what a day!

This had to be the hardest day for my friend, kidd, ever! Living your life on the radio is a trip. When its good, its great. YOU HAVE A MILLION FRIENDS! But when its not so good…well, its one of the hardest things ever and you feel so freakin alone! Sure its fun doing what we do. but when times are tough, like today, you feel like you’re being examined and judged by everyone under the sun.

 

Like I said on the air, kidd was always the one that I went to when I was having marital problems. He was my go to guy! His advice was always thought out and it came from love. And it was coming from a person that “walked the walk!” I remember when kidd first told kellie and I about his situation. My mouth just flew open. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t!

 

Lord knows I have experienced my share of failures in my lifetime. We all have. But someone waaay smarter than me said its not the successes or failures that count. Its how we handle the failures. Thats what truly matters. And I think kidd handled this in a very mature, and selfless manner. Sometimes, there are instances where we just don’t know what to do or how to do it. Of all the failures that I have experienced in my life, my failure of marriage is the one that I, by far, feel the worse about. The reason being, it’s a failure that affects other people. People that you love. I have been around a lot of divorced people in my day and I have to give kidd credit on one thing. I have NEVER heard him say one negative thing about his ex-wife. Not once! I really respect that. Yeah, it may have taken a while to get this out there, but who can fault a person for trying to protect their kid?

 

So, I guess all im trying to say here is we all have our “issues.” Kidd, kellie, jc and myself are very blessed to have these wonderful jobs that allow us to share our lives with you guys. Kidd spends his life working on this show and I am so lucky to be here learning from the best. And even now, I am still learning… learning how to deal with the most private issues in the most public way.

 

Kidd, I love you man! Im here for you…

If you need a beer, the first one is on me…AT THE BEER BUCKET! 

is there a doctor in the house?

Don’t you love it when you have a trip planned and there is a category 2 hurricane headed there at the same time…yup hurricane gustav is making a B line for mexico and big al and redneck steves beer bucket. well, maybe not a B line but it looks like it will at the very least clip the Yucatan peninsula which is where playa del Carmen is. “Well al, why don’t you NOT go?” Actually, if it looks like its gonna be REALLY BAD, I may not go. But lets think positive. It’ll be fine.

So I had my first of a series of lunch dates with girls that have occupations that I have “different.” Well, not different in the sense that no one else has them. Just different in that I have never dated anyone with these occupations before. Yesterday, I went to lunch with a doctor. I don’t think ive ever felt so stupid as I felt sitting across the table from a girl that used words that I couldn’t even pronounce, much less spell them for you. She was very nice but I can totally see how (some) really smart girls try to dumb themselves down from time to time to not make the stupid guys (like me) feel even stupider.
This girl has traveled to 10 different countries, speaks 2 or 3 languages, and did I mention she is a freakin doctor? So what could I possibly offer to this lunch date? Not much!

She launched into a story about a kid that broke his arm and how she reset the bone or something…(it was way more medical sounding)…anyway, I was racking my brain to think of something cool from my job…and out of nowhere I asked what I think was a very intelligent question…”WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE JONAS BROTHER?”
It was like I thought that question as a joke, then I decided that she wouldn’t get ito I wouldn’t say it… then it just came out! And I was right. She didn’t get it!

We finished our lunch and basically talked our way thru the awkward silences and we parted ways!

Its 6:30pm on Monday and I just showed my house for the first time. If you’re new here, im trying to sell my house. I took down my “FRIDAY AFTER NEXT” and my “BOOTY CALL” posters from my living room and tucked them away nicely in a spare bedroom. Speaking of the bedrooms, I bought a couple new comforters for the other beds. I also bought some vanilla scented candles and had them going. He came in and I showed him around the place trying to sell without selling. He seemed fairly interested and said he needs to bring his girlfriend over to take a look. Keep your fingers crossed.

