OWN IT!

I've experienced it many times in my life. Two times, in the last two weeks. I've been guilty of it before too. People acting/behaving in a way that others would label in an unfavorable or negative way, and not taking ownership in that label, because of the negative connotation associated. The only thing I hate worse than a person lying, is when that person is caught lying, it has been proven that they lied and the continue to deny that they lied. On top of it, they become angry with you if you call them a liar.

People want to lie, but don't you dare call them a liar. People want to contradict themselves, but don't you dare call them a hypocrite. People want to use ever racial slur and refer to minorities with only negative comments, but call them a racist? What?!? Them!?! NEVER!!!

My roommate Joel occasionally smokes a cigarette, but he gets antsy with me if I tell people that he smokes. His response is, "I don't smoke. I just occasionally have a cigarette."  It drives me nuts.  I'm turning 31 years old on May 22nd. I had a cigar on May 22nd, 2006 and then I had another cigar in mid December, 2015. At this rate I have a cigar once every 10 years, far less than the one or two a week that Joel smokes. If someone ask me if I smoke or not, my response is, "I've had two cigars in my life." To me responding, "No" means that you do not smoke. Or at best you have smoked in the past, but you do not now and you don't plan to in the future. Not, "Well, since I don't smoke two packs of smokes a day, I'll say that I don't smoke."

I went in circles the other day with a friend of mine who insisted that I was out of line when I called him discriminatory against homosexuals. He kept on insisting that he wasn't. Finally our conversation ended with me saying, "So, let me get this straight. You are ok with anyone adopting a child, just as long as that someone is not gay?"  To which he replied, "Yes."  Bang.My.Head.Against.The.Wall.

Then another discussion where I called someone a hypocrite and someone came to the defense of that person with excuses....albeit justifiable excuses...as to why the person did what they did. I agreed with the defender that the person had justifiable reasons for doing what he did. I agreed that many people in his position would have done the same thing. I even agreed that others have committed sins far greater than him. But you know what? I still referred to him as a hypocrite.  Why? Because HE IS.

I had a guy in Iowa City I was friends with for a few years. I am no longer friends with him. He is one of the most not liked human beings in Iowa City. People would ask me all the time, "Why are you friends with that guy?"  "He's a prick!"  Yes, he was a prick.  You know what I liked and respected about him the most? He admitted it!! He OWNED it.  All the time? No, but he would on more than one occasion say, "Oh yeah, I'm a total asshole." That's more than most people are willing to do.

Two years ago, I called UBER out for underhanded moves and monopolization tactics that undermined the integrity of capitalism. This past September, I joined the UBER team. C.J. Wurpts, one who demands a respect he's unwilling to show within his own right, called me out. He called me a hypocrite. It crossed my mind to defend myself. I thought of justifications. Then I asked myself to be honest.  You know what? C.J. was right. My response back to him was, "I agree. In this particular case, I am a hypocrite."  I OWNED it.

I'm not attracted to overweight women. I do not find obesity to be sexually stimulating or attractive. For years, I would deny and strongly resist anyone referring to me as shallow or superficial. I knew people far more shallow and superficial than myself. People I love and admire more than I do most people, were heavier people. I didn't want them to think of me as shallow or superficial. You know what? Not wanting to be romantically or intimately involved with someone because of the way their body looks is STILL shallow. It is STILL superficial.  So am I superficial? Am I shallow?  To a degree, you bet I am.

Of course this can be a rather subjective discussion, but there is a difference between having a difference of opinion and being in crystal clear denial.  You think that white, heterosexual Christians should be treated  with superiority and granted rights, privileges and advantages over others? Well, great! But don't say, "No, I'm not" when someone calls you a bigot. Yes, you are.  OWN  IT!

My Top 10 Most Satisfying Movie Endings

10. The Departed

Let's tap into the part of my psyche that gives people merit to call me strange. Truth is, I didn't care all that much for The Departed. I'm not much of a Mark Wahlberg fan and the movie didn't do much for me. It's ironic, because I often complain about movies that are generally good overall, but are in partial ruined because of a bad ending. An example would be Stephen King's It. Now I'm doing the exact opposite. I'm mentioning a movie I find mediocre in general and praising its rewarding and satisfying ending. Towards the end of the film, you are left to think that Colin Sullivan is going to get away with it and suddenly out of left field Dignam shows up and as John Lennon would say, "Instant Karma."  The reason why this scene is so rewarding to me, is because the rest of the film hands us one injustice after another, thus making the moment of justice all the more rewarding.

