So
here I am, back at the Classic again after 2 years. Last time was
somewhat a learning experience for me, since it was the first time
I had been to the Classic at the new Convention Center location
and with the VIP package to get all the good stuff like a photo
with Arnold. This time it's more familiar territory, so I was able
to get right down to business. Join me as I recount the events,
and see how it unfolds...
10 AM-- Rise and shine! Having flown in from Chicago at midnight
the night before, I sleep in a little, although sleep is always
hard to get when you're restless with anticipation of seeing Arnold
in person. I'm staying at my brother Corey's college apartment this
time, which is a mere 10 minutes from downtown Columbus. Excellent.
We depart to head to the Expo, which opens at 11, but first we make
a pit stop at Circuit City to pick up some tapes for my new Sony
Mini DV Camcorder, on which I will capture the sights and sounds
of the weekend in digital quality.
Mmmm...
protein honey. |
11:30
AM-- We arrive at the expo in the Greater Columbus Convention
Center and find that it is already flooded with people! While
a far cry from what it will become tomorrow, it still takes
a while to work your way up and down the aisles, while being
barraged with samples of every kind of power bar and nutrient
drink known to man. At first you think "Great! I won't
have to pay for any food in here!" but soon you realize
the opposite is true-- you need to buy something normal to
get the awful aftertaste out of your mouth that most of these
bars leave behind! After sampling way too many, there were
a couple that were actually good- one bar with a tiramisu
flavor, and one juice drink that tasted like gatorade, but
with more kick! |
The other thing you are constantly getting put into your hand at
the expo are the HUGE plastic bags that hold all the materials you
collect. Why these bags have to be so gigantic, I don't know, because
even if you collected every pamphlet, sample, magazine, and souvenir,
I still think it would only be half full. The thing is, you collect
several of these over the weekend, because when you take it home
and come back empty handed the next day, you're getting a bag whether
you want it or not! Why not refuse the bag you ask? Well, part of
it has to do with the pretty ladies handing them out-- they have
these weird blue contacts that put a trance on you or something
and you just can't walk away empty handed. You just think, "Hey,
this might come in handy for holding tiny fliers!"
| 12:30
PM-- We stop at the Hummer display (the best spot to regroup
and meet people at the expo) and meet up with Randy and Rene,
fans who came all the way from California and the Netherlands
just so they could meet the Gillinator in person! OK, that's
not why they came. They actually run another Arnold web site
that's pretty cool, but it's so small it's not really worth
mentioning here with a link. Heh heh. If you recall, Randy
was my companion during the 2001 Classic, so it was great
to see him again, and Rene is a good guy too- just a tad on
the hyperactive side. Those wacky Dutch! |
R
and R -- whadda team! |
These guys were actually lucky enough to get special press
passes for the weekend, so they got to enter the expo an hour
early this morning, though they say there wasn't much to see
at that time since booths were still being set up. Corey and
I make a few rounds with them in the expo, but then they decide
to call it a day early so they could go back to their hotel
and sleep off their jetlag. So we walk around a bit longer
and make some attempts at nabbing free t-shirts being thrown
out by one of the booths during which Corey almost gets crushed
between two huge guys who both lunge for the shirt! After
that, Corey decides it's not worth it. We hear that Arnold
had already been through the expo earlier this morning, so
we head back to the apartment as well. Since there are no
major Arnold events today, this is a good place to describe
some of the best booths at the expo-- so here we go... |
|
I think he's pissed cause I didn't pay to take his
picture!
|
Lou
Ferrigno
Yes,
Louie is back again, still looking pretty awesome. This year he
has his own booth, with a giant Hulk backdrop. He is enjoying a
surge of popularity again due to the new Hulk movie coming out this
summer. Of course, a CG Hulk still can't compare to the real deal!
Lou is kind and generous with handshakes and photos (for a fee),
and he is also selling his video, Stand Tall, a follow up
to Pumping Iron that shows Lou's comeback to bodybuilding.
I bought my autographed picture last time, so now I just stop in
to say hello.
|
The
dynamic duo of schwarzenegger.com! |
Schwarzenegger.com
New
to the expo is a booth for Arnold's official website! The guys
who manage it were very busy the whole time taking photos of all
the events and doing "Instant Classic" updates that
you can check out on their iMac. It was cool to meet Eric in person,
who had bestowed the official fan site of the month honor on me
twice. I'm working on number three! They also had exclusive merchandise
like T-shirts, water bottles, keychains, and some autographed
movie photos of Arnold. Very nice!
|
Not
bad, huh? |
Tony
Nowak Original
This
is the guy who designs each year's Arnold Classic jackets, which
always looks excellent and stylish. This year he did a special 15th
anniversary jacket that was a very distinctive blue with tan leather
trim, and you could get one for only about $600. The main attraction
here though was Arnold's leather jacket that he wore in T3! It was
on display and for $5, you could try it on and take a photo. Of
course, the Gillinator could not pass this up. The other surprise
here was that the two kids who were diligently helping at the booth
were none other than 2 of Arnold's kids, Patrick and Christina!
They were very friendly and cute-- when I took off my regular leather
jacket to try on Arnold's, Patrick remarked "That looks just
like it!" and when I took it off again, Christina quickly reminded
me that I hadn't paid yet. Can't pull one over them! It's nice to
see that they're old enough to help out with dad's big event now,
plus they seem like good kids, which means they've had fantastic
parents. |
My
name is John Kimble... and I love my cah! |
Hummer
It's
the only vehicle that's manly enough for Arnold! He personally helped
bring this monster into production for the consumer a few years
back, and it has been very successful, especially with the introduction
of the H2 last year. Although it's a scaled down version of the
original, it still makes all other SUVs look extremely girly. It
was fun to take a seat in it and pretend I was Arnold out for a
ride around town. Just watch out for dogs, old ladies, and VW bugs
that you might run over without noticing! |
|
Other notable booths were Physical Magazine, who once again
had free mags with Arnold on the cover, MuscleMag, where
you could buy a 4 pack of classic Arnold issues including one
from 1977, and then there's a peculiar booth called Angelic
Aromas. Obviously designed to appeal to the women or guys
buying their girlfriends/wives presents, this booth had three
ladies selling various aromas, oils, and lotions. Rene was interested
in getting something, so he went inside the makeshift tent, and
came out shortly with a bottle of love lotion and a grin on his
face. "Trust me, talk to her and you'll be convinced!"
he said. Evidently the ladies go into quite explicit detail about
how this stuff will improve your love life. To keep this site
for all ages, that's all I'll say.
Corey and I wrap up the day by having dinner with my family at
a trendy restauarant called "M" and then watching movies
on his roommate's crappy APEX DVD player that is lucky if it recognizes
discs at all! I did not dare put any Arnold movies in this machine,
so instead we watch the Bruce Willis movie Bandits - sacrilege
I know, but I don't think Arnold would mind.
|
|
Part I - Day 1 
