Ruach

Yes, the economy is in the dumps. And this should be a terrible time. Probably is for lots of folks.

But I can’t complain.  I have the job. The house is paid off. I have a cabin cruiser sitting in Salem Harbor. This is what I have wanted for years, maybe, when I think about it, all my life. All my friggin life!

The day after I got the offer the dean had me in her office and said they want me to take a “leadership role”. Actually, she started with “department chair”. Yeah, really,  get the heck out – department chair?

A bit more than I want, but there’s the plate, and you have to step up to it, right?

Ah, but life has been grand this summer. I’ve taught three courses, a ridiculously light load compared to what I was doing on State Street!

“Working” Monday and Wednesday all summer. Lots of time off. I’ll take claim to earning this. A bachelors, two masters and 30 years of top notch experience is paying off.

Actually looking forward to the fall semester.

So…

That’s how it feels, just… so…

But I got the job. The one I’ve had for the past three semesters. Grateful. Everyone that has a job these days is grateful, or at least they should be.

More than that, I’m actually jacked. And why not? This is the thing I want to do with my life. So screw it, I’m not about to dwell on the negatives of this economy, or anything else for that matter. I’m in, I’m doing this thing.

And I’m darn well going to do it… darn well in fact.

Interviewing is an unnatural act.  It strains the bounds of accepted interaction. It sucks.

So today I had an interview. And to compound the weirdness of the event – I interviewed for the job I’ve had for the past year and a half.

This is how it goes…

After I was laid off in 2009 I did some substitute teaching.  Not the greatest experience. Actually, it was awful. I’d wake up in a terror – please don’t let them call.  Clearly this was not for me.

Then, I struck upon teaching at the college level. Actually I had thought about it all along. Actually I had thought about it years ago. But up until this time I had thought I’d need a doctorate. Not so! One can teach at the “Community College” level with a masters (or, in my case, two). So let’s try that.

Got a job at Bunker Hill Community College, and fell in love. Not necessarily with the college, but oh so much with the teaching. Actually, at the same time, I also taught some courses up at Northern Essex Community College. Sweet times 2.

Then, in the spring 2010 semester, came a “full time” offer from Bunker Hill. There was a catch, the assignment was temporary – for just that semester. Basically it allowed me to work a full time schedule and adjunct at one school. That was progress. And after all, you can only eat the meal you have, not the meal you’d like to have.

Next, at about mid-semester, the dean visited me (great boss by the way) and said the college had extended the “temporary” assignments for another year, and would I be interested?

So now here we are, coming up to the conclusion of that extended year and the college has decided to make a commitment to 26 new full time tenure track positions. The thing is – we work for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  That means the eight of us that were temporary don’t just get to become legitimate full time professors. We have to interview… all over again.

And that brings me back to the main premiss. In a slightly awkward way (for all parties) I once again interviewed, for a job that I have interviewed for twice before. And for which I have an on the job track record of a year and a half.

It’s not the environment I’m used to, but it is the environment I’m in. And I will make it work.

That’s me, driven.  Can’t deny it.  As I sit here it’s almost 12:30 in the morning.  Yet I’ve been working on the PCYC web site for the past four hours.  Tweaking this, seeing how that fits in, what will the thing look like?

All along listening to that Italian-American music.  Or is it American-Italian?

Why is is it we have Italian-Americans?  What about Irish-Americans?  And those African-Americans?

Will someday they be American-Italians?  American-Irish, how about American-Africans?  Sounds stupid.

It is.

We should stop pigeonholing ourselves.  Just Americans.

Then again… just people.