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Andrea
Toronto
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Congratulations, Wil and Anne!
to mark the passage of three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days together
We went to Napa for our tenth anniversary. For the record: being married to your best friend rules.
$4000 over your goal! Congratulations!
My dog had cancer too. Sometimes I miss her.
You're doing a great thing to honor Ferris's memory.
to celebrate the memory of our awesome dog
This weekend, Anne and I are going to go up to the Rose Bowl and join a few thousand other animal lovers for the Pasadena Humane Society's annual wiggle waggle walk. Every year, it seems, we plan to do the walk, but every year something comes up and we end up missing it. This year, we're co...
Great WSJ article. I agree that there's etiquette that should be exercised with laptops in a coffee shop or other business. Certain behaviors should be common courtesy to the establishment:
1. BUY something. If you're there for a number of hours make multiple purchases. Maybe a beverage an hour? (I don't know, just throwing out a number.) Eat. Drink. Purchase.
2. If you've been there for hours and see people circling like vultures for a seat (as often happens at my local Aroma), vacate. It's nice to the people who are looking for a seat, and nice to the business who will get their money.
Establishments with free WiFi are businesses. They need to make money. If you're going to use their free WiFi you should be respectful of that and either spend money or give the table to people who will. Of course I mean the general "you" here, not Esther "you".
I don't know about New York and LA but there's a growing trend in Toronto for coffee shops to open up with free WiFi, plenty of outlets and big communal tables along with smaller ones and where people are encouraged to stay for hours and interact with each other. Sadly, the one closest to me closes at 6pm, which I expressed disappointment over when I went in yesterday for the first time. This is a niche, and I don't think that the model would be so successful if every coffee shop was doing it.
I still like Aroma best for free WiFi and great food and drink and since they opened two more locations in the city it might be easier to get a seat now.
You, Your Laptop, and...Where, Exactly?
A few days ago, the Wall Street Journal printed an article about how coffee places are becoming increasingly less tolerant of their laptop toting customers. And mediabistro, undergroundish-insiderish site that they are, have launched what amounts to a quasi-countercampaign, asking New Yorkers to...
One sentiment that's comes up often when I talk to people who see the movie is exactly what you said:
"there's almost nothing in this movie that I, like most people who follow these issues, haven't known for years." But...
It's one thing to read the stories, another to see them come alive on screen. The cinematography was fantastic. I really liked the opening sequence with the ominous music.
The other thing we agree on is that those who see the movie are likely to be the ones who know the issues (that is, in a sense the movie is preaching to the converted) but the challenge is getting people who SHOULD see the movie to see it.
Strongly Recommend: Food, Inc.
I wasn't intending to post on this. Robert Kenner's documentary Food Inc. has been widely and well reviewed (NYTimes review here). And frankly, there's almost nothing in this movie that I, like most people who follow these issues, haven't known for years. (For a contrarian view, here's t...
One of my favourite Family Guy moments is when the family was in the supermarket and Chris got sucked into that video.
everything's drawn and super 80s
Anne and I went to the grocery store this afternoon. When it was time to get the orange juice, there was only one left, and it was way in the back of the cooler. I reached in really far to get it, and as I did, Anne began to sing the chorus from Take On Me. If you follow me on Twitter, you alrea...
Great post. You are so right. Being in Israel right now, you're close to it in a way you're not in LA or New York. I can't imagine what it's like because I'm so far away, so far removed. I recall some of those emotional moments and moments of reflection upon seeing evidence of destruction due to war during my visit to Israel in winter 2008. It's so sad and yet at this moment I think that we should all visit Israel on the occasion for the reminder (but of course wish there was nothing like this to remember).
Three Years, Now
When you think about three years, you might think of it as something that just flew by ("ohmigawd, I can't believe that three years ago we were freshmen!") or a serious chunk of time ("ohmigawd, I can't believe you guys have been together three years and still aren't engaged!"). However you t...
Great post, Wil.
in which wil has a good day
Today was, as the song goes, and the movie says, a good day. I woke up before my alarm, feeling rested and relaxed. My dog met me before my feet hit the floor, and followed me to the kitchen, wagging her tail and nuzzling at my side the entire way. I grabbed a cup of coffee and wrote for about t...
I laughed out loud.
A few years ago I was at my parents house for dinner and, while getting ready to leave, put a piece of steak (wrapped) on a chair near the garage door. Well, you can predict what happened next if you've already figured out that this is a dog story: I forgot the steak there. My mother later said that she found the dog licking her chops and looking quite satisfied. There was no challenge there. I recall my dog used to eat gingerly. Daintily. I'm trying to picture it now.
Poor Ferris. I wish her the best. Save Ferris!
from the vault: my awesome dog
When you break the world down into dog people and cat people, I guess I'm mostly a dog person, even though I've loved every cat I've ever owned. Sometimes, though, my dog tests me, like in this entry from the vault... When I was at CES [a few weeks ago] for InDigital, I got a phone call from Ann...
