25 NOV 05: O.P.P.

Uh-oh - another one of those titles that's an abbreviation for something. Can you figure out THIS one? Here's a hint - despite all the OPP hats I've seen over the years, I've never traveled to Opp, Alabama.

No, we're not adopting the old inner-city slogan of "Other People's Problems." This is "Other People's Posts" -- as in revealing items posted at other area blogs. And the good news is, "revealing" does not mean any X-rated pictures of film stars are on them....

The Columbus area is filled with blogs now, and you may not have the knowledge of them or the time to check them all. Maybe that's good, though - you're not what one woman called herself to me recently: a "blog-aholic."

With that said, we begin with....

1. MAYOR ON THE MOVE. The blog of a former "TalkLine" co-host spotted Mayor Bob Poydasheff driving rather strangely on Broadway the other day. The reportedly fast-driving mayor flashed his lights and honked at a cement truck in his path. You'd think the mayor would realize First Avenue is faster, with four lanes.

The cement truck reportedly was in the way because of Columbus State University's construction work. But a traffic spotter for the work crew saw the mayor, and waved for the truck to keep going back. Certainly Mr. Poydasheff would understand the price of downtown progress....

To his credit, Mayor Poydasheff reportedly sat and waited quietly in his car for a minute while the cement truck made its maneuvers. But assuming all this is accurate, the mayor should learn a lesson from this week's "America's Next Top Model." Even when you're not in public, you're ALWAYS modeling.

As someone who received mysterious mail during the 2002 campaign about an old Bob Poydasheff traffic ticket, I realize some people quietly want the mayor to have a driving foul-up. But he could take this sighting into a positive - and propose building a track for NASCAR racing near Midland.

2. OLESEN OUT. TV sportscaster Kirsten Olesen announced Wednesday night she's leaving Columbus, to work at a TV station in Fort Myers, Florida. After all the hurricanes of the last two years, she should be able to find inexpensive housing.

But here's the rub: I consider Kirsten Olesen a friend of mine - yet she broke the news about her departure to a couple of other Columbus bloggers. It's not like I was going to declare her an undercover CIA agent or something....

And here's rub #2: Kirsten Olesen is one of the pioneers of blogging in Columbus - yet she let the other bloggers break the news about her departure, instead of telling it all on her own blog. Maybe this was a symbolic passing of the mouse.

Kirsten Olesen has admitted on her blog for some time she was seeking work in other cities. Now she's found it, and I wish her well as she heads for Florida. I have no hard feelings - and she's welcome to use my home as a hurricane evacuation shelter next summer.

3. I'M A WINNER! Well, sort of -- as a Phenix City blog awarded us a rather dubious "Burn-Out Award" this week. No, it's NOT because I drive as fast as Mayor Poydasheff....

The other blogger declared I'd run dry of topics and "burned out" because of our entry on low morale at the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer [20 Nov]. Well, hold on - no one at the newspaper has contacted us to refute our claim. Of course, maybe they're all in private therapy.

I responded to this award by pointing out the REAL top sign of blogger burn-out. It's when you write blogs about other bloggers, and I would never.... well, wait a minute....

That's what other blogs are finding -- now let's clean up some Thanksgiving Day leftovers:

+ NBC News reported at least part of the Third Infantry Division will come home from Iraq in two months. It focused on the "Delta Company" - which sadly may be in better shape right now than Delta Airlines.

+ Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue spent Thanksgiving Day in Kuwait and Qatar, meeting some of the soldiers on duty. It's a wonder he didn't climb aboard one of those army helicopters and take it for a spin....

+ The Smiths Station High School Marching Band performed in Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day parade. Hopefully band members saw the city's historic attractions - since after all, none of them was alive when Sylvester Stallone climbed the stairs in the first "Rocky" movie.

+ Big Lots and Kmart opened at 7:00 a.m. for Thanksgiving Day sales. I'm told the parking lots were crowded - yet when I bought groceries at the Phenix City Wal-Mart SuperCenter at 2:30 p.m., things actually were lighter than usual. When a child can spin a top in the frozen food aisle, and one did.... [True!]

+ The Columbus Civic Center's electronic sign reported Alison Krauss will perform there in January, with her bluegrass group "Union Station." I fear this concert will be a bust - since this is SUCH a non-union town.

(By the way: why did the Civic Center present the touring play "Madea Goes to Jail" Tuesday and Wednesday? Couldn't they book it a couple of days earlier, to mark the SOA Watch protest?)

+ The Atlanta Falcons downed Detroit 27-7, to break a two-game losing streak. Detroit became so desperate that it tried three different quarterbacks - and couldn't talk Troy Aikman into coming down from the Fox broadcast booth for a try.

(Did you notice the Thanksgiving Day football games had something in common? Detroit has a receiver named Roy Williams. Dallas has a safety named Roy Williams. If North Carolina starts playing basketball games on that night, it will be the trifecta.)

+ Instant Message to Callaway Gardens: How many people bought the Thanksgiving "to-go box" you offered - a full dinner for at least six people, for 95 dollars? Was this for wealthy North Columbus residents, who are too ashamed to be seen at a Shoney's buffet?

BIG PREDICTION: I predict at least one TV station in Columbus will do a news story today about holiday shopping. Don't ask me why - I simply have a hunch about this....

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