weekend recap

On Friday night, I watched the DVD of Goodfellas. It’s as good as I remember it.
On Saturday, Anne and the kids went down to her friend’s house at the beach, and I met up with several of my friends from ACME, including Shane, (who you should be reading if you’re not already) and went to Canter’s Deli in the Fairfax district. Canter’s is a true Los Angeles institution, where hipsters routinely share the room with octogenarians, and you’re just as likely to get cussed out by the 70 year-old waitress as you are to get patted on the head and called “honey.” It’s rad. Saturday night I played poker for about 3 hours. I’m saving the details for a cool poker story . . . but oh my god. I’m back on my game, and it feels good!
On Sunday, Anne and the kids came home fairly early. We dropped them at the movies, and ran tons of errands while we were “kid-free.” For dinner on Sunday night, I made Beercan Chicken on my grill, which is usually really good, but this time something went horribly wrong, and when I opened the grill to turn the bird around, there was fire shooting out its ass, and smoke shooting out its head! I figure that there was a lot of fat on the bird that caught fire as it was dripping off. The whole skin got charred, and popped off in one piece when I touched it (think the Turkey in Christmas Vacation) but the chicken itself was incredibly good. Nolan declared that it was the “best chicken ever.”
Yesterday, my parents invited us up to their house for an end of summer barbeque, and swimming. It was the first time all summer I went in their pool, which is really kind of sad. We played swimming pool wiffle ball, and had our first and last family dinner of the summer.
It was over 100 all weekend, but we finally have air conditioning! I got one of those wireless thermometers, so I can see what the outside temperature is compared to the inside, and I loved seeing OUTSIDE: 104 INSIDE: 79
Ryan started school today. Holy crap. I’m the parent of a 10th grader.

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52 thoughts on “weekend recap”

  1. Sounds like you had a blast Wil. My daughter started school on Tuesday last week, 1st grade. She is wholly enjoying it….
    I dread when she decides that school is not fun anymore.
    I am a first time poster here, been reading your blog since I found it only 2 months ago. I am loving it. Keep up the great work!

  2. Hi Wil
    I know I can hardly believe I am the mother of a 10th grader too! I am fairly young for that as well at 34. I love reading your blog! I have been a fan of yours since SBM and my son and I loved watching you on TNG. He had all the action figures and when he was little, he had this cute trick of mimicking all the characters hands. For instance, you would say “Do Capt Picard” and he would put his index finger and second finger together on his right hand (as in “engage”). It was really funny. He could do all the figures but that is the only one I remember!
    I love being a Geek

  3. Hah! You’re getting OLD, Wil! I remember being in 10th grade … and now that I think about it, that was in ’94. Great. Now *I* feel old!
    I’m going to go sulk now.

  4. Can’t wait to hear the poker story Wil, you always make those hands sound great. I had a similar great poker weekend, although my favorite hand was one I lost, which can be found here, Second Nuts

  8. If you like grilling, you should check out Steven Raichlen and his BBQ Blog. He’s got a great show on PBS and he really knows his stuff. He’s got about 1000 different “$beverage Can Chicken” recipes including Ice Tea Can Chicken. I used to hate grilling until I saw him. His book “How to Grill” taught me everything I know and now I’m a Grillin’ Masta.
    And I always use charcoal, none of that gas crap.

  10. My mom bought me Bobby Flay’s “Boy Meets Grill” book and he (surprisingly) prefers gas. I am a huge pile of suck when it comes to cooking, but even I have been able to pull off a few successes by following his lead.
    Otherwise, Robert, he didn’t say that the waitress was an octogenarian. Or am I missing your point?
    Rock on, Wil! Glad that you guys are having so much fun. I’ve been reading JAG and am taking great delight in seeing a real person, a real geek, make good. Take care.

