Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Another brush with greatness... As I was walking into my gym I noticed a small billboard to my right. It had a picture of some supplements, so I thought there was some promotion going on because near the board was a small table with some people crowded around it. When my mind actually caught up to what I was seeing, I noticed the "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (A UFC fighter who's won like 20+ matches) sitting at the table. For some odd reason he picked that gym at that time to be signing autographs and promoting a supplement. I'm sure you would all understand my confusion if you saw my gym. It's a broke-ass gym in Newark, where all the seats on the machines are ripped up, no one puts the weights back and everyone smells. That night, there also weren't that many people there. So, once I got over the bewilderment, I waited behind a dude and then stepped up to him. He's a little taller than me, but a lot skinnier than I thought. Of course, he looks like one of those guys in high school that could kick your ass just for sneezing, except a lilttle more neo-Naziish, although the chinese symbols tattooed into his head are a little inconsistent with that image. So I asked him for an autograph and I tried to start up a conversation. "Chuck, when's your next fight?" "August 28th," and then he looks at me dead in my eyes and I swear a small amount of pee-pee came out. "OK, good luck," and with that, it was all over. For about the next hour, it was even more bizarre because I was doing bench presses with Chuck Liddell standing a yard away. I should've asked him for a spot. He looked extremely bored, too. While I was looking at the guys around me in the gym and a UFC fighter to the right of me, it really got me thinking about what people think "power" really is. Is it the ability to really hurt someone, or putting on as many muscles as you can, or the ability to sway people with your words? Because just because you can bench 350 doesn't mean you can fight, nor get people to vote for you. I remember reading a good article by Bruce Lee on the physical side of power: WarmMarble: http://www.mikementzer.com/ So add this knucklehead to the list of other notable encounters: Taimak, from the Last Dragon, in Hollywood, Method Man and Redman by their tour bus in Boston, Warren Beatty at a film screening, Ian something-or-other at a subway stop (one of those MTV VJays). Yes, some people have met the Pope, others have met the President, but I'm stuck with the likes of Bruce Leroy. The lesson learned: if you're usually broke and travel to places like the dirty parts of Hollywood, or buy cheap memberships to crappy gyms, don't plan on running into Prince Charles anytime soon. Anyone else have more interesting sightings?