  Symbiotic binary stars typically consist of a white dwarf (WD) that accretes
material from the wind of a companion red giant. Orbital periods for these
binaries are on the order of years, and their relatively small optical
outbursts tend to occur every few years to decades. In some symbiotics,
material that is transferred from the red giant to the WD forms a disk around
the WD. Thus, symbiotic stars are a bit like overgrown cataclysmic variables
(CVs), but with less violent eruptions. Symbiotic stars are not as well
understood as CVs, in part because their longer variability time scales mean
that observations over many years are required to cover different outburst
states and orbital phases. The recent discovery of collimated outflows ("jets")
from a number of symbiotics, provides a new motivation for such long-term study
of these objects. Astrophysical jets are observed in almost every type of
accretion-powered system, and symbiotic stars may help us understand these
structures. In symbiotics, most jets appear to be associated with optical
eruptions. Optical monitoring by amateurs can identify systems in outburst, and
also help to build a comprehensive database of outburst and quiescent symbiotic
light curves. Together with radio through X-ray observations that will be
performed when new outbursts are found, long-term optical light curves will
improve understanding of symbiotic outbursts, jet production, and the
connection between outbursts, jets, and accretion disks in symbiotic stars.
