While a potentially philosophical question with an answer much too lengthy to get into right now, the short answer is that I want to be in a situation that allows me to feel that I have accomplished a decent amount in the number of years that I have been working, and be in a position to be able to provide for a family if that were to be the course that I take at that point.

However, I would be very happy, and not all that surprised, if in __ years a few friends of mine and I sought out funding, rented office space, and sequestered ourselves away from normal, relaxing lives for a while to give starting our own business a good run before we really have to settle down and be responsible for providing for our respective families and possibly children, should they come into the picture...  ;-)

I know those paragraphs are a bit on the vague side.  For now, that is all I'm willing to commit myself to.  I will return ASAP to attempt to map out a course for my life that I would like to travel down, although the reality is that while the overriding goals may be the same, the path to those goals may be altered through many iterations as I travel along it....

eric@emerrill.net