All around the Omaha metro, communities are bracing for the worst flooding the area has seen since 1952. While volunteers fill sand bags and reinforce levees, the Omaha area is ready for the annual start of the NCAA Men's College World Series. This year, the series opens in a brand new stadium in downtown Omaha, built specifically to meet the requirements of the NCAA.
In the hospitality industry, we look forward to the annual trek of the faithful to what is still "the greatest show on dirt." There are no better fans than those who come to the CWS. They cheer for every great play, support their own teams, and then are good sports if their teams should get knocked out. They come by the tens of thousands, and every Omaha business welcomes their arrival.
I grew up watching the College World Series. My dad would load all of us into the station wagon, giving my mother a summertime break, and off to the series we'd go. He taught us the finer points of the game while teaching us to be good sports about it at the same time. From him I learned how to assess a pitcher, how to watch a catcher's knees, how to appreciate a single hit straight up the middle.
I love our CWS guests. We always have fans stay with us, whether they're here to support a specific team or just because they want to see great baseball. I love chatting with them about the sport -- and about our city, which is new to so many and a pleasant surprise to all.
Watch them on TV or, better still, come see for yourself why this is the sporting event not to miss every year.
Now, let's play ball.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Welcoming a new year, with resolve
I admit, I'm a bit superstitious about New Year's day. I like to start the year in such a way that each following day builds on the first. And yes, I believe in making resolutions. Really, without setting a goal, how do we measure our progress?
So here's what I'm resolving to attempt this year.
I resolve to treasure my friends, to reach out to them more frequently, to let them know how much they mean to me, to treat our friendship as if it were the most precious gift I've been given. Indeed.
I resolve to do at least one thing every day just because it makes me happy. Sounds easy? We'll see.
I resolve to write something that I want to write. (And to continue to write those things that others are willing to pay me to write.)
And I resolve to send out positive energy into the universe.
I know, I probably should be making resolutions that involve exercise and losing weight and making money, but those just aren't striking any chords with me right now. So I'll stick with these and see how it goes.
So here's what I'm resolving to attempt this year.
I resolve to treasure my friends, to reach out to them more frequently, to let them know how much they mean to me, to treat our friendship as if it were the most precious gift I've been given. Indeed.
I resolve to do at least one thing every day just because it makes me happy. Sounds easy? We'll see.
I resolve to write something that I want to write. (And to continue to write those things that others are willing to pay me to write.)
And I resolve to send out positive energy into the universe.
I know, I probably should be making resolutions that involve exercise and losing weight and making money, but those just aren't striking any chords with me right now. So I'll stick with these and see how it goes.
Friday, December 10, 2010
In my own defense
Understanding where we stand now, as historians attest, necessarily demands that we understand the path taken to our present spot. This is as true for our personal situations as it is for companies or nations. Knowing how we arrived where we are is our only hope for illuminating the path ahead.
We don’t arrive at the same place in the same fashion. Sometimes we simply don’t arrive at the same place, regardless how we travel. We can understand where each of us stands only by remembering our own journeys and trying to place ourselves, as it were, in our neighbor’s house.
With the notable exception of a brief time spent living in a small town and attending a small college, I have chosen to spend my life in urban neighborhoods. I belong in an urban setting, and I am committed, as my friend Margie would say, to trying to leave my own small corner of the world a little better than I found it.
When I first arrived in the JCNA 10 years ago, I committed myself to a home, to a business and to a community. I believed I could help run a successful business that would provide a living for us while also being a point of pride for the neighborhood. But there were issues. The house next door to us was filled with college boys and owned by a notorious midtown slumlord. We did battle over the state of that property, including trash removal and tree trimming. We watched as two other owners attempted to improve the property, one while running a meth lab from it and the other without the financial wherewithal needed to renovate a house that’s been condemned. But the house today has owners doing the necessary work and making a commitment to improving both the property and the neighborhood.