9. Free Willy

I love this ending. I love everything about this ending.  From the story, to the acting, to the cinematography to the musical score.  Everything about this ending is right. To me the whole movie and this scene especially, is about freedom. Jesse freeing himself from fear and doubt and learning to trust his adopted parents. Glen freeing himself much in the same way Jesse did. I love it when Jesse ask Glen to help him and Glen backs the truck straight into the water. I realize Michael Madsen has a huge arsenal of roles to his name, but his role as Glen is by far my favorite. He almost always plays sleazeball gangsters in films, and I don't get why, as he was excellent as the tough-love father figure here. Then of course, I have to mention the literal freedom of Willy.  There are many times in my life where I've felt trapped. I've felt as Bruce Cockburn would say that I'm, "pacing the cage."  When Willy takes that risk and he jumps over those rocks and into freedom I feel as if a locked door has been opened.  It makes me feel free.

8. Teen Wolf 

Teen Wolf is one of my top twenty films of all time. When I was little there was a spin-off cartoon series I used to watch on a regular basis. I was unaware of the film. Yet one day when my mom took me up town to rent a film, there it was. I took it home, watched and I've watched it over 100 times since. The film's ending has always been special to me, but as I've gotten older it's gotten even better. When I was little, it was all about Scott showing Mick up and winning the basketball game. Now it's more about Scott becoming a man and discovering the true rewards in life. I can't think of a movie that has a more clever way of portraying puberty. When Scott brushes past Pamela and goes to find Boof, I want to reach through the screen and give him a high five. We don't win that often in life, but God when we do, does it feel good. Teen Wolf's ending reminds me of that.

7. The Best of Times 

I think film makers made the right choice by making this film a comedy, but it could have just as easily been made a drama. Matter of fact, I've always watched the film as a drama. I've never seen the film as the hilarious, comic relief that most do. To me the character of Jack Dundee is all to real. It hits very close to home. It seems far fetched to think that the ending of a football game would bother someone twenty years after it happened and that they'd think about it all the time and let it bother them on a daily basis. That's why the film needed to be a comedy in order to have an audience. Most people couldn't relate to a character who would do such a thing. I can. I know what it's like to want let past failures haunt you. I know what it's like to often find yourself wishing you had something to do all over again. For me it wasn't football, it was high school wrestling, but the feelings are the same, even if the activity is different. Jack would give anything to be able to go back and catch that ball and I'd give anything to step on the mat again with Daniel Garrett. It's why the ending of the film is so rewarding to me.  Watching Jack catch the ball and finally let go of the pain and regret that has burdened him most of his life. I'm much more over the fact that I wasn't the great high school wrestler that I wanted to be, now, than what I used to be. Yet, it still bugs me. There are days when it downright depresses me. Yet, I know that there will be a day when like Jack, I catch that pass and I score that touchdown. I think that day will come when I professionally publish my first novel. Matter of fact, I'm certain of it.

6. Rudy 

I like Joe Montana and I put him as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game of football, but I think he was out of line with his negative comments about Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger and Rudy. We're not all born with immense talents and abilities. Montana can claim that he worked extremely hard to be as good as he was, and he probably did. Yet, he worked hard as an extraordinarily talented man, who was born with natural gifts and abilities that most people don't have. In some ways I think Montana is jealous or angry that someone not nearly as talented or as good as he was, is just as recognizable a name in Notre Dame football history as is he. Maybe Montana feels that because Rudy wasn't talented, that he didn't deserve his moment in the sun and that glory should only be granted to the gifted.Well, he can feel however he wants to feel, but success cannot be denied to those who will do anything to get it. Never give up, that's the message of the story.  And the ending, exemplifies why.

5. JAWS

"Smile you son of a bitch!"  Is there a more epic line? I have no problem thinking deeply and getting all philosophical on why an ending is captivating to me with a sophisticating explanation, but sometimes it is no more than because it is exciting and it is fun. The stakes are extremely high, Brody knows this is his last chance and it's either him or the shark. Even though I've seen the movie 1,000 times between owning it and not changing the channel when I run across it on TV, and I know what is going to happen, I still experience a sense of urgency. It's a fun ending.

4. Leon: The Professional 

Usually endings either piss me off or they make me happy. Rarely do they ever do both at the exact same time. Matter of fact, I can't think of any other film that does. The bittersweet ending of injustice and justice colliding to give us such a unique ending, is rather satisfying in a strange way. It's heartbreaking to know that this isn't going to end happily for Leon and Matilda, yet it's rewarding to know that Stansfield is finally going to get what we've wanted to see happen to him the entire film. Great films toy with our emotions, and few do as well with that technique as Leon: The Professional. 

