[amykhar]

There has to be a middle ground. I am an utter computer junkie as well, but dishes still have to be washed. Kids have to be played with and the lawn has to be mowed. Life is about balance.

It's so easy for me to get sucked into a coding project for hours at a time. I find it very difficult to work on code at home in short bursts - which is why I'm not really working on my hacks right now. I can't justify the large blocks of time that I need to get into it. (plus my family killed off their computer and hover around mine while I'm trying to work. Nothing kills concentration like a husband begging you to check his kings of chaos gold every hour )

Yes, learning skills is important. But, so is family. Make sure you are doing your share of the mundane stuff and that you are giving your family some time as well. Be reasonable with your computer time. It's a real time-suck if you're not careful. If your wife won't let you get ANY time for your studies, then lock yourself in your office for an hour a day. Otherwise, stop making her be your parent. Moderate the time you spend avoiding other responsibilities and step away from the computer

Amy