BJR Newsletter
30 July 2005
Drop it / Park it / Pop it
like it's BJR
While the heat of summer slowly boils the blood of our
hero, Spring seems to have kept its forward momentum, as BJR's life has
blossomed like a Soleil Moon Frye (
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004941/) sitcom. Change
is constant with a new bed, the acquisition of mad tennis skills, a new house
for Dan, and a new location for Taco Deli (where BJR and his Austin crew have
had lunch every Saturday for the last three years). Let's see what else
our hero has been up to.
Is That The Big Bend?
While anyone
can go camping where there are ample sources of water, Mak, Neel, Dan, and BJR
ventured into the barren desert wilderness of Big Bend National Park on the
border between Texas and Mexico. The orange shovel became a symbol of
freedom, water became currency, and ramen and tuna passed for gourmet on a
nightly basis. While no primitive drum beating occurred in the wilderness,
there was a great deal of male bonding, especially in the tent shared by Dan and
Mak.
BJR's got a ticket to ride and he expects double frequent flyer
miles
BJR's first trip to Montana since the 5th grade paired BJR and
SER (his brother) along with six other victims in class 4 rapids in Idaho.
Both brothers survived the watery roller coaster but could not keep up with the
beer chugging college students on the bus ride home (we napped). BJR's mom
celebrated her birthday and "In-dependents" Day by having one of her former
"dependents" (BJR) "in" town (wow that was a lot of work for one joke).
Mom was treated to birthday balloons, but was disappointed that her celebration
lacked an inflatable castle, and the only clown show appeared on the tennis
court as Lisa demonstrated BJR's complete lack of racket skills.
Omaha
for CWS
June brought about BJR's fifth trip to Omaha for the College
World Series of Baseball (CWS) where Arnie and Anne Weitz once again hosted a
crowd of college baseball, brisket, and Omaha fanatics. Most of the games
(both on and off the field) were low scoring - in fact, there were no arrests,
no fights, no vehicular damage, and everyone kept their shirt on this
time. Despite having watched Stanford lose in the Baylor regional in Waco,
BJR dusted off his pride and watched some of the best baseball where only the
fans are juiced. If you've never been to the CWS, then you've never met
"The arm guy."
The Boys in the Bay Area
BJR finally agreed
to vouch for Sameer and LJ and bless their wedding in Sonoma, ending a
near-decade holdout. As a groomsman, BJR's duties included missing the
bachelor party, missing the rehearsal, missing half of the rehearsal dinner, and
missing the groomsman lunch, though he did manage to show at the wedding.
Not surprisingly, BJR looked sharp, but of course in both Indian attire and
formal clothes that someone else had picked out. BJR is a little
disappointed that the newlyweds have not invited BJR to live with them for good
luck.
On the same trip, BJR also met his two super cool new nephews,
Henry and Sam, who will someday be relieved to learn that only one of them
actually shares any family connection with their "Uncle." Lisa got the 75
mph tour of San Francisco ("those are the rabbit hutches"), Stanford ("that's
Hoover Tower") and Oakland ("that's Oakland").
Organ
Freeman
BJR's six month, post-transplant checkup involved the usual
extraction of body fluids and monotonous wait in several waiting rooms.
The report came back, much like the fluids, with flying colors. Now, the
doctors have asked to start a life long program of every-six-month checkups,
where they feign interest in BJR's blood chemistry while their goals largely
focus on increasing his overall medical bills.
Bryan
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