Hi's & Lo's

The ups and downs of Missoula continue. I'm beginning to wonder if the dust will ever settle and Beau and I can be normal people, each with one, decent, full-time day job, working toward getting a house, not running around all the time, etc. I had that interview last week for the good position in a very high office in the university (I know, vague, but I have to be). I didn't worry about a conflict with my current job here, which I like very much, for two reasons. For one, I thought no matter what, if I was hired, the new job would work with me. After I declined an interview for another job here so I wouldn't have to quit the one I'm at now, a friend said, "Why did you do that? They're both in the university system, I'm sure they could work something out with you." Then I felt like a giant idiot, but it was too late. Plus, I was still feeling kind of bad about leaving that non-profit temp job so suddenly and wasn't keen on doing that again. So, when this high-up job came up, I thought things could be worked out since my present job is only til June 1st anyway.

Secondly, the new job is connected to the hiring of an important university official. Knowing how universities work, and so far my experience here has been very similar to my experience at UW-Madison, I knew that these hirings, especially the higher up you go in the hierarchy, can be long, drawn-out, and unpredictable. They can go through months of multiple interviews and negotiations, think they finally have their (wo)man, only to be turned down by the applicant in the end (often applicants are courted by more than one university at a time). So, I figured, sure, I'll go to the interview, and by the time they get this person hired, I'll probably be ending my job where I am now.

Wrong. In the interview, which consisted of a very nice administrator and a somewhat stern and stiff high-up university official, I was told the position might be open very very soon, or, might not. If it was open soon, I asked, could they work with me to continue my current position? Perhaps split the day between the two until June?

Nope, they weren't willing to do that. I was pretty bummed, but continued on with the interview nonetheless. Things were still up in the air after all. By the end of the interview, I felt I had done well, but hadn't felt that *click* you feel when an interview just goes so great. You know, when you feel like you connected with the interviewers, and when you walk away in a kind of happy daze, floating along, going, "Yes, I nailed that interview! I got that job!" So, I didn't give it much thought.

Well, the message on the voicemail last night congratulated me and told me I had the job, but that it started....wait for it....Monday!

Great.

My head's in a bit of a spin. For two months Beau and I were in big financial trouble, eating lots of oatmeal and other cheap carbs. Well, we still kinda are since we're catching up. We both ended up, very reluctantly, at our respective retail positions just to make sure we could make rent. Suddenly, in the past couple weeks, I'm one hot tamale. I know as problems go, it's a "good one" to have, but it still sucks.

But I've already decided. Though the job I'm at now doesn't have any benefits or the highest pay, I really like the people, they're good to me, and I want to stick it out 'til it ends. The dean and the department administrator have already shown an interest in helping me find better employment after June, even collecting my resume to pass out to some contacts and making a call. The new, "better" job is promising, but I'm not feeling a great deal of excitement for it. I hate to turn down a pretty good job, but it's what I want to do. Besides, *cough* *choke* I will always have Shop-n-Smile for a back-up.

Am I crazy?