3. Rocky III

I haven't seen Creed yet, but out of the other six films, Rocky III is my favorite. I love the story of a man who has lost his mentor and his edge, his killer extinct and his hunger and how he gets it back through the help of an old enemy who turns out to be one of his best friends. To watch him walk into the ring, already knowing he's won the fight before it even takes place is inspirational and motivational. One of the worst feelings is to give up on yourself and lose the fire that burns within you to succeed. Seeing that fire relit as Rocky takes it to Clubber Lang, knocking him out is a rewarding experience every time I watch the movie. Having been involved in a competitive one on one sport like boxing (amateur wrestling) I know the truth in developing friendships and strong bonds with your opponents. The friendship between Balboa and Creed, I think is one of the things that makes this film work as well as it does for me. Watching Apollo, his former greatest enemy in the ring, push him and refuse to give up on him, wanting to see him succeed.....Love this film, love its ending.

2. Superman II

To be clear, I'm talking about the original theatrical release directed by  Richard Lester. As a more liberal minded individual who usually tries to solve conflicts diplomatically, I have to say that sometimes it feels good to kick ass. I still believe that all other avenues and solutions should be exhausted before one resorts to violence but sometimes it is the answer. I can remember the first time I saw Superman II. I was only four years old at the time, but I remember it well. All hope was lost and the bad guys had won. Then suddenly Superman starts to crush Zod's hand and all hope is restored.Some people like Richard Donner's version better where Zod and his gang are once again imprisoned and prefer it over Lester's version where the three of them are killed. They say it goes against Superman's nature to kill and they feel it is out of character. Normally I would agree, but Superman knew the probability of Zod's escape and the dire consequences that would result if he were to have won. He could not put the Earth or the people of the Earth in such jeopardy again, thus in this particular case killing Zod was a decision of thought,rather than personal vengeance. This film reminds me of my childhood and how watching great films like this helped me to develop my imagination and create my own stories. Sometimes when watching it, I forget that I'm a 30 year old man with my own home in my own living room. Sometimes I still picture myself back at my old house in Sigourney, Iowa, with my Dad, sitting on the living room floor watching Superman kick ass. It's very nostalgic for me.

1. The Princess Bride 

I've seen The Princess Bride 100's of times in my life, and each time I fall in love with the sub-story of Inigo Montoya and his determination to avenge his father's murder. I admire dedication, and I admire those who dedicate their lives to achieving their goals, working extraordinarily hard to make them happen. The character is written so well, and played so impeccably by Mandy Patinkin, that I find myself wanting him to succeed in his quest, as much as he wants to succeed. From the moment he tells his story to Westley, up unto the final confrontation between him and Count Rugen, the movie builds the anticipation. My heart sinks, every time I watch the scene where Count Rugen throws the knife into Montoya's belly, and it seems that failure is inevitable. I cannot stop my eyes from tearing up when Montoya utters the words, "I'm sorry father, I tried." I feel cheated. I feel wronged and for a moment I hate life for how cruel and unfair it can be. Then out of nowhere Montoya continues to fight, because his determination is greater than even he knew. He continues to fight because the will to succeed is greater than the force of fate that tries to stop him. He refuses to lose, even if it is subconsciously. When he finally gets his revenge and says, "I want my father back you son of a bitch" it is the most rewarding thing I've ever witnessed in cinema. He does not experience the moment of relief and the moment of victory alone. I am there, sharing it with him.

  

Welcome to the Fourth Reich (Parody)

(PARODY OF BAD MOON RISING BY CCR) 

I see a fourth Reich arising
I see racists have their say
I see animosity heightening
I see our nation in decay

Don’t be gay tonight
Well he’s bound to take your rights
welcome to the fourth Reich

I see hostility a growing
I fear minorities are doomed
I see liberties forgoing
I see white males a constant shoe-in

Don’t be a woman tonight
well he’s bound to take your rights
welcome to the fourth Reich

Justice is about to leave altogether
Equality, is about to go bye-bye
Hell, a result of his bellwether
This is the Fourth Reich

Don’t be non-Christian tonight
well he’s bound to take your rights
welcome to the fourth Reich 

The real racism in Hollywood.

One of the hot topics so far in early 2016, is that of racism in Hollywood. The annual Academy Awards and how they're racist. Now of course everyone has their opinion on the subject. Some agree that indeed their is racism in Hollywood, the Academy Awards in particularly and others disagree saying that there is no racism in Hollywood. Still others fall somewhere in the middle, with their views on the subject.

Nevertheless, regardless of where you stand.... the issue of racism in Hollywood is primarily...I could actually get away with saying solely...focused on the black community. Are blacks treated fairly in Hollywood or are they not? Personally, I see why the black community feels discriminated against. However, comparatively speaking, they are not nearly as discriminated against as other minority groups. 

If asked to name as many black male and female actors as I can off of the top of my head, I can easily come up with 28 and I can easily put together a top 10 favorite black actors list. Matter of fact, two black actors, Eddie Murphy and James Avery, are easily in my favorite actors of all time list. I will say that male black actors have more of a strong presence and acceptance in Hollywood, than female black actors, but overall compared to other minority groups in America, the only ones who have it better than blacks, are whites.

