Lincolnite

The folks behind Taste of Lincoln made a trip recently to Capital City Grill, the newest restaurant in the former La Paloma / Brazen Head / Magnolia / etc. location in the Haymarket. Apparently it was fantastic. They're working on a review now. In the mean time, have any of you been there yet? What's the buzz around town? I sure hope this isn't yet another case of a great restaurant going away thanks to a good but cursed location.

The Wilsons ventured over to Skeeter Barnes (56th and Old Cheney) last night for what turned out to be one of my best meals out in quite a while. I have long been a Skeeter fan, but for whatever reason I hadn't been there in many months. Last night's three meat combo of pork, brisket, and chicken really hit the spot for me. Meanwhile, The Missus went with a "cup" -- really a good-sized bowl -- of their chicken chili, a spicy seasonal dish she craves year-round. And Robbie? He grazed, sampling a little of just about everything. The worst thing about Skeeter Barnes is that when I have a craving for barbecue, I have to decide between it and several other great barbeque options throughout town. The wealth of good options is certainly a good problem to have.

It's like a virus about to burst across our borders. Can we fend it off?

Speaking of malls on O Street, Gateway just finished some renovations. They removed the former Disney Store location -- walls and all -- so that now it's all open from the carousel to the department stores on the north end. I suppose open space is less tacky (and more flexible) than an empty store. Speaking of empty stores, despite the various vacancies throughout the mall Gateway doesn't feel unpleasantly empty. It's still active and reasonably well-maintained. It feels to me like the mall is just a tiny boost of momentum away from picking up steam again.

What's going on at East Park Plaza these days? I haven't found an excuse to go there in years. I know the theater is still up and running. Is anything else still open in those hallways? East Park used to be such a nice little mall: a good selection of stores, a theater, an arcade, a vibrant food court. I'll probably tell my kids stories about East Park the way my mom tells stories about Ward's and Miller & Paine. Back in my day...

Would anybody care to defend the Lancaster County Board right now, given how badly they've mangled Lancaster Manor? Is there any reason not to fire every single Board member come the next election?

I noticed a full-page ad in this morning's Journal Star from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. The ad featured a resolution backing the May bond issue vote for the arena, and encouraging local voters to do the same. I wasn't surprised to see that the Chamber of Commerce is backing the arena. But I am a bit surprised to see them support ballot language that hasn't even been written yet. It strikes me as awfully irresponsible to tell people to vote for something when none of us knows exactly what the vote will entail. It seems like a more general "support the arena" message is appropriate for now, while holding off on the "vote yes" message until we know what "yes" means. Or maybe I'm just playing this too conservative. After all the arena has been through so far, can you blame me?

I think the best place for Hudson Cabin -- Lancaster County's oldest house -- is Pioneers Park. The question or where -- or whether -- to move the cabin will kick into high gear once UNL takes over Innovation Campus, nee State Fair Park. Pioneers Park seems like a natural fit for the cabin. There it would be among the prairie grasses and (presumably) near the one-room Heritage School that Lincoln's elementary students visit every year. Where would you place the cabin?

One would think the announcement of a new $27 million, 9-story, half-block building in Downtown Lincoln would be cause for celebration, or at least a "hooray". But the announcement of just such a project garnered little more than a yawn. Why? The fact that Mayor Beutler & Co. chose to make the announcement on a Friday afternoon might have something to do with it. Friday afternoon is usually reserved for political scandals and other unpleasantness. Hopefully we can't draw any conclusions about this announcement based on the company it keeps. I happen to be quite pleased with the prospect of new retail, parking, and apartment options beginning construction as soon as next year. (Read: 2011 or beyond.) Even the dullest glimmer of hope is better than the current eyesore on Q Street.

Crap! I can't believe I missed Calvert Elementary's 80th anniversary open house yesterday. You have no idea how annoyed that makes me. I really wanted to go. I went to Calvert from 1984 to 1991 ... if I did the math right. I had hoped to get to the open house to see if any of my teachers were there. They included:

• Kindergarten: Mrs. Snyder / Mrs. Pepperil
• 1st grade: Mrs. Rolfsmeyer
• 2nd grade: Ms. Cramer
• 3rd grade: Ms. Mohatt
• 4th grade: Mrs. Oehlerking
• 5th grade: Mrs. Dasenbrock
• 6th grade: Ms. Schneider

I probably butchered the spelling on a few of those. And of course I left out many other people who played important roles in my elementary school memories. I'm looking at you Mr. Magrue, Mrs. Vaneer, Mr. Hobbes, and others. I have only seen two of my teachers in the past decade. I spoke with Ms. Mohatt under unusual circumstances about five years ago. The Missus used to run on occasion with Mrs. Vaneer, the woman who taught me my times tables. I would love to know what all those teachers are up to today. At this point I may have to hope I run into them at the grocery store. I can't believe I missed the open house. Grr.

While reading about Lincoln's latest violent death -- it hasn't yet been ruled a homicide -- I noted that there were three prior homicides this year. There were five homicides per year over the past several years. The odd thing? I could only remember a couple. Maybe it's a defense mechanism. Maybe I'm too focused on other things. Maybe the media didn't cover the murders well. Whatever the case, it's very odd to me that I live in a community where five people are murdered each year and I barely remember the scantest details about each one. I get the feeling most Lincolnites have similarly sparse memories of the victims and their deaths. It's ultimately a good thing that life goes on. But -- and this isn't supposed to be a loaded question even though it looks like one -- does it say anything about us as community members or as a whole community that our memories are so short?

I must have missed some good news somewhere. You say Nelnet is hiring? And not only are they hiring in Lincoln, they're adding 250 jobs?! That sounds really cool and all, but I thought they were busy getting spanked by the feds for bending the rules, among other problems. I guess they got out of time out. Perhaps the good news for Lincoln comes because the folks at Nelnet are giggling over news like this.

I've thought it. You've probably thought it too. "I'll make it in time. I'll just hit the gas." You may be right. Or you may be wrong.