I'm not quite dead! I just took a vacation that looked something like this:
Click to embiggen at Imgur, and to see a few other pictures from our trip.
It was kind of a big deal for us, because it's the first non-working, non-kid-having vacation Anne and I have taken since we were dating almost fifteen years ago.
I'm not going to lie to you, Marge: I feel like we earned it.
One of the best things about this vacation for me was having the time to just relax, exhale, and recover from months and months of acting and tens of thousands of miles of travel. One day last week, we were sitting on the beach at Napili Bay, and my brain said to me, "Hey! I'm ready to write stories again!" A flood of ideas came to me that afternoon, and I wrote them into my notebook as fast I could, before they could escape into the clouds.
So now that I've fully restored my Mana and HP, I can get down to the business of being a writer for the rest of the year, which is awesome.
Congratulations! Maui is a wonderful place to recharge, and that first-kidless-trip-in-ages feeling is quite a remarkable one, eh?
YAY for the recharge! And have to say, you both look SO happy in that picture, happy for you two.
Way to rock the plaid!
Nice beach! I guess when your head is full of lines and scripts it’s hard to squeeze in something creative on your own.
Looking forward to hearing/reading whatever may come out of your restored Mana/HP. :o)
Jealous of your vacation, but I can’t wait to read what you write next!
I can’t look at your smiles without smiling myself. You guys look so happy. Dammit, it’s ruining my Grumpy Monday! 😉
Yay, we missed your bloggy blogness! You can always throw us one from the archives – not everybody’s been here since the beginning. But not while on vacation!
And, seriously… Anne looks amazing. And she’s funny, too?!
That is definitely the happiest-looking Wil Wheaton I’ve ever seen. Well earned. Well earned.
It looks and sounds great. Congratulations – well deserved.
By the way – great picture of Anne – she’s way too good looking for you!
Looking forward to having writer-Wil back for a while.
I want to go to there.
That’s awesome. I’m really looking forward to more of your writing. Also, if you release more RFB, I will feed the Burrito 🙂
It is you talking just as much as myself,
I act as the tongue of you,
Tied in your mouth,
in mine it begins to be loosen’d.
~Walt Whitman
Not sure what happened to my post (maybe it was because it had a link in it) but just wanted to say it was fitting you went to a Polynesian island to refill your Mana bar. A lot of Pacific Islander traditions talk about Mana. Should look it up. 🙂
But you’re not a writer. John Scalzi is a writer. Ursula K. LeGuin is a writer. Harlan Ellison is a litigious hothead, but he’s a writer. And yes, you do write stuff, amazing things, from blogs that welcome us into your heart and hearth, to hilarious and heartfelt memories of the future, to awesome short fiction like Hunter, The Day After, and Star Trek comics.
But you’re not a writer when you sit down behind a DM screen and transport a group of players to another universe, or when you sit down with nothing but a sheet full of numbers and create a vibrant living character. You’re not a writer when you take someone else’s words and make us feel both frustration and sympathy for Dr. Parrish, or disgust (and maybe a little jealousy) for Fawkes, or just make us laugh out loud as you torment poor Sheldon.
No, you’re not a writer. You’re the Bard of Pasadena, a modern-day minstrel for the geek set. You are our Storyteller, who gathers us around the fire and lets us know that there’s a safe place for us in this world, that we are a community, that we are family, and that all those things that growing up we thought separated us from everyone are really what bind us together.
So go ahead. Call yourself a writer. But don’t ask me to. It’s too small a word.
Have to admit I’m not sure what HP means unless you are refering to Hewlett Packard. I know you used the term before.
Hit Points!
Glad to hear you had fun, Wil. Also glad to hear you’re revved up for writing. There’s nothing like having a project (or projects) you’re excited about.
Great pictures! Im glad you were able to have a nice vacation. I look forward to more of your writing.
It sure is nice to see two people so in love! Good on you two…
Congratulations on “months and months of acting.” I’ve been reading you since the days when you may have given up on ever acting for months and months again. I’m very happy for you, Wil, one of the true good guys in this or any other universe.
I’m looking forward to seeing you again on my favorite television show, “The Big Bang Theory.” I never would have watched TBBT if you hadn’t been on it. Your first appearance was the first time I watched it, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Do we know when your episode will air yet?
Congrats on the vacation; well-earned from what I’ve been reading the last few months. And thanks to Anne for allowing a picture of the two of you–she’s definitely a persona on this blog as a big part of your life and I’ve been curious as to what she looks like. Now I know. Looking forward to what a renewed Wil comes up with!
Well, that’s a heck of a photo. The view of Molokini always makes me feel alot of things, very strongly, all at once. And then, half a heartbeat later, it makes me *relax.* I’m glad that you and your wife got to go see that view in person.
Seeing that picture almost makes me want to send you a picture of Missouri (vastly boring and seriously depressing and soul-draining) as relaliation for the cruel and hateful thing you’ve done to those of us stuck in the midwest by not taking us along with you, (i fit in a small suitcase, my husband is big enough to pass off as a bodyguard and my child has redish-light brown hair, she could pass for yours and Anne’s for a little while! {as long as you don’t put her to close to the “bodyguard” because she looks just like him and if she called him daddy instead of you, well that would just be embarrassing and the one time someone from US Weekly would take notice and actually print something about you and it probably wouldn’t be about any of the 8 projects you’ve been working on}) but I’d hate to ruin the inspiration that can seem so fleeting, yet you’ve somehow managed to grab hold of.
