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The Project re-launched at The Magnet Theater this past Saturday. Twelve improv teams performed — roughly 15 minutes each. That’s a ton of improv. But it was a very friendly room with a high concentration of friends in the audience — so it was a fun, forgiving, positive show. Every team had great performances. I was especially glad to see “Fat Kitchen” so I could see Ptolemy, Terry, Jane, Fountain and Chris Himes improvise.

Is it good to have audiences like that, or does it encourage bad habits? I think The Project is actually a good balance of both. It’s forgiving enough to encourage gutsy moves, but still lets you know if you’re really delivering something fun or not. Frankly, it reminds me of the UCBT shows at Solo Arts with its combination of “insidey audience” with “cool secret thing.”

Primal Bias performed (Kevin, Cragg, Lombard, Gavin, Tanouye and me — though Tanouye was absent this time). I love every single show we do and I loved this one. It was silly, even for us, I think. But the audience was eating everything up all night, and I think we indulged that tolerance with some fun, silly stuff.

Oddly, I was very nervous before we went up. I say “odd” because with all the friends in the audience, and with such a short set planned — the stakes were frighteningly low. But I could feel myself becoming very self-conscious while we were being introduced so I forced Kevin to reassure me. “I’m nervous,” I told him. He gave me a “You’re crazy” look. Then I said “Do you like me?” and he closed his eyes in a classic Charlie Brown “Good Grief” expression. Funny. I felt better. I am 34 years old. I was going to take this paragraph out, but it’s these moments of insecurity that are as much a part of an improv show as anything that happens on stage.

I’m very lucky to genuinely like every member of my different comedy projects: Monkeydick, Gameface, Primal Bias and even the intermittent TJ Monkeys. I mean, all the members of those teams make me laugh. I was watching Team Roo Roo (Saturday had Gemberling, Curtis, Wengert and Gelman) and thinking “Man, it’d be fun to perform with those guys.” And then realizing “Oh yeah. I do.” So it’s good.

But do I give off a “I hate women” vibe? A surprisingly high percentage of all my comedy ventures are all-guy lineups, and I swear that is not something that I plan.

Not to get too “movie of the week,” but on days like Saturday I do try to think what it will be like to remember those days when I’m 85 years old. To think that in my life my weekend can consist of getting into a room full of people I like and watch as we perform comedy for each other — even sometimes GOOD comedy? How could it really get better? To be paid for it? That would likely be worse, since I’d be beholden to someone.

Then you throw in how I made a short film with funny people the next day, and how I had performed another improv show on Friday night at the UCBT, which as far as I’m concerned is probably the coolest comedy theater in the world (and just saying that makes it sound un-cool, but I don’t have energy time to frame it in the properly hip and detatched language — it just IS — it is and has been over the past 5 years, for all its ups and downs, the most exciting entity to be a part of) — well, it’s important to value these moments as they’re happening.

When I was 23 I was resigned to the idea that I would never have a life that I would truly want — I would have to settle in some regard. And that’s not as tragic as it sounds, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow. But really, I wouldn’t trade anything right now. The Red Sox are even the World Champions. I’m not sure if I just got so good at “settling” that I don’t even notice, or if things really are that good.

Dear lord, what a saccharine post! What if I say now that I’m going to go screw my cats in their tiny little pussies? Ah yes. That brings up the horribleness level nicely.