You know it's too hot when

The geckos are taking refuge INSIDE the refrigerator (which raises the whole ewww level) Three times one has jumped on me this morning. I'm fairly sure it's the same gecko and damn, those things are fast.

Is it wrong to hope you DON’T get a second interview?

I mean it WOULD be teaching 3 classes to Wisconsin’s one but still there’s no promise of it being full time or more than one year. You’re not going to find that in teaching any more however. You KNOW you’re in trouble when the first question you’re asked is what do you know about Laredo Texas? Uh, thank the gods and goddesses and whatever other powers that be that Dad looked it up on the map. Well committee I know it’s on the Rio Grande but I really know more about Houston and Dallas where my friends live. (While thinking I know what the country singers say about it) Their response: This is a WHOLE other world. OH. Dear. God. Those are NOT words you want to hear coming out of a Texan’s mouth.

The committee was actually very relaxed and only asked one question apiece (I think I’ll be the only person who’s not a) Native Texan or b) from India I was stunned to hear not at SINGLE Hispanic name/accent) and were far less hostile than other phone interviews other than WI which made me feel far more at home. The questions were fair. What’s your teaching philosophy? (What the hell do I know? Pause and drink water loudly while pulling up what I WROTE my philosophy was and mailed to you guys). Can you do distance learning? How about working with multilingual students? Well I tutors ESL in undergrad. None of my patients in NYC spoke English, does that count?

They’ll let me know if I get the second interview and have to fly to Laredo..well San Antonio and drive 160 miles to Laredo or into Austin and drive 250 miles. Forget Dallas where I can fly cheap because that’s like 440 miles away. Please shoot me. I know I can’t turn down something that would give me more teaching experience but is it wrong to hope that they pick other interviewees (I’m like one of 6 today alone) to invite. Something tells me I’m gonna hate it there in the ass end of Texas.

It figures

Well I got the second interview. I have to lecture on topics I haven’t thought of since 1986. Something feels WRONG about this. I don’t know if it’s for a year or if it’s just a semester. I guess I’ll have to call and ask so I can make a better decision. It’s so expensive to go and I just have a bad feeling. Hell I’m just one of like a half dozen people they’re interviewing which isn’t all that bad. All the flights are nearly 400$ without me even renting that car. Greyhound is under 200$ but jsut barely and I’m not sure I can sit for 29 hours. I’m not kidding. The arthritis in my neck and back make sitting very painful.

the head of the department is on a ten month contract and he gives me his home number because he’s not working all that many hours and the school CLOSES on Fridays to save money. I’ll be teaching 35 hours a week. That’s NOT full time so they don’t have to pay me a single bennie. Yeah, oh man. I wish I had a better feeling about it. It’ll be a long night of thinking on it.

On the upside I just finished my Back to school fic and if I edit hard and fast it'll be up tonight.