You Want the BJR? You can’t handle the BJR.
06 Jun 2001
Our editorial staff has been in a fury over the fact that we
have actual news to report in this newsletter. The BJR newsletter market
indicator of BS/facts is excessively low in this episode, but we have had to
adjust to failure of the new economy and the fact that we now know exactly what
a badger sounds like (fyi, kind of grunting, kind of barking). This
newsletter is unique in the fact that it actually contains several serious
paragraphs where we'll report on BJR's real life and what's been going
on. We hope this serious content won't drive away our rabid subscriber
base.
For those of you new to the BJR newsletter, it's usually not
filled with anything serious or meaningful. So you can look forward to
fake news and fantasy, a lot like everything you see on FOX. If you'd
like to unsubscribe from this list, just turn this note over and sign on the
back.
Our hero...
We last caught BJR in the act of holiday celebration
(arrest, but no conviction) preparing to head to Europe. My thanks to
Monsieur Weiss and Monsieur Kandula for their Monsieur Hospitality. I
love the French even less now, but I learned to appreciate the fact that the
Spanish aren't that great either. There are too many details to post in
the newsletter, so I wrote up a separate note a while back that I still need to
put up on the BJR web site.
A lot of you already know that Krista and I had separated in
September of 2000. I don't know what to say here other than I don't know
what to say. I never imagined this would ever happen, and I never went
into marriage ever expecting this, but life isn't always fair or just or
good. A friend of mine recently told me that the difference between a
pessimist and optimist is just information. I guess maybe I got a dose of
information. Our marriage was legally over in April of this year, though
in hindsight it was over before it began. Hmm. Guess I had
something to say.
The most difficult and important event of the year was the
passing of my father, Donald J. Rollins, who had fought a four year battle with
prostate cancer, on January 29, 2001. My father has always been my hero,
and saying goodbye was something I will never fully internalize. I was
with Dad through the final minutes, and I am proud to have been his son.
I am also proud of my family for being so strong through our loss.
After we decided to close the Boston and Austin offices for
Reactivity, I made a decision to stay in Austin and not continue on at
Reactivity, despite the incredible opportunity there. My last day was
June 1. While Reactivity has lost a founder, they also have one less
smart-ass telling jokes at the wrong moment.
The streak is over - some pork chop from California pulled
me over on I-80 doing 80. I told him I was just following the speed on
the blue signs. He didn't laugh. This is my first ever speeding
ticket, and I'm worried that if karma is real, I have about 4,000 tickets coming
over the next two years…. and possibly several charges of arson and
aggressive animal husbandry.
I have managed to spend a lot of time with family in the
last six months - hanging out in Florida, and recently playing baseball,
soccer, and basketball with my killer nephews in Virginia. I even got
scolded for my poor performance as keeper during a hotly contested
brother-brother soccer match. I am proud to have soccer hooligan
nephews. I've also managed to visit my cousin Scott and his family
in Dallas, and add Pac Bell Park and The Stadium at Arlington to my list of
major league ballparks.
Before I choose my new destiny, I'm going to fulfill a
couple lifelong dreams. No, I'm not going to Nevada to fulfill either of
them. I'm actually heading to Omaha, Nebraska to watch every possible
game of the NCAA College World Series of Baseball. After some time with
family, I'm then heading over to Ireland, where I'm going to bike around the
coast and get into as much o'trouble as I can in 30 days. I'll be back at
the beginning of August to suffer in the humidity of Texas.
As always, the classic BJR newsletters can be found
at: http://www.bryanjrollins.com.
We recently received several awards for the content on our site, in the form of
death threats and subpoenas.
Send Checks and Money Orders to:
My permanent contact info is still:
rollins@cs.stanford.edu
512 330 9657 home
1911 Cypress Point East
Austin, TX 78746
BJR