When I arrived, the house catty corner to ours had just been purchased, with the plan to convert it back to a single-family dwelling from the apartment house it had been for decades. Santa Monica was in place and was a stable property in the neighborhood. There was another apartment house, which is now being completely remodeled, and The Designers was operating from the house on the corner of 39th & Dodge, which today has just been converted back to a single-family residence.
And then there was the Travel Inn. If you lived close by while the Travel Inn was operating, you need no reminder of what problems it caused. If you didn’t live here then, words alone can scarcely convey the complete picture of how one property can bring down a whole neighborhood. The motel housed criminals fleeing from felony warrants. There were prostitutes and drug dealers running their businesses from the motel and overflowing into the neighborhood. There was a pit bull breeding operation. The police helicopter flew overhead every night at 11 -- and you could literally set your watch by it. No one wandered up and down the block after dark, and we were cautious even during the daylight hours.
Of course, there was also the Joslyn Castle, one of the most remarkable properties in the city and the state. The Castle in those days was always booked on the weekends for weddings and event. You could count on there being an event every Friday, every Saturday, many Sundays and frequently during the week. The Castle’s manager made sure the parties ended at a reasonable time, that the noise did not go on into the wee hours, and that security officers provided an added measure of protection. Those of us who live close by put up with the parking problems and occasional noise issues. We kept watch late at night when no one else was around. We volunteered to help with projects on the grounds and in the building. We raised money for improvements and renovations. We planted trees, picked up trash and kept our dogs on leashes.
We felt then, as we do now, that the Castle belongs to all of us.
And that, my friends, is my point. None of our dwellings exists in a vacuum. What happens with one property either negatively or positively affects each other property -- and by extension, the folks who inhabit that property. Throughout the JCNA neighborhood, we’ve seen remarkable progress in stabilizing the population, in renovating and updating the properties, in creating a community in which neighbors walk their dogs and friends gather to visit. Had one visited 10 years ago and returned now, one would be amazed at what’s been accomplished.
My part in these changes has been small, tiny really. I worked hard to get the Travel Inn closed, but I came late to that effort and take little credit for the final demolition. With others, I worked to keep other group houses from taking over our block and our neighborhood. That some of those properties so attractive for group housing now are single-family homes speaks to the efforts of each property owner and neighbor. Again, while I take great pride in these achievements, I deserve and take little credit for them. I’ve helped raise money for neighborhood projects, but I didn’t work alone. I’ve been an advocate for midtown Omaha, and I learned much about how to do so by watching my neighbors and friends. In each of these undertakings, we accomplished our goals as a community.
Mark and I have spent literally hundreds of thousands of dollars maintaining, updating and restoring our own property. Of course, this is in our best interest. But it also speaks to our belief that even our own home belongs to the larger community. We are fortunate to have been entrusted with its care, and we take that trust to heart.
It is as a community that we must watch over the ongoing revitalization of our neighborhood. It is as a community that we sometimes must ask hard questions and demand public accountability. JCNA and some of us who have long sat on its board sometimes get accused of being difficult to work with or hard to get along with. I look at my neighborhood, and I see an incredible example of what a diverse neighborhood can be. I believe that only a special type of person chooses to live in a neighborhood like ours, that it takes a unique individual or family to make a commitment to one of these big old houses. I believe that it is often when we disagree that we find what’s best in ourselves and in our neighbors.
I know I’ve made some people uncomfortable of late by asking hard questions about the change in ownership of Joslyn Castle. Let me be crystal clear as to why. I have no doubt that the board members and staff of the Joslyn Castle Trust will diligently pursue the ongoing restoration and protection of the Castle and its grounds. I have never doubted their intent or their integrity. But there are difficult days ahead, and there must be a public accounting as to how those days will be managed.