Which raises this question: Should we take into account that blacks only make up 13.2% of Americans?  Does that have something to do with why they are underrepresented in Hollywood?  I think it's a fair question to ask.

Now Latinos/Hispanics, I think fall into a similar category to blacks. At 17.4% of the American population, they too have a similar position in Hollywood. Once again, I can come up with a top 10 favorite Latino/Hispanic actor list and I can think of 25 Hispanic/Latino actors off the top of my head without too much effort. Do they deserve more credits and recognition? Absolutely, but again comparatively speaking in regards to other minority groups, they have it not too bad.

So where does racism in Hollywood really rear its ugly head? Against Asians and especially against Native Americans.  I can't come up with a top 10 list of favorite Asian Actors. I can only come up with a list of seven. Overall if I really rack my brain and try extremely hard, I can come up with damn near 20 Asian actors altogether.

Native Americans are even worse. I can't even come up with 15. As far as my favorites, I can only come up with six.  When it comes to Asian and Native American actors, I'm not going to just throw a name out there because I did a quick google search on "Asian Actors" or "Native American" actors and the names were provided.  I'm going to go based on performances I've seen, and thought were very good. 

You know what I've noticed?  That once again, men, like they did in the black community, also have it better in the Asian and Native American community than women do.

You know what else I've noticed? That even the really good Asian and Native American actors, don't have a lot of major credits to their names. Matter of fact, unlike the Denzel Washington's, the Will Smith's, the James Earl Jones', the Eddie Murphy's, the Whoopie Goldberg's, the Danny Glover's, the Halle Berry's, the Wesley Snipes', and the Louis Gosset Jr's they don't have the respectable list of hit movies, with respectable leading and/or supporting roles. Matter of fact, their acting credits are more of a mixture of maybe one to three larger roles, mixed in with a bunch of minor roles in A list films and then a ton of television show appearances and B films.  And this goes for actors who are extremely talented.

Want some examples?  Here you go.

Let's start with the Asian community.

B.D. Wong

Now, I'd imagine that you are fairly familiar with the actor B.D. Wong, as he's one of the few Asians to be granted a respectable and notable career in Hollywood. I'd say that is strongly because of his work on the highly popular Law and Order: Special Victims Unit television series. Other notable roles that he has played include parts in Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. I personally adore him in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II. He showed off his versatility to play both serious parts as well as hilariously funny parts. Yet comparatively speaking, even though he's a well known Asian actor, his list of credits pales in comparison to that of any major white actor and even of most major black actors.  Why is that? Are parts written primarily for white and black actors, and not for Asian actors?  Some like to claim that when they write a character in a film's story, they do not give him/her an ethnic background. So, essentially the part could go to anyone, regardless of their race. If that is the case, then why doesn't this gifted actor have more top notch films on his resume?

 

 

Jason Scott Lee

You know who has it even worse than B.D. Wong?  Jason Scott Lee. After his Oscar and Academy worthy appearance in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story it would have seemed that JSL would have had an illustrious career full of one major credit after another. Instead, his work has been sporadic and most of the films he has been in have been forgettable to say the least. Personally I don't get it.  The guy is exceptionally talented, especially at dramatic acting. He's every bit as good as a Kevin Costner or a Leonardo DiCaprio. So why don't his credentials reflect that? Because he's Asian. There's really no other way around it. He's Asian and because he's Asian those major parts in major films, don't get offered to him.



Other Asian actors I feel are extremely talented and have gotten the raw end of the deal.....

Now, we move on to Native Americans, who out of all groups in Hollywood are most certainly the most underrepresented. Now you may argue that statistically and demographically that it would only make sense that they would be. Native Americans only make up 1.2% of the American population. I think that's a fair statement, but once again, there are Native American actors who fall victim to the same fate as B.D. Wong or Jason Scott Lee.


For example....

 

Graham Greene

Graham Greene may very well be the most recognizable Native American actor amongst Americans today. In my opinion, he is not only one of the greatest Native American actors of all time, he's plain one of the top 50 actors. His work in Dances With Wolves and The Green Mile help to illustrate that, but it also helps to illustrate the discrimination that is in Hollywood.  What else has he really done besides those two films? The lackluster film North exploited him as a novelty and other than that, he hasn't done a whole lot other than work on the television series Northern Exposure. Again, a classic example of someone with immense talent, not being used, simply because he isn't white or black.

