Eye in the Sky

If you go to the Uptown Concert Series Friday night, check out the Columbus Police Department's Sky Watch sky box. It will be parked on the corner of Broadway and 11th Street.

When I was down there last Friday night, I saw my friend Jackie Long, a long-time CPD officer. I asked him about it and he asked if I wanted to go up in it.

Duh!

He took me up and it was a fascinating look at downtown Columbus. It looks like a cherry picker but it's an enclosed one with windows on all four sides. It's even air-conditioned.

The chair swivels so the officer can look all around.

Jackie says what happens is the officer can spot any trouble on the ground and then radios the other officers on the street. Usually, it's someone who's drunk and lurching around, he said. Other times, it's a fight or pickpocket.

It is so cool being 30 feet in the air. And did I mention it's air-conditioned?

Bruce Robinson is usually the officer in the Sky Box, so when Jackie brought it back down, he was waiting.

When he saw me, he just laughed and shook his head.

My brother, Fred, was with the Columbus Police Department before he left to go to the Hollywood (Fla.) Police Department. So he knows these guys. And through him, I've met a lot of the CPD officers.

So for once, I can say it's a good thing being Fred Okamoto's sister! I would probably never been able to go up in the Sky Box if it weren't for him. Well, maybe.

Computer woes

I'm sure that it's probably me.

I've never worked on a PC and we now have one in the Features department. It may actually be one of two computers in the Newsroom that work. Well, most of the time.

I have had nothing but trouble logging on to this site. And since we have to blog at least three times a week, I'm in trouble!

It appears to be working now.

It's been a bad couple of days. On Sunday, my good friend Bill Rich called and said one of his trusted employees died. David Moon wasn't just an employee, though. He was one of Bill's friends. And through Bill, David became one of my favorite people.

I knew that David had high blood pressure. I thought he was taking medication for it, but apparently, he took the first bottle and then never filled the prescription.

About a month ago, he started complaining of headaches, numbness and forgetfulness. All classic signs of either a heart attack or stroke. Right? Doesn't everyone of a certain age know this?

Two weeks ago, he finally went to his doctor, who immediately gave him medication to bring his blood pressure down. David never went back to work, though people from RSL Theatrical went to see him.

Last Wednesday, David had a stroke and never came back. He died on Sunday.

At his funeral this morning, one of his buddies said that he hopes that the men in the church and even some of the women will learn from David's death. And take the medication that is prescribed to them. Every day. He took out the pills he's been prescribed and named them. Then he took them in front of everyone in the church.

David's wife, Kathy, said she knew that it would be a difficult task to get the men of RSL to wear dark suits to his funeral. So she asked them to wear the black RSL T-shirts as the honorary pallbearers. The other pallbearers, David's friends, wore Hawaiian shirts. David loved Hawaiian shirts.

The minister at Cornerstone, David and Kathy's church, spoke once at the beginning. The rest of the service was great. David's friends got up and told stories. We laughed and cried and laughed some more.

It was a wonderful send-off for a wonderful man.

I'm going to miss him, though not as much as his co-workers, friends and family.

Sayonara, David Moon.

Brats: Our Journey Home

As always, I'm having problems getting my computer to work so I can blog.

I think I've got the problem licked now.

Last Friday, I went to the Columbus State University Cunningham Center for Leadership Development to see "Brats: Our Journey Home."

I'd seen the documentary before, but I watched it at home by myself.

This time, I was surrounded by military brats. And boy, was it great!

It didn't matter how old you are, what ethnic background, what you do for a living. Almost everyone in the room was a brat. And proud to be one.

Filmmaker Donna Musil was great, greeting people she hadn't seen in a long time and graciously meeting people for the first time.

I was able to see her mother, Dena, for the first time in a long time. She looked wonderful, as she always does.

It was strange that people came up to me, saying, "I didn't know you were a brat."

How could they not know?

Eve Tidwell and the God Bless Fort Benning folks were so very thoughtful. Eve said she knew that at 6 p.m., people wouldn't have time to go home and eat. So she gave boxes of snacks and drinks to everyone who came in the door. And who doesn't like popcorn at the movies?

I spoke to a lot of people and had a great time.

Donna, you did a great job!

By the way, Apolo Anton Ohno won "Dancing with the Stars," just as I had hoped he would.

I'm danced out this season

I came in to work on Saturday to finish a few things for To Do that I failed to finish on Friday.

Imagine my surprise when I found that my computer was on the fritz and so was the "good" computer. At least I couldn't sign on to my own blog!

I did as much as I could and then I went to "Aladdin," Patty Taylor's Academy of Fine Arts' spring recital.

As recitals go, it was a very well done show. It's a brand-new production for Patty, so the sets and costumes were spectacular. The dancers were very good. The little ones, as at any recital, were the real crowd-pleasers.

