I’ve found myself in some unusual places the last month or so. I watched the NCAA championship game in a sports bar on Times Square.

I was on the rail at the finish line for horse racing at Keeneland. Last week I was seated at the slot machines at the MGM Grand in Vegas.

But Friday night was even more unusual for me. I was seated in the auditorium at Colerain Elementary School watching a dance recital.

This was my first recital since I was a youngster and my parents dragged me to see my sister with the promise of ice cream afterward.

I managed to escape such a fate with my own daughter. She lasted in dance class for about two weeks, fighting tooth and nail with her mother all the way. It might have been her mother’s biggest disappointment.

I wisely stayed out of the discussion and barely managed to suppress my glee when my wife finally gave in.

It’s not that I don’t like dancing. I appreciate good performances, knowing full well that it is a slow and painful process. I just like sports a little better. As Popeye would say, “I yam what I yam.”

What my granddaughter does in the way of activities is out of my control, as it should be. My time as a parent is done; I can only sit, watch, and chuckle as my son and the woman he shares his life with go through the experiences that my wife and I went through.

This was the first year of dancing for my granddaughter, so her group had just one number to perform.

I pride myself on providing an honest appraisal of what I watch, so I won’t tell you she was the best in her group, but she was far from the worst.

She and her dance partners were spread across the stage, but their eyes were glued to their instructor behind the curtain, guiding them through their steps.

I hate to admit this, but it was an enjoyable evening. If she chooses to stay with this activity, I’m sure she will have fun and that’s what life is about when you are four years old.

She is also on a soccer team, so I still have some hope. I’m not sure how much she enjoys it.

Hopefully it’s enough that she will stay with it, which will please her grandfather.

I’d like to sit her down and have a conversation about these choices in her life, but she is more likely to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do in her presence than allow me to suggest things for her to do.

She’s already tired of my teasing. She recently told me that if I didn’t stop teasing her she wouldn’t love me for the rest of my life. Well, I certainly can’t afford for that to happen, so I sit back and observe and even go to a dance recital.

When you reach my age you think you’ve got it all figured out, but then along comes a grandchild and you find out it’s all an illusion.

Bob Hyle covers sports and writes a weekly column for The Harrison Press. He lives in Bright.

Over the past few weeks, I have received numerous calls on my cell phone.  These calls are all coming from the same 800 number and a little research indicates that I am not the only one getting these irritating and potentially malicious calls.

The calls are coming from 800-754-0961. After about the 10th call that I ignored (you have to give them an “A” for effort) I decided to investigate.

What I found is that it is a “phishing” scam.

If you should answer this call or place a call to this number, you will be connected with an automated system identified as “Verizon Wireless.” It should be identified as “Joe’s Bait Shop and Phishing Emporium.”

Phishing is attempting, via some electronic means, to get personal information such as passwords, credit card details, social security account numbers and even cash by masquerading as a trustworthy company or service.

This “Verizon” scam seems to have been around for a while. I guess it took them a while to find my number.

Calling or answering a call from this number will present you with a very professional greeting indicating that you have reached Verizon Wireless.

You immediately are asked for some personal information such as the last four digits of your social security number or the password for your Verizon Account.

You are invited to make a payment by entering your credit card number.  All of this is bogus.

If you pay your Verizon bill by credit card they already have that information.  Same for the account password.  No legitimate company will ever ask you for your password on the phone.

You already know it and so do they, so why would they ask?

I talked to Verizon last week, and they confirm that this 800 number is not connected with the company. A quick search of the Web will show that this scam has indeed been around for several years and seems to ebb and flow over time.

The lesson here is to be very careful to whom you provide information. For example, in one call the “phisherman” may just ask for the last four digits of your Social Security Card.  Two weeks later, he might ask for the first six digits.  Voila ... they have it all.

When communicating over the phone with a company or service be sure that you are talking to that company. If you are in doubt, hang up and place a call to the company using a telephone number that is verifiably one the company uses.

These numbers can be found on your bill. When in doubt, hang up. If they have a legitmate reason to contact you, they will get in touch with you.

I  have a complete guide to Phishing scams. To get a copy, call me at 800-555-5555 and give me your credit card info, your social security number, your bank routing number and account information.

Oh yes, I also will need your mother’s maiden name.

Jack Dominic, a Harrison Township resident, is VP at CET, Cincinnati’s Public Television station, a pioneer in broadcasting and online video services. You can contact him at jdominic@cetconnect.org or read previous columns at http://www.jackatcet.blogspot.com, or www.theharrison-press.com.