Dreams

The other night I dreamt that I was so desperate to finish my chapter that I started to copy and paste large chunks of Tractor Girl’s blog and prayed fervently that my supervisors wouldn’t notice.

I think I need to get this chapter out of my system and start something different

In other news, HD has a job interview tomorrow morning, here in the city. It’s not a great job, but it will do. All prayers, candles, good vibes, etc appreciated.

Over for now

I think the interview went OK, though it’s hard to tell as it was quite short! I don’t think I fluffed anything too badly, and the stuff I fluffed at the Shetland interview last month prepared me for the kind of things I needed to prepare for this time, so I did feel like I wasn’t totally making it up as I went along this time! (I wasn’t totally making it up as I went along in the Shetland interview either, it’s just that there were a couple of points then where I just stopped myself while I was vaguely ahead as I could feel myself about to enter the Blagging Zone!). They’ll let me know in the next day or two, they said. Sometimes I feel quite enthusiastic about the prospect, and other times a bit flat. I don’t know, if they offer it I’ll definitely take it, and I’ll probably enjoy it more than I expect while I’m doing it. Technically I could start tomorrow (especially as my P45 from the university arrived this morning), but what with criminal record checking etc it would probably be October before I could actually start if it’s offered.

In other news, the editors acknowledged receipt of my book chapter, so I know it got there on time. They did thank me for getting it to them on time, so I assume that a number of other contributors have requested extensions. I’d never do that, of course! Maybe the fact I was on time will make them kindly disposed to my excessive verbiage – I hope so!

[Edited to add: that was quick! About 30 seconds after hitting "publish", they phoned and offered me the job. Eeek! (I'm pleased and relieved, but still a little bit scared!)]

Check

Recce for interview location – done.
Getting lost on way home from interview recce – done.
Book chapter finished – done (only 2,600 words over the limit, whoops, but if they will ask for absolutely tons of extra detail I’m not sure what else I was supposed to do).
Ironing stuff so I don’t look like a scarecrow at interview – done.
Letter with interview time found after minor panic – done.

I have an interview tomorrow afternoon (it’s not a bank holiday up here this side of the border, unlike down south). Wish me luck!

Staycation

I had never heard the word ’staycation’ till relatively recently – referring to time off staying at home rather than going on vacation. It’s one of those buzzwords that is really naff but seems to be gaining currency. This weekend of course lots of people are off to Greenbelt for the Bank Holiday weekend, and we are staying at home. Now, while I still think that having a year off will be good for us for all sorts of reasons, and if the weather is anything like it currently is up here avoiding a weekend of mud and wellies will be a good thing for my stress levels, nevertheless I do feel a little twinge of “they’re all there and I’m not”. I’d say we’d go and have an adventure, but have bits and bobs of work to do, plus interview preparation, so I shall just urge everyone at the festival to blog regularly so I can experience it all vicariously without the mud/mank/cold/etc! I’m thinking calling it a staycation maybe will make me feel a bit better about it!

The interview is for a health visiting job (that I’m not desperate to do, but beggars can’t be choosers) and is next Monday. Eek.

Brief update

I’ve just written a very long entry about my interview and the ins and outs of it all, but decided that there was such a lot of soul-searching and gut-spilling that I didn’t really want public that I have kept it but made it a for-my-eyes-only thing, and I’m afraid I’m just going to write a shorter entry here for general consumption.

So, in short: I had an interview yesterday for a health visiting job in an exciting place (am a bit tired and emotional so photos will have to happen another time). I loved the place, but also am more sure now that I don’t want to spend my life as a health visitor, plus the particular place is quite remote and there wouldn’t be that many opportunities for HD, or many for me other than as a health visitor. So I found myself hoping they didn’t offer me the job, so I wouldn’t have to make a decision! Unfortunately, they didn’t play along and went and offered me the job, much to my surprise (having been out of practice for so long and having not ever lived or worked in that type of environment, and having fluffed a couple of the interview questions). A pretty sleepless and troubled night followed, and once I got home today and talked things over with HD I made the decision to turn down the job offer. I really hope I’ve done the right thing. After months of HD trying and neither of us having anything else on the horizon, turning down the job looks on paper like a reckless thing to do. But I had hardly slept for a week worrying about it, and ultimately, amazing though the location was (and it really really was), there were too many cons along with the pros for me to be entirely happy to accept it.