I personally knew a few of the dancers because I've interviewed them, but I'm not close to any of them.

Once, I told a friend that was I was going to a dance recital. She looked at me like I was crazy.

"Are you related to anyone in the show?"

Um, no.

"Do you know anyone in the show?"

Well, no.

"Do you really want to spend a couple of hours watching little kids dance?"

No.

"Then don't go."

I thought that was great advice.

But I went to see half of Patty's show last year and it was fun. So I decided to go this year. And I had fun.

Come to think of it, last year, I went to Gayle Humphries' spring recital as well as Janda Cearley's.

Yikes! I can't believe I actually went to three recitals last year.

Next year, I'll probably go to one of the other schools' recital.

I can't promise that I will. I'll probably have my arm twisted and go to at least one.

As for as dancing goes, I'm addicted to "Dancing With the Stars." I'm rooting for Apolo Anton Ohno. He's no Mario Lopez, but of the three dancers left, I like him the best. Of course, Laila Ali is very good, as is Ian Zierling. But there's something about Zierling's face I don't like.

We'll see this week who wins.

Columbus Cook's Make 'n Take Dinners

I was in Charleston, S.C., where my sister Dorothy lives, and I saw this place near a Publix grocery store. I forget what it was called, and when I asked her what it was, she said it was a place where busy people can go and put together meals for their families.

Since I don't have a family, things like that intrigue me, but I really don't think about it.

Becky Catrett on the other hand, does think about things like that. Becky, who owns Columbus Cooks, has had hundreds of people ask her about such a service.

So she started the Make 'n Take Dinner sessions last month. Not a lot of people know about it yet.

You can read my story in today's Life & Taste section.

The next sessions are 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 and 1-2 p.m. Wednesday, May 23.

Everyone can choose six entrees from a list of 10:

1. Spaghetti and meatballs
2. Cheese tortellini with veggies and cream sauce
3. Barbecue pork chops
4. Hamburger steak with mushroom sauce
5. Buffalo chicken tenders with blue cheese
6. Chicken fajitas with tortillas
7. Chicken Parmesan with pasta
8. Beefy taco pasta bake
9. Sesame orange chicken stir-fry with rice
10. Pepperoni pizza on homemade pizza dough

Each entree serves 4-6 people and it costs $159.

You can go online and pick your six entrees now by going to www.columbuscooks.com

Each entree comes with cooking, freezing and preparing instructions. All you have to do is add a salad or side dish.

It's really a bargain if you think about it. You don't have to go grocery shopping, make a list of entrees for dinner or chop and prepare the food. The only thing you have to do is go to Columbus Cooks, spend about an hour putting the six entrees together, take everything home and put it in the freezer. When you're ready, all you have to do is take one of the entrees out, thaw it and follow the directions to bake it.

Easy. And really economical.

But for this work, Becky says she needs at least eight people per session. She says it's a labor-intensive thing for chef Dennis Neuhring, who does all the preparation.

So don't forget to go online or give her a call if you have any questions at 706-653-4700 or e-mail info@columbuscooks.com

Columbus Cooks is at 1658 Rollins Way, Suite 300 near the Hollywood Connection.

If you do take part in this new venture, please let me know how it goes for you. Was it easy to put together? Were the cooking instructions easy to follow? And, of course, how does it taste?

I'm sure Becky and Dennis want to know, too.

Proud to be a brat

I grew up as an Army brat (dependent). My late father spent almost 30 years in the Army, having joined during the Korean War.

For an Army brat, we didn't move around too much. Most of my friends moved every two years or so. Daddy just liked being in one place. So he was in Japan for about eight years, then we spent about seven years in Fort Huachuca, Ariz. He spent one year in Vietnam, getting back to Sierra Vista in 1966. Sierra Vista is the equivalent to Columbus, though much, much smaller.

We moved to Okinawa for two years, then we were here at Fort Benning from 1970 on. Actually, Daddy went to Korea in 1973-75 and then he got stationed to Fort Polk, La., before retiring and moving back to Columbus.

I started working here at the Ledger-Enquirer in 1975, and have been here ever since. One of my early jobs was the editor of the Green Sheet, which later became the TV Book.

So I knew all of the media folks in radio and television. One of them was Dena Musil, who did some acting at the Springer Opera House. I don't know why she quit the stage. And I don't know why she quit television. She was the host of WTVM 9's morning show and she was quite good.

Years later, she told me about her daughter, Donna, who was making films. A couple of years ago, Donna and I started corresponding via e-mails. It turned out she was making a documentary called "Brats: Our Journey Home."

It's about military dependents growing up overseas and how sometimes we would struggle trying to fit in once we were back in the States.

