I Knew It Was You, Denzel

Since David and I have known each other for 15 years now, we have a fair collection of running jokes and shared memories. One that we've had since we were sixteen is the Denzel joke. Every time we see an unidentifiable black person in a movie, we say that we think it's Denzel Washington. I can't even remember what we were originally making fun of with this quip. Maybe we were pretending to be racist, implying with the joke that we can't tell the difference between a famous black actor and an extra. Maybe we were making fun of people who are always guessing which actors are in a movie, and who are always wrong. The joke has evolved beyond the point of its original meaning and has become a gag reflex. It's a black person? It's Denzel. There used to be some kind of unofficial hierarchy. After one of us guessed Denzel, the other one would correct them and say that it was Eddie Murhpy. And then the other one would reply and say that it was the guy from the All-State commercials. And then Morgan Freeman. And then Samuel L. Jackson. Will Smith was never on the list, as he isn't an actor that inspires confidence. Anyways, that's how the game is played. And in all my years of guessing Denzel, I've never been right. Until today.

I was in one of my two Spanish labs (since I was dumb at the beginning of the semester and didn't go to one every week like a normal person, so now I have to go to two to make up for it) and we were playing a game where someone would list describe a famous person, and the rest of us had to guess who it was. You can already see where this is going. Yes, I guessed Denzel and I was right. But what I want to point out is the lack of clues I had. The guy got up in front of the class, and started describing good ol' Denzel. He said (in Spanish of course, I'm just translating for you) "This guy is an actor, and his skin is black." Immediately I yelled out "Denzel Washington!" and I nailed it. My team got a point because I was faithful to my inside joke, even though David wasn't there to hear it. That's the take home message for today. Somehow, someday, and in someway, the little things you do will pay off if you're committed to them. Go big, or go home. That's what Denzel would want.