Its been 2 days now since the aroma of simmering beans has been floating through my house and I have a confession. I miss my beans. Waking up to a cup o beans… having a big spoonful before I leave for work. Anticipating the bowl waiting on me as I drive home… I miss my beans!!!

Yesterday was domestic day. and I came to the same conclusion after a day of washing and cleaning house…I have to get a maid. I don’t know what I hate more…cleaning house, or not having a clean house. But one thing is for sure. I don’t like doing it.

i ran into this couple at a restaurant yesterday as I was getting to go food and the woman was in a great mood. As I sat down, she said hello. Engaged me in conversation about the lunchtime cocoktail she was having… she was super friendly. Her date on the other hand was visibly angry that she was even talking to me. He didn’t say a word but he had that “I want to kick his ass” look going. I really feel sorry for people that go thru life all pissed off. Granted, I have no idea what they had been through before I got there. He could have just found out about an affair she was having… she may have spent all his money during the holidays and he just found out… whatever… I still have a hard time dealing with people with bad attitudes.

For the few of you who may be wondering about the bar in mexico that steve and I are trying to buy, we are in the phase now of hiring a CPA in mexico (scarey). We talked to her yesterday and her job is to make sure that there are no liens or taxes owed by the corporation. This should take about a week or so and from there, we will be making the written offer on the bar. Kinda boring right now but that’s the deal. Bartendica is pretty excited about the prospect of moving there and running the bar.

It’s a wonder that people, in this huge, vast land we live in, ever find anyone else to hang out with…considering how different we all are. I was at a bar last night and I found myself sitting at a table with three guys that I didn’t know. And these guys were very cool to hang out with but they were so different from one another.
Guy one was the quiet guy. Yeah, he was dressed in the trendy t shirt and he had the faux-hawk going but this guy may have said 3 words the entire time I was sitting with them.
Guy 2 was a little more verbal. He was a good looking guy, an athlete, but down deep, you could tell he was a party waiting to happen… but he didn’t want to let it show.
Guy 3 was al over the place. A watch that was blinging harder than 50 cent on a good day. this was the story teller from the group. He was ready for anything to happen.
These dudes were obviously good friends but they were soo different. Each of them bringing something different to the party. But they did all want the same thing.. CHICKS.. HOT CHICKS!
Keep in mind this observation is coming from a black guy that hangs out with a white guy named red-neck steve!!!

When I left the bar, I waved goodbye to a buddy that I had seen earlier but I wasn’t able to hang out with a whole lot. Now this buddy is a real guy’s guy… one of those guys that guys want to be and girls want to be with! Ok, so He didn’t see me wave. A few minutes after I walked out, he called me to ask why didn’t I say bye to him. He was actually somewhat mad about this. I explained that I did wave to him as I was walking out but he wasn’t hearing it… REALLY!!!??? Cmon dude. We’re guys! We don’t get upset over that kind of crap.. he actually sent me a text message saying we need to talk today and get some stuff straight!!! OMG, I think he turned into a chick!

The make up:

I received a couple texts from bartendica on Friday and I didn’t return them. Not trying to be mean or rude but to be honest, it had been so long since we had talked, I really didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to start the conversation. Sometimes, its just so much easier to not o anything. But that really doesn’t fix anything. It’s just the easy way out…and when it comes to relationships, that seems to be my M.O..

 

Saturday, I finally made the move. I texted an invitation to her to meet at primos. We could talk, discuss, and hopefully fix it and move on. No, that’s a lie. If that’s truly what I wanted to do, (talk), then I would have done it without being with steve. (he and I had gone to a lunch meeting together.) But I did want to at least hang out with her and get past this hump.  She did show up. But by the time she got there, 4 more friends had shown up, (univited by me). So we ended up just kind of hanging out without really getting into what our problem was. Maybe that’s for the best…it wasn’t uncomfortable. At least, I didn’t think so… ok, maybe it was for a little bit but when you are really good friends with someone, isn’t it true that even when you don’t see them for a long time that you can just hop right back into the relationship without missing a beat? That’s kinda what happened.

