Wednesday, August 04, 2004

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4 AUG 04: 100K MAN



Let's clarify something right off the bat here. Please note there's NO dollar sign in our title. I did not win any lottery jackpot. I haven't even signed a deal with Brad Cotter's agent.



The "100-K" event happened Tuesday night, as I drove home from work - an event I've waited months to see. No, my car did NOT break down 100 kilometers from the house....



What REALLY happened Tuesday night was that my humble Honda passed the 100,000 mile mark! The folks at the factory must have felt good about this car - because it's the first one I've driven where the odometer actually shows six figures, instead of going back to zero.



This 100,000-mile milestone was so big for me that I recorded it extensively on the drive home. Before you ask - yes, I had the brakes on as I did it....



Of all the places for the Honda to reach 100,000 miles! I was on 10th Street, in front of the Public Safety Center! At least I thought enough to turn my emergency blinkers on, slow down to the right edge of the road - and drove well after a police convoy left for the National Night Out.



Earlier this year, I mentioned my tenth anniversary of driving this Honda [2 May]. In that time, I've replaced the tires twice and made every scheduled oil change. But these days now I have no time to get my brakes fixed - so does anyone
know the name of a good faith healer?



Since I tend to keep track of my gas mileage, I can even tell you significant moments in the history of my humble Honda:


+ 20,000 miles occurred in February 1996 - just before I was fired from a long-time job in Atlanta. So I guess I'm now 15,000 away from updating the resume.



+ 60,000 miles occurred in September 1999, well after I moved to Columbus. In that month, I only put gasoline in the car ONCE -- but I don't remember how much it cost for gas, when I took a fall road trip to Myrtle Beach.



+ 75,000 miles passed in the summer of 2001, just before I drove to Kansas City for my 25-year high school reunion. Now THAT was the time when I should have rented a car - a big SUV, to impress my classmates.



The curious thing is that I don't drive my Honda as much and as far as I did in spread-out metro Atlanta. In the last year, I've only put about 7,500 miles on the car. Maybe I should do what some of my friends do - and find a reason to take a trip to Birmingham.



There are many things in life where you can rack up impressive numbers. For instance, I marked 16,800 days of life on Monday. Only about 3,000 more, and I'll match the alleged number of Wilt Chamberlain's lovers....



(Then there are some numbers I'd rather not watch very carefully. For instance, I haven't stepped on my weight scale in weeks.)



BLOG UPDATE: Is yet another shoe about to drop at WRBL? I'm hearing from several places that General Manager Matt Browning has resigned - but staff members apparently have heard nothing officially from him. Who wants to volunteer to watch the loading dock for moving vans?



Less than a year ago WRBL lost its News Director. Then came the Dave Marshall controversy - and now the General Manager may be leaving?! It's a wonder the current one didn't install a revolving door at the entrance....



So whatever happened to former WRBL News Director Mark Wildman? One TV news message board indicates he's moved to Macon, and is building a small new news operation there from scratch. It's appropriately located at WMGT - short for "midget."



And remember the sex discrimination lawsuit which was filed against WRBL because of Mark Wildman's actions with a staff member? [23 Jun] A well-placed source connected with the case tells your blog it's now under a "protective order." After that sad killing in Smiths Station, I hope this order isn't enforced by D-FACS.



Now other items of note from Tuesday:


+ Georgia Congressional candidate Lynn Westmoreland offered a new attack ad, calling runoff opponent Dylan Glenn a "political opportunist." So?!? I thought Republicans prided themselves on being the party of opportunity....



(The ad even seems to show video of Dylan Glenn "skipping town" after a charity he founded in Albany folded. He's even carting luggage! No wonder rap stars have big entourages around them - they don't want to be embarrassed by politicians.)



+ The Columbus Council approved a new "animal and fowl ordinance" 6-2. If the two opponents considered it fowl, what does that make the other six?



(Among other things, the new animal ordinance requires you to keep your pet tied inside a pickup truck. To help you become familiar with this, Boomer 95-FM will play "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" for the next several days.)



+ Columbus Council also approved a proclamation, kicking off the Mayor's new "Read Every Book" literacy campaign. Isn't this taking a bit of a risk with our children? They'll become so sedentary reading thousands of library books that they'll still become obese.



+ A caller complained the Phenix City Police received too much credit for a National Night Out event there. She said Applebee's sponsored it and did all the preparation, so its staff should get more notice. So on this night, they were "feeling good in the neighborhood - good and jealous."



SCHEDULED THURSDAY: One personal milestone down, one to go....



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