Once January came around a little bell went off in my head. You see, I'm having baby #2 this spring (due date early May) and I so I'm pushing to finish writing my dissertation by mid-March and defend by April before he comes. Though it may not happen exactly that way, I'd like to at least be done writing by the time he's born even if I have to defend with a newborn in-hand on-boob. Since I'm on fellowship this year, I'm not teaching, so have a lot of time to write. At the same time, this fall I went on the job market to try my chances for next fall. This is a time-consuming process. But I did it because the timing would be right, and if it doesn't happen, it's not a big deal. What do I have to lose?
In the humanities you apply to academic jobs from September-December and if you make it to the top 10 in a particular search, you get an interview at the MLA convention that happens at the beginning of January in a different city every year. Though I didn't know if I'd have an interview, I booked a ticket to Chicago for the 4-day MLA. In mid-December I found out Dartmouth College wanted to interview me! I was ecstatic and quickly realized I had a lot of work to do to get ready. Guillaume's parents were coming during my trip, so Antonia was taken care of, but I had a lot interview question prepping to do. I also put myself into full gear to try to finish my third (and penultimate) dissertation chapter before leaving. Without knowing it I had booked a room at the very hotel my interview was in. Here are some pictures so you're reminded that I actually have a "job" and am not just traipsing around baking bread all the time.
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| View from my room at the Intercontinental, 37th floor |
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| Second day, foggy and pouring. GLORIOUS! |
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| Interview hair |
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| Interview outfit. A bit tight in the midsection, you say? |
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| Facetiming with my family. Thank goodness for them! |
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| Post-interview dinner with high school bestie, Billie |
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| Publican restaurant in Chicago. Delicious. |
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| Billie's dog Seymour |
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| The various stones on the Chicago Tribune tower |
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| A bit of Pennsylvania in Chicago: Hershey's |
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| I have admittedly become a tad bit obsessed with chocolate milkshakes. This is an unfortunate side effect of not being able to drink alcohol. |
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| My colleague and friend Charles-Louis presenting on Christine de Pizan, massacres, and emotional nation-building. |
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| Last October I tagged along Guillaume on a work trip to Chicago and my friend Sean drove down from Minnesota to meet us for dinner. This time he came back to pick up a new puppy, and I got to see his lurvely wife as well! |
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| Billie and Jesse took me to SuperDawg, a drive-in real Chicago hotdog place, on our way to the airport. It was delicious. I accidentally got another chocolate shake. |
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| View from the airport. I'm ready to go home and see my BABIS! 4 days is the longest I've ever left her! |
I had been home for four days, getting back into the swing of writing, when I got the call from Dartmouth that they wanted to see me for the final round of interviews on campus! I was given less than a week to prepare. This is not the 40-minute hotel interview, but a 2-day interview marathon complete with a lecture in French, multiple interviews and meals, and a 65-minute teaching demonstration. I panicked a bit, but got to work. Luckily Guillaume was able to entertain our three-year-old while I wrote my job talk, researched the university, and planned my class.
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| Here they are going off to the mountains for Antonia's first day of downhill skiing! I was so sad to miss it, but glad for the quiet house. |
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| She had a great time, and even went on the lift! |
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| On the day before I left for Hanover, Antonia seemed to understand I needed her to take care of herself. She sat and read to herself or Figo for HOURS, never bothering me, and wholly content. What an angel. |
I had a flight to Boston that was delayed 3 hours because of the huge snowstorm and so missed my Dartmouth coach to Hanover, but I made it in the end after an entire day of travel.
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| My room at the Hanover Inn |
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| I tried to enjoy the night before everything started with a good meal to counteract the adrenaline and insomnia. |
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| Marathon relay shirt for sleeping in good-luck vibes. Didn't help a whole lot, since I woke up at midnight with a migraine. Luckily I had 7 hours to get rid of it before the interviewing started. Stress will kill you. Jeez. |
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| Dartmouth Hall, where the French and Italian department is. |
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| Campus tour in frigid temps: it was a high of 7 degrees F that day. |
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| Just a little study room where they serve tea in the afternoons out of china. Because of their tea endowment. So adorable. |
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| At the airport, having survived the craziness, with a chocolate milkshake. Whoops. |
Both the job talk and teaching went well, and everyone I met was very welcoming and lovely. It was a great experience and would be a nice place to work (hint hint job gods).
