Clearly, I'm a whiner

So they took two moles off of Offspring today. My rational brain knows that a) even though the doc at the skin cancer screening clinic said "I'm very worried about these. You need an appointment as soon as practical," it's probably nothing. And b) even if it's something, it's slow growing and easily cured.

c) It's still my baby girl, and I hate to see them cut things out of her. We get the pathology report in 2 weeks.

So there.

No news is no news

So we have a contract in hand from Odd School. The biggest drawback (aside from the Oddness!) is that they had a disappointing year recruiting-wise, so they are only offering a visiting. If recruiting improves, it could become a permanent position. Then again, we could be in this same situation next year. In Odd School's favor is mostly its location. Offspring could stay at Hogwarts and both Spouse and I would have a better commute.

R1 sent an unofficial e-mail with some more details. it's not precisely as good as Spouse was told over the phone, but it's still pretty good, a permanent position and a respectable salary. No paper contract yet, and I'm not believing it's real until I see one.

I almost feel bad thinking about having choices, but I know Odd School has a strong desire for a program in an area in which Spouse has both expertise and experience in setting up a university program. Their desire is strong enough that they invested quite a bit in a lab and also promote this program in the central recruiting video for the campus. So I guess I am secretly hoping that when Spouse gets the paper contract and calls Odd School to tell them that he's going to take the permanent position, that Odd School will decide that they really don't have a plan to have this program without him (which I think is probably true. We believe they had him come for 3 campus interviews mostly because they were looking for some free consulting) and will offer him a permanent position. Then, we'll move closer to Offspring's school, each enjoy a 20-minute commute and all live happily ever after.

What I really expect to happen is that the R1 contract will show up, we'll sign it and then we have to decide what we are going to do. There is a Hogwart's-type program in a district near the R1, but you have to put in a year at a regular campus in order to qualify. I may post on this later.

So that's where we are.

Ring Ring

OddSchool upped the offer by a good bit and it's intriguing. R1 called today with an anticipated offer.

I can't believe it.

Updates

Spouse wrote to R1 to day "dudes. I need to give some people an answer soonish, so...."

They wrote back to him that he should hear by Friday. That was very non-committal, so maybe I'm a little less optimistic.

In other news, took Offspring to a skin cancer screening thingie tonight to get some moles looked at, and the dermatologist said she definitely needs a couple of biopsies.

Whee.

When it rains, it pours

For Spouse, current employer wants him back. OddSchool made him an offer today.

He's not super happy with either one, and they are both one-year positions, but at least it is progress.

Brief updates

It is reading day, and I appear to have survived my first year at PrettyGood (assuming I get all of this grading done, which I will).

The last contender for the job Spouse really wants interviews today. And he heard from that job he hates that he did this year, and they do have the ability to keep him, if he wants.

We never heard from OddSchool again. I think were using him as a free consultant...

The downside to Portfolio grading

I just figured out how much I have to grade this week.

It's more than 600 individual pieces. If I spend 5 minutes on each (some are re-makes of baskets from earlier in the semester, some are full final exams), it will take me 52 hours.

Blerg.

Mother's Day

will be celebrated next week at Chez Prof, because MommyProf has her calendar entirely booked with Prof business today. Like - hey Spouse, you're done, so can you keep the kids out of my hair for, say, the next 16 hours, so I can get this stuff done? This crisis du jour brought to you by the people on whose work my work depends being slack and doing things at the very last possible second.

**update: I took breaks to eat, but other than that, I've pretty much been working continuously since I posted at 7 this morning. It is now 12:13 a.m. and I am not done, but I am going to bed. I was pretty close on the 16 hours...

And it all hits home

Today is Spouse's last day of work. He had his last faculty meeting yesterday, and they asked him and the other guy who's visiting what they are doing next year. The other guy has a T-T job in a neighboring state. Spouse felt very bad having to say "Uh, don't know." He is very bummed. : (

So many events

I am still at work, waiting for our student honor society induction in Basketweaving. (Beta Kappa Wow?) Apparently, part of the deal is that the 83 students (out of about 260 who are graduating - does that seem high to anyone else?), walk through a double line of faculty who clap for them. A colleague calls this "flanking," which we talked about in the context of a discussion of why our students' confidence levels greatly outflank their skills today.

On the positive side, my mood has lightened considerably since yesterday's late class.

Fix me

My freshman class was awesome today. My senior class, I had the great idea of having student presentations at the end of the semester, since there's a diversity of expertise in the class. They did a crappy, crappy job. It sucked all of the mojo out of the class. I have one more.

How does Mommy/Prof not let recency screw over those oh so important evaluations?

I'm tired

So Spouse gave a final on Saturday, and gives another tomorrow and his final one on Tuesday. A day of hellish grading and he's done.

I have another two weeks of classes. This is because we have a mini-mester between the fall and spring semesters, and that pushes the spring semester back. Sadly, though I had to work in that mini-mester, so I've been going since August with 10 days off in the winter and spent spring break writing the research paper from hell. And I can tell you, I'm tired. Very tired.

How are you doing?