here piggy piggy piggy

Hey all,

I have decided not to come home because I dont want to get the swine flu. From what CNN is reporting, this is the most dangerous thing that has ever hit the US. Thankfully, I dont eat a lot of bacon on the ship. If I do come home and all my family and friends are dead, I will be pissed.

Stay Healthy everyone!

Contract Countdown: 4 Days

Much Love,

BJSR

fun stuff

Hey All,

Thursday. It a beautiful day in Dominica. Im at our favorite coffee joint, doing a little bit of interwebbing. I am trying to get my affairs in order for my return to the States. Hard to believe I have been rocking the Caribbean for 5 months already. One more months to show this ship whats up!

So I recorded some of my set last night. I was kind of having an off night, but I did get a cool take of “I Shot the Sheriff” by Bob Marley. I will be recording just about all of my sets from here on out because I need demo material to book some gigs this summer.

Make sure you check out the Myspace page.

MYSPACE

I also got a link to this video from my friend, Kathleen. Its absolutely hilarious and I am not even a cat person.

Enjoy!

Contract Countdown: 31 Days.

Much Love,

BJSR

MUSIC

Hey All,

I have some new music for everyone. I have started recording some of my sets in the atrium and finally getting them up in the ole interweb. Still getting the hang of the recording equipment but I thought a couple were good enough to pass on to you. Check out the Myspace page and have a listen.

MYSPACE

I will be posting a lot more music as I get it laid down. Let me know what tunes you want to hear. I have been talking about getting these to you for a while, so thanks for being so patient with me. Tell everyone you know to check out the site.

Networking baby…networking.

Contract Countdown: 45 days

Word of the Day:

diversify |diˈvərsiˌfī; dī-|
verb
make or become more diverse or varied : [ intrans. ] the trilobites diversified into a great number of species | [ trans. ] they seek to diversify their approach to teaching | [as adj. ] ( diversified) a diversified economy.
• [ intrans. ] (of a company) enlarge or vary its range of products or field of operation : the company expanded rapidly and diversified into computers.
• [ trans. ] [often as adj. ] ( diversified) enlarge or vary the range of products or the field of operation of (a company) : the rise of the diversified corporation.
• [ trans. ] spread (investment) over several enterprises or products in order to reduce the risk of loss : a prudent investor should diversify his or her holdings | [as adj. ] ( diversified) a diversified portfolio of assets.

Much Love,

BJSR

two wheeler…

Hey All,

So Im thinknig about buying a motorcycle. I will be getting back to the states in early May, which would give me almost 7 months of nice weather to ride in. I thought it might be kind of fun to own one for a while. It would save on gas and I could buy a car when winter comes. I dont want a crotch rocket or anything, something a little sturdier but still slick. Im thinking about something like this. Thoughts?

Much Love,

BJSR

cold and coldness

Hey all,

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I have been a little under the weather. Speaking of weather… I hear the Midwest has been blessed with some really nice weather. Spring is on its way! So, caring so much about your environment, I have set up a poll to see what its like where you all are. Let me know…and tell me all the stories about what you are doing with your warmer temperatures.

Much love,

BJSR

Giggin’

Hey All,

So I finished my gig yesterday and was chatting with a couple from Michigan. There have been a lot of Michiganders on the cruise the last couple weeks, escaping the cold that is lasting far too long. Anyway, they were telling me that they own a book store and would love to have me play there this summer. While talking, one of the other gentleman that was listening asked me where I was from. He is from Chicago and own 4 Irish pubs around Wrigleyville. He told me he would also love to have me play there this summer. So, in a matter of 5 minutes I had booked myself for 5 gigs. I think that’s some kind of a world record.

I am hoping to be doing a lot of playing when I get back home. If you know of any places…anywhere that you think might fit my music please let me know. I am going to start doing some email with my material in the next month for the summer music boom. I would love to hit up a big chunk of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. I am also going to try and play some gigs in Canada because I have gotten a great response from the Canadian guest on board. They all think I’m from Canada, actually, so I can take advantage of that.

So, keep the venue ideas coming.

Much Love,

BJSR

Weekend Fun

Hey All,

Happy Weekend! I hope everyone has big plans. Im in beautiful Saint Kitts, sipping a carmel macchiato at an internet cafe. Not a lot going on today, but I have  another funny video to show you. I watched this one at least 8 times yesterday. I think I see a little of myself in David (after a Benadryl or two)…Parents can be so cruel. Enjoy.

Much Love,

BJSR

Lincoln logs

Hey all,

In celebration of Lincoln’s birthday I almost decided to grow a beard in his honor, but I thought the moustache was bad enough. So instead I made small cabin out of coffee stir sticks. Lincoln was born in a small cabin in Kentucky. For more information on our 16Th president, and about beards in general, check out these links…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beard

Much Love,

BJSR

Communication

Hey All,

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was quite enjoyable. I was able to talk with a bunch of people back home and get updates on the latest happenings in their lives. As I fell asleep last night, I was thinking about how lucky I am to have such a strong group of friends and family that I can stay in touch with, no matter where I am. Whether its over the phone, in an email, or on this blog, hearing from everyone brings so much joy to my day. Its so interesting to think what it would have been like to work on a cruise ship 20 years ago when a letter or an expensive phone call would be the only means of communicating with home. Not only does all this technology help with the homesickness and cabin fever this ship can induce, but it will also make coming home so much easier. All of you will know a little about the craziness of my experience, and I wont be completely out of touch with your adventures. So, today I am raising my glass to communication. Keeping us sane around the world.

Thanks for all the communication, guys. Keep it coming.

Much love,

BJSR

PAX

Hey All,

This has been an interesting group of passengers, (pax), this week. While they are very energetic, they have been requesting some very unusual songs. Last night, however, I got a request for a song that brought back a lot of memories. A gentleman from Iowa kept requesting “put the lime in the coconut” by Harry Nilsson. He knew that I didnt know how to play it but would insist that I do it after every song. Now, this song is directly linked in my brain to my Father, Mr. Stephen M. Rivet. I can remember him dancing in the kitchen while mixing a drink, singing this song. If it wasnt for this fond set of memories, I probably wouldnt have amused the annoyingly persistent guest’s song request, but alas I will be playing tonight for him. Thanks Steve.

While doing some research of the song on the Internet, I found a plethora of videos on Youtube. Here is one that made me laugh. Enjoy.

Much love,

BJSR