Lincolnite

Robbie has been sampling a little rice cereal lately. He really went to town on it yesterday. In fact, he thought it was hillarious. I don't know why it was hillarious. Uncle Ben has never made me so much as chortle. But to Robbie it was the funniest thing since he tooted just a few minutes earlier. You can learn a lot from a baby. For instance, did you know that rice cereal makes a great shampoo and exfoliant? It's true. Robbie proved it by grabbing a handful of cereal from his mouth and smearing it through his hair and across his skin. I must say, his hair and skin look fantastic as a result. Unfortunately, Robbie has been fighting a cold lately. It started in his sinuses and now it has worked its way to his lungs. But my little man is one tough brute. He gives a few quick hacks, spits out the loogey, and grins with pride. I think I like this kid. Robbie still hasn't rolled over, but I'm not concerned. I think he just skipped that developmental step. He already loves to try to sit up and stand, for example, and his neck is NFL lineman-strong. And the babbling. Boy oh boy does he talk. He talks to people, he talks to Daisy, he talks to his toys. Heck, last night he talked to a lamp. It's not (all) just random noise, either. He actually tries to communicate. He loves to banter back and forth with people. Ask him a question and he'll give you an answer. He's like our own little Magic 8 Ball, but cuter. Now that I think about it, that could make a great way to fund Robbie's college education. Who wouldn't go to the Ask Robert booth at the State Fair? Hmm...

Should Mayor Seng run for reelection? So far she hasn't committed one way or the other. Who would you like to see run for election? Or, if you've decided, who would you like to see win?

You Oso Burrito fans out there may want to take a peek in the forums... (Note: forums are currently active for logged-in members only. That will change eventually, but not until the site redesign is completed.)

1. It's Friday at Noon. There's a colorfully-adorned man serving people outside. I look over my options and choose the one with M&M's -- my favorite. Where am I?
2. I smell onion rings. Boys are playing basketball on the fenced-in court behind me. There's a neat old church catty corner from me. I see some signs written en español. Where am I?
3. There's a game tomorrow. The people standing on chairs are wearing red shoes. Hey look, it's Chris Fowler! It sure is crowded in here. Where am I?
4. I'm standing in a long hallway. All sorts of people from all walks of life head to their rooms. He wants to be a mechanic. She, a chef. And that older lady there? She's a quilter. Where am I?
5. The flowers here are very pretty. I want to play in the water, but something tells me that's not allowed. I'm at a fork in the path; I take my equipment and turn toward the high road. Where am I?

[Note: It appears this post is having some comment-related issues. The comments are showing up OK, but they aren't being counted (i.e. it says "No comments").]

The Sister-in-law is headed to UT-Austin for grad school this fall. She never really seemed like the Longhorn type, so I was a little curious how she ended up there. Now I know.

Jo Naber is still steaming about Lincoln having to foot the bill for celebrity-related security expenses:

I read by the morning papers that Vice President Dick Cheney may be here in Nebraska soon. I'm sure Lincoln will be the recipient of a number of big names coming to campaign for candidates for office this fall. It is not too late for the City Council to issue a notice that any costs to the city of Lincoln for security or other reasons are to be borne by the political campaign benefiting from the appearance. This would be the same for Republican or Democrat. We all remember the city being stiffed some $31,900 in 2004 by the Jeff Fortenberry campaign. Let's not let starshine lead us down the primrose path again. Jo Naber, Lincoln

Discuss.

Like it or not, the city's budget has been finalized. The new levy is 28.337 cents, up from 28 cents prior to the final valuation numbers coming in. Mayor Seng plans to sign the budget, even though she disagrees with some of the Council's decisions. I don't think she has a choice, politically speaking; if she plans to run for reelection, being the Mayor who voted against a tax decrease would not go over well. Then again, one always hopes that the public's best interests, not political aspirations, drive politicians' decisions.

Yet another sign that classes are starting up again: wild party complaints. Lincoln police received 51 such complaints over the weekend. Darn kids. Since when was going back to school a reason to be festive? I would think a wake would be more appropriate.

I took Robbie and Daisy for a walk around the neighborhood tonight. The walk itself wasn't all that eventful, except that at times there was such a racket I could hardly hear myself think. But the noise wasn't from traffic, or a bad garage band, or anything like that. Nope, it was from a combination of tree after tree filled with hundreds of birds, along with a chorus of cicadas in the background. I used to hate that sound. It signaled summer's waning days, and in my memories I associate the sound with having to go to bed early, while it was still partially light out, because I had to go to school the next day. I would lie there in bed unable to sleep, with that sound pounding on my ears. Those were good days. Tonight I dusted off dozens of happy flashbacks. And while Robbie looked around in sheer awe at the size of the world around him, I wondered: what sorts of fond memories will he have of beautiful summer days like this? I'm eager to make some of those memories with him.

UNL is back in session today. Study hard, kiddos. It's always easy to tell when classes begin because the bus fills up for a couple weeks. There will be another surge next week when LPS opens. And in a bit of good news for Downtown bike lane supporters, the 14th Street bike lane was hopping with commuters this morning.

As a Lincoln Southeast graduate I give a big "Hooray!" to the building's upcoming facelift.

Neal said he would send along one of his sketches if the Journal Star didn't take it. Well, the folks at the LJS thought the cartoon was "too risque". Their loss is our gain. Thanks for sharing this with us, Neal!

I couldn't wait any longer, so right before I went to lunch I decided to open up the new design of Lincolnite to all logged in members. It isn't 100% completed yet, but it's getting there. What do you think? What's that you say? You haven't joined yet, so you can't see the new site? Well then just go right ahead and register now. You want to see the pertty new website, don't you?

Five things you'll never hear the City Council say:

1. "If there's one thing that's true about Lincoln, it's that homeowners just don't pay enough property taxes."
2. "Let's hold hands and sing. Kum bah yah, my Lord. Kum bah yah..."
3. "We ♥ Mike Spadt."
4. "The 'City Council Gone Wild' calendar will be available for $19.95 from many local businesses."
5. "Mayor Seng, you are a brilliant human being. How can we best work with you to address our differences of opinion for the betterment of Lincoln?"

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is still a top 100 school, according to the latest U.S. News and World Reports rankings. UNL's 98th ranking is the same as last year. That's surprising, considering how substantially the University has improved in areas like research. Then again, like all such rankings, they are only meaningful if you buy into the ranking organization's decisions about which data to measure and which to ignore.