Jason Colby’s Blog

It has been a busy couple of weeks and the year is nearly gone.  The saying that time goes faster as you get older really does seem to be true.

Last week I finished reading The Walk West: A Walk Across America 2 by Peter Jenkins.  I would have to say that this book was better than the first (A Walk Across America) and I would recommend both of them to anyone looking for a good read.  I also read The Thief of Always by Clive Barker.  The book was intended for somewhat younger audiences though I decided to read it since I missed it in my younger days.  This also was a very good read (goes fast) and well worth picking up.

Typically I wait until after Thanksgiving before putting up any winter holiday decorations though I found that this year the urge came a bit early.  Throughout last week I began putting out decorations and all I really have left to get is the tree.  The cool air seems to bring about feelings of festivity that I feel compelled to act upon. So bring on the holiday season!

This past Saturday I attended a Board retreat for the Lupus Foundation of America, Pacific Northwest chapter.  We accomplished a great deal of planning in our eight hours and I have to say that every member of the Board is a pleasure to work with.  There is no doubt in my mind that the chapter will flourish with the great Board members which I currently have the honor of serving with.

As fall matures and the air continues to chill I find myself getting anxious for the winter holiday season.  I have already begun to embrace the commercialism of the season by browsing the various stores and pondering what decorations to add this year.  With the months flying by at break neck speed I have decided to decorate next weekend so I can enjoy the festive decor for a month and half.

Yesterday I went to the IMAX theatre in Seattle and watched the 3D version of A Christmas Carol.  The movie was great, as almost any version of A Christmas Carol is, and I was very impressed with the 3D effects.  As I sat watching the movie it seemed to me that high quality 3D movies will likely be the norm rather than the exception in the near future and personally I can’t wait.  When I was growing up there were special 3D films that would air on TV (such as Creature from the black lagoon and Jaws 3) which required special glasses that you could get at stores like 7eleven.  The quality of those early shows was pretty bad especially when compared to the shows that are being released now.  While there are still special glasses required the quality is much different.  The new glasses are sturdy and most notably do not have the red and green lenses seen in the old paper glasses (you still see these style of glasses for viewing 3D movies at home).  The scenes in A Christmas Carol were such that you felt like you were there and this helped to elevate the intensity of feeling of what was occurring.  Before the show started I noted how warm the theatre was and yet as I was drawn into the movie with its drifting snow and clearly visible breath of the near freezing characters I forgot my own warmth and felt almost cool. Two previews played before the show, Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.  I intend on watching both once they are released, the new 3D movies have me hooked!