Wil... just so you known (but you probably already do!) that Northern Brewer is coming up with kits for all the White House brews. see: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/recipe-kits/white-house-recipe-kits?utm_source=NB%2BHomepage&utm_medium=Banner&utm_term=White_House&utm_content=White_House_Homebrew&utm_campaign=White_House_Homebrew .

Wil... for a Truly Awesome Experience see if you can find some wild asparagus. I don't know about California, but when I lived in Colorado it often grew next to irrigation ditches. During the season we'd walk the ditch* and pick the fresh stalks. Two for the bag; one to eat on the spot. Cultivated asparagus is great, but a 1" diameter wild asparagus that's tender from tip to base is truly amazing. *It's never "hike" the ditch... you have to "walk" the ditch.

Heh... "That's not a bug... it's a feature!" I should have read up on the style...my bad.

Lighter / wheat beers are a LOT harder to make than a solid ale. Any flavour variances stick out like a sore thumb. I see you got some "banana" scents. That sometimes points to some sterilization issues...

Wil... glad to hear you buy stuff from my local, Northern Brewers! They saved my butt last week... I'd had a bunch of folks from Feist (my step-daughter sings with 'em) over for breakfast and as the day wore on Brian (their drummer) had some of my homebrew. He went for a walk. Had some more homebrew. He was in love. I wanted to bring a couple of gallons over to the band before they show...BUT NO BIG BOTTLES IN THE HOUSE! It was 5:15 and the guys at Northern were closed and counting the til. I banged on the door and explained my predicament. 5 minutes and an after-closing sale later I was out the door with two 1-gallon jugs. I tapped the keg for the beer and brought it over about 1/2 hour before the show started. I was toasted from the stage, and had the satisfaction of seeing the second gallon disappear into the tour bus. The only downside was that *sniff* the keg ran quickly dry.

You, YOU, YOU ACTOR! I can imagine the things you go through juggling The Actor, The Author, The Dad, And Life. At the end of the day, though, it's The Actor that's in the driver's seat and drives the rest of the roles. Except, of course, for The Dad. THAT is truly in the driver's seat and trumps all. I can't wait to hear how (gig redacted) goes!

*sigh* I'll miss Eureka. Heck, I miss all of those good shows. Our week used to revolve around Sci-Fi Friday. We still get our chuckles out of the so-bad-they-are-good Saturday night made for TV extravaganzas on SyFy, but it's just not the same. Wil... I'm glad you got to have a good evening of homebrew with the guys. It's been interesting to contrast you in an ensemble cast of your own age vs. Star Trek where you were The Kid.

Good post, Wil. So many folks forget that {insert download mechanism here} is content independent. It can be used for anything. As to the "change of heart"... I went through that too. I've actively resisted putting copy protection on my software figuring that anyone that would pirate it wouldn't buy it anyway, hence no lost revenue. Long term, if they like it (how can they help themselves, I say!) they'll come to me for support and THEN I'll make a sale. Heck...I've even given folks a discounted price at that point since they essentially self-marketed and saved me the hassle of trolling for customers.

Have fun. Australia is an amazing place. Good beer. Good wine. Good food. Amazingly friendly people. Just don't hug any koalas...they smell funny.

Wil... Did I just hear a "Squeeeeeeee" from 2,000 miles away?

You've said it before; I've said it before. In essence, "Father" is something that's biologically automatic. "Dad" is earned. You're a damn good Dad!

Don't feel bad, Wil. There are so many that chase after you with that it's silly to jump into them all. I kind of WANT to jump into Twitter(tm), but I just never seem to want to enough to poke all the magic buttons that make it happen. I'm happy you're going to be there as FaceBook(yet another tm, bucko) is the place I've lit upon that gathers all my interests together. Yes, it's weird. Yes, it has odd policies that seem to change more often than the weather. But.. it's kind of a devil I seem to know now. See you in the funhouse.

(Totally an aside...) I love it that a guy with the moniker "TheTubaGeek" is responding to a note from a guy playing a trombone (and a geeky pBone at that!).

I just saw this over at The Mary Sue... THIS is why we keep our nerdy friends year after year after year. I'll be seeing my old Control Data office companion from 32 years ago soon. So, is it going up on top of this year's tree?

It sure is nice to see two people so in love! Good on you two...

