One down

I had a great time at Cowpoke State. It’s in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains, with elk and trout streams and bike trails and cross-country skiing. I want to settle down there and get a big ol’ dog. The town isn’t close to anything, but it’s got everything I want in a city—coffee shops, a brew pub, a food co-op, an independent film festival, used bookstores, jazz, and a research university. I can get a semester of pre-tenure leave, a decent salary, and a 2/2 teaching load, with excellent students and an MA program. Also I can ski and gawk at all the movie stars who have second homes there. It’s gone from being a last-ditch, last-choice school to a job I’m fairly salivating over.

The off-the-record conversation that I was left with on the way to the airport left me a little concerned, though. It turns out that the department had all but made up its mind to hire the first candidate and my visit was so impressive that it has forced them to reconsider. That’s something to be happy about.

But now I’m one of two candidates that they very much want, and gender may be a deciding factor. This would be unfortunate. The search committee is going to try to convince the department to hire us both, and there’s a chance that they’ll end up hiring the other candidate and telling me that they’ll try to hire me in another year. There’s also a chance that they’ll make me an offer but demand that I make a decision before I’ve heard from or even seen the two other schools I’m interviewing at. It may be an uncomfortable bird-in-the-hand situation. But as M keeps reminding me, I can hardly complain about my situation considering that I evidently blew them away. And maybe they’ll just give me a straight offer. And maybe they won’t. I’m just tired of being in job-market limbo. This process has been going on since August, and I just want my fate to be settled.

So all I can do is concentrate on teaching and writing, prepare for my visits to New Amsterdam and Slalom State, and keep my fingers crossed. Thanks for your support.