9 seconds with alicia!
This should be the happiest time of my life. But after some of the recent events and some that are not so recent, im am reminded that God is in control. Don’t get me wrong. No one is sick. No one has died. (knock on wood). But dang, as I look back on the last 6 months, there does seem to be a pattern. And I have realized that the common denominator here is me. For example, my son payton came to live with me and 3 short months later, his mom came and promptly relocated him back to Kansas city. My girlfriend of a year, whom I loved very much, is not my girlfriend any more.
(hey, cant a brotha’ have a pity party for a minute!!!)
then, fast forward to now and I have found myself with an extra ticket to mexico for the grand opening to our bar, (ex-girfriend’s ticket), and last night, I had 2 tickets to Alicia keys and again couldn’t seem to find any one to go. I don’t know what it is about Alicia keys, but I can NEVER find a date to her show. This is the second time this has happened. Then again, I couldn’t find a date to kanye either but to be honest I really didn’t try. But I refused (mentally) to sit in the audience of an Alicia keys show by myself. 90 straight minutes of constant reminders of how alone I am while listening to the sweet sounds of alicia keys…ALONE??? No thanks!!! I THINK I’LL PASS.
So even though im not getting right back up on the dating horse immediately, I thought I would check with a few friends to see if they wanted to go to the show.
Heres how it went:
10 text messages went out to females that I really don’t know very well. 7 responses that said some form of NO! busy, hockey game, last minute, screw you! Were the most popular sponses… the other 3 didn’t bother to reply. Daaammmmmmnnnn!!!
Ive got to change my game in some way or another. 0 for 10? really? That will send the most secure person in the depths of a depression. I have to admit, 10 consecutive turn downs can beat you down mentally. I mean 10 people that I found cool enough to invite, did not find me datable. 10 people in less than 30 minutes. That’s painful. Try this, get one of your friends to say NO to you ten times as you ask them to lunch over and over.
I almost didn’t go at all. But I manned up and got dressed and headed to the show.
Man, what a beating… we get there and wait maybe an hour for the chance to talk to Alicia. Moving from one spot to another. From one holding area to another. We walk, we wait. Shanon had to pee really bad but of course, if she does, that’s when Alicia will come out! And FINALLY, she appears. Along with one of the biggest body guards that I have ever seen. My turn arrives and up I step with tape recorder in hand to take a picture and hopefully get a minute or two with her greatness. I introduce myself and explain im with a radio station and before im able to ask a single question, im told that I need to stop my recording and step away. Cmon, after waiting over an hour, I get maybe 10 seconds.
But that was it. that was my Alicia keys experience. AWESOME!
About the bar… lets make a decision on a “grand opening t-shirt. I would appreciate any help you guys could offer. So here’s a few choices. Let me know which of the five you like (if any). If there is a clear cut winner, that’s what we’ll go with.
Here they are!
May 15, 2008 at 9:15 am
white one or blue one
May 15, 2008 at 9:16 am
Big A… this black background is hard to read.
May 15, 2008 at 9:35 am
awwwww, it’ll get better al!! i’m glad you and shanon got to go to the show anyway!
hmmmm, the black tshirt is definitely the best one!
May 15, 2008 at 9:36 am
I would’ve went to Alicia Keys with you Big Al. All you would’ve had to do was fly me in from Missouri. I’ll take the extra ticket to Mexico too….lol Btw, I like the pink shirt of course! God Bless!
May 15, 2008 at 9:45 am
The black one. I like the letters better. It could be white with black letters too.
May 15, 2008 at 9:48 am
Hi Big Al,
I like the blue t-shirt the most. Good luck and have fun!
May 15, 2008 at 9:54 am
Well al, you can’t have a great woman be there when it’s convenient for you. Then you have an argument and you avoid her. That’s not a desirable relationship and I commend her for tolerating you as long as she did.
May 15, 2008 at 9:56 am
The black background with the white letters is the best by far! The other options look too childish / girly!
May 15, 2008 at 9:58 am
I like the black shirt too!!!
May 15, 2008 at 10:07 am
Like the black one.
May 15, 2008 at 10:17 am
What would you have done if a couple girls said Yes to the concert? Then you’d be like Nevermind I’m taking someone else. Maybe that’s why some girls dont like you…
But I love you Al!
I like the pink shirt. But I’m a girl, so…
May 15, 2008 at 10:24 am
Okay So I always read your blog, and though you may be going through stuff keep lookin up!
Not sure if you watch Grey’s Anatomy but a few weeks the Chief told this to Issy and I loved it, and hope it helps u too!
Put your chin up, put your sholders back, strut a little…
Don’t lick your wounds celebrate them, for the scars you bare are a sign of a competitor.
Your in a lion fight. Just because you didn’t win, dosen’t mean you don’t know how to roar!