Our current situation is basically as it was. I have a job application at the university, which I will hopefully hear about soon. There are some health visiting jobs in Glasgow I will apply for as a stop-gap (as although I don’t want to do that long-term, it will be fine as something to tide us over if we don’t also have to worry about a big move, getting the Stately Pile in a fit state to rent out, etc). One (preferably both) of us needs something really quite soon though.

Stuff and general nonsense

Having got one interview out of the way, I have today found another job I would like to apply for (at my current uni – not that I’m desperate to work for a Russell Group uni, but this looks like it would be a less ‘political’ job than many academic jobs can be). There’s also another one (at a rival Glasgow uni) that I’d love but which is probably too high-flying for me – but I will apply anyway and see what happens. I’ll also apply (rather half-heartedly I have to admit) for a part time health visiting job – it’s just that if neither of us have a job for much longer, then it is a “better than nothing” scenario until something permanent comes up, though I have to say I’m really not desperate to be a HV here.

I have also found an online course, run by the same rival Glasgow uni I spotted the job in, for the branch of nursing I really want to go into, alongside any teaching/research that I end up doing. It is even affordable, and being online means that it is doable with a full-time job. And they sort out practice placements and things – one thing that had worried me about the course up till now is the fact that because I wouldn’t be sponsored by an NHS employer it would be difficult to be accepted as a placement student, as I could (in effect) be anyone. [If I got onto the course, it would be my 6th university. How sad is that?!]

All of this is entirely hypothetical as HD (or I, for that matter) could still get a job miles away from Glasgow, or even not in Scotland at all. But he has an interview here next week, so any prayers/candles/good vibes/etc appreciated!

Of course, if I did get onto that course, it would mean that I wouldn’t have to change the name of my blog. I’ve been thinking that as I’m coming to the end of the PhD maybe it’s time soon to retire “the maturest student in the world” and come up with a new blog title. The way job-hunting is going, I briefly flirted with the idea of renaming it “Would you like fries with that?”

Interview preparation

One thing I will say about the OU, they are good at providing instructions for interviews. I have a long list of stuff I need to take (note to self: don’t forget marriage certificate, as passport is in maiden name still), and I know in advance that they will primarily be asking me questions based on the person spec (as I am not expected at this stage to have detailed knowledge of the actual course). I have had to do some online activities (it was on the basis of those that they confirmed the interview), and tomorrow I have to get there a bit early as they also have a written exercise, a scenario, which I have to do on the spot.

I am having a (very minor) panic that they want me to bring my academic certificates to prove that I’m as qualified as I claimed on the application. Of course, Sod’s Law, what is the one certificate I can’t find anywhere? Of course, the one for my OU degree. Of course. Mind you, presumably as it’s with them it will be easier for them to check up on than if it was a certificate from another uni, which is why I’m not panicking (much). And I do have certificates for a couple of the modules at least, just not the end result.

I bought an interview outfit today – my only smart blouse is really too thick for a July outing (I bought it for when I did the talk in Helsinki in December), and my smart trousers (also bought for Helsinki) have got rather worn and tatty, and they also got drenched today in the rain. I shall have to make sure I have my lucky pants as well

I’m a bit perplexed though about how it might go. They’ve told me the interview will be around an hour long, based on the person spec as I said. But the specs for both the specific course and the generic OU tutor one aren’t all that detailed. I’m looking at every point, and I can’t think how they’re going to string it out that long. Oh well, I guess that’s their problem.

Thanks to Auntie Doris, who has just been on the receiving end of an enormous whingeing screed of streams of consciousness from me, the rest of you don’t need to read me whining and moaning. She does have her uses, you know!

