J or Jeffrey Michael Wetherington Jr. - for those in the know like the Lunch Ladies - has been hiking across this great nation all the way from Florida to the West Coast for the past month. This is vaguely reminiscent of our Assistant Director - Nick C. Johnson who as soon as he finished up Lunch Ladies, was so disturbed he sold all his shit and took off on the Pacific Crest Trail - 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada. It appears Lunch Ladies just makes you wanna get the hell out of dodge.
Anyhoo, J - as he prefers to be called, since the ripe age of 8 - is working on a book of his experiences and met the Lunch Ladies on Instagram. Somehow they popped up in his feed and he loved them immediately. What's not to love?
When J found out he was gonna be in the Kansas City Area he jumped at the chance to see the ladies at the Tulsa American Film Fest. As he put it:
"WHO WOULDN'T TRAVERSE A MERE STATE LINE OR TWO TO SEE THE LUNCH LADIES?"
J hoofed over with all his gear a total of 210 miles out of his way from Bonner, Kansas. With 60 miles left, carrying 70 pounds of gear and only two days to go and no one to pick him up, he walked all day and through the night tired, hungry and weary, 40 straight miles. At daybreak - he walked another 7 and a kind highway patrolman picked him up driving him the last 13 to get him to the Circle Cinema Theatre.
J's Review of the short?
"Really loved the film - I think it took some great imagination and stayed tethered to the real world in a way that we can all relate to. We've all told tall tales of our Lunch Ladies and this was just a film we didn't realize we needed until it was made. My only critique is what women usually ask me: "why wasn't it longer?"
J's book is about the joys and crazy experiences he's found on the road - he says "the souls of everyone I meet fill me with hope and love of what the earth offers. I push myself hard to get through long nights without my dog but there is little else that concerns me besides meeting my fellow men and women. Because, within them lies the truth and stories that need to be told."
J poses with writer/producer, Clarissa, minutes after he made it to the Circle Cinema with all his gear. He gifted her with this awesome sign that he used to to see the Lunch Ladies. Autographed it and everything. Now that's something to cherish - cause that's about as heartfelt and kick ass at it gets.
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