Catching Up With Ed Hochuli, a Locked-Out N.F.L. Referee Ed Hochuli is a trial lawyer and one of the 121 referees the N.F.L. has locked out of work because of disputes over pay and pensions. Known for his bodybuilder biceps, he was the model for the official in the Madden N.F.L. video games. After some replacement referees" blunders in season-opener games, fans are calling for his and his colleagues" swift return. Lots of rules. N.F.L. referees have casebooks with literally thousands of play situations. We have tests every week that take five hours to finish. I study every day. When things happen on the field, I can't stop and look it up. I also read a lot of science fiction. Writers like Orson Scott Card and Larry Niven are extremely ingenious. The ideas they come up with, the worlds that they create, are just fascinating to me. LISTENING I like "Galactic Watercooler," which is a podcast about science fiction. As for music, within the last week, the shuffle has been William Fitzsimmons, Lady Gaga, Techno Squirrels, Sonique and Joshua Radin. WATCHING "Fringe" is kind of a mystery show but it's about fringe science. It's suspenseful and imaginative. And "Sons of Anarchy" is about a hard-core motorcycle club. It's like "The Sopranos" in that you are rooting for the bad guys. I enjoy comedies too. "Whitney" and "Modern Family." No reality TV, though. LIFTING I lift weights four to five days a week. I don't consider myself buff. I have a decent build for a guy who is 61 years old. I chuckle at this focus on my arms. It started a few years ago during a really boring game. The announcers had nothing to talk about, so one of them stops the video and circles my arms and says, "Look at the guns on Hochuli." Kate Murphy is a journalist in Houston who writes frequently for The New York Times.