First off, this goes for husbands too, since I'm sure there are women on this list (but I don't pay much attention to irrelevancies like that). At 07:01 PM 1/4/98 -0600, you wrote: [...] Here's a tip: even cheaper than finding an SO with a hobby (I know what Barbies and books can go for!) find a *good*, dedicated teacher. You'll have evenings and weekends all to yourself while he/she does homework, does lesson plans, etc. Of course, there are downsides -- like getting up at 6am to drive her to school to drop off the 12page substitute teacher plans she stayed up all night doing (and to do an hours' worth of work) when she's too sick too go to school. 8^) Of course, if you want understanding *and* free time, find a teacher who collects something. That gets expensive though. (Donald Duck stuff can be even more expensive than Barbies, and there's more of it!) 8^) --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/