Moy family of Lincoln. Personally, I think it would be bizarre to put my life (and my problems) on display for everybody -- especially my friends and neighbors -- to see. I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures. Anyway, tune in if you're in a bit of a voyeuristic mood.

I'm intrigued. A group of arena supporters paid for a phone survey to assess Lincolnites' thoughts on various arena-related topics; some of you may have taken it. The result are not public (since it was a private poll), but Kent Seacrest has said he is "not discouraged" by the results. Hmm. Is "not discouraged" an expression of modesty, as in "the poll showed 85% support for the arena, which is not discouraging"? Or is it an expression of optimism in the face of long odds, as in "the poll only showed 35% support for the arena, but I am not discouraged"?

Did the Lincoln Board of Education miss an opportunity to earn some new respect from Lincoln's taxpayers when it unanimously voted to approve a 5.7% larger budget at a time when the City is facing a $1.5 million (formerly $6 million) shortfall? I don't know the answer to that, though I do suspect that the road for the next school bond issue -- whenever it comes -- just got a little bumpier. At least LPS scores well with parents.

Hey there, Lincolnites! Did ya miss me? Yeah yeah, be honest; you didn't even notice I was gone, did you? I spent the weekend reffing soccer at the 2008 U.S. Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships in Rockford, Illinois. I ended up staying a day longer than anticipated because I managed to snag a semi-final assignment. I managed to avoid infuriating too many participants, and I also caught the eye of a few folks in the reffing community. With a little hard work I hope to be able to take another step or two up the ladder next year. It was nice to sleep in my own bed last night after spending five nights in the dorms at Northern Illinois University, which you may recall was in the news earlier this year. I didn't have time to see much of the campus, but the parts I saw were very pretty. So what did I miss while I was away? George Carlin is dead. crossbow- and axe-wielding marauders are taking over the streets of Lincoln. Anything else?

From the Journal Star:

Police say a man shot at his neighbor with a crossbow after they argued over the breed of a dog Saturday. .... Police believe alcohol was a factor in the incident....

Gosh, you think so?