Omaha, NE

“KM Omaha 2007 155″ by Jack Skellington501 (from flickr)

“This tiger lost her leg in the wild. Although you can’t tell from this most common of cat poses, she has adjusted and gets around just fine.”

(words from photographer)

Have you been to the zoo lately? With it getting closer to fall weather, some of the animals will be moving inside, but don’t let that dissuade you. With the jungle, the desert, and so much more to see in the indoor areas of the zoo, you can still have a full day of fun and not get frostbite!

And as the weather gets colder, less people head downtown to visit the animals, so you’re less likely to hit a big crowd.

Omaha, Henry Doorley Zoo, photo of the day

It’s in Omaha’s Old Market district you’ll find some of the widest variety of Omaha people. With several yoga studios, you have the holistic crowd milling around with their mats. There’s Homer’s and Drastic Plastic drawing the younger indie crowd. And there’s more restaurants than I’ve ever seen in any four-block radius!

As the rest of Omaha expands out, heading increasingly west to take over areas such as Gretna and Freemont, the Old Market stands as a reminder of the small-town roots we all share. It’s cobblestone streets may be a nightmare to traverse in winter, but the charm this area holds makes it worth preserving in words and pictures.

Omaha, photo of the day, Old Market, yoga, Homers, Drastic Plastic

First of all, I’m not someone who knows every little thing the football players are doing while they’re on the field. That said, I’m sitting next to someone swearing at the tv because he can see the blitzing and screen passes before the announcers can, so I’m going to try this recap thing.

While we might have blown out Nevada last week, this week’s team isn’t looking as good. And we truly do look like two separate teams. Which one will show up against USC next week? Hopefully the one that blew out Nevada, because the team I’m watching right now, the one that’s struggling to beat Wake Forest when we’ve got more of their stadium filled with friendlies than they do (we’ve got 2/3 of the seats, according to some reports!) and we played so well last week? They are giving me a coronary.

Keller needs to reign in his nerves. That’s first and foremost. He throws amazing, when he can actually hit someone. Those touchdown throws to the stands? Those need to stop. I do like that he’s better at finding the open receiver if his first choice is tied up.

Our defense seems to be moving through molasses, too. All that speed we had in week one seems to be gone, and hopefully they can find it on their way back home for next week’s game.

We haven’t played good on the road since Callahan took over the team four years ago, and while most of us were hoping they’d curb that with the switch in quarterback, the Huskers have proved the only thing they do right on the road is bring their fans along for the horrible ride.

By mid-fourth quarter, we looked like we could maybe pull a win out of our butts. Then Keller handed the ball to Wake Forest like he was trying to make friends with them. He’s going to have to learn to shake those nerves and PLAY SOME FOOTBALL. Thank the gods for our defense, who can take every turnover Keller hands them and turn it into something not too terrible for us. Time and time again, our defense fixes all the fuck-ups Sam Keller creates. These boys deserve a parade.

In the end, we managed to pull off a win, but not thanks to our quarterback. It’s thanks to the luck of a few plays, coupled with the defense pulling off a few decent moments in clutch situations. Take a knee Husker fans … we won by 3.

picture source

Omaha, Huskers, Wake Forest, Sam Keller, Callahan

“fire escape”
photo by “bumbershoot” (flickr account)

“gorilla”
taken by “strtrkmonkeelvvr” (flickr name)

Sullivan’s Bar
(taken by Will w/ Zach’s camera)

This great midtown hangout has karaoke on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and always has great specials. Just small enough to feel intimate without the pretention of most smaller bars. A must-see if you’re in the midtown area.

Omaha, Sullivan’s Bar, photo of the day