13 NOV 06: THREE-COURSE LEFTOVERS

Maybe you don't have this problem, but I eat leftovers at home several days a week. Today I'm sharing a few leftovers with you -- and if you want to pour seasoned salt on them for flavor, I won't be offended at all.

1. BRIDGE WORK. Back in September we brought you a blog "Monday mystery" under the Oglethorpe Bridge [25 Sep] - in which it appeared someone had set up a miniature ramp for skateboarding. I'd never seen anyone actually use it. But those boarders like to come out after dark - like the beggars seeking a different sort of "board."

But now the plot has thickened in this mystery. A check of the Oglethorpe Bridge late last week found the concrete-and-brick ramp was in pieces. Someone or something had demolished it. Were city crews ordered to take it down? Or did a lineman celebrate by jumping up and down too much, after the Fountain City Classic?

From years of walking and jogging, I know a mess can develop under the Oglethorpe Bridge at times. Pieces of rock are left behind on the sidewalk, after graffiti under the bridge is sandblasted away. When you have to go up the incline to avoid skidding, that's a real mess....

But in the current case, the sidewalk actually seemed cleaner when I went for a walk. To do that AND tear up that small concrete ramp - well, how do you sweep with a sledgehammer, anyway?

2. SPELL CHUCKLES. We have good news from the new Columbus telephone book. Glenwood School now is spelled accurately - in both the white and yellow pages. The English teachers are free to look down their noses at public school teachers again....

We admittedly poked a bit of fun at Glenwood School over the last couple of years, because its telephone listing was misspelled with an extra "n." I'm not sure whether BellSouth or Glenwood was to blame for that. But it didn't make a private school look good - especially if you're interested in Glenwood for more than the baseball program.

So how do other schools fare in our telephone book spell-check? Almost all of them are find - but check the white pages right below Russell County Middle School, and you'll find "Russell CUNTY High." As if the students there haven't had enough trials to face in the last 12 months....

3. TWO-SIDED CHEERS. A Sunday drive up the 280 Bypass in Phenix City revealed something which surprised me. Some Alabama motels may have been used to house contestants in the Georgia High School Association cheerleading championship -- perhaps causing collateral pizza crust damage.

A welcome sign for the "GHSA" was posted outside the Ramada Inn, just south of the Phenix City Wal-Mart. Why would the sign be there, if that motel wasn't housing some of the cheerleaders? I don't recall any Phenix City businesses congratulating the Little League champions....

Perhaps the entire Columbus area was offered, in a pitch to bring the Georgia High School Cheerleading Championships to town. But I wonder if it's a good thing image-wise for contestants in a Georgia state tournament to be housed in Alabama. The Phenix City businesses probably don't mind - they'll be part of "One Columbus" as long as it's one big payday.

Because of an early bedtime for our appearance on NBC-38, we'll wrap things up with some quick Sunday notes:

+ Which local camera shop owner has put ads in local newspapers, warning Jesus will return in the fall of 2011? The owner has confirmed to me that he paid for them. But I think it's a little too early to visit his shop, for a "going out of business sale."

+ Rural areas of Lee County began Sunday beer sales, in the wake of a vote last Tuesday. If you believed the jingle that the Lee County Flea Market was "far from ordinary" before, just wait....

+ The Liberty Theatre began a series of biography movies, to raise money for a "walk of fame" of local artists. But doesn't the Chattahoochee Promenade already have this sort of thing, near the Riverwalk? And they're small monuments, so there's no risk of people walking all over Ma Rainey's reputation.

+ Our BBMI, the Burkard Bulk Mail Index, fell below 4,000 for a time. This is what happens when mortgage rates aren't at record lows anymore....

+ Cleveland gave the Atlanta Falcons their second embarrassing loss in a row, 17-13. TV post-game shows faulted Michael Vick for not holding the football properly when he ran. Backup Matt Schaub might hold it properly - and get sacked, for holding it too long.

+ Instant Message to the staff at McDonald's near Summerville Road in Phenix City: Thank you very much! You were kind enough to come outside to my car with my fries, when I thought they were in the bag with my sandwiches. You're only one step away from matching Sonic down the street.

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