Bad News, Good News

Well, I've finally heard things. That's not to say that I haven't been hearing any news on the job front. I've obviously been following the job Wiki, and I've been able to track which search committees have moved forward with other candidates. I really haven't blinked an eye at any of those because, I think, they never showed interest to begin with...like, they never requested my dossier, so I sort of applied and then moved on without getting my hopes up. But, with the schools that requested my dossier, that is a little different story.

The Bad News: I was not selected for an MLA interview with The One. I got a personal e-mail from a colleague in my field (who is also a friend), which explained that ze thought this was a "collective loss" for the school and ze would've been happy to have me as a colleague. Hearing this from a friend at the school rather than the Wiki, took some of the sting out. Evidently, fate has other things in store for me, because.....

The Good News: Minutes before the bad news e-mail came an e-mail from a different school inviting me for an MLA interview! It was a school that requested writing sample, sample syllabi, etc. from the beginning stages, so there wasn't a step in the process for dossier requests. Yay team! That means they liked what they saw :) Also, this school is not located on either coast or in the NE, so I think there is likely a somewhat smaller applicant pool (double yay!). Regardless, I am happy to be heading to Los Angeles in January with at least one reason for being there.

It only takes one, right?

How much do I hate waiting??

Lots. I have an infinite hatred of waiting. Sigh.

The interview yesterday went as well as it could have gone, I think. I was prepared for every single question they asked, mainly because they asked very simple, basic questions.

"Describe your teaching philosophy."
"How would you feel about teaching outside of your specialty? For example, Romanticism instead of Rest/18th c. British literature?"
"Tell me about your research plans."

Really, how could anyone *not* be prepared to answer these questions? Anywho, it lasted about 30 minutes, there were some good moments, and I got the sense that these are really congenial people that I'd enjoy working with. They even told me a bit about the tenure requirements, which are *totally reasonable*. I have no idea how many people they interviewed, but they're moving fast on the position. They said they're bringing people to campus in 1-2 weeks, and they know when I'm leaving the country, so there you go.

Now I wait. Did I mention how much I hate waiting?