Wil, you are so correct about the system having a lesser importance. During the 80's I played in a MArvel the RPG game (a truly awful system where with a good die roll Aunt May could lift a 747.) but the GM made the world come alive and had a terrific feel for the characters. I had a blast! (nothing like running for cover when an associate says, 'Lord Doom the failure was not your fault.')

A very cool moment with the Humming Birds. I totally understand about having the Writers Brain. Mine causes me to loose track of a conversation as the suddenly brilliant solution appears when I am far from my desk. BTW I found one solution in my current spec novel was to imagine Wil Wheaton playing the part of Raj Stein, after I did that the character's voice just fell into place. You'll be happy to know that means in my head you're playing lots of scenes with Brent again.

That is such a lovely floor. I can't imagine the impulse cover it with carpeting. Congrats of your revived acting career. I think historically for young actors there has always been two major paths after the younger years. The first path and sadly the more traveled is burn out, substance abuse, and the end of an admirable public life. The second path usually involves a period of isolation away from the acting and public life. But then in adulthood these young actors return stronger and more in control of their careers. (Roddy McDowall went along this second path with his period of isolation being acting schools and Broadway.) I suspect that you are entering your second act and it's only going to get brighter and busier. I am terribly happy for you.

Such moments are never wasted Wil. There are the ergs of that power our souls. You can be too hard on yourself, don't be. (Now if you spent a couple hours on Red Dead that would be a different matter.)

Wil; As far I know most of your acting has been film type acting. How was it for you performing as a character in front of a live audience? I'm so glad to hear evil will is coming back. It's a bummer I got the wrong taping tickets. My friends and I were just there a couple of weeks ago.

That was a touching and moving piece of writing Wil, and for reason I don't understand it helped bring me out of the funk I was in surrounding my most recent writing related rejection. (Normally rejections don't phase me, I'm too stupid and too stubborn to quit. This one hit hard for some reason.) Thank you for writing it at just the right time. On a side note - I might have been in that theater with you. My friends and I drove up from San Diego to see 2001 at the Cinerama Dome. That was quite an experience I am very glad that this was your first viewing of the movie and not a washed-out video.

The problem with both the Ferengi and W. Crusher is that the writers/producers didn'tnow how to handle them and as such they were poorly written. Wesley had the potential to be an invaluable tool for the writers if they had understood his position in the character mix. He was the only character outside of the chain of command. Each and every character would have had a different relationship with Wesley than like the ones they would have had with each other. They would have been able to say things to Wesley that they couldn't have said to each other. (As a class rject in college I wrote an episode of TNG woudl have submitted it too except for teh thrice damn writer's strike. I really tried hard in my attempt to salavage both the Ferengi and Wesley. alas not to be.) BTW Loved you in TBBT, Wil, that was frickin' great. Have you performed as an actor in front a live audience before or has all your acting been film work?

Guillotine is a great game! I remember coming across it years ago at a Wizards Of The Coast Store while I was keep a friend distracted the morning his mother was having surgery. (She recovered fine I am happy to say.) We watched the game play at the store and knew, just knew we had to have that game! Will, have you played a game called Inn-Fighting? It's a dice and card game of a bar brawl in a D&D tavern. Its fast, its easy and it freaking funny. Almost as funny as Cthulhu 500. Any chance you might attend Loscon in November? It's in your town after all?

That was a wonderful and touching post, my friend. Still I wish you had posted it LAST week. For six years I have been wanting to do the WB studios Deluxe tour. (Five hours long, $200) Last Friday I did. I took the train to Burbank, went to the Studio and had a blast. (Including the set of BBT. BTW TVTICKETS.COm for tickets to tapings of sitcom, but BBT is out of ticket for the foreseeable future.) Now the rest of the plan was my sweetie-wife would drive up from San Diego meet me t the WB studios and we would then drive down to Medieval Times for that show and then home to sleep.(I'm a D&D since 1979 and have never been to medieval Crimes, shame on me) My wife calls me at 3:30 she locked in traffic miles and miles and miles from the studio. She rolled a twenty on her save though and still got us there in time. Had we known about the Burbank black hole of traffic we could had planned, but we are strangers in a strange land in LA.

I have no words equal to the task of lessening your pain, but you have my sincere condolences.

I think it was John Houston who said that half of solving your problems as a director is casting correctly. There's no doubt Rob cast perfectly for Stand by Me, but there's also no doubt in my mind you are a talented actor. People who had a problem with you as Wesley failed to understand it wasn't the actors' fault what words go put in their mouths, but people forget that movies and TV shows are written at all. (Wesley was a tough tough character to write. I tackled a full script as a final in my TV and Film class and Wesley was the hardest character to get on the page.) I love reading you slice of life posts here. They are well written, entertaining and illuminating. Keep it up will. Also --we've all hard weird lives. The most accepted fiction is that anyone has a normal life. The normal life is the myth.

"In zombie stories, the characters are always heroic and noble " Sadly, this is true of fiction in general. I like flawed characters much more than perfect heroes. I once sat down to write a story and the only characters who showed up for duty that day were the scum of space. It got a semi-finalist award from Writers Of The Future and a note that said the characters were too unlikable. I thought about re-writing it but everytime I sat down and read it I liked the characters as they were. It's stayed unchanged and now languishes on my blog. I look forward to reading your zombie story. Dare to write the un-heroic. (Star Trek could use with a bit of grim here and there don't you think?)

Wil THAC0 rules, you wanna make something you come and make me! (LOL) I love that you made such an obscure - to the general public not to us geeks -- D&D reference. Keep living the good life, man.

What a cool comment on your take. Take a bow Wil.