article Unexpected people in unexpected places

I get this a lot, and while I'm great at remembering faces (names not so much), if I see a person in a place where I don't expect them, I get really, really thrown off.

Three recent incidents:

On Saturday while working at the bar, this guy came in whose face I definitely knew, but hadn't seen him for a long, long time. He was feeling the same thing, and asked my name before I could introduce myself.

Turned out it was the eldest son of a gal I used to work with my two summers at Big Bone Lick SP. She was a teacher in her regular life, but she worked at the park in recreation one summer with me. Her husband and three kids were there all the time. The eldest son was I think about 15 or 16 then, and that was 24 years ago. He was in town for a wedding of a friend, and they had a big gap between the wedding and reception, so he ended up at my bar and we caught up. Pretty neat.

Not a couple hours later, I'm off work and went for a drink and a bite to eat at a bar across town, out by Heaven Hill and Willett distilleries. I'm minding my own business, reading the paper, and I overhear these biker folks at the end of the bar talking about places I knew, such as Sanders, as well as them talking about KY highway 184. I look over and shout, "Waitaminute, I know these places."

Turns out, it was a gal and her husband who used to go to my church in Warsaw (never would've pegged them for bikers), as well as a friend of theirs who used to date a different gal who went to my church. Hadn't seen any of them in some time, possibly 10 years. The gal also used to be a substitute teacher when I was in school and I had quite the crush on her in those days. Her brother is also my mom and dad's next-door neighbor. Nice catching up there.

And this was just a totally random thing, and while I'm not 100 percent, I'm fairly certain I saw Jim Bunning and his wife (who is far friendlier than he, from the times I've talked with them) eating at the restaurant I work at tonight. I didn't speak, but only because I wasn't absolutely sure. I was totally thrown off because I wouldn't expect him to be there. I know none of my co-workers would've known who he was, even if he was still in the Senate.

You guys get these weird little "small world" things? Do you get thrown off by them as much as I do, when you see someone you think you recognize at a place you don't in a million years expect them to be at?

Robin Yount and his family checked out of the Best Western in Wilmington, Delaware right behind my family the Monday morning after he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Chatted with us for about ten minutes before our family headed to Philadelphia and his family went on to Washington, DC.

Does that count?

Robin Yount and his family checked out of the Best Western in Wilmington, Delaware right behind my family the Monday morning after he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Chatted with us for about ten minutes before our family headed to Philadelphia and his family went on to Washington, DC.

 

Does that count?

Definitely.

The last time I ever went to King's Island, I happened to be in the line for The Beast right next to BJ Armstrong. My mom is from Iowa and all my relatives there are fans. As a result, I've always had a soft spot for the Hawkeyes, especially in those days when they were so fun to watch with guys like Roy Marble and Gerry "Sir Jamalot" Wright when Dr. Tom Davis coached.

It was the summer after his rookie year, and this was back when I cared about the NBA and was cheering for the Pistons. I was 19 or 20 at the time and in my full streetball trash-talking days, but I managed to avoid the temptation to hassle him about losing to The Bad Boys in a bitter 7-game series, instead talking up his Iowa days with my family connections.

I did have to ask him if MJ was as big a jackwagon of a person as I'd heard. I got a "no comment" and a wry smile that told me all I needed to know.

20+ years ago I saw Richard Karn (better known as Al Borland) at a Perkins in Florence. That caught me a bit off guard.

About 99.9% certain I saw Muhammad Ali in the passenger seat of a van at a gas station close to Grissom Air Force Base, IN about 20 years ago. I couldn't believe it, but everyone I was with was convinced it was him.

I grew up in Memphis. I moved to Colorado and worked and went to graduate school and married and had our first two children there. We didn't have much money, and we were married in July 1980 in a double-wide on a Tuesday night in Commerce City, CO. (BTW, that is the armpit of Colorado where all the refineries are.) Our marriage cost $50...it was a good decision. On our honeymoon, we drove for a long weekend to Aspen where it was off-season there. The town was mainly vacant, and about 11PM on Saturday night, we were walking down the main street back to our hotel, and there is one guy walking around on the mall and hardly anyone else....then I realized, it was my old high school basketball coach from Memphis! Just not somebody one would expect to see.

Wait, you own a bar @Jim Schue?

I shared a hotel elevator a number of years ago with Tera Patrick. I didn't realize who it was at the moment, but I knew I had seen her somewhere. She was very friendly and very beautiful.

Wait, you own a bar @Jim Schue?

No. I work at one on the side.

I shared a hotel elevator a number of years ago with Tera Patrick. I didn't realize who it was at the moment, but I knew I had seen her somewhere. She was very friendly and very beautiful.

Excuse me, Ma'am, I don't know what happened to this elevator. It appears to be stuck for some reason. I'll call service from this phone and the hotel should send somebody to fix this in an hour or so.

Excuse me, Ma'am, I don't know what happened to this elevator. It appears to be stuck for some reason. I'll call service from this phone and the hotel should send somebody to fix this in an hour or so.

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Going through the line for breakfast at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge about 8 years ago and the guy in front of me was Rob Van Winkle. Really nice guy talked to him for a minute while getting juice and ran into him 3 or 4 more times that week as our families crossed paths.

Same trip I was standing inline to get Mickey's Autograph with my daughter and Michael Chiklis and his family came through with a Disney guide and cut line for Mickey's autograph.

Sitting in the Chicago airport I sat across from Joan Jett and her manager for an hour...they wouldn't make eye contact or speak to anyone.

Talked to Steve Garvey at a meeting one day for about 10 minutes...if he's 5'10" I'm 6'6". Very nice and was willing to talk Big Red Machine with me!

I shared a hotel elevator a number of years ago with Tera Patrick. I didn't realize who it was at the moment, but I knew I had seen her somewhere. She was very friendly and very beautiful.

Anybody who's seen her work online would know this, Captain Obvious.

Going through the line for breakfast at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge about 8 years ago and the guy in front of me was Rob Van Winkle. Really nice guy talked to him for a minute while getting juice and ran into him 3 or 4 more times that week as our families crossed paths.

 

Same trip I was standing inline to get Mickey's Autograph with my daughter and Michael Chiklis and his family came through with a Disney guide and cut line for Mickey's autograph.

 

Sitting in the Chicago airport I sat across from Joan Jett and her manager for an hour...they wouldn't make eye contact or speak to anyone.

 

Talked to Steve Garvey at a meeting one day for about 10 minutes...if he's 5'10" I'm 6'6". Very nice and was willing to talk Big Red Machine with me!

I met him at a bar on the Waterfront in Covington one night when I was waaaaayyyy to underaged to be there. Nice guy. Every bit of 5'8.