The first time I saw Papillion-La Vista High School, I couldn’t help but feel I had seen it somewhere before. But where? The question continued to nag me for months.

A few weeks back, I drove by the school (as I often do), and it finally occurred to me: George Washington Carver High School.

Director Alexander Payne is actually an Omaha native, and, excepting the recent Sideways, all of his films not only take place in Omaha, but were also filmed on location. Much of Election was filmed in the southern suburbs of Papillion, La Vista, and Bellevue (my home), and sitting down recently to watch the film for the first time in years, I was surprised by how much I recognized. I’ll never look at the American Family Inn the same way again.

Somewhere, deep in the heart of the American Midwest, a weblog is born. Welcome to Betsu ni.

Let me explain the title. Betsu ni (べつに) is a Japanese phrase which essentially means “nothing in particular” or “not really”. Most often, it’s used in response to a question: e.g., “What’s up?”, or “Is something wrong?”, or “Do you like Bon Jovi?”

There’s no special meaning in the title, really. I simply have an interest in many things Japanese (such as the language), and felt it was a clever title for a weblog. Whether my original weblog, Nowhere, provided inspiration for the title is for you to ponder.

So, what’s the purpose of this weblog, you might ask?

Betsu ni.