Thanks to jan for cheering me up a bit. She sent me an email and while she has read my blogs detailing a lot of the things that I have been going thru lately, she has found the positive. Life is full of ups and downs. People can have bad mornigs, bad days, bad weeks, even bad years. (like bartendica and I had)… but sometime it takes someone, maybe even a total stranger, to let you know that things aren’t that bad. Sometimes we have to count our blessings and realize how fortunate we are. Even in the midst of what we may consider a bad time, there are things that are good going on all around me. I have my family, including my parents who are still relatively healthy and have been married almost 200 years. I have my sister that is wonderful. She loves her school teaching job and has so many friends that were there as she went thru her major surgery a couple weeks ago. I have my two sons who seem to have their heads screwed on right. and with all the distractions out there for the young black man, that’s a major deal.

I am blessed to work at a great job with really great people. So, what im saying is that while I could sit around and wallow in “what could be”, im gonna choose to be excited about the things that are going well. So what I don’t have a girlfriend right now.

That doesn’t change or define who I am. A mate for me will come in time. Bartendica was a great girlfriend for the most part and I thank God for bringing her into my world. It made me better. But she has moved on and im going to do the same. But for right now, its all about just making myself into a better person. Just like I got my house in order for a potential buyer, im going to do the same for myself. Inside and out.

Speaking of being alone, I did something yesterday that pretty much solidified my position as an “alone person.” I bought a body pillow. I don’t think anything else needs to be said there. i mean theres alone, and theres ALONE!!! buying a body pillow makes you ALONE! but the bigger question is, does this qualify as a man card violation? the body pillow is clearly used as some type of substitution for a warm body, but is it ok to even have a body pillow if you’re a guy?
cmon ya’ll… i need some body pillow love yall…ewww! that didnt quite come out right!

yup, im an idiot…AGAIN!

I have been dreading writing this blog every since 2:00am Friday morning. Ive thought about these events over and over…here goes:
Brief back ground for the newbies. I dated “bartendica” years ago, and again all of last year and a little bit of this year. She was a great girlfriend and we had a great relationship. I think we both felt like we were going to ultimately end up together. I know I did. But for whatever reason, as right as it felt last year is how messed up it ended up this year. But the thing I can say without a shred of doubt is that she tried. A lot more than I did. And that’s what led to the end. She wanted to make it permanent and even though the feeling was there on my part, it wasn’t to be. When my son payton lived with me, they were very close as well. I mention that because payton came into town last week and I wanted to make sure that the two of them went to lunch. And they did.
Last week was bartendica’s birthday and even though we were no longer together, I wanted to buy her something. to be honest, we had been still talking a little bit and I was thinking that things were getting back on track… (maybe wishful thinking on my part).
Anyway, I had her gift in my car since so I could drop it off at some point. Thursday night seemed like just as good a time as any for the surprise gift drop. I sent her a couple text messages asking if it was ok or if she was even up and I got no response. This actually wasn’t unusual so I figured I would just drop it off on her door step. Hopefully, it would bring a little smile to her face the next morning to start her day! She lives in a small 4 unit apartment complex. So, on my way home I did. (she really does live 1 block off of the street that connects my house and the party part of town.) so I pull into her driveway at 2am ready to run up to her door, drop off the gift and get the heck out. I heard a dog barking. (she has two dogs). I look to my left and there were her two dogs, both on leashes… on was being held by her. and the other one was being held by… her new dude! Aw damn! Now what? Im in her driveway, looking like a stalker at 2am, with a freaking gift for my exgirlfriend and she’s standing in front of her house, there with her new boyfriend… I cant tell you the feeling I had. Well, maybe I can. Im embarrassed to admit that I was hurt. I know we weren’t dating. I know we had been broken up a while and I had every opportunity to get things right. All that didn’t matter. What did matter was the fact that I was standing there in the driveway of the girl that I loved with a present at 2am, and she was on a nice walk with her boyfriend. I don’t think that ive ever felt that bad, stupid, humiliated, hurt, disappointed EVER!!! AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME. SO they kinda paused, I looked around in the car like I had lost something. they made their way to her door and walked inside.
So what was I supposed to do now. I was so shocked and stunned I really didn’t know what to do. You know that feeling you get in your stomach when something really bad happens to you that really rocks your world. That’s what I had going on.
So I grabbed the gift and I walked to her door. I had this card attached to it but I took that off. That would have really made me look stupid.. as if I didn’t already. I figured if I just took off without leaving the gift, I would look like a stalker. So like I said, I walked to her door. With Each step, the floor was creeking loud as heck. I placed the package at the door and I took off. That was early Friday. I haven’t heard a word from her. not a thank you, not a screw you, not even a “I am burning the gift along with all of your pictures.” Nothing! So I have gone through a very wide array of emotions in the past few days since “the event.” Ive gone from feeling stupid and or like an idiot, to feeling awkward as heck, to being embarrassed, to being mad at myself for screwing up the relationship, to being mad at her for being with someone else, and like I said, I still have that feeling in my stomach. Whats that about?
Is this what love feels like? Or is this just what losing a love feels like? I mean REALLY losing it and knowing its your fault!
Aside from all of that, shouldn’t you at some point at least call or text or email and say thanks for the gift? I mean I think even if I really don’t like someone I would say thanks to someone if they did something nice for me… at least im pretty sure I would. Then again, if we’re really done why does it bother me in the first place?

