odds and ends

Last night I was a party animal. First I headed to an ice cream parlor to be a “celebrity ice cream scooper.” It’s a charity thing that I have done for the last 2 years and its a lot of fun but when I left, I was covered in mango-mango flavored ice cream.

I left there to get over to the Freddie thing on time. He was performing next door to the studio and it was packed. At the last minute, I was asked to do the intro for freddy and of course, I may have been a little bit long winded. I swear, ive never met a microphone that I didn’t like.

Then it back to my house for a fun filled, pimped out evening of stuffing envelopes..
Actually it was more like stuffing packages. Tshirts, bandanas, for “big al and redneck steves beer bucket.” The first batch came in and weren’t quite right so they had to be reordered…and the second batch made it in and they’re perfect. So, single handedly, I stuffed I don’t know how many oversized envelopes and boxes with tshirts and stuff and addressed the labels and im headed to the post office today to send the stuff out.
Doesn’t that sound like a night of fun???

Singledom is setting in and tomorrow will be rough. I had 2 tickets (originally for bartendica and I), to go to the kanye concert tomorrow night…(she’s off on Thursday nights) but now, well you know the rest. I guess I could ask steve to go but two guys at a concert is a little gay! (not that theres anything wrong with that!) I’ll keep you posted.

Much love!

wake up call!!!

As discussed on the show today, the last time I was single, BEANS seemed to take the place of my girlfriend. Well, not totally, but you know what I mean. I was making beans almost non-stop. This time, it seems as though Kenny Chesney will be the focus of my time. At least for a minute. I have surfed a lot of Kenney chesney sites this morning and he seems like a pretty cool guy. Ive never really been a huge country music fan but I’ll try anything once. What do I have to lose right? So im all about Kenny chesney. Im gonna learn about him. Im going to listen to his music. Im going to join his fan club!
We’ll see how that goes!

Pete, pete, pete. I have not given up on you man…but you are going to need to try a lot harder…meanwhile, I may spend considerably less time trying to help. You are going to need to get out there and look for something that you want to do and most of all, something that you can make it to, on time, every day! I have to admit. When I heard that 7am was “too early” for you, I was a little, no, a lot disappointed. Then again, I wake up at 4am every day so maybe I’m not being fair. But later, when I heard that the vet clinic gave you a chance this past Sunday, asking you to show up at 10am so they could “give you a shot”, you showed up at 2pm…man, these people are trying to help you, but you have to help yourself as well. That’s a part of life. These people are running a business and they can’t operate on “pete’s schedule”. (or anyone else’s) they operate on their schedule. And if you wanna work there, or ANYWHERE as far as that’s concerned, you have to conform to their schedule. That’s just life. I would love to sleep until 9 or 10 every morning. But if I want to work here, I have to wake my butt up and hit it! ok, I sound like im preaching. Im just saying pete, (and to any other pete’s out there), get up, get off your ass, and get with it. obviously, there are people out there that will root for the underdog…people want to help people. Its in our nature. I, along with the people on here that posted encouraging words for you, should be a little proof of that. People want the underdog to succeed! But only if the underdog is putting forth some effort!

ggod morning…(kinda)

After hanging out all weekend and spending time with friends and family, I almost wonder why bartendica hung out with me for as long as she did. 

Moving along from a relationship is one of the most challenging things ever. Especially for guys. And super especially when you had a really cool girlfriend and, one that, ok, im gonna go ahead and say it, one that you thought was “the one.” I don’t think ive ever said that out loud…
In fact, im gonna say that its harder for guys than it is for girls. Before you say, “you’re crazy al”, hear me out.
Girls have little to no problem when it comes to showing their emotions. They talk, they open up to friends, relatives, or basically, anyone that will listen. Telling why they feel the way that they do. They even show it in their actions. They sometimes lock themselves up in their house…invite over a girlfriend or two maybe, watch chick flicks or maybe a female empowerment movie or tv show… bash guys for a while, and get it all out there.