What else to tell you? The temperature in my office got up to 30° today, so I gave up and went to the gym instead – I thought if I’m getting sweaty and bad-tempered I may as well be sweaty and bad-tempered whilst actually achieving something, as I’m not convinced my brain ever got out of 1st gear. While I was there I watched the final set of the Williams-Dementieva Wimbledon semi-final (hooray for machines with TV), what a fantastic match that was. I’m glad I’d finished by the second semi though (Williams-Safina) which sounded from the scoreline like it was so one-sided as to be utterly uncompetitive. I predict a Williams winner

I’m having another thesis-related existential crisis (it seems to happen every chapter), though having managed to draw a couple of spider diagrams today I have (for now) decided I know what my thesis is about. This is today though, tomorrow is an entirely different day and I may well have forgotten the point of it by then. I’m getting quite frustrated with it – the stuff I’m writing for journals etc feels like it’s so much better than the stuff I’m writing for the thesis. It’ll be good when it’s all over! By the way, if anyone is in a praying/good vibes/candle-lighting/etc mood, next week a decision will be made about whether or not I can have an extension. I’m working on the assumption that it shouldn’t be a problem (according to my department) but until I hear for sure I will remain a bit anxious about it. If I don’t get it I am, to put it mildly, screwed. If I do get it, then I will feel much less stressed about taking time out to apply for jobs (I’ve got a few applications which need to be in in the next week or so).

Ooh, good (ish) news – I have an interview in a couple of weeks for one of the Open Uni courses I applied to tutor on. As I understand it it’s pretty competitive, but it would be good experience if I could get it. I’ve also (at last) completed my nursing study hours (did I tell you that already, I can’t remember. Actually I think I probably did) so am just waiting for my friend to send the reference back and then I can see about getting some nursing work. Unfortunately I discovered the other day that the nurse bank for Greater Glasgow isn’t recruiting for community nurses at all, but just for certain acute specialities (that I don’t have any experience in, or any desire to work in), which got me a bit despondent, but I’m thinking instead about applying to NHS24 (the Scotland equivalent of NHS Direct south of the border – it’s a nurse-led phone service). Not that I’m desperate to do that either, but it could be something to keep me going for a while till something more suitable turns up.

Tomorrow we are treating ourselves, as what with poorly cars and writers’ block and no jobs etc we could do with a treat, and are going to the Dr Who exhibition at the Kelvingrove Museum. Can’t wait! (will take photos, unsurprisingly).

Ow

Today’s drama started early, when I woke up in pain and with severe difficulty in moving my right leg and (especially) make any movement involving my right bum cheek (surprisingly many, it turns out).  I couldn’t think of any clumsy walking-into-something-at-right-bum-cheek-level incidents recently, or any unusual twisting or lifting or anything, so decided in the early morning haze that it couldn’t possibly be anything muscular.  So I have spent the day diagnosing myself with all sorts of things which I won’t discuss here (especially the particular diagnosis that led to a rather over-dramatised message on HD’s voicemail), and generally making that “ooooohhhhhhrr” sound whenever I either got up or sat down or moved at all really.  I’ve just been to the doctor and been assured it’s definitely muscular, so am now feeling rather silly.  But it still hurts, so not totally silly.

I’m getting a bit fed up of having to think about and brace myself for any movement – lowering myself onto the toilet, putting on shoes, that sort of thing.  Ow

In other news, it sounds like HD’s interview went well, though we won’t know for a while.  But he sounded calm and happy about it (just as well, given that I’m being enough of a drama queen for both of us*) so I’m happy for now.

[*Surely not - Ed]

Festive injuries and other stuff

I surely can’t be the only person with a very attractive paper cut to the top lip from licking envelopes?  It happens every single year.  Ow.

The window has been fixed today.  I know I’ve said this before, but I can’t believe the difference between this time and the last time I tried (and, for ages, failed) to get a smashed window fixed after my last London burglary* – then it took I don’t know how many phone calls and rejections and whathaveyou to even get people to quote to replace it, whereas this guy in Glasgow sorted out everything in just a few days.  Note to Glasgow people: if you ever need a glazier, I have someone I’d be glad to recommend.

HD has a job interview tomorrow.  Prayers appreciated.

I’m getting stupidly anxious about stuff again.  Work and money-related, mainly.  I’m sure if I wasn’t so tired all the time I’d handle it better.  I’d blog more interestingly as well.

* I mean, that my place in London was burgled, not that I was a burglar in London.