Keep the Change? Yes, Please!

In the relatively little time since I last wrote, life has delivered lots of craziness to our door. Big changes are either afoot or (hopefully) just around the corner. Edison has un-enrolled from virtual school and will be starting at a “normal” school tomorrow. This is a big deal for us. While virtual school is considered public school and is not the same thing as homeschooling, we’ve never had to take a child to a school building five days a week. Doing so makes it all feel more “real” somehow, like we’ve taken yet another step into “reality.” Funny thing, Edison was supposed to start at his new school today, but all of the local schools have been closed today due to ice and snow storms. Yes, in Florida. Apparently, the last time it snowed here was briefly in 1989. I haven’t seen any actual snow yet, but it’s supposedly possible. So far, it’s just little itty bitty ice pellets. But hey, my college class was cancelled too, so I’m happy. I should mention that Eddie’s going to be in the same class as his best friend, Natalie. That’s a very exciting development. I can’t believe how optimistic Eddie’s been about all of this. He’s prone to anxiety, which is why Melanie and I are thrilled that he’s going to be in Natalie’s class. That will really help him adjust, methinks. But even before we knew that, Eddie was looking forward to his new school. He and Melanie went on a tour of the school about a week ago, and Eddie came home telling me how awesome it is. One thing that really excites him: they sometimes have “brunch for lunch,” which consists of pancakes, sausage, and hash browns. Whatever gets him excited about school works for me!

In other wild news, I am preparing to make my first venture into the job market. Cross my fingers, it will also be my last venture into the job market. For discretionary reasons, I won’t say much in the way of details right now, but I will say that I really, really, really want this one. It sounds perfect for me, and I truly believe I am perfect for it. It’s a teaching-oriented job with little to no research (re: publishing) requirements. I like writing, but I really enjoy the teaching side of things and like the idea of being able to write (and maybe even publish) on subjects other than academic philosophy when I have the chance. This will allow for that. In fact, I would have the summers off, which would open up some time to work not only on other writing but on music. If that weren’t enough, the job would bring us immensely closer to our families and friends in Utah. I can truly see this being a permanent job for me; I see no reason that I’d ever want to leave! And that’s fantastic, because I have no interest in bouncing around the country every one or two years while trying to land something more permanent. This is a tenure-track position, so I could be there long-time if it all works out. I’ve tried really hard not to get my hopes up, but man … they’re flying pretty high right now. Of course, I haven’t even submitted an application yet. There’s a lot that goes into that, so I’m working on getting all of the materials gathered. Hopefully I’ll send my application off within the next week or so. Wish me luck!