Personifying America

I have met a lot of interesting people in Arizona. Having a professional life and social life that seemingly stretch from one extreme to the next, it was inevitable. In my professional life, I work with numerous people who embody success. In my social life, I know numerous people who are living out their dreams on their own terms.

Then, there is me in between the two. I might not have been as successful or as accomplished as I would have been if I worked harder sooner. I might not be living out a dream as I never really started out with one. And yet, I feel both as though I have been successful and I live my life as I chose.

All too often, I find myself lamenting Americans for turning themselves into victims of our society, failing to realize how much freedom they have -- such as the freedom to chose to see themselves as victims. It feels as though they minimize the work of others, overvalue their own effort, and conclude that there are too many obstacles in their way for them.

Thankfully, there are others who get it. They understand their freedoms of choice, and they view setbacks as their own failure, so they choose to try again, harder. They prioritize goals over desires, and they keep going until they reach their next achievement. Satisfied with their accomplishments but not satiated in their effort, that achievement is followed by the next goal, and they continue moving onward.

Tonight, a popular biker bar in Scottsdale was celebrating its 14th anniversary. I was interested in attending because they have booked gigs for my friend Jeordie, but also, tonight's gig featured Hollywood Yates, a guy who I know from the ring instead of the stage.

Not noticing his 6-9:30 timeslot, I cut it closer than I even had realized until later.

I have said before that Navajo Warrior had taught me the most about the wrestling business and that Lil' Nate had taught me the most about the wrestling itself, but Hollywood Yates may have taught me more about my role in wresting than anyone else. My first interactions with him were cordial. I have always preferred to view wrestlers as "larger than life," and Hollywood supported that point of view. We kept our conversations short, maybe even to a simple exchange of praise and gratitude where I would pay him a brief compliment and he would acknowledge my support.

As my role in Impact Zone Wrestling grew, I found my conversations with Hollywood were getting longer. One day in Prescott Valley, he had an extensive conversation about his career. It would have happened without my realizing it, except I noticed he had brief exchanges of praise and gratitude with others while he kept our conversation going. At first, I was not sure how our conversation became a priority. Initially, I mistook it for flattery, and I thought maybe I was just an enjoyable listener for someone like Hollywood Yates.

As I drove home, thinking about our conversation and what he had said, I realized the truth behind what had happened and why I was so important. I had started writing the promotional material for IZW, both the show recaps to explain what had happened, as well as the event hype to excite people for the next show. I realized that the guy with the pen tells the story. The words I chose to hype events or recap matches could shape emotions for the readers, and Hollywood needed me to understand who he was in order to convey his story further to our fans.

Backstage with Hollywood at IZW.

Empowered by my new sense of value to the organization, I considered that role more heavily and I realized that my role backstage would not circumvent me from being able to still be a fan of the shows, but rather my remaining a fan at heart could even improve the shows. I tried to find moments of time to think about the events and recall my feelings about them when I recapped the shows. I had bought a video camera and I had been using it to record the matches, but then I started providing color commentary through the footage so I could include my emotions of the matches, instead of just the steps of a match, in the recaps.

Tonight, it was only the second or third time that I have been able to see Hollywood Yates perform as a musician. I showed up much later than planned, and I had weighed both my options to come out to the show or to head straight home after dinner with another friend. I was tired enough to turn home, but it had been so long since I had seen Hollywood that it made the final decision for me.

The bar was cramped, a small venue with a big event, As always in such a situation (being a life-long fan of Great White), I accessed the fire violations of the wooden beams overhead with countless bras flung across them. It was a precarious situation as long as there was nothing to spark a potentially deadly blaze (all paranoia aside, the building may have had an internal sprinkler system that I overlooked).

Hollywood Yates introduced his buddy to come take the stage for a song, which gave me an opportunity to let him know I was there in support. We had a brief exchange, reminiscent of our earliest exchanges of praise and gratitude.

After his short break from the stage, he went back up to close the show with a couple more songs. Ever the showman, he talked about all the hats he had worn on stage that night so far, and then segued into talking about all the hats he had worn in his life so far, wrapping up with his invitation to participate on U.S.O. tours, which led into his introduction for the patriotic power-ballad he had in mind. At the end of the song, he draped an American flag across his back, and for a moment, I forgot all that's wrong in the world because that sight was so right. I cannot think of anyone who personifies opportunity or epitomizes "Land of the Free" more than Hollywood Yates!

Hollywood models "Freedom of Choice"

From the rodeos to the wresting ring to national TV as American Gladiator Wolf to that stage tonight, Hollywood Yates has made the most out of the opportunities that he has been given.

Growing up in Small Town, Oklahoma, my mother had made it very clear that my sister and I were not allowed to live our whole lives there. She required us to move away, and if we wanted to come back, then we could -- but she needed us to know life outside of one town first. I may not be the most successful member of my family (and I only have the one sister), but my decision to move to Arizona and capitalize on my freedom however I saw fit has paid off. I do not set out to impress many people, but there was one time (where Hollywood Yates actually played a starring role) where I was especially proud to impress someone. Growing up, our dearest family friends were Bonnie & Lonnie. We were neighbors in Tishomingo, Oklahoma (where I lived for only the first six months of my life, so those memories are non-existent) but we stayed in touch long after we both moved to other towns. Every Super Bowl Sunday, we would visit them in Madill and every Fourth of July, they would visit us. They attended my father's funeral, and I remember grasping how important we were to each other when my mother had an extended conversation with them (like my conversation with Hollywood in Prescott Valley) while keeping other interactions to quick exchanges.

