Greermonster is six!

I can scare believe it. Six years.....already.

Still remember standing there (barely) when he was born. Absolutely stunning and beautiful and terrifying and real. My son. Now he's big enough to knock me over.

Today I tried to do everything he liked.

Got him some new shoes - which he picked out. Skateboarding shoes with a little style. For his birthday lunch, he bravely tried some new food - some variations on sushi - including a tray of fried coconut shrimp and orange slices....birthday complements from the chef.

I got a wild hair and decided to stop by a sporting goods store in Northeast. Greer had been asking for real soccer ball, so that wish was fulfilled...along with a Pee-Wee football, just for fun.

No birthday exodus would be complete without a stop at the Avalon. "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" was playing, and I knew Mr. Greer would be up for another blitz against the evil Imperial Empire - via the Star Wars video game near by.

After we had blown away the last Death Star (and the lot of our nickels), we headed home to receive a gourmet dinner of Shrimp and Sausage Jambalya, courtesy of a good friend (Verna Dice). Before the feast, Greer opened a small cache of birthday presents - including his first remote control car. While we dined, the Trailblazers took it to the Sixers - while Greer bounded about the basement, rooting for the home squad.

Not bad for a birthday at home with the family...

Back in Oly for Christmas...

Been a long time...

As I have mentioned earlier, Facebook has consumed my blog.

No shame in that, other than the withering of my writing skills...and the fear that somehow all my FB entries will be deleted or used against me. Facebook is a great tool for keeping track of people, but it's like crack...something you compusively update and fiddle with.

Anyway...enough of my excuses.

So the holidays have slowed me down enough to help spur a legitamate writing attempt. Much has happened since my last post...

* My friend with the problem hasn't changed yet - and as a result has lost his family. He still sees them...they just have moved on and live someplace new. No divorce...yet. I have stepped back somewhat...knowing that he has to make the decision for himself. Unfortunately, there is more here than just his addiction.

* Got laid off in July....which was a minor surprise. I guess I was the canary in the coal mine. My department was hammered with layoffs not long after my departure.

* Spent the last five months exploring my options - and hoping for something that I could feel satisfied working towards.

* Did my best to enjoy every moment I could away from work. This included multiple camping connections with my folks, another visit to the blueberry fields, a couple hikes at the Ridgefield Refuge, lots of father/son time with Greer, a momentary brush with fame while working as an extra on 'Leverage', some film programming success at the Clinton, salmon fishing with my brother and Dad....and the list goes on.

So yeah...it's been busy, despite being out of work and seeking purpose.

Floating through the 4th

Another year...another 4th of July in Olympia.

As with past years, we did our best to escape early - fleeing the PDX area on Wednesday evening. Most of the packing had been done the night previous and (for once) it felt like we were actually going to extricate with a minimum of pain and suffering. Greer had his drawing pad, toys, water and snacks. The cats were fed and looked after. The plants were watered.

Amazingly, we managed to get out by 5pm and haul north.

You can tell you're missing out on summer, when you're astonished to arrive at your destination at 8pm - with plenty of daylight to spare. This holiday weekend was our first legitimate vacation since Alex wrapped up "A Little Night Music". To say that I was looking forward to it was an understatement.

Even though we're back in town, I'm still wondering when I'll get my vacation...

wondering what to do...

So....I have a very close friend who has a problem.

He's in the process of losing everything of value in his life - and is standing on a certain personal precipice. His family is falling apart and he's in such a personal twister that he doesn't see (or care about) what's coming.

Despite the efforts of many to intervene on his (and his family's) behalf - he is still unable to manage his focus enough to keep things together. Since his wife and child left, things have only gotten worse. Old habits and non-communication patterns have reemerged, and the friend I once knew seems greatly diminished. Unemployed and unable to act, this is a man that needs help very quickly.

So what to do?

Many I've talked with have said that problems like his are chronic. The person who has these issues must want to recover and work hard to do so.

What if he doesn't commit?

Do you wait around and watch the train wreck...and do your best to clean up afterwards? How far to you go to help someone, before they are compelled to help themselves?

Am I my brother's keeper?

Ruminations on 38...

It's late now...and I'm feeling like I should either hit the sack - or watch a movie. If I watch a movie, I'll wake up at 2am to the repeating DVD menu soundtrack, awkwardly listing on the couch, a few pillows propping me up - with my cat's ass firmly nested on my head.

This is the sublime birthday present of pre-middleagedness.

I don't feel old...at least most of the time. In my 38 years, I've come to accept certain things. Gravity, for one, will always get you down. I could say that that I feel more centered, more balanced...and that might make it easier to stomach, but in the end, I fear gravity is the enemy. I sense this most keenly when I see Greer leap from the top rung of the playground play structure. My knees wince knowingly. Thankfully, the boy is made of rubber and Kevlar...at least for now.

My memory seems to be going as well. When I was younger, I used to try and remember everything I had done during the day while I was lying in bed....using my mind's eye to backtrack and trace the significance the day. Now...I am pretty much happy to flush it all and start fresh in the morning. Not to say that one day is the same as the next, but after a few days in the office cube, the week does tend to streamline.

Spent my 38th b-day on the job - trying to work through some new responsibilities. Should have been doing something less job-like.

I had plans to head south to Los Angeles this weekend to attend a the premiere of a documentary I had a hand in, but the fates conspired against me...and so, I'll be staying home instead. Probably for the best....save some money.....although you'd have a hard time convincing me of it - at least until this weekend is over. The documentary I speak of is about the legacy of JAWS - one of my all-time favorite films. I contributed some vintage news footage that snagged me a film archivist credit - therefore cementing me deep in the background of something greater. At least in my mind....

Ah well...

One bright spot for the birthday boy. After taking Greer to aikido practice, I came home to a yummy dinner and presents. My very own pair of blueberry bushes and an outdoor firepit for use during the summer. Oh yeah...and a pair of bearfoot slippers are on the way as well.

Such are the tender trappings of 38 years.