Happy Birthday Wil Wheaton

Today is my birthday. Sure, I share it with Gnarls Barkley’s Danger Mouse, Stephen Dorff, Days of Our Lives’s Bryan Dattilo, Martina McBride, fashion gurus Cynthia Rowley and Tim Gunn, Paulie Walnuts, and Captain Lou Albano. But my favorite person to share it with is Wil Wheaton. You see, I wasn’t a normal child. While most girls my age were lusting after Bon Jovi and Kirk Cameron, I had my sights set on gawky Wil. I fell in love with his bony little frame when my parents begrudgingly let me watch the R-rated Stand By Me. I was head over heels when he joined the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I even had my dad take me to a few Star Trek conventions, in hope of a sighting (alas, all I got was John de Lancie and George Takei, which I didn’t appreciate at the time). I even wrote my one and only fan letter to Wil (but I don’t think I ever mailed it). It went something like “Dear Wil, I’ve never written to anyone before . . .” I used to dream he’d take me to a romantic date on the Holodeck, where we’d hold hands and sit on the beach. Soon, he left the show and I lost interest in favor of real boys (enter The Hubby). I heard a few years ago that Wil was a computer programmer and had married an older lady with kids. Recently, we have reconnected via his blog, (meaning that I read his blog). He’s also been a talking head on I Love the 80’s and I Love The New Millenium on VH1, a writer, and a conventioneer, bless him. He's even been acting again. I was so happy he didn’t go the way of his Stand By Me cast mates, Corey Feldman or, God forbid, River Phoenix. Though, the fat kid ain’t doing too bad (see below). Who thought Jerry O’Connell would be the hot one? Anyway, Wil seems nice and normal, with a good family and a fond affection for his inner geekdom. Happy 35^th, Wil. Let’s share a cake sometime.