That last bit made me sniffle with emotion.
from the vault: the autumn moon lights my way
I reached into the vault and pulled this entry out today because a reader recently commented that it was one of her favorites, and what do you know, it's one of mine, too. When I wrote this, Ryan and Nolan were barely 16 and 14, in the middle of what Anne and I called "The Pod Person Phenomenon"...
You mean all that doesn't go without saying?
Dude, I've been reading your blog since almost the start and was an active "Soapbox" participant for a couple of years. I was drawn to your blog and the 'box because you remind me of a lot of people I know. My friends. Geeks like me. Ergo I consider you a peer, neither mythical "celebrity" nor "friend" (I'm not delusional - we've never interacted one-on-one). You're an online acquaintance (albeit one-sided). As such, you deserve the same respect as everyone else.
I do worry that technology - first email, then blogs, then "web 2.0" - makes some people think that their access to "celebrities" gives them rights that they don't have: The right to be dicks. The right to think that "celebrities" (or "writers slash actors") are their new friends. I fear that people think that they KNOW the "celebrities" that they're following, like they know their friends. Not to make you paranoid, but I wonder if this opens the door for cyber stalking and wonder if well-known people are risking themselves by being so accessible.
I feel slightly self-conscious when I tweet celebrities/actors/former child stars because I don't want to overstep their boundaries as human beings or make them uncomfortable. I emailed an author once after identifying with a character in one her books and felt like such a dork doing so (she emailed me back).
Also, silvertales's comments were right on and more articulate than my own. KCFlatlander's point #3 is also right on.
what to expect if you follow me on twitter (or: how I'm going to disappoint you in 6 quick steps)
Yesterday, my friend Alan tweeted a link to this story of how Twitter was born. If you use Twitter at all, you should totally check it out because it's awesome. If you don't use Twitter, you should totally check it out, because a lot of what you may have heard about Twitter is probably filtered ...
I LOVED American Gods and Good Omens. I've read almost all of Gaiman's stuff. Stardust was one of my favorites. I found out via Twitter that he was in my city the day of (Monday, I think) and that I'd missed an opportunity to see Coraline w/ Q&A. I also don't have cable so I missed him on the morning show circuit. *sigh*
there's a preview of part one neil gaiman's batman story online
Did you know that Neil Gaiman wrote a two part Batman special? It's called Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, and starts at issue 686. It's coming out very soon, and a few pages have been put online at MySpace as a preview. I'm a life-long Batman fan, and I've been a Neil Gaiman fan since...
Nicely done, and good cross promotion opp.
My Canadian pride kicked in.
This one is going into the RSS feeds.
wil does the commodore hustle
I joined the cast of Loading Ready Run at the Child's Play Dinner last month for another episode of Commodore Hustle! It's long, but it's worth it. THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID! Ah, that joke never gets old.
And blogging is a method of procrastination or something to do during a well-earned break? :)
(Not judging, just observing in a somewhat cheeky manner.)
also, i have a lava lamp
I got a deadline fucked up in my head, and something I thought was due tomorrow at noon was due today at noon. Oops. I had it on my list and everything. Luckily, I have some flexibility and an editor who trusts me, so I'm working on finishing the column now (it's coming together, but finding the...
And blogging is a method of procrastination or something to do during a well-earned break? :)
(Not judging, just observing in a somewhat cheeky manner.)
also, i have a lava lamp
I got a deadline fucked up in my head, and something I thought was due tomorrow at noon was due today at noon. Oops. I had it on my list and everything. Luckily, I have some flexibility and an editor who trusts me, so I'm working on finishing the column now (it's coming together, but finding the...
Oh, and his previous tweets were even better:
"...Happy to be twittering you. I'm a fan..." and "Thinking how cool it would be for @WILW to have a cameo on Heroes. Will tell Tim and the writers tomorrow. Think he'd do it?"
Don't fall over from excitement, Wil.
In which wil goes "O_o" but retains his grip on reality
I thought I'd completed this week's LA Daily column on Friday, but when I opened it up yesterday afternoon to give it one final look, I realized that it didn't work at all. It's fine for a blog post (and will likely show up here sooner or later) but it just doesn't work as a column. As you can i...
Oh, and his previous tweets were even better:
"...Happy to be twittering you. I'm a fan..." and "Thinking how cool it would be for @WILW to have a cameo on Heroes. Will tell Tim and the writers tomorrow. Think he'd do it?"
Don't fall over from excitement, Wil.
In which wil goes "O_o" but retains his grip on reality
I thought I'd completed this week's LA Daily column on Friday, but when I opened it up yesterday afternoon to give it one final look, I realized that it didn't work at all. It's fine for a blog post (and will likely show up here sooner or later) but it just doesn't work as a column. As you can i...
I saw those tweets going back and forth when I got home around 11:30EST (8:30PST). It was like watching Fanboy vs. Fanboy. Good stuff.
In which wil goes "O_o" but retains his grip on reality
I thought I'd completed this week's LA Daily column on Friday, but when I opened it up yesterday afternoon to give it one final look, I realized that it didn't work at all. It's fine for a blog post (and will likely show up here sooner or later) but it just doesn't work as a column. As you can i...