  11. “but this time something went horribly wrong, and when I opened the grill to turn the bird around, there was fire shooting out its ass, and smoke shooting out its head!”
    I’m sorry, I can’t stop laughing!!! SUPER BEERCAN CHICKEN OF DEATH!!!! LOL
    Goodfellas is awesome… I haven’t seen it in aaaaaaaaaages. Hmm… maybe its time to rent some movies. :o)

  12. Sounds like one hell of a great weekend Wil…I’m a tad jealous. Swimming!! 100 degree weather!! Argh! I want that!! heehee I’m not a parent…but in a small way I feel your pain about Nolan entering Grade Nine. I’m an aunt to 6 awesome and brilliant nieces and nephews. Today my 13 year old niece, a young lady I helped my parents raise, entered Grade eight. Grade eight!!! I mean wasn’t it just yesterday that she was standing in her play pen, clad only in diaper, saying “Tanty I want Noke (milk)”?!!??! Yeah…I’m not taking it too well. hehehe Why do they have to grow up so damned fast?? I’m not a parent and I’m going insane with this!! ACK! I think I need a Guiness…

  13. I really wish you would have taken a picture of the charred chicken. That would have made an awesome addition to the photo blog. I could tell my wife “Come check out Wil Wheaton’s flaming chicken!”

  14. Last time I was out in LA, my buds and I hit Canter’s, and yea, verily: it doth rock.
    The wife and I are hoping to get out to LA in late October, and we’re definitely gonna stop.
    CU

  15. I’m a sucker for summer family stories. It makes me all happy and stuff. Ryan’s in tenth grade…like me. *giggles like a fangirl* I have a wireless thermometer and it is fun…but my mom says I’m off my mind. It’s fun!

  16. Wil,
    Good luck with the 10th grader. If you need anyhelp let me know.iam in 10th too.
    email: [email protected]
    I have a question. if I want something signed how to I go about getting that done? There are never any conventions where i live soo I can go there and see you personaly… I live in Tallahasse Florida. well ttyl bye
    cody

  17. Wil,
    Sounds like you had a great grilling adventure! Amazing how something can appear to turn out so wrong only to be SOOO right! Been there, done that.
    Have fun with your son….as someone else pointed out, soon the driving begins (if it hasn’t already) and then WATCH out! I’m sure he’ll have a great teacher and be just fine. Ahhh parenthood! I may not be among that group, but I have a 14 yr old nephew that will be looking to me for driving assistence and possibly a car. Of course finding one he will fit in may be a challenge..he’s already 6’3″!

  18. Sounds like a fun weekend…
    Hey, I just opened up ‘Just a Geek’ and saw the Neil Gaiman wrote your forward. Holy, crap! That’s sooooooo cool.

  21. I’m the mother of an tenth grader too, and I’m also old enough to be your mother, too, Wil! Sigh. My daughter is several years younger than you, and we kept waiting for her brother and figured that he was a no show. Then we moved to another state — and bam! Finally got pregnant again. Just remember — parenthood is a state of mind. Though first you have to find your mind. When I find my mind — I’ll let you know.
    Yeah for autumn — the best season of the year!

  23. Not only can I not believe that I’m now the mother of a kindergartener (thank God for all day kindergarten) and a first grader, but I cannot believe that I’m actually a freshman in college. With the kids gone now all day, I’ve decided to go to college after an 18 year absence from school. Think I’ll need a note?

  25. 104!…whoa!…i i think it topped out around 78 in my part of southtern illinois today…pity on you when you have to step outside…

  26. Dude, I got you beat. My stepson is in 11th grade and started driving last week. I remember when he was 8 and obsessed with fart jokes. Now HE’S driving and about to go to college, and I’M obsessed with fart jokes. Time, you play such horrible games with us.

