Before I Got the GW Job I wrote this:

I've entered that nervous point where I'm second guessing everything about my interview and potential job. I will retell the story so that I have it all in one document and maybe that will relieve some of my stress. I flew out Thursday for the job interview that happened on Friday. The interview was from 10am to 3pm which is by far the longest interview I have ever engaged in. There was no requirement for me to present anything and while that relieved some of the nerves, I felt like I couldn't really do great interview prep with such a long span of interviewing. I was staying with my sister and her fiance and it was really a great visit, so when she and I took the metro in that morning I was feeling okay. DC is hot and I was wearing a suit, but I got to the interview and felt okay about it. What I didn't feel good about was how I have been treated since I told my current employers about my participation in the interview process. My boss and supervisor in particular has been difficult to deal with and has pulled big guilt trips, been condescending and abrasive (while trying to pretend like she doesn't care) and then finally she set a pretty unrealistic ultimatum of giving her a decision seven days after my interview -- which is definitely a power play and totally unrealistic for me and my interviewers. But I decide I'm going to deal with that once I get there.

I had one hour with the Director, one hour with the Assistant Director, and 30-45 minutes with the remainder of the staff. Then I was to have lunch with the Director and finally meet with the newly appointed Dean of Students after lunch. So, in with the Director and things go smoothly. He is a bit of a talker and so we move from one tangent to another, but at the same time I feel like I am learning a lot about the position and the center. And while I don't think any of my answers were life-changing 10/10's, I did feel like I was hitting solid 8/10 for most of the questions. And it is becoming more and more appealing to me. Hearing about the (lack of) politics in the center sounded like a great relief. Hearing about how the staff turnover created new positions and that many of the staff were at similar places in terms of working toward licensure was a huge boost. And then the things that were expected for the candidate: 20-25 clients, minimal crisis work, running groups, lots of outreach support, and running the Peer Educator program where Psych student get course credit for doing outreach about mental health issues. Finally, he told me that I could be dually hired as faculty in the Psych Department and teach there (as he does) and that made it hard not to become more interested. The meetings with the Assistant Director and the rest of the staff who were in town on a Friday in the summer confirmed my good feelings.

So, I decided that lunch with the Director is probably the best time to bring up my situation. And I think that it may be reasonable -- on the phone interview they indicated they were interviewing the previous two weeks, so if I'm the last interview that might give them enough time to make a decision and let me know. It would be a tight squeeze, but possible. I decide to do some recon with the administrative assistant who booked my flight and I casually ask if lots of interviews have been happening and how that has been. And I find out that I am the FIRST interview. At this point, all hope is lost. If I am the first interview, there is no way they will be able to make any decision by the next week and then I will have to stick with the postdoc I have been offered. But I know that I need to at least try to talk with the Director about this reality at lunch. We sit down and before we even have ordered drinks I ask him to tell me about the interview process and their anticipated timeline. He has a big facial reaction and I think maybe I've made a misstep but he says that it is a good question and he tells me they are interviewing the next couple of weeks and will try to bring someone in by August. Well, he says "weekS" and I figure all hope is lost. If they are interviewing beyond the coming Friday, I have no chance. And even though my hope is dashed, I decide I have been upfront throughout this process, and I'm going to continue that strategy. And since I have nothing left to lose, I tell him about my situation, my current employer and the ultimatum. Again, I assume I have ruined my chances, but his first response is telling me that he is sorry I am in that position and then says that after the phone interview they had "strong feelings" about me. And that as a matter of fact, the last interview is scheduled for Friday and given the time difference, he thinks he could let me know before the end of the day. And my spirits lift. I really hope it works out. And I think it might.

Huxley's Second Birthday!

Huxley turned two this past weekend. I just can't believe my little pup is growing up so fast! He had a special day of deluxe meals, lots of playing in the yard and two stuffed squeaky toys. Practically heaven!

Celebrate with us by watching this video from last year of Hux and his best friend Cooper the 5lb Chihuahua. Video courtesy of Auntie Sarah!

(VIDEO COMING SOON!)

Coop and Hux play tug of war from Sarah on Vimeo.

(Try to ignore my jeans on the floor/the sad basement I used to live in)

Bad blogger

Bad, bad, bad, bad blogger.

I have been MIA and I am so sorry. I wont test your patience with posting about what I have been doing. I will simply summarize that things have been very good. Life has been fun, even wedding planning has been really fun! I know there will be plenty of stress still to come, but I am feeling great right now. I am just so excited to be marrying Anders. We literally look at each other everyday (generally multiple times a day) and talk about how happy/lucky/thankful/in love we are. There is really nothing better then that.

On top of it all - spring is finally here. I bought a pot of daffodils at Trader Joe's yesterday. I picked my pot specifically because all of the flowers were still tight little buds. I was confident that it would just keep growing this weekend and maybe I would see blooms at the beginning of next week. This morning my jaw dropped. One bloom was cracked half open when I came into my office. Its all the way open now and two of the others are getting close to being open too. I really think the plant has grown 2 inches since last night and another inch this morning. How amazing is that? Just thinking about all of that growth and new life brings a huge smile to my face. I simply adore the spring.

Daffodils always remind me of my family - particularly my mother. For years of my childhood she recruited us to plant what felt like hundreds of daffodil buds in our propriety. It was always sort of torturous as a teenager. However the spring was always filled with all of those hundreds of daffodils blooming up the driveway or in vases around the house. Daffodils are now my favorite sign of spring and always reminds me of home. I had intended to plant bulbs first thing when we moved into the new house. However things got very busy and I never had the chance. Though lucky for me - someone else did! There are shoots springing up all over our backyard. I am so excited to see what blooms. I'm sure there are daffodils in the mix, but also something much shorter. Perhaps a crocus? We will see! It has certainly been fun to see the seasons change during our first year together in the new house. The winter was intense and the spring is shaping up beautifully!

