On Thursday, February 21st in Bakersfield, California, Schwarzenegger's biggest small-town fan, Ryan "Dirtybird", had the time of his life as he was able to hang out with everyone's favorite action hero and bodybuilding legend! The ARNOLD FAN is proud to tell you his story and congratulate him on a very successful mission! Read on and be prepared to be very jealous!

DirtyBird:
I do not know if you have seen the post on the message board that I was going to get to see Arnold again today, but here is the story of what happened! Even though I have no movie scoop for you, like I was hoping I would get like when I went to the Bakersfield Business Conference, it was still a dream come true for me and any other Mad Arn fan!



It just so happens I was lucky enough to live in the town of Bakersfield, (Yes, the Bakersfield from The Running Man, cool huh?) where Arn was going to visit a local elementary school to promote the After School Education and Safety Act and even luckier to have my mom working there! Most people of the Plantation elementary staff know that I'm a pretty big Arn fan (understatement), so through my mom, I was able to get a sweet job of taking photographs of Arn on his visit to the school! (nepotism is fantastic when it is working FOR you and not AGAINST you!)



So on this momentous day I decided to wear the lucky "T2 in '02" Arnie for Governor shirt that I wore when he was considering his run for office about a year ago, worn only once since the last time I was able to see Arn over the fence at the Bakersfield Business Conference, and that was to see Collateral Damage! So you know this is a special occasion lucky shirt!

As the hour drew near, apparently it was a big hit with some of the other media guys all day, but definitely with some of the associates Arnold was with. When I explained to them that I was taking pictures for the school, and that I wasn't a part of the media, they let me follow Arn into the office but stopped me from going down the hallway, as he was talking with the principal and other staff members and security guards and such. While I was waiting, one of Arn's associates took a look at my shirt, and said to me:

Associate: "Lemme see what that shirt says" (I turn around) "Hasta La Vista Davis.... heh, that's pretty cool!"

Me: "Thanks"

Associate: "Hey, you wanna get your picture taken with Arnold in that shirt?"

Me with a pale white face and dropped jaw: "Uhhh, ummm, yea......that...that'd be cool."

Associate: "Wait here"

I waited patiently for Arn to finish his conversation down the hallway, and he entered the principal's office with the associates and the Principal, Mrs. Sill. But as the associate I talked to entered the room, he turned to me and said "Go Away." I was flabbergasted, I walked out of the office a little disappointed when suddenly one of the Plantation staff workers, Emily ran outside and told me, "He said "DON'T go away!" admist the commotion of all the people outside. To which I replied "ACK!!!" I hurried back in and waited patiently for a minute or two more. The associate opened the door for me and told me, "Stay in the corner, and don't interrupt and we will let you take pictures"



I slid inside the room, trying not to make a sound for fear I would do something incredibly stupid on accident like fart or something and get thrown out. I worked my way into the corner, and took a few candid pictures of THE MAN talking with Mrs. Sill about the After School Act. As I was standing in the corner, I saw the Inspirational poster of Arn winning the 1974 Mr Olympia that I had brought with me to get signed, which was in a big pile of stuff that the staff had accumulated to get signed by him and I looked back at Arn, then back down at the poster, then back up to Arnold and it finally hit me, that this was the SAME GUY. Incredible.



Then, after a few minutes or so, their conversation ended and the associate said to Arnold, "Hey Arnold, we got a fan here who...blah....blah...blah...." I didn't understand the rest of his sentence when I saw that THE MAN had looked me in the eyes. I forgot to breathe for a second, and then it came back to me. He extended his hand to me...

THE MAN: Hey, nice to meet you. (We shook hands)

Me: Sir, it is a real honor to be here right now. (Holy Crom I shook THE MAN's hand!)

THE MAN: That's a nice shirt you have there, actually it should be "T3 in 02"

Me: Actually, it was a shirt that was being sold when you were considering running for governor. (I turned my back to him so he could read the back, and give me time to blush like a girly-man for a second.)

THE MAN: Hasta La Vista Davis....(Laughs) That's clever.

I turned back to him and he raised his hand to give me a high five, I slapped his hand and we held it there for a second as a man I had whispered to a bit in the room (who was one of the organizers of The After School Act) readied to take a picture, just before he snapped the picture for the digital camera, I pulled up my sleeve and flexed my muscle. (The room laughs a bit, I hope it wasn't at the size!) Just as he was about to leave to visit the computer to lab to talk with some of the kids, I asked him if he could sign my poster.

THE MAN: Sure, (picks up poster) wow, this is great!

Me: Thanks, I have it put up on my wall so I can see it whenever I bench press, it really inspires me to work out! (I held up my arm again and showed him my bicept, which I don't think he saw when we were High-fiving because he was looking at the camera)



And with that he left, and went to go see the kids in the computer lab and the library. I followed him around with the rest of the media, and nabbed some good pictures of him working with some of the students, who behaved very well, and did a lot better than I did with Arn in the room They were all breathing just fine. He then went onto make a speech at an assembly that they were having that day, and I got some more good pictures of him speaking, (what a great speaker, funny too!) And the 3 specially selected children gave him gifts of flowers and some other things that I couldn't make out, which I thought was cool especially for them. After he left, I was pleasantly surprised to find that in a 2nd trip to the office after working with the kids in the computer lab, he signed all the other things that were in the staff pile, including my Hercules In New York DVD and a book and a magazine for 2 of my friends that didn't make it out there.

All in all, definitely a dream come true! I included a few of the best pictures of the some 50 that I took today. Including Arnold arriving at the school, Arn walking down the hallway to the principal's office, behind him you will see the guy that helped me out so much! He was terrific! Also, Arn helping a young girl at her computer, the candid shot of him talking with Mrs. Sill in the office, the 3 kids giving Arnold his gifts for making the special trip, him speaking and my 2 personal favorites, me with Arn, and him signing my poster!



Reflecting on the greatest day of my life,
Dirty Bird

Congratulations DirtyBird!

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Randy Jennings