BJR Newsletter
For Whom the BJR Tolls
April 9, 2007

Beware the Ides of BJR!  Only recently did BJR learn that the Ides of March are only one day (March 15th).  Who knew?   So when the crazy soothsayer yells to Ceasar, "Beware the Ides of March," he's saying "Lookout for the 15th!"  While that sounds more ominous, "Brutus is gonna kill you on Wednesday!" would have been more helpful.  BJR plans to celebrate the Ides all the way until the end of April.  Typical celebration of the Ides includes rearranging the Netflix queue and going to work for 10-12 hours a day. BJR is also celebrating the Ides by returning to a quarterly schedule for the BJR Newsletter, as his way of sticking it to the electronic man.
 
Getting Rid of the Girlfriend

The date has been set!  Cinco De Mayo will be a big day for not only millions of people who love chips and salsa, but for BJR and Lisa as well.  In Hendersonville, North Carolina, Lisa and BJR will tie the knot in a small family ceremony (clarification: the number of family members will be small, the size of the family members will be normal).  

The date serves also as a great reminder – anytime Corona or Dos Equis goes on sale, or piñatas begin to multiply, BJR's wedding anniversary approaches.  Potential wedding themes being considered include "NAFTA: A retrospective" "Loco De Mayo," and "Rollins v. Handzus – Ultimate Fighting, Family Style."  BJR is registered at The Dollar Store and your local Shell gas station.

Wedding planning continues around the clock, and more and more details, decisions, and the most ridiculous of contingencies must be accounted for:  What if the Officiant can't sing anything by James Brown?  How much hummus do the guests expect to be fed?  Can "Something stolen from a cold, blind woman" substitute for something borrowed?  For something blue?  

The Martyr Behind

On April 21st, BJR will risk life, limb, and posterior in his fourth MS150, an amazing ride where 15,000 cyclists will travel 180 miles over two days from Houston to Austin to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. Any donation of any size will automatically renew your subscription to the BJR Newsletter.

Lisa joins BJR on her inaugural ride, in their first year as members of Team Taco Deli (Taco Deli is where BJR and friends eat lunch every Saturday).  Lisa secretly hopes BJR will not raise over $3,000 and break his tradition of leg shaving, hair coloring or other humiliating fund-raising activities.

Donation Link For BJR: http://ms150.org/edon.cfm?id=195254
Donation Link For Lisa: http://ms150.org/edon.cfm?id=191990

No, a Bright Green River is a Good Sign

BJR and Lisa visited Vic in Chicago for St. Patrick's Day weekend, to be supportive of Vic's Irish Heritage.  Vic appears as the lead in 'Golden Child' ( http://www.srtp.org/newsgold8.html), a drama about the struggle between tradition, obligation, free will, and Vic.  And yes, Vic says everyone makes the Eddie Murphy joke.  The Windy City's St. Patty's Day parade featured such wonderful floats as "The Industrial Codpiece Fitters' Union" and "The Irish Who Haven't Sobered Up From Last St. Patty's Day."

BJRLogging

Many fans of the newsletter have requested that BJR start a "blog" where daily or hourly thoughts of BJR could be posted for public viewing and subscription.  Preposterous!  The Newsletter is an advanced art form, while the "Blog" is an electronic post-it-note.  Did the fans of Tolstoy ask him to write comic books?  Did Van Gogh's non-existent admirers ask for paint-by-number?  Was Men's Figure Skating Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton asked to tour with "Smuckers' Stars on Ice?"  Okay, the answer to the final question is "Yes", but you get the point.  

BJR