  27. LOL that chicken story is pretty funny. And Goodfellas is an awesome movie. (Ray Liotta is hot. Hehe.) And you know what else? My sister is in tenth grade too. We both started school in mid-August (but we’ve been out since Friday because of the hurricane. Hopefully we’ll go back tomorrow). Anyway, it sounds like you had a good weekend. Take care!
    -Vanessa Nichole

  28. im the mother of a 10th, 9th and an 8th grader!! lawdie lawdie someone pray for me hehe
    sounds like ya had a wonderful weekend Wil, and all i can say right now is…ohhh the joys of raising TEENS >:o)~

  31. You say “It was over 100 all weekend” like that is super hot or something. I am from the sticks in the middle of Australia where we average around 105 degrees in summer and get up to 115 degrees when it starts to bake. Suddenly makes 100 seem like a cool breeze doesn’t it?
    Anyway dude, glad you had a good weekend, I am going to start my second “sitting” of JAG today and hopefully finish it off. So far, SOOOOO good! 🙂

  32. Hey, wait a sec, if you’re on your game, I am *NOT* playing against you next month. I don’t make enough money to risk losing it to a shark like you.
    I think, looking back, that 10th grade was my favorite year of high school. I was just starting to really come out of my shell, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. (And it was the first time a teacher insisted on calling me “Andrew” rather than “Andy” . . . and I discovered I liked *that*, too.)

  33. Reading about what you did to that poor chicken reminded me of a similar bbq flare up I had this past summer. I was cooking about 30 hot dogs on the grill and it was very windy. So I had the gas on FULL BLAST to generate enough heat to cook them. Well it got real hot when all the collected fat from previous birds went up in a ball of fire. Well I managed to get all the dogs off and the guests couldn’t get over the wonderful smokey flavor the hot dogs had. Success arose from the ashes…literally.
    Happy grilling,
    Bart

  34. Heh. I remember when I was about 14, and my mother was overseas. My father wanted to cook crispy skin chicken for us. His recipe? Pour oil over the chicken, and then light a match. Idiot.
    And congratulations on getting air conditioning!! I remember moving into my new house, which had an air conditioner in the bedroom, and it was absolute bliss. You might freak out a little once you get your power bill though.

  35. Wil,
    My wife and I have been the foster parents to 26 kids over the last 10 years and most of them have been teenagers. We have had Elijah for the last 5 years and he just entered the 11th grade. I love him as much as my 9 year old birth son. Oh how I wish I could have raised him as a baby. I missed so much of his life.
    We go to court next month to make him our son forever. I cherish every moment I spend with him. I hope you too have a special relationship with your step children. Time lost can never be made up.
    It’s hard to believe you have teenagers. I remember when you couldn’t say “Indians” without raising your lip.
    I new to this site and this is my first time posting. I can’t get over how real you are. Thanks for letting us into your life.

  38. hehehehe – I loved that chicken story, and I will never know if what I’m seeing in my mind’s eye is what you saw when you lifted your griller lid.
    Enjoying other people’s BBQ stories as well.

  43. “Holy crap. I’m the parent of a 10th grader.” Though I’m a few (and I do mean a few I’m still 30something) years older than you… I started my family at a very young age and now I have a 20 year old son and daughters 16 and 13 and another son 6 and I am in a daze at how quickly those years pass. It’s impossible I have aged 20 years since my first was born. I have that Holy crap moment everyday!
    Anyhow I just want you to know how much I enjoy reading this blog of yours!

  44. Hey Wil,
    I just wanted to say a HUGE thank your for putting a link to your friend Shane’s blog. It was through his site that i managed to get in touch with an old college teacher of mine! it was incredible! I also went to Keene State College for a time, (i was on an exchange programme from the UK) and Shane had a link to a website set up by said teacher (who also taught him). anyway…thanks again Wil, i will be reading shane’s blog from now on! YEY!!
    take care
    rach

  47. Can’t wait for the poker story. I mean, Star Trek was pretty cool and all, but poker is awesome. Just kidding. I read for the writing, and poker content is bonus.

  48. Beercan Chicken is something that every griller should do once just to get it out of your system… and then learn how to spatchcock. You’ll never go back!

  50. You think 79* is cool?!? Try 68*. My oldest is in Kindergarten this year, while my best friend from highschool has her oldest in 9th grade. At the same high school we graduated from. The reign of terror continues…

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