Adam Beach

Adam Beach is probably the closest to a B.D. Wong that the Native American population has. He is fairly well know, again ironically because of his work in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and he has had a fairly respectable career in Hollywood with credits to his name such as Squanto and Smoke Signals, but his career does not even come close to reflecting how good of an actor he is. Why? Because once again, he's a Native American and that alone is keeping him from getting parts. If a white man or even a black man, had the talent he possesses as a Native American, that person would have twice to thrice the number of notable credits to his name.



Let's bring up Litefoot. Are you familiar with Litefoot?  Here is a picture of him.......

Litefoot

 

You may not recognize this Native American rapper upon first glance, but I guarantee that if you were a kid in 1995, you most likely know him.  He's Little Bear from the hit film The Indian in the Cupboard.  It was clear to see from that film alone, that Litefoot had talent and that he should have at least had a working career in Hollywood. Yet, he didn't.  And as a result of struggling to find work as an actor, he has since taken his talents into other endeavors. Should he have had to though? Should someone of his talent had to have gotten out of the acting gig and into the rapping gig, partially because of how hard it was to find work? I don't think so. But, it is the way that it is, because opportunities for Native American actors in Hollywood, are few and far between.



Other Native American actors that I feel have gotten the short end of the stick in Hollywood.....

 

 

Now you may think to yourself, "August Schellenberg and Will Sampson are both dead."  And that's true, they are. It's also true that Sampson died way too young and may have had another 10-15 years left in Hollywood, if he had not passed away so prematurely.  Yet, I still think it's safe to say that his opportunities would have been limited because he was Native American.



So overall I conclude this.  Yes, racism, whether blatant or accidental exist. Or perhaps if we don't want to call it racism, we can at least say that it is racially insensitive or in the very least, set up to opportune the white community more than it does any other.  We can also say that while members of the black community face oppression and an assortment of other challenges in Hollywood, that it is unfair and irresponsible to primarily focus on the black community on issues of race in Hollywood. The Latino/Hispanic and especially the Asian and Native American communities need to be a part of that discussion as well. The discrimination they have had to endure is far greater in many respects, and it should not be overlooked or ignored.





Books read in 2016

1 - Guitar Notes - Mary Amato

2 - Call Me By My Name - John Ed Bradley

3 - Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes - Chris Crutcher

4 - Does my Head Look Big In This - Randa Abdel-Fattah

5 - Sasquatch in the Paint - Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld

6 - Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

7 - Wired for Story - Lisa Cron

8 - The Game - Mike Lupica

9 - Cowboy Up - Kim D. Parrish

10 - Every Exquisite Thing - Matthew Quick

In Response to: 7 Things You Do That Annoy Your Uber Driver by Alexandra Ma

I recently read, "7 Things You Do That Annoy Your Uber Driver" by Alexandra Ma.  It was a well written article that addressed some issues concerning being an Uber driver, that I would like to respond to myself. 


1. You don't give a five-star rating, even though your ride was perfectly fine
I want to say that this is more of a reflection on UBER itself than it is on the customer. When rating your ride, you are asked to put into consideration your driver, his/her car, the cleanliness of the outside of the car, the cleanliness of the inside of the car and the timeliness of the ride.  As a driver, you may have had a wonderful experience with me and thought I was extraordinarily helpful helping you to carry your bags to the door of your apartment, but you also want to note that my car was dirty.  So you end up giving me a 4/5 instead of a 5/5. 

UBER needs to take these types of things into consideration. I don't have time to go and wash my car every time we have a snow storm.  It's also not a reflection on me if I'm in Waukee when I'm sent a notification to go and pick up in Ankeny and the rider has to wait 20 minutes.  It's 20 minutes from Waukee to Ankeny no matter how you slice it.

I also think UBER needs to take some other things into consideration as well.  Drunk people can be belligerent.  A customer might be upset that you didn't get them there faster, but the speed limit was 35 and is it fair to put yourself in jeopardy of a speeding ticket or possibly even losing your license by doing 50 mph or faster in that zone? 

Don't get me wrong, I think UBER should hold drivers to a high standard and that we should adhere to living up to that standard, but those standards need to reflect realistic and fair expectations.

2. You don't tip.
Again this isn't a reflection of the customer as much as it a reflection of UBER.  In my opinion, each ride ought to give the customer an option to tip.  For example, their phone would read something along the lines of, "Your trip was $10.00   Would you like to tip?"  Then it would have the option of "15% 20% 25% other or no."  You click 20%, then it would show you that your total was $12.

As for right now, customers usually ask me how they can tip me and I have to tell them that it is a system they have to set up before hand on their phone.  They don't like the current system and neither do I.  Tipping in a lot of ways is a reflection of service. If I'm rude, blare my music real loud and don't help the customer with their luggage as I pick them up from the airport, I don't deserve a tip.  Yet, if I'm polite, friendly and make sure that their experience is as enjoyable as it can be, then I earned the 25% tip they give me. 

