Hi Ellie - Isn't it strange that we think we are doing the things that make life better for the 'together' e.g. not spending money on another ticket, when at the same time these actions make our spouses feel unloved Anyhoo, I'm quite pleased that my transition from full time work to freelancing and studying will give us the freedom to do things differently in the future.

Here's the tag line from the generous housewife emails this week

Remember, when you break a resolution, don't throw the resolution away, get back up and start again.

I like that. It allows me to be human and fail on the way So here are the goals I think I will go into 2006 with:

1. Carpe diem - seize every day in some small way. I realized that too many days away from my thread here is like losing my grip a little, so my goal will be to find something positive to journal about here every day.

2. Enjoy better relationships with family and friends, and most importantly of course, NG. In a time starved world, I found this year that the more I reach out, the more I get in return, the sheer joy of connecting with someone like minded. So I'm going to do more of what works

3. Pass my 3 exams in June. Its been over 20 years since I was last a student, though arguably work has been a series of papers, projects and presentations which are sort of like exams

These goals may well be refined as we go through the year, for now, they sound good to me. Slowly

A Liberal Allowance of Time