I hope to post some recollections about my work with the BBC later today, but until then, I have an announcement to make:
Tonight, I will be speaking to the San Gabriel Valley Linux User’s Group about my experiences writing Dancing Barefoot.
I’m nervous and excited, because this is my LUG, and I’ll be speaking to people who are far more skilled in the *nix world than I am.
Here’s what their site has to say about the appearance:

Topic: How I Used Linux to Write and Publish Dancing Barefoot
In this short talk, Wil Wheaton dispells some FUD about word processing on Linux, explains how he used Open Source tools to write and publish his book, and reads a short selection from it.
Actor, Blogger, Author and Linux Weenie Wil recently published a collection of autobiographical short stories called “Dancing Barefoot.” In this presentation, he will talk about how he used Open Source tools to write, edit, and publish the book, specifically OpenOffice.org, Kwrite, and the gimp.
Wil will bring a few copies of his book to sign after the presentation.
Wil Wheaton is best known for his acting work as Wesley Crusher in Star Trek The Next Generation, and the classic Rob Reiner film Stand By Me. Most computer geeks, however, know Wheaton as a frequent poster at Slashdot, Fark, and his own website, wilwheaton.net. Wil is a passionate Linux advocate, and has spent countless hours trying to dispell Microsoft FUD. He’s been responsible for fives of Linux converts. He is also a card-carrying member of the EFF, FSF, ACLU, and a vocal privacy advocate. Though it’s only been available online, and has recieved virtually no mainstream media attention, Wheaton’s first published book, “Dancing Barefoot,” has sold out three printings, and is set to reach a mainstream audience later this year.
He lives in Pasadena with his wife and her two children, and frequently hikes to Echo Mountain.

Directions to the meeting are here. If you’re in or near Los Angeles, I hope you’ll stop by and laugh at my jokes.

Man, I am exhausted . . .
. . . and it’s wonderful! I’ve done more in the last four days than the previous month, and I have a wonderful sense of accomplishment.
I’ve been covering the California recall election for BBC’s Radio Five. Radio Five has some real political reporters on the campaign trail, so I get to cover the quirky stuff. In the past few days I’ve talked with a psychic, a hand specialist(that’s not a plam reader, bucko, it’s a hand specialist), and several stein-hoisting revelers down at this huge Octoberfest celebration at the Alpine Village in Torrance, California. Yesterday, I walked up and down the boardwalk in Venice Beach, where I talked with several bohemian artists and activists, and went to Muscle Beach, where I spoke with several body builders, who all said, when asked how they felt about Arnold Schwarzenegger, “He’s a jerk.”
They also said they were voting for Gary Coleman, but I think that has less to do with his platform, and more to do with their ability to bench him.
I take this election very seriously, so it’s been great to focus on stuff that simply can’t be taken seriously. I’ve seen a fantastic and unintended consequence as I’ve spoken to voters: this election has energized Californians. People who have never cared about politics have suddenly taken an interest, and registered to vote. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign, which has been run entirely on action hero slogans and broad-based, non-specific platitudes, has brought into sharp focus the reality of style over substance in the modern political arena. Gray Davis, who never seemed to give a crap about anyone who wasn’t bringing him a check, is suddenly forced to take responsibility for the lousy job he’s done as governor, and the reputation he’s buil for himself as a negative campaigner has seriously undermined his efforts to cast serious doubt on his opponents.
At Five Live’s website, you can see the scariest picture of me that’s ever been taken (I’m pretty sure they caught my laser beam eyes while they were fully charged, just before I blasted a frickin’ shark). While you’re there, you can review some candidate’s positions, and then cast your online vote for one of the recall candidates. I’ll be talking about the results of that poll on the air.
Now, I don’t want to influence anyone’s online vote, but if you all were to vote for Mary Carey (SFW), it would greatly increase the odds of me getting to meet her.

