Well, I'm back.

First of all: Hurdle Two in the tenure process has been passed. In my mailbox this morning there was a copy of the letter the dean sent the v.p. for academic affairs, concurring with what the department said.

I think there are two more steps now - v.p. for academic affairs, and then the president and regents.

There were also no (thank God!) journal article rejections in my mailbox. And over the break, I got, corrected, and got notification of the editor's receipt of the proofs for my last Prairie Conference paper.

Knitting content: I didn't get as many projects worked on as anticipated, BUT I did finish the Bookworm Vest (from "Folk Vests").

I am very, very happy with it. It turned out nicer than I had hoped. It fits perfectly. The pockets on it are very cool. The garter-stitch edgings prevent rolling and look very nice. I found wonderful buttons for it - they are shell of different neutral colors done in sort of a mosaic pattern and they pick up the colors of the vest. The brown color is more flattering to me than the charcoal (which the original, in the book, was made in) would be. I hope to wear it a lot this winter.

Looking at it, after I finished it (just a couple days ago), it struck me how hard it would be to explain to someone without a creative hobby the near-giddy joy you feel when you finish something and it is all you had hoped and envisioned it would be. How you have to keep going back and looking at it and thinking "I made this. I made THIS. I MADE this!"

more on the vacation later.