I had a major interview set for this week. It was with a world celebrity who happened to get a graduate degree from my school. I can’t say who she is, but know that this was going to be a big interview. To be honest, I was a bit nervous. Disappointingly, she’s had to cancel our interview due to some unforeseen issues. She didn’t cancel it completely, but it just won’t be in person or this week. We will have to do the interview by phone in a few weeks. The phone isn’t the best option because the sound quality is not as good, but it’s better than nothing.

Yesterday, I sent in a proposal to present at a rural women’s conference. You might wonder why. Well back in graduate school, I conducted oral histories with a special group of rural women. The conference isn’t until next year, but I’m hoping that my paper gets accepted. It’s a unique story that should be told. If I am chosen to present, I will likely be the only male presenter. However, women’s history was my minor field, so I hope they overlook my gender and allow me to present.

In a comment yesterday, an anonymous commenter asked how last week went when I was alone at the office. In one brief word…boring. I did get a lot of work done on the book that I am writing as part of my job, but there wasn’t a lot else to do. The book by the way is a book of oral histories. Anyway, my boss came in long enough for us to do a tour of the museum for a group, but other than that it was just me and a student we have doing research in the museum, so technically, I wasn’t all alone. He’s quiet though and is a hard worker, so it was like being alone. Sometimes it’s nice to be in the office by myself. Yes, it gets boring, but I can get work done undisturbed. So there you have it. While I accomplished some of the work that I needed to get done, it was mostly just very boring.
PS Can anyone tell me what the model in the picture is holding in his hands?

For most of this week, I will be alone at work. Because of a screw up in HR, most everyone is taking off this week because they’d lose their time otherwise. Because I am paid through a different program, this didn’t affect me. I still have all my vacation time. So while everyone enjoys a week off, I will be holding down the fort. We do have one part-time employee that the HR error didn’t affect. She may be in some of the week, but she might be working out of the office too. Even so, most of the week, I will have the office to myself. I have a few minor projects to work on, but nothing to keep me busy the whole week. I will definitely be doing some reading while everyone is gone.

In yesterday’s blog…

Susan wrote:

While an understandable emotion in this situation, in fact you have nothing to feel guilty about. You stated you love your job so the issue is its non-permanence. Anyone in this predicament would seriously consider trying to find employment elsewhere. No employer can or would expect an employee to work under the threat of eventual job loss. If your leaving would put them in a bind, then perhaps they should reconsider the status of your position. Good luck with your search. ❤ 

Anonymous wrote:

The shortness of your blog entries and the lack of any enthusiasm for life in small town New England makes clear that your present job, while it rescued you in the nick of time, is not what you want or need. If the funding for your position is at risk, then you have a full justification for looking for another post of the same kind, for which you now have experience. 

The above were my two comments from yesterday’s post entitled “Guilt.” Let me address Susan’s first. I know I shouldn’t feel guilty. I’m a loyal person though and it bothers me that I may disappoint my current coworkers. However, my job is uncertain at this point and who knows where I will be in two years. This job came open and I had to apply. In my opinion there was little choice in the matter. Besides, I just need to get over myself because the other job may not even consider me a worthwhile candidate.

As for Anonymous’s comment, it is true that my blog posts have become shorter since I moved here. There are several reasons for that. When my friend died 18 months ago, I lost my muse. He was very good at giving me suggestions to write on or sparking something inside me to compel me to write about that. Now that muse is gone. Second, small town New England is quite boring. There just isn’t that much going on, and to be truthful, though I love my coworkers, they aren’t a really exciting bunch. There are topics I could go on and on about such as Donald Trump or what I miss about the South, but then my blog would have a negative feel to it and I don’t want that. I would miss a few things about up here. For one I love how close I am to Montreal. I’ve only been once but I’ve been planning to go back. I have some vacation time I need to take.

Anyway, there you have it. I’m off to Boston this morning. I won’t be back until tomorrow, but I’ll post something for tomorrow’s blog.

This week, I applied for a new job. I love my job, but I wish it was closer to home. Also, my job may turn out to be a temporary project, so there is no guarantee that I’ll have a job in a few more years. So I applied for a new job closer to home. It would be at one of the best universities in the South. I don’t know why I feel guilty about applying, except I’d leave my current employer in a major bind. However, I may not even be considered for the job I applied for. In the meantime, I’ll probably still feel guilty until I find out one way or another about this other job.

It’s going to be a busy week. Today I have a meeting in the afternoon and then I have to leave early to get my rental car for a trip Tuesday. Tuesday, I’m driving down to Worcester, Mass. for a workshop. Wednesday I will be driving back from Worcester and returning the rental car which should get me to work sometime around noon. I’m not sure what’s in store Thursday or Friday, but if the first part of the week is any indication, then it should be busy also.

Are Mondays anybody’s favorite day? It means we return to work after the weekend off. At least that’s the way it is for most of us. I’ll be honest, I’d rather have another day off. Thank goodness there is coffee. At least that will give me a little boost. I’ll need that little boost to get through the day. There is a lot going on at work today, so I need to be at my best.

I have today off because I have to work Saturday. Since I have today off, I’m sleeping in. There isn’t much more to write about, so I’ll leave it at that.