Karaoke Baby! Play That Funky Music White Boy!

Last night started out just like any other night we’ve had in Chiang Mai so far. Go out for dinner, ride around the town, and indulge ourselves in the night life.  Over dinner one of the cast-mates (Tyler) had a bright idea to do some karaoke.  Tyler’s friend from Chiang Mai, David, knew just the place to take us.  After dinner we hopped on our scooters and drove about fifteen minutes outside of the city to a small local karaoke bar.  I warmed up the crowd with my take on “Play that Funky Music White Boy.”   After my performance, it was inevitable that Evita was going up next; she serenaded the crowd with “I Will Survive.”  And Tyler belted out the lyrics to “Stand by Me.”  After many more performances, some good and some… not so good, our eyes grew tired.  At midnight, we decided it was time for us to head home for some shut eye.  Little did we know that a monsoon was going on outside.  With a hunger for sleep, we decided to brave the torrential rain and set out on our scooters.  Tyler and Bogdon, (one of the producers) on one, Jean-Pierre and Evan (another producer) on the other, and me and Evita on the third.  Tyler was gone in the blink of an eye, so me and Evita, and Jean-Pierre and Evan, were left to fend for ourselves. We drove as slow as humanly possible through the freezing rain.  I was shivering uncontrollably but I continued to drive.  About ten minutes into the drive the rain became heavier (as if that was possible). So we pulled over and took cover under a palm tree.  Most people might find a situation like this to be extremely frustrating, but I used the opportunity to make myself feel like a child again.  I couldn’t tell you the last time I played in the rain. I stomped through puddles and let the rain wash away all of my responsibilities.  Like I said in my previous blog, (The Beauty in Life)  I came out here to see the world in a whole new perspective.  Instead of running for shelter from the rain, I embraced it.  Slowly but surely I am learning to live again.

Fish and nerds both have their own district in Tokyo, but Jed must once again make his home elsewhere…

So, there have been a lot of changes with JS0 recently, but one of them isn’t our release schedule: we should be back to every Monday with regularity now that our new site, trailer, and merch (hint hint, it’s awesome!) is underway.

This is the last episode in which I’ll be a character for a while: it was a blast living with the crew in Tokyo, but it was hard too.  I teach an animation class here at a university in Massachusetts and I needed to get back for the February start of the semester.  Because we’re flying so low under the radar I pay most of my own way editing the show while the cast pays its way recording it, and the reality is that traveling with the cast is too much of a financial drain for us right now.

Who knows though?  I might be back on the road before long.