I’m 30. I’m living in the home my husband grew up in - in the very room he inhabited as a child, in fact - with his family, until we can find a place of our own. I have no job. I don’t really have any job prospects. Therefore, in order to avoid major catastrophe (which could involve multiple, daily trips to Dunkin’ Donuts among other atrocities) I’ve decided there have got to be some rules.

1. I will wake up at a normal time, “normal” defined as 8 a.m. or earlier. Just like people who work.

2. I will put on normal clothes every morning. Here “normal” could include the tracksuit I got for Christmas, but does not mean mismatched sweatpants and sweatshirts, or anything else that might prompt the words, “Um, are you going to go out in that,” from J.

3. Watching my new DVD of the first season of “The Hills” is ok during the lunch break I shall grant myself each day, but only during my lunch break.

4. My lunch break will not span two or three hours.

5. After searching for jobs for countless hours it is ok to play solitaire or write some emails to friends for a little break, but it is not ok to fall into a depressive slump and declare myself unfit for the world of employment, so maybe I should just eat this entire bag of Hershey’s Kisses…?

6. Nobody likes a whiner.