With the prospects of Senator Barack Obama shaping up to appear more presidential nowadays (or at least leaning toward garnering the Democratic nomination), I just can't help but think about the day when I met Obama three years ago, in the strangest of all places. At the time, I was writing an entertainment piece for a newspaper in Southern California about the 36th Annual NAACP Image Awards, held in March 2005 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Downtown Los Angeles.

Obama was attending the event with his wife Michelle, because he was receiving the group's Chairman's Award. I was taking a break from the ceremony and had went into the bathroom. I was standing at the urinal, when I noticed Obama walk into the bathroom and stand at the urinal next to me. I thought it was just a little funny -- that the potential future president of the United States is standing in the urinal right next door. I was then washing my hands, and Obama was washing his hands in the adjacent sink.

I figured "what the heck. this could be my only chance to land a one-on-one interview with the future president of the most powerful nation in the world, so go for it." I introduced myself, and Obama was extremely outgoing and friendly, saying that he appreciated the award and all of the support he had received nationwide.  At the time, I think he was still officially undecided about whether he was going to run. He then asked about the newspaper I was writing for, where I was from.

We closed our conversation with a handshake, and I wished him luck. Later on he took the stage and accepted the Chairman's Award, remarking about how beautiful his wife looked that night -- and how he had to leave the stage so he could get back to her. I thought that was impressive -- as sometimes it is easy to forget about the people around us in moments of pride and glory.