Guys on the other hand have to remain strong and silent. There has never been a guy that has called up his buddy and said, “hey dude, this breakup is really taking its toll on me! im feeling like just staying in and watching a movie. Wanna come over?” that aint gonna happen!!! Men have to just keep it all inside and be “men”. This is probably why men end up dying of high blood pressure and stressing out with all of this stuff all bottled up inside. One good thing about my job is that I can at least vent on here about things that are going on with me in a somewhat generic way. The bottom line is that, we need to have some type of guy support group where we can sit around and talk about how stupid we are and all of the mistakes that we just made and how we have once again succeeded in running away a very good lady. Maybe, just maybe, if we hear how stupid we are and even more important, if we hear how stupid other guys are, maybe it will help us to not be as stupid in the future and to hopefully, not repeat the cycle of stupid events that have caused us to be in this predicament.
Just a thought!

Pete and I must have missed each other this weekend because I haven’t seen him since Thursday. But with the weather, (rain), not being great and due to my breakup, I found myself just kind of sitting around looking at the walls more than usual. But I did call the lady that interview pete to try to find out the scoop. The job was to work at the animal clinic, cleaning up after the animals and that type of thing. The hours to be worked were 7am-4pm. Well, apparently these hours weren’t conducive to pete’s schedule. He did tell me that worked nights some years back…she did say that pete was very nice and manner able and everyone seemed to like him as well as “lady” his dog. But when they told him what the hours were he indicated that 7am may be just a little too early for him to make it in! so, on one hand, I am disappointed (to say the least), that this didn’t work out, I am glad that he was honest and didn’t take the job and show up late every day. But come on…cant a person just try to adjust their schedule when there is someone willing to give you a chance and hire you? Ok, im not going to harp on that…I will continue to look for an opportunity for pete.

guess what!!!

Don’t you hate it when you spend 3-4 hours putting together a letter to your girlfriend telling her how special she is and how you appreciate everything she has done for you and how much you love her and right before you hit send, she sends you a text message breaking up with you??? That’s the best isn’t it? that’s pretty much what happened to me. Yesterday after work, I started this letter and I didn’t get done writing it until late last night. Since it is so hard 9or pretty much impossible for me to open up to a woman and tell her how I feel, I thought I would try it in the form of a letter. And I intentionally took a long time doing so. Trying to gather my thoughts, my feelings, and even my intentions for the future. I was apologizing for my huge mistakes and trying to make amends. And I mean just as I was about to hit send, I got a text message from bartendica telling me that she was done and she deserved better. And you know what, shes right. She does. Bartendica was the most loving girl ive ever dated. I love her very much. But something wasn’t meshing lately. And I guess I couldn’t turn it around. I could go on and on about how great of a girlfriend she was and how horrible of a boyfriend I was but I wont bore you with all of my issues. Suffice it to say that I was hugely wrong. I didn’t pay enough attention to the woman that I loved and now she has had enough, and she’s gone!

PETE’S BACK!!!!

YESTERDAY, I was a mess. I tried to not let this thing bother me but I was really upset about not knowing what had happened to pete. I drove by his spot as I went home yesterday and he still wasn’t there. I was worried, I was disappointed, I was mad, all rolled into one. Then, as I was leaving to take my dad to dialysis, I passed by again, I saw his chair and all his stuff. I pulled into the parking lot and up he walked. I was soo glad to se him. He was dressed in the new clothes and shoes that I bought him. Naturally, I asked him where he was yesterday and he said that he had been arrested. Apparently, one of the neighbors had called the cops on him as happens frequently. The cop came by and gave him a ticket for not having his dog leash in his hand. Did you hear me? His dog lady WAS on a leash, but the leash was tied to his wheelchair and not in his hand. WOW, really??? Not only that, after the cop left, he apparently got word that pete had a warrant out for an outstanding ticket… the violation that time was “obstructing the sidewalk” it was from some months back. So they picked him up later that evening and took him to jail for a nights rest.