I've gotten a lot of cash tips. I've gotten lots of $5 bills, a few $10 bills and even a couple $20's.

If UBER made it easier to tip, I think more people would do it.  People understand the service industry and if you give them good service, they'll recognize it.

3. You keep them waiting after they arrive to pick you up
This can get a bit annoying, especially when you're on a role and you're getting ride after ride.  If it's 1:00 a.m. and you've averaging $25 an hour, you don't want to sit outside a bar for 15 minutes waiting for them to have one last drink.  When it's real busy, what I do is message my customer my eta.  I'll say "be there in 5 minutes..."   When I arrive, I'll give them 5 minutes to come out or explain to me why it might take longer.  For example the other night at the airport I arrived at 7:15 p.m. and my customer messaged me back that it was taking forever for him to get his luggage.  Since his circumstance was legitimate, I waited the 20 minutes it took.

Yet, if my customer is not responding to me and I've waited for more than 5 minutes after arrival, I'm canceling the trip, charging them the $4 no show and heading out to get another fare.  Some may see this as impatient or even unfair, but this is a business. This is a way of making a living. If you asked for a ride and you know your driver will be there at 7:35 p.m. then you better  be out there waiting for him/her by no later than 7:40 p.m.  Thinking you can have one more drink or finish up your video game and come strolling out at 8 O'clock is unacceptable and rude.

4. You cancel at the last minute
Now this is something that does piss me off.  It doesn't happen a lot, but it happens enough to make it an issue. What's annoying is when you have driven a long way and then as soon as you get there, the trip is canceled.   For example, I was up in Ames the other night, after having took a girl from the Airport back to Iowa State, and I stayed up in Ames for a few hours as it was busy.  When it slowed down, I started on my way back home.  As I was back on I-35 headed towards Des Moines, I got a notification to go and pick someone up in north Ames.  It took me 15 minutes to get there and when I pulled up into the person's drive way the trip was canceled.  That is very annoying.

5. You put your music on way too loud.
5 and 6 go very well together.  See 6.

6. You play around with their gadgets without asking.
I have had customers do this before. I've had them get into my car and turn the heat up or turn it down.  I've had them turn the radio on and switch it to a station they like and then blare the music. I've even had then reach into my middle compartment, pull out my CD's and start looking through them.  My response is usually polite, yet firm.

"Please, allow me to do that." I'll say to them, "If you are too hot or too cold I'll adjust the temperature.  What would you like to listen to? What station?"  

As for people looking through my CD's I wish they would ask first, but I usually get a kick out of people's reactions to the type of music I listen to.  

7. You spill sloppy food or beverages in their car
Never had this problem.  I keep waiting for the person who wants to smoke in my car and then is pissed off as Hell when I won't let them, but it hasn't happened yet.  I've had a few people ask, but when I said no, they were perfectly fine with it.  

Which is reason 10,027  why I like UBER driving more than I did cab driving.  Don't get me wrong in cab driving, I did deal with a lot of really cool, interesting individuals, but you deal with a lot of pricks too.  You just don't deal with the pricks in UBER.  UBER customers are more coherent and they're certainly more educated. 

The lady who screams at you for minutes upon end for not letting her stink up your cab with cigarette smoke....you don't deal with that in UBER.

10 Pro Wrestlers Who Were Not Superstars (in the United States) Who Could Have Been







Alex "The Pug" Pourteau

Sometimes in life, in order to be successful, you have to be patient. You can't sit around forever waiting for something to happen, but things don't happen over night either. Being impatient, is one of the things that hampered the career of Alex Pourteau. Antsy feet, and the grass always being greener on the other side, Pourteau jumped from federation to federation throughout the late 80's into mid 90's. He was with WCCW in 1988, USWA in 1989 and WCW in 1990. By the time he began to settle down a little bit, he was having a fairly successful career in GWF that lasted from 1991-1994, but unfortunately for him and the other GWF workers, the company lost their television contract with ESPN, and the company soon folded.


Pourteau ended up in the WWE from 1996-1997, and was doomed from the very beginning. For one, he was trying to portray an All American, honest, good sportsmanship displaying "Bob Backlund" type character, during a time when the fans were craving a foul mouthed, screw authority, break the rules bad ass of Stone Cold Steve Austin.  It didn't help being named after a small, relatively harmless dog known best for breathing problems either.  To top it off, Pourteau, who was an average, never qualified for state high school wrestler, was trying to pull off as if he were a former amateur champion of Olympic caliber. It might have worked 10-15 years prior before the internet, but in 1997 fans could look up his history, find out that he had a 500 career record in high school and call b.s. on his credibility.

