Boy do I hear you!! Before my husband retired he was an international pilot and sometimes gone for 2 weeks at a time. Of course sometimes he was home for 2 weeks - but when "the cat was away" I would play. It's not that I liked him being gone but you have to make use of your time. Can't sit and twiddle your fingers the whole time. Now my husband does taxes from mid Jan to mid April and is gone a lot....play time!!!!