XTC came out of Fred on XM as I took Ryan to school this morning.
“Dear God, sorry to disturb you, but… I feel that I should be heard loud and clear. We all need a big reduction in amount of tears and all the people that you made in your image, see them fighting in the street ’cause they can’t make opinions meet about God, I can’t believe in you”
“This song is from one of my favorite bands of all time,” I told him.
“What’s it called?”
“The band or the song?”
“The band.”
“XTC,” I said, “and this song always reminds me of my first day in regular high school.”
Ryan looked surprised. “You went to regular high school?”
“Yeah,” I said, “for one semester when I was your age, just before I got Star Trek.”
The light ahead of us turned yellow, then red. We waited.
“Did you like it?” He said.
“No. I hated it.”
“Why?”
“Because I was really shy, and awkward, and nerdy. I had never been in regular public school before, and I felt like I was in a foreign country,” I said, “it was even worse, because I was famous from Stand By Me, so the kids at the school thought my shyness was arrogance.”
The light changed.
“Anyway,” I continued, “it was already hard for me to make friends anyway, and when nobody would give me a chance . . . ”
I trailed off, and joined Andy Partridge, “I won’t believe in heaven and hell. No saints, no sinners, no devil as well. No pearly gates, no thorny crown. You’re always letting us humans down.”
“Would you change it, if you could?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t think so,” I said. “I missed out on homecoming, and prom, and football games, and all that stuff you’re going to get to do, but I had a good time being on Star Trek. I don’t know if I ever would have made friends in high school.”
We pulled up in front of his school.
“You only get four years here, Ryan. Don’t waste them.”
“Okay,” he said, “I love you. I’ll see you after school.”
“Love you too,” I said, “have a great day.”
I watched him walk across the lawn, and didn’t drive away until he was out of sight.

At times like this, I wish I had a publicist.

“Bravo will take over Las Vegas where twenty-five Hollywood stars will all vie to win the first ever “Celebrity Poker Showdown,” a new six-part, one-hour original series hosted by Kevin Pollak airing Tuesdays this Winter, it was announced today by Jeff Gaspin, President, Bravo.
“Great celebrity poker games have taken place privately for years and this series offers viewers a rare opportunity to witness a new side of their favorite celebrity,” said Gaspin. “‘Celebrity Poker Showdown’ maintains Bravo’s goal of offering a popular concept from a unique point of view, adding to Bravo’s growing original programming slate.”

I’ve made some nice progress on the Just A Geek rewrite. I’m up to chapter eight as of this morning. It’s the chapter where Aunt Val dies, and I’ve already had to stop twice because it makes me cry. I don’t know why, but I’ve missed Aunt Val more in the last two weeks than in the whole two years she’s been gone. Anne and I watched “Dead Like Me” night before last, and during a scene in a cemetery I was overcome with sadness and cried. Hard. I just saw this crane shot of all those tombstones, and I thought, “Man, I really miss Aunt Val,” as this thing in my chest turned and knotted and exploded with grief. It was weird.
I worked for about 90 minutes on Tuesday (maybe it was closer to two hours, I’m not sure) heavily editing Chapter 6, “Slow Emotion Replay.” I tried a new direction: there are some weblog entries that can stand on their own, but others are better if they’re cut up, and incorporated into the narrative. I like the format of a little narrative, followed by a weblog entry, then some “behind the scenes” info . . . but I honestly think it would be better if I rewrote the whole thing, and folded the weblog entries into the narrative. I sent two copies of Chapter Six to Andrew for comments, one old version and one rewrite. He agreed that the weblog entries are a vital part of the story, but the way they’re included right now, it sort of breaks up the “flow” of the story, and he liked the new direction. If I made it more of a straight forward story, it would flow better. It would also be a substantially different book than the one I’ve been working on for over almost a year. Hrm. It’s something to seriously think about.
Yesterday was Anne’s day off, so I didn’t write much at all. Instead, we spent the morning running errands and had lunch down at Barney’s in Old Town. I’m gonna get onto their Beer Bragger’s Board someday. Mark my words.