 

I went to see the bucket list and this movie really makes you think. If you leave this movie without wanting to make your own “bucket list”, you’re not human. Ive never said this about a movie but I’ll say it now. This was a well written movie. And yes, when we left, we, bartendica and I, sat in a restaurant for 30 minutes and put a short list together. But the one stipulation was, the things on our list had  to be things that had no monetary value. If you’re totally lost here, go see the movie. Then make your own list.. then throw the first 5 things you come up with out. And start again. Look a little deeper! We did and it makes you look at your life a little differently. One thing that struck me was the closeness that “carter” and “Edward” shared. They told each other everything and were open in a way that I don’t think ive ever been. Then again, when you’re on your death bed, maybe that’s just what you do…

 

By the way, I didnt make any beans all weekend long. Well, at least I didn’t make any up until last night. That’s when I took out the big pot and got it started again. This week, no seafood! J its sausage, salt pork, maybe some meatballs, and I think I’ll try some short ribs. (ive never made short ribs before!) wish me luck.

 

well, today i did hit the streets with the beans. i
took my crock pot, a spoon, and my tape recorder and
got people to try the beans… and every one of the
people liked ‘em.
i started off with my mail carrier. a lady that i
seldom see and i have never spoken to. i saw here as
she dropped off my mail, grabbed her and brought her
in my house to try my beans. she loved em.

i also got several customers as well as a couple
employees of LFT to try my porridge before i did my
photo shoot. they ALL loved my beans!

I completed my photo shoot in womens clothes and came
home and it was almost like somebody hit me with a
hammer as soon as i walked in the house.
chills, fever, headache, dizzy…so i have been on my
couch every since.
after 4 hours of sweating i got up to go get meds and
tea, lemmons, honey and crown royal to fix this cold
the old fashion way…

so i fixed myself another bowl of beans, made some tea
and im getting back on my couch. if theres anytime you
miss having a girlfriend around, its when you’re sick. i
wanted to call my mommie but she’s sick too!

goodnight!

This afternoon, I went to my parents house to let their doggie out to pee. Even though my mom is capable of doing this, she has a REALLY bad cold and it probably isn’t a good idea for her to get out in the really cold weather to walk the dog. My dad cant really take a walk of any length so I try to do stuff for them without making them feel like they are asking me to do it. Its so funny how we start our lives with our parents taking care of us but before long, our roles reverse. Im so luck that I my parents are still around so that I have the opportunity to do this.

I went to do a bit this afternoon and the “crying bit” is one of the most embarrassing ones ive had to do so far in my radio career. So after 3 tries, (uuggh), I think I got one done that will be show worthy. But daaammmn, the humiliation is a mutha!

Sooooo, then after that, it was time for me to take on my new favorite thing…
MAKING A BIG ASS POT OF BEANS! Tonite its, seafood and beans. I got smoked salmon, (yes i said smoked salmon!) shrimp, sausage, snow crab clusters, habanero peppers, jalepeno peppers, Cajun spices, a little sausage, brown rice, green peppers, red peppers, onions, potatoes, OH its OONN– like a pot o BEANS! I really cant explain this new found passion for slow cooking beans. Pinto beans, red kidney beans, oh my LORD! Ya’ll I have turned into a beanologist! i see a bean cooking contest with listeners coming up real soon…
Ok, ive been working on these beans for a couple of hours. they Its time to put them into the crock pot and sit back and wait on the magic!
BEANS ANYONE?

Not a lot of steve in my weekend, nor was their very much andy, and practically no bartendica. That alone made this weekend quite different from recent ones. It is kind of funny how things seem to go in cycles. You have friends that you hang out with over and over,. Andy for example, and then it seems like it just changes. I guess as time goes on., people’s lives seem to change, their priorities get rearranged, and bottom line is, you move on. It doesn’t mean that you like each other any less but things do change and people that are really close one day, are a lot less close the next. Who would have thought that I would be hanging out the most with a dude by the name of  RED NECK STEVE??

That’s my boy though!

 

Relationships are hard, huh? Why is that? Mine had been pretty easy up until a week or so ago. Oh sure, there had been a few bumps along the way. But for the most part, it has been a great year of  happiness and a whole lot of fun.