It's really a shame too, because Pourteau was an excellent professional wrestler. His technical expertise reminded me a lot of a young Bret Hart. He was a true technician in the ring. He also has the ability to hit high flying maneuvers and he had a tremendous build and physique. He wasn't particularly exceptional on the mic, but he was good enough to pass.  I really think if he had been a tad more patient before coming to WWE, allowed himself to develop more of a character, and then been given something better to try than the failed "The Pug" gimmick he was given, that he could have been an upper mid-carder.  



Tom Brandi



 

 

Sometimes people make decisions in life, that at least on the surface, make little to no sense. If I had to sum up why Tom Brandi isn't a more well known name in the world of professional wrestling, I would say it was because of a bizarre choice he made in 1998. In the mid 90's Brandi entered the WWE under the gimmick of Salvatore Sincere an Italian con-artist of sorts who pretended to be everyone's friend, only to stab them in the back at the end. The character was not over and he was nothing more than enhancement talent for the other superstars. Fellow worker, Marc Mero saw something in Brandi and under his suggestion, began a feud with Brandi which would turn him face and have him drop the Sincere gimmick to work under his real name instead. Feuding with Mero, the fans began to get behind Brandi as he changed his look to an appealing ring attire of black trunks, black elbow pads, black knee pads and black boots with the Italian flag printed on them. As he began to gain momentum and show that he had the ability to be much more than a jobber, he made the sudden, unexpected decision to leave the WWE. Without context as to why he made this decision, it seems very nonsensical and even downright dumb.  He spent two years in the WWE without even the slightest hint that he might move up the ladder and then as soon as he gets his first break, he vanishes. I've never been able to make sense of it.

As of today, Brandi works the independents under his real name and as Sincere.  He also began using Del Wilkes's The Patriot gimmick, without Wilkes's permission, even though he claimed for a while that he did have Wilkes's blessing.  I think the two have since communicated about it and Brandi is no longer using the gimmick.

Scott Putski

 

 

When you love being a part of something so much and you have a true passion for it, it's sometimes hard to related to those who don't. And that may be why some had or still have a hard time trying to relate to Scott Putski. The son of WWE legend, Ivan Putski, Putski was a standout football player for Texas Christian University, who found himself in the world of professional wrestling shortly after graduation.  He spent two years in the GWF and then was immediately shoved into the spotlight upon entering the WWE in 1993. Part of the reason Putski did not succeed in the WWE, was because he was not given the proper amount of time to develop his in and out of the ring skills and talents. He was too green and to inexperienced for the opportunities that he was given.

Putski no doubt had an appreciation for professional wrestling, but he also wanted to know what life was like outside of professional wrestling. Having grown up in and around it his whole life, he wanted to see what else besides professional wrestling had to offer. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it does help to explain why Putski never became the superstar he could have been. After leaving the WWE in 1997, Putski had a very short WCW career and then dabbled around in the independents for a while before calling it quits in 2003. In 2013, Putski got an itch to get back into the ring and has been performing in independent shows ever since.



Shawn Stasiak



Similar circumstances to Putski, Stasiak entered the world of professional wrestling immediately after a successful career as a amateur wrestler at Boise State University where he was a two time PAC-10 conference finalist. One of the major problems with Stasiak's career not being as successful as what it should have been, was that his last name (his father Stan Stasiak was a former WWE champion) got him into positions far sooner than it should have. Much like Putski, he was too inexperienced for the opportunities he was given.  His first stint in the WWE from 1999-2000, didn't fair the best so he left for WCW. As he was beginning to come into his own and start having success little by little, WCW was bought out by the WWE and rather than be one of the former WCW guys that got shoved under the rug, he decided to call it quits on his professional wrestling career.

As of today, Stasiak is a successful chiropractor and motivational speaker.

 

Hakushi

Originally this blog was titled, "10 Pro Wrestlers Who Were Not Superstars Who Could Have Been" but when I added Hakushi to the list, I realized that I had to put in the stipulation of "in the United States" in order to be fair. Hakushi was and matter of fact still is a legend over in Japan. The Japanese fans are lucky to be graced with someone as talented and gifted as Hakushi is in the ring and American fans ought to be jealous. We only got to see him for a few short years in America, as he performed in the WWE from 1994-1996 and had an extremely short stint in ECW thereafter. While in WWE, Hakushi had some of the most exciting and entertaining matches with the 1-2-3 Kid  and Bret Hart. I've never seen a Hakushi match where I wasn't vastly glued to my seat, with my eyes glued to the screen.

I would imagine that Hakushi left the WWE, because he was probably never going to get the push to intercontinental champion that he deserved for two reasons. A, professional wrestling at that time in the United States was still a big man's game. A mediocre big man had a far greater chance of getting success, than did a superbly talented small man like Hakushi. It's also noted the WWE has never given much to their Asian superstars with exception of course to Yokozuna, who was actually Samoan.

