July 25, 2002 - 6:49 p.m.

Okay, about the job thing. . .

For those of you who I haven't told yet, about two months ago, I got a call from the principal of a charter school up here at which I had interviewed. She said, and I roughly quote, "It looks as though we have a position for you. I am about to go out of the country for a few weeks and should be back the first week of July. We will work out arrangements then." So, I, like a dummy, assumed that meant I had a job.

Apparently not.

You see, I called this school back the second week of July after waiting for them to call me. I reached the secretary on the third try, who told me, "Dr. Scott [the principal] isn't in yet. She should be anytime now and I will give her the message." So, I wait another few days for a call. Nothing. So, I call back again. On the second try, I reach Dr. Scott. "Oh," she says, "I just got back in the country today and was meaning to call you. I have to meet with the students this Tuesday to assess our needs. I will call you back about the job later this week."

Point number one: I am pretty sure she is lying about the "just back in the country" thing since my conversation with her secretary seemed to indicate she was in fact no farther than the local Dairy Queen. Point number two: this job seems much less certain now. It begins to seem like she is just stringing me along in case she needs me.

That was two weeks ago. I have tried 3 times to call the school back. I am now in the position of scrambling to find a teaching job less than a month before school starts.

Which brings us to yesterday. I received a call from Barrow County about a teaching opening. They sounded very excited about me teaching there (which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy about them in return). I have a phone interview with them today which goes phenomenally. They basically said that the job was mine if I wanted it and, oh, by the way, I am massively overqualified and why the hell do I want to teach anyway? I am going tomorrow to meet with them face-to-face, but it all seems very promising.

One problem, though.

My bride has started to realize all the great things we will be leaving here if we go. Zoe has great, affordable childcare with a woman we both really like and who LOVES Zoe. Mary loves her job and would basically be telling them a couple of weeks before school starts, "Hey, I ain't teaching here no more. Better start looking for a replacement." She hasn't had time to tell her students (some of whom are out of the state and/or country on vacation) goodbye. Oh, and we would pretty much have to pack up and move this week since new teacher orientation starts next Thurday.

So, we are in a predicament. Do I take the job and cause my wife all this strife? Or, do I turn down the job in the hopes that, sometime in the next week or so, a great school up here decides to call me up and hire me?

Just for once, I want a life decision to be easy. Like, "Cake or death?" Easy.

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