Anyway, he apologized for not being there and asked if it was too late to go to the interview. I called the animal clinic and they said to bring him so I did. But I had to take my dad so I couldn’t bring him back. On the way there, he put his teeth in and he was ready to go… he couldn’t stop smiling showing off his pearly whites. I introduced him to brandy at the animal clinic and by this time I was running late (again), so I had to go.
So I have no idea how it went. But my excitement has returned. I cant wait to find out how he did.. check out the before and after pics of pete!!! he looks like a new man!

GO PETE!

Stay tuned…I’ll let you know how he did on the interview as soon as i find out!

where’s pete???

First of all, thanks to everyone that has taken a minute to leave a comment or said a prayer for pete. More on that in a second…
Yesterday, I was rushing my butt off. Kidd and shanon surprised me yesterday with a lunch buffet. That buffet included the #14 and #15 case holder models from one of my favorite shows DEAL OR NO DEAL. They stopped by the studio late yesterday and after the show was over, we all went to lunch. Can you say awkward? It was me, the two girls, and uncle daddy. I did what I could to keep the conversation going but things were just weird. But they were very nice. They asked me a few questions, I asked them a few. I threw food in the air and caught it in my mouth. You know…the usual stuff.

Yes, you heard me…what do you do when you have two beautiful models go to lunch with you? You break off small pieces of fried mozzarella cheese sticks, throw them in the air and catch em with your mouth. THAT’S WHAT YOU DO! In all my years of dating and interacting with members of the female species, I have never performed that trick… but yesterday, for some UNKNOWN reason, that’s what I resorted to. WHY?????? I can not tell you why I did this. What would make a grown person, an adult, a somewhat cool guy like myself, take food off of a perfectly good plate, break the food into small pieces, throw a piece 5 feet in the air, tilt my head back and attempt to catch it? then, after missing it the first time and the food hitting me square in the forehead, what do I do then??? I try it again, that’s what I do! Just in case there was one person out there that wasn’t quite convinced that I was an idiot, here’s the proof that should show beyond the shadow of a doubt, YES I AM! I don’t think I truly realized how f***ing stupid that was until I typed it just now! Uugghh!

Anyway, after lunch, I raced to my parents house to take my dad some lunch. (my mom is out of town for a funeral) my scheduled time to meet pete to take him to his 2pm interview was between 1:30 and 1:45. I got there at about 1:50. I pulled up to the jack in the box and…NO PETE! For the past, I don’t know how long, pete has always been there. Same spot. Almost like clockwork. And yesterday, job interview day, he wasn’t there. something has to bwe wrong… it has to be! I waited 30 minutes and he never appeared. I went home and I couldn’t even sit there. First I was worried, then I was mad, then i was worried and mad…i was all over the place. So after 20 or so minutes, I went back. Still no pete. I went inside jack in the box and they said they hadn’t seen him. I went back at 4p, then 5p, then 6p…and just for the heck of it, I drove the surrounding streets. I circled back thru at 7 or so. Nothing! No sign of him anywhere! Pete was way too excited to just blow this off. Ive never given him my cell number. He doesn’t have a phone so I never really thought to give him my number…but like I said, pete was way to excited and pumped up to just “no show.” But looking at that spot where he normally sits was so weird with him not being there. Where the heck is pete???

its interview day!!!!!

This part written Tuesday evening:
I just rode past the jack in the box on Tuesday afternoon at approx 4pm where pete “hangs out” most days. I almost didn’t recognize pete. HE SHAVED and he looks totally different. He hadn’t put his teeth in yet but that didn’t keep him from smiling. Im so happy for him. I also talked to the people at the animal clinic where he will interview and they are looking forward to meeting him. The lady there even says if they hire him, he can use their shower from time to time. small victories!
He told me 3 or 4 times today: “im not gonna let you down, im not gonna let you down.”

