Long story short: Laid off February 2007. Spent some time figuring shit out, some time being pissed off. Had an opportunity to go out to Thailand for a week to help finish post on a film. Which didn't take much time. And, as we were hangin' with the locals, we got to do some fun stuff. We headed up to Ayutthaya and, as one does, stopped at eleventy-seven places along the way. Two of these places where Buddhist temples. The second one... So the place is packed with Thai. Me and a buddy are the only farang there. Probably 1000 people in this smoky Chinese temple on the river; think it was Chinese, anyway. And the monk running the ceremonies takes one look at me and my buddy and brings the mic over. It's call'n'response time, you see. Monk says something, supplicant repeats it. He's been going 'round the room. He's going to get the farang to do it. And my buddy, he speaks a little Thai, but his accent's no good. Me? I know maybe five words in Thai. But I've always been a mimic. So I repeat along as best I can, inflection and all. Funny thing happens. Monk stops carrying the mic around. Instead, the monk pretty much stands with me for ten minutes, calling out something, then pointing the mic at me and expecting me to repeat. Which I do, as best I can. a thousand buddhists watching you chant in a language you don't speak Eventually he's gotten through his prayer, which means I have, too. Everyone is hushed and reverent. The ceremony continues for a few minutes but my part in it is done. Then as everyone's filing out of the room, the monk calls me and my buddy over. Fortunately our friends show up too. Monk talks directly to them. They nod appreciatively and seriously. Nobody is joking. I asked my friends about it on the way out to the car. They said "This sort of thing does not happen. Very rare. Very sacred. He say good fortune will smile on you - do not turn your back on it." And then we went to Ayutthaya. A month later I was mixing national television. * I owe that temple some baht. Gotta make it back one of these days.