83,050 Miles (at the beginning, more by the end)

I am writing this from Amtrak train #66, AKA the redeye train.  It left Washington about 45 minutes ago, and we are a few miles north of Baltimore now.  I had planned to take advantage of the on-board WiFi to continue my binge-watching of Arrested Development Season 4 (eight down, seven to go), but apparently Amtrak bars users from streaming video sites to conserve bandwidth or some such.  It's 11:15 at night, and there are 8 hours and 45 minutes to go before arriving in Boston.  I'd like to go to sleep right now, but I need to use my brain for a while, I guess, so here goes.

I've pretty much gotten to and from Maine in every conceivable way.  I usually fly, sometimes to Portland, sometimes to Manchester, sometimes to Boston, and even to White Plains, NY once, due to ancillary travel.  I've driven.  I've taken the Megabus.  Now I'm doing the overnight train, which saves a lot of money relative to flying, and eliminates needing a hotel room tonight.  We'll see if I actually sleep.

This weekend is, in all likelihood, my daughter's last ever ballet recital.  She has, at 5.5 years old, decided that she wants to be a rock star and, as such, has asked for a guitar for her birthday and to stop ballet & tap and instead do hip hop so she can learn the moves.  I'll be there smiling and probably crying, which I know is more than many long distance parents get to do.  She also has a t-ball game the next morning, followed by a birthday party, and a second ballet performance for which I'll be backstage helping her change.

While the weekend sounds like it's all about her, actually a lot of it is about me getting one-on-one time with my son.  We'll have time tomorrow before the recital when my ex is doing the preparations, then more time then next day while my daughter is at her birthday party.  The third and final day of the visit will be the only chance to just relax, and it looks like it will be beach weather.  Perhaps the cruelest part of my arrangement is that I go to Maine all winter long and then miss the summer, which is the only part worth being there for.  This early June trip is the only Maine beach weekend I get.

And then, the summer will be upon us and, at the end of the month, I'll get my kids for an extended period of time.  I have so much to say about it, but I'd rather just wait until it's happening before doing that, as I don't want to set the expectations too high.  It will just be good to all be together in our new house, which we just bought last week.

Right now I'm getting tired and my shoulder is hurting, so I think I'll stop here.  There will be more to say a few miles up the track.