Looks great, Wil! *sigh* My last batch sat too long in the secondary fermenter (we were on vacation in Europe...ok excuse, I guess) and by the time I kegged it some "ester-y" flavours had gotten in. Oh Well. I'm just calling it a "Belgian Style" and will probably use it for cooking and making BBQ sauce. "That's not a bug, it's a feature!"

Great NPR interview, Wil. Your voice has become so familiar to me (Radio Burrito, etc) that it was more like listening to an old friend than to "an actor". What you got 25 years ago has stayed with you. You and I have traveled similar journeys with our boys. What you are today with them grew out of the you of "Stand by Me." Thanks for sharing the journey with us.

Save a couple of those "first bottles" for history. I've got three of my c1983 "Pat's Porter" bottles sitting around somewhere. I'd really recommend going the keg route. The re-purposed soda kegs work great, and they're not all that expensive. Just one big thing to sterilize instead lots of little things. I've found that you get a more consistent flavoured brew if it's all finishing up in one big Container. I like the ceremony of "going down into the basement" to pull a nice pint. If I'm going to have a bunch of folks over I'll fill up a 1 gallon jug and bring that upstairs. Developing a relationship with your local brewing supplier (rather than using the internets for your supplies) is a Good Thing. When you do something stupid, and Ghu knows we all have or will, those folks have seen it all and can usually rescue you from your own follies...and not make you feel like an idiot for having gotten yourself in the predicament in the first place. Final thought: you should drop a hint to the Eureka writers to fold home brewing into an episode. It's just the sort of thing that a geek would do in that town. Think of the Interesting Brewing Setup that could be in the story (and something then Goes Wrong with the setup...and...).

Hey Wil... glad to hear you're having such fun with homebrewing! I had a great father-son brewing experience I'd like to share. Back in The Day I brewed a beer I called "Pat's Porter", named after my step son. Son of a gun if it didn't win a first in the US at the AHA competition. I, of course, had to make a celebratory image: http://www.xmn.com/photos/pat-dad-1988.jpg (that's root beer in his mug, BTW). 23 years later my wonderful kid is all grown up and we went down into the basement and re-created the brew. I hope some that he teaches HIS son brewing skills. Bread-from-spent-grains is fabulous. Hearty and with that hint of hops that makes things special. Make a stout someday, and you'll REALLY have a grand loaf of bread! As to you Amtrak trip... a friend of mine was in the same car as you on the way back from San Diego. "Seems like a nice guy." was his view of you. Did you really hold court? And, yes, there are a handful of real jerk conductors. Most, though, are great. I ride Amtrak for most of my business trips now and wouldn't trade those pleasant trips in for anything. Groping by the TSA? Tiny seats? Not a problem for me.

So, Wil, what does Anne say when you get home after the Eureka gig and start whispering technobabble to her in the middle of the night?

Wil... I for one don't get tired of the sound of your voice! Ever since I started reading your blog back in the day, it has always been a Very Good Day when there was a new posting from you. I've felt a kinship with you as you converse with us about being a dad. It's kind of funny that you are now the age that I was when you were acting in Next Generation. (Yes, I'm that old.) Mid-30's is when I made the life for myself that I enjoy today. You've done the same thing. I really like it that a blog that started out as your musings turned into the instrument that led to you rediscovering your craft. Short-form (tweets!) entries are all well and good, but the long conversations with you are what's special. Don't worry about the Sound of Your Voice. It's still spot-on.

Speaking of "All Songs Considered"... here's the group my step-daughter is in: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/02/134194641/mountain-man-no-instruments-required . They opened for The Decemberists on their spring tour. @Wil: aren't step-kids grand!

Stepping away from the Internets is hard...but rewarding. The Dot and I were out beyond the End of Time in New Mexico this past summer and it was liberating to be unconnected to anyone other than each other (awwwww....). Have fun. Make sure you wear sunscreen. Smile at the nice people!

Excellent! My step-son and his cronies, all in their early 20's, are definite old-school style players. I, sadly, never was. I get to re-capture my well-spent youth (!) watching them. Nick will definitely get points.

You know what's neat, Wil, is that your basic "beat", the timing that you use to deliver a line, hasn't changed since Those Days. It's more refined, it sure as heck is more professional, but the basic rhythmic structure is still pretty much the same. Even the facial expressions you used in Eureka can be seen in those clips. I think that that's a Good Thing. You make whatever role you're taking, be it Wesley Crusher, Dr. Isaac Parrish on Eureka or, Boy Star on Nickelodeon, YOUR role. You own it. Well done, young (*snort*) Jedi!