Thank you for sharing such wonderful pictures. I just started a new job so my spare net time has been seriously reduced (a good thing, methinks) and I really missed your musings as this is one of the few sites I visit regularly. In that absence, however, I did finally sit down and watch The Guild (every darn episode), and it is entirely your fault for getting me hooked on that show (loved it!).
And based on that very charming picture of you and your wife, I must say you forgot to mention the +1 to Charisma in addition to recovering your full HP and Mana. 🙂
I hope that your return to writing includes more Memories of the Future. I just listened to the Futurecast ans can’t wait to read vol 1. Even if our politics are different and I don’t brew; I enjoy your writing and acting. I do wish that I could afford to see a live performance sometime. I hope that we will both make DragonCon next year, I’m in FL.
Dude! You’ve earned that vacation…
Yay, vacation! All you are missing in that photo is a pocket protector to label you as an utterly irredeemable nerd, though. 😛
Wonderful pic of you two! Both so happy and relaxed, good for you!! Great Maui pics too:) So funny, this really is the year of Hawaii. I can count at least 10 people I know who went or are still going this year. Hope I can go back to Maui soon-your pics took me back in time:)
Ohhhhh now I want to go back to Maui!! Did you happen to stop at the winery while you guys were upcountry (yes I know you’re a beer person)? I wanted to hit the lavendar farm while I was there but ran out of time – got too busy “tasting” the wine.
Good idea on the alone time for the vacation. You both look well-f…, I mean well-rested.
Be careful, this is addicting. My husband and I went on vacation for our anniversary one year, and have not stopped yet. Now we take a week annually to relax, recharge and enjoy our time together. Life is short, live and love!
You’ve definitely earned a vacation! Welcome home 🙂
It’s wonderful to know you had a well-deserved vacation, and I am so glad you got to visit the lavender farm! Every time someone tells me they are going to Maui, I recommend that place, it is so beautiful. If Anne was anything like I was, I’ll bet she shipped a bunch of stuff home, from their gift shop. 🙂
Wil! Seriously?? When were you there? My husband & I just went to Hawaii for the first time from Sept 17 to Sept 25, with Maui being the 22-24 (25th was all plane). If we were there at the same time & I didn’t get to meet you, I will shit bricks. (Wasn’t it awesome? And did you go horseback riding? I did, & my butt is still sore, but it was well worth it!)
-Alicia
http://www.thewagband.com
You look so happy. This? Makes *me* so happy. 🙂
Wil, I must say you two look wonderful.. calm and happy. So nice to see. I am a long long time reader, but I have never commented.
I have always enjoyed your work, both on screen and off, and have bought a few of your books. I am looking forward to “Memories of the Future Part 2”, but I know you are busy busy, and am content to wait.
All hail the Geek King!
Glad your back 😀 you were missed 😀
“So now that I’ve fully restored my Mana and HP, I can get down to the business of being a writer for the rest of the year, which is awesome.”
Don’t forget about the beer! I want to see global expansion and 7 figure sales by December 2012 😀
Sir, you were missed. I do hope that your next vacation of this magnitude will not be another 15 years away, but I am looking forward to your next adventure on paper, film, airwaves, Morse code taped into brail on a tin can… you develop it.. I consume it… and I will entertain my children with the retelling of it.
You look relaxed…and Anne looks happy to have you to herself. I’m glad you got your well deserved vacation 🙂
So, what was the resort/hotel you stayed at? No, I’m not a stalker, not that me typing that is reassuring, but my wife and I want to visit Hawaii sometime and are curious about places to stay.
Was it affordable to the common man or is this pricey and if you have to ask, you can’t afford it?
He’s working on writing more than just personal memoirs and such. His own fiction, which he’s only just started creating.
What you say is a compliment but it kinda, a little, come off as the opposite.
Just sayin’.
I hope the island treated you well…I don’t want to have to go home and whoop some ass because you were mistreated! 🙂
Napili Bay is a beautiful place. I haven’t been there since 1997, hopefully I will be returning in the next couple of years.
Well, to be fair I did mention the fiction (which is awesome and if you haven’t bought it you should and I’m looking forward to more). I guess my point was that calling Wil a writer is kind of like saying Da Vinci could draw a bit, or Newton was pretty good at math.
What a wonderful picture! Did you get a chance to visit Maui Brewing? They have a tasty coconut porter.
I did! I bought a growler and we filled it twice with their double IPA.
When I still worked with food I coveted the idea of owning the first Puka Dog on the mainland.
Although two words, dude: Hawaiian Shirt
Regardless, there’s a sense of peace and zen about you in that photo which you don’t always see in your other stuff. I feel privileged to see it here and sincerely thank you for sharing it with us.
btw if I can find a party (since I know no one in LA) I’m going to go as Fox for Halloween. I’m growing a beard for it and everything. Now if I can just figure out how to attach a bug to my neck, I’ll be set.
Serene, calm, and happy! Every couple should be so lucky! 🙂 I love seeing people I respect who work hard get what the deserve. 🙂
Wil,
Great to see you had another nice vacation on that great island. The pictures are amazing. I have recently returned from a nice vacation in your home town. Although, you love to bash it, Los Angeles can still be a fun city.
FG