So I ask, on behalf of us all, how the Trust will raise money for administrative costs and overhead. I ask, on behalf of our neighbors, what the strategic plan is for the ongoing use of the building and its grounds. And I ask what might happen in the event the Trust is not able to raise the funds necessary to keep the Castle.
I ask not because I want the Trust to fail but precisely because I want -- I insist that it succeed. The Castle, too, is not an island. What happens at the Castle affects each of us. Each of us owns a small piece of the Castle, each of us is deeply invested in its success.
Perhaps I feel this more personally because my property is so close and my business is directly affected by what happens across the street. Perhaps I feel it more strongly because my nature doesn’t allow me to do otherwise. Perhaps each of you will agree with some part of my belief that should the Trust not be able financially or practically manage this property, we will each pay a much higher cost for that failure than those who serve on that board but do not live in our neighborhood.
I invite you to question my concerns. I encourage you to disagree with my approach. But you must know that I speak passionately about this not because I am a nay-sayer or a rabble rouser or a troublemaker. You may question my tactics but you may never doubt my commitment to my own property, to my neighbors and to my community.
We don’t arrive at the same place in the same fashion. Sometimes we simply don’t arrive at the same place, regardless how we travel. We can understand where each of us stands only by remembering our own journeys and trying to place ourselves, as it were, in our neighbor’s house.
With the notable exception of a brief time spent living in a small town and attending a small college, I have chosen to spend my life in urban neighborhoods. I belong in an urban setting, and I am committed, as my friend Margie would say, to trying to leave my own small corner of the world a little better than I found it.
When I first arrived in the JCNA 10 years ago, I committed myself to a home, to a business and to a community. I believed I could help run a successful business that would provide a living for us while also being a point of pride for the neighborhood. But there were issues. The house next door to us was filled with college boys and owned by a notorious midtown slumlord. We did battle over the state of that property, including trash removal and tree trimming. We watched as two other owners attempted to improve the property, one while running a meth lab from it and the other without the financial wherewithal needed to renovate a house that’s been condemned. But the house today has owners doing the necessary work and making a commitment to improving both the property and the neighborhood.
When I arrived, the house catty corner to ours had just been purchased, with the plan to convert it back to a single-family dwelling from the apartment house it had been for decades. Santa Monica was in place and was a stable property in the neighborhood. There was another apartment house, which is now being completely remodeled, and The Designers was operating from the house on the corner of 39th & Dodge, which today has just been converted back to a single-family residence.
And then there was the Travel Inn. If you lived close by while the Travel Inn was operating, you need no reminder of what problems it caused. If you didn’t live here then, words alone can scarcely convey the complete picture of how one property can bring down a whole neighborhood. The motel housed criminals fleeing from felony warrants. There were prostitutes and drug dealers running their businesses from the motel and overflowing into the neighborhood. There was a pit bull breeding operation. The police helicopter flew overhead every night at 11 -- and you could literally set your watch by it. No one wandered up and down the block after dark, and we were cautious even during the daylight hours.
Of course, there was also the Joslyn Castle, one of the most remarkable properties in the city and the state. The Castle in those days was always booked on the weekends for weddings and event. You could count on there being an event every Friday, every Saturday, many Sundays and frequently during the week. The Castle’s manager made sure the parties ended at a reasonable time, that the noise did not go on into the wee hours, and that security officers provided an added measure of protection. Those of us who live close by put up with the parking problems and occasional noise issues. We kept watch late at night when no one else was around. We volunteered to help with projects on the grounds and in the building. We raised money for improvements and renovations. We planted trees, picked up trash and kept our dogs on leashes.
We felt then, as we do now, that the Castle belongs to all of us.
And that, my friends, is my point. None of our dwellings exists in a vacuum. What happens with one property either negatively or positively affects each other property -- and by extension, the folks who inhabit that property. Throughout the JCNA neighborhood, we’ve seen remarkable progress in stabilizing the population, in renovating and updating the properties, in creating a community in which neighbors walk their dogs and friends gather to visit. Had one visited 10 years ago and returned now, one would be amazed at what’s been accomplished.
