14 SEP 05: GOING CLUBBING
Instant Message to Columbus Mayor Bob Poydasheff: Shame on you! I had all sorts of great ideas to share with you at the Columbus Kiwanis Club Tuesday - but you left before my speech! I didn't realize Tuesday Council meetings were so draining on you....
BLOG SPECIAL EVENT: A special welcome to all new readers from the Columbus Kiwanis Club, where I was the guest speaker Tuesday. Thanks for your hospitality, the nice certificate -- and next time, I won't be too concerned about going through the buffet line for seconds.
Mayor Bob Poydasheff is a member of the Columbus Kiwanis Club, but he only stayed for lunch Tuesday. I'm told State Senator Seth Harp is a member as well, but I didn't notice him there. Perhaps they saw my topic, "Are Bloggers A Bother?" -- and concluded they are.
The Columbus Kiwanis Club is involved in a lot of projects. As guest speaker, I put my name (and blog name) on a children's book which will be given to Johnson Elementary School. Now if some publisher will please accept one of my book ideas -- and put my name in a lot more places....
As the special guest, I also was allowed to draw for the winner of the Kiwanis Club's "50-50 pot," worth about $28. Hey, this is a service organization - were you expecting the 200 million dollar lottery prize or something?!
(I told the Kiwanis Club I'd made sure this was a "blind drawing" for the 50-50 pot. I then took off my glasses....)
The Columbus Kiwanis Club's membership tends to be on the older side, yet about half the audience seemed to know what a blogger is. Either more older people are discovering the Internet - or they're hearing Rush Limbaugh put down left-wing bloggers all the time.
Oh yes, about that speech title - I told the Kiwanis Club bloggers sometimes can be a bother, based on which ones you read and your personal point of view. So it's a lot like conservatives reading Kaffie Sledge's column in the Ledger-Enquirer....
My top idea for Mayor Bob Poydasheff was that Columbus city government get into blogging. Auburn City Manager David Watkins does this, with an "audio blog" on the city web site. You can learn about city issues, upcoming projects - and I assume hear predictions on the Tiger football point spread.
Someone told me before the meeting some Kiwanis Club members get annoyed when speeches go longer than 20 minutes. I'm pleased to say I was finished in about 15 -- well, maybe I shouldn't say "pleased." The touchy members might have thrown their tasty chocolate cake at me.
I mentioned the variety of blogs which exist on the Internet, and mentioned some of the exclusive stories we've broken here. But there was one area where I had to be careful. The man formerly known as Brian Sharpe was in the audience - so I limited my mentions of WRBL to one direct quote by Judge Clay Land.
"I believe this Columbus Kiwanis Club can have a blog," I declared to the members at the end of my presentation. Yet for some reason, they didn't take me up on my offer to be a paid consultant....
Several people invited me to become a Columbus Kiwanis Club member. During the business meeting, I learned they're three down in their "new member quota" for September. In service clubs, this is considered acceptable. In police departments, it's called a public outrage.
All in all, I think "Meet the Blogger Week" started well. Several people said they enjoyed my presentation. I made some new friends. And I made my first visit to the Columbus Trade Center's "Dining Gallery" - which for some strange reason didn't have a Sbarro Pizza or a Corn Dog 7 shop.
BLOG UPDATE: The "revenuers" showed up in Columbus Tuesday - agents from Georgia's Department of Revenue, checking for possible price gouging at gas stations. In Russell County, of course, they would have been looking for moonshine.
The Georgia Department of Revenue decided $2.90 a gallon was an "average price" for gasoline. Too bad they didn't poll any local drivers first - because I'm sure they would have bid a lot lower than that.
As the two Department of Revenue agents drove around town, a miraculous thing happened. Columbus Chevron stations suddenly lowered their gas prices by about 13 cents a gallon! Who's running this company, Eddie Haskell from "Leave It to Beaver?"
Chevron station managers claimed the prices went down based on a daily fax they receive from the company. The fax arrived at 8:30 a.m. - but the prices dropped as the revenue agents took their tour around 11:00 a.m. I didn't know the morning rush hour in Columbus lasted that late....
My own price check Tuesday found a low gas price of $2.75 a gallon. It's at a Marathon station on Second Avenue, in the Bibb City area. But given the signs posted there on an upcoming sewer improvement hearing, do we know this gas really is clean?
By the way, WRBL noted the Georgia Department of Revenue agents motored around Columbus in a Crown Victoria -- which costs about $50 to fill the gas tank. Columbus Police should have cooperated with this price check, and given the agents bicycles to ride.
E-MAIL UPDATE: Speaking of being irked about something....
Hey Richard,
Someone I work with was telling me that he went by Burt's Butcher Shop this weekend and the scrolling marquee outside read "COLUMBUS HIGH CLASS OF 95- PAY YOUR BILL!" didn't know if you saw this. Made me laugh...
-Michael
Uh-oh - I guess we can forget about that 15-year reunion in 2010, can't we?
I don't think I'd want to fall behind in paying a bill to ANY butcher shop. After all, the managers have sharp weapons - and they know how to use them....
A Monday e-mail brought a message from someone we haven't heard from in awhile:
Richard,
Sounds like Craig from Birmingham has had one too many Coors Lites but it's his wife I'm really worried about. Would you PLEASE post a picture of yourself here so I don't have to answer a million questions about what you look like. Enquiring Minds want to know. (Craig's wife, mainly) For the record, I'm not that shallow. I think intelligence is the single biggest asset a man can have. If that doesn't work we can always find you some action out here in radioland. Peace be with you Richard.
Your Friend, Robbie Watson
Uh-oh #2 - why does Craig's wife want to see my picture? The last thing I want to be is a homewrecker....
In fact, the Kiwanis Club had me pose for a picture with an officer after my Tuesday speech. I specifically asked them NOT to post it in any post offices.
With at least two more chances left to meet the blogger in person this week, let's sort through other Tuesday news:
+ Columbus Red Cross officials reported they've served more than 1,300 hurricane survivors so far, and provided about $500,000 in aid. Hundreds of them could decide to stay in Columbus permanently - and Tulane Green Wave fans may finally give Spencer High School football some supporters.
+ Russell County Probate Judge Al Howard asked the county commission to pay his legal bills - as the county sues HIM, for not moving out of his office. Where did the judge get this idea? From some people who refused to evacuate New Orleans?
+ "Keep Columbus Beautiful" announced several special cigarette ashtrays will be placed on downtown sidewalks, in a drive to reduce litter. The black ashtrays are wide at the base, narrow at the top - and I assume some artist will attach a jack-o-lantern to the top for Halloween.
+ Jay Suzuki held its grand opening at 15th and Veterans Parkway downtown. Considering the Ken Thomas dealerships plan to move to Columbus Park Crossing soon, I'm not sure why this business was built from scratch. Haven't the Germans who make BMW's put World War II behind them yet?
+ Columbus Fire Department officials told WRBL they plan to use federal Homeland Security grant money to buy physical fitness equipment for all fire stations. A purchase such as this might cause a stir on radio talk shows. It sure would, if the Mayor of New Orleans did it....
+ "Studio GPB" on Georgia Public Broadcasting radio played a bizarre piece of music called "All the Rage," with a string quartet and noise which sounded like a murmuring sports crowd. If it wasn't for a narrator's voice, I might have guessed "The Beat" 101.3 was playing rap music backwards.
COMING SOON: Giving one supermarket chain "the finger"....
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