The mind struggles against slumber tonight. Thoughts are racing around inside and I can’t turn them off. What’s keeping me awake? Hmm… several things.

I realized today, my son is only a year younger than I was when I joined the Air Force and soon thereafter got married. I really stumbled into adult-hood at the tender age of 17. Too young really. Don’t ask me why this is just hitting me now. I guess I’m realizing that he’s starting to act even less like a “kid” and more like a young man. It kind of snuck up on me…

The other thing on my mind is “Bridge to Terabithia.” I picked up a copy of the book this weekend to read in preparation for the press activities leading up to the movie release in February. I read it straight through before going to bed. I hadn’t read it previously and wasn’t really prepared for what a powerful and compelling book it is… especially since it’s written for children. I knew the general plot prior to reading it, but I was still very affected by the book on several levels. It probably helped that my daughter is the same age as the protagonists in the book, so I really related to the story strongly.  Really, I’d recommend reading it. And I’m looking forward to the movie even more now.

Ok, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest… maybe I can sleep.

Wooh, not much posting for the last week (ok, no posting for the last week… cut me some slack!) Busy, busy, busy! Mostly good busy though.

Though I’d share my newest hobby with you… flying r/c helicopters. My friend Mike and I picked up a pair of Blade CX helicopters back around Christmas time. We’ve been trying to get together every Friday at lunch to fly in a large conference room at Mike’s work site. These things are a blast!  The photo here is Mike flying his, mine looks almost identical so you get the idea. They are about as long as your forearm and run off a battery pack.  We’ve managed to crunch a few rotor blades so far and had to repair a few other odds and ends.  Lots of fun though! I plan to try to shoot a little video here soon, so watch for that!

This weekend is a “daddy/daughter” weekend.  Lindsey is over by herself and we’ve been having fun. The big activity for the weekend is getting her new computer setup to take home.  Matt and I just built a new one for him, so we’re taking a few parts we had on hand and some new stuff and building a custom one for Lindsey.  She picked out a case online and it’s a very nice blue color that almost matches my car and motorcycle!

Today we went out to dinner and a movie. She wanted seafood so we went to “Newport Bay,” a fairly decent chain restaurant. Prior to that we caught a showing of “Arthur and the Invisibles” that Shephard recommended to me. We both loved it, a great movie I thought at both the adult and child level. Not surprising though as I am a fan of the director, Luc Besson.

Speaking of movies, I attended a screening of “Smokin’ Aces” this week. I liked it, you can read my review at Past The Popcorn. This week I’ll be reviewing “Because I Said So” on Tuesday and on Thursday I’m interviewing Katherine Paterson, author of “Bridge to Terabithia” in preparation for the release of the movie based on the book later in February. Whew, shaping up to be another busy week…

Hard for me to believe but Matt turned 16 yesterday. Just this past week I was having a conversation with two co-workers at lunch about the baby shower they had for me at the office when he was born. Just a few more years and it will be time for him to “leave the nest.” Is he ready? Am I ready? So many unknowns… I hope when he’s my age he’ll look back and think I did a good job as his father. That may sound selfish but I’ve failed at so many things in life, I really hope I got this one right.

This would be a pretty good alternative to riding a motorcycle I think… these are Swiss Air Force aircraft practicing maneuvers in the Alps. Love the song by Evanescence too!

Too busy, too cold, too snowy, too annoying, too lonely, too tiring, too, too, too… *sigh*

“Summer’s coming too fast, winter’s been here too long. If we keep wasting our days, pretty soon they’ll be gone…”

This week’s screening was Alpha Dog, a raw, gritty film based on real-life events. I have to confess, it wasn’t what I expected. The film features amazing performances by all of the leading actors, but the subject matter and brutal realism may make it hard to watch. Opens this weekend.

Read my full review at Past The Popcorn

It’s beautiful out as long as you don’t have to drive…

Might as well, it’s not like you can stop it! This was a little after 7PM at my house in Tukwila, WA. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day as it’s supposed to warm up a little and then drop below freezing.  That should turn all this beautiful, fluffy snow into a sheet of ice. Glad I don’t have to commute…

Heh heh…

More and more lately, I’m feeling like portions of my life are at a stand still.  Oh, I have a great life overall, but it’s far from completely fulfilling.

I’ve been separated, but not divorced, for going on four years now. The terms are mostly worked out, finances have been divvied up, agreements about the kids sorted. The act of making it a legal reality is just on hold until my ex finishes with school.  She wanted to go back to school and get a degree, we agreed to hold off on the divorce until she was finished so she’d have full medical coverage and other benefits until then. It seemed like the right thing to do, after all she has the right to be successful in life and getting her degree is a big step in the right direction. She’s still got about a year to finish up her Masters.

The irony is we get along a lot better now than we did the last few years of our marriage. Mind you that doesn’t mean I’m rethinking things, and I doubt she is either. I’m actually feeling more and more like I’m ready to move on. I’ve dated friends a few times in the last couple of years, but it was a casual thing. It doesn’t feel right to consider seriously dating when I’m not really “free” in a sense.

I have enough other baggage that will make dating difficult, I don’t need to drag this into the fray I guess… sadly, patience is not my strongest attribute… *sigh*