My part in these changes has been small, tiny really. I worked hard to get the Travel Inn closed, but I came late to that effort and take little credit for the final demolition. With others, I worked to keep other group houses from taking over our block and our neighborhood. That some of those properties so attractive for group housing now are single-family homes speaks to the efforts of each property owner and neighbor. Again, while I take great pride in these achievements, I deserve and take little credit for them. I’ve helped raise money for neighborhood projects, but I didn’t work alone. I’ve been an advocate for midtown Omaha, and I learned much about how to do so by watching my neighbors and friends. In each of these undertakings, we accomplished our goals as a community.
Mark and I have spent literally hundreds of thousands of dollars maintaining, updating and restoring our own property. Of course, this is in our best interest. But it also speaks to our belief that even our own home belongs to the larger community. We are fortunate to have been entrusted with its care, and we take that trust to heart.
It is as a community that we must watch over the ongoing revitalization of our neighborhood. It is as a community that we sometimes must ask hard questions and demand public accountability. JCNA and some of us who have long sat on its board sometimes get accused of being difficult to work with or hard to get along with. I look at my neighborhood, and I see an incredible example of what a diverse neighborhood can be. I believe that only a special type of person chooses to live in a neighborhood like ours, that it takes a unique individual or family to make a commitment to one of these big old houses. I believe that it is often when we disagree that we find what’s best in ourselves and in our neighbors.
I know I’ve made some people uncomfortable of late by asking hard questions about the change in ownership of Joslyn Castle. Let me be crystal clear as to why. I have no doubt that the board members and staff of the Joslyn Castle Trust will diligently pursue the ongoing restoration and protection of the Castle and its grounds. I have never doubted their intent or their integrity. But there are difficult days ahead, and there must be a public accounting as to how those days will be managed.
So I ask, on behalf of us all, how the Trust will raise money for administrative costs and overhead. I ask, on behalf of our neighbors, what the strategic plan is for the ongoing use of the building and its grounds. And I ask what might happen in the event the Trust is not able to raise the funds necessary to keep the Castle.
I ask not because I want the Trust to fail but precisely because I want -- I insist that it succeed. The Castle, too, is not an island. What happens at the Castle affects each of us. Each of us owns a small piece of the Castle, each of us is deeply invested in its success.
Perhaps I feel this more personally because my property is so close and my business is directly affected by what happens across the street. Perhaps I feel it more strongly because my nature doesn’t allow me to do otherwise. Perhaps each of you will agree with some part of my belief that should the Trust not be able financially or practically manage this property, we will each pay a much higher cost for that failure than those who serve on that board but do not live in our neighborhood.
I invite you to question my concerns. I encourage you to disagree with my approach. But you must know that I speak passionately about this not because I am a nay-sayer or a rabble rouser or a troublemaker. You may question my tactics but you may never doubt my commitment to my own property, to my neighbors and to my community.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
I miss them all
Through the years, I've lost many friends. I've lost friends to breast cancer and Hodkin's disease, to heart attacks and domestic violence. But today, I'm thinking about the friends I've lost to AIDS.
Starting back in the 1980s, I lost friends to this dreadful disease. Watching someone die from AIDS-related illnesses is nothing short of horrific. Our world is by far the lesser with the loss of so many who had so much to offer.
Trying to grasp the international AIDS crisis is overwhelming. But we can each do something to help. Even if that something is remembering those we've lost -- and honoring their memories.
Today, I honor my friend Bob Quick. You were my closest friend, my dearest ally, the person I fought with most frequently and forgave most quickly. I miss you every single day.
Today, I pray that we find a cure, that by remembering those we've lost we can again focus on those we can save.
Today, I ask each of you to join me in our efforts to support those who live with AIDS and those who die from it. I ask that you join me in demanding that the scientific world, the medical community and the world's governments redouble their efforts to find a cure.
