Keith Fritz is just dreamy. There’s no two ways around it. He’s super friendly and outgoing and not at all nervous to dress up as Macho Man Randy Savage for Halloween. And he’s so smart that he’s practically a rocket scientist! Now if only someone would save him from his ongoing diet of Hot Pockets….Keith Fritz, you are cute, cute, cute, no doubt about it. Super cute. Oh la la. What brought you to Paducah?
I’d interned with Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC) in college, and when I graduated, they offered me a job in their Special Metals Corporation in Princeton. It was funny because they have locations in New York City, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, several other large cities – and Princeton. And I got Princeton.
How far is that from here?
It’s a 45-minute drive, so I’m definitely tearing through the gas, but I wanted to live in Paducah. I’ve been here since July.
So Keith, are you really a rocket scientist?
Well, my degree is in metal sciences and engineering. At PCC, we build parts for rockets and jet engines. The material we use is nickel-based super alloy and it goes into turbine blades and fans, and it melts at a temperature that is lower than the operating temperature of the engines. So my job is to do these crazy designs to make sure our parts don’t turn into sludge when they’re 20,000 feet in the air.
Then you’re practically a rocket scientist! How did you get interested in building stuff?
It started when I was a little kid and my parents got me Legos. I realized that instead of getting my parents to buy toys or mowing lawns to earn money for toys, I could build my own toys with Legos and gears. Then that progressed to building go-carts in high school shop class and then pursuing science and engineering in college.
If you think about it, materials are our future. What’s the difference between cars now and cars 20 years ago? It’s that we have lighter, faster, stronger materials. It’s a great field to be in right now with the way the global economy is changing and our growing energy concerns.
OK, yikes, now you’re starting to sound very nerdy. Let’s get back to how cute you are! Where did you go to college?
University of Wisconsin. The Badgers. Go Bucky!
And you recently graduated?
Yes, in May. So I’m fresh out, doing the whole transition. It’s been a major adjustment. When I first moved down here, I’d work, go to Energy Fitness, watch TV for a few hours and repeat. That got old, really old, really quick.
Yeah, totally! You can’t meet cute gals just doing that!
That’s why I love ilistpaducah.com. It’s so great for finding out what’s going on in Paducah. And it’s how I found out about the Twenty Thirty Group. Mix@6 is my favorite thing in the world. Please tell people to come. It’s at Di Fratelli’s each Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Do lots of people show up?
We usually have 10-15, so we definitely want more people to come. It’s always fun, and I always end up staying way later than I planned. We’re doing themes each week, like one time we wore stunna shades so that new people showing up can tell who’s there for Mix@6 and who’s there just for dinner.
What are you all wearing for tonight’s Mix@6?
We’re wearing hats. The crazier the better. The Twenty Thirty Group is great. I have met some of my coolest Paducah friends through the group. I also like the Improv Class.
That’s each Monday night?
Yes, it’s at the Parks building. You start warming up with icebreakers and, once people get loose, we do sketches. Like in one exercise the goal is to give someone a character in relationship to you. So like I went to Fowler Black and said, “Dude, I told you she was my sister,” and then he would play off that and we’d go back and forth a few times.
What if you’re shy? Wouldn’t Improv class be pretty hard?
Actually, it’s good because it forces you out of your shell. I’m big into doing things just to say I did it. I don’t know if I’ll do another Improv Class after this – I might move on to something like salsa dancing, fencing or something goofy like that.
It’s common for people to complain that there’s not a lot to do here, but you just have to dig a bit deeper. I’m always finding interesting stuff on ilistpaducah.com. It’s good to leave your comfort zone – and it’s way better than sitting home watching cable.
Dude, I’m totally diggin’ the iList Paducah plugs! Are you still working out at Energy?
Before the Twenty Thirty Group, I went five nights a week. Now I’m down to just two. I’d much rather be out socializing. I try to compensate with better eating, but I haven’t been too good about that either.
So how are you feeding yourself?
With a lot of Hot Pockets. Honestly, it’s not good. I used to have time to cook things like BBQ shrimp over rice, but now it’s Hot Pockets in the microwave on the way out the door. They’ve redesigned the packaging so now you can just fold the package underneath and it turns into a little carrying case. I know they’re going to give me cancer. You can only eat so many Hot Pockets. They need to make organic Hot Pockets. Then I wouldn’t feel so bad about pounding them down.
Or you need to find someone who’ll cook you a meal every now and again! How’s your dating life been?
I’ve been on a few dates – they’ve all had assorted outcomes. It’s a lot different from college. In college, everyone is in the same place, getting their degrees, everyone is single. But now you meet a much wider range of people with different experiences and they’re at different points in their lives. But, it has been great because I now have a wider range of people in my life. I’ve definitely met some very cool girls, and I have a lot of good female friends.
What do you like to do on a first date?
I really like to hang out and get to know somebody first. I think dinner and the theater is such a horrible first date. It’s awkward, and you have to spend the entire evening with each other whether you find that you like each other or not. I’d rather just say, hey, this band is playing, let’s go grab a beer. And you know a half-hour into it whether you like each other or not. And then, later on, I’m a big fan of dressing up and going out dancing or whatever, but I want to make sure I have chemistry with the person first.
How do Southern women compare with the Northern women you’re used to?There are some big cultural differences. I feel like I’m learning this whole thing over again sometimes. I will say that Southern girls can be considerably more feminine than northern girls, and I like it!
No doubt!
And the accent is awesome. I never get tired of hearing it. I dig it. And I love that girls here get all dolled up. Even for Fat Moe’s, you’ll see girls wearing sun dresses. And I’m thinking, “Sweet, this is awesome!” In Wisconsin, I can count the number of times I’ve seen girlfriends in dresses, but here it’s standard operating procedure.
Speaking of dressing up – Macho Man Randy Savage?
Yeah, I’ve been watching his videos on YouTube. He’s loud, obnoxious and just over the top, so I thought it would be a fun Halloween costume. I wore this hot pink-and-green suit that was just disgusting. It was the loudest, most gaudy thing I’ve ever seen. It was a blast.
Well Keith Fritz, you are just beyond cute. You redefine Macho-Mania! I think you’ll master the subject of Southern women in no time!
