Power outages and work and general non-computer-ness delayed this post.

Have I mentioned before what a cool guy Bill Goldberg is? I know I have, at least once or twice in the past dozen years or so. I first met him when he joined WCW (and still used both names for wrestling). I *think* it was in Jacksonville, FL but it could have been anywhere on the southern circuit; I had friends on the WCW crew and was at tons of shows in those days.

I was behind the arena, painting Sting faces on little kids while waiting for a friend to find me, when Goldberg showed up to chat with a few folks. This guy was big enough to seat four people in his shadow alone. He was pretty new then, didn't have rabid fans climbing all over themselves to get autographs, so he just hung around without too many people bothering him. I talked with him a while- about fishing, as I recall- and then he asked if I was going in to watch the matches. I said no, I hadn't bought a ticket. (I had only planned to hit some after-parties that time.) He gave me a ticket, and even though I already thought he was the Next Big Thing, he made a fan that day. Mostly because he was cool enough to just talk to people one on one.

When I later discovered he was a Car Guy I liked him even more. (Yenko Camaro? I really should hate him for that. He has one and I don't. *growlyface*)

I've run into him on several occasions, and Goldberg has never failed to be one of the most accommodating and accessible guys around. At a car show he signed a t-shirt for my little brother, who'd gotten sick and spent the afternoon sleeping in the truck and missed meeting him. I'm always impressed by his dedication to his fans. At the Oceana airshow, despite a torn rotator cuff, he continued signing autographs until the line was gone even though he was grimacing after every one. He also posed with me with the Lawman Mustang, one of the photos I'd wanted and hadn't managed to acquire at Carlisle.

I really can't give enough props to Goldberg. I don't ask for autographs anymore, but if he's at an event I always make it a point to stop by to watch the fan interaction and snap a few photos. If you happen to run across Goldberg at an event, take the time to do the same. He'll impress the hell out of you (and especially your kids.) Side note: my 6'4", 240-lb husband said "Man, being next to that guy makes me feel small. That's a weird feeling." It's just the presence he has; like a giant redwood, he's larger than life but as down-to-earth as can be.

Forget Jay Leno. My current dream is to see Bill Goldberg's car collection up close. Oh, and attend Barrett-Jackson, but that's another story.