The Nebraska Experience

Got back from Nebraska this afternoon, it's a long drive but well worth it. Great way to end Summer 09, arguably the best summer of my life (Summer 06 could still make a strong case.). 

I decided to go on short notice after Brad made a strong case for it. He was right in that the weather would probably start going downhill, and I figured now might be the best time before I get heavy in the job searching, another entry for tomorrow. I leave Thursday morning

 and get into West Omaha by about 6:30. My GPS sent me through the back ways of Kansas instead of traditional interstates so that made the drive a little longer if you ask me. Brad and Audrey showed me around Omaha that night. It has a surprisingly fresh feel, meaning it looks like everything in Elkhorn as its called has been built in the last 10

 years or so. Very modern, has everything Texas has or some sort of equivalent. His apartment was very nice as well. I think he said him Audrey are paying about $300 each for a roomy 1 bedroom apartment. From what I could tell its a better deal than my apartment, plus there are a lot of young people living around him. I've always had either sketch or old people living around me. Met some friends of his, had burgers, watched a movie, called it a night.

Friday- Get up, have breakfast and head to historic Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha. Anyone who's played a high level of baseball knows the history and significance of Rosenblatt Stadium. Kind of a goal of mine to finally be able to see it, but I gotta come back next year when the CWS is actually happening. BTW, next year is the final year the CWS will be played in Rosenblatt. To keep the CWS, Omaha is building a new stadium in downtown, which I saw under construction. This is in order to keep the CWS in Omaha through 2035.

While looking at the new stadium, Brad showed me Qwest Center Omaha, the city's big arena, which answered a question for me. How does Nebraska-Omaha get better hockey teams than

UAA and UAF? This Qwest Center has to be a big reason. It's pretty high tech and modern. If you showed a prospect Sullivan Arena, The Carlson Center, and Qwest Center Omaha and asked where would you like to play your home games? I think the kid would pick Omaha 9 times out of 10. Brad said UNO has a nice campus, so I bet there other facilities are better than UAA's and UAF's.

Then we went out to Brad's Family's lake in a place called Fremont. Took his boat out, rode around, had some beers, took some pretty good pics, ate some awesome steaks, and had a bonfire and chilled. I think its natural for any big meal in Nebraska to have corn, but here is something Nebraskans do that I  didn't know. They take something like a vase, and fill it with part water and part butter and use it like a dip for their corn on the cob. Pretty inventive to me. The lake was a pretty good scene. Brad explained to me how major wakeboard competitions will use lakes like his because the surface looks smooth as glass. You don't want to use lakes like Lake Lewisville that look like the Pacific Ocean.

Another side note. When we got back to the apartment, we heard news that two people all three of us know just got engaged.  I know people get engaged all the time, but there were a lot of crazy things about this couple. 1) They've only known each other for a year, not dated, just known. Maybe I can see getting engaged like that if you are in your late 30's or early 40's, but these people are 19 and 21. 2) Neither of them have their shit together, meaning they are still way early in the undergrad process, and I think Brad said one of them lives with their parents. I can understand finding your soul mate at that age and knowing that is the person you're going to marry, but I think typically people would do things like finish school, maybe start a career and establish yourself as an independent member of society before tying the knot. Then again I am no expert on relationships or marriage so I could be wrong. 3) Both of these people are the center of each other's universe to the point their lives outside of the relationship is non-existent. I read a book once that talked about how healthy men will never 'enmesh' their partners. Their needs and wants will come first and in turn they will look more attractive to their partners because they see they have a life with friends, needs, and independence as opposed to someone who's every action is toward their partner. I think this also drives friends away from you. They see that you are now pretty far down on the totem pole and figure to hell with you. 4) Their PDA is somewhat excessive as well. There are two kinds of PDA's, the one that makes you look good/ cute, and the one you want to barf at. You know that PDA when you see it. It was a long conversation that made me think then want to stick my finger down my throat.

Saturday- This day we spent mostly in Lincoln and at UNL. Got to tour the campus a little bit and buy a shirt from the bookstore. UNL is big but its not the point of intimidating, I think. It is a lot like UNT in that regard. Also got to see Memorial Stadium where the Huskers play football. Brad says that on Husker Gameday, Memorial Stadium becomes the 3rd largest city in Nebraska. Yeah, its a big deal there. This year they are aiming for 300 consecutive sellouts, a

national record. Tickets aren't cheap either. Wrapped up Lincoln by going inside Brad's Frat House. People there seemed pretty cool, and the house looked like something you'd see in the movies. It's funny, when I went to UAF the one Frat there was looked down upon, at UNT it was even, and Brad says that Frats at UNL are where it is at. Makes me wonder what life for me would of been like had I started at a school like UNL. Maybe I'd have a girlfriend... then again probably not. Finished the day eating at a On The Border style restaurant (Is it excessive to carry a hand gun into a place like that?) followed by Law and Order: SVU, then to bed.

Sunday- Woke up around 5AM, couldn't fall back to sleep right away so said f*ck it and got on the road. Took the right way back to Arlington and with no cops made it back in 10.5 hours (minus breaks). All in all a great trip with great people. I never really had an impression of Nebraska before this weekend, but now, my impression is one of nice people with a really laid back way of life, not like California where its like stoner laid back though. If you get a chance to go, do it. I'll be back next year.