Duke "The Dumpster" Droese

Sometimes if you want to be successful at something, you have to be 100% into it and make it your whole life. Duke Droese enjoyed professional wrestling, but not enough to make it his whole life and that's why his career never flourished the way it could have. From 1994-1996, Droese worked for the WWE but became homesick and tired of being on the road as much as he was and he decided to call it quits. He went into McMahon's office, had a conversation with him and explained to McMahon that he wasn't cut out for this life style. McMahon released him from his contract and he gave up the life of glamor for a much simpler life teaching special education in Tennessee.

Ludvig Borga

There's one reason and one reason only Ludvig Borga didn't make it bigger in the WWE, and that was because he was an all and all out prick. He was a very angry, pessimistic, negative man that was rather difficult to get along with. Few people liked him. No one ever said you have to be a nice person to be successful though and regardless of his poor attitude, his size and talent helped him to get fairly far in the WWE. If it had not been for an ankle injury he sustained in a match against Rick Steiner, he would have eventually been given the intercontinental title and a main event status push.  Had he have had a better attitude and been better liked, I believe WWE would have simply waited for his injury to heal and went ahead with their plans. Yet, I think they realized as he was laid up, that they could instead go in a different direction with individuals who were easier to deal with.

Upon getting out of pro wrestling, Borga found out that he's not nearly as tough as he thought he was, when he stepped into the Octagon and has his butt handed to him by Randy Courture.  After his short stint in MMA, he decided to get into politics where he could bully people around verbally with his racist, sexist and homophobic remarks.

When he passed away in 2010, the general consensus was good riddance.

Mr. Hughes

 

 

 

The real life cousin of Dudley Boys' D'von, Mr. Hughes in many ways was his own worst enemy. Sometimes in life we have to wait our turn. He didn't want to wait his turn, he wanted to be on top and he wanted to be on top right now.  As a result both his WCW and WWE runs were relatively short. Rumor has it, that he didn't want to do jobs for anyone and when he would lose it was almost always by count-out or disqualification as he blatantly refused to lose by fall or submission. One of the main reasons he didn't get opportunities to be in more marquee matches was because he thought he should be winning all of the matches and be the top heel in the company. It's a shame that he had the attitude he did, because he had one Hell of a character and he was a good in ring worker. It's even more of a shame that he burned the bridges he did, because he's lost weight, and he's gotten a lot better in the ring. He's quicker and he's in better shape, than he was 20 years ago. Not many can say that.




Erik Watts

Sometimes in life you can almost have too much going for you. Watts, a stand out wrestler and football player in high school, who was a star quarterback for the Louisville Cardinals in college, was also the son of professional wrestling promoter Bill Watts. Encouraged by his father and treated like he was a huge deal, Watts felt he was a huge deal, and acted like he was a huge deal way, way before he was. In the long run, it was unfair to Watts in many ways because he was an extremely talented kid, who simply needed someone to sit him down and give him a little guidance. He needed to be set straight about the business, but instead was given breaks throughout his WCW career from 1992-1994 because of his Dad's position of power.

When Watts left for the WWE, I was hoping that he'd have an opportunity to showcase that he could make it on his own without the aid of his father. Thrown into what could have been a successful tag team with Chad Fortune, Techno Team 2000, Watts was unable to adjust to an environment where he was not treated like a big deal. The team only lasted for less than two years.

His career from that point on was lackluster. Short stints in WCW, ECW and most recently TNA from 2002-2005 revealed a person who seemed bitter and frustrated that he was near the end of his run and that he had not made it bigger and further than what he did. We all look back at our lives and have moments where we realize we could have made better decisions. Had Watts made better decisions, and had he have had some guidance I think he could have been one of WCW's top guys. He simply needed time to adjust and develop and he was never given that time. It's no wonder things turned out the way they did.



Evan Karagias





Not everything in life is up to you. There are times when other people make decisions that effect your life. Not everything is in your control. WWE really missed the boat, when they didn't utilize Evan Karagias the way they could have. The way they should have.

I was a huge Evan Karagias fan. Towards the end of WCW, he was my favorite superstar. A former state champion high school wrestler, who wrestled for North Carolina State while getting a degree in theatre, I had a lot in common with Karagias. I felt that he was much better than the three count gimmick that he was being stuck with.

When he went into the WWE, upon the closing of WCW,I was hoping that WWE would realize that they had the next Shawn Michaels on their hands, and I was hoping that they would capitalize on it. Instead, they barely used Karagias and he ended up having a severe concussion that more or less ended his career.

This was a guy, that with the right backing and the right people believing in him, could have been a major star.

As of today, Karagias makes a living as a tax consultant.