@graydon As for the activity being nourishing, I've been working on the #KestrelComputerProject since 2004 in one shape or another; it's not going anywhere soon.
I did walk away from it once before, after much distress with trying to get pseudo-SDRAM working in the design. Left it for a year and a half, in fact.
But, that was a decision I couldn't live with myself with, so I came back and resurrected the project.
That won't happen again.