Knitting, not so much

I think I've knit another 4" or so on that same sleeve, but there's nothing to show yet. I'm putting in a lifeline, because (1) the last six sleeves I've knit have been the wrong size for my short arms, and (2) I'm actually putting it in for the third time because I've had to rip back to it twice already owing to falling asleep while reading the directions, or something like that ;-) Also I shampooed the carpet today and got a bunch of blisters on my hand from the badly-designed handle on the carpet shampooer, so now I'm mostly typing with my left hand while icing my right. There may be no further knitting this weekend.

I will distract you with gardening, as usual! This is a magnificent pineapple lily. Too bad about all the junk in the background, but you didn't think I was a tidy person, did you?


Okay, so I haven't been doing much knitting. Here's how I've been filling my free time for the last few weeks, though:

* Joined a couple of research labs at UCSD, and am starting a cell phone use study with Louise Barkhuus. I've been tracking down subjects and screening intake forms for that, plus reading a lot of journal articles and attending lab meetings.
* Sent out two article queries, one short story, and one article to various magazines. Wrote a few articles for Helium.com, one of which has been purchased by Geosign.
* Finished adding a new section to my talk on technical management, and made arrangements to present the talk as part of a "Lunch and Learn" at Qualcomm (probably in December).
* Looked into the steps needed to teach a class at UCSD Extension, and have begun developing a proposal for a four-hour workshop on technical management. I'm also thinking about teaching an online class.
* Applied for and was accepted into the mediation credentialing program I mentioned a while ago. I start the night of Oct. 24, though I'll be on an intentionally slow schedule in order to not lose my mind while doing all these things at once in my free time!, so I probably won't finish the credential for 12 months.

So, lots of fun stuff. And of course I'm working as well. Hopefully I'll pick up a bit on the knitting, too. And I need to decide what to do about Christmas. I'm trying to scale it down a little this year, but it doesn't mean I don't want to give people anything at all. I don't know if I'll have time to make gifts or not — they won't be knitted, but even handmade takes time. I have a tendency to be self-absorbed, but I don't want to be so selfish as to spend all my spare time on myself and my goals! Still, if I plan to make gifts, I need to start thinking about it fast. What are you all doing about gifting this year?