We-ell, I just got a packet of information from Job #2, prior to my interview . . . it turns out that that job pays about the same as (well, slightly more than) I'm making now, but increases substantially and quickly in subsequent years, topping out well above my present position. So, if I got that job (and assuming Emil doesn't get a job, which isn't too likely - if we stay here he'll get something sooner or later), it would mean a few tight years but then we'd be okay (read: I wouldn't have to teach in the summer). And it's got a better retirement plan, it's about 45 miles closer, and it would mean we don't have to move. Admittedly, I wouldn't get to ride my bike to work, but it's starting to seem financially irresponsible not to take this job if I get it.

So now I'm hoping I get it. The immediate effect is to put everything else on hold - all moving plans, at least - for the next month, because it's no longer the case that we might move anyway (as it was when I thought the two options were more or less equivalent, and we thought that whatever happened, we'd have to sell this house). Consequently, I'm feeling much calmer. I can turn my attention to preparing for my summer teaching, worrying about getting enough exercise, and planning articles I may or may not write . . . this is much more fun than oscillating! We're still planning to fix up the house, but we're now thinking of things that we want - like a proper closet upstairs, drywall in the attic (to keep the insulation in), and a lattice for the morning glories . . .

Oh, and about the third option that materialized: It's not really an option. It's a job I'd dearly love to have, since it's at a reputable institution that even offers graduate degrees, but the salary makes it one of those toy academic jobs that you could only take if you had two incomes, and the second was substantially bigger . . . Academe depends on these arrangements; if colleges had to pay everyone a living wage, they'd go broke. Louise has railed for years about the situation with adjuncts, but it's increasingly the case with tenure-track jobs, too. What a racket . . .

So stay tuned, but you can ease off on the intensity with which you stay tuned. Allow yourself plenty of time to lounge at the pool . . . Lord knows, I am! :)