 

I did get to spend some quality time with my parents over the weekend. In fact, I made what I am calling “porridge” and  since my mom has been a little sick, this was perfect for her. I started it out as just beans. Then after slow cooking them for a half day, I added sausage, then a day or so later, I added ground meat, and then I baked chicken and added that as well. Like I said, it was porridge! But the odd thing was, two days into slow cooking this concoction, I decided that my 4 quart slow cooker wasn’t large enough…(because, there are so many people at my house to eat dinner), so I went to target to buy an even bigger crock pot! DON’T ASK ME WHY! Anyway, so I now have 2 crock pots and my mom has more porridge than she knows what to do with.

 

 

…yes if you were wondering…I have found a new gym. A fresh, nice place where all of the people are new and I will be forced to make new friends… and most importantly, no one there has seen me naked and I have not come face to face with a 350 pound naked man while im naked in the whirlpool.

I went to the chiropractor yesterday and it was a very nice, soothing experience. She laid me down in this room and hooked these electric current thingys up to me for about 5 or 10 minutes and I just laid there. It felt like I had my finger in a light socket. And the doc had such a soothing voice. As she told me to turn my head from side to side or to fold my arms this way or that way, I realized that with a voice like hers, I would have done anything she asked. (theres a bit waiting to happen)

Ya’ll, I really have to do something to help my irl kellie ourt. As nice as she is, I hate to see her in a funk like she is. Hey, ive been there. I know what its like to be in that “cant seem to find anybody” phase. So dangit, im gonna help her! that’s my friend…(sniff)
That’s my team mate…(sniff, sniff) its just not fair!!!!

AAAHHHH!!!!!

Daaaammmnn! this little 20 seconds out of my day HAS to rank at the top of the list in embarrassing, uncomfortable, and just down right humiliating… u know its bad when 3 hours later, sitting in the

comfort of my own home, im still embarrassed. not to mention the fact that my leg still hurts and… did I mention that this was maybe the most embarrassing moment ever? OK, here goes…

ive mentioned several times that after I work out, I love to sit my butt in the steam room as well as the whirlpool. Usually about 10-15 minutes each if im not in a hurry. These are serene, calm and quiet parts of the gym. You only speak when you’re spoken to. Its where guys go to relax. Its awesome! Well, in my gym, the whirlpool is about 10 feet by 10 feet. Its all stainless steel, The top edge, the sides, inside the pool, every thing! as well as where you park your butt, all stainless steel. Hence, slippery! When you enter the whirlpool area, you have a towel wrapped around you and it is required that you take a shower immediately before getting in. So I did… and apparently, so did this other dude that was thinking the same thing. He wanted to get his whirlpool on as well. Anyway, he got out of the shower maybe 20 seconds before I did. Normal, whirlpool etiquette is to detowel, and take the shortest most direct route from the spot where you hang your towel, to the stairs where you enter the whirlpool. And when you enter the whirlpool, you go to one of the other three corners of the whirlpool and that’s your spot. Allowing ample room for others to enter and exit. “Big pappa” in front of me went down the stairs to the whirlpool and just parked his butt right there. There was absolutely no room for me to get around. So, like I said, you don’t say anything in the whirlpool while you’re naked unless its absolutely necessary. So I walked my naked behind, (I had already hung my towel up and I was completely naked), to enter the whirlpool from the side. So as I found my entry point, I was maybe 10 feet from big naked man and maybe 8 feet from another dude that was already in the whirlpool. Now, I have since found out that the correct, (and safe) way to enter the whirlpool from the side is to sit your butt down on the side, and then you put your legs inside on the seat part and then stand on that, and take the step down and voila, you’re in the whirlpool. The method I took was a little different. Keep in mind the drop is about 3 feet from the bank to the seat part and another 2 feet or so to the bottom. But all in all, there is only 3-4 feet of water I basically, squatted down, (there are no arm rails at this part), I put my right leg into the Jacuzzi, EVER SO CAREFULLY and BAM, BAM, splish, SPLASH… I FELL ALL IN.

