Today we celebrate the birthday of the Gubernator himself - the momentous six zero! Our former Mr. Universe has now spread his wings (or should I say, his lats?) and serving his second term as our fair Governor of this fine Golden State.



And though I'm a big TERMINATOR fan, I can't say I've always appreciated the fine talent of AH-nold until Chris and I started dating. During critical moments, Chris would pull a line from an Arnold movie, which is almost consistently met with ground-rolling laughter from yours truly. Its the way his eyes bulge, the way his jugular seems to pop out and the sheer glee I know Chris is feeling when citing a line from his fave action hero. (And since neither Arnold nor Chris can be everywhere at once, though I know you wish they were, here's a piece of Arnie for you to enjoy. It works wonders in the office.)

Since then, and especially this past year, we've taken it upon ourselves, unofficially, to watch all of his films. It started when Chris shouting "Stop whining! Stop! Stop eet!" Of course, he was citing one of the most beloved Arnie-Ivan Reitman collaborations, which sadly, Chris hadn't even seen at the time. Being the big spender I am, I grabbed a VHS copy of the fine flick at a store closing sale for all of $5. We put Chris' VCR to work with the amount of rewinding we did on that tape!



When Chris and I stayed at a friend's house a few months ago. They told us to make ourselves at home, so naturally, we scanned the DVD collection. Lo, an Arnie movie was there! COLLATERAL DAMAGE featured some solid Arnie acting and such a politically insensitive and arrogant message for a post 9/11 world that you just have to rent it yourself to see what I mean.



Throughout his movie career, Arnold has played a (kindergarten) cop, a fireman, a commando, a spy, a cop, a warrior, a barbarian, a cop, a fertility doctor, a destroyer, a virgin, and now a governor. (Er, the last one is real life. Whatever.)

He has been a tireless advocate for health and physical fitness - a true emblamatic embodiment of the American Dream. And while his countrymen were celebrating with schnitzels and strudels, I had a copy of JUNIOR on hand. (Drag, male preganancy, Arnold. Just all good.)

To Arnie, from Chris and I, and all fans alike: Thanks for the fun, the laughs, and quotes that just dont quit! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Editor's note: This has been a voluntary post, not funded by the Republican party, the office of the California Governor or any residents of Austria.