Well – I did it !Â
I finally completed the second interview stage today and tonight received a random email late tonight from the recruiter cc me in to the University Academic Manager telling him I had done very well and to make me an offer I cannot refuse! Then silence…given the time difference of 8 hours I am going to think positively and aim to wake up to that offer!
I also did it!
I wrote my cinema review on the strange wonderfulness that is The Favourite – see reblog below – and placated my book reviewer editor that my overdue book review will be in this weekend. He was mercifully accommodating. I am pouring over the book of short stories, enthralled by each one and the sensitivity that they are written with, but that will be shown in my final review which I have decided to share here.
 Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com
Finally…I kinda did it!Â
I have booked a theatre trip ready to fulfil my writing obligations to the island theatre reviews and also to pump up my flagging social life ! Sounds riveting huh? Having said that things are fairly busy lately with 3 writers clubs to attend monthly, starting swimming and meeting up with new friends for coffees and the odd night out. My self imposed hermitage may even soften this year too…
Tomorrow sees a far more lucrative connection taking place as none of these seemingly illustrious roles are paid ones – just my final push to be taken seriously as some kind of published writer – and to indulge my love of reviewing books and artistic endeavours. I am finally going back to homestay teaching after an 8 year break! Lucrative as it was and often rewarding if all consuming,  my son, then aged ten, almost begged me to stop having these endless annoying students in our house each summer. He didnt seem to mind the adult ones but I decided to listen and therein was my downfall. When he questioned why we no longer took rather lavish holidays or money dried up more frequently, I had to remind him over the years that those sometimes long and arduous summers with homestay students had supplied our extra treats. The irony lay in that I then took on summer stints away from home in London, Dorset etc which meant we still didnt get much of a summer together and I still returned impressively skint! The ad hoc life of freelance self employed tutoring does not to luxury often lead. If it were not for my genuine passion for my subject I would have been long gone. The lure of this beautiful isle and the fact that I have lived alone here for 3 years getting by on the occasional one to one and fresh air have both combined to discuss a very timely offer made me 3 months ago.
New vow  – check your LinkedIn box more than once every 2 months darling and always answer the connectives – both this week’s teaching leads and 3 others came from LinkedIn and missed gmails that I discovered and hastily replied to, lamenting the fact they had lain silent and ignored on the mailbox floor. Sadly, I had missed the boat on a few, particularly one that I had coveted – I think GMail is plotting against me and invariably hiding the good ones! It was writing concepts for selling ideas – doing stick drawings for scenarios but developing that into powerful descriptive copy. There was a fun initial test and then a Skype interview to follow. Damn! I did try to follow up but had well and truly missed that one. Having thousands of emails on Gmail account prob doesnt help – unless I type in the actual company or name I am patiently waiting to hear on I never find out at all sometimes! Missing a very important interview day in London before Christmas was one such disaster…time to tackle the gmail stacks rather than just keep opening new accounts! I made inroads pre Christmas break but how boring to sit and delete for hours on end copious rubbish and how frustrating to uncover such gems as above nestled in its pedantry…
 Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com
Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com
Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com
Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com
So perhaps there ARE some good things ahead if only to beam through the gloom of the post Christmas and New Year apocalyptic spending realisation haze. Tackling that head on first is my priority…she says, with unopened bills still taunting her on the hallway stand.
 I will be ‘in touch’ about the imminent interview results/job offer … let’s just hope the guy is too!
 Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com
Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com
Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com
Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com
 Wishing you all a speedy freefall and smooth transition into February.
 There is ‘some’ after all…Part Two! Thank you to the Anglo Saxon King… Well - I did it ! I finally completed the second interview stage today and tonight received a random email late tonight from the recruiter cc me in to the University Academic Manager telling him I had done very well and to make me an offer I cannot refuse!
