You're So Vain 🚘

The Lincoln Ledger: January 10th, 2024

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The Lincoln Ledger
January 10, 2025

Happy Friday Ledgers,

America may run on Dunkin’, but Nebraska apparently does not. The coffee chain is facing doughnut shortages across the state, with multiple locations reporting empty shelves—and no clear timeline for restocking. While Dunkin’ and its parent company, Inspire Brands (which also owns Sonic, Jimmy John’s, and Arby’s), have yet to comment on the situation, one thing is certain: the lack of doughnuts has left Nebraskans with very little to dunk.

In this week’s issue:

Have a great weekend and enjoy the sunshine this afternoon. ☀️

- Landon

Last Week’s Poll Results:
How bald are your tires?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Paul Mescal (🐓) (45.44%)
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ Jason Mamoa (🦚) (31.83%)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Jason Statham (🐣) (9.10%)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Terry Crews (🥚) (13.63%)

YOU’RE SO VAIN

Awkward Season 2 GIF by The Office

Gif by theoffice on Giphy

Vanity Plates: Nebraska’s Growing Obsession 🚗

Vanity license plates—they’re over the top, easy to hate on, and occasionally provide a moment of brilliance in an otherwise dull commute. Love them or loathe them, they’re becoming increasingly popular in Nebraska, giving drivers a chance to find every variation of SKRSLVR available.

A booming trend… According to reporting from the Lincoln Journal Star, applications for vanity plates in Nebraska have doubled in just two years, jumping from 6,600 in 2021 to over 14,100 in 2023. The plates are a certifiable hit, with over 80,000 in circulation across the state. But with great creativity comes great restraint—over the past 20 years, the DMV has compiled a list of more than 4,000 rejected words and phrases to keep things “PG” on the roads. Can you say TTLNARC?

📌 Why It Matters...
Vanity plates aren’t just fun—they’re also a smart revenue generator for millions in funding for the DMV Cash Fund and Highway Trust Fund, as well as for organizations like the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. For just $40 a year, Nebraskans can purchase specialty plates that allow them to personalize their rides and display how they are CZY4CAT, while supporting causes like Mountain Lion Conservation.

Why are vanity plates on the rise? A TLL hypothesis 🤔

It wasn’t long ago that automakers won over consumers with bold, unique designs, and identity-based marketing campaigns. From long body styles and tail fins, to futuristic concepts—car design used to carry more personality. But with the exception of polarizing outliers like the Tesla Cybertruck (DMPSTR), modern vehicle makers have chosen more subdued design philosophies, favoring mass-market appeal instead.

This shift has left drivers searching for new ways to inject individuality into their cars. Vanity plates provide an affordable and customizable solution, letting drivers express their personality, humor, or values in just a few characters. Their popularity may just be indicative of the vanilla design phase that has dominated the last 15 years of the automotive industry.

🧷 Sources (the real journalists):

The Lincoln Journal Star — 'People are plate crazy:' It's not just you — Nebraska vanity plates are everywhere now | By Molly Ashford Omaha World-Herald

WHAT TO DO

Get a hobby. 🕺

This weekend, you’ll become a beginner and take on a new hobby for 2025. Embrace the suck and prepare to eat a bit of humble pie, you just might like the taste. 🥧

🧗 Climb a wall
Tonight, you’ll do your best Lebron James chalk impression and tackle the climbing wall. You are strong. You are limber. You are the next Alex Honnold. Head over to MW Climbing (behind Five Below) and get your first dose of bouldering, a blend of athletics and problem-solving that will test your resolve and grip strength.

🏺 Throw a bowl
On Saturday, you’ll stop scrolling and start creating. Be an artist in residence, if only for the day. Take an intro class to pottery at SayDoSay and learn from an expert. Who knows what you’ll create? Maybe a single bowl that doesn’t match the others. Maybe you’ll create a key bowl that somehow does a terrible job of holding keys. The possibilities are endless - your talent level on the other hand…. only time will tell.

Space is limited, so make sure to sign up asap. Those bowls won’t make themselves. 🫡

🧶 Knit a hat
Not into getting mud under your nails? Maybe yarn is your thing. Check out one of Lincoln’s yarn stores to pick out your first set of needles and your first skein of yarn. Here are a few knit shops to choose from (in no particular order), all of which also have classes, as well as perfect business names:

SPORTZ

Sporting headlines from around the capital.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Revived.

In a sea of McMansions and 70s ranches, one Lincoln home stood out this week: 2819 Van Dorn. If you’re new here to TLL, you should know we have a soft spot for old homes. And like a shaggy, old dog with a wagging tail, this Tudor Revival scratched an itch so deep it left us kicking our leg in delight. 🐶

A large home that hides it well, 2819 finds its scale through growth upward rather than outward, boasting three stories of classic beauty and a staircase that itself is a stunner, complete with what may be the most gorgeous arched window that we’ve seen to date. With so many outstanding elements to work with, it’s squarely your fault if you somehow mess this one up (no pressure 🙂).

Of course, we wouldn’t blame you for making a few updates to ensure this classic is ready for the next 100 years. After all, homes are meant to be lived in, not preserved as museum pieces. One thing’s for sure: 2819 Van Dorn has 100% Grade A Good Bones—and it’s ready for its next chapter.

The Details:

  • 4 beds, 5 baths

  • 2,956 sq/ft

  • Built in 1926

  • A backyard large enough to host a football game

❤️ KEEP:
The exterior (don’t touch a thing), the wallpaper (this home needs a good wallpaper, especially in the bathrooms), the classic radiators, the beautiful arched window, and the little bedroom with windows on both sides of the bed.

🗑️ TOSS:
The kitchen (very cute, but time to update), the staircase and treads (which need a little TLC), and the rogue microwave (and wine fridge?) in the basement wall.

CHECKLIST

An over-ambitious weekend to-do list.

  • Take down any remaining Christmas décor

  • Replenish your fridge with a 6-pack of N/A beers (we’ve been digging the Sierra Nevada N/A Trail Pass IPA, its available at Whole Foods)

  • Run your car through the wash

  • Vacuum and mop your mudroom (or boot-dropping area)

  • Clean off the hard water residue from your shower head

HEADLINES

More news from around the capital.

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

ABOUT TLL

We created this sliver of the internet to make it easy for no-coasters to keep tabs on what’s happening in Lincoln and to give you new ideas on how to spend your time.