Bloated 🫄

Happy Friday Ledgers,

For one day a year, cranberries make their way to the table in a crimson, gelatinous form. The beloved (but often ignored) cranberry sauce has become a Thanksgiving Day staple and is supported by Ocean Spray, the farmer’s cooperative and berry juggernaut that is reportedly responsible for over 65% of cranberry production worldwide. 👀

In this week’s issue:

• SBS: Small Business Saturday hits Lincoln.

• What To Do: Movies, shopping small, and a bit of exercise.

• Sportz: Beat Iowa.

• Neighborhood Watch: Forever and ever home.

The first-ever TLL meet-up is officially a wrap! Filled with perfect weather and great company, it was a fantastic way to soak up one of the last beautiful days of the season. A huge thank-you to everyone who came out, we appreciate you. 🥹

- Landon

Last Week’s Poll Results:
So... do you think you could take a mountain lion?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🙅 No chance, pal (89.30%)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🥷 Absolutely. Let me at 'em. (10.70%)

SPONSORED BY AMEX (JK)

Small Business Saturday. 🛍️

Big businesses dominate our wallets most of the year. In fact, they’ve had 334 days to capture our attention so far in 2024. But tomorrow, the spotlight shifts to the little guys. Small Business Saturday is here—a day dedicated to showcasing the charm, community, and creativity of buying local. After the full-body bloat and Black Friday frenzy, it’s your chance to celebrate neighborhood businesses while stuffing your Toyota Prius with enough bags to make your hoarder relative proud.

A big impact for small businesses… In 2023, Small Business Saturday generated an estimated $17 billion in spending, adding to the whopping $201 billion spent since the event’s inception in 2010. It’s more than just a shopping day; it’s a reminder of the vital role small businesses play in our local economies.

About Small Business Saturday… Like many calendar-worthy traditions, Small Business Saturday started as a marketing campaign. American Express launched it in 2010 to encourage consumers to shop at brick-and-mortar retail stores. By 2011, the Small Business Administration (SBA) had joined as an official cosponsor, helping the event gain momentum nationwide.

👇 Your Saturday, in small businesses… Need ideas for how to make the most of Small Business Saturday? Here’s a full-day itinerary of local favorites to explore in Lincoln:

📌 Why It Matters
Small Business Saturday is more than a shopping day—it’s a way to support your neighbors, grow your local economy, and invest in the unique flavor of your community. By buying locally, you’re helping keep Lincoln’s shops and restaurants vibrant while ensuring your dollars make a direct impact where you live.

WHAT TO DO

Movies, shopping small, and a bit of exercise.

🎥 Movie theater magic
Hitting the movies over Thanksgiving weekend? It’s practically a holiday tradition. This year, you’ve got two standout options: Wicked, which absolutely lives up to the hype, and Gladiator II, a blockbuster fit for the whole family (or at least the grown-ups). Keep it local and check showtimes in Lincoln, or make the trip to the Alamo Drafthouse in La Vista for an upgraded movie experience. Grab some popcorn, settle in, and enjoy the cinematic escape.

🏋️‍♀️ Exercise
After days of heavy eating, nonstop family chatter, and dodging overly energetic little cousins, it’s time to reclaim your calm. Head to Fly Fitness, a locally owned studio offering Cycle, Barre, HIIT, Yoga, and Pilates. With two Lincoln locations, it’s a great way to work off the holiday feast and reset before diving back into the weekend. Whether you’re sweating it out in a cycling class or finding your zen in yoga, Fly has you covered.

🛍️ Small Business Saturday
Spend Saturday (and maybe Sunday) shopping locally across Lincoln and the area. Whether you’re tackling your holiday list or treating yourself, it’s the perfect way to support local businesses while finding unique gifts. Bonus: shopping locally often comes with fewer crowds and better vibes—win-win.

SPORTZ

Sporting headlines from around the capital.

• 🏈 Football: Bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016, Nebraska looks to improve to 7-5 tonight against the Iowa Hawkeyes at 6:30 PM

• 🏐 Volleyball: NU Volleyball takes on #4 Penn State today at 4:00 PM, looking to claim an outright Big Ten conference title

• ⛹️ NCAAMB: NU Men’s Basketball improves to 5-1 with win over South Dakota on Wednesday

• 🏊‍♀️ Swimming: Maia Hall became the first Husker swimmer to break 1 minute in the 100-meter breaststroke

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

345 Bruce Dr, Lincoln, NE 68510

Forever and ever home. 🏡

This week’s home comes with a hot TLL take: there’s no such thing as a forever home. One year, you’re grinding away in your home office, and the next, you’re into off-road unicycling in search of mountain views and adventure. In short, a house reflects your lifestyle—and since that’s ever-changing, so is your perfect home.

That said, some homes make it easier to settle in for the long haul. Thoughtful layouts, timeless design, and features that help you age gracefully can transform a house into a place that grows with you. Enter this week’s listing: a central Lincoln ranch that’s built for life now and later. While it may seem a little understated at first glance (we blame the real estate photographer here), this home is brimming with value and untapped potential.

Whether you’re looking to put down roots, take your time crafting something special, or simply enjoy a home that works as hard as you do, this ranch has the foundation to be a timeless classic. All it needs is your vision.

The Details:

• 3 beds, 2 baths

• 2,164 sq/ft

• Built in 1959

• Pink bathroom tile that has a lot to say

❤️ KEEP:
The overall cleanliness (a huge win), the brand-new heating unit, the three-car garage (a rarity in this price range), and the wooden floors which are begging to be extended into the rest of the home.

🗑️ TOSS:
The closed-off kitchen/dining layout—we’d love to see this opened up for better flow. The bathrooms need some modern love (starting with the pink tile), and the backyard landscaping could use a refresh to bring it back to life.

CHECKLIST

An over-ambitious weekend to-do list.

• Hang up your holiday décor

• Eat leftovers for every meal

• Put that extra cranberry sauce back on the pantry shelf to collect dust till next year

• Pick out some stocking stuffers

• Rearrange the photos on the wall (for a new perspective)

HEADLINES

More news from around the capital.

• Start-Ups: Dyslexico received a $500k grant from the Nebraska Department of Education

• Yikes: CHI Health and Aetna missed an important contract deadline

• Pandas: The Lincoln Children’s Zoo named their triplet red pandas

• Oops: LTU will stop requiring residents to separate their leaves and grass on December 1 (we definitely were aware of this rule the entire time)

🐯 Weekly Wildcard:
One headline (or post) we never saw coming.

• 🗳️ Election: An election in a Nebraska village has come down to a tie between a husband and wife.