I got an email from a friend I hadn't heard from in a while...clearly she was emailing everyone in her address book with "big news." Apparently this news was more important to her than having kids, because it was clear from the email that she now has three of them, and last I'd heard from her she had just had her first.

It's not really her fault--I'm horrible at keeping in touch. It got me thinking about all the friends that I only talk to (and hear from) at Christmas. Some of those friends are too cool/sophisticated/whatever to include a summary letter, so I really don't know what they're up to. I'm sure they're all leading lives that are a lot more interesting than mine, as I occasionally get info about trips they've taken or people they've socialized with. I tend to feel like the "country cousin" to their "city sophisticate". But even though it makes me a little (or more than a little) jealous, I'd like to know what they're up to.

Again, it's not their fault--I'm just as culpable, if not more so, as I'm the one with all the free time as I lead my quiet country life. And I can resolve to do better--I do resolve to do better, but you don't have to look far (try here) to see how I do with resolutions.