I saw those tweets going back and forth when I got home around 11:30EST (8:30PST). It was like watching Fanboy vs. Fanboy. Good stuff.
In which wil goes "O_o" but retains his grip on reality
I thought I'd completed this week's LA Daily column on Friday, but when I opened it up yesterday afternoon to give it one final look, I realized that it didn't work at all. It's fine for a blog post (and will likely show up here sooner or later) but it just doesn't work as a column. As you can i...
Because of your blog I've watched all of the guest spots that you've done in the last few years. After reading this post I feel even more comfortable telling you that this is your best guest role yet. I felt that you nailed it and demonstrated your acting skills more in this role than the others. Either you're improving or you're taking roles with better writing/direction.
It was the first episode of Criminal Minds that I'd seen. I don't know if I like the show but it's a great cast and well put together. If CM fit my taste in TV I'd really enjoy it. I'll check out another episode or two before dismissing it completely.
Criminal Minds: Production Continues
This is the fourth of five posts about working on episode four, Paradise, during season four of Criminal Minds. I spoke with CliqueClack.com about some of my production experiences, and I have a gallery of images from the shoot at Flickr. Please note that I've done my best to recreate my interac...
Because of your blog I've watched all of the guest spots that you've done in the last few years. After reading this post I feel even more comfortable telling you that this is your best guest role yet. I felt that you nailed it and demonstrated your acting skills more in this role than the others. Either you're improving or you're taking roles with better writing/direction.
It was the first episode of Criminal Minds that I'd seen. I don't know if I like the show but it's a great cast and well put together. If CM fit my taste in TV I'd really enjoy it. I'll check out another episode or two before dismissing it completely.
Criminal Minds: Production Continues
This is the fourth of five posts about working on episode four, Paradise, during season four of Criminal Minds. I spoke with CliqueClack.com about some of my production experiences, and I have a gallery of images from the shoot at Flickr. Please note that I've done my best to recreate my interac...
I agree with Marley and you regarding Dark Knight. I felt like they could end the movie after Harvey Dent changed and continue the story in the next film. Because I kept thinking it was about to end, the movie dragged on and on. I liked Iron Man better.
Wil - Weeds was best in the first 2 seasons. Season 4 is different entirely. It's as if they ended the series upon completion of of season 3 and started a new series with many of the same characters for season 4. Some of season 4 is really good, some is really not and overall it's weird - like, peculiar - and I don't know if I like it. Mary-Louise Parker is fantastic and I really like Kevin Nealon (Subliminal Man!) and Justin Kirk. Jenji Kohan's vision has gone strange. She's taking risks that aren't working.
it's the only way to be sure
So it turns out that I do, in fact, have a sinus infection. Because it's the first one post-sinus surgery, my doctor decided that the best course of action would be to blast off and nuke the site from orbit. I asked him if maybe we could do something a little less extreme, but he assured me that...
I agree with Marley and you regarding Dark Knight. I felt like they could end the movie after Harvey Dent changed and continue the story in the next film. Because I kept thinking it was about to end, the movie dragged on and on. I liked Iron Man better.
Wil - Weeds was best in the first 2 seasons. Season 4 is different entirely. It's as if they ended the series upon completion of of season 3 and started a new series with many of the same characters for season 4. Some of season 4 is really good, some is really not and overall it's weird - like, peculiar - and I don't know if I like it. Mary-Louise Parker is fantastic and I really like Kevin Nealon (Subliminal Man!) and Justin Kirk. Jenji Kohan's vision has gone strange. She's taking risks that aren't working.
it's the only way to be sure
So it turns out that I do, in fact, have a sinus infection. Because it's the first one post-sinus surgery, my doctor decided that the best course of action would be to blast off and nuke the site from orbit. I asked him if maybe we could do something a little less extreme, but he assured me that...
I hope that story is going in your next book.
Why does MTV have to do that? I can't imagine it being a hit, a ratings winner or a money maker. It's just a bad idea.
when you dressed up sharp and you felt alright
A few days after my sixteenth birthday, I lost my Rocky Horror virginity with my best friend, in a shitty little duplex theater in Van Nuys. I'd wanted to see Rocky since I was ten or eleven on my way to an audition and my mom drove us past a marquee advertising a midnight showing every Saturday...
I hope that story is going in your next book.
Why does MTV have to do that? I can't imagine it being a hit, a ratings winner or a money maker. It's just a bad idea.
when you dressed up sharp and you felt alright
A few days after my sixteenth birthday, I lost my Rocky Horror virginity with my best friend, in a shitty little duplex theater in Van Nuys. I'd wanted to see Rocky since I was ten or eleven on my way to an audition and my mom drove us past a marquee advertising a midnight showing every Saturday...
Congratulations!
Funny how the roles seem to come when you're ready to give up. It's not the first time.
the pretty white ships that i've been dreaming of
I haven't had a theatrical agent for years, so I don't have as many auditions or opportunities to work as an actor as I once did. I have a fantastic manager, though, who always gets me into quality auditions, where I have a real shot at booking the job.[1] My manager and I have an understanding ...
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