I could have sworn I left it around here somewhere! In any case, it’s already past the ides of December, and you can probably guess how much preparation I’ve done for the holidays. Read: not much. I’ve had some decent excuses, though.

1) Moving. After all sorts of trials and tribulations, the housing situation is all settled. I am staying put in my cozy little apartment on Pacific Street, and I am glad to have some certainty for the next year after the couple months of wiffling that went on. Now I’ve just got lots of furniture rearranging to think about and some paint colors to choose (finally!), since Neimah’s big gift to me this Christmas is the donation of his time and skill to paint the apartment – the whole apartment – in whatever fashion I choose. Grin. : D

2) The job. After even more wiffling on the part of Apple, and a somewhat coerced (I felt) interview for a position I wasn’t really sure I wanted, I have been transferred to a new role: Family Room Specialist. In addition to the duties I had working in the Personal Setup department, I now also teach One to One sessions and provide technical support at the Genius Bar. On the upside? My days go by very quickly. On the not-so-upside? I’m exhausted by the end of them. Dealing with people face-to-face wears me out like none other. I also have much less latitude and self-determination in the way I organize my day, which irks me. But a job is a job, in this economic climate, and since I will also have pretty decent health insurance come January 1, I cannot complain overmuch.

3) Jobs the Second, Third, and “Vocation” the First: I am, of course, still spending copious amounts of time with Ji Tan, but since her tenuous entry into adolescence, this translates to cooking dinner and helping her study… a Herculean effort, I must confess. Job the Third involves one of my favorite things ever: yarn. I’m working Sundays at a knitting shop in the Upper East Side, helping people choose yarn and needles and patterns, and helping them execute those patterns when they get stuck. I also get a great discount. It’s a pretty sweet deal, but does involve a certain amount of self-control to ensure that the entirety of my wages does not get immediately spent. The vocation involves knitting lots and lots of fingerless gloves for a charity project. While it is no real addition to my income, it requires a rather large commitment of time to turn out the number of pairs that the lady in charge has asked for. I can’t say I’ve let it interfere too much with my other knitting, but I certainly haven’t been as prolific as usual lately.

Now, on to what you’ve missed! Mom came up for a Thanksgiving visit, and we had a wonderful time. Deep-fried turkey and all the rest at Neimah’s cousin’s house, curling up and watching Miracle on 34th Street, and getting a little shopping done at C.O. Bigelow’s. It was, of course, too short, and barely makes up for her absence this Christmas, but we will try to stay cheerful without her.

Not much else happened in November that’s worth recording, save lots of knitted objects that I simply haven’t the energy to illustrate or discuss in detail. I finished my February Lady Sweater, and I absolutely love it. It’s gotten loads of compliments so far, and the yarn (Sundara’s Aran Silky Merino) was a treat to work with. The Year o’ Socks had its first real hiccup last month, as the sock I did knit was tiny and from leftovers. I have already de-stashed a skein of sock this month for my stepmother’s Christmas gift, so maybe if I knit a pair this month I can consider my goal met. Oh, and Mom got her Peacock. And loves it. It turned out more beautifully than I could have hoped… I couldn’t even see my many mistakes when it was all blocked out. Despite the tears of blood I very nearly wept at points while knitting it, I cannot quash the desire I have to make another one. Since Mom’s gift to me this Christmas was a beautiful hank of Sundara’s Silk Lace, in a perfectly peacock-y blue, I suppose I am all set to cast on. Once I get my gumption up, that is. ; )

This year’s final round of the BSG game was a triumph. I finished all five ready rooms AND my two-month challenge (the previously mentioned February Lady Sweater). I’m working on another sweater with the folks from the game as a knitalong until January comes around, and of course we’re all getting into the holiday spirit by swapping gifts (my package from KnittyBrotz was AWESOME!) and Christmas cards… which I have still to make and send out. Gulp. I also have been doing a bit of stash-swapping that has lead to some beautiful results: a couple of skeins of cashmere off to California returned as a beautiful handmade dragonfly brooch, all aqua and silver and steampunk sensibility. I am having a difficult time deciding which coat it should grace.

So that wraps up what’s been done (mostly), which leaves what there is to do! We’re doing Christmas small this year, just me and Neimah and his cousin, so I will likely be in charge of most of the dinner. Which I still have to plan and shop for. Since Angie’s present is blocking, I am done with the gifts for Tennessee. I just need to wrap them and send them off, along with another Ravelry destash. I’ve got the family and friends Christmas cards to write and send out, and the Ravelry cards to make, write, and send out. I also have to do a little shopping for Neimah, Ji Tan, and Wesley. I need to do a little baking, as a couple of the gifts I’m giving this year are perishable ones. I also really want to make what my mother has affectionately termed “The Asshole Cookies,” so named for their rather intricate and endless nature regarding the labor involved. They’re the typical white iced holiday cookies. And they’re delicious. I think I need them in my life this year.

Despite this rather hefty list, I think I can make it. Packages can go out tomorrow. Christmas cards can get done up today, and also into the post tomorrow. The shopping can get done Sunday evening after I finish work, and the groceries for dinner and baking ordered that morning before I start. That will leave Christmas week all free to bake and wrap and give, and to be warm and full of holiday spirit.

The only remaining question is where, in all that, can I squeeze in a pair of socks?