One Step Forward - Ten Steps Back

I didn't get the position. But.......neither did anyone else. Seriously. 3 months and an entire, full scale faculty search later they didn't hire anyone.

I got an e-mail this morning informing me that they had closed the search BUT will be re-opening the search as a "visiting" position to be filled for one year only and I am invited to apply for that when it gets posted. I must admit that I feel much better knowing that no one got the job (schaudenfreude, anyone?).

I'm stubborn - I have every intention of re-applying as soon as I see that position posted. If I made it to the finals for a full-time position I can make it that far for a limited-time offer, right? Plus, I have absolutely nothing to lose. I've already got all my documents ready to go and they already have my transcripts and all my recommendation letters. Not to mention the fact that they've already interviewed me.......seems easy to me (although this seemed easy to me from the beginning). I can only wait and see.......again.

Retirement Update

I'm not a fan of not working and that has been my greatest fear about not having a job. I knew that it wasn't working in a lab that I'd miss but working in general. Because of that I have this drive to be as productive as possible around the house. And I have to say that there are some advantages to being home during the day......

I am now able to deal with the dishes on a regular basis - no more piles in the sink and no more overstuffed dishwasher.

Gone are the weekends of 5 loads of laundry - instead I find myself doing a modest-sized load about every other day. And I find myself folding and ironing immediately instead of having to spend 2 hours folding every bit of clothing that we own. We've stopped taking S's shirts to the cleaners just so that they can be starched - I have time to do that now too.

My roses and petunias aren't dying of thirst anymore. I can go outside every day and water them and remove the dead buds. I can also spray the weeds, anthills and water the lawn regularly and not decide to skip it because I'm so tired. Large portions of the weekend don't have to be devoted to the lawn because I can mow it in the middle of the week. It's also convenient to be home in the middle of the day in the middle of the week when the pull cord to start the lawn mower breaks off and I need to get to the repair shop. This happened just this morning which is why I have the time to blog rather than being outside mowing like I had planned. Oops.

I can devote an entire day to "spring" cleaning a room - so far I've done my entire first floor. And by spring cleaning I mean I'm removing everything from every drawer, closet and cabinet to clean. I'm also washing the walls and all the light fixtures.

In addition to all the ridiculous cleaning and organizing I'm now compelled to do I still have time to sit with my coffee and oatmeal in the mornings. I've read about 6 books so far too, sent e-mails and called my mother about 60 times. I have avoided watching the TV too much and I'm exercising still - although I no longer have to be up at 6 AM to do it.

Luckily my to do list extends beyond just spring cleaning the house. Once that's done I will be venturing out into the real of do-it-yourself projects (like painting the back deck and staining some of the doors in the house) so that will be interesting for all involved including my unsuspecting father who will be receiving about 10 "how do I do this or that" calls a day.

Now I just have to hope that my optimism about this situation and all the things I can accomplish at home lasts longer than the week and a half that I've been at it so far........

The Second Friday in June

Is apparently not a good one for me. It was my last day of work last year too. Last year I was sad though - I was leaving behind 6 years of hard work and a boss that I was close to and tons of friends and memories. I was leaving behind the place where I was lucky enough to find my husband. And while I was looking forward to the adventure of moving and finding my footing in a new lab it was certainly bittersweet.

This year - I'm not sad. In fact, I'm kind of excited that tomorrow is my last day doing science in this particular incarnation. I haven't had a bad year as a postdoc at all. And, if tomorrow weren't my last day, I would certainly not be terribly upset by remaining here. But I'm not sad. I'm looking forward to having some time off. S and I hope to head off on vacation in two weeks (although the current price for plane tickets to our chosen destination my foil that plan). I'm going to take a week and go back and hang out with the family and friends that I don't get to see nearly enough of. And, my to do list around our house is a mile long and grows constantly......I like to work - I give myself two days of laziness and then I'll begin to go crazy - therefore the very long list of things to keep me occupied. I think it will be nice.

Whether or not this time off extends past the summer is still up in the air - yes, still. Although I did get an e-mail yesterday containing a giant apology, and explanation for all the delay and a time frame.......the entire committee will finally be able to all be in the same room at the same time next week. My wait is almost over. So too, is near blog silence.