Dear Friends, Family, Casual Acquaintances, Etc.:

Dr. S and I are happy* to tell you that we are expecting a child in December.

Unfortunately, winter is prime time for infections!  As you may know, vaccine refusal in combination with several other factors has led to a pertussis epidemic in the US.  Over 24,000 pertussis cases were reported to the CDC last year.  A large amount of data suggests that the pertussis vaccine essentially provides no protection after somewhere between 6 and 10 years, and that immunity begins to wane after 4 years in both children and adults.

The CDC's current recommendation is that adults receive a single pertussis booster shot, or with every pregnancy, or when over 65.  However, based on the overwhelming evidence indicating no pertussis immunity after ten years, we are asking that everyone who comes into contact with our child let us know they have had a pertussis or TDaP booster within the last ten years, and no less than a month before visiting.  Many health departments will provide this booster for free to all people who are in contact with infants.  We also ask that you receive an influenza vaccine for this winter's flu strains (2013/2014) at least a month before visiting.

If there is a medical reason you cannot be immunized, please let us know; we'll trust to our own (and the rest of our visitors' and families') immunizations to protect you as well as the baby.  If you are not comfortable with being vaccinated, then you are welcome to visit us any time after next August, when the baby will have received enough protection from her own vaccinations to be safer from these dangerous illnesses.

Best,

The Drs. Scientist

* Not really!  But let's pretend!

(Yes, I am really sending an email very like this to our friends and family.  It seemed nicer than 'Get your fucking shots and keep your unimmunized germbags the fuck away from us.')

More Five Minute Blogging On Jobs

Dear Readers, I am now in possession of a job. Part-time.  For one semester.

ADJUNCTING.

What the hell.

Normally, I find adjuncting abusive, underpaid, and abhorrent.   Also, I have little to no desire to be a professor. However, I will be paid a fairly ridiculous sum to literally show up for twelve hours a week, for one semester, and keep a bunch of students from setting themselves on fire in lab.  Someone else does all the prep and the 'lab reports' are fill-in-the-blank worksheets.

However, I'm a little miffed in a philosophical sense to suddenly be, even for a semester, that professor's wife who's adjuncting.  What.  The.  Hell.

(I will not allow this to come between me and the pile of money.)

And Another Thing!

(Let me preface this with: my spouse is, generally, a reasonable human being who is kind and caring.  ALSO I may be a little frustrated, pissed off, and emotional.  Maybe.)

Dr. S is not planning to take any time off when baby #3 is born.  Well, maybe a week.  Certainly not two.  But, you see, his entire course load next year is in the spring.  Right after this baby is expected to arrive.  How could he ditch his classes and instead take responsibility as a parent?   (The less irritated translation is, he's concerned about alienating his entire department during his first year as a TT professor - finally! - and feels it's in our family's long-term best interests to avoid that.)

Not that I'm annoyed or anything.

Five Minute Blogging: Jobs

You know what?  I have a lot to say, and it's all boring and about feelings, and then I feel like nobody cares, possibly including me, plus I'm also full of bitterness, anger, and resentment, which is probably hiding a small mountain of fear and uncertainty underneath.  SO let's talk about something else!

As you all doubtless recall, I live in a town of 7000.  I thought I was okay with the fact that everything closes at 4:59 PM and the only place open on Sunday is the Walmart, but it turns out I'm only okay with that provided I eventually have meaningful PAID work to do.  The nearest cities are a 45-60 minute commute away, each way, which I am not okay with, because if I'm going to spend multiple hours a day commuting I at least want to live near civilization.  Which I don't.  I love the Farmers' Co-op, but I don't actually need cattle supplies.

(Bug is now throwing a fit about PUTTING HIS DAMN SWIMSUIT ON SO HE CAN GO TO CAMP WHICH HE LOVES.  Why yes!  I do want to pay other people so I don't have to listen to this shit all day long!)

There is maybe one job a month in the whole 600 square mile county which  a) I am qualified for; b) I am not terminally overqualified for; and c) is better than nothing.  For example, county clerk, paid $31,000 a year?  Worse than nothing.  Law school secretary, associate degree preferred but not required?  Yeah, right, they're going to hire me.  All the ones I'm really qualified for have, so far, refused to offer me a job.

The latest is a chemistry lab instructor position at Next-Door Nutso Military College.  On the one hand... it might help in the long run?  On the other hand, it might actually be worse than nothing. Especially if I have to wear the uniform.

Return

We have been on a delightful vacation in far-off lands, visiting the equally delightful and charming Redzils and her dear spouse, the Libra.  Also Belle, in a different far-off land!  Here is a mountain.

Now I am overwhelmed with laundry, cranky children, house affairs, and feelings. Nonetheless, it was wonderful to be gone.

And NO.

After all that, they hired the other person for the University staff job.  From this, I learn that if my instincts say "They haven't called you because the answer is no," that is correct.  I don't know, maybe they thought I wasn't student-centered enough or something; I was actually very well qualified for this job.  The last person they hired was completely student-centered and an unmitigated disaster.  Also, because it was for a religiously-oriented director position, I was honest in a lot of ways that don't come up in a job interview usually.  I feel more than a little personally insulted - because in some ways, it is that I personally was not good enough for them.  So.  Miffed!  Disappointed!

Well... I guess we won't be going to the Hillel much next year.  There's a nice congregation about 45 minutes away.  I always wanted to spend half my life driving small children around.

I have learned something important about myself: I am, in fact, not very happy to keep doing what I'm doing here.  I'm bored.  I want a job.   I don't have anything meaningful to do other than chase around my kids, which I hate.  However, it's starting to look like I'm never going to find a job here unless I want to be a waitress or a secretary.  Or a peon, but the last peon job I applied for wouldn't hire me because they thought I was too managing and wouldn't stay.  (Which was true.)  Lest you think I am exaggerating, there are 7000 people here, 24,000 people in the entire county which is 600 square miles, and one city.  One.  The one with 7000 people.  The nearest places of work are 45+ minutes away, which is completely un-doable here because the daycares - both of them - close at 5.  The median income is $46,000... per household.    My life satisfaction with Small Town is starting to decrease.  I'm envisioning my life stretching out before me just as it is now, or with some low-interest job thrown in, and I am deeply unhappy with that vision.  Maybe we won't stay forever, after all.

Lascia ogni speranza?

I have, at long last, finished interviewing with a total of two dozen people, on five separate days.  (I KNOW.)  Although I thought it went very well, now three days have elapsed, I've heard nothing, and I'm starting to feel a little paranoid.

On the other hand, the occupant of my uterus is a female occupant.  So there's that.  I don't know why I wanted a baby girl so much, but I did.