DreamMaking

The Big Lebowski is on TV again and it's making me laugh a little, not because it's funny, but because I'm thinking about that one time several years ago in LA when my aunts took us bowling at the same place where that movie had been filmed. Although not as clean as it was in the movie, I recognized the place because of all of those asterisky stars on the walls.

While we were there, a camera crew showed up out of nowhere and started to film a family bowling. We wound up being in the background of a few shots so we had to sign a waiver. "What are you filming?" I asked.

"You heard of Richard Simmons?" the rep asked me with a sly smile.

"Um, yeah," I said, "I'm pretty sure I've heard of America's most revered fitness expert, a man who possesses the unique ability to deliver a poignant message through laughter to millions of Americans via videos, personal appearances, daytime and late-night television appearances, infomercials, and books. Jesus Christ, woman, of course."

And she said Richard had a new show called DreamMaker where he would make dreams come true for everyday people. I was like: "And someone's dream was to come here and go bowling?"

And she said: "Well, this guy just wanted a day off work to spend with his family. He wanted to go to Disneyland but we couldn't get permission to film there, so we came over here instead."

And I said: "That is sort of the saddest thing I've ever heard."

And she said: "How about signing this waiver?"