Employed at last, employed at last...

Okay, as promised, the scoop on the interview. I interviewed Monday afternoon last week. The interview was based on two scenarios, and involved a kind of simulated case study approach. They were scored, with the highest scoring person offered the job. The job was offered to the other person, who turned it down. I was offered the job Tuesday morning. Our scores differed by about 6 points, so it was close. I am naturally delighted to have a job, and hope the other candidate is successful in her search.

I left for Missoula on Monday evening after the interview, spent a few days in Missoula with friends, came over early on Friday to check out some apartments and turn in my application. I flew home, enjoyed the holiday with my family, including my Texas sister and nieces.

This afternoon I found out that I was approved for the apartment I liked. So... in a week I have a job and a place to live! Woo hoo! After being unemployed for 6 months, the mad scramble now begins to find money for all of this. I'm hiring myself out for odd jobs.

The list of completed and upcoming jobs -

• cleaning and reorganization of two different purses
• baking 12 dozen cookies and 4 loaves of non-yeast bread, and cooking & freezing a caserole to feed 24
• cleaning & reorganizing a basement
• weeding

My catch phrase is No Job Too Odd. So, if any of you have any need for odd jobs in the next 2 weeks, let me know. As long as it's legal, I'm not ruling anything out.

I am really excited about the job itself, and the temporary inconvenience of having to scrape together moving money is just that - temporary. I'm thinking that I may be doing some pretty rustic living at first, but having done that more than once in the last couple years... well, it's not pretty, but it works, and it doesn't last forever (thank goodness!) Thanks to all of you who are now and have been my supporters in the past. Without you, I would not have made it through grad school, and wouldn't be soon to start my first professional position. You know who you are, and I will be forever grateful.