Well, match dot com, looks like I’ll be hitting you up again

hmmm.

Man, I must be the worst dad ever…I just don’t understand. The one to three word answers to questions continued on Wednesday. Bartendica and payton went to breakfast while I was still working and then she took him to the mall to get a couple shirts for school, and for his birthday which is Friday. I normally can pretty much talk to anyone. But for some reason, talking to my (almost 17) year old son is just about impossible. Don’t get me wrong… he talks on the phone. Ive heard him. He talked to kinzey last night… I heard him. But when it comes to talking to me, he’s got nothing. I did try to start asking questions that would require more than 3 word answers but somehow he managed to condense his answers into 3-6 words. My heart goes out to any parents that have this struggle and any kids as well that seem to have trouble for whatever reason to communicate with their folks. but at 2:30 Wednesday evening he did muster up the strength to string together a multi-word question… “hey dad, can you get me a flight out on Thursday evening?” (as opposed to Friday morning.) I guess 48 hours with me is as much as he can handle. Maybe I talked him to death!!! I told him yes. I certainly don’t want him to be here if he doesn’t want to be. But I have to tell ya, it does kinda hurt.

10 minutes later, he asked if he could borrow my bike to go on a bike ride. I don’t know about where you are (while you read this), but here in my town, its 95 degrees. Maybe im taking things too personally or reading too much into stuff but now in addition to not wanting to talk, going biking in 95 degree heat is better than being in the house with me. 

 

Well, its 4 hours later than when I wrote the previous paragraph and we just got back from a movie. Ben stiller, jack black, Robert downey jr and others in “Tropic Thunder.” (which is pretty good by the way)… anyway, after hanging out with jc and kinzey at the movie and eating ice cream and going thru a box of pop corn… (we ate like little kids!!!)

We came back home. Still pretty quiet. I asked payton a few more questions; just trying to battle thru and make conversation. He answered with maybe a couple of 5-6 word responses.. PROGRESS! When we got home, I had a task for us. I had my bathroom mirror cut down a few inches so I needed to hang it back up. I got the tape measurer, electric drill, those plastic things that hold the mirror up and we got to work. Im explaining to him every step of the way. How to tap on the wall to find the stud. Why it wont work if you miss the stud. The importance of accurate measurements on both ends so the mirror wont be crooked. After doing the calculations, markings, drilling, we hung the mirror and voila, it was straight. Our 50” X 44” mirror was hung! He seemed to at least appreciate the fact that his dad had showed him something that he had never seen done. He still didn’t say a whole heck of a lot but I got the impression that he enjoyed the journey. Especially considering the fact that I had never done that before either. But what we did do was, we shared a moment!

2 guys, setting out on a task and getting it done. Without a whole lot of words being said, WE DID SOMETHING TOGETHER!  IT WAS COOL! 

