lumière des étoiles

so here it is already
2005-11-21 6:32 p.m.

Oh my goodness, the speculation you cause when you say you have big news but then don't follow up and stay silent for days, all mysterious like. I am not a)pregnant, b)having my book published c)working for a travel-book publisher. But wouldn't those last two be nice, and that first one perhaps years from now also be nice? Maybe? If it seems right? Perhaps?

So my big news seems somewhat diminished but still I'm a-buzzing from it: I got a new job, a real job, a full-time teaching job-job with steps and a pension plan and opportunities to move forward professionally and academically. And the best part of all: I get full remission for tuition, which means I can start my PhD anytime - yesterday for all they care. Hooray! It's so hard to come by full time jobs like this in academe; I know people who have been teaching for years - as in fifteen to twenty - and still aren't able to procure such a secure position. It was posted by NJIT in the summer, left for dead forever (this is also common in academe; in-fighting over what to do with the line and the $, etc.), and then re-invigorated in the form of interviews starting late last month. I was called in for an interview with very short notice, not realizing it was a formal interview until I got to my chair's office and saw several other chairs and deans sitting around a board room table. Probably better in the long run - had I known it was a very formal interview, I might have over prepared.

While at the interview I was told that out of the thirty or so applicants, they were only interviewing five candidates - and that I was one of the five. I left with good feelings but with that "it's so nice just to be nominated" feeling, preparing for the news that I didn't get the job. I was, after all, competing with people twice my age who have been teaching longer and have more publications than I.

I am obviously very happy - it took a lot not to say "nuh-uh!" or something equally juvenile when the big boss called me into the office to tell me they'd chosen me - but still haven't signed a contract because of even more political mumbo jumbo that is still going on. I've made a new schedule for myself, including lit courses of my own design - and the title of one is hilarious; I wasn't allowed to use the word "feminist" in any course title, nor "dystopia", lest it "alienate" students or "confuse" them into disinterest in the class. But pashaw to that, it's irrelevant - I have a job! I have security! I can go to school for free! Should I want to have children someday, I won't have to plan them for the summer so that I won't miss work!

And speaking of work, a writing teacher's job is never done; my friend told me that whilst perusing a dating site last week, she was horrified at the number of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors in people's profiles. Isn't that just the grossest thing? Barring legit ESL errors or something equally understandable, I'd be mighty turned off - as she said she was - by such errors. Ugh. But as my one of my favorite scenes from Frasier goes:
Niles: Why did you do it, Frasier?
Frasier: It was the right thing to do. It's like when I correct people's grammar. I don't do it to be popular.

I'm off to Tony's annual Pagan Thanksgiving Fest, and I'm looking forward to having a good time. Kimmy's back so we can hear all about Africa and Eastern Europe - the girl was gone for five months, fercrissake, she'd better have some good stories - and I'm already making us late for meeting Nicole for a drink before-hand.