Among the people in the film are Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf author Mary Edwards Wertsch. Somehow, Donna got singer/songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson to narrate the documentary.

She found out in researching the film that there are some pretty well known brats: Jessica Alba, Robert Duvall, Sen. John McCain and Shaquille O'Neal.

It took Donna seven years to make the movie.

We get a chance to see it at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Columbus State University Cunningham Center for Leadership Development. There's a reception at 6 p.m.

The host is retired Gen. Jerry White, the CEO of the National Infantry Association Foundation.

Donna will conduct a question-and-answer session after the screening.

It's free.

I saw the movie about a year ago, and it's very, very good.

I highly recommend that you see it. I'll be there.

Jesus Christ Superstar

One of my best friends, Oz Roberts, is out of town this week. OK, it's more than out of town. The Aflac President's Club is on a cruise in the Mediterranean, and of course, he had to go. He called his wife, V.J., from Nice, France.

Work. Right.

Anyway, since he's gone, I was V.J.'s date tonight to see "Jesus Christ Superstar" in the Bill Heard Theatre.

It was really, really good. I saw it probably 10 years ago in Atlanta's Fox Theatre with Ted Neeley as Jesus and the late Carl Anderson as Judas. It was good then, but it might be better now.

Unlike some shows, this one holds up very well.

When I interviewed Neeley over the phone last week, he asked two things of me. One was that I come backstage to meet him after the show. The second was to bring copies of the story for him.

OK, that's easy.

After the show, I asked V.J. if she wanted to go backstage with me and she said she needed to pick up her daughter, Jessica.

Neeley's gorgeous young daughter, Tessa, came to the lobby to get me. She just finished the spring semester in college, and joined the show, selling merchandise. In the Green Room, I met her brother, Zack, who is working props. He's been with the show since January. Tessa said she wanted to learn as much as she can because she's going into either communications or business.

Then she left with some of the cast and crew to get back to the hotel.

While I waited on Neeley, I spoke with Ricky Weeks, who works security at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts.

Neeley greeted me like an old friend. He was really, really nice.

I told him that I was very impressed with Corey Glover, who is playing Judas. Neeley said Anderson was supposed to be on this tour with him, but he died of leukemia. Glover, he said, is making the role his own, and not in Anderson's shadow.

I liked it. Let me know what you think. A couple of friends thought Neeley was too old for the role. Others in the lobby said they were amazed how well his voice has held up over the years.

It's his "farewell" tour as Jesus, and there was a huge ovation at the end Monday night.

There are still tickets left for Tuesday night's show. It starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Bill Heard Theatre. Most of the seats are in the balcony, but I don't think it matters much where you sit in that theater. There are very few obstructed view seats in the entire hall.

Tickets are $40-$50.

Call 706-256-3612.

I'm back blogging!

Last week, between the newsroom's e-mail server going down for a couple of days, and getting a new computer for my desk, I haven't been able to keep up with my blogs.

But I'm baaaccckk!

The first thing is, if you haven't seen "Moonlight and Magnolias," I strongly suggest you go. Especially if you're a "Gone With the Wind" fan. And even if you are not.

The comedy is about the making of the epic movie. Set in 1939, producer David O. Selznick has shut down production on the movie because he disn't like the script. He even fired the director, George Cukor.

But he has a plan. Selznick hires Ben Hecht, who is known as a script doctor, as well as a fine screenwriter, to fix the script. He then hires Victor Fleming, who just finished "The Wizard of Oz" to direct this movie.

Selznick confines them in his office for five days, where they live on bananas and peanuts and manage to finish the script. Selznick thinks bananas and peanuts are "brain" food.

The acting is very, very good -- Springer Opera House's artistic director Paul Pierce as Fleming; Jens Rasmussen as Selznick, Jeff Holbrook as Hecht and Jenafer "Jo" Lester as the long-suffering secretary, Miss Poppenghul.

And if the acting is wonderful, then the director gets some credit, right? Lisa Cesnik is a genius.

The show is hilarious. I got to see it with my friends Oz and V.J. Roberts last Tuesday. Aflac bought out the house for its Employee Appreciation Week. Oz, of course, is an Aflac employee, and helps put EAW together every year.

You have three more chances to see the comedy before it closes. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the Springer Opera House, 103 10th St.

Tickets are $8-$35. Call the box office at 706-327-3688.

Fun on the Riverwalk

I usually don't work on Sunday, but I made an exception today.

I got to ride a Segway Personal Transporter. You've seen those contraptions.

They kind of look like an old-fashioned push lawn mower. Only you ride on them upright.

The first time I saw one was on television when my favorite actor, Russell Crowe, was on "The Tonight Show." The Dean Kamen, the Segway inventor was also on, and he brought several. Host Jay Leno and Crowe were riding around that stage. It looked like so much fun.