Today, Bob, I celebrate you.
Starting back in the 1980s, I lost friends to this dreadful disease. Watching someone die from AIDS-related illnesses is nothing short of horrific. Our world is by far the lesser with the loss of so many who had so much to offer.
Trying to grasp the international AIDS crisis is overwhelming. But we can each do something to help. Even if that something is remembering those we've lost -- and honoring their memories.
Today, I honor my friend Bob Quick. You were my closest friend, my dearest ally, the person I fought with most frequently and forgave most quickly. I miss you every single day.
Today, I pray that we find a cure, that by remembering those we've lost we can again focus on those we can save.
Today, I ask each of you to join me in our efforts to support those who live with AIDS and those who die from it. I ask that you join me in demanding that the scientific world, the medical community and the world's governments redouble their efforts to find a cure.
Today, Bob, I celebrate you.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Don't miss Small Business Saturday
I don't know what inspired American Express to designate tomorrow as Small Business Saturday, but I hope their inspiration flows to American shoppers for this holiday season. Small businesses can't compete with big box stores for Black Friday-type shopping extravaganzas, but here are a few things we do better than the big chains.
First, for every dollar you spend at a locally owned business, nearly 70 cents stays in your local community. If you spend that same dollar at a big box store or a franchised operation, just over 30 cents stays local. So if you want to do something to boost your local economy, shop locally.
Second, small business owners typically support local groups and causes. They sponsor kids' sports teams, participate in community events, donate to charity drives. They take the overused term "giving something back" and turn it into a way of life.
Third, in an age where every city offers the same chain stores and restaurants and hotels, locally owned businesses add a flair and vibrancy to a city and its culture. In Omaha, one need look no further than the Old Market District to see the veracity of this claim. You can find a Gap or a Cheesecake Factory anywhere. But where else can you find something on par with our Flatiron Cafe or M's Pub? Where else is there a Souq's boutique or a Lotus?
There are times in life when we want the reliability of a chain franchise. Sometimes, you just want to walk through the door and know that you can get exactly what you've gotten before. But for the holidays this year, how about trying something a bit out of the ordinary?
Unchain your life this holiday season; shop locally.
First, for every dollar you spend at a locally owned business, nearly 70 cents stays in your local community. If you spend that same dollar at a big box store or a franchised operation, just over 30 cents stays local. So if you want to do something to boost your local economy, shop locally.
Second, small business owners typically support local groups and causes. They sponsor kids' sports teams, participate in community events, donate to charity drives. They take the overused term "giving something back" and turn it into a way of life.
Third, in an age where every city offers the same chain stores and restaurants and hotels, locally owned businesses add a flair and vibrancy to a city and its culture. In Omaha, one need look no further than the Old Market District to see the veracity of this claim. You can find a Gap or a Cheesecake Factory anywhere. But where else can you find something on par with our Flatiron Cafe or M's Pub? Where else is there a Souq's boutique or a Lotus?
There are times in life when we want the reliability of a chain franchise. Sometimes, you just want to walk through the door and know that you can get exactly what you've gotten before. But for the holidays this year, how about trying something a bit out of the ordinary?
Unchain your life this holiday season; shop locally.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Hiding Behind Children: The most insidious form of hatred
Given the news of late about suicides among gay teens, about gay bashing taken to levels I can hardly imagine, about taunting and bullying young people for something that is outside their control, I have been giving some thought to a precept I hold dear: free speech. Let me start by saying that I freely admit to being a political liberal. I always have been and doubtless always shall be.
I support the rights of those who disgree with me to air their opinions in public. What I find troubling is the hate speech that inflicts irreparable harm to those in its crosshairs. Think about the hate speech of the 1950s and '60s, aimed at people of color and at Vietnam War protestors. While it is not fashionable today to spew vitriol at people of color (although we all know it still happens every single day), it is, however, fashionable in some quarters to fire away at gay men.
