Analyzing my weaknesses!

Hello chess world!  I am Eric Lindauer, chess enthusiast and software author, and I'm trying to make the leap to expert.  Join me on my quest as I take you through the trials and tribulations of a class player trying to make expert!

I played the NC Open this past weekend, and although I got a good result, I came up short in the final game on board 1.  It didn't have to spend much time reflecting on the loss to realize where my game is weak: I'm just not strong enough tactically!  Here's the game:

I lost another short game to a strong player in my Wednesday night club games with a similar theme... castling on opposite sides of the board, and I missed a critical tactic.

How should I attack this weakness?  I plan to spend some time playing both sides of this critical position against the computer.  Not only is it a key position in the Caro-Kann, but my hope is that defending against the fierce attack the computer will drop on me will improve my ability to see my opponent's threats.  Wish me luck!