interviewed

Yesterday was a long one, and I'm still tired. I arose at 5:30, grabbed a cup of coffee from the pod pot, ate a half-bowl of cereal so I could take pills, showered, dressed, grabbed my stuff, and headed out. As I headed north, the sun rose (a good sign), and the local radio station played that silly song "It's Gonna Be a Great Day" (another good sign). And really, it was a very good day in that no bad things happened during the interview process.

The good omens of sunshine and that song were interrupted by a jacknifed semi midway to Big Rapids. No one seemed hurt, but the cab was separated from its overturned trailer. Lots of flashing lights and people taking accident-scene pictures, but traffic snaked its way through with little difficulty. I got to town with half an hour to spare, so I hit the local drugstore to get a couple of birthday cards for my sister.

I met with two of the committee members for breakfast (again) at a local eatery. Then I did the teaching presentation, which went really well. The students were good, participated well, and the timing was on-target. Then I met with the department chair for a while in her office, where she explained the benefits and salary (mid- to high $40s). Then it was off to lunch, where I barely had time for half my lunch because I was answering questions. Afterwards, I met with Reinhold Hill, the Assistant Dean for the college. He and I have known each other for years, having gone to the same school for our doctorates. We've visited several times socially, and his wife and I like each other very much. But of course, meeting with him is just a formality. He doesn't really get a major say in who gets hired. (Or so he told me. I was hoping he wouldn't feel any pressure because I was the candidate du jour.)

I then spent a while meeting with other faculty, where I was "gently" grilled. After that, the search committee and I headed for the library, where I performed online--showed them my Web page, where I had an assortment of assignments, exercises, etc., and showed them one of my classes on FerrisConnect. Again, many questions.

We dispersed and I had a short while to myself before meeting two members of the committee (and one of their spouses) for supper. I tried to call Esteemed Spouse, but he was at the Golf Show, a loud exhibition taking place in a cavernous center, and he didn't hear my phone calls. He did see that I'd called and called me back, but there wasn't much I could tell him, of course. The department chair says it will be two or three weeks before they can make an announcement.

So all I can say is that I did my best. I was witty, charming, friendly, and amenable. The teaching demo went really well, so now there is nothing to do but wait. And catch up on grading. If I plan it right, there may even be time for a nap later today. I'm still exhausted. Dr. S.