Tonight we are having a handful of close friends over for the first cookout of the season. I haven't been able to focus all day just thinking about grilling out and lighting the fire pit tonight! Sitting around a fire with a cool drink and good friends seems like a perfect start to the weekend.

I will leave you with a quick picture of me, Huxley and our house in the winter. I believe this was early into blizzard #1 in DC. I can tell because the snow isn't up to our waist already! Lucky for me the temperature outside right now is a beautiful 72 degrees!

Next Years PostDoc

This is from the email I sent to my coworkers from Uniform Notification Day:

"So, my morning took some expected turns. Last night, I decided that I would only want to accept at Stanford or USF, and that if Kaiser or SJS offered me a position that I would turn them down and keep waiting for the other places I have applied. This was a very difficult decision for me, because I truly value being settled and secure, but I didn't want to regret taking the only offer I received, especially if a better fit came along. I also didn't want to be the only intern without any news to share when we get back to the office.

This morning 9am came and went and I didn't get a call. By about 9:05 I realized this probably meant I was not any of my sites first pick, which was a bit of a blow to the ego, but I think our conversations from before helped me recognized what close ties first through fifth might be. Around 9:10am Nancy Glenn from USF called to see if I had accepted a position and to let me know that I was their first alternate and that they were currently on hold. That was reassuring, but it's strange hoping that someone will turn down a position so you can get it.

I decided to text Mary to verify that the teaching track had been filled, that way if USF called me back, I could accept without hesitation. Mary called back and told me that the position had been filled and we chatted briefly, but I was becoming more and more accepting of the idea that I would not have a position by the end of the day. Which felt okay to me, but certainly disappointing. Around 9:35 Nancy called me back and told me that the position had been filled. She sounded genuinely apologetic and regretful, so that made me feel better. I called my parents and some friends to give them the update. I decided to go out on a run to clear my head before I came into the office.

And then, I got a call from a 650 number and I assumed it was Kaiser, so I prepared myself to turn them down, but in fact, it was Mary, calling to tell me that even though the teaching track had been filled, that they LGBT track was still open and they were far enough down on the list that she didn't feel like the remaining candidates were good fits for CAPS. So, she offered me the LGBT track. To make this email wrap up, I accepted. I am thrilled with the opportunity, a little taken aback, but really happy about how things worked out. I guess that quote from my email is true after all.

Again, I'm so proud of all of us,

Drew"

Woo hoo!

Jobs

For the next month or so I will likely be quite anxious about my job situation for the coming year. I have five interviews and I feel good about those options, but there are still a lot of unknowns as to how the remaining interviews will go and which places (if any) will provide offers. Additionally complicating the process is the fact that half of the applications I sent out won't even be read until after this round of interviewing and offers is complete. I guess this is how looking for jobs works in the real world and it is very unpleasant.

I visited a friend from graduate school this weekend who moved for a great job to Merced, California. If you've never heard of Merced, it makes sense, because not much happens there. It's located midway between Modesto and Stockton in the Central Valley, which I think is telling if the points of reference are cities I've never heard anything about. It just made me very grateful about living in a city and having cultural options to explore. I'm sure there are great things about Merced, but at dinner on Saturday at Big Bubba's BBQ when we got our balloon animal hats before the staff did a line dance, I knew I could never live there full time.





































Still, when I am riding the train to work in the morning I pass by an area of San Bruno where there is a Home Depot and in the parking lot I often see 20-25 men standing in various groups and configurations. I assume these men are waiting for people to pull up who need help with cheap manual labor. I think of how scary that life would be to wake up each day and hope that someone will pull up to your group and offer you money for physical work. There is no guarantee, there is no security, and who knows what they make in a given day. I am aware my problems are less dire than the men I see every morning and that makes me grateful.

The Engagement

I am so excited about my role in this event and I wanted to share it with everyone! As if these two could get any cuter:

Best Birthday EVER!

It is official. Thirty was by far the best birthday I have ever had! The celebrations continued this past weekend and it was amazing! It was one of those times where you feel so incredibly blessed and surrounded by love! I just flat out have the most amazing friends.

Like this guy! He flew in from Atlanta to surprise me. This is the second time in two years that he has flown into DC and surprised me. To sum it up...I felt AWESOME! Lucky for all of you they video taped it happening, so you can look forward to a video post of me screaming and bouncing up and down soon.

And how amazing are these folks. I never imagined it would turn into a big South Carolina reunion. DC, Chicago and New York in the house. Plus a few SC folks who had recently moved to VA - driving hours to come hang out for the weekend!

And clearly it just wouldn't be a celebration without some of my favorite JMU folks! And there were so many others that came out to meet us while we were out on the town - freshman roommates, friends from Auburn, people I met once I moved to DC. It really felt like most of the really important friends I have made in the past 30 years were represented (even if they couldn't all be there). Thank you so much Varsity Girls for making this weekend so incredibly special! For helping to coordinate surprise guests and inviting folks to crash at our house. It was perfect.

And a very special thanks to this guy. For letting all of my friends take over our home - for diving head first into the celebration after a very long week of work - and for just generally being you. You make my life so wonderful. Looking very forward to the next 30+ years with you!