This part written Wednesday morning:

Ok, heres my big plan. They say when you dream, dream big,…so, here I go.
Pete’s interview is later today. sorry, let me recap for those of you that may no be up to speed. Pete is a homeless guy that I have befriended about a week ago. He has roamed the streets of my neighborhood for some years now and through a string of bad luck and unfortunate events, has ended up in a less than stellar way of living. He hasn’t drank a drop of alcohol in 30 years. He hasn’t seen any of his family in 15 years. he hasnt seen his mom in 30!!! No one will hire him for various reasons. Some of which include: he has no ID, no address, no phone and no way to verify any type of work history. I passed by him maybe hundreds of times in the past 4 or 5 years without even so much as saying hello to him. But every time I would see him, he was reading some type of book. He is a Christian and his faith in God has never been stronger. He is 54 years old.

Ok, that brings everyone pretty much up to speed. After talking to him pretty much everyday for the past week, I’ve decided to try to do something to help him. The ultimate goal being, to get him off the streets and help him to restart his life. Pete has a dog named Lady. After watching pete and Lady interact, I figured a great job for pete would be something that would have him working around animals. I called the place where I board my dogs and told them about pete and they agreed to interview him. So the interview is today. this past Sunday, I got pete some new clothes and toiletries to clean him up a little. Yesterday when I stopped to visit him, I saw that he wasted no time. He had shaved his scraggly beard. And he had a huge smile on his face.

Here’s my BIG dream: and if this is a bad idea, feel free to tell me so!!! Every once in a while, I buy a rental property as an investment. I really love taking an older property, fixing it up and renting it out. So here’s the thing. Like I was saying yesterday, even if pete get’s this job, $7 an hour is hardly enough to really live on. And I cant help but wonder, if he gets the job, where is pete gonna live? If he goes to the shelter, his dog goes to the pound! SOOOOOO, what if I buy an older house that needs some fix up??? And I find 4 or 5 “pete’s” out there that really want to get their lives together but they need some help doing it. I mean guys that are screened and interviewed and honestly want to do better. I get these guys and I partner up with a buddy of mine that remodels homes to work as the general contractor. He could basically tell everybody what to do. They would pay a very small rental amount. Maybe $200 each…just enough to cover the house payment, taxes and insurance…All of the guys work on remodeling the house over the course of a few months or however long it takes. When we get done, we, (all the guys that have worked to remodel the house), and the contractor that has donated his time, all split the profits… we just subtract the cost for all the materials. Then, at that point the 4 or 5 guys have a little “seed money” to HOPEFULLY, get themselves on the road. At that point, we do it all over again. (I told you I was dreaming big here!)

Yes, I know there are A LOT of details to work out… getting my contractor to agree. Insurance.
Finding the right place. Etc… but overall, what do ya’ll think?

Im waaay excited about this job opportunity for pete. I really feel this may be a life changing day for him. I actually feel guilty for not doing anything for pete, (or the rest of the pete’s), sooner. I guess better late than never. I mean this (so far), has been so easy… I stopped, I talked to him a few times. And I made a few phone calls.

I cant wait to let you guys know how the interview went. Wish him luck!

meet pete!

Pete’s interview is tomorrow!!!
I think I may be more excited that pete is…and I know there is a chance that he wont get the job. Theres a chance that he has me completely fooled and isn’t as serious as I think he is about working… but I want to focus on the positive. The operative word here is “chance”… and there is a chance that this is going to be life changing and get him back on the horse of society and this time he’s gonna ride it until he cant ride any more.
God brought me to pete and pete to me at this time for a reason. He hasn’t given up with all that has beat him down. And if he hasn’t given up, we shouldn’t give up on him.

Check out the video introduction to pete and check below because I think I even blogged twice about him yesterday.

Thanks.

Big al

pete???

i did see pete sunday but he wasnt in his regular spot today. at least he wasnt the 2 times that i passed by to talk to him. im actually worried about him. im sure he’s fine but the thing is, if something did happen to him, i never would know it. he doesnt have an id and even if he did, no one would know who to call. he hasnt talked to his family in so long. 

i was taking my dad to his dialysis today and i told dad about pete. he seemed pretty happy that i was reaching out to another person. the truth is, i get that from my parents as well as my grandparents. i remember growing up that from time to time, they would take someone in and try to help them get on their feet. u know, i never reallly thought about that until yesterday. its nice to know that i learned a few things while i was growing up.

