In Italy the Communists have met & decided they’re not Communists
They’re gonna change their name to be more appealing to the Socialists and the Greens
But for the time being they’re calling themselves simply The Thing
The Thing! Personally, I’m planning to vote for -- the Thing
For the time being For the time being
There’s nothing left anymore except for the time being
You live your whole life for the time being
While meanwhile -- there is no meanwhile
Bob Holman, "1990"
Apparently, the road to DC goes through Texas.
After an agonizing month of waiting, American University finally got back to Joel with an admissions decision. Well, that's not entirely correct - they got back to Joel, but not with an admissions decision. He has been wait-listed. After sending out a smattering of acceptances during the second week of March, their admissions panel has been dragging their feet while applicants wait and fret and tear their hair out (at least, that's what it sounds like from the grad school forums that Joel has been perusing). Meanwhile, UT'S LBJ school has already returned with a financial aid offer (including some grant money - woo!), so it seems that the question of where we will be going has been answered for us, at least in the short term.
Unfortunately, I still do not have a job.
Up until yesterday, I had been applying to vacancies in both Austin and DC like mad. Now that Joel has decided he is going to UT, I can focus my efforts on Texas, but I will need to cast a wider net and start applying for jobs in Houston as well. If I can't get a position in Austin, I can always live with my family in Houston. I always swore I would never move back in with my parents, and the prospect of only seeing my husband on weekends is unsavory at best, but it is a financial net zero, at least. And on the flipside, my mother will be over the moon.
However, there is now another opportunity/complication in the works. On a whim, I applied for a position with the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps back in February (many thanks to my super-organized mother-in-law, who collected all of the materials and mailed them off for me). For those of you who don't know, the PHSCC is one of the (apparently) seven uniformed services of the US government, which - along with the NOAA Commissioned Corps - consists only of commissioned officers and is a non-combatant service (so my mother doesn't freak out). They got back to me last week, requesting an in-depth medical exam, which my friend (who currently works for them) tells me is a good sign. If I pass the interview stage, I'll be professionally boarded and commissioned once I get a federal position. I have already started training for the physical fitness test (in case you missed it, I am terrible at pushups) and will need to schedule my medical evaluation when I get back stateside. The catch, of course, is that there are no available positions in Austin or Houston, so I will probably wind up taking a position in DC, since that is where Joel will find work after he finishes his degree anyway. Either way, it is looking increasingly likely that we will be separated soon, and may have to spend a year or two living apart. Pooh.
For the most part, though, I am just glad that we have some sense of direction now. The anxiety of not knowing where we were going was really getting under my skin.
Meanwhile, we have been enjoying our quiet life here on the outskirts of Rome. Some days we stay in; on others, we go sightseeing. Yesterday, we went to St. Paul's Outside the Wall, one of four major basilicas in Rome (and, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful). We have been to the Borghese and Barberini art galleries, plus a modern art gallery on this side of town, and a handful of churches and basilicas and public parks. The weather has been lovely, and all the trees and flowers are in full bloom. The only thing our spring is missing is cherry blossoms, but I say the wisteria makes up for it.
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