"Governor Schwarzenegger and I Compare Calves"
LOS ANGELES. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger officially opened the 43d California International Antiquarian Book Fair on Friday night, February 12, 2010, along with First Lady, Maria Shriver, during a small ceremony intensely covered by the media. Excusing himself immediately afterward, he promised "We'll be back" to check out the rare books.
Oh, how I wanted to write that lead. A loose-cannon member the Southern California chapter of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), the book fair's sponsoring organization, had, unilaterally and without consulting his colleagues, formally invited the governor to open the Fair to draw press and public attention. The Governor's scheduling office sent their regrets but with the his wish for a successful event.
The Governor and First Lady returned to the Fair after a quick dinner at Schatzi, the Governor's restaurant on Main Street in Santa Monica that closed in 2007. They met with an old and dear friend, a member of the local ABAA chapter, who walked them around the Fair and helped the Governor's security people shoo flies away. It was, reportedly, a delightful reunion; the Governor and his rare book-selling friend had not seen each other for thirty-five years.
I met Arnold in 1975, before he became SCHWARZENEGGER! and was known merely as The Austrian Oak, the most successful bodybuilder in the sport's history, and on the cusp of fame with the general public; Pumping Iron, the acclaimed documentary based upon Charles Gaines' and George Butler's book of the same name, would soon be released (1977) and introduce the world at large to the large world's superstar in all his glory.