I used to think I wanted to be a college professor. I went to grad school. I also dropped out of grad school. Twice. I got a master's degree in one subject, and embarked on a serious attempt at dissertation research in another. I married one man with a Ph.D., our housemate is another, and both are college professors. So although I realized that my personality was unsuitable for the tenure track, I'm fairly experienced with the culture of academia.
Now that I'm designing with the intent of publication, I'm amused by the parallels between my work and academic life. At a recent coffee shop gathering, a friend asked me, "So what have you got going on these days?" Thinking of my upcoming submission deadlines, for which I'd done extensive knitting and crocheting but no proposal-writing, I said, "Well, you know how it's way more fun to do the research than to write the paper?" and everyone at the table, with one voice, said, "YES."
Something important that is missing from my life is a good graduate student. I would gladly teach knitting and crochet arcana and provide grant funding (i.e., yarn from my stash) in return for winding my skeins, testing my instructions, and (of course) knitting my second socks.