a couple of new developments. i have another place that we’re going to for the interview. i originally was going to take him to the city animal shelter that i visit every couple weeks for “big al’s doggie adoption” but after talking to them, the word “city” means “red tape” and even though that job would be complete with benefits, it wouldnt be the easiest to get. especially with the hurdles that we already have to jump. (no ID and no address)…so thats when i called the animal hospital that i use for my doggies, stretch and queso. its called LOVERS LANE ANIMAL CLINIC. just wanted to give them a plug for agreeing to see pete for the interview. it would pay less, $7.00 per hour, but its still better than nothing. but the ultimate goal here is to get pete back on his feet… in a situation where he can support himself and live somewhere that has running water. lets be honest… theres not alot of places to live that you can afford at that pay scale. this really makes me see why people chose to just live on the street. no responsibilities, no bills… i just hope im not leading him down the road to frustrate him even more. i dont know. what if he works his ass off 40 hours per week and still cant afford to support himself. THIS IS HARD! 

im hoping that somehow, a person with a garage apartment comes about, (in the neighborhood), that is available for like $200 or so per month… i know what you’re thinking. why not a shelter. well, first of all, pete has a dog. and if you show up to the shelter with a dog, the dog goes to the pound. and this dog loves pete and pete loves his dog. “lady” truly is his best friend. 

im not trying to change the world here but i want to help this man. he has no one really. he loves God. that is a serious step in the right direction. but for a person at 55 years old to be in this situation and be forced to the realization that this is all life has in store for you is totally unacceptable. EVERYONE deserves a place to lay their head and a place to take a bath. just the thought that that could be my dad, or even me makes me just want to shake my head and yell NOOO! 

its so funny that this is sooo important to me now and i didnt give pete the time of day until last week… that makes me pissed at myself. i feel guilty that im doing so well… i own a little real estate, im about to open a bar in mexico, i have 30 pair of jeans and i only wear the same 5 every week and getting pete a job is all i can think about. i talk to my parents daily and i cant even imagine going a week without doing so. on the way home from work on monday, i saw 4 or 5 “petes”. pulling grocery carts, hanging at the store, or just walking down the street. and i promise you as soon as i help pete get on his feet, im gonna help another pete! and i hope you guys try to do the same. 

 

al

Pete

I told you guys that I would get some pics up of Pete, so here you go.

more about pete…

So, I went to talk to pete. And wow… he opened up a little more and even showed a little emotion. I got him to talk a little more about how he grew up. his dad was a military man. He’s passed away now and he really doesn’t remember a lot about him other than the fact that he was gone a lot. In fact, he was gone so much that pete believes the reason his mother left was that the dad was gone so much. Pete is the oldest of 4 kids. None of which he’s seen in the last 10 years. And he hasn’t seen his mom in 20 or so. I cant even imagine. To be honest, he doesn’t know if his mom is alive or dead. More about that later.

Pete talked fondly of each time his mother came home from the hospital with each of his siblings. He was a proud big brother. But things got really hard for his mom with the addition of more kids and the dad working more and more. At one point, pete’s dad moved the family way out in the sticks where they didn’t even have any close neighbors. And one day, petes mom said that she was going to drop them off at the grand parents house while she “went to the store to get cigarettes.” Well, you know how this movie ends. It was 8 years before he saw his mom again. His grandparents gave the kids up because they couldn’t afford to take care of 4 kids on their fixed income. And then he remembers he was in the hospital getting his tonsils taken out and somehow, someone got in touch with her. she said “pete”, “pete”, its your mom… he remembers being a little drugged while in the hospital, turning to her and simply saying “so” and he turned his head the other way. After getting out of the hospital, he returned to his foster home.

 

Pete says he was a good student. He graduated when he was 16 but couldn’t afford college, so he started working. Supporting himself and he barely, if ever saw his siblings. They had all been separated in the foster care system.  He says people he met throughout his life grew closer to him than his family.  And his one regret he has is not ever settling down.

 

Make sure you visit here tomorrow so that I can tell you even more about pete and his story…