Ah. Yes. Hyello.
Let The Almighty Shat welcome you to my new online rant pages...
This may or may not be the beginning of something interesting. It may just be the beginning of something lame. I really don't know yet and will have to wait for some feedback if anyone ever reads this.
I started the day intent on working and got sidetracked by a google/labs beta site. (Well it looks to be gone now but is a heavily OSX-inspired icon layout and interface) (OK Now it's back,)
I am an AVID Mac user and have been since just before the dark days. I was defending Apple at a time when people thought I must have been crazy. It helped that I was able to pull a career out of my ass because of the beautiful work of Apple and Adobe and what brains I had ability to learn their apps without any training.
I now work for the largest, best and most rewarding Mac software company. But enough about that.
I just want a place to rant and complain and berate and maybe put up a funny picture or two.
Oh yeah I also want to be able to track back to Wil Wheaton’s SuperBlog: wilwheaton.net
You see, I got to meet him finally at the Creation Entertainment’s Grand Slam weekend over this last weekend. (March 11-13th)
I just so happened to be wearing one of Wil’s t-shirts related to his website. The one that has a printed-on name tag on the front that reads “Hello, My name is William FUCKING Shatner” yes THAT one. As it turns out, this shirt was going to get close enough to almost be accurate, more in a bit.
Originally I was not going to be able to see Wil in person until Saturday night I thought (when I went to see his SNL-like but WAY better sketch comedy show “Acme Love Machine” at the excellent Acme Comedy Theatre on La Brea in Hollywood. - more on that in a bit) since Wil was on schedule only for the Sunday appearances.
Imagine my surprise and delight (insert clapping sound here) when I happened upon him signing his books and talking to his fans in the Annex (the hall where this sort of stuff goes on) I was excited and a tad flustered as I’ve followed his career and life through his web site for a few years now. (Well what he chooses to share with us that is. The guy must be allowed SOME privacy after all)
I was at the convention with my techie, geeky, fun, rocket-lab-working sister and brother-in-law. We also took my two oldest nephews (their boys) who seemed to enjoy the festivities enough for an 11 and a 12 year old (please be the correct ages!) :)
So upon entering the queue to see Wil I warned the young-uns. “I am gonna swear so don’t repeat this” I guess my sister asked me “what?” and I said “I ‘m gonna tell Wil he fucking rocks” oops – maybe I should have had a warning for the warning but I digress...
When the person in front of me was finished and shook Wil’s hand I figured I’d give him a break. Seems to me all the palm-pressing over the years would get to me so I just lifted my hand in the age old “throwing of the goat” gesture traced back to Viking men’s signal that they had found an edible berry or big breasted woman... Oh wait I just made that up.
Wil noticed my shirt right away and pointed it out to who I *think* was his wife Ann. If not I apologize but she was hot sooo... :) They seemed stoked I had sported this bit of wardrobe and I told him how I bought it for Macworld in SF this January and was glad to represent.
Once I mentioned I was taking my sister and brother-in-law to the Acme Comedy sketch show he got excited and thanked me. “Thank You” Wil for a great show (yeah yeah in a bit hold on I’ll get to that in a sec, you impatient BAST!)
I figured I would get an autographed copy of his second book “Just A Geek” for myself (and already bought and read this thoroughly engrossing book but sans autograph) While I had an autographed copy of “Dancing Barefoot” I have a friend who lives this part of my life vicariously through AIM chats and the like and thought he might like a copy of the easy-to-suck-you-in first effort by Mr Wheaton. Hahahah I can’t wait to see his face when he reads Wil’s autograph and “To Tom, a closet fan” comment. Enjoy Dude!
So after wrapping up with Wil I headed out for a smoke and realized I still had not swapped the “Nathan Fillion Photo Op” my sister had ordered for another. (Nathan, who plays Mal Reynolds on the cancelled show “Firefly” and upcoming Full-length Firefly movie “Serenity” had to cancel because of a film project)
I wandered over to ticket counter and asked what options I had. “Oh you can exchange here for any photo ops left” she sweetly assured me. I figured this meant “robot #17 from lost in space #26b” but found out there were still opportunities with The SHAT!!!
Yes... The Captain, The Shakespearean, The IRON CHEF AMERICA MC! (you all though we’d forget that train wreck but I’m here to remind you) I actually thought it over as I was not looking forward to having what “like” I had left for Shatner get ruined by witnessing an asshat move by my mom’s favorite trek actor, but he behaved.
So in we went to wait in the large but fast-moving photo op line (a literal assembly line of geeks and geek idols) and I started to get a tad red around the ears and wondered if I had the nerve to sport a “William FUCKING Shatner” shirt while taking a pic with him!!
Well, I did. I also had the urge to throw the goat at the camera while standing behind Sir William and let the urge rule me. So now, barring any Creation mistakes I will have a large, glossy picture of my So Cal family with Shatner and me with that wonderful shirt and uplifted hand and fingers to show the world the never ending reach of Wil Wheaton’s Posse (oh yes, he DOES have a posse) All in all a whirlwind of enjoyment oh and Mark Hamill was there too. I got quite a bit more respect for him since seeing his intro movie for the con splicing “real” footage from his Star Wars role and his “Cock Knocker” scenes from Jay and Silent bob. “Don’t fuck with a Jedi master, son.” Hi-fucking-larious!
Ok so on to the ACME show report.
HOLY SHIT!
If Lorne Michaels didn’t have a gold-plated butt plug to distract him maybe he would try to get SNL even HALF of the way back to what I had the pleasure of experiencing Saturday night. Brilliantly written, flawlessly performed, well directed short skits that make you realize fart jokes never sounded so good! OK don’t get the wrong idea – this was some funny shit which ran the gamut from a dialog-free musical to the aforementioned in-your-face, in-the-bed, roll around and pay homage to a favorite Simpsons episode of mine “Argh! Cobras!”
I don’t even know how to give this show the review it deserves so go to wilwheaton.net and read some of the comments and track backs over there as others much better at writing than I have sounded off.
All in all I had an AMAZING time both with my family and with the talented cast of the show and wish I hadn’t rushed outside for a smoke as my brother in law literally tripped over Chase Masterson and got to chat a bit with all the performers.
Thanks for a great job Wil and the other super talented individuals! See you for your next production!
/opening drivel that will be viewed by 14 people whom I force....