And I was flailing around like a fish on a hook. I really big huge black naked fish… like I said earlier, theres nothing to hold onto, (in this 3 and a half feet of deep blue whirlpool) and also keep in mind that I fell in pretty much head first but more or less horizontal and im over 6 feet tall. Which left approx 4 feet for the naked 350 pounder and he was taking up pretty much all of it. And while im flailing around, trying to find something stable to grab onto…

I did! It was the big guy…and all of his nakedness! AAAHHHH!!!!! I grabbed big pappa’s junk… ok, maybe I didn’t grab it but I grazed it. AAAAAHHHHH, AGAIN! I can not express in words the horror, the humiliation, the feeling of how in the hell did I end up naked, coughing, water in my lungs, and in the arms of a huge naked man in this whirlpool? !?! sometimes, things happen that just simply make us wonder what happened in my life that got me to this point???? This was one of those times!!!

thoughts from last night!

I’m in the market of changing gyms. theres really only
one thing i look for a gym. call me spoiled, high
maint, or whatever but i just need one thing. its not
a particular kind of machine, its not a certain type
of kickboxing class, its not even half dressed
hotties…(although, thats a great bonus!) the thing i
really need in a gym is a nice whirlpool spa, and a
really hot steamroom. alot of gyms dont have this, but
i have become used to it! that is true “guy time.”
relaxing after a tough work out in a hot whirlpool
and/or a really hot steam room is just a little slice
of “man heaven!”
 so, i found one and i did the tour
and the initial workout there today. not alot in the
area of half dressed hotties but a serious steamroom.
i may be in love!

and of course staying fit is part working out and part
diet. so the diet tonite consisted of baking chicken
breasts as well as nuking some canned spinach. mmmm! i
may be the very best chef of microwaved vegetables in
america. even though i dont cook alot, i do love the
feeling that you get after you cook a meal that
actually tastes good. i know it was nothing
complicated but hey, give me a break! Im gonna try the
chicken breast/vegetable meal plan at least during the
week for as long as i can. maybe until valentines day
to see if i can get rid of this last 10 lbs that i
cant seem to get rid of. goal weight: 210! 11 lbs to
go! 

kinda lonely around here tonite. my girlfriend is a
little sick and she’s at home sleepin’. and yes, i did
ask her if she needed anything and she says shes just
going to stay in the bed…so, im gonna cap this night
off this night of gym shoppin’, 5 mile running, steam
room sitting and chicken breast and spinach eating
with watching some good quality television. DEAL OR NO
DEAL!!! YES!
Later,
Al

morning!

Don’t you hate it when your team loses? Man, how sucky is Monday when your team loses on Sunday? Its amazing how we let our Sunday sports results have such a grip on how we feel. You would think that we (guys), actually suited up, went on the field, blocked, tackled, ran and even went into the locker room after the game…but the bottom line is we didn’t. and then to see t.o. after the game, crying over his team, crying over the treatment of his teammate, and crying because his team is now out of the playoffs…every guy watching that interview kinda teared up just a little bit. you just couldn’t help it. For some reason, the first thing I thought of while watching him was Hilary Clinton, crying last week. The weird thing is when I saw Hilary crying last week as the potential leader of our country, I viewed her as weak. But when I saw T.O. crying, I respected him more. I guess I viewed him as an even stronger man for being able to pull his helmet off and being able to face the media in his broken state. Funny how perception works, huh?

 

In other weekend events, I ALMOST walked out of a movie last night. Everyone has been telling me how great “JUNO” was, so I had to go see it. But I have to admit. I went in with a bit of an attitude. $22 to walk in to the movie! Then, since bartendica didn’t want anything to eat or drink, I thought I was going to get away cheap with just a medium drink and a medium popcorn. CHEAP??? $9.50 ain’t cheap. I have pretty much decided that I am going to start taking my own food and drinks to the movies from now own! The movie started out amazingly slow to me. I mean so slow that I almost walked out. But I didn’t. I hung in there and after watching the first 25 minutes,(seemed like a year), of the movie,  I found myself kind of laughing a little more and a little more. All in all, it was actually pretty good. Bartendica on the other hand was bawling. Go figure!

 

The countdown is on for big al and red neck steve’s bar. 88 days from now is the deadline that I have give us to see if we can make this dream a reality. Owning a bar in playa del Carmen!  I’ll keep you posted.

 

If you wanna check out the video for this weeks weekend rapup, here’s the link:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0BslQDLgZzQ

 

 

Talk to you tomorrow.

 

al