As all thinking people do, I abhor the actions of the Fred Phelps' followers who protest at the funerals of servicemen and women. I abhorred them in the 1980s when they protested the funerals of gay men in the Kansas City area. But I'm curious why the Supreme Court is hearing the case against them now, after three decades of horrific behavior aimed at gay men.
Still, protesting in public is as American as the proverbial apple pie. I support the rights of people to protest, to voice their opinions in public. What I do not support is wrapping your bigotry in the blanket of protecting children, like the candidate for New York's governor's office did this weekend. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/11/AR2010101103038.html)
If you are a bigot, then out with it. Spew your hatred, inflict your pain. But don't you dare claim you're just protecting the children.
I support the rights of those who disgree with me to air their opinions in public. What I find troubling is the hate speech that inflicts irreparable harm to those in its crosshairs. Think about the hate speech of the 1950s and '60s, aimed at people of color and at Vietnam War protestors. While it is not fashionable today to spew vitriol at people of color (although we all know it still happens every single day), it is, however, fashionable in some quarters to fire away at gay men.
As all thinking people do, I abhor the actions of the Fred Phelps' followers who protest at the funerals of servicemen and women. I abhorred them in the 1980s when they protested the funerals of gay men in the Kansas City area. But I'm curious why the Supreme Court is hearing the case against them now, after three decades of horrific behavior aimed at gay men.
Still, protesting in public is as American as the proverbial apple pie. I support the rights of people to protest, to voice their opinions in public. What I do not support is wrapping your bigotry in the blanket of protecting children, like the candidate for New York's governor's office did this weekend. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/11/AR2010101103038.html)
If you are a bigot, then out with it. Spew your hatred, inflict your pain. But don't you dare claim you're just protecting the children.
Friday, September 24, 2010
How about an apple muffin?
If you can stand another apple recipe, try this one for apple muffins. It's the best I've found -- especially now that I've tweaked it to my own liking.
3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or use 1/2 applesauce instead of the oil)
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmet
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk (I use half-and-half)
1 large egg, lightly beaten, at room temperature
1/2 c chopped walnuts
Macerate the apples for 45 minutes. (Translation: toss the apples, sugar and oil or applesauce together and let it sit.)
Preheat the oven to 350. Test your oven temperature; some ovens can be as hot as 400 and still bake these perfectly. Mine works best at 350.
Whisk the dry ingredients together.
Using a wooden spoon, stir the milk and egg into the apple mixture until smooth. Then stir in the dry ingredients just until moistened. Add the nuts.
Fill regular or oversized muffin tins three-quarters full. I sprinkle a few chopped walnuts on top before baking. If using regular sized tins, bake for 20-25 minutes. If using oversized tins, bake for 30-35 minutes. These muffins don't get very brown, so test them with your finger or with a toothpick. Be careful not to burn them on the bottom.
Cool on wire racks. And enjoy!
3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or use 1/2 applesauce instead of the oil)
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmet
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk (I use half-and-half)
1 large egg, lightly beaten, at room temperature
1/2 c chopped walnuts
Macerate the apples for 45 minutes. (Translation: toss the apples, sugar and oil or applesauce together and let it sit.)
Preheat the oven to 350. Test your oven temperature; some ovens can be as hot as 400 and still bake these perfectly. Mine works best at 350.
Whisk the dry ingredients together.
Using a wooden spoon, stir the milk and egg into the apple mixture until smooth. Then stir in the dry ingredients just until moistened. Add the nuts.
Fill regular or oversized muffin tins three-quarters full. I sprinkle a few chopped walnuts on top before baking. If using regular sized tins, bake for 20-25 minutes. If using oversized tins, bake for 30-35 minutes. These muffins don't get very brown, so test them with your finger or with a toothpick. Be careful not to burn them on the bottom.
Cool on wire racks. And enjoy!
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