I took a holiday from forced enslavement by Bill Gates and just let it be...I wish! No, I spent two weeks working on a new internet project that hopefully might be brought to fruition in 1999.

Richard Bransen remains a Virgin. His balloon didn't crash and burn but dunked and floated and thanks to the U.S. Coastguard, Bransen no doubt celebrated Christmas Day in style on Hawaii. Good luck next time Richard!

But following the ICO balloon was not all bust as it brought forth a message from an old friend who actually was flying the Lear chase plane on the trip...and it was good to hear from him!

Which brings me to the subject of New Year Resolutions. I have a few vices and none of which I wish to resolve away. As long as my vices remain a mega-notch below Bill Clinton's I figure I'm safe. But I do have a major resolution I try and keep every year - to keep in touch with those I love and care about.

I read somewhere a long time ago, most resolutions centre around the themes of friends and family like resolving to spend more time with them or getting back in touch with people who have meant a lot to you in the past but somehow have slipped out of your everyday life. Ann Landers has a great idea called "reconciliation day" to bring you back into touch with all those you distanced from, but I never seem to remember when it is. It's a great idea because if we just had one day when we could all drop our pride and simply say I want to be your friend or I still love you, it would make the world a sweeter place. A Reconciliation Day for Canada would be a great idea too! Somewhere between June 24 and July 1, so we could take the whole week off.

1998 didn't go by without life's battles causing me to become more distanced from some I would have preferred to remain close to and brought others back into my life unexpectedly and with joy.

The year brought challenges and rewards. A brother came back to Montreal in 1998. I had a civilized conversation with my son for the first time in 5 years on Christmas Day. The terrific weather seemed to bring friends out of the woodwork this summer to come and visit in the Laurentians and enjoy the bike paths and blading.

I'm hoping that 1999 will be as good. I'm hoping people will come back into my life that should be there and I will discover new friends that will enrich my life. If there is one thing that I'm learning as an ager baby-boomer it is this: human relationships are at the core of our well being. Not money. Not Possessions. But Relationships.

So my resolution for 1999 is once again to keep in touch. If the internet is good for one thing it is good for staying in touch. Use email a lot and often! ...it's always good to hear from you!

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