Even long after my sister and I graduated college and moved away, my mother has remained friends with Bonnie & Lonnie. Several years ago, she was visiting them after "American Gladiators" had started on NBC, and it was Lonnie's favorite show. His favorite character was Wolf. He was blown away when my mother said that I knew him. The following week, I sent her the picture that he and I had taken backstage at IZW, and during her next visit, Lonnie still had the printed photo attached to one of his picture frames.

As I turned 40 last month (or maybe it was because my 17-year-old Penny finally got a bad health report), I have reflected a lot on my life and accomplishments. My life over the past 20 years in Arizona has been what I wanted it to be given all the opportunities presented. Almost none of it was what I would have expected upon moving here, but I am grateful for almost all of it!

Pick Your Battles

I saw an interesting sub-question on Twitter yesterday. Someone wrote, "Not sure which show to watch on Netflix now, I want something funny and everything popular seems so dramatic." There are a handful of good original comedies on Netflix, including my favorite "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp" (which was the reason I signed up for Netflix in the first place). And yet, she was right. All of the shows that garnered a buzz and social praise have been dramatic and serious. It is a reflection of the times.

We are each at war, but it is not a collective, unified war. It is a war that each of us has adopted for ourselves, and we fight it with others who see the same injustices the way we do against anyone who does not. The "information superhighway" has given us a battleground for a war against ignorance, which is the true enemy because we cannot understand why anyone would not believe the same way we do. We currently find ourselves in a world that understands you pick your own battles, but we are unable to make the simple deduction that the phrase also means you pick your own enemies.

It is no wonder that comic book movies are so popular in our society today! As serious and dramatic as everything is in our lives, we still have to have some lighthearted entertainment now and again. Comic book movies fit the bill nicely. Everybody sees themselves as battling against the world's super-villains. Or, especially for many who post online throughout the day with weekly tirades, maybe they just want a superhero to swoop in to skew things in favor of what is right and good.

We choose our battles. We choose our enemies. By large, we even choose what is good and what we see as right.

And yet, so many of these online social justice warriors (those who frequently post online about their chosen issues of great importance, without actually joining charitable organizations that try to improve others' lives often affected by such issues) feel so powerless.

They know employers are not looking out for what is best for their employees, yet OSJWs are stuck in dead-end jobs.

They get unhinged at every first-hand account of discrimination found online (no matter how ridiculously one-sided the tale), yet OSJWs villainize the rich. In their limited arsenal of tools is accusing others of having a narrow scope of friends, even though they are not friends with anyone who is even a millionaire or a conservative, or any other traits that they are warring against.

Ultimately, these poor souls lose their battles or the war, because the most hated enemy they chose is within.

This was my favourite moment in 2016...

Best laid plans (...) often go awry

At some point in the past couple years, I realized what my single biggest regret would be if I died today (which is, of course, now in the past): I had never been to Montréal. That admission to myself sparked the determination that I needed to prioritize the trip. At the end of last year, I secured my passport (which had been the excuse I used to postpone planning it for several years) and I started pricing the trip. Before leaving, I made a short list of "must-see" landmarks that I did not want to miss, including the Bell Centre, Tricolore Sports, Notre-Dame Basilica, Montreal Children's Hospital (specifically, the P.K. Atrium), and the Forum.

Corridors in the Forum

Touring the Bell Centre involved the easiest planning as it was a primary destination spot downtown. Next on the list was Montreal Children's Hospital. I used my GPS to arrive and I paid for 45 minutes of parking since I figured, in the most optimistic of circumstances, that would be sufficient time. Unfortunately, I was greeted by a sign directing me to the hospital's new location. Slightly disappointed, I looked for a Tim Hortons because "when in Rome." To my surprise and delight, there was a Copper Branch location at the corner of Lambert Closse and Sainte-Catherine. I reviewed their menu because I had plans with a friend to meet her at a Copper Branch later in my trip and I purchased her a gift card to send her on her birthday, which was several months later but it was my best opportunity to get one.

Just down the road, I saw there was a Tim Hortons as well, so the seemingly unnecessary stop had started panning out very well. (As a quick side note, I went to pay for my Timmies and realized that I had left my credit card at Copper Branch, but the employee had already set it aside for my imminent return so retrieving it could not have been quicker.)

Centre Ice

This Tim Hortons location seemed like it was connected to a mall, so I wanted to look around. It was a good place for me since it was heavily enshrined with the Montréal Canadiens. Even more so than the rest of the city.

At that point, my mind started putting more pieces of the puzzle together. I knew the Forum was located on the corner of Rue Sainte-Catherine and Atwater, so a hockey-themed mall made me wonder whether or not I had inadvertently stumbled into the Forum! Taking a full look inside, and it was obvious that this was in fact the historic location where the Habs had hoisted the Stanley Cup on 22 occasions and housed its banners.

Sitting in Section 210

The location had centre ice marked for a face-off, as well as the original seating from Section 210. I used it as a photo opportunity, and I overheard a couple guys laughing at us (I was not the only photog there in action). The guys were friendly enough, so I shared my story of being a long-time fan of the team by way of Oklahoma and Arizona. They shared with me some of their experiences at the original Forum. As I sat down on the steps (since I was a couple rows above them) to continue the discussion, a security guard warned me that we were not allowed to sit there. One of the guys then joked, "Yeah, see that is a rule left over from the days of the Forum, and the security guards then would have done the exact same thing. So, I think that is about as close to the true Forum experience as you can get in this day and age!"