Then we were at the Atlanta airport and noticed airport security riding around on them.

Last summer, my friends at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau said they'd started a Segway tour of downtown Atlanta.

A few months ago, I saw a brochure for the Chatt Glide Tours and told everyone I worked with that I was going to do the story. Then it got busy and I put it aside.

Well, I decided it was time to do the Segway ride.

I went last Sunday but I'd forgotten to turn in a photo assignment. But owner John Partin showed me what to do and I got to ride in a straight line and go around the traffic cones for practice.

Today, though, I did the whole thing. Well, not the entire two hours, but it was a good long ride.

It's a blast! You're gonna love it.

Right now, John and his wife, Vicky, have eight Segways for people to ride. They have their personal Segways, and they always ride with the group. One leads and the other is the last in line in case something goes wrong.

I'll be writing a story about this later, and there will be plenty of photos by Philip Wartena and even a video by Joe Paull for our Web site.

In the meantime, if you want to try a Segway ride, it's $55 for a two-hour tour. That includes a safety video, training and a helmet.

The Chatt Glide Tours is in the old Chattahoochee Outfitters location at 1000 Bay Ave. You know, the place where Greta used to reign supreme and you could rent bicycles, canoes and kayaks from Greta's owner, Ed Breitfelder. By the way, the bicycles are now at the old Bulldog in Rotary Park.

More puppy drama

I've had several calls asking about Pookie Belle. Thank you for asking about her.

She's almost back to normal. But I think I've spent more money on her than for my own health care this year!

Now that's she's OK, I found out that Pete is doing poorly. My brother Fred, and his wife, Cheryl, own two Chihuahuas (Pete and Ginger) and a Corgi-mix (Boo Boo).

Since they moved to that six-acre spread on Jenkins Road, they put a fence around the back for the dogs to run around in.

Cheryl was near the barn with the dogs and since she was working in the yard, she didn't pay attention to where Pete went. All of a sudden, Pete was streaking toward here, screaming in pain. Two stray dogs had attacked him and he was covered in blood. Cheryl said they were big dogs and Pete barely weighs 5 pounds.

Fred and Cheryl rushed him to Dr. Patrice Dunn, whom I've known for years, at the Cooper Creek Animal Hospital. Patrice patched him up and sent him home. The next day, Fred said poor Pete's side was swollen.

So they took him back to the hospital Wednesday. Patrice operated on him Thursday morning. I called Fred earlier but didn't get an answer.

I'm hoping he's OK.

Like I said, puppy trauma/drama.

I'm truly hoping this is it for a while. It's costing us a fortune!

Ease on Down the Road

I just came from the opening night cast party of "The Wiz" at the Liberty Theatre.

I thought when the Liberty did it two years ago that it was a great show. I think it's even better this time around.

Samantha Daniels, whom we all call Dionne, was born to sing "Home," the final song of the show. She is that good.

But so are Antonio Lawrence (the Lion), Ometrise Richmond (Tinman) and Walter J. Whelchel (Scarecrow).

Those four are really, really good. As are the other principals: Elizabeth Reeves (Aunt Em), Cheryl Johnson (Addaperle), T.J. Abner (The Wiz) and T'Nesha Pruitt (Glinda). Special kudos go to the wonderful Sylvia Wilson, who plays Evilene. I've met her and she's nothing like the Wicked Witch. But she sure does have a great snarl.

My good friend Lorenzo Battle always knows how to hog the stage. I swear in the scene where he's Evilene's lackey, you end up watching him doing his schtick onstage.

Director Eddie Stiles' Yellow Brick Road is wonderfully creative. You're gonna love it.

If there's a fault with this production, it's the fact that the chorus doesn't sing. They dance beautifully, but they don't sing. So there are five singers at the left of the stage who do all the singing. Doesn't make any sense to me.

I've been in shows where we're dancing and singing. When I did "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" a couple of years ago, we were huffing and puffing at certain times because we were dancing all over the stage singing as we danced.

But that's a small quibble. Another is the sound problem, which isn't that bad because the Liberty is not that big a space. And those voices on that stage are huge. Antonio's mike didn't work all night, but we could hear him OK.

Eddie, who keeps saying he doesn't direct musicals, has done a fine job with this one.

And one more thing: Toto is a doll. He's a 3-year-old Yorkie trained by Christopher Taylor Hicks, an eighth grader at Harris County Middle School. Sir Rockefeller Hicks is his name, but he goes by Rocky. Good job, Rocky. And Chris, too.

You have two chances to see this great show -- 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10-$18. Call 706-653-7566.

You won't regret it if you go. If you don't, you'll regret it because everyone will be talking about the show.