Arts as Astra

Today has been declared a snow day by the county. After chipping 1/4" of ice off my car, I'm glad they decided to do that. The main road are fine, but the neighborhood streets are pretty treacherous.

Dropped the kids off at their schools' day care programs, which thankfully run on snow days. So now I can work from home in peace, in theory.

I suppose now is as good a time as any to post about how the job search is going.

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I had a job interview today. For a public policy job. I'll tell you more about it after I find out whether or not I got it.

Good thing I'm not Julius Caesar, because things are actually starting to look up for me.

I spent last week in Boston and Philadelphia, giving a talk and attending a conference, respectively. They both went well, although I was about ready to weep with homesickness my last night away. I'm glad I punted the idea of spending Friday in Philly and came home instead.

On Saturday, I attended a concert given by my grad school chorus, who were on tour for spring break. They sang quite beautifully, and I felt quite proud and nostalgic that I used to sing with such a marvelous group. I was pregnant with Son the Elder my last year with the group, and I brought him to the concert both because I thought he would enjoy it, and to freak out other alumnae who sang with me at the time.

On the job front, I finally have a bit of good news! Not that I have a real job offer yet, but I found someone with money to support a postdoc for a year in the area. So now I have a backup plan in place. I'm still hoping for a faculty job, but at least I'm not staring unemployment in the face anymore!

That, and spring is in the air! I don't even mind the rain so much because at least it isn't snow!

Upcoming: I'm bringing the family to Boston the week of March 29-April 2. We will likely be staying in the Allston area. I'd like to visit the Museum of Science, the Aquarium, and the Freedom Trail while we're in town. Anybody want to join us and/or like to help me plan my week? (astrogeek, maybe we can actually connect this time? And chenoameg, we should have a more extended visit!)

I had a pile of applications (5) due on Dec 1, so I spent pretty much all day Tuesday furiously writing things up. So furious was I that I accidentally sent in one with the incorrect univerisity's name, and had to send in a new version later. I guess I can count on not getting that job. (mathhobbit is probably shaking her first at me now...)

I'd like to get the rest of the applications done in a more reasonable timeframe, so I've decided to do one each day for the month of December. Just like Advent. Except I'm not the one getting a present. Giving myself the weekends off, I should get these done in the next two weeks, so here goes.

This week: Snooty Tech and Not-so-snooty Tech.

[Side note: My family never celebrated Advent, and my church never brought it up, either. Is it just a Catholic/Episcopalian thing?]

Yesterday was the deadline to submit abstracts for January's AAS meeting in Washington, DC. Accordingly, I whipped up my abstract yesterday afternoon and submitted it, noting that the website was behaving awfully sluggishly.

I ought to have procrastinated a little more because a couple of hours later, they extended the deadline until Monday.

It seems that they are expecting record turnout at this meeting, so maybe 4000 people? You might interpret this to mean that with the successful Hubble Servicing Mission and the launches of Herschel and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter this year, astronomy is really booming and this meeting should be really exciting.

Unless you're a cynic like me.

What's the real reason people flock to the AAS January meeting? Why is it so much bigger than the summer meeting? Because it's the place to go and present when you're on the job market. By the summer meeting, hiring season is over. What with the number of cancelled job searches last year and the paltry number currently being advertised on the AAS Job Register, I have the feeling that this AAS meeting is going to be awash with desperate astronomers like me, all but holding up signs saying, "WILL REDUCE DATA FOR FOOD."

I'm heading up to NYC tomorrow morning for 2 days to interview for a job there. It's the sort of thing where if I were just giving a colloquium I would be a lot less nervous about it, and yet being less nervous would probably serve me better.

I also have to wonder if I really want my kids to grow up to be New Yorkers.

Anyway, please wish me luck.

Being in the first year of my fellowship, I can afford to be picky about job opportunities at the moment, and only apply to especially appealing positions or those I'm asked to apply for.

So does it count as being asked to apply if

• I'm asked via email,
  
• it's bcc'ed to me,
  
• it's addressed to "Dear Colleague"
  
• they sound pretty desperate?
  

I'm not sure that this is would necessarily be a good fit, in any case. I'm just wondering if I should treat it as flattery or spam.

I'm giving a talk Monday. I should start working on it.

I promised myself I would take a break from applying for jobs this fall, since I am safely employed for the next few years.

However, I have just spent the last hour perusing the AAS Job Register and bookmarking several ads.

ggggrrrraaarggghhh.

I had a lovely dream last night. I'd gotten a job offer from the Institute for Advanced Studies. They hadn't decided if they were going to offer me a 3-year or 5-year position, but I was really happy anyway, because I had a job and it mattered a whole lot less what happened with those other applications.

And then I woke up, and I was really sad.

But I guess some part of me still has hope...