On the shirts: the white one- the letters seem to Halloween, Love the pink very bold for guys- which thats y we go to mexico to be bold, the black one- well black draws heat and so in mexico it may be a lil too hot, Like the blue, and the red cursive one is a lil chickish to be unisex.
ROAR- Dot
May 15, 2008 at 10:31 am
If I had to pick from these, I would pick the blue…what about a green color?
May 15, 2008 at 10:34 am
I LIKE THE FIRST ONE…WHITE WITH BLACK…ITS STAND OUT VERY WELL.
May 15, 2008 at 10:35 am
Blue one, add a bucket pail with the phrase falling into the bucket slanted to the right OR a stick figure tumbling in head first with the phrase either underneath the pic or above it, that would be a cool shirt that I would buy.
May 15, 2008 at 11:12 am
I like the black and blue
May 15, 2008 at 11:39 am
i like the font of the black shirt …maybe yall could do other colors? just an idea! congrats!!
May 15, 2008 at 11:52 am
I like the black shirt with the white letters, but if I didn’t know it was a bar I’d think the shirt was refering to something nasty. (?)
May 15, 2008 at 11:54 am
I like the black one best.
And good luck with the bar!
May 15, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I like the black and the white. The right person will com ealong and you won’t feel the desire to run. Sorry about Bartendica. Give her some space she might come around. Remember you did go out what 10 years ago.
May 15, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I like the blue one!!
May 15, 2008 at 12:21 pm
How about “I kicked it in the bucket!” The black one with the font in the white one. Make “it” and “in” fairly small. It would get people’s attention because they would first read “I kicked the bucket” It might make people curious. Or maybe an idea for futre t-shirts… “Come kick it in the bucket”
May 15, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I like the white one better.
Hang in there Big Al, you will find your true love.
May 15, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Definitely the blue one………
May 15, 2008 at 1:17 pm
The black one for sure!
May 15, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I like the pink or red one!
you need to pick yourself back up, things may seem rough now, but they will get better. Even though it is hard sometimes, find the confidence in yourself again, when you are down and vulnerable people will pick up on that, and kick you down even more. Focus on your dream (the bar)…everything else will fall in place. Hang in there.
May 15, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I think you are having a hard time with the women because you are to superficial. You are all about how someone looks and the need for the woman to be HOT as you put it. Maybe you should take a step back, realize that looks are not the only thing about a person and get to know someone for who they are and not on looks alone. Dont get me wrong, I love listening to you Big Al. I have for many many years. I have just always felt that you are more about looks than you are about getting to know the real person.
May 15, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Hi Al,
I just want to point out that if Bartendica is just now telling you what made her mad a month ago, then she also has some major communication issues to work through. It seemed that throughout your relationship she would get mad, stew on it for days or weeks and eventually you would end up dragging it out of her. You are not the only one who is at fault in this relationship. No disrespect to her, but she sounds like she has her own set of issues when it comes to being in a mature, serious relationship. Like you said, you take the good with the bad. It’s give and take and you don’t always get to have things your way.
I like the pink T.
May 15, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE WORDS FALLING IN THE BUCKET I WOULD SO LIKE THAT! I ALSO LIKE THE PINK ONE BUT IM A GIRL SO OF COUSE I DO! SOME OF THOSE LOOKED LIKE DEATH SHIRTS SO I WOULD NEVER BUY THOSE!
May 15, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Okay.. my first time reading your blog (nothing personal, just don’t feel like working right now) Anyway, can you really consider “texting” as a form of “asking someone for a date”. You probably got turned down 10x because it was a text. Man-UP and CALL. This shows you are serious enough to want to spend time w/her. Would you text your buddy’s to go drinking.. (never mind don’t answer that). For me texting is a gutless way to talk.
May 15, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Awwww Al,
I am so sorry you feel that way. But I will tell you what I told a friend that I used to work with a few years ago. Like you he was always down because he couldn’t find that special someone. I told him to stop looking for her. To go out and just have fun. Don’t go out on a mission. Just to relax. You need to do the same thing. Just because everytone else is hooked up dosent mean you have to be also.
BTW, this friend of mine is know married and has a son. Guess where he met her. She started working with us.
Keep looking up Al, you’ll be ok.
Rosie
May 15, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Keep your head up Al it will get better. You should have called me I would have loved to have gone and seen Miss Keys.
Have a great day Al 
I think you should make you tshit black and the phrase in whit straight across. But being as that is not an option i will vote for the blue one
May 15, 2008 at 5:00 pm
sorry about my typos I stink.
May 15, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Take Freddie with your extra ticket!
May 15, 2008 at 10:01 pm
The black one looks GOTHIC or something- I like the red or blue one, but mostly the red one. It’s the best.
PS. Maybe God was trying to tell you something by not giving you a date for Alicia Keys. Y’all might just be meant for each other- and dates kinda get in the way of all that, eh?
May 16, 2008 at 1:05 am
I like the black one.