I really can’t say what exactly led to the decline in my social media postings and blogs, but since September 2016, I have done exactly no blog posts. I have managed to post some Gorn photos – that lasted until December, but even then my Instagrams and Tweets have declined dramatically.

Looking back it was a confluence of work and other things happening in real life that get in the way. At work, I was deeply involved in a project which inherently makes me not want to talk about what is going on – it helps that I actually can’t (LOL). My project ended at the end of May and I have slowly been easing back into regular work routine. As for the rest of life, the change in political climate and the complete deluge of 24/7 news and information made it difficult to focus on any particular thing. Let us also not forget how powerful laziness can do.

However all is not bad several great and amazing things have happened in the last 9 months:

Kris visits – Kris and his family were down for his wife’s performance at the Sirball Puppet Festival. Was so great and felt so good to see him and finally meet his son!!

Jean Michel Jarre – after having yearned for decades to see him live, my dream finally came true in May when I saw him at UC Berkeley’s Greek Theater and the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The show did not disappoint and I was so, so happy to see him. As a bonus, I actually met Jarre earlier in February when I won a Facebook competition to go to a Q/A panel in Hollywood. It made up for the fact I missed him when he was signing at Amoeba Records. Sometimes living in the OC is a disadvantage to quick reactions to things. Of course my Social Media malaise was partly to blame since I rarely check it at work so didn’t know about the appearance until it was too late. But all was right in the world when we met. I think a separate detailed blog post with photos and such about my Jarre geek out this year is required.

Twin Peaks! – It has returned after 25 years and boy oh boy am I loving it. Its been a long wait and nothing is as thrilling as re-visiting the world. Tonight is episode 8 which is almost the halfway point of the 18 total episodes of the season. Its been typically Lynch paced which can be frustrating because you want the payoffs to come, but it has been so good that I am willing to wait. As much as I want to just binge watch the whole thing, I am glad its released weekly so we can all analyze and re-analyze what the hee-haw is going on and that makes it that much better.

The Z3 – I still can’t believe that I went out and got a Z3 over Labor Day weekend last September. I know I posted a photo when I took delivery, but the whole experience is again worth its own blog post.. 9 months later I am still loving it. I have of course got a few dings here and there and had to repair some of the smaller items but nothing dampens my enjoyment of driving the car I have wanted since the late 1990s.

Shanghai Disneyland – It’s been a year since it has opened and I am glad that I have kept in touch with the people I have worked with there. It truly is a special time and so grateful I have kept in touch with my friends. I still miss the bill free existence and the glamour of living in a major international city, but I am also so, so glad I can see my family on a regular basis.

Travel – Other than the trip to Colorado in August, Daniel and I really haven’t been able to go anywhere other than camping with my Mom. We are hoping to go somewhere in October (likely Tokyo where else) and I am likely heading to the Caribbean in December on my first ever cruise. The Gorn is a bit antsy so hoping we can get to some new places soon.

Podcast! – Daniel has started the Room 396 Podcast and I have appeared on the first 5 episodes to date. If you want to know what I actually sound like take a listen and tweet me your feedback!

That is it, we are all caught up and look for some more details on the Z3 and Jarre coming up. This week is the 27th anniversary of Club Josh so hoping to do some refresh items here and there (Lots of Jarre items to add!!) and hopefully re-start the blog a day!

It’s been a little over a month since I’ve returned back to the USA and have been getting settled back into my old routine. It’s been quite the shock to the system to come back to the States and part of me feels like I had a stroke and had a feverish dream about China. Then I look back on all my wonderful photos and am glad that it was real and I really did get to experience something as wonderful.

I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on the past year and the future and would not change a thing about what I did. Such a great experience and I hope I get asked to do something like it again. Back in reality, I’ve been getting used to my old job which honestly is just like the job I was doing in China, just with more English. I am glad I am fortunate to go back into a comfortable place to ease back into things. I do miss my friends and life in Shanghai. It was much simpler (no bills and no worries) and my friends were great people who really made living overseas so much better. I hope our paths will cross again and I am glad we have been able to keep in touch.

On the homefront, it only took 5 days for Daniel and I to find a place to live and so far we are loving it. It’s not as close to work as we used to live, but its nice and quite and the apartment, even though its smaller, still feels big. I’ve decided to keep most of my stuff in storage and will start pulling things out as needed (I urgently need a toaster!). It also gives us plenty of storage for the extra stuff we have no place for until we are able to finally buy a place in the future.

In the car front, it’s been a rollercoaster ride. I’ve now been without a car since the end of May 2015 – the longest I’ve ever been without a car since I got my license. The first few weeks were the toughest, but honestly it hasn’t been that bad. We’ve been carpooling everywhere and its been fine. We’ve had a few pain in the rear end days where schedules or what have you haven’t worked out and that really got me thinking about what kind of car I really need. I honestly don’t need an everyday car, just something that I can use a couple times a month.

Thinking about the future and not wanting to have car payments – I’ve had them since 1996 – I made the decision that I should get a used car. Me being me though, I’ve also decided I don’t need a boring practical car, but I should get something enjoyable. Nevertheless, it has led me down a crazy road and my next post will be the complete story (I hope) about me getting the car of my dreams.

Stay tuned!