I said YES!! Thank you!

Well, it looks like I finally got myself a job.

Has anyone tried Castor oil for anything?  I read that it removes skin tags, makes your eyelashes grow and is like some miracle oil for different things.  After paying (well, okay owing) $380 for removal of skin tags last year I thought wouldn’t this be something if Castor oil works?  Plus I have a teeny little skin tag on my eye lid along my eyelash line.  So what if I can grow my eyelashes AND remove that skin tag at the same time?  Like a win-win right?  My doctor here says I can also use a thread and just pop off the skin tag on my neck.  Not on my eyelid.  I’ll try the Caster oil first.  Maybe it’s a de-wrinkle product as well.

The job? It’s at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.  Funny story…I applied last October thinking I was applying at the Gulfport, Florida campus which is right beside Treasure Island where I lived last summer and close to Stephanie’s.  Then I didn’t hear from them until January to see if I was still interested so I figured why not say yes (still thinking it was Gulfport) because well why not. So I said yes I was interested.  It wasn’t until the very end of the Skype interview (which was February 9th) that I found out it wasn’t in Gulfport.  It is 3 hours away, across the state, on the east coast (or near the east coast) of Florida – near Daytona Beach.  I assumed they wouldn’t offer me the position because I didn’t have any idea where it was that I was applying to and I assumed I would turn it down anyway because I know NOBODY there, don’t really want to live on that side of the state, plus it’s inland, well anyway….before I got home from the library (from the Skype call) I talked to Stephanie (my spirit guide you know) who told me I will LOVE this area (also told this by my neighbor on Treasure Island) and anyway Steph said I’d love it and not to turn it down based on the location.  When I got home from the library I already had an email asking me if I was interested in the next steps (reference checks) and so I said “sure, why not” – I know they asked Jordan and Karen (from PPU) not sure who else and apparently they were impressed with the references and asked me to come for an onsite interview – travel expenses paid (except for the car) And so I went down last weekish.  Thank you Jordan and Karen!

So last week(ish) I was sitting on the beach…and today I’m sitting at the creek.  See the difference in foot attire below.  Both places are so peaceful.

I walked to the creek today to check out some noises we heard in the woods – nothing creepy just someone cutting trees so I wanted to see what was going on.  The neighbors are making a path to the old mill from their house. That’s pretty cool.  They love the mill as much as we do.  Everyone loves that mill.  I was noticing the roof today (on the Mill) I can’t believe it’s still holding up after what?  100 years?  My cousin Ira will probably correct me here on how long that’s been standing. I bet it’s longer than 100 years.  Ira used to play at the mill as a boy.  Am I right Ira?  Is “play” the correct term there?  Or were you working?

So, back to the job. The job title is Project Manager for Brown Center for Faculty Innovation and Excellence.  Here I copied this from the job description:

The Brown Center facilitates the development of the Teacher-Scholar (http://www.stetson.edu/administration/provost/stetson-teacher-scholar.php). The Project Manager is a full-time position that performs professional and administrative work to advance the goals of the Brown Center under the direction of the Executive Director. This position will be responsible for the overall management and completion of short term and long term projects, initiatives, data collection and analysis, communications and outreach activities of the Brown Center and other Faculty Development activities. In addition to managing the Brown Center efforts, this position will provide management and administrative support for the Associate Provost for Faculty Development, and will serve as the program coordinator/ administrator for the University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB).

There will be a lot of administrative work, a lot of meeting event coordination, kind of a little bit of everything, VERY similar to what I did at Point Park down to being the IRB coordinator.  So pretty much a perfect fit.  When I went for the interview I saved them tons of money by flying on Allegiant, flew in a couple of days early – drove to the beach (saving them money again on ground transportation but not saving ME money) and anyway the day of the interview (which was last Wednesday) I drove over to campus – 3 hours from the beach, checked into the Hotel, went into the town and had lunch, cute town, LOTS of furniture shops, got to campus at 12:30 for a campus tour, and at 1:00 started the interviews.  FIVE hours of interviews.  I did not yawn one time.  I did not get bored.  I apparently answered intelligently and well I was offered the job on Monday.

While I was there, in DeLand, I did not look for housing.  I am very used to NOT getting the offer so I didn’t want to put too much time and effort into it.  After my 5 hour interview I walked back into the town had really good Sushi and then back to the room where I was exhausted and plopped into a very comfortable Hampton Inn bed.  Up at 5:00 a.m. – to the airport – back to beautiful Virginia before noon.  Actually a 1½ hour plane ride.  I love Allegiant. I would invest in them if I was the investing type.

Yesterday we had a visit by 15 Turkey buzzards.  At least I think that’s what they were.  They are not quiet birds.  You know how sometimes, most times, birds glide quietly right by you and you might not ever know they are there.  Well these birds make quite the racket (or would it be racquet?) with their wings.  Mom assumed there was something dead in the yard, but I did not see anything dead.  Nor were they eating anything.  Just hanging out in the trees, flapping around a bit.  THEN I googled it and found out that mating season starts for them around March and well, that might have something to do with the gathering and flapping around trying to impress the girls.  They were not there this morning so whatever mysteriously brought them here also mysteriously took them away.

I need to find an apartment in DeLand, from a distance.  My offer includes travel expenses and I believe, based on the IRS Publication 521 covering moving costs that I could go down and look around and have those expenses reimbursed.  I do not know that I will do that though. I actually have a job here in Virginia next week and the week after babysitting my old lady. However, I found a very cute little apartment on Craigs list in what is called the Historic District.  It seems pretty perfect.  Small is good since I have no furniture.  Although I am getting my dining room buffet back from the previous BF.  And I have a TV and I have my kitchen aid mixer to make cookies at the ready.  I will be able to have all my stuff in Tampa moved over at an expense much less than what I am allowed to spend.  Isn’t that nice of me?  I’m thinking of having a house-warming party for myself…now…online…with a GoFundMe page.  Is that tacky? I need a bed. Well I need a lot of things – so I thought why not?  If I had a party I bet people would come.  I can’t have a party because well you know, the only people I know live hundreds of miles in all directions.  So what if I have a blog party?  With a GoFundMe page?  Where I get all the presents?  And no one gets any cookies?  Doesn’t seem quite right does it?  Well, if I get enough money I will get TWO beds and then everyone can come visit and sleep in their own bed.  And THEN I will make cookies and perhaps a Quiche and we will all walk around the town/village and look in the furniture stores and have sushi for dinner.

Perhaps I will have my Blog housewarming party later this week. My job and my move will be April 1 (April 3 for the first day of work). Plenty of time to plan a Blog party.

Am I excited?  Hell yes.  What about mom you say?  That is a blog for another day.  A very conflicted blog.  This is already long enough.  More intrigue and suspense for my next blog.

xoxoxo