Payton made it into town! I picked him up and we made the ride to get lunch and to my place. Im almost out of questions…I find myself almost struggling to find questions to ask him that require more than a 1-3 word answer. Ha…
I mean its like pulling teeth but when I think back about being 16, I guess it’s the same thing that I did back in the day. Im not going to give him a hard time about it. I’ll let him open up at his pace I guess. Its so hard to be the part-time parent. Especially the part time parent in a different state. (not to mention throwing in the fact that mom and dad don’t get along all that well.) oh well, it is what it is! (I hate that phrase!)

So last night these listeners, mary, kate and ashley, (really), introduced themselves to me at primos and we talked for a few minutes and it came up that one of the girls, Ashley I think, said that she had been “felt up” by some dude in the bar. So, since I was witness “somewhat” to this before when it happened to kinzey, and I didn’t really do anything other than just trying to make sure that jc and the guy, lets call him, “king”, didn’t get into a fight. I thought I would at least investigate. They pointed out the dude and I casually know him. he’s in the bar a lot… but honestly, I don’t care much for him. I told the girls to tell the manager or security guy and I even pointed the guy out. But they said they were leaving. And then, they apparently had a change of heart. They came back pointed the guy out to security and had him tossed out!!! Way to go ladies!!!!
Hey, im all about having a good time at all times and yes, im a hugger! I admit that. But fellas, do you really have to go there? When did that become ok? What happened to buying the girl a drink to get to know them? It wasn’t that long ago that I would go onn dates, even first dates, and bring a small gift with me. OK, obviously it didn’t work real well…(im still single), but you get the idea… I have yet to resort to grabbing a girls butt. At least not one that I don’t know…  at least I don’t think I have.. haha!

guess whos coming to dinner!

MY SON PAYTON COMES INTO TOWN TODAY. it was this time last year that he came to live with me. I enrolled him into a great school and I had just revamped his room and got him some new furniture so that he would hopefully feel comfortable. Well, that lasted about 3 monthsdont get me wrong. He seemed like he was adjusting well. There were a few problems along the way, but he seemed to be fitting in at his school and the teachers and other students loved him. but it couldn’t last forever. Or at least it didn’t. while I was out of town at the kids kids trip, there was something that went down between paytons mom and my girlfriend at the time, bartendica, and paytons mom packed up his stuff and off they went. I never would have thought that it was going to end like that. I have only seen payton once since then and it was rather awkward to say the least but the two of us struggled through it.
I understand that I cant hold it against him that his mom made, (in my opinion), a very poor decision in taking him back to Missouri in the middle of the school semester and uprooting him just as he was getting his legs under him. but I guess the fact that the way it happened: while I was out of town, making my girlfriend so upset she cried every day for a month, and the fact that he NEVER has given even the slightest apology to me, this is very upsetting to me. But again, its not paytons fault. But sometimes it can be hard trying to separate.

Anyway, for only the 2nd time since he left, he is coming down today. I pick him up this afternoon around 3p. we’ll go to primos and get something to eat this evening before it gets real busy and bartendica will take him to brunch tomorrow morning. Even though we are not boyfriend/girlfriend anymore, he still texts her from time to time and they are still good friends. We’ll of course go see my parents as well. Im not going to pressure him about coming back down here or anything. Im sure if that’s what he wanted to do, he would ask. We’ll just hang out and talk about the things that are going on in his life and try to continue our father/son relationship. The important thing is just for him to know that he has a dad here and more family that loves him.

So wish us luck and I’ll talk to you later.

al

ok, soooooo rosa has come and gone. she was the fantasy fan that got to spend the entire weekend hanging out with me. think she had a pretty good time. but work had to be done first.
well, here was the deal. rosa, as nice as she is, appeared to be pretty quiet. maybe a little nervous, maybe she’s a little shy. whichever the case, i felt that i wanted to not only make her comfortable and put her at ease, i wanted to give her some things to do that would maybe generate some type of reaction from her.

what would the first task be? well, i had this beautiful 19 year old girl mow the lawn over at one of my rental properties! her reaction: great! not exactly the reaction that i was looking for but it was her reaction. she mowed the lawn (front and back) and after we did that it was off to my house to wash the windows. then, i broke out the pooper scooper and yes, we scooped doggie poop from my backyard. im gonna try to put the link below. you gotta see it!

then it was off to primos for lunch and then to steves boat for some afternoon boating fun. so much fun that im gonna not drink for the next 21 days!

all in all, i think rosa had a pretty good time. but i felt bad about everything that i put her thru soooooo, i decided to make it up to her. i gave her a trip to mexico to visit big al and redneck steves beer bucket. by the way, if you see steve, tell him that we need to buy a trip…(haha)
whenever she goes, i’ll make sure she posts enty of pics at bigalandredneckstevesbeerbucket.com…
(cheap plug). nothing huge, just a quick 2 night trip. that should more than make up for all the stuff that i put her thru. she had a great attitude thru it all. i just felt really bad making her do it.

anyway, im outa here ya’ll. we have a meeting in 10 minutes.

have a great monday.

al

you just wait!!!

ok, i normally dont blog on saturday but this is good. ok, so i had the first “fantasy fan”  right? she came in on friday and was, well, not that impressive… thats ok. i realize she was nervous and stuff. but wait until you hear what im gonna have her do over the weekend!!!! hey, if you dont have stuff to talk about, im gonna give you stuff to talk about… thats all im saying!!!

be listening on monday morning!

 

al

friday blog!

So this weekend is the weekend that im supposed to hang out with rosa, my fantasy fan. She won this contest that we had and the “prize” was to come and visit with the morning show and even to hang out and be on the show. One day is for observation, (today), and one day is for actually being on the show! That will be on Monday.

Ive visited mom pretty much every day this week as I promised her I would start doing and yesterday was no exception. Its funny. I drive like 16 miles to help my mom out and I guess I never really had given it much thought about all the things that are so easy for me to do at my house… but are impossible for her to do at her house. My mom has been feeling “overwhelmed” lately and I promised her I would start coming over everyday to do SOMETHING that would help her out. Yesterdays “thing” was moving the television. My sister recently had surgery that is gonna keep her out of service for a few more weeks, so my mom wanted me to move a television from one bedroom to another. And this was a pretty good size tv. So I cleared the dresser, moved the other tv, brought the replacement tv in and voila! Mission accomplished. I cant wait to see what I do today! but its all worth it to see my mom smile when I show up to help her out. She seems to be in a better mood already and its only been a week!

Ok, I tried to do this a while back but I had to cancel for some reason.
Its “BIG ALS BIG ASS NIGHT OUT!”
Ok, here’s the deal. Its not free. In fact, its quite expensive. This night out is for the “PARTY PROFESSIONAL” BUT, ITS HUGE! AND ITS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC… ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PAY CAN COME. Its happening in dallas, so if you’re not there, you got to get there. The second thing is, when??!! Im kind of a spur of the moment guy but I understand if other people aren’t. so, im gonna give you two weeks lead time. The date will be Saturday night august 23rd. here’s whats up. Big al’s big ass night out will consist of a stretch hummer limousine, a pre dinner drink at a place TBD.
Then dinner at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. Then off to a club where we will have a table reserved and a couple bottles of vodka waiting on us.
THIS IS GONNA BE SUCH A COOL PARTY!
What would you expect to spend to party like this? Well, this is not a radio promotion. This is not a bit. This is just a chance to pay, participate and partay!!!!
And the price for this fun filled evening with 6 guys, 6 girls, and me??? $200 per person.
Yup, it aint cheap… but fun aint free!!!  but that includes everthing. Limo, dinner, drinks, and fun…can you bring a friend? Sure! But they gotta pay too…

So if you wanna hang in a couple of weeks, drop me an email with a pic because I will be posting the pics of the people that are coming online!

My email address is bigalmack